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Great Beginnings, worth the trip?

jlm245jlm245 member
in D.C. Area Babies

Hi ladies,

I haven't done any baby shopping yet but since my mom will be in town from the West Coast I figure this would be a good time to start.  I have heard good things about Great Beginnings (having a lot of items on the store floor so you can test them out).  The thing is I live in DC and the store is like 45 minutes from my house (according to google at least!).

I just wanted to get opinions if it is worth the drive or if I should check out something closer to home... Thanks!!! 

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Re: Great Beginnings, worth the trip?

  • MrsNJSwimmerMrsNJSwimmer member
    definitely - you can see how things work and ask lots of questions - their people are very knowledgeable.  I didn't actually end up buying things from there, but the education was priceless.
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  • 2vthokies2vthokies
    I live in NoVA (45 minute drive) and I think it's worth the trip - even when I'm dragging my two year-old, a 6-month old and husband along.  Whether you buy anything there or not, the staff is very knowledgeable and they have a lot of products that you can't find at BRU.  I really only like BRU for diapers and stuff I might need in a pinch.  Now I get my diapers on Amazon, so I only hit up BRU every once in a while (and it's 5 minutes from my house).  Buy Buy Baby and Great Beginnings are really good for baby equipment.
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  • jlm245jlm245 member

    image2vthokies:
    I live in NoVA (45 minute drive) and I think it's worth the trip - even when I'm dragging my two year-old, a 6-month old and husband along.  Whether you buy anything there or not, the staff is very knowledgeable and they have a lot of products that you can't find at BRU.  I really only like BRU for diapers and stuff I might need in a pinch.  Now I get my diapers on Amazon, so I only hit up BRU every once in a while (and it's 5 minutes from my house).  Buy Buy Baby and Great Beginnings are really good for baby equipment.

    I am hoping just dragging a husband and a mom will be a lot easier! :)

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  • VAJuneBride07VAJuneBride07
    Yes definitely.  The shipping/set up was worth it alone to me.  Set up is included in your delivery costs, which are essentially covered by not paying sales tax if you live outside of MD. 
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  • mommmyzmommmyz
    Yes, Yes, Yes! It was about 45 minutes for us too. For me it was all about the customer service and the setup. I know we could have set it all up, but it was so great to have them do it! And it's nice because there is different stuff/brands from Baniess R Us and other stores, so you can really see the differences!
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  • DCtoLowcountryDCtoLowcountry
    What I really liked about GB is that you can test out models of carseats. We brought both cars, turned over our driver's licenses for collateral, and took a few carseats out to our cars to see which ones would fit. That's a great service.
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  • vtkgirl77vtkgirl77
    I only went there once. It's a very nice store with a huge selection and lots of helpful staff. They also have a lot of furniture. However, I found Buy Buy Baby in Rockville to meet most of my needs in terms of trying out strollers, carseats, etc. Also, if you haven't bought Baby Bargains yet, I highly recommend getting that book. Otherwise, looking at all of the baby stuff can be overwhelming. It will help you determine which features to look at and which brands you may be interested in.
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  • jess08200jess08200

    imageVAJuneBride07:
    Yes definitely.  The shipping/set up was worth it alone to me.  Set up is included in your delivery costs, which are essentially covered by not paying sales tax if you live outside of MD. 

    This is exactly what I was going to say!

    My DH is not at all handy, so I would have been stuck trying to put it together by myself!

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  • jlm245jlm245 member

    imagevtkendra:
    I only went there once. It's a very nice store with a huge selection and lots of helpful staff. They also have a lot of furniture. However, I found Buy Buy Baby in Rockville to meet most of my needs in terms of trying out strollers, carseats, etc. Also, if you haven't bought Baby Bargains yet, I highly recommend getting that book. Otherwise, looking at all of the baby stuff can be overwhelming. It will help you determine which features to look at and which brands you may be interested in.

    Hm, Rockville is a bit closer.  Maybe I should just go there instead?

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  • MrsNJSwimmerMrsNJSwimmer member
    imagejlm245:

    imagevtkendra:
    I only went there once. It's a very nice store with a huge selection and lots of helpful staff. They also have a lot of furniture. However, I found Buy Buy Baby in Rockville to meet most of my needs in terms of trying out strollers, carseats, etc. Also, if you haven't bought Baby Bargains yet, I highly recommend getting that book. Otherwise, looking at all of the baby stuff can be overwhelming. It will help you determine which features to look at and which brands you may be interested in.

    Hm, Rockville is a bit closer.  Maybe I should just go there instead?

    I still recommend GB, if only b/c their staff are extremely knowledgeable about everything theyhave, where you won't necessarily find that at BBB. 

    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers Blog
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  • VAJuneBride07VAJuneBride07
    imagejlm245:

    imagevtkendra:
    I only went there once. It's a very nice store with a huge selection and lots of helpful staff. They also have a lot of furniture. However, I found Buy Buy Baby in Rockville to meet most of my needs in terms of trying out strollers, carseats, etc. Also, if you haven't bought Baby Bargains yet, I highly recommend getting that book. Otherwise, looking at all of the baby stuff can be overwhelming. It will help you determine which features to look at and which brands you may be interested in.

    Hm, Rockville is a bit closer.  Maybe I should just go there instead?

    I actually really dislike BBB unless you know what you want and can get in and out. It's SO crowded, and their aren't enough staff.  You will pay the same amount for shipping from BBB, but they don't set it up.  I've only been to Great Beginnings once, but it was completely worth it to get baby furniture. The furniture guy walked around with me for an hour while I (seemingly) looked at every crib in the store.

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  • jlm245jlm245 member
    Thanks for the great advice!  I am really excited for our mini-road trip tomorrow! 
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  • MrsSstrugMrsSstrug

    imagejlm245:
    Thanks for the great advice!  I am really excited for our mini-road trip tomorrow! 

    i don't have kids but live in G-burg....if all of the reasons above are not enough, there is a Bruster's ice cream in the same parking lot!

    image
    image
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  • jlm245jlm245 member
    Oh, good tip!  There were Bruster's everywhere when I lived in Atlanta, I had no idea there were ones up here...
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  • 2vthokies2vthokies
    imagejlm245:

    image2vthokies:
    I live in NoVA (45 minute drive) and I think it's worth the trip - even when I'm dragging my two year-old, a 6-month old and husband along.  Whether you buy anything there or not, the staff is very knowledgeable and they have a lot of products that you can't find at BRU.  I really only like BRU for diapers and stuff I might need in a pinch.  Now I get my diapers on Amazon, so I only hit up BRU every once in a while (and it's 5 minutes from my house).  Buy Buy Baby and Great Beginnings are really good for baby equipment.

    I am hoping just dragging a husband and a mom will be a lot easier! :)

    Honestly, the kids are better behaved than DH. His eyes glaze over after a while.
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