Babies 'R Us... um... yeah.

Today we went to Babies R Us (BrU) to register for stuff and torture ourselves, and we were not left wanting!  I figured it would be bad, and I'm not one that enjoys the retail experience very much to begin with.  I managed to make the most of it by treating it like some sort of anthropological field trip, but Liz was ready to be done after under two hours (and probably sooner than that).

A few things I took note of:

• The big-box feel is overwhelming.  Tone it down a bit.  Maybe split into more distinct specialized sections or something.
• The registry desk could be better.  Granted, it seemed they were a little under-staffed today, but would it kill them to have more than one person there?  As we were getting set up, the woman helping us got interrupted at least three times by other customers.  That's frustrating for all involved.  (The clerk/associate/customer service specialist was great.  She did very well considering all the obstacles placed before her.)
• The little "showroom" set up in the middle of the store was terrible.  A few cubicles with a crib, dresser and changing table in them?  Plus, all the merch was in rough shape.
• The scanner was nice, but I managed to quit out of the registry program by clicking on a link for reviews that came up when I scanned a Pack n Play.  Had to find someone to fix that, and while she was getting me set up again, another customer kept saying "Excuse me, excuse me..."  I'm positive that it was obvious I was being helped at the moment.  Again, more staff at the registry counter would be helpful.
• Organization is set up like a department store or Target.  Bedding, strollers, bottles, potties and diapers, etc.  I would suggest that organizing by life stage would be more helpful: newborn (diapers, bottles, bassinets, strollers, car seats, carriers... this would obviously be the biggest section), then have sections with the things you may get later: toilet stuff, jogging strollers, solid food stuff, whatever.  On the other hand, that may be a terrible idea.
• Better products.  There was so much cheap crap there.  There is a TON of decent baby and kid stuff out there, a few minutes on the internet is all you need to see it.  Is it in BrU?  No.  None of the cloth diaper stuff we are interested in was there, or the monitor we want, or the baby food maker, or the diaper bag (that selection was particularly bad).  You get the picture?  However, they did have a big section of overpriced F.A.O. Schwartz clothing, but I would guess that useful premium items would sell better.
• We were asked if we were "finding everything alright" once during the first 90 minutes of shopping.  That's about right for me.  Towards the end, we were asked that question 3 times in 15 minutes!  And I'm pretty sure two were from the same person.  WTF?  If I have a question, I'll find you and say "Excuse me" a bunch of times if you are helping someone else.
• Bottom line: most of your customers are in their 20s and 30s. We expect a little more from our retail experience for it to be worthwhile.  We know how good it can be, so don't try to get by on your same old formula.

So, if you go, go with a plan.  Just make sure that plan includes having an Amazon Baby Registry for the things you really want.  Plus, with an online registry there's the added benefit that you or your loved ones aren't forced into going to Babies R Us!