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Tuesday Morning Store in Tyler Offers Excellent Christmas Gift Selection

December 2nd, 2010

Tuesday Morning Stores TexasFor those like me that may have never heard of Tuesday Morning before it isn’t a big surprise. This store seems to open up when they want to and probably just during those certain shopping days that bring in lots of traffic. So they aren’t like Marshall’s where they are open every day.

I guess Tuesday Morning has a low overhead policy but it must work as I have seen their sign over by Cotton Patch Cafe for several years.

This store always looked closed and abandoned but one Sunday morning we were nearby and I yanked at the door and to my surprise the door opened and there were tons of Christmas gift ideas almost everywhere I looked.

I also found some pretty ridiculous white elephant type gifts to get as well. This store is like a cheaper Marshall’s but with more selection and variety. They aren’t necessarily like Marshall’s in the sense of having lots of clothes but they are like them in their never ending supply of odds and ends.

For instance, last year I was able to purchase from Marshall’s an alarm that would sound if a dog jumped and laid down on a couch or chair in your house. I saw this as both funny and useful for certain people in my family.

Tuesday Morning store has all kinds of weird stuff like this and good stuff too. They have toys, rugs, clothes, sheets, towels, furniture type items, Christmas decorations like big Santa statues and many things you would never buy but they are fun to look at.

I bought a few fun to look at items that will be white elephant gifts this year. So if you are reading this maybe you haven’t come up with any Christmas 2010 gift ideas and maybe your a procrastinator.

Tuesday Morning can come to your rescue and relieve your stress because they have everything for mom, dad, kid, toddler, sister, brother, emo brother, brother in jail, grandmother, granddad, and wife, and husband, I guess cousin too.

Bed, Bath & Beyond

September 10th, 2010

Working with wedding registries can get pretty frustrating. Bed, Bath & Beyond is just as frustrating as any other registry. Shopping off a registry is more frustrating than making one. Although they me you a paper with a bar-code of the item, the section of the store that they are located, and even a picture of many of the things, I still managed to be completely confused on where to find the right items. Shopping off a registry reminds me of being a child on a scavenger hunt. I always came in last in scavenger hunts, which is probably my issue. I did find, however that the website registry is much easier to use.

Bed, Bath & Beyond is a great place to register for a wedding. It has a great verity of all your house needs and wants. Not only does the store carry all you cooking needs, but they also sale paintings, mirrors, rugs and all different wall décor. They have all you need for each room in your house. The great thing about registering at Bed, Bath & Beyond is that they have great ideas for bigger gifts and they have great gifts for a cheaper price. They also have free gift wrapping for all size presents.

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When you are registering for your new home sometimes it is easy to over look some of the small important things. Like trash cans, scissors, office supplies, and small kitchen appliances. I recommend finding a wedding registry check list before going to the store. You most likely will end up with eight sets f silver wear or five toasters, because people forget to tell the cahier to take the item off your registry. If you are making a registry at more than one store, there is not reason to register for three toasters at one store and two at the other. Just pick the toaster, or microwave, or towel set that you like the most. You can create a Bed, Bath & Beyond registry online, which seems easier because you can see what you have already put on your list. Registering for your new home should not be a stressful or frustrating experience, have fun picking out gifts that you want people to buy you.

Bed, Bath & Beyond is definitely one of the best places in Tyler for a wedding registry. I just hope that your family and friends has an easier time finding the registry items than I did.

Lowes in Lindale

April 16th, 2010


LOWES, Lindale
3200 S main Street
Lindale 75771
903 579 2470

Lowes is a huge building/garden/home improvements store. Lowes of Lindale is easily accessible to the North part of Tyler, just minutes from the I20 or from Hwy 69. Lindale Lowes carries a larger range of product lines and seems less busy than the Tyler store. Add to that a huge parking area, friendly staff and a great garden center and you’ll never want to shop at the Tyler one again!
Lowes is well laid out and clearly signed. There are wheelchair carts available for those who don’t want to walk through the store and some fun carts for kids which make them feel like they are driving a car.

You will come across different departments depending on which door you enter. To the far right is the building supplies, lumber and garden sheds, the middle door opens into the home area (lighting, décor, hardware etc.) and at the far left you will come to the garden and seasonal section. At the back of the store are the appliances, kitchen and bathroom section plus a fairly good range of carpet and rugs.

In addition to what has been listed, Lowes sells: plumbing materials, cabinetry, doors and windows, tiling and flooring, decking, roofing, paint, electrical items, window treatments, lawn furniture and mowers, tools and power equipment and lots, lots more! Lowes is always our first port of call whenever we need anything for our home.

The staff are very helpful. They have specialists in each department who are on hand to answer any questions and help you find the products you need. If you need help and can’t find someone, there is a call bell system. I would imagine that many of these people have been tradesmen in that area in earlier years but no longer want to climb roofs or fix drains in their 50s.
The customer service is excellent. My husband repeatedly buys things that he finds he doesn’t use and they give a full refund with a receipt, or a giftcard with no receipt. Occasionally we receive special offer mailing and coupons for our next project. You can get a trade account at Lowes too. There are often special offers at Lowes – you will find these in their mailings or on their website. The clearance section is also very good for bargains. My husband has had some good finds on damaged cabinets which are heavily reduced and only need a little attention.

