Linens 'N Things

Full review
Well the holiday season has started and I was looking through my newspaper to find the sales. I don't like crowds so the idea of going shopping in late November and early December really doesn't appeal to me. As a result, I decided to try my luck online. In this case, Linens and Things had a couple of things I really wanted. Usually, I like to go to Linens and Things in person because they give out 20% off coupons like candy and it isn't easy to find the same code on line. Plus, they sometimes charge for shipping. However, I was able to find a 20% off coupon for the on-line store so I decided to give it a try.

THE WEB SITE

The web site was more basic than I expected from such a large retailer. They don't carry nearly the range of merchandise on the web site that they carry in the store. The site did have a sale section which had some interesting selections. More importantly for me, it had the items in the newspaper circular which is what I was looking for.

The web site is pretty simple and loaded quickly. I found it easy to find what I wanted. Overall though, I thought the web site was rather boring. It also lacked consumer reviews which is a very nice and helpful feature.

ORDERING

Linens and Things and Google were running a special when I placed my order. If I did my checkout through Google, I would get $10 off a $30 order. This was too good a deal to resist so I decided to checkout via Google. The only problem was that I had a coupon code and I couldn't figure out where to enter it. I finally had to consult with the help feature where I learned that I could enter the code under "gift certificates" on the second from final screen. So, I had to enter all of my information in the Linens and Things process just to enter my code. Then I had to back up again and start the Google process.

The Google checkout process was much easier than the Linens and Things checkout process. From the shopping cart, I just had to select the Google option. On one screen, I entered all of my information including my credit card information. I had to use my email address as my username for Google. I also had to choose a password. This password will now let me use Google to check out on multiple sites.

Because of the difficulty with the coupon code, it took me almost 15 minutes to check out. Considering my local store is only about 15 minutes away, that was too long. However, if I didn't have the coupon code to use and just used the Google process, it would have taken me only about 3 minutes.

STEALS AND DEALS

As I mentioned above, Linens and Things offers lots of paper coupons for its Brick and Mortar stores. However, these coupons can't be used on line. I used an internet search engine to find a 20% off code that could be used on the web site. However, the site was running a free shipping promotion too. I had to choose between the 20% off one item code and the free shipping code because it would not let me use both. In my case, the 20% off coupon code saved me a couple of extra dollars.

I accessed the Linens and Things web site via Ebates.com. While the percentages vary from time to time, at the time I shopped, I got a small percentage rebate from Ebates.

Google was running a deal where you could check out via the Google site and get another $10 off your order. I chose this option and saved the additional $10.

All in all, with rebates and coupons, I got my items shipped free and saved an additional $15 off an approximately $100 order. The items I ordered were on sale so that also saved me some cash - maybe another 30%. With everything stacked up, I was pleased with the deals.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

I placed my order the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. I checked out via Google which was very fast and efficient although I had to work through some screens on the Linens and Things site to enter my coupon code. Alternatively, I could have checked out through the Linens and Things website which seemed to involve more screens and effort.

After placing my order, I got an immediate email from Linens and Things confirming my order. I also got an email from Google confirming my order. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, I got an email stating my item was backordered. It also stated I wouldn't be charged for my item until it shipped. However, the email didn't give me an expected ship date which would have been very useful. I was a little disappointed in the delay of information. If I had known the item was backordered, I would have tried getting one at the store near my house. The other thing that disappointed me is that the email didn't give me an easy option to cancel my order so I could just go to the store to pick my item up. I decided to pick the path of least resistance and wait to see what happened with my order. As it turned out, my item shipped just a couple of days after my order.

SHIPPING

My items arrived well-packaged in sturdy boxes. I got a comforter that arrived in a sturdy box. I ordered a jewelry armoire that came only in its original packaging without an additional box from Linens and Things. The packaging of the armoire seemed a little cheap but it arrived in perfect condition so I can't complain too much.

The site's shipping prices were about average for an on-line store but they seem to offer free shipping deals quite a bit.

I got my first item about 8 days after I placed my order. The backordered item showed up 3 days later. That is a bit long for online shopping but tolerable.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION

I had a mixed experience with this site. For such a large retailer, I thought the web site would be more professional and have more merchandise. The checkout process and communication were also lacking. However, all of my items arrived within 2 weeks of placing an order, even the backordered item, and they were in perfect condition so I can't complain too much about the site.




DO YOU LIKE TO SHOP ON THE INTERNET? HERE ARE SOME MORE REVIEWS OF WEB STORES:

Clothing and Accessories: Talbots; The Gap; CWD Kids; Hanna Andersson; J. Jill; Tote Le Monde ; Blu Pyxie ; Miniboden; One Hanes Place; Nordstrom; Gymboree; Simple Shoes; Sierra Blue; Ebags; Shoe Dawg; Osh Kosh; Backcountry; Figleaves; Victoria’s Secret.

Clothing and Home Goods: Lands End; Bluefly; Soft Surroundings; Garnet Hill; Sundance; L.L. Bean.

Home and Garden: Smith & Noble; Restoration Hardware; Gardeners Supply Company; Unicahome; Homeclick; FaucetDirect; Gardens Alive; West Elm; Crate & Barrel; MyKnobs; CB2; Design within Reach.

Books and Magazines: Amazon.com; ValueMags; Magazine Values; Dover Publications.

Office Supplies, Furniture and Services: Staples; Officemax; Topdeq; Efax.

Electronics: HP Shopping; Buy.com; ABT Electronics.

Travel: Amtrak; Hotwire; Orbitz; Hotels.com.

Discount: Overstock.com; Target; Smart Bargains.

Photo Developing: Shutterfly; Snapfish.

Baby Stuff: Babystyle; Babys Here Birth Announcements; Baby Universe; SoZo; Baby Center; Baby Age; One Step Ahead.

Miscellaneous: 1-800 contacts; Movie Tickets.com; Drugstore.com.

Rebate Sites: Upromise; Ebates.

Before you start shopping, check out my tips on how to save money by shopping on the internet . I have also included some coupon codes and plan to add more as I find them.