Yesterday, we began our registry at Target. I'm sure we will register at other places and have equally interesting experiences, but we began with Target. Aside from the fact that they are now b--ches when it comes to returns, we thought they were probably the place to go for the basics. (Apparently, you can only return things if you have a receipt. Otherwise, if someone turned in the registry when they purchased the item, Target can look up four purchases for you as couple--you each get two look-ups per year. Beyond that, you're on your own.) (It used to be that they gave you three free returns per year.) (Please don't think that this entry is a giant registry hint; I just found the experience blog-worthy.)
We began by taking a little inventory, which resulted in me discovering that I have very few practical cooking items. I thought I had a cupboard full of cooking stuff that I was not using. As it turned out, I had one more pot, one lid that seems not to belong to anything, one roaster that can hold a small chicken (or perhaps a cornish hen), one really ugly painted wooden salad bowl (with utensils) that I can't get rid of because my mom saved it for me from "Grandma Lou" (my uncle's mom), a few hopelessly specialized small elecrtics, and one airbake cookie sheet. Apparently, my cupboards are not so much full as they are poorly organized. (I blame the fact that my cupboards are poorly designed. Few of the shelves are tall enough to hold more than a water glass.)
Once the inventory was taken, we moved on to the actual store part of the registry. First, they make you enter your contact info a hundred times, hoping to trick you into saying that you would like to be spammed, and then, they give you that wonderful little gun with the firm instruction to return it (Ben did threaten to keep it and play laser tag at home with it) and hand you a clutch with a bunch of coupons that expire tomorrow.
The gun itself seems designed to inspire impulse registering, which was fun because it says that the item you entered four different brands of has been deleted, but when we checked online later, it had not been deleted after all. We also wound up with an iron on the list solely because it is pink.
We wandered through the store for a couple of hours at least, and basically, we have a lot of cooking utensils and all the small electrics done. The problem with registering for a bunch of little items that cost between $2 and $5 is that it starts to look like you have the longest registry in the history of earth. We don't; I swear. It's just that we added things like a melon baller and corn holders. So, maybe we do have the longest registry in the history of earth, but they are all things like meat thermometers and strainers from the generic Target brand collection.
The decisions are endless, aparently. We stood debating about bedding and bath towels and cookware (oh my!) before deciding to table that until another day. We had done some homework and thought we had picked out a pretty good bedspread online, but when we went back to the bedding department, it turned out that the thing was hideous and a completely different color, so that did not work out so well. We're going to do some research on pots and pans. (I have a nice set of pots, but I really need pans, and we thought maybe adding some non-stick pots to our collection couldn't hurt, either. Any suggestions anyone has would be appreciated.) I looked for kitchen items in a light bright blue (robbin's egg/cornflower-ish), but to no avail; I have to settle for what's there. Finally, we argued about flatware patterns for awhile before deciding that flatware arguments must surely signal that registry time is over for one day.
The best part was when we got home and double checked our registry only to discover that the registry had added its own favorite item to the list: A diaper bag, which I then had to delete immediately because that is how rumors get started. (Thank goodness we looked at it right away.) Neither of us has any idea how the diaper bag got on the list. We both deny even walking past the baby aisle. Yet, there it is, an Eddy Bauer diaper bag in the midst of our party games and Corningware. (No, we do not have anything to share with you... we don't want or have any buns in any ovens right now. Planning a wedding is plenty enough work for now, thank you.)
So, that is our registry tale. All in all, it was fun, but you have to pace yourself. I also think that I have to stop thinking, "But this is the glassware we will use every day for the rest of our lives" everytime I look at something. No, it is not. We can get different glassware if we decide we want it later. Also, I think Target has some pretty out-there suggestions for what to add to the list. (I'm not going to name them in case you yourself have registered for them.) It was an interesting experience, and it was probably one of the least stressful parts of wedding planning so far. We are registering kind of early, but I kind of needed a break from the high-stress stuff. I packed my first box this weekend, actually, so I deserved some imaginary retail therapy. :)
Oh, and we set the date for those who don't know yet: June 13, 2009. Hooray! :)
Posted by LoWriter at July 14, 2008 08:57 AMthat's the first i've heard of a registry with it's own life! scaaaary! :o) various stores have different registry policies, and some are better than others. bed, bath & beyond was the absolute best. the best no-harassment exchange policy ever. after the fact, i wished i would have done the majority of laser-tagging there.
i'm happy about your save-the-date!!! i can now officially put it on all of my calendars!
Posted by: dr gonzo at July 14, 2008 09:57 AMWell, there will probably be save-the-date cards or something coming in the mail at some point. :)
Posted by: Lo at July 14, 2008 11:00 AMThe diaper bag could have been stored in the gun and not downloaded properly, speaking as one who used to hand out the guns...
Did the sales lady tell you not to scan in each other's eyes? I used to tell couples that, in a funny way (even though it was actually in the directions)
The gun does inspire inpulse 'buying'. The online link was my lifesaver because I could remove stuff, change the amounts, ect.
For pots, and I think you mean normal saucepans, I HIGHLY reccommend Revere Ware. They are the silver pots with the copper bottoms.
Posted by: 10lees at July 16, 2008 07:35 PMUm, yeah...I don't know the difference between a pot and a saucepan. Where I come from, they are all pots (or kettles) unless you fry things in them, in which case they are pans. ;)
I do have a very nice set of Revere Ware that was given to me by very nice friends when they upgraded. (Thanks, C & J). In fact, my mom has been envious. So, I may not even need more pots, except that I definitely need new frying pans/skillets, and we are trying to decide if we want some non-stick pots (and/or saucepans) to match as well.
Interesting point on the diaper bag. I didn't think of that.
Posted by: Lo at July 17, 2008 08:33 AMexcellent clarification of pots and pans! ;o)
i have to say, get at least one good sized cast iron skillet. if you can find one at a garage sale that's already seasoned, you're golden. otherwise, it's a bit of a pain to do it yourself (my roomie has one and her mom did the seasoning for her). i will never go without a cast iron skillet ever again.
Posted by: dr gonzo at July 17, 2008 10:06 AMI bought my Lodge brand pan pre-seasoned from the store. It was $14 for a 10". The 12" wasn't much more.
Posted by: jeff at July 17, 2008 11:53 AMTo add to the list of "kitchen items" -- I also recommend a dutch oven. We didn't register for one (they're pricy) but got one anyway, and we LOVE it. You can throw it in the oven with a chicken in it, or throw it on the stove top and keep adding veggies and meat to it until you have a stew, etc. It heats evenly, stores well, and works as a serving dish because they tend to be pretty.
There, my two cents.
Posted by: Laura at August 3, 2008 07:46 AM