Baby registries... which is best/worst?

[Skatterfly]

Wondering what others have done for the baby registry?

I have heard deplorable things about Target's new return policy and am worried not everyone will include a receipt. (Not to mention they're going the way of babiesrus.com and moving their online orders to Amazon... which means that returns have to be shipped back to Amazon.)

Also, Babiesrus is about 45 minutes away from my house and seems to be a great place for ideas, but I don't know much about their registry... and the same is true... their online orders are handled through Amazon so I don't know if I can do returns in the store of have to handle returns through amazon.

One of my good friends registered with Babycenter.com and SWEARS by it... I'll probably consider them, but still need an old fashioned bricks and mortar store for some of the older folks to visit.

Anyone have good recommendations or tips on getting the most from a baby registry process including who is best, worst, etc?

TIA,
Kat

[Momof3Labs]

I personally think that BRU is the best (huge selection, can change registry online, decent return policy, even without a receipt, they'll take something back even if it wasn't purchased there), followed by Target (smaller selection, requires gift receipt for a return). Baby Depot is another choice, but they have a FIFTEEN DAY return policy and only give store credit. BRU only gives store credit on most gift receipts, but at least they sell diapers, so you are guaranteed to be able to use your credit.

JMHO!

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

[sparkeze]

I did register at Target and it was convenient because everyone has a Target nearby but they're always out of stock! We don't have a BRU nearby but TRU also has a baby registry and they are more widely available. They don't have the out of stock issue like Target did, and I'm not sure about the return policy but chances are you have a TRU close by!

[bnme]

BRU has the best selection. There return policey seems to be good (don't need a receipt). The only problem is if someone orders from the website and it is a slightly different product that they don't sell...then you can't return it there (For example, I registered for a Diaper Genie and some one shipped me the Diaper Genie Starter Kit which is basically the DG with 3 refills. The store wouldn't take it back). Unless you think a lot of people will be shopping on-line it shouldn't be a problem.

Also, consider what stores will be convienient for the people buying you gifts to shop at.

[MinnieMouse]

I would go with Babies R Us hands down. They have an excellent on line shopping setup where you can add/delete items. Their stores have 3-4x the selection that Baby Depot or Target have and in most cases better quality selection as well.

All the items that are in the baby section of Toys R Us are at Babies R Us and they share the same registry system. So those family and friends that are not near a BRU will most probably be near a TRU....where they can at least print out the registry.

I wouldn't go near the Baby Depot or Target registries with a 10 ft pole. Their return policies are from the dark ages and all the people I know that have had one there have had only headaches. BRU will take back practically any baby equipment item made for store credit and because of their huge selection you can always find something else you need.

I would register in the store though as opposed to online. The stores have many more items and you can look and compare....later you can always make changes online to add or delete.

HTH

Christine

[Skatterfly]

Hey everyone,
Thanks so much for your thoughts. I spent a good hour wandering through Babies R Us yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see their selection. I figured it would be all mass market crap, but they have a LOT of nice brands including the Lamaze developmental toys and nice layette stuff and more baby care/baby bathing options I could have dreamed of. I then also asked the manager of the baby registry desk more specific questions about their return policy and felt really satisfied about their flexibility. I'm definitely going to register there.

I will also take up the advice of a couple people to at least register at a Target, if only for a few items, because inevitably someone will go there instead for convenience. And apparently if you register at Target they're a bit more lenient on exchanges than if you just come in off the street without a receipt. Although it was IMPOSSIBLE to even find someone to talk to about their registry or the return policy... definitely the "dark ages" over there.

Happy registering everyone!!!!
~kat

[Caroline99]

I just registered about 2 weeks ago and I was actually really disappointed in the selection at BRU. I thought it was a no-brainer registry choice, but once I walked around the store a few times, I really only registered there *because* that's the first place people will think to go to. Maybe we just have too many special needs because my husband is tall...BRU doesn't carry the Maclarens or the Bjorn in an extra-tall (and neither does Target). And I was disappointed in the quality of their standard layette items. So I ended up registering at BRU, Target, and the Baby Catalog of America.

Caroline

[Skatterfly]

Caroline,
Isn't it amazing how difficult this is? Like you, I'm going to end up registering a bunch of places, too. Too bad we can't all just register with the little local independents, but they rarely have the sheer VOLUME of items that a chain store does. Anyways, I forgot to mention that for the stroller, we're actually buying that at a local independent store. We're debating between a Maclaren and a Zooper, neither available at Target or BRU. Either we'll just buy it ourselves, or register for one of the parents to buy.

Good luck,
~kat

[Caroline99]

Kat,

Another problem with the little local independents is that their registries are not easily accessible to non-locals. Many people who would buy us things are out of state or otherwise unable to access the local independents. We try to support local businesses as much as possible, so we did buy our crib mattress at a local baby store, even though it was $20 cheaper through Baby Catalog. But it's just not possible to do it for most of our wish list.

Caroline