Are you spending too much money on baby items?
Did you waste $57 today? I hope not. Unfortunately, many new parents pay much more than necessary for baby products, because they don’t know the secrets that the experts know.
Remember, just because you shop at so-called discount stores doesn’t mean you’ll get the lowest prices. The same goes for warehouse stores and online auction sites.
Even coupons that seem like great deals aren’t always a bargain. For example, an online retailer recently offered a promotion where he could buy a board game and get one free. But the games cost twice what they cost at a competitor. So it wasn’t really a deal at all.
What’s a bargain-hunting parent to do? It helps if he can find someone who has done some research for you.
Shopping mom to the rescue!
In an attempt to do a scientific apples-to-apples comparison, I recently ran a price test of six popular baby product websites. I bought a basket of common baby products from each site.
All of the sites I chose were well-established businesses with reliable customer service and a good selection of products. Many offered additional services, such as reader reviews, shopping checklists, and helpful tips. The sites were:
1. BabyCenter (http://www.babycenter.com)
2. Babies R Us (http://www.babiesrus.com)
3. Baby Universe (http://www.babyuniverse.com)
4. Baby Catalog (http://www.babycatalog.com)
5. Shopping.com (http://www.shopping.com)
6.Target.com (http://www.target.com)
Shopping.com is not a retailer. It is a comparison shopping service. But I included it because you are supposed to be able to find the best deals online. He wanted to see if he kept his promise.
The results
Remember the $57 I told you about earlier? That was the difference in total cost between the cheapest site I bought and the most expensive one. A lot of change, considering my basket only had four items:
1. A Britax Roundabout Car Seat in Denim (price may vary by pattern)
2. The First Years On the Go Booster Seat
3. A newborn starter set from Avent
4. A joy
I used my Maryland address to calculate shipping and taxes. Obviously, the cost will vary depending on where you live.
And the winner is…
With a low price, it means $255.55: Baby Catalog offered the best deals. And this didn’t include the extra discount you get when you sign up for their Baby Club of America.
Shopping.com came in second with $257.34, making it a worthwhile stop for anyone in the baby gear market. Plus, Shopping.com is integrated with Epinions.com, so you can get product reviews right there. I also liked the fact that Shopping.com calculated the total cost, including shipping and taxes, up front.
Baby Universe came in at $263.91. But keep in mind that Baby Universe offers a flat shipping rate of $6.95, no matter how many products you buy. So the more you buy, the better the offer on this site.
Babies R Us was the most expensive at $312.97, followed by Target at $300.74 and BabyCenter at $285.06. Interestingly, both Babies R Us and Target are under the Amazon.com umbrella, which means you should always compare purchases between different stores on Amazon’s site.
Also note that all of these retailers offer coupons and special offers from time to time. So it’s always worth shopping around.
c) Stephanie Gallagher. All rights reserved.