Norman's, Karl's, or big chains?

rumdrinx · May 2010

what did you like about any of the above, or dislike?

specifically for furniture.

mzovoce · May 2010

I didn't go to Karl's, but we tried Norman's, babies r us and Target for our crib and glider, (we didn't have to buy anything else). The customer service at Norman's was really great, they knew their products and if the person I was talking to didn't know the answer they found it out. We ended up getting the crib from babies r us, only because it was highly reccomended, and Norman's didn't carry it.

kross605 · May 2010

I didnt go to Normans or Karls but I did really like Baby Supermart (which Im sure so many others will tell you about too) for their selection and sales staff as well as the fact that they deliver AND set everything up right in the babys room for you. At 35 weeks pregnant, that sounded like a bonus to me. I also looked at BRU but their delievery fees were OUTRAGEOUS which made them a far more expensive option for the same or lower quality furniture.

eaglesfan700 · May 2010

You know I am a flag-waving Norman's gal

gingerfamily · May 2010

I'm also a huge baby supermart fan! Love our purchases and their team.

CMDR513 · May 2010

mrsh0606:
I'm also a huge baby supermart fan! Love our purchases and their team.

Ditto

tobejesskoz · May 2010

CMDR513:

mrsh0606:
I'm also a huge baby supermart fan! Love our purchases and their team.

Ditto

Double ditto, not to mention only 6% sales tax.

Norman's return policy stinks also, they only do store credit after two weeks. Baby Supermart is 30 days.

rumdrinx · May 2010

well, there you go. I hadn't really had babysupermart on my radar.

I think we are going to do recon missions at Norman's and a couple of the big chains.

in general, there is just too much information for me to squeeze in my pea brain about all of this stuff. argh.

eSynergy · May 2010

rumdrinx:
well, there you go. I hadn't really had babysupermart on my radar.
I think we are going to do recon missions at Norman's and a couple of the big chains.
in general, there is just too much information for me to squeeze in my pea brain about all of this stuff. argh.

I tend to break out in cold sweats when I go into baby stores...my only advice is to do little bits of stuff at a time and try not to get overwhelmed (ie. don't go shopping for the stroller, furniture, carseat, and other stuff in the same shopping trip...you may have a panic attack like I did).

We ended up getting our crib at WalMart believe it or not (baby mod olivia -- they get great reviews) and our rocking chair at Ikea. Then we just refinished an old dresser, and used a bookcase we already had in the room it's (from Ikea). If you're in the market for a full furniture set, then I'm sure the smaller stores would have better customer service than the big box ones but it's probably worth it to compare prices once you find furniture/brands you like.

zoieglow · May 2010

I didn't care so much about the store. I'd research and find out what I wanted and go look at it where it was carried. Our crib was only for sale at Buy Buy Baby and the stroller I ordered online. You should get the Baby Bargains book. It helped me immensely and saved me a ton of money and shopping time because there were things I wouldn't even consider based on the reviews. Like Jardine cribs or travel systems.

smmr06 · May 2010

I checked them all out and BabySupermart in Broomall had the best prices. I got stanley furniture and i got 20% off the 2nd piece of furniture plus they deliver and set it up-

llk08 · May 2010

I've been to Karl's and personally I think the entire store is fiflthy and disgusting, especially the basement where they have the furniture. The whole place has a smell to it. All the clothes have plastic bags over them which I think is kind of weird, not to mention is it SO overpriced. Don't waste your time.

jallascalla · May 2010

We checked out Karl's and Babysupermart, didn't really consider the big chains. Both had good furniture but Babysupermart had best prices for great quality furniture. As people mentioned above, great delivery, set up and customer service.

RobynScott · May 2010

Also check Kids n Kribs in Wayne. They matched / beat the best prices we found and delivered and set everything up. The store doesn't have that much in there, but very knowledgeable and can get whatever you want. Definitely recommend.

rumdrinx · May 2010

my update: I have babybargains and I love it.

We went to BRU and BBB this weekend,. specifically for strollers, nothing else. We had a great time and I think that we are narrowing in on the Bumbleride Indie for its look, tires, weight, collapsability.

Also, I like BBB ten times more than BRU which always always seems sort of spaztic.

Temp422773312507524 · May 2010

I'm late but I'm also going to throw my hat in the ring for BabySuperMart. They were so cheap for furniture since they give 20% off the second item. They were at least $200 cheaper than the other places listed in this thread for the same furniture.

I also prefer BBB 100Xs more than BRU. I wish there was more than one in the area. They have a better selection, staff, and stuff seems to be set up more logically.

Glad you are finding a stroller you like. I think picking out a stroller was the hardest gear item for me. There are just so many choices, price levels, etc. FYI, we ended up with the Baby Jogger City Mini because of price, weight, ability to use with a newborn since the seat goes flat, and collapsability.

rumdrinx · May 2010

babysupermart has one location? broomall?

i haven't begun to scratch the surface of furniture yet, even tho this thread was meant to push me to. It was jsut a lot more fun looking at strollers

Lando - we loved the city mini at first and were amped up and ready to pick it for certain. But then we liked the Bumbleride a wee bit more because of air in tires, shocks on back wheels, and accessibility to the underbasket. Plus, the price difference being what it is, the Bumble includes the car seat adapter which the City Mini doesnt. I DO love the way the city mini collapses!

Temp422773312507524 · May 2010

Yes, just Broomall for Baby Supermart.

I can see for your purposes, being in the city, why you would like the Bumbleride more...it certainly has a bit more cushioning with the air tires and back shocks for city roads and sidewalks. The city mini is the lazy man's stroller for sure. It could not collapse any easier, and I like that it won't take up the whole trunk.

We were all about a bigger Peg Perego we liked...but I couldn't figure out how to collapse it. We had to have someone in the store show us, and even he had problems. Being in suburbia, we will be folding and unfolding all the time...so that got nixed. I'm glad you found one you liked.

The only thing I don't like about the City mini is everyone thinks it's a jogging stroller and that I will be out jogging with it. HA!

ibekatieg · May 2010

LandD052006:
I'm late but I'm also going to throw my hat in the ring for BabySuperMart. They were so cheap for furniture since they give 20% off the second item. They were at least $200 cheaper than the other places listed in this thread for the same furniture.

So glad to see this. I'm hitting the 'Mart to look for a crib for my crib sometime this weekend. And I found that BRU has 20% off all furniture until 5/27.

brettbrett · May 2010

whatever you do, DON'T buy from the chain "Crib & Teen City". We had the worst experience buying from them and found out after so many other people did too.

We went to their Lawrenceville, NJ location (near Princeton) because they were having a deal on Stanley furniture and the crib we loved was Stanley. We thought we were getting a great deal on some beautiful furniture and they even delivered to Blue Bell and set up the furniture for you. Hearing that, we were sold. My husband and I were very busy so this seemed perfect.

We ordered the furniture in October 2009 and were told that it would be delivered no later then 4-6 weeks. Baby E wasnt due until January 2010 so that would have given us plenty of time to set up the nursery. November came and went. So did December and January. After lots of calls, nice and angry, we finally had half of our order delivered in February. We were given a little bit of a refund for waiting and when I say a little refund, I mean SMALL. We were then told that our dresser / changing table would be arriving within 2 weeks. Okay, we could wait another 2 weeks right? It is now the end of May and we threw in the towel and told them to cancel the rest of our order. Our refund for the remaining order was 1/4 of what we paid...still working on getting the rest.

Worst experience ever. We now have a gorgeous "sour apple green" crib but no matching dresser / changing table. Not the easiest thing to match so I am back on the hunt.

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Norman's, Karl's, or big chains?

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