I like the ‘how to’ and advice leaflets on display and the magazine selection which has great ideas for home improvements.

The garden center at Lowes Lindale is very good. They have all sorts of bedding plants, trees and plants plus seeds. Also lots of different soils, mulches, fertilizers and things for pest control, plus landscaping items. The garden center at Lindale Lowes is so popular that the other Lowes in the area (including Tyler and Longview) send their clearance plants here. Bargains abound!

There are a few minor negatives – firstly there is no café in store, but there is Subway, Chilis, Posados and KFC nearby, plus Walmart. The restrooms are well maintained. The second negative is that there is no equipment for hire.

A great positive for us as a family – Lowes have children’s projects twice a month where the kids get to bang nails into a precut wooden creation. We have now have Lowes cars, buses, toolboxes, mailboxes and even bird feeders! All projects and equipment is provided free of charge.

As you can see, we are great fans of Lowes Lindale!

Ashley Furniture Homestore in Tyler TX

February 4th, 2010

Ashley Furniture Homestore

5007 Old Bullard Road
Tyler
75703
903 593 4161

Ashley Furniture sells furniture for the living room, bedroom, dining room and office, plus home accents such as rugs, lamps and some soft furnishings. They have a mixture of contemporary and traditional designs, some rustic styles and also furniture especially for kid’s rooms.

When we bought our new house we needed lots of furniture. We wanted something low cost, contemporary and yet something that would last a good few years and withstand abuse from kids! We looked and looked and in the end, kept coming back to Ashley Furniture.

Ashley Furniture Homestore in Tyler

Ashley Furniture Homestore

Ashley furniture in Tyler is the number one selling brand for furniture in the US. They are able to offer great value for money as their enterprise is enormous – they have their own designers, warehouses and even fleet of trucks for transport so they can keep costs low. The negative side of this is that you know when you buy from Ashley that thousands of other families have the same furnishings as you and that you are not in any way innovative in your interior décor.

On our visits to Ashley in Tyler we were jumped upon as soon as we opened the door by enthusiastic salesmen. I’m not sure if they get commission but there must be something that motivates them to be extra attentive to their customers! Luckily we struck up an easy rapport with one of the salesmen and asked for him by name on subsequent visits. He was, it has to be said, very helpful and knew his stuff about the Ashley stock. He did his best to get us the best deal and negotiated within his limitations to get us a discount and reduced cost shipping as we were buying more than just one item. The kids loved being offered a drink and a freshly baked cookie and were happy watching a cartoon sitting on a comfy sofa whilst we looked at the furniture all around them.

One thing I hate about Ashley is that there are no catalogues or swatch samples available. I was desperately trying to match colors for curtains to match the sofa we had ordered but there was no help available. There is also absolutely nothing custom, you just have to take what they sell as it is, no changes or additions to sets etc. There is no chance of an extra leaf for a table and so on.

You are also stuck if you want something that isn’t in fashion at the time – originally I had this notion that I wanted a blue couch but there were none in their inventory. However there were plenty in creams, fawns browns and reds – I just had to alter my taste to suit the current fashion! The website is really not very well designed either, it is almost impossible to get a good look at the furniture online and no prices are listed as they vary from state to state.

The furniture itself is – on the whole, good quality. Certainly our Durapella suite has withstood a lot of serious wear (and even a small child’s puking incident!) It really does clean up as easily as we were promised. We had a minor issue with the kitchen table but someone was sent very quickly to fix the problem and he was most apologetic. I must say, Ashley’s after sale customer service was very good.

Bed Bath and Beyond

January 21st, 2010

Bed, Bath and Beyond.
4820 S. Broadway Ave
Tyler
903 939 1999

Opening times: Mon-Sat 9am-9pm
Sunday 11am-7pm

Shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond in Tyler Texas is an experience I enjoy. I don’t visit regularly – the prices are more upscale than my budget, but I do browse there for gifts or look there for a particular item that I want for the kitchen. It seems that there are many gift-hunters like me who go there – Bed Bath and Beyond is a classic place for bridal registries.

So what do they sell? The name kind of gives it away – it is a home store – with kitchen stuff, bedding, window treatments, rugs, lighting, storage items, things for the bathroom and surprisingly, luggage! They also have a ‘wellness section’ with some health and beauty items and a few miscellaneous toys and gadgets. They have a good seasonal section too – I always go at Christmas and find interesting things to buy that I wouldn’t see at other stores.

It always smells nice in Bed Bath and Beyond (my husband will smile at that comment – but it’s true!) and it is well lit. If you are unfamiliar with the lay out it is not always easy to find what you want but the staff are very helpful. Customer service is also a priority and exchanges from the store or from purchases made online are an easy transaction.

The range of kitchen and diningware is excellent and the quality of the brands they carry is high. Perhaps they should re-name it Kitchen, Bed, Bath and Beyond instead!

The prices are on the high end for most things but you may find a bargain on the clearance section. You can also sign up for mailings and email offers. If it is a bargain you are after in particular, Ross or Marshalls might be an alternative place to look. However, if you are someone who enjoys ‘Pampered Chef’ or ‘Southern Living’ parties then this would be your store of choice.

One final comment. If you really don’t know what to buy the person who has everything … I would think a BB and B gift card would always be most well received.