Great Beginnings Furniture

We started our journey looking for baby things and getting excited about all things baby just under a year ago and based on the super amazing «Baby Bargains» book recommended by several friends of ours. Side note: if you don’t have the book, get it, like yesterday. It’s so so so helpful! Anyhow, on our first and every subsequent visit to Great Beginnings, we were greeted with friendly and super patient employees willing to answer every question we had. Even when we were deciding between which stroller and carseats to get they even went above and beyond what was reasonable and offered to test them in our car which earned them some serious brownie points from us. If you’re easily overwhelmed by too much information, I am sure they would cater to your needs, whatever your needs may be as they are excellent readers of their customers.
We worked mostly with Tim. He is a true gem of an employee and an overall good and honest person. He is tactful without being overbearing and is willing to share his humble opinions whenever asked. Even on his days off, he certainly does everything he knows how to do to provide the utmost customer service to his customers. Tim deserves all the praise in the world for everything, absolutely and without a doubt. When you go, Ask for Tim. He’ll make sure you get the royal treatment. Ok Ok, I could keep going but just go and find out for yourself.
Thank goodness I didn’t read all these negative reviews before we made the trip, otherwise we may have never made it. My only complaint about this place is that it’s too far — but totally worth it.

I can’t remember the last time I have been more disappointed and angry about a purchase. We were quoted one price when we were looking at the piece on the showroom and then as we were purchasing given another. We wanted the piece (as did our small child) so we unfortunately agreed. We went to pick up the item and it was not broken down or ready to go as they promised. I feel this was a bait and switch. The item was clearance and of course, can’t be returned or we would have cancelled the sale. I made a mistake in purchasing from them. Don’t make the same mistake as I did — go somewhere else.

The selection is good and it’s really helpful to see so much stuff on display but their customer service is horrible! The dresser and nightstand both have obvious defects so much so that you can’t close the drawers. Despite the fact that I paid thousands for the set and bought the insurance, they refuse to fix the broken parts! I wish I didn’t buy anything from them!

What a great experience we just had! This store, while currently not stocked as well as other stores (they’re moving inventory back in from another location) has quality everything and Joe, the sales manager, despite looking somewhat young, was infinitely knowledgeable and so patient and helpful! He was even willing to recommend products they didn’t even carry. We will come back just for the experience of having him answer our questions and hopefully to buy from this mom and pop shop. Couldn’t recommend the experience more.

Wow. Customer service really is pretty rotten. We were just browsing today but staff were cavalier and generally unhelpful.

My husband and I had a great experience in-​store. Loved the selection, had lots of assistance, and placed our order. Unfortunately, that’s where our positive experience ended. We understood it would take 10 – 14 weeks for the furniture to be delivered. We only heard from them around week 10 that part of our order would be delayed. No explanation as to why they were only telling us now, or why there was a delay. After MANY emails and voicemails, back and forth in which I had to be the proactive one and follow up with them over and over, and they kept telling us they were working on getting us answers (but not telling us HOW or why those answers were needed in the first place), I finally asked to be transferred to the Manager.
The manager explained that they’d had staffing issues and that’s why we hadn’t been told earlier about our furniture delay. No apology. No «here’s our excuse — and here’s what we’re going to do to make it up to you.» I spoke to her for 30 minutes and FINALLY got it out of her that she’d look into somehow making it up to us regarding the terrible customer service we’d received. I’m a reasonable person. I understand businesses have staffing issues — but even if that’s the excuse, it’s not my problem as a paying customer. It helps give me context, sure, but a good business who cares about keeping customers should offer some sort of apology and take responsibility for what has happened.
We heard from the manager that our furniture was finally going to be delivered and that the furniture manufacturer itself wanted to speak to us — and that she was still talking to the owner to see what they could do for us. Our furniture was delivered (17 weeks after ordering), and that’s the last I ever heard from her. I followed up with voicemails and emails, asking for the manufacturer’s contact info who supposedly wanted to speak to us, asking us what the owner had decided to do about the customer service issue. Nothing. So here’s my review. I am so upset that they got our money and then treated us the way we were treated. DO NOT shop at this store. It’s not worth the hassle. And did I mention I was handling all of this while dealing with a NEWBORN? Classy, Great Beginnings. Really classy.

