blog@cliffdweller

I'm not saying to boycott BB&B, I'm just saying it's not in the first thousand places I'll go look for things that they might sell. So what.

Here's why:

A friend of mine just married another friend of mine and they registered at BB&B. I thought "oh cool, I like that store." While I'm there, I'm sure I can find lots of things I could buy for my house, as indeed I have in the past.

Once I purchased a set of cookware there. I've bought sheets, shower heads, towels, kitchen stuff, floor stuff, wall decorations and even bedroom stuff. I've bought dinner plates, silverware, and glasses. I've bought all sorts of things for my bed, bath and, well, beyond. I don't go there every week or even every month. When I do go, I usually don't spend more than a couple of hundred bucks. I doubt my patronage is keeping their doors open.

But still, I used to like to go there.

When I got invited to the wedding, and saw my friends had registered there, I was excited. It seems I get coupons for BB&B about once a month that are good for 20% off. I thought, wow, that's a deal. I can go buy stuff for the wedding and save 20%. Sweet.

So I waited until the last minute, literally 6 hours before the wedding started, and went to the local store. The store clerks printed out the wedding registry showing the items that still needed to be purchased and were in stock at that location.

We quickly narrowed the item down and went and pulled it off the shelf and then proceeded back to the register to ring it up. On the way I read the small print on the coupon. "Not valid on ___________ or ____________ or ______________ or _________________"* and you could pretty much fill in the blanks with any name brand item that they sell – up to and including the item I was buying.

So I didn't save my 20%. That's ok. My friends are worth the money I spent (I'm not saying how much because they read this blog…). I had in fact budgeted to spend a little more than the list price turned out to be, so I should have been happy. Instead I was all pissy at BB&B for prepping me to save 20% and then yanking the savings out from under me at the last minute. It's like ordering coke and getting iced tea.

So even though I am happy to have purchased the item, and actually spent a little less than I budgeted, BB&B has made me a disgruntled customer by offering me something and then slapping so many conditions on it that I couldn't use it. The irony is that without the coupon I would have gone to exactly the same store and spent exactly the same amount of money and left happy.

Instead, I left disgruntled and I decided to take Bed Bath and Beyond off my list of places that I shop when I need stuff for my bedroom or my bathroom or my beyond. I'll still go there, but not on purpose, and not deliberately, not when I'm in the driver's seat, and definitely not often.

I'm sure the marketing department at Bed Bath and Beyond is trembling in their fluffy slippers.

*Not valid for the purchase of gift cards, All-Clad, Alessi, BabyJogger, Baby Planet, BOB, Bugaboo,DKNY, ERGObaby, kate spade, Maclaren, Maxi-cosi, Miele, Monique Lhillier, Mountain Buggy, Mutsey, Nambi, Nautica, Orbit Baby, Orrefors Kosta Boda, Pediped, Ed Hardy,Lhuiller, Vera Wang, Versace, Richard Ginori, Riedel, Swarovaski, Stokke, Waterford, Wedgewood Bumbleride, T-Tech by Tumi, Tempur-pedic, Wusthof, Margaritaville, DKNY, Ergobaby, McLauren, MaxiCosi, Uppa baby, Peg Pergo, Phil & Teds, Quinny, NettoCollection, CUBkids by Netto, Robeez, Shooting Starts portrait studio, Svan, Tommy Bahama and the Sharper Image,. Wedgwood, Lenox, Waterford, Vera Wang, Nambe, Riedel, Orrefors Kosta Boda, Viking, Oreck, Capresso, Miele, kate spade, Michael Aram, Versace, ALessi, Richard Ginori and Frette Home Products (where available). See Store for details.