Magic Registry

[Tacori E-ring]

Ok, I am a registry stalker. I have already owned up to that but this is a first. I just checked one of my registries and there are like 7 items on there I NEVER added. Worse, someone bought them! I know we can always return them but how strange is that? They just magically appeared. Ever happen to anyone else?

 

[Gypsy]

No. But that is funny. Not really as funny as you registry stalking though. I can TOTALLY see myself doing that.

 

[MelissaSue]

Is it BB&B? What happens there is if someone goes in there and buys something and says its for your registry (lets say they bought you one item that was on it and one that wasn''t.. or bought some stuff for themselves but didn''t bother to tell the clerk it wasn''t for you..) it gets added on to your registry.. It will say Requseted=0 Purchased=1 It doesn''t make any sense to me why they do this.. maybe so if someone buys some part of a set for you that you didn''t want.. more people can buy matching peices you don''t want!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 8/6/2006 12:13:25 AM
Author: Gypsy
No. But that is funny. Not really as funny as you registry stalking though. I can TOTALLY see myself doing that.

Oh you just WAIT! It is TOO tempting. Luckily both places we registered does not tell you who bought them so at least I have some surprise.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 8/6/2006 12:36:53 AM
Author: MelissaSue
Is it BB&B? What happens there is if someone goes in there and buys something and says its for your registry (lets say they bought you one item that was on it and one that wasn''t.. or bought some stuff for themselves but didn''t bother to tell the clerk it wasn''t for you..) it gets added on to your registry.. It will say Requseted=0 Purchased=1 It doesn''t make any sense to me why they do this.. maybe so if someone buys some part of a set for you that you didn''t want.. more people can buy matching peices you don''t want!!

It is C&B but you are right. It says I requested 0 but then shows how much they bought. I just don''t GET IT! Why did I bother to register if you are going to pick something else out? They spent a good deal of money (enough to buy me a place setting of my china which I RATHER have) oh well, guess I''ll just return it.

I was just so surprised and confused.

 

[Gypsy]

Some of them tell you who bought them? Interesting. I wouldn''t want to know that. I''m going have to edit my registries. I''ve heard that BBB will give you CASH for registry items. Which is just fabulous. Going to switch one of my registries over to them. Not sure if I''ll keep the Ross Simon registry. Or the Bloomingdales. Probably will do Macy''s intead. But Macy''s won''t give you cash. Just want to register for linens and knives (BBB) and my china and crystal and silver (currently at Ross Simon)... will probably forget about registering for the other stuff (vases and so forth at Bloomingdales). We aren''t having 200 plus invitees anymore. Just 58. Will definitely need to consolidate and pare down the registry items. Then wait impatiently till it''s time for people to buy.. .and I''ll start stalking.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 8/6/2006 4:45:34 PM
Author: Gypsy
Some of them tell you who bought them? Interesting. I wouldn''t want to know that. I''m going have to edit my registries. I''ve heard that BBB will give you CASH for registry items. Which is just fabulous. Going to switch one of my registries over to them. Not sure if I''ll keep the Ross Simon registry. Or the Bloomingdales. Probably will do Macy''s intead. But Macy''s won''t give you cash. Just want to register for linens and knives (BBB) and my china and crystal and silver (currently at Ross Simon)... will probably forget about registering for the other stuff (vases and so forth at Bloomingdales). We aren''t having 200 plus invitees anymore. Just 58. Will definitely need to consolidate and pare down the registry items. Then wait impatiently till it''s time for people to buy.. .and I''ll start stalking.

I think it is an urban myth. BB&B gave me store credit NOT CASH for things I have already returned. Funny how many times you change your mind

BB&B has fine china. They might have the pattern you want if you want to simplify. Know that you do get a 10% coupon to finish your registry so keep everything you might want and you can always buy it for yourself. I guess some registries have a thank you card manager so it records who got you what (but then you can cheat).