Do yourself a favor and stay far… FAR… away. The staff is unprofessional and the manager/​owner, Sonia, is the absolute worst. We paid thousands of dollars at the store one evening between our crib, dresser, bedding set/​mattress, stroller, car seat, play yard, etc. Months go by (13 weeks, to be exact!) and we hear nothing about the status of two of our purchases. After several attempts (well over a dozen calls) to get someone (anyone!!!) on the phone to give me some sort of update on the status of my car seat and play yard, I am first told that my car seat is arriving at the store and should be ready… Then I am told that my order actually can’t be found in the store’s records at all. Uhmmm… What??? The store couldn’t even locate my receipt/​order history in their database. They actually had me email them a picture of my copy (thank god I still had it)! Unprofessional much? Don’t think they even have a computerized system in place. This establishment is so backwards and the management is so incompetent that they don’t even have a functioning record keeping system. So, basically, after several calls (all initiated by me and never once having anyone from the store, including the owner, make a genuine effort to follow up with me), at 9 months pregnant, I’m left high and dry without a car seat (an absolute necessity for bringing home a baby from the hospital!) or a play yard at the 11^th hour. Instead, I’m told by a very rude owner who didn’t even so much as provide a simple apology for the store’s error or the unbelievable inconvenience this has caused until after I brought it to her attention, that they can cancel my order and give me a refund. As though they’re doing me the favor. No remorse, a forced disingenuous apology, no other actions taken to remedy the situation, nothing. I was sent on my merry little way with a couple weeks to get another car seat and get it installed before my baby’s arrival. Oh, and to get a play yard ordered. Great…
Save your time and go elsewhere. As much as I’m for supporting local businesses, this place doesn’t deserve your business. The mismanagement, unprofessionalism, lack of customer service, and overall carelessness is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. When you’re spending as much money as new parents do on baby furniture and gear, this is not how they should be treated. I regret every penny I spent here and I’d return it all if I had enough time before my baby’s birth out of principle alone. I can rest easy knowing none of my gfs will ever step foot in here again and that I still have plenty of purchases in the future that I will be making elsewhere.

VERY DISSAPOINTED with the Gaithersburg location. I ordered a glider rocker back in October and it still hasn’t arrived yet. They are terrible at responding to calls and emails and the only information that the sales associate can give is «10−14 weeks». IT HAS BEEN LONGER THAN THAT! But does anyone return my calls? nope. If I don’t receive my order within two weeks I will be reporting it has fraud to my credit card company. Such a shame.

Warning ! Warning ! Warning ! Warning ! Warning ! Warning !
Unless you are taking imediate delivery do not pay for the order in full. This company is impossible to deal with. They do not return calls, emails or any form of communication. They will run you around for months and months.
If you place an order go to the store and only give them 20% pending delivery.
Canceled part of an order after waitiing 6 months, ordered and received the prodect from another retailer in 5 days.
Play it safe, this company must deal with suppliers on a cash flow basis or they are just that bad to deal with.

BUYER BEWARE! They mark up their prices.
My husband and I stopped in to this store because they had a crib I found online on display. When we found the crib in the store I noticed that it was priced almost $ 100.00 more than what the manufacturer had listed on their website. When I confronted the salesman about it (he was actually very nice) he said he would look it up online. Sure enough, I was correct. So he then called the store manager or possibly owner, (didn’t get the details on that) to see why. The individual on the phone then said that we were incorrect and that wasn’t the same crib (even though the salesman even said it was), but he would be willing to give us the DISPLAY for the manufacturer price we mentioned.
So first, let me say this: This man was trying to sell us a horribly damaged display for the actual price of the crib were we to buy it new from our local store who was in fact selling it for the manufacturer price but just didn’t have it on display. Second, he then called the salesman back to say that he had spoken to the manufacturer’s sales person and the crib was actually discontinued. So basically, if we wanted the crib we would have to take the display. Now this was a total lie. Our local store had told us it was on back order and I had also seen it on multiple websites listed as back ordered.
Now fast forward to the next week. After thinking about it I thought taking the display may not be so bad if I could negotiate a reasonable price since the damage could easily be covered by bumper pads if they were wrapped around the tops of the railings. So I called the store. The woman I spoke to on the phone was very rude (I believe her name was Fermena, or something like that) but she said she would check on selling the display and get back to me. She never did. So I called again, and got her again. She then was very rude AGAIN and said that she had spoken to the owner, the display was not for sale, and that I would have to order the crib. Now how is that possible considering we were told last week that the manufacturer had discontinued it? She then said she would have the owner give me a call to discuss the issue. Go figure, he never did.

First ever review… I wanted to make sure credit is given where credit is due, especially when I was initially nervous to place an order here after reading the bad reviews.
Ordered my beautiful natart crib set in August, knowing that it would take 10 to 14 weeks to get here. I went in at about the 11 week mark just to check. Because it was a Saturday they said the person who follows up on orders is only there M-F.naturally I get a little nervous because of the bad reviews I head read. Then the gentleman I was talking to, Rus, took my phone number to give to her and then said he would call me too to make sure everything was good. On Tuesday I got a call back, yay the order was in! Oh and Russ also called back to check! (A little curious if it was pure coincidence or if it had been sitting the there for awhile & no one called…)
Arranged for delivery, and actually it worked out that I got it even earlier than originally settled on. Delivery went very smooth, absolutely no hassle (definitely pay that $ 100 for it!).
Overall a great experience! Love my furniture!

