Order Online, Pickup in Store (My Search for Toddler Snow Boots)

Last night I was scouring the internet for a pair of snow boots that my 3-year-old would not hate…for the 4th or 5th time this winter. We didn’t have a pair for the snowstorm we just had, and her leather ankle boots really didn’t cut it for warmth, dryness, and safety.

I had checked out Clarks (our go-to store for kids shoes) and a few stores at the mall, but many of them are too stiff for my daughter’s taste (she’s the kind of kid who FREAKS when that seam on the sock isn’t sitting in the right place; I’ve heard of people who have to buy seamless socks because they can’t handle the sensation). The ones I bought last year from Land’s End were way too stiff, almost like putting on a ski boot. Of course, she threw herself to the floor screaming and kicking at the torture of it.

She had a great pair of Totes last year that my mom found at Marshalls–good sole, insulated nicely, and most importantly, soft, flexible vinyl around the ankle. No such luck this year in the stores so far, so I searched online to find them. I didn’t want to buy from an online-only retailer, since it would take longer to receive and I’d potentially have to send them back anyway. I really wanted to get a pair before the next snow, which was apparently coming soon.

I was excited to find them on sale online at JCPenney…but her size was sold out. Then, yahoo! Sears had them AND I could pick them up in store. Clickety-click, cyberswipe of the credit card, and I had made my purchase. The next morning, the email came in that the boots were ready for pickup. I popped into Merchandise Pickup (which you could totally accomplish without taking the kids out of the care if you needed to) and had the boots in less than 2 minutes.

I love this buy-online-pick-up-in-store option for several reasons.

• I can do my shopping in the middle of the night from home
• No shipping cost
• No getting distracted by the gazillion other things in the store that call out to me
• Beats the alternative of calling the store to find out if they have the item or going there in person, only to be disappointed.
• No waiting for store clerk assistance (as in getting the shoes “from the back”)
• No waiting in line to pay

Of course, it works well when you know exactly what you are looking for, not so much if you need to see what’s available or see it in person first. But I sure would like to see many more stores have your merchandise waiting for you at a pick-up window. Even better, a drive-through! I posed this idea to Whole Foods, a pick-up window only for moms with sleeping kids in the car, wouldn’t that be great for when you just need an item or two? If a grocery store offered that service around here, it would sure get my patronage.

This is an original post for Jersey Moms Blog by Darla, a New Jersey mom.