 

[laine]

Date: 8/6/2006 4:39:24 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
It is C&B but you are right. It says I requested 0 but then shows how much they bought. I just don''t GET IT! Why did I bother to register if you are going to pick something else out? They spent a good deal of money (enough to buy me a place setting of my china which I RATHER have) oh well, guess I''ll just return it.

I was just so surprised and confused.

They may not have bought it for you. I bought a wedding gift at BB&B, while shopping for myself. I told the salesclerk the one item was off the registry, but later when I checked my friend''s registry online, I saw the items that I had bought for myself showed up on it. Hope the couple weren''t expecting them.

 

[LizzieC]

Yeah, I had some of this too. We registered for 10 place settings and some extra dishes and bowls... and we only ended up w/ 4 of 10 place settings! But we got a teapot and salt and pepper shakers we didn''t ask for and like 6 picture frames. I know it''s bratty, but I just don''t understand why people feel compelled to buy off the registry!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

laine- I didn''t think of that. Huh....now I wonder. I bet your friend probably was expecting them. That is so funny!

Lizzie- I know what you mean. Why do people feel like they need to get creative? They invented registries for a reason.

 

[monarch64]

Tacori, I was a total registry stalker! I would go through each registry and edit at least once a week, according to what people were purchasing...it was just pathetic, LOL! It seemed to me that people were either purchasing the "fun things" like barware, table linens, etc., or smaller ticket items like kitchen utensils, for our showers. Most of the gals I know who''ve gotten married around here in the past few years have had the same issue with their china...they have ended up with 3-4 place settings and then have to rely on Christmas or birthdays to fill in, or buy settings themselves, same situation as me. So I guess what I''m saying is be prepared for that--you might not have a full china cabinet when all is said and done. Since we are china twins, I wanted to let you know that I searched ebay the other day and found quite a few results for the Grosgrain pattern, at very acceptable prices. I will have to do some further research as far as which sellers are reputable, and I know you don''t have time for that just now as your wedding is right around the corner, but I will gladly let you know my experience. I think you know I informed my DH a few months ago that we would need to go ahead and complete our set soon before we start a family and it falls by the wayside as those things tend to do...looking back now, I wish we''d have taken some of the cash we received as wedding gifts and spent it on filling out our china, but you know, gambling in Vegas was more important at the time, ha ha!

Take care...hope things are going smoothly for you!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 8/7/2006 1:04:18 AM
Author: monarch64
Tacori, I was a total registry stalker! I would go through each registry and edit at least once a week, according to what people were purchasing...it was just pathetic, LOL! It seemed to me that people were either purchasing the ''fun things'' like barware, table linens, etc., or smaller ticket items like kitchen utensils, for our showers. Most of the gals I know who''ve gotten married around here in the past few years have had the same issue with their china...they have ended up with 3-4 place settings and then have to rely on Christmas or birthdays to fill in, or buy settings themselves, same situation as me. So I guess what I''m saying is be prepared for that--you might not have a full china cabinet when all is said and done. Since we are china twins, I wanted to let you know that I searched ebay the other day and found quite a few results for the Grosgrain pattern, at very acceptable prices. I will have to do some further research as far as which sellers are reputable, and I know you don''t have time for that just now as your wedding is right around the corner, but I will gladly let you know my experience. I think you know I informed my DH a few months ago that we would need to go ahead and complete our set soon before we start a family and it falls by the wayside as those things tend to do...looking back now, I wish we''d have taken some of the cash we received as wedding gifts and spent it on filling out our china, but you know, gambling in Vegas was more important at the time, ha ha!


Take care...hope things are going smoothly for you!

You are so sweet! So far I have 5 place settings but only two frying pans so I guess we know what my guests like to buy. My mom has been pushing me to buy any missing pieces. Maybe because she never got wedding china and bought her now, very dated early 90s set later. I have been second guessing my need for AllClad since I don''t cook that often and I don''t really want to buy the rest of those AND china. How do you know if the ebay seller is reputable?

