John Lewis Gift List - fun to set up and a safe option (John Lewis Wedding List)

Member Name: MarieHHH

Product:	John Lewis Wedding List
Date:	19/06/09 (177 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good range of products, everything did arrive

Disadvantages: staff sometimes less helpful

It is now fairly standard practice to have a wedding gift list to avoid receiving multiple sets of glasses (in the case of my parents), or, even less usefully, multiple teapots (in the case of my now husband's parents). In addition to making the outcome better for the bride and groom a gift list also simplifies the process for guests, removing their need to trawl shops looking for something that might be appropriate and instead giving them the option of straightforward online shopping.

There are of course multiple options for gift lists - one couple who recently got married had an Oxfam gift list from which you could purchase such things as 'a goat' or 'a set of vaccinations' and some friends have just asked for cash towards their honeymoon, but since we were setting up a flat from scratch together we decided to go for a traditional style gift list and John Lewis seemed like a good option.


Setting up the gift list

We went into our local John Lewis and noted where the gift list office was, went and presented ourselves there and after the lady had had a surreptitious glance at my engagement ring we were sat down and our details were entered onto the computer. We were then given a plastic folder with information leaflets, a pencil, vouchers for a free drink and cake each and a bar code scanner to use to quickly enter items with liked onto our list, and were then left to roam the store.
The bar code scanner was clearly designed with boys (sorry, 'men') in mind as it made the process more 'fun', with the result that my better half scanned lots of items he would not have even considered putting on the list if he'd had to make the effort of writing them down. Fortunately the scanner was simple to use and you could delete items you changed your mind about from it. It made compiling the list very easy, and the free drink and cake were a nice touch to allow a break in the middle of the day.
Once you'd finished scanning, you returned to the gift list office and your list was uploaded onto the computer. You were then given a 'gift list number' and set up a password so you could see and edit your list online, and your guests could see the list.


Managing the list online

The website was clear and simple to use and allowed guests to buy either online or in the shop. All you had to do was give guests the guest list number (and a password if you chose to password protect it) and the website explained the rest for you. It also allowed you to keep track of what people had brought and what was left, so you can add things to the list as appropriate from the comfort of your own home. It also had a 'gift voucher' option so if there were no items at the price your guests wished to spend that was always an alternative.


After the wedding

After the wedding there is the option of exchanged a certain amount of the items bought so if you didn't get something you really wanted you can swap some items you did get for it without your guests knowing. A printed summary of who bought what is also provided, which makes writing thank yous far easier. Free delivery of items, if required, was provided in 2008.


Would I recommend?

On the plus side, setting up the list was easy and enjoyable and there was a good range of products to chose from. In these times of fears of stability, John Lewis also feels a relatively 'safe' company to use. However, on the negative side our experience of getting our gifts afterwards could have been better - our martial home was 100 miles from where I had grown up and set up the gift list, but when I went to the John Lewis in my new location to discuss what was going on with deliveries of items they were unhelpful to the point of almost rudeness about how everything had to be done in the store where the gift list was set up. Everything did however arrive within a month of the wedding.

Overall I like John Lewis products and everything was delivered so the service to a degree did what it was supposed to, but the customer service after the list had closed could definitely have been more courteous.

Summary: A good option for your gift list