My Gymboree Testimony

OK. I thought the next post in this series should include a little background. So I thought I would share with you my Gymboree testimony. (FYI, if you're just joining us, this the second installment in the "Gymbo Mumbo Jumbo" series, which is about Gymboree clothing and how to buy it for less.)

I used to be one of those people. You know the ones. I used to walk by the Gymboree store in the mall and think, "That stuff is way overpriced. Why do people shop there?" I also used to kind of make fun of the whole matchy-matchy thing, too. I know--be careful what you make fun of, right? Because now I like the matchy-matchy, and I've been known to try to coordinate Kate's outfits with her cousins. heehee!

For the record, I still believe that Gymboree is overpriced ... IF you are paying retail. But as we discussed last week, there's really no need for that!

I guess I started venturing into the Gymboree store last year when I was expecting. I was on the lookout for cute baby clothes (not that we needed any, what with all of the adorable gifts and hand-me-downs we received ... but I still like to look). I think a sale sign probably drew me in. I believe it was RBS time. ("RBS" refers to the "Red Balloon Sale," which I will cover in a future post about Gymbo's sales.) I found some adorable dresses for our nieces at either $5.99 or $6.99 a piece. Not too bad! (And I didn't even have a coupon!) Then I ended up getting some little hats and other accessories such for 99 cents! I put these things away and didn't give Gymboree much more thought until after Kate was born.

Well, when Kate was not quite two months old, I found myself at the mall for a haircut and some "me" time. Tanna was home with the babe. I eventually ended up at Gymboree--I was armed and dangerous with a gift card AND a coupon! At the time, I had NO IDEA how valuable Gymboree coupons were (more on this in a future post). As for the gift card, we had received it several weeks before, but I hadn't used it yet. I actually remember being in another Gymboree with my SIL about a month after Kate was born. I didn't buy anything, but I do recall telling her that I had a gift card and commenting on how expensive everything was. But I digress ...

So this time, there was another sale going on. I'm not sure which one, but I found some more really cute hats and accessories for cheap, cheap, cheap! Some were even less than a dollar! I also bought Kate a little dress. I used the gift card and the coupon and was amazed at how much merchandise I got for so little money! I was just starting to learn how to shop at Gymboree.

Then I stumbled upon GymboFriends.com. If you haven't joined, then you need to. As previously posted, I learned a TON about sales and coupons and discounts--not to mention Gymboree basics ... such as how coordinating clothing collections are released in "lines" with names and how some lines coordinate with bigger sizes and other boy/girl lines (so you can match siblings, cousins, friends, etc.). The site even has an archive of photos from past lines. I should warn you, though--GymboFriends is addictive.

Well, I guess you could say that the rest is history! The clothes sure are cute--but really it was the bargains that got me hooked! I suppose has to do with the thrill of the hunt--the hunt for a great deal ... and also the hunt for matching pieces. It's so fun to find coordinating pieces and matching accessories from the same lines. And when you combine a coupon with marked-down merchandise ... well, it really is remarkable the deals you can get! I will be elaborating on this, but let me leave you with one quick example.

I was recently going through Kate's summer clothes to see what all we had in what sizes and what we might be needing for the warm-weather months. Here is a cute outfit from Gymboree that I bought for her last year. Total cost (before tax) for this outfit was ... $3.52! The top was a whopping $1.28, and the capri pants were only $2.24! Now ... I do need to explain something that the die-hard Gymbo fans already will have noticed. This is an example of "line-mixing," which is wearing two pieces from different lines at the same time. For the hard-core folks, this can be frowned upon--but it doesn't bother me in the least. I think it looks very cute! And for $3.52, who cares?

P.S. Disclaimer: Because we live in a big city with many Gymborees in the metro area, I admit that it is easier for me to shop around for great deals. (More Gymborees=more inventory, etc.) But even if you don't have a Gymboree near you, you can still find some awesome prices on the Internet (both on the Gymboree site and on GymboFriends and other places).

P.P.S. Please let me know if you have any specific questions or topics that you want me to cover. I'm not an expert (like some of the ladies on GymboFriends), but I'm happy to share my experiences.

P.P.P.S. The top photo was taken on Black Friday. This day-after-Thanksgiving sale is one of the biggest for Gymboree fans. I'll be sure to cover it in an upcoming post. Happy Shopping!