Where/What to register?

FutureMrsSheeler · February 2011

Hi ladies. I am home for the weekend, and my mom is asking me about registering. I have awhile to register yet, atleast in my opinion!
But, I cannot think of where we should register. FI is from Iowa, and the only store they have around there is Wal-Mart. So... I have to register there. I would like to register at BB&B, and one other place, but I don't know where to?

Also, FI and I have NOTHING for our future home. Should we register for sofas, and a bed frame and mattress, or is that tacky? I honestly have no idea how all of this works, and what the general rules are.

Any help would be great! Thanks ladies

Steph0871 · February 2011

1. Do not register yet. Everything will be discontinued, and your styles will change in the next year

H and I did it about 6 months out (shortly after our STDs went out in th email) and even that was probably a little too early.

2. TARGET! I know they get a bad rep on here, but they've added a few things that make it a pretty good registry. We had no issues at all. They're everywhere, and you can get a huge variety/range of stuff. We did most of our registry at Target. We wanted some 'nice' dishes (but not actual China), so we also registered at Williams-Sonoma. They were really nice when we were registering, but trying to return something was the worst retail experience in my life.

3. Just register at Target

They give you a little goodie bag, including a list of items you should register for. We didn't use everything, of course, but it was a great reminder of things we had forgotten.

FutureMrsSheeler · February 2011

Steph, I do LOVE Target, but I feel like Wal-Mart and Target are too similar to register at both of them. My FMIL said I need to register at Wal-Mart for the guests from Iowa, which is half of our guests.

And what do you think about registering for sofas, a bed frame, and mattress? Are big ticket items rude to register for?

MilitaryBride2Be · February 2011

I would wait to register, I waited until about 3 months before. As far as not having anything for your home FI and I are the same way. What we're doing is just registering for everything we can at Bed Bath and Beyond and Dillards. We really really really need furtniture but those are usually more expensive and it would be a pain to register for. We're just spreading the word that we are saving up for furniture and from what my mom's said, most people know that we just moved and need this stuff anyways.

Steph0871 · February 2011

eh. you can do both Wal-Mart and Target. Just split stuff evenly. If most of your family is in Wal-Mart, think about what they'll likely get you? Maybe do all kitchen stuff at Wal-Mart and all other stuff (towels, sheets, toys, etc) at Target?

Big ticket items are ok, as long as you have lots of stuff in the lower price-range too. We registered for our dishes, which were like $100/serving (so about $1200 total). But we also had $5 ktichen gadgets and $20 Wii games, board games, towels, etc.

franticbride2 · February 2011

I have to disagree about registering at both Walmart and Target. I would just register at one, because you really only need 2-3 registries. That would already take up 2 of your registries, and they basically have the same things. I would do something like Walmart, BB&B, and possibly Macy's or another department store. So far we have registered at Macy's and BB&B and are struggling to find enough things to register for at both, so I can't imagine trying to find different things at somewhere like Walmart and Target.

I guess if you can find bigger ticket items at these places to register for, go ahead. I don't know about your parents, but I know mine are looking to spend quite a bit, so it would be fitting for us to put bigger things on ours. I know some grandparents also like to spend quite a bit. Even if nobody buys your bigger items, at least you would get the completion discount on that stuff

lboerner88 · February 2011

I would wait until about 6 months before the wedding. We did ours at 6 months and we have had to keep an eye on it and change a few items that were discontinued. We registered at Macy's and Target and are very happy with both of them so far!

musicalsunlight · February 2011

I think the "big ticket" thing really depends on your family. I wasn't really planning on doing that when it comes time for me to register, but I jokingly said to my mom that I would much prefer registering for furniture type stuff since we have nothing nice at all. She practically spit her wine at me, in a "oh my goodness you cannot do that" kind of way. So obviously in my family it would be a no go.

graysquirrel · February 2011

We registered a little less than a year out and have not had a ton of problems. I check every so often to delete things that are not in the stores any more or if I change my mind. It's all online so it doesn't take me long.

How about registering at Kohls? If people can take advantage of their big sales/coupons, you might have a better chance of getting some nicer items. I don't think that I would register for items like couches or matresses, but things like bedding or small lamps might be good choices.

FutureMrsSheeler · February 2011

Thanks ladies, you've been so much help! My parents, and FI's parents, along with our grandparents are looking to spend more, just because they know that we need a lot of stuff. So I think we will put a sofa and love seat on our registry when it is time, and that is a good point about the completion.

I would like to register at Macy's, but feel like I would have a hard time finding things to register for at all three places. Do you register for double things, just to accomodate guests, say two blenders, one at Wal-Mart, and one at Macys? Or just do it at one and hope someone buys it there..

amyoqwanes · February 2011

You might also want to consider an all-in-one online registry, like myregistry.com. That way, you don't have to limit yourself to two stores. It does depend on your guests though -- if you feel like they're more inclined to go to the store than logon to a web site, you might want to stick to an in-store service.

nycheryl · February 2011

If you register at Target (or Wal-Mart), will people purchase gifts online for you if there's not a store near them?

