The NEW "Babies R Us" - Thoughts & Comments

[_SG]

Just a few thoughts & comments on the new babiesrus.com website.

As you probably already know, BRU has ended their partnership with Amazon, and have enlisted the services of GSI Commerce and Exel to provide their new (and so they say improved) babiesrus.com

While the new interface is actually an improvement (in my mind) the functionality has drastically degraded. Not only are they having problems bringing products online (the majority of the new parent checklist: https://www.toysrus.com/registry/truParentsCheckList.jsp is not available online yet), they are missing what I consider required information: Product Dimensions.

In addition, the "babyrus" telephone number is very close in digits to a "sex line", so registry shoppers who call to inquire, and mistype a digit trying to figure out the numeric value of the letters will be surprised. I can see grandma mistyping, and getting connected to the sex line instead of babiesrus, shocking.

Hopefully over time BRU will make the necessary changes to improve the functionality and usability of their new website. However, as it stands right now, I am not impressed.

[mldflygirl]

So far I haven't noticed any significant problems with the new website.. but I didn't use the "new parent checklist" or try calling them, either.

Since I had problems with their Amazon.com version of their website, I thought this one looked a bit better so far. It drove me crazy having all of my Babies 'R Us information linked with my Amazon.com account/shopping cart. Sometimes when I'd try to search BRU, I'd end up getting lost in Amazon land.

My biggest problem with the old site was that it didn't always update the registry information properly. I haven't noticed any problems with the new one, so I *hope* that's been fixed!

[KAK22]

I miss the people's opinions/write-ups of products.

[funda62]

They don't ship to APO addresses so unless they change that I won't be shopping with them. Amazon now does ship some toys to APO but you have to be so careful that you are still dealing with Amazon and not some other company. I really really dislike Amazon now and was so hoping Babies/Toys R Us would ship to me.

[quinnsmom]

>I miss the people's opinions/write-ups of products.


I 100% AGREE!!!! That was the main reason I went to BRU online to see what others who have used the products thought about them. It was my main information souce I checked before for making purchasing decisions(after checking this site first of course.)

So what's the point for me to browse BRU onine now? I DO like the new interface - much more visually pleasing.

But the Information I seek is not there. :(

[audreywindsor]

Oh, it's terrible. First of all, they practically don't have pictures of any products anymore. Friends' registries list 3 items with pictures that you can buy online and about a million "store only." All my friends are professionals around the country who live in cities. I can't remember the last time one of us bought a registry gift from BRU in an actual store. Blech.

Also, at least with the Amazon relationship, women who wanted to register at BRU for familiarity/ease-of-use by friends/family around the country could still register for higher-end products not offered in the store but offered online via Amazon (examples: all Inglesina products, including the Zippy, which now are gone; higher end blankets, and most of the developmental toys that are now gone off their website. Hardly anything from Manhattan Toy, Lamaze, etc. Apparently, noisy plastic cheapy toys are the favored at BRU, and Amazon was responsible for the better items!)

What I *did* notice is that Amazon is continuing its relationship with TARGET, so almost all these products (Inglesina Zippy and most others) are now carried on the Target site instead. So, that's probably the registry I'd use now.

[audreywindsor]

PS--I did notice the layout and functionality was WAY, WAY better. But all those lost user reviews are tragic. It was the main, perhaps even only, reason I shopped at BRU online.