Gymboree 101

James and I may be a couple of average, homely looking people- me with my wolf woman eyebrows and him with his raccoon eyes-but together we make really cute kids. Heck, no need to be modest, our kids are more than cute, they’re freakin’ adorable! And I know no better way to accentuate all that adorableness than with a cute Gymboree outfit.

Baby Josie in one of her first Gymboree outfits, Spring 2007

It’s no secret that I am addicted to Gymboree. I would estimate that 95% of the clothing my kids wear comes from the Gymboree retail store. A good friend first introduced me to the spender of Gymboree in the spring of 2007 and my addiction has escalated ever since. Everywhere they go, my kids are always receiving compliments on the way they are dressed. Sooner or later the compliments turn into questions, or more precisely, one question: How do I afford to spend so much money on kids’ clothes on a modest one income household budget? Well, here you go. Allow this old dog to teach you some new tricks.

How to Shop at Gymboree

1.)    Make it a priority- I always tell people that first and foremost, the reason why I can fit Gymboree into my budget is because I make it fit. Buying and selling my children’s clothes has become a hobby for me. I see value in and appreciate the importance of my children having good quality, attractive wardrobes. I am willing to forego other luxuries in order to buy them clothes and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

Josie, 2008

2.)    Know the sales- Never, ever buy anything at full price. Gymboree has a regular rotation of sales and almost as soon as one ends another one begins. New merchandise is released frequently (sometimes as much as every two weeks) and they mark down older collections to make room for the new ones. You can periodically be on the lookout for Circle of Friends, Fill-A-Bag, Big Red Balloon, and Baby Sales. Amidst those big name sales are also regular price reductions and holiday sales. In order to know the best time to shop, it is important to stay informed. My favorite go-to sites for up to date information on Gymboree sales are Gymbohaven and Gymbofriends. These ladies are dedicated Gymbo-aholics and they offer reliable information to us bargain seekers.

Jamie, 2009

3.)    Use a coupon- With only a few exceptions, Gymboree allows you to combine coupons with other offers. For example, during the Baby Sale some items are marked down to 50% off and you can additionally use a 20% off coupon at the register. That makes an item with a price tag of $19.95 cost only $8. But it gets better than that. I’ve often found items on the clearance racks for $1.99. Take off an additional 20%, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better deal! Coupons are readily available. I find them in free magazines that come to my mailbox, tear them out of magazines in doctors’ office waiting rooms, am handed them by friends who have no use for them, and in a pinch I can pay $2 for them on eBay.

Johnny, 2010

4.)    Gymbucks and Rewards- The way I see it, all us parents have to keep clothes on our kids’ backs. So if you’re going to spend money on children’s clothing anyways, you might as well earn something while doing it.  Take advantage of Gymbucks and Rewards Membership. During earning periods (which is basically always, unless it’s a redemption period), whenever you spend $50 at Gymboree, you earn $25 in Gymbucks. This is essentially a 50% off coupon because you receive $25 off a future $50 purchase. Even if you don’t intend to use your Gymbucks, you can sell them and turn a profit. In addition, sign up to become a Reward’s Member. There’s no reason not to. It’s free, you can shop some sales a day early and therefore get the best deals, they will mail you coupons, and they will send you “rewards” (i.e. a store gift card) each quarter based on how much you spent the previous quarter. I love receiving my Rewards email because it means a trip to the mall on Gymboree’s dime.

5.)    Resell it! - This is my most valuable advice. Gymboree clothes have a surprisingly high resale rate. There are scores of addicts out there who are itching to get their hands on their favorite collections from years past, and they’re willing to spend a pretty penny doing it. This is just one advantage to buying clothes that last, because they can survive the test of constant wear and be passed down multiple times. I sell my kids’ used clothes on eBay before the start of every season and use the proceeds to buy their clothes for the upcoming season. It’s labor intensive, but it’s well worth the effort. It takes me about 2 ½ weeks to prepare, list, sell, and mail the items but I make anywhere between $400 and $800 every time. Trust me on this one!

You’re welcome, in advance, for enriching your life with this valuable information. You can consider me your  Gymboree-aholics Anonymous sponsor. Only, instead of encouraging you to beat the habit, I’m enticing you to dive in further. I have personally led at least a handful of moms into an inescapable obsession and I don’t plan on stopping there. CAUTION: Once you go Gymbo, you’ll never want to go back.

(Side note: I cannot begin to explain how difficult it was for me to choose which pictures to adorn this post with, because my kids are wearing Gymboree in almost every single picture I've taken of  them for the last four years, with the exception of bath tub photos. So this is just a random sampling of a few of my favorites.)