Registry Wrap-Up

So how have you spent your weekend? We got to spend ours going to Home Outfitters twice – once Friday night, then again today, to pick up presents.

While I love getting presents, it would have been nice if we could have just made one trip. However, the Bay/Home Outfitters registry program isn’t the most organized creation.

It’s also sort of slow. While they do warn you that you might have to wait a bit for your pick-up store to get your present in stock, they don’t state that waiting is the norm. Well, at least it’s the norm at the Sherway Gardens Bay. We waited about a month for our luggage, and then we only found out that it was there because we called.

Currently we’re waiting for a few other items that

were purchased from The Bay at least two weeks ago now. But I believe that today’s pick-up at Home Outfitters will be out last registry-related trip out there so that’s good.

Overall I have to say that we had a better experience with Home Outfitters than the Bay. The staff was pleasanter, items arrived quicker and it never forgot to call us when something arrived.

Home Outfitters also said that it would take 10% off the Dyson we registered for as part of its registry completion program. The Bay has the same 10% completion program however there that discount only applies to certain departments and sadly the Dyson doesn’t fall within one of them (in case you’re wondering the discount basically applies to china, glassware, cookware, linens, small appliances and most kitchen-related stuff, minus major appliances).

Interestingly, we had more people buy items from The Bay than Home Outfitters. I’m assuming that’s because Bays are generally located inside malls and can be a bit easier to get to than the big-box style Home Outfitters.

Because of that, I certainly wouldn’t recommend registering at just Home Outfitters. As well, the Bay offers a far greater selection of items, particularly if you want to start a china collection.

So here’s what I do recommend: Register at both stores but place any bigger items (like a Dyson) on your Home Outfitters list. I also recommend placing smaller items, wine charms for example, on your Home Outfitters list since it seems to go a quicker job at getting those items in.

I know a lot of brides aren’t big fans of registering but while it can be a bit time consuming, it can also be fun and it makes all those people who rather buy physical gifts than give cash happy.

Just think of this as your opportunity to get all those things that you would normally never buy. For example, we registered for a steamer and we got it and trust me, a steamer is something we never would have just gone out and bought.

Where to Register in Toronto

Below’s a quick list of places where you can register:

The Bay/Home Outfitters: Probably your best bet when it comes to the variety of items offered. Also a good choice if you have guests from all across the country.

Sears: If you’re more in need of power tools than china, pick Sears instead of The Bay. Sears is also a good pick for those of you who love to travel because its gift cards can be redeemed at Sears Travel.

Crate and Barrel: Time for some blunt honesty: The stuff at Crate and Barrel looks great but please trust my first-hand knowledge when I say the furniture quality is crap. But it’s not a bad choice for small stuff like glass wear and vases.

Bed, Bath and Beyond: While I don’t know about the quality of the bigger stuff, the smaller items are perfectly fine and some of the designs are more contemporary than what you find at The Bay or Sears.

William Ashley: If you’re big into china, crystal and similar items you’ll want to register here. Do though keep in mind that there are only two William Ashley stores, the Bloor Street one and another one in Mississauga, so your guests will either need to live near by or be comfortable shopping online.

Williams Sonoma: Are you a foodie? Are your guests wealthy? Then this might just be the place for you to register.

Kitchen Stuff Plus: An alternative to Williams Sonoma.

Carnival Cruises: Planning to make your honeymoon a cruise? Then have your guests help contribute to it by registering for a Carnival Cruise.

Flight Centre: There are a ton of honeymoon registry options out there but many of them exist only online and that can make some people (including the guests) uncomfortable. So if you want to do the honeymoon registry thing, go with something like Flight Centre that also has physical stores that guests can stop by (and you) can stop by at.

Registering at The Bay & Home Outfitters

We are now officially registered at The Bay and Home Outfitters. Much to my surprise this was a fairly smooth process that only had a couple of hiccups.

We started the registering process back in late January at the National Bridal Show where we filled out some forms and picked a few essential items that they had on display. Someone from The Bay and Home Outfitters was then supposed to call us within two week but that of course didn’t happen. Hiccup #1.

A quick phone call to the Home Outfitters on the Queensway set up an appointment there but no one was answering at Sherway Mall Bay so we had to physical go there, track someone down and make the appointment. This was hiccup #2 and was easily the biggest issue we had with setting up our registry.

Our first appointment was at Home Outfitters and we had our scanning gun within minutes of sitting down with the clerk. Prior to getting the gun we had to fill out a bit of paperwork and listen to speech about how we shouldn’t scan clearance items and returned items would be issued store credit only and then we off on our way.

We don’t need a ton of stuff and we’d already scanned the essential items at the wedding show so all we did was add a handful of like-to-have type items to the registry and then we were done. The whole process took maybe an hour.

Our appointment at The Bay was a couple weeks later and I was a bit worried about it. I’ve heard horror stories about having to sit with the consultant for an hour, listening to a lecture on the benefits of fine china, or worse, ending up with a consultant who follows you around.

Thankfully we didn’t run into any of this. While we did have to wait a few minutes for a consultant, once she got to us she quickly went over the paperwork, asked us a few questions about our guest count and what kind of place we lived in and then passed over the gun.

Shawn theorizes that the consultant spent so little time with us because we said we lived in a one-bedroom condo that didn’t need any major appliances. So there you go, if you want a speedy registry consultation at The Bay make it clear that you don’t have much room for stuff.

I’m also happy to report that we had no issues activating the $25 gift cards that we’d received at the bridal show. We simply showed them to our consultants and they loaded up the cards and gave them back to us when we brought back the gun. So if you can, wait and start the registry process at a bridal show that’s being sponsored by The Bay and make yourself $50.

Crate & Barrel Wedding Party

Crate & Barrel is holding a trio of upcoming “wedding parties” at their Yorkdale Mall location. These events are really how-to-register-at-our-store parties but they do feature free food, drinks, music and all participants who do set up a registry receive “a brilliant handblown heart bowl”. The store is also only open to those who have RSVPed (call 1-888-657-4108), a nice touch since that place can get pretty crowded.

I know many couples just want cash but I think it’s nice to register at at least one spot so that guests have options. Plus who doesn’t love to open presents?

Another reason for a registry? To get the bonuses that some of them come with. For example, if you register at Crate & Barrel, you’ll get 10 percent off anything that’s not purchased on your
registry.

Anyway, here are the dates for the wedding parties:

Sunday, September 13, 9 am – 11 am
Sunday, October 4, 9 am – 11 am
Sunday, October 18, 9 am – 11 am

I’ve shopped at Crate & Barrel a few times and I think they have a nicely priced range of “smaller stuff” (dishes, kitchen gadgets, etc.) that are pretty good quality. I am however less then impressed with the quality of its big furniture. I own a few pieces and while they certainly look nice, they don’t wear too well. And while I wouldn’t call Crate & Barrel furniture expensive, it’s more than what you’d pay at Ikea and honestly, my stuff from Ikea wears better.

So if you decide to register at Crate & Barrel, avoid the wood furniture but do register for one of these nice pitchers. They make for a perfect bridal shower gift.