Babies R Us

Last summer I put a car seat on layaway, well my mom paid it off online for a birthday present. I was sent a confirmation number and email saying I could pick up so I printed both off. Went to the store with my fiancé (his only day off for awhile) to Pick it up and was told i couldn’t because their system didn’t show I paid. I gave the lady at the counter my email and confirmation number that was printed and she said it meant nothing to her. Needless to say they would not let me take my car seat home. Told them I will never shop there again that they were rude. When I Went to get it a week later I told them what happened they apologized and I still will not return.

Based on principles alone, I wanted to give Babies R Us (the company, not specifically this store) 1 Star, but my conscience won me over and upgraded them to 2. Read on for additional detail and explanation.
On the plus side, this is easily the biggest BRU that I’ve ever seen and they have an extensive selection of, well, just about everything — strollers (even different models of Baby Jogger), car seats (Britax, Maxi Cosi, etc), diapers, and they even have a pretty extensive selection of nursery furniture. Their mother’s room is a really nice touch, complete with a sofa, glider, and changing table.
My gripe with BRU is based on a combination of high prices and UDAAP violation-​worthy coupon practices. Apparently, they are self-​aware enough to know that they have the market essentially cornered on many specialized baby-​related products and charge anywhere between 15 — 30% more on comparable items in other stores. Well, at least they run coupons regularly, right?
WRONG!
Now that we are on kid #2, I have done my fair share of shopping here (almost against my will) forced largely to do so based on their selection, which has landed me as both a member of their rewards program (Rewards R Us) and mail/​email ad list. Just about all of their solicitations for my business lead with a 20% off coupon. Great deal, right?
WRONG!!!
The fine print on the back of these coupons itemize a list of exclusions where the lead claim of «20% Off Any Item» doesn’t apply — and I’m pretty sure that the first draft of the Magna Carta was shorter than this list of exclusions. What’s worse, these exclusions basically omit ANYTHING a reasonable person would want to purchase in the first place!!!
I actually counted and there are 42 — that’s right, FORTY TWO exclusions to «20% Off Any Item». The most aggravating part about this list of exclusions is that it is both broad (entire brands like Baby Jogger, Britax, Motorola, Apple) and generic (ALL baby food, diapers, formula, wipes, etc). I mean, I’m certainly not the smartest guy in the world, but I have trouble understanding how that aligns to ANYONE’S definition of «Any». As best as I can tell, the only thing you can use this coupon on is BRU branded merchandise. Convenient, huh?
To add insult to injury, the staff is generally unapologetic for this bait and switch tactic. In many cases, the unknowing customer has spent time shopping and is usually unwilling to bail on their purchases even though the coupon is what brought them in to begin with. It’s sad, really; not to mention infuriating if you aren’t looking out for it.
In summation, I’ll give the selection, cleanliness, and location 4 Stars and the Customer Service/​Marketing Strategy 1 Star, netting out at 2 Stars. I really hope that BRU changes their tactics soon, because they are certainly NOT customer friendly. Amazon Prime is looking more and more attractive by the day.

This location is huge and has awesome sales. I have gotten baby clothes for as little as $ 2.50 per item and really good deals on diapers and wipes and formula. They also have a rewards program where you can earn points. They used to let me use more than one formula rebate check at the same time, but now will only let you use one because of some «extreme couponers» (or so they said). :(I don’t see the point when I’m only using like 3 ($ 15 off) and the would be reimbursed this $ by the formula company, but whatever. That’s my only negative for this store.