apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

BB&B has cushions to put in the shopping carts for small dogs who like to ride along. On cold or rainy days, I take my french bulldog there so he gets an outing and tons of attention. Oh, sometimes we buy things, too.

The prices are not good, as you said, and the selection could be much better. What really bugs me about BB&B is the practice of lining the walls right up to the ceiling with hundreds of the same item, to create an illusion of quantity. I am more impressed by greater variety!!!

My local BBB takes BBB coupons past their expiration date, and also permits one 20%-off coupon per item, instead of one per purchase.

I agree, BB&B is the place to go for bedding and bathroom accessories. Their selection for the kitchen is small and low in quality. I think they have great customer service and it is nice to have them around when you don't have a lot of money but need some new sheets or towels. Personally I prefer spending more and getting a quality product.

I do rely on BBB for some inexpensive household staples and have purchased quite a few small kitchen appliances there (KitchenAid stand mixer, blender, toaster oven, Cuisinart...) I always use their coupons which makes the prices much better.
I'm in Atlanta, so I'm not sure how similar the NY stores are, but I signed up for the e-mail list in the store once and have received coupons (snail mail) ever since. I get lots of 20% off coupons and $5 off of $15 total purchase coupons. Some tips and tricks I learned about their coupons:

1. They will take expired coupons
2. They will accept coupons from Linens and Things (I get lots of these in the mail too)
3. You can use up to 5 20% off of 1 item coupons if you are purchasing multiple items. If you buy 5 items and have 5 20% off coupons, you get 20% off of each item.

Oh my gosh, I have turned into my mother. I usually have so many BBB coupons that I will give them out to other people in line. This guy in front of me was buying a $200 espresso machine and he had no coupon. I handed him one and he saved $40. I was his new best friend (well, until he left the store).
I suppose I now sound like the Queen of Cheap but every little penny counts. I save money on things like this and then I don't feel bad when I want to splurge on something nice for my house!

I too love BBB because it is a one stop shop for me. I can get lost in their gadget section (one of my weaknesses). A lot of their kitchen items (i.e., blender, food processor and T-Fals) are much cheaper at Century 21. I love to go during my lunch hour and find it to be pretty empty at that time.

Well, I was about to beat myself soundly about the eyes and ears for having spent WAYYYY too much money for a dish-rack that I had thought I liked when I was in the store, but hated shortly after I had thrown out the box and receipt.

Finally, I decided to say what-the-heck-it's-worth-a-shot and dragged the thing (I DID have the bag still, though) in and exchanged it for a cheaper one that was actually a more appropriate size and color and shape for my sink, and I just made up the difference in towels for a birthday present for a friend of mine.

The customer service people didn't even seem to blink about the fact that I didn't have the box it came in; maybe because I wasn't asking for my money back, but just exchanging? All I had to do was go find one of the ones still in the box from their own shelves just to give them something to scan to determine the price of what I was returning.

So, that was ONE really nice transaction that I had like a month ago. Regardless the size of the store, if they have good customer service, I love them. I went ahead and bought my $29.95 Mr. Coffee there just a couple of weeks ago, which I was kind of shocked to see that even for that price it makes 12 cups and yet doesn't hog my counter space AND it shuts itself off automatically (UNLIKE the DeLonghi this new one was replacing, which I accidentally killed by leaving on all day).

where does one get the coupons from?

I used to like BBB for its one stop shoppingness and prximity to west side subways but since (I guess) the opening of HD a few blocks away they stopped stocking their tools, caulk, paint, primer, etc. so it is no longer the one place I can go to when I need to install something that requires power tools or drywall work and I have run out of some things.

HD in the city is great but it is just far enough away from the 1 train and i situated on a busy pedestrian street to make it a pain to get to and from. BBB is much better situated for me plis it is right opposite the container store.

Maybe it's because I'm a surbanite but the BBB I usually frequent is pretty awesome and it has a great kitchen section where I'm looking to buy things I don't even need! Even if you don't get coupons in the mail you can find them along with the fliers in the weekend newspapers.

I recently purchased a set of their house brand sheets and I was pretty disappointed. They really wrinkle alot when washed and the color seems to be fading after repeated washings. They were not cheap and I expected better.

