BuybuyBaby review

It's a weird name, but google it. It is the most awesomest baby-only store I've ever been in. Not that I've been in a ton, but you get the idea. And it is baby-only. No 'other' stuff to crowd you out or convince you that the baby stuff is just tacked on. So here are my thoughts on this little-known treasure.
1) You cannot buy a baby there- contrary to the name of the store. It is for baby related merchandise only.
2) It's huge. Just like a BedBath&Beyond, who creepily own this small chain. You walk in and it's set up just like a bedbath&beyond, only every section is filled with bottles, formula, and pacifers where the kitchen utensils are supposed to be. The candle area- the stroller section.
3) It's small. As in there are only like a dozen or less stores mostly in NJ, NY and VA. And one is IL- woot! Though while we were there they were training employees for new stores opening in Michigan, Ohio, and I think one more store in another state.
4) It's convienently located close to ourselves (sort of), but particularly close to where Jim's family lives. In NJ and VA. Wonderful! Another option besides the typical Target and BRU registries.
5) They have what seems like everything. As I mentioned in #2- it's huge. We went there b/c specifically they had the strollers we were most interested in seeing- and the only store that had in stock the one we ended up registering for. They also had a ton of carseats and cribs we were looking for.
6) The staff. Wow! I can't say enough complimentary things about their staff. No pressure to buy today. No pressure to even register. Just try it out. Practice opening and closing the stroller, try different car seats in the stroller. They even let us take a stroller out to our car to see what it would look like folded up in the back. This was especially important to me b/c I didn't want a monstrosity of a stroller in the back of my car. They knew their shizat! They could tell me weight, height, features, and which infant seat would fit into which stroller (can you tell we spent like 2 hours in the stroller section?). They had so many models, colors, sizes and every baby widget one could need for their child. Only downside- see #1.
7) Prices. Pretty comparable to any other store. But... they accept the coupons that everyone gets once a week from bedbath&beyond. Check the exclusions at the bottom. One employee told us that we can't use it for a certain brand of stroller or any crib, but that they have in the past and no one said anything. So give it a try!
8) Clean!! New!! Bright! Wide aisles. The bathrooms were immaculate- we both had a look-see. Maybe this store is particularly new, but it was very pleasant to spend 5+ hours there (no, I'm not kidding you. As stated in #6, I think 2 of those hours alone were spent in the stroller department).
9) Selection. They had what seems like everything. They weren't just filling the space with the same thingx20. They actually had a variety and had it displayed well. This is kind of a repeat of #5, but somehow seems different to me.

So how did we even know to go to this magical place? As much as I would love to take credit for discovering this hidden gem only 2.5 hours north of here, we read about it in our Baby Bargins book. If you're expecting and don't have this book, buy it! There are so many decisions we would have made based only on looks or getting an emotional connection to an item, only to discover later that we picked the worst of the bunch. They mentioned it as a great place to procure baby essentials but reported that they were only available in NY, NJ, and VA. A simple internet search showed they had a store in Downers Grove, IL- this is where we went. After some exploring on their website and narrowing of big ticket items we wanted to lay hands on before buying/registering for, we made the decision that we absolutely must make this trek. And it was so worth it!! And I'm happy to hear that they are expanding.

Things I would like for them to change:
1) Reviews on their website for the products they carry. I always have to have Target, BRU, Amazon, and BuybuyBaby websites open to cross compare notes. Maybe they'll add that feature later.
2) Closer to me. I overheard that they were going to open another one in Schaumberg. Like what? That will put them so close to each other! I know there are a lot of babies and yuppies in the burbs, but I think a Peoria or Indianapolis market might do them some good. I'd go to either of those locations over having to deal with Chicago's terrible traffic and damn-ass-expensive tolls!
3) Including all the products they carry in their stores actually on their website. They had WAY more stuff at the store than listed on the website- which is good but can seem limited. So don't le the website fool you into thinking they are a rinky dink store! If all their merchandise was on the web I bet they'd get even more people willing to make the trek. I only knew they carried a particular brand a crib by visiting the manufacturer's website and looked up dealers where it was sold. Funny, BuybuyBaby is listed, though there is no indication that they sell them based on an internet search on their website. Again, maybe it's a feature they will add down the road.

I think that's it. I hope you were able to stick with me through this long winded review. Not that it matters for the zero people who read this, but whateves. I'm hoping this will help someone who might do a google search on this store. Please keep in mind this was one day in one of their stores. Their shine may fade over time and I was just there earlier this week (9-22-08).