 

[monarch64]

Tacori, your mom is probably right in pushing you to fill in missing pieces...she probably fears (and rightly so) the pattern being discontinued, or that other things will come about that require more financial attention than spending cash on china. As far as knowing whether a seller on ebay is reputable, I think it's the same as the situations other people have posted here on PS about buying jewelry from there. I have only purchased one thing from ebay, and that was from the Sharper Image store for my ultrasonic cleaner, so I don't have a really good feel for who would be reputable to buy from when it comes to fine china. If you have time to do a search on ebay anytime, just do a search for "grosgrain" within the "dining" section (I think) and our pattern comes up with several results. A few of them "look" to be ok, but I would have to order a setting from one whose reputation looks good (there is a column on the right hand side of each vendor that displays their feedback). Most of the place settings are going for around $100, which is about $20 below retail for that setting. I haven't gone so far as to find out what they are charging for shipping or anything, but I do think this is an avenue I might look into when we decide to fill in our missing items. I will definitely let you know if I am successful. Our 3rd anniversary is Sept. 21st, and instead of jewelry I am thinking that I would like a couple place settings since we have 6...I would like to at least have 8, and we still need to get more flatware as we only have 2 place settings of that plus a hostess set. We are thinking of starting a family soon, and I would like to get things like this squared away so I'm not worried about budgeting for babies' needs as well as household needs in the next couple years, ya know?

Anyway, I will let you know what I find out as far as ebay china, but you have plenty of time. I think it is a great idea for you to return some of your "mystery" registry gifts and exchange them for place settings, though.

Oh, one question I have that you just reminded me of with your last post: you say your mom's china is somewhat "dated" from the 90's...do you think ours will look "dated" in 10-15 years? I have heard this from several women in their late 30's, early 40's who feel like what was in style 20 years ago isn't anymore. I feel like the Grosgrain pattern is simplistic enough to carry through many years to come, but now I wonder if it will look just as dated in case the "florals" (aka Royal Daulton, etc.) come back en vogue later on...what do you think?

ETA: Oh, and don't worry about your frying pans. We didn't end up registering for any cookware because we felt the things we wanted were a bit too pricey for the registry--we ended up buying a set of I don't know what at Sam's for $150 that has lasted us for the past 3 years, lol! Guests don't really see your cookware as they do your china, so we decided to go with that instead...plus I am not a huge fan of cooking and our kitchen is certainly not "gourmet," we tend to have get-togethers catered rather than cook ourselves.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

How exciting about starting a family! I think my mom''s china looks dated for several reasons, this dishes aren''t round (they are octogons), they have floral accents in pastel colors (ick). I think our china is pretty classic. There might be a time when I don''t love it as much as I once did but I doubt I will ever dislike it. Do you have the bowls or any serving pieces? Did you register your china with wedgewood? They have a 5 year pattern promise otherwise they will buy back your china. I thought that was kind of cool.

 

[monarch64]

I guess I didn''t realize or think about registering it, so I haven''t...now you''ve got me wondering if I can still do so after all this time. Hmm, guess I will have to find out about that. It is a pretty cool idea...

I only have one stupid soup bowl...it was a gift with purchase when my MIL gave us a place setting. I think I only registered for the cream and sugar and a platter and some other serving dish but didn''t receive any of those. I have a feeling we''ll be doing well to get all our place settings and flatware taken care of and will end up doing without the serving pieces and bowls, lol!

 

[flopkins]

Gypsy -
I have to add that we ended up getting cash back on our Macy''s Registry - I signed up for a Macy''s card and when we did returns/exchanges we did it all on the Macy''s card, and in the end we had a few hundred in credit on my Macy''s card, and one day I was looking at the billing statment, and there is an option to cash out any credit balance on your card, so I just checked the box and mailed it in, and in a few weeks I got a check in the mail!! So it is possible to get cash back from Macy''s, albeit in a more roundabout way.
Also on the online Macy''s registry you can check who gave you what once the wedding is over.

As for the original topic, I think it is best this way, bc returns are always easier if you say it''s on your registry - and I know that at C&B and Macy''s, when you return something it doesn''t show it on your registry online/in store, so the person who purchased it won''t know/feel bad that you returned their gift.