For low prices on name-brand linens I like T.J. Maxx or Century 21.

i have bought items at bbb, a humidifier, and some small items. but the size of the store and distance between departments make this a difficult store to just run in buy one item and leave.i always ask when the next jitney is leaving for the back of the store.
so i try to support local retailers when i can. like housewares at zabars, bed linens at abc or gracious home. small appliances at my neighborhood store etc.

sometimes they have some very good lighting (i am a lighting freak).
last year i bought a Werner Panton style moon lamp, for 20.00 as opposed to the (much higher higher quality) $600 version.
i don't know if they still carry it.

BBB is fine for household staples - - not the most cutting edge designs or anything but just fine. I recently needed lots of small kitchen items to make a cake and their prices were comparable with Target, actually. And there was a real live person who helped me find everything I needed in ten minutes, whereas waiting for customer service at the Target in Brooklyn is like waiting for subway at 3:00 a.m. (I once waited 30. min. for someone to get me a dust-buster from the "back" at Target).

My mother out-law sent me & my bf a "Shark" vacuum from some super discount store- it even had the barcode cut off from the box. We knew they sold it at BBB, and sure enough, the customer service people gave us store credit for the full price. We left with armloads of fairly unecessary kitchen goods. AND we used two 20% off coupons!

Another thing BBB does is make arrangements with local charities, and they donate all the goods that have been returned to the store. I work at a preschool, and we get huge boxes of returned goods every week, and once a month we run a parking-lot sale to raise money for our school. Needless to say, I get new curtains and sheets on a near-monthly basis.

Final thought on a too-long post - How do you feel about that distinctive BBB smell?

My comment is this. Since Christmas I have signed up for a 20% coupon on their website. Since then Ive e mailed them and re-signed up 4 times! Yet I have not recieved anything from them. This is really not good customer service. I think Ill take my business elsewhere. After all, I spent 800.00 there for Christmas, ya think they would want to get me back into their store!

To Jerry Kelly, try signing up in the store itself. For some reason, it's faster that way - but it still can take up to 4-8 weeks before you get your first mailing.

just got your coupon in the mail. tried to go to the site for the click-n-win instant game, would not let me find it anywhere. how do you get there??

luv this store its great

luv the coupons five off of fifteen dollar sale but when i lived in an apt i had plenty of them now in a home i get one any suggestions on how to obtain more

hello ladies

hello ladies bbb stiks!

umm yea i kno

This Concerns everyone, so please respond.
I wish I can speak to someone in higher management. I have never felt so unwelcomed in all my years of working. I work for Bed Bath and Beyond (on W.Colonial, Orlando Fl.) and I have to say that the managers that work at the one I am at are very racist and rude. I am a student, a mother and a hard worker. I have called in due to illness, and have called ahead of time to let management know that I was running late. I felt as if I were being investigated for being late, even when I told the manager what was going on. I felt as though my manager didn't believe me. I feel that with this kind of business it's no wonder no one wants to stay long at this store. Many associates have already left the store and more continue to resign from their positions due to the stress of working under terrible management. I have been working for Bed Bath and Beyond for almost two months and none of the associates I work for can say anything good about this store. Many nights I have stayed later then the time I was scheduled, but if I call in late I get investigated like I am a bad person. I wish for something to be done about this or soon there will be no one to work for this store. I am informing whomever reads this e-mail take head to it. I am making a copy of it and sending it to whoever will read it. I am an ambitious person, and if something is not done about the way "certain races" are being treated I will make sure that everyone knows. Thank you for your time sincerely, a Colored Bed Bath and Beyond Employee.

Maybe you should take a moment to consider this. You have only been working at this place for less than two months. As any professional person with half a mind would know, calling in on many different occasions to work for sick or personal reasons, is very unprofessional. When you are hired to do a job, you show up on time, do what you are asked, and go home. Those are the people who make it far in life. The ones who work hard at what they do, and do it honestly. Not the ones who sit at home and rant and rave pulling the race card on people. If the store is so horrible and racist, leave the store. Why would you continue to work in a place like that if that was true? People quit retail jobs left and right, it's the nature of the business. Most people can't handle retail and leave with a bad taste in their mouth. My advice would be that you do just that - go be a hard working mother and student somewhere else, where dishonest digusting ignorant accusations are appreciated.

Who calls themself colored? We don't use that word. Ditto on what LaTrina said--be professional and get your booty to work on time if you want to be respected (and show up--that would be of some importance as well). This thread's theme is how great BBB's policies and business are, not a boo hoo on how it sucks to work for them. If they are truly racist, that would be a problem, but I would think that if they were, you would already be reporting them to higher management instead of talking about how you wish you could. Go to work--I think you are running late!

