We went to a variety of places to clothe the naked this year. Most were good experiences some were bad. We’ll get the bad out of the way first.
Few things get me angry like expensive stuff that doesn’t last long. Men’s Warehouse was one of the year’s biggest shopping let downs. You would think for such an expensive price you would get a suit that would last for years. You would be wrong. In spite of the suit’s high end price tag, all of my suits kept ripping. We spent $804.97 on suits that I couldn’t wear.
Burlington Coat Factory was a much better deal. I got all the ties and white shirts I need for work and church at a reasonable $125.03.
Lacy’s choice of clothing stores was actually not one for herself, but one for our little girls—Baby’s R Us. Lacy actually did a post in November on shopping here, but she didn’t realize she was going to spend more in December. Last year Lacy gave birth to another precious girl. Of course, we needed to prepare for her coming (even though our oldest daughter is only 19 months older). So, as you can see in the below table we spent over $2,000 at Baby’s R Us.
Anyway, I have written more of our clothing experiences in the review table.
| Company | Times Visited | Total Amount Spent | Recommendation | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babies R Us | 15 | $2,220.12 | Lacy Loves | When I consider how much we spent on Babies R Us this year I cannot say that I love this store like Lacy does. However, with 1.2 children it is nice to get the things you need. We plan to have a large family so I guess I am just going to have to swallow the expensive toy pill and see if we can maybe convince Babies R Us to do memberships like Costco so that we can buy in bulk ;). |
| Becoming Mommy | 1 | $45.00 | Lacy Likes | Lacy found this store while we were on date perusing the different shops on Forbes street in Pittsburgh. |
| Burlington Coat Factory | 2 | $125.03 | Ryan Likes | I am a big fan of Burlington Coat Factory. I love their styles and also the unique knick-knacks you are going to find in their stores. One of the best finds in my trips this year to BCF was some cheap Donald Trump ties (like $10 a tie). Not a fan of the man, but love his tie selection! |
| Carnegie Mellon University Store | 1 | $128.80 | Ryan & Lacy Negative | I can't say that I dislike the CMU store, but I can say that I hate how expensive they are. Lacy's and my parents came out this year for my graduation and we decided to buy them CMU gear to wear as proud parents. It is just crazy how much CMU charges for clothing are other university apparel. It's particularly hard when you see that Pitt U's apparel is only a fraction of the cost. CMU already rakes me over the coals with tuition cost, they could at least give me a break when I am helping advertise their school by buying their brand! |
| Frank & John's Cleaners | 2 | $41.33 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | Frank & John's is actually located in the building I work at. It is super convenient. However, I feel their pricing is a little high. Yet, sometimes it is just easier to pay a little more for convenience than going out of your way to save a buck! |
| Gabrial Bros | 4 | $268.02 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | Okay, I am probably one of Gab Bro's biggest fans. We had never heard of this clothing/home store when we moved to Pennsylvania, since the farthest west the chain goes is Ohio. Now that we have found it I buy all my clothes there. They are like a TJ Max or Ross, but in my opinion better. Plus, they are one of the few clothing stores that actually has jeans for tall people! |
| GAP USA | 1 | $2.99 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | I normally don't buy anything from GAP, mainly because they are way overpriced. However, Lacy and I were shopping in the mall and she wanted to look in the GAP for something (I don't remember now), but I saw a nice t-shirt for $3. I am fairly sure this is my first purchase ever from GAP, but a cheap deal is a great deal even in an overpriced fashion store! |
| Halloween Adventure | 1 | $20.31 | Ryan Positive | This last Halloween our church did a Trunk or Treat. It was our eldest daughter's first halloween where she was actually excited about the events and candy. Lacy had us dress in theme apparel. She and my daughter dressed up as cows (keep in mind that Lacy was 7 months pregnant by that time and she felt like a fat cow) and I was the farmer. I decided to go all out and went to Halloween Adventures in Monroeville. t I was able to get some fun stuff to go along with farmer garb (like a real looking rat that I pinned to my shoulder). |
| JC Penny | 2 | $330.91 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | Read Lacy's post |
| LDS Distribution Center | 4 | $551.62 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | If you haven't detected from our buying habits we are LDS (Mormon). We devout and actively participate in the different aspects of the religion. Being Mormon there are certain needs we have that you can't buy at a regular store. For those needs we go to the LDS Distribution Center. The closest one to us in Washington D.C. right next to our temple. I echo Lacy's post talks concerning our feelings for the Distribution Center. Great place! |
| MiracleBaby.com | 1 | $34.95 | Lacy Positive | My business partner had twins last year and being the thoughtful lady that she is Lacy purchased from MiracleBaby.com some outfits for the twins. Lacy really like this site due to its focus on unique and personalized clothing. I normally wouldn't recommend paying $35 for two newborn outfits, but when you can customize it, it is worth it! |
| Marshalls | 1 | $17.10 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | We pass Marshalls all the time on our way into Pittsburgh, but we have never purchased anything before. I guess Lacy was feeling adventureous one day and purchased some toddler clothing for our oldest. It is a little expensive for toddler clothing, but we both like the outfit she bought! |
| Mens Warehouse | 2 | $804.97 | Ryan very unsatisfied | I have always purchased my suits from the Men's Warehouse. However, after my experience this last year I think I will go somewhere else. I purchased two suits from them since I was presenting for my master's program. With in one week the first suit ripped at the pocket. Over a period of three months both suits ripped a total of 5 times. It was extremely frustrating, and even though they mended them (and even replaced the pants once) I still felt like they thought I was intentionally ripping the suits. The last time I went I vowed I would never use them again! |
| Orrs Jewelers | 1 | $85.60 | Lacy Likes | One thing I didn't know when I purchased Lacy's wedding ring is that white gold needs to be cleaned at least once a year to keep its luster. We took Lacy's ring to Orrs Jewelers in Pittsburgh (on Forbes street) to have this done. When you go into the store you feel like you stepped into a high end "fancy pants" store. Of course, Lacy and I are in sweet pants and our grubby clothes. Not to mention that we had our little girl with us who wanted to touch all the "sparkels." Regardless of looking like hillbillies we were treated kindly and with respect, and they did a great job on Lacy's ring! |
| Payless Shoes | 1 | $56.97 | Lacy Likes | Lacy loves Payless because of their great selection on children shoes. She went there a few months ago to get both her and our oldest daughter (who is only a year and half old) some shoes. I was impressed that they spent under $60 for five pairs of shoes! |
| Ross | 3 | $346.57 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | We spent on average at Ross's this year over $100, which is about right. Lacy really likes Ross's home and clothing selection, and I always end up buying one of their unique gadgets that seem to only be at Ross! |
| TJ Maxx | 1 | $20.30 | Ryan & Lacy Positive | Read Lacy's post |