Gymbo newbie- Where can I get "educated"?

[Pipersmamma]

I'm addicted to buying clothes for DD and have another expected DD on the way so it's just going to get worse. I've bought (and loved) a few Gymbo pieces before but reading the past 8 pages of posts has me intrigued and confused. I went to Gymboree online and now get the COF emails, but I sense there is so much more to know. Is there an old thread you can point me to or an expert who is willing to "educate" me in the ways of shopping Gymbo? How do you know what tier your local store is?
Thanks for helping me get sucked in even further!

[Imperia]

There are various ways to "become educated" about Gymboree, bascially I think this baord is one great place which is not too overwhelming, there are plenty of Gymbo addicts here (I am one!)

What is it you would like to know? If you have questions I would be happy to help you.

Imperia

[Pipersmamma]

Thanks!
What are Gym bucks and how do you get them?
How do I find out what tier my local store is? (I take it that's something having to do with it's size and inventory?)
Are there sales that are not advertised- seems like there is a "loop" that I need to be in!
Better time of the month/season to shop?

I must have spent 90 minutes reading all the posts I could find last night. Guess this could be a new addiction as the mall is about 5 minutes away and we are there weekly anyway :)

[Tracey]

Try www.gymbohaven.com. That site gives you a heads up on upcoming sales and promotions. It also describes or depicts past, present, and future lines. If you play your cards right, you can get a lot of your outfits for about 40% off (sometimes more, but things are picked over at that point) the original retail price. I actually like Gymboree's sales. It's fun to figure out sales statagies and pull out the calculator---sort of like trying to "beat the system". I'm weird like that though. Happy shopping!

[Tracey]

Imperia could probably explain better than I could, but I posted a response about the same time as you posted this question so I'll give it a shot. On that website I gave you there is a link to store listings. That will tell you what tier your store is. Some of them don't have the tier listed. I'm pretty sure my store is a tier 2 because it is about four times the size of a tier 3 I have been in before in another city.

Gymbucks are a promotion. For every $50 dollars you spend you get a gymbuck (ie. coupon) for $25 dollars off another $50 purchase during gymbucks redemption time. There is a certain time span for gymbucks earnings and a specified time for gymbucks redemption. In other words, it's not just on your next purchase. When all is said and done, for spending $75 you get $100 worth of Gymboree clothing. Some people look at it as 50% off your next purchase, but you had to shell out the initial money to recieve that discount. Mathematically speaking, you are actually only gettting 25% off. You can dress that pig up any way you want, but that is still all it is. Circle of Friends or a tiered sale is your best sale---particularly if it is in conjunction with gymbucks. The best savings comes when you have merchandise that is already on a straight markdown and then you apply one of these promotions. The problem there is that what you want may be gone; that kind of depends on the traffic and availability at your store.

[mum to chloe]

Hi there,
My name is Sue and I'm really new here. Not sure if this is the right place to post , here goes - I LOVE Gymboree.
I've been on a (what I thought was) private mission to figure out as much as I can about getting deals there. Backround (saleslady told me that Gymbucks Earning would be starting in a couple of days.....after I bought almost all of Tick Tock and Garden Dreams at full price!) :( Think I made up for it with COF and last week's sale.
Love the quality and design of the clothing and I' shop there all the time. DH wants the company to go bankrupt ASAP.
I've been lurking for a little while and it's great to know that other mum's (Imperia, you rock!) like to talk about clothes as much as I do.
I don't know what loops are either (is this one?), could someone please point me in the right direction? Or is it more like and Invitation Only thing?
Thanks - the pics of the babies up here are so cute!
Sue