- I visited my hometown's brand new HomeGoods and a Bed Bath & Beyond to compare the two shopping experiences.
- The two homeware retailers differed in layout, pricing, and overall shopping experience.
- In the end, it was easy to see which store came out on top.
In October, my hometown of Davenport, Iowa, got its first HomeGoods.
The retailer is the sister store of TJ Maxx, and it offers a similar "treasure-hunt" shopping experience, stocking name-brand products that are generally marked down 20% to 60% below department-store prices.
There was a lot of hype before the HomeGoods' grand opening in Davenport, so I decided to make a trip there to see what the buzz was about. After my trip down the aisles, I visited a nearby Bed Bath & Beyond to compare how the two homeware chains stacked up.
I found several key differences between the two stores, from how they organized the store to the price of their items. And in the end, one of them clearly provided the more rewarding shopping experience.
Here's how HomeGoods and Bed Bath & Beyond stacked up.
Right off the bat, I was a big fan of HomeGoods. I mean, look at these crosswalk signs.
Right when you walk into the store you are greeted by two curated sections.
Both sections were decked out with patio supplies.
This, however, was the only part of the store that seemed to be part of a formal display. The rest of the store was organized by department, but things were just thrown together on the shelves.
There wasn't a lot of rhyme or reason to the way items were displayed in the wellness section, for example.
The first part of the store was filled with kitchen supplies. I saw extensive collections of Tupperware …
… as well as pots and pans.
Up to this point, the store felt very similar to a TJ Maxx, and since we already have one in town, I was starting to wonder why we needed a HomeGoods too. I started to change my mind when I saw the rug section.
And the furniture section, too. Those are things you definitely can't get at TJ Maxx.
There was pretty much anything you could want to decorate a house or apartment with. There was small furniture …
… wall hangings …
… mirrors …
… and tons of lamps.
There was also all the bedding and pillows you could possibly want.
I didn't find the prices too outrageous either.
$50 for a queen bed set isn't bad.
I also came across a clearance section, but it was pretty disappointing, as there wasn't much there and some of the items were missing pieces.
It wasn't until I got to another section of the store that I realized there was a clearance section in each 'department.'
I was also surprised to find a toy section.
And a pet section!
Overall, I thought it was a lot of fun to rummage through HomeGoods. I didn't find any of the prices to be too expensive, and everything seemed to be good quality. There were a lot of trendy items and it was fun to walk through the store.
Next I went to Bed Bath & Beyond. We've had a Bed Bath & Beyond in town for as long as I can remember. For me, it has always been one of those stores that you go to when you are looking for something specific.
Right when I walked in the store there was an elaborate patio display.
From there I was led straight into kitchen, snacks, and coffees, in a similar way to how HomeGoods was set up.
Everything in the store was very well organized. All the items were lined up next to each other in neat little rows.
Part of the appeal at HomeGoods is that there isn't always a full stock of items, so you feel like if you don't buy something right then, you'll miss out. As you can see, that wasn't the feeling at Bed Bath & Beyond.
While the appliance selection at HomeGoods was pretty much nonexistent, you could get just about any appliance you needed at Bed Bath & Beyond.
There was a designated clearance section in the middle of the store, instead of the clearance sections being spread out between departments like they were at HomeGoods.
Not every section of Bed Bath & Beyond was well organized, however. This section was much messier than the rest of the store, and it felt a bit cramped.
In many cases, the sale prices at Bed Bath & Beyond were the same as the full price for a comparable item at HomeGoods.
And despite the price differences, from what I could tell there wasn't too much of a difference in terms of quality.
At this store, there wasn’t as much of a selection of décor here as there was at HomeGoods. There was a section of picture frames, but that was about it.
The store definitely had a more utilitarian vibe, and most of the items were useful rather than decorative.
Although, there were some quirky items here and there.
In terms of experience, both stores were a lot of fun to shop at. Some people may get irritated by the relative 'messiness' of HomeGoods, but that just depends on what type of shopper you are. Personally, I found the organization of Bed Bath & Beyond to make for a somewhat boring shopping experience.
What I like most about HomeGoods is the same thing I like about stores like TJ Maxx or Marshalls: It is always somewhat of a mystery what you will find. I'd say overall, if you are shopping for your first apartment you’ll definitely be visiting both HomeGoods and Bed Bath & Beyond. You'll be able to get all the things you need at Bed Bath & Beyond, and all the things you want at HomeGoods.
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