I went to a destination wedding and the couple registered at Target. I purchased their gift online (a cuisinart) and shipped it to their house. If there's any inkling of your FI's relatives purchasing online, this may be the way to go without too much duplication.

dorekelly · February 2011

I've heard some places offer you a discount on the unpurchased items left on your registry after your wedding should you and your husband choose to buy them.

I think Macy's does that.

I'm definitely registering at Crate & Barrel! They have free registry parties where brides and grooms come and get to eat, drink, and register! Plus they have such nice stuff...its like a slightly cheaper Pottery Barn.

Steph0871 · February 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_wherewhat-register?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:81Discussion:6d3f3bc9-a75e-452b-b3bc-be70512d1045Post:db6c9d49-a205-497d-956d-ea67241b03f2">Re: Where/What to register?</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>I've heard some places offer you a discount on the unpurchased items left on your registry after your wedding should you and your husband choose to buy them</strong>. :) I think Macy's does that. I'm definitely registering at Crate & Barrel! They have free registry parties where brides and grooms come and get to eat, drink, and register! Plus they have such nice stuff...its like a slightly cheaper Pottery Barn. :)
Posted by dorekelly[/QUOTE]

<div>I think everywhere does this? Target and Williams-Sonoma both gave us 10% off coupons after the wedding. Target for just one day. W-S was for a month (?) after the wedding. </div><div>
</div><div>OP- I would not register for the same thing in more than one place. The last thing you wan tto do after the edding is deal with doubles and returning them. ;)</div><div>
</div><div>I would jut do Wal-Mart and Macy's then. I only suggested Target, because I think you need to have at least two stores. I know there are people that are very anti-Wal-Mart (and some that are anti-Target recently), so just make sure there are at least two stores adn you should be fine! </div><div>
</div><div>Think about the kind of stuff you like at Wal-Mart vs Macy's. This is just personal opinion, but I'd think dishes and bedding are probably 'nicer' at Macys. Whereas your standard kitchen stuff, electronics, board games, etc would be good at Wal-Mart.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div>

quincygirl77 · February 2011

Has anyone tried using the Amazon.com registry?? My FI is really pushing for it because you can include items from so many different stores.

I still feel like we should include a store people can actually go to like Crate & Barrel in case people aren't comfortable with the internet.

strangisj · February 2011

I registered yesterday at Macy's in Southdale and they were beyond helpful! They give you a 10% off discount after the wedding for up to 90 days to finish off your registry.

I also registered at Williams Sonoma too. GREAT experience! You get 10% everything up to 6 months after the wedding as well.

I used to work at Target Corp, so definitely don't register there more than 3 months out, as they change their assortment every 3 months. You'll get a registry full of discontinued items.

Good luck!!

wittyschaffy · February 2011

OP - if you are personally anti Wal-Mart (and it sounds like you're not digging the idea of registering there) then don't!! While I'm sympathetic to your Mom's point of view that half of your guest live nearest to a Wal-Mart you don't have to register anywhere you don't want to.

75% of our guest list was in town and the other 25% live in the middle of nowhere MN or Kentucky. There was no way that we would be able to register somewhere that EVERYONE had in their town (and I personally do not like Wal-Mart so that was not even a consideration). We chose stores that had a good online presence for the folks who didn't necessarily have a store down the street and we were comfortable with their offerings. For us, we registered at Macy's, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond and made sure to register for a range of price points at each store.

I wouldn't double register for items. That just seems like a pain because if you get both items that you registered for, then you have to go through the hassle of returns.

Bimbi284 · February 2011

Ditto what everyone else has said. In regards to what to register for and where, DH and I did a lot of comparison shopping within our registry places (Target, Crate and Barrel, Macy's). We basically took the list that C&B gave us at their registry event and went through it together to decide which things we absolutely needed. (We upgraded a lot of stuff). Then we went over about a week's worth of time and combo of online and in store to decide which place had a particular item we needed, and if there was an item that we liked more at one place, but not another. For example, we really liked the glassware at C&B, so we registered for our wine and champagne glasses there......BUT we didn't really care for their selection of drinking glasses, so we got those from Target instead.

The very LAST thing you'll want to register for is you linens like towels, bedding, pillow covers, etc, because those items are the most seasonal. In order to ensure that you get what you want out of those, register for them a couple of weeks before your showers. The good thing about places that have online registries is that you can always update stuff or add more stuff later on if you need to.

FutureMrsSheeler · February 2011

You ladies are beyond helpful! Thank you so much! A lot of the people in IA are older, and not too tech-savvy, so they will mostly be getting gifts in store. We will probably register either in November or February, so we don't register for holiday items... I wish I was registering when all the fun summery stuff was out. We will probably end up registering at Wal-Mart and BB&B, and I really am hoping for an Ikea registry to come out by the time we register!

Thanks again ladies!!

PS... have fun in this awful snow!!

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