Jorge and I went to Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us this week to start our baby registries. A lot of people have never heard of Buy Buy Baby, but I must tell you how fantastic it is! Being that Babies R Us is so poplular, we went there first a few weeks ago and walked around the store, just to get a feel for it. No one was available to help us sort through all the baby gear. We didn't know what we were doing and we needed help! How do you un-latch a car seat? How do you fold and unfold this stroller? How do you use the fold down mechanism for the drop-side crib? We don't know any of these things. We were pretty much left on our own devices to figure it out. When we finally tracked down someone who could help us figure out the stroller, he seemed to be annoyed that we'd asked! Even when we went to register at the store this week at a different Babies R Us, the service was the same. A uninterested teenage girl behind the counter set up our account and gave us the scanner and simply sent us on our way to face the store by ourselves! It was overwhelming! We only registered for like 10 things because we were just so unsure, even despite all my research on baby gear!
At Buy Buy Baby, the experience was the complete opposite. I'd first heard of Buy Buy Baby months ago on the message boards of theBump.com (a fabulous message board where moms and moms-to-be exchange advice and ideas! Fabulous resource!). I was interested in going because I'd heard so many great things, but they only have one location in Florida and it's in Coral Springs -- about 40 minutes out west of where we are. (Note: we recently found out they'll be opening one near Mall of the Americas in Miami in November!) A real bonus is they are owned by Bed Bath and Beyond, so you can use unexpired coupons there! We have a ton!The first time we went, as soon as we arrived someone greeted us and asked how they could help or direct us to a particular department. They have knowledgeable staff in every section (cribs, strollers, etc) that you can talk to and ask questions. We spent a while there consulting with them and asking our questions. They were so incredibly helpful, we knew we'd be back.
If it were up to us we would only register at Buy Buy Baby, but since we know it's more convenient for our family and friends and Babies R Us has more locations, we decided to register at both, since Buy Buy Baby also has a great website. We went back to Buy Buy Baby this week and set up our registry. How refreshing! The girl at the registry counter was very helpful and even walked us around the ENTIRE STORE! She was basically our personal shopper and was very knowlegeable on all the products. Even the store manager came around and introduced himself and asked how we were doing. The service is A++++! They spent like 2 hours with us and would recommend what things we should consider or would give us useful tips in general. We left feeling very satisfied and like we actually got our registry going!
Today I met up with my friend Amanda who is 30 weeks pregnant with her second child, and full of great advice. She met me at Babies R Us (because it was close by) so she could give me tips on what she thought were useful items. Her input was great!! I highly recommend having someone who's been there before to accompany you when you register. A mom will tell you what she's really put to use, what she wished she had and what is not worth getting. The books (like Baby Bargains) are great so you have a general idea of what's out there, but a real mom at your side would be even better (Thanks Amanda!!!).
It's true that there are many more Babies R Us stores but Buy Buy Baby is a real find. But if you need baby items and there's a Buy Buy Baby in your area, you MUST go! It's a fabulous store!!
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