Registering: Rounds 2-3

Mary and I finished all our in-store registering this past weekend.  We went to Bed Bath and Beyond in the city on Saturday and were there for about four hours.  Sunday we drove out to the suburbs to go to Crate and Barrel, then a quick stop at another Bed Bath and Beyond to look for some missing items.

Of the three places we registered, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Crate and Barrel, I think that Bed Bath and Beyond probably had the most organized registry program.  We just showed up at a store and said we wanted to register.  They immediately began to take down our information and ask us all sorts of questions to get an idea about how we might approach this task. 

After going through the basics of collecting information and giving us all kinds of booklets and pamphlets and handouts, they asked if we would like a demonstration/lesson on cookware and knives.  Had Mary not been as prepared as she was about the exact items we needed to search out, this would have been a great route to go.  Neither of the other two stores even gave us much information.  The woman at Crate and Barrel gave us a brief synopsis of the store layout, and everyone showed us (me) how to use the scanner gun, but that was it.  So although we were asked every 10 minutes if we needed help by the Bed Bath and Beyond staff, I really feel like I got better service there then anywhere else.

Now, for the question you've all been waiting for...which scanner did I prefer?  While all three offered me high levels of entertainment and helped enhance some of the more mundane tasks of registering, I have to say that I preferred the Target scanner over the others.

The woman at Crate and Barrel said it was too difficult to change quantities or remove items directly on the scanner and we should do that after the scanner and computer "talked."  And although I figured it out on my own, it was definitely NOT an intuitive interface (remember-computer nerd).  To delete items from the Bed Bath and Beyond scanner, I had to scan the item, then scan the "oops" barcode on one of our many handouts.  That was a little silly to me.  Plus navigating through the items directly on the scanner was somewhat difficult.

The Target scanner had an easy to use menu.  I could easily remove items and update quantities.  The best part, though, was that unlike the other two stores' palm-pilot-like design, the Target scanner actually resembled a gun with a trigger!  It was as if every time I scanned an item, I was earning points in the registry game!!

Anyway, once we're all done modifying our lists, I'll post the links under the Wedding section of our site.  I'm sure Mary will have some of her own thoughts to share on the registering process as well!