I would agree with Anony, not for the fact that she felt 'investigated' every time she called out or late (it's the managers' job to do that, I am one), but the fact that upper management does not run districts / regions well. I was a manager for BBB, I gave them over 6 months to show me why I should work and grow with them. The company will not be as great as it is striving to be because the wrong management is in place. Upper management does not follow corporate policies, and runs the place as their own. They make different decisions, and do not consider the oppinions of any other manager, no matter how valid they are. I am very disappointed to have given such time commitment to this company. If a person is injured or sick, it gets even worse. I know of 3 different managers that have been hurt, be it on the job or not, and have been greatly mistreated, both professionally and financially by the company. Really, really sad. Anything thinking of going to work for BBB as a manger, DON'T DO IT. Promotions only happen if upper management finds one likable, not if they posses the skills, knowledge, and abilities to go further. BBB left a very sour taste in my mouth!

I agree with "Former BBBer"! Don't work for Bed Bath and Beyond! I gave them four years of my life and it was the biggest mistake I ever made! Instead of promoting people who worked hard, stayed late, had excellent customer reviews, and came in on an unscheduled day, they would promote people who stood around chatting with other employees. With Bed Bath and Beyond, it's who you know, not what you know. Don't work for them!

I love to see ex-employees talk about how companies promote people they like over people who deserve it. It makes no business sense. I am a realist so I know this does happen occasionally, though it eventually puts people in positions where they will be managed out of the company by competent managers further up the chain.
Any Business, in general, looks to hire the right people for the right job. Just because you are a hard worker, come in on extra days, or are good with customers, does not mean that you have leadership abilities, strategic thinking, financial analysis capabilities to positively affect P&L, the aptitude to coach people, etc. All of which are as important in being a manager as working hard.
I have never worked for Bed Bath & Beyond, but I have worked in retail enough to know that if every manager was hired based soley on their likability by other managers, the company would not be the business giant that it is today.
Maybe it is time to look in the mirror to see where the issue with promotions lie instead of complaining on different web sites.

I currently work at BBB as an operations manager. I have been with the company for 4 years. FACTS: BBB has GREAT customer service, no questions; however, they do not treat thier associates like thier customers. NO short term leave? Come on, a fortune 500 company doing 6 billion in revenue not having short term leave? I know a manager that feel off a ladder and had to use all his vacation to survive with workers comp? Question? What does BBB do with its profit? New stores...YES. Invest in its people....NO. BBB does not spend money advertising like most traditional retailers, saving hundreds of millions of dollars! BBB does not have a Training and Development plan? They pay managers well(usually above retail) why? This is usually because this is the only way to keep GOOD managers, not because of training, no because of benefits, but by the carrot of MONEY!
I would recommend that for shopping at BBB is a GREAT place to shop. To work, just review the benefits: Week vacation tenure, No SHORT term leave, no training/development programs, NO accountablity consistently enforced, and no regards for employee happiness. Finally, if you shop BBB please thank your associates who deliver GREAT customer service to you. Why? Well it is not because they are happy working for BBB, but because they truely want to deliver great customer service. Nevertheless, just a reminder.... buying at BBB only reinforces the mistreatment of thier associates. I truely want customers to think about how BBB treats its people. Why should it not be the same treatment they receive as customers. BBB wake up! For a company growing as fast as you are.....where is your ethical treatment of your people who got you there? Is there any manager who does not agree with my assessment?

EDWARD YOU ARE EXACTLY CORRECT.
SOFTSIDE KEYHOLDER IN OH.

I love BBB but not happy to see comment about treatment of employees. Retail has always been one step up from indentured servitude, but come on.

I too am a five year salaried keyholder at a store in Kansas. I broke my foot coming down the stairs in the morning with the drawers.
They do allow you to use one week of sick time. Then workmans comp kicks in. Workmans comp pays you 60 percent of your pay. If you have any responsibilities like, kids, wife, car payment, house payment etc... Its really hard on all of those responsibilities.
I really do enjoy working for the company, they have great insurance compared to others. They also do offer sort of a short term leave, in AFLAC, but that is expensive and really doesnt cover that extra 40 percent lost.
We do have the best customer service in retail, its all in who you hire to help your customers. My district manager is kind of a dick, and likes to play mind games with everyone.