Traveled to this store twice to look at furniture. Placed an order. Months later, furniture did not arrive.
Left emails and voicemails that went unanswered until finally someone responded after several more attempts. They said furniture was on backorder. Requested to cancel the order. Refund was issued, however not for the full amount of the purchase.
Attempted to contact Great Beginnings again to receive full amount of order.
Requests went unanswered again.
Contacted credit card company for refund.
Great Beginnings did not provide the credit card company with information, so I was issued a credit.
So, they fail on orders, ignore their customers and ignore the credit card company. You be the judge…

What else do you want from a baby store? It’s big, it’s spotless, it’s well
Organized and it’s got everything you’ll ever need for a baby, literally. From little had puppets to gliders, strollers and cribs, great beginnings is worthy of it’s praise. I only wish I were a wealthier Unilocaler so I could actually afford some of the luxury furniture they carry. Oh well, Kmart it is:(
I’ll admit shopping In baby stores isn’t really «my thing.» But My wife was in seventh heaven walking around this store (smiling from ear to cheek) and that made me happy too witness. See ladies, I’m not just an elite Unilocaler but a good guy too!

Can you give negative stars???
HORRIBLE online shopping experience! Actually, pretty much fraudulent!
I placed an order about a month ago, and later the same day I tried to show someone the item online, and I see it’s out of stock. Just to be sure that my order will be filled, I call and leave a message for the «Internet Department».
No response. Ok, I call a day or two later, get the same voicemail, leave another message. I’m starting to get nervous so I call and speak with Michelle who attempts to look for the item for me to no avail (and after a half hour on hold), She finally tells me that someone who can better track the item, but not to worry because my card will not be charged.
So about 5 days after I placed the order, I send an email. Shockingly, no response. And then the next day, guess what’s delivered to me? The same item I ordered but in a completely different color and pattern, and totally unauthorized!
No note, no call to ask if this is ok with me, just package up a random thing & assume I’m ok with paying $ 180 for something I didn’t order. I flagged down the UPS guy and refused the package.
Call again, get Michelle who absolutely did not give one flying rat’s rear end. Neither did Mike, it seemed, who is apparently the entire «internet department».
So I’m fuming. You’d be furious, too, right? I call AmEx and request a new card so that my card won’t be charged for this crap. The next day, Mike calls and says he’s going to figure this out for me. I am not optimistic, but I will wait and see.
A day or so after that, Mike tells me that they want to send me a different bag for free, to make up for my trouble. I turn him down, say thank you anyway, but no, and then he convinces me that the owners feel really bad and want a happy customer, so I agree.
Bag comes, it’s great, I’m happy, definitely a succe… wait, what’s that on my credit card bill A MONTH FRICKING LATER!!!
So here I am, disputing the charge on AmEx’s site and thoroughly disgusted with this lying, pathetic «business».

Great Beginnings impressed me in some ways. Expansive selection of nursery furniture. They have a separate large room for kids furniture (lots of bunk beds) and all of it seems to be of high quality, though somewhat expensive. They do have some closeout models on the floor but none that looked particularly interesting. Unfortunately, they sell said closeout items as strange groupings of furniture like a bookshelf, an endtable, and a crib… it looks like they stick three random pieces of furniture together with the same finish and call it a set… but maybe that works for those of us trying to set up a nursery in a studio apartment or something.
They also have a lot of strollers and car seats, bathing and nursing/​feeding supplies. I believe this store is significantly bigger than the Chantilly store, and the improved selection makes me prefer the Gaithersburg store (I saw like 7 people working vs. only one person at Chantilly). The prices are about the same as Buy Buy Baby and Babies R US, but I did not notice anything being discounted except for a few items (like strollers) that appeared to have been in the store for a while.
What I liked most about the store is the lounge! They have several huge comfy leather couches, tables with chairs, fully stocked vending machines, (a tv maybe or was I imagining that?) a nicely appointed bathroom with an adjacent nursing and diaper changing room. Now that I am a nursing mom, I appreciate this area of the store so much more… every store should have this!

Customer service here is AWESOME. JOE IS AWESOME!
Wife and I came here to burn time between a wedding ceremony and its reception on a Saturday. It was nearing their closing time but Joe still took the time to answer our questions about strollers. We asked how some of them folded up and he very graciously and willingly showed us. He explained the pluses and minuses to some of the ones we were looking at to help us make a better educated purchase that would fit our needs.
The store itself is huge and we didn’t get to explore it all, but we saw that they had a huge selection of gliders, more so than Buybuy Baby.
Will have to update this review when we have more time to explore it.

Horrible customer service post purchase. My wife and I went in early November to order a crib for our baby due in mid-​February. We saw that it probably wasn’t going to be delivered before she was born, but reasonably thought that 10 – 14 weeks advertised would be fine. Fast forward to now, late March, and the crib still hasn’t been delivered after 18 weeks (over 4 months!). I called them in early March to check on the status and got no return call. I emailed them multiple times and only when I sent out an email blast to every email address I could find on the website did I get a response. That was back on March 5 and I was told the crib would be delivered the next week. It’s now two weeks later (March 20) and guess what, no crib. Our daughter is over six weeks old at this point. Hopefully we’ll get delivery at some point prior to when she is about to leave for college.
Save your money and go to a store where they respect and value their customers’ business.
(Just to update, it’s now April 16, which is 5 months and 7 days since we ordered the crib. I got a call about a week and a half ago apologizing, refunding our delivery fee, and promising it would be here last week. Again, nothing at this point, which makes this the third «it will be here next week» promise blown. I don’t care what anybody else on this thread states about «we were told it would be a while.» It’s been five months or 22 and ½ weeks. