Macys.com

Full review
www.macys.com

THE INTRO.
As a general rule, I find Macys a little too expensive for my taste, but when you hit the sales, you can get some really great items at low cost. I’m not only talking about the brick & mortar store. The online store has some great bargains as well.

The first time I went to the online store was to purchase a gift off of a friend’s registry. After that, I went back looking for sales. Now I am back again, looking at Macys a bit differently. I am getting married next August (2003) and am in the midst of registering.

THE HOMEPAGE
I find the homepage to be fairly simple. It is nice to see that the page is not too crowded with pictures or too crammed with information, but I do think it is a little uninteresting to look at.

Finding what you need is fairly easy. A toolbar across the top of the page allows you to view the following areas: for the home, women, men, gen xy (I have NO experience in this area….sorry), jewelry, beauty, brands, sale items and gifts. You can also sign in/register, view or create a bridal registry, check out, find customer service info (I highly recommend checking this area out. There is SO much information here.), use the store locator, access your account and purchase gift cards. And last, but certainly not least, you can search for whatever you are looking in their search box (I haven’t had any problems with searches here.).

The body of the homepage has a large picture advertising whatever season they are marketing (example: right now they have back to school ads). Underneath this is the area to search for a registry and then below that are some sales. Right now they have 25% sale on shoes and intimate apparel. You can also find backpacks discounted and a sale on bedding and pants for men, etc. I bought some really great, low cost clothing from these sale areas!

At the bottom of the page, they have links to the same areas you will find on top of the page as well as links to their privacy policy and legal disclaimer.

THE NEXT STEP
I usually just pick the category I want to look under. For example, my fiancé and I started our registry by going to the store itself, but then we have been changing our registry online. When searching for items to add to the registry, we go to the ‘for the home’ category and look under their breakout list on the left of the page. Not only do they list items out by subcategory (ex: bedding, bakeware, etc.), but they have lists for collections, gift ideas (like gifts under $100, etc.) and clearance and sale items. There is even a glossary. This page also has a drop down menu if you prefer to search that way AND an advanced search feature (which I love) if you need to refine your search.

THE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINK
It is so good that I feel the need to recommend it again. This tab has so much useful information. You can find frequently asked questions (like shipping costs, etc.), information on policies, returns (yes, you can return it to a store if you buy it online! There are certain rules about bridesmaid dresses and jewelry, so check it out!), gift card balances, order tracking, etc. etc. etc.

SHIPPING
Here is where I think Macys keeps their customers coming back. First off, you can ship to multiple destinations (although you will be charged $4.50 for each additional address). The rates are pretty reasonable. They are:

Up to $24.99 $5.95
$25.00 - $74.99 $7.95
$75.00 - $124.99 $9.95
$125.00 - $149.99 $11.95
$150.00 - $199.99 $12.95
$200.00 - $299.99 $14.95
$300.00 and above $15.95

If you buy a gift card, they are shipped free via first class mail, but Macys will not be ship to PO boxes. You also have the option of getting your items via 2-day delivery for the standard price plus $6 or via overnight delivery for standard price plus $11. I don’t think that is horrible if you are really in a hurry.

RETURNS
Yet another plus for Macys.com. You can return their items to the local Macys brick & mortar store or via mail using the return form that is included in your order. I have yet to return anything, but it is nice to know that going to the store is an option.

ARRIVAL
I had no problems at all with the whole process. After placing the order, I received an e-mail with my order number and an estimated shipping date. I don’t remember the turnaround time, but I do remember that two of my orders came earlier than expected.

REGISTERING
My only concern is a possible one, meaning it hasn’t happened yet. I have registered at Macys, mainly because it is convenient. We have friends all over the place, so we wanted to register at a place we knew a lot of people had access to. The only thing is, we have heard a few nightmare stories about people’s registries being messed up (meaning, items were missing from the registry list, they received two of the same items because the registry wasn’t updated correctly, etc.). So far, these are only based on what other people have mentioned to me, so I’ll keep you posted on my experience.

Happy shopping!

Thanks to all those who read/rate.

Heidi