Online vs. In Stores

amother

Black

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 7:02 am

I may being going from Israel to the US soon and I want to buy baby clothes, I'm trying to figure out if it's better to shop in stores or online. I think I will have some time to go shopping, so that's not an issue.

I have found some good deals online and I kind of want to order (especially b/c free shipping right now), but I don't want to regret it if things are cheaper in the store.

The stores I'm most interested is Carter's and The Children's Place.

What are your experiences with this?

youngishbear

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 7:42 am

It depends on the time of year. In general I've found that stores have clearance sections that can hold treasures for pennies.

If it's at the beginning of the season, or pre-season, you can find the better deal online.

For summer stuff right now I would say go to the stores.

amother

Black

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 7:47 am

youngishbear wrote:

Thanks! It would be in August. Do you think the summer stuff will still be around? It is still hot where I live until November/December, so I would need more summer stuff for this yr., not to mention next yr.!! I would also like to buy winter clothes b/c even not on clearance, it's still better value than what I can find around me.

youngishbear

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 7:51 am

amother wrote:

Thanks! It would be in August. Do you think the summer stuff will still be around. It is still hot where I live until November/December, so I would need more summer stuff for this yr., not to mention next yr.!! I would also like to buy winter clothes b/c even not on clearance, it's still better value than what I can find around me.

That's a difficult question to answer. It depends on the size you need - some sell out more quickly - and how picky you are. If you want to match, you most likely won't find matching sizes anymore.

But there will be a clearance rack of summer stuff in August, and the shelves will be stocked with warmer school clothes.

ETA: I've bought pjs for $2 and rompers for $4 at CP clearance rack. Good luck deciding.

amother

Black

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 7:57 am

youngishbear wrote:

Thanks again! I don't care about matching. I'm looking for size 18 mos., 24 mos. and 2T. (Are those popular sizes? I'm guessing so b/c they take longer to outgrow as opposed to the clothes for younger babies.)

Wow, that's really cheap!

sushi galore

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 8:38 am

In the stores you mentioned, prices and sales mostly reflect in stores and online as well. Sometimes there are exeptions.
Obviously online saves the traveling to store hassle but seeing the items live is better for size and reality look. If you have time to go to stores I think it's a better option, like this you can judge the size and quality instead of needing to return which is a hassle in itself.
Usually by mid July many of the nice stuff is gone you may be lucky and find some nice stuff. Usually the fall collection starts rolling in that time of year.

seeker

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 9:16 am

Maybe it varies by store but I haven't found children's place pricing any better in store than online in general. I'm talking clearance, it's practically all I buy there. In august summer will be over,it's already on sake and starting to move into clearance. I think you're better off ordering online to save yourself the aggravation of hit or miss store shopping during your trip.
Carter's may be better if you have an outlet store. Not sure.

mango

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 10:49 am

If you see stuff you like now online and it's a good price I would order now. They do often have good clearance racks in store but as others have said it's hit or miss. You are not necessarily going to find what is online in the store.
I shop at children's place a lot mostly online (for convenience sake) and only when it's free shipping and a sale and there is always a 20% of coupon code online, you just have to search.

lfab

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 11:18 am

My experience with childrens place is that sales vary from online and in store and even between individual stores. I once was in two different stores on the same day (I was looking for something specific) and stuff that was on clearance in one store was not on clearance in the other. I would think your best bet would be to order stuff online now if you see things you like and the price is right. In my experience by August, at least at childrens place, there is almost no summer stuff left, even on the clearance racks. If you have time you can always pop into a few stores when you are here to see if there are any great steals left.

I thought that childrens place had opened up in Israel though, but maybe their prices don't go as low? It might be worth looking into as I would think it would be easier to just get it there if they have the same stuff and it's the same price. Or possibly you can order online and have it shipped to you there since they have stores in Israel?

Chayalle

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 11:23 am

Where will you be when you come?

I remember when my kids were little, I used to buy stuff at the CP in the Jackson Outlets near Lakewood. It's a large CP store, so they often had plenty of stock, especially in small sizes (24 months, etc...) The summer stuff was literally at give-away prices by the time August rolled around.

There's a big Carters there too....usually costs a bit more than CP.

My kids have mostly outgrown these stores, so this was my experience a few years ago.

abby1776

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 11:35 am

You can look online for coupon codes - Childrens place has them often and you insert the code when ordering online and get an additional 20% or 15% off.

Personally, I would just order online than run around shopping if I didn't have to. Why take a chance that the stuff you want won't be available.

MamaBear

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 12:00 pm

Buy online in advance if it can be returned when you arrive. See what fits, what you like etc When you return the rejects, you can snag a few extra bargains in the store itself.

Notsobusy

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 12:09 pm

lfab wrote:

I had the same exact experience, I was really surprised, but they told me it's like that very often.

Op, in my experience if it's the end of the season I do better on line. They usually have more options on line than in the store. Otherwise I prefer to shop in the stores and see what it really looks like. I like MamaBear's idea to order on line and then shop when you do your returns. You get the best of both worlds!

Smile1234

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 12:30 pm

MamaBear wrote:

Buy online in advance if it can be returned when you arrive. See what fits, what you like etc When you return the rejects, you can snag a few extra bargains in the store itself.

I was going to suggest something like this. Order online if you find good prices for things that can be returned. Then if you have time go to the stores (with all your online purchases and receipts in your trunk) and if you find things you like better, or are cheaper...exchange/return them! Win win situation!!

smiledoamitzva

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 12:55 pm

Whatever you decide to do, if you choose shopping online please be sure to read the reviews of where youre shopping before placing an order.
some companies online can be so misleading!!

amother

Black

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 12:59 pm

OP here.

I like the idea of ordering online and also going to the store. It's probably the best option.

Yes, there is Carters and Children's Place in Israel, but they're not cheap like in America. They're probably about double the price unless they have a good sale at the end of the season, but that's rare and the clothes get bought out quickly. I have been to the Children's Place Outlet (in Israel) and I found reasonably priced stuff (cheaper than the reg. Children's Place store). The problem was that there was not a large selection. I was looking for PJs in 12-18 mos. size and I couldn't find anything for boys or girls! (I would have bought boys and just put it on my daughter.)

Chayaleh, good idea, I'll try to check where there are nearby outlets.

anonimouse

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 2:30 pm

OP, where is the Children's Place outlet in Israel? I would love to check it out!

They are having a sale right now- spend 200 and pay 100. Not crazy cheap, but it makes the prices comparable to Bazaar Strauss if you need things right now. In general, you'll do much better shopping in America. The Children's Place in Israel is a franchise operation, so they set their own prices.

lfab

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 2:45 pm

MamaBear wrote:

Buy online in advance if it can be returned when you arrive. See what fits, what you like etc When you return the rejects, you can snag a few extra bargains in the store itself.

I believe children's place has either a 30 day or 45 day return policy. After that you get the lowest selling price so it may not be worth returning if you only get a few cents for the item. If it's all really cheap then I would say order it online and worse comes to worse and there are a few items you don't like/don't fit properly you can give them away to friends who may like them or have a child that it fits. If everything is cheap enough than even if you don't end up using a few pieces it may still be worth it. I often do a simiar thing when buying at the end of a season. So if I buy 10 items for $2 each even if 3 items don't end up fitting it still comes out to less than $3 per item so still worth it. Or you can donate the clothes to someone in need.

amother

Black

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 3:04 pm

anonimouse wrote:

I went when I visited Haifa. (I just saw it when I was going to other stores and was like cool! and went in.) I don't know if they're anywhere else.

Right now, I am okay. I'm managing with what I have. It's hot and the clothes are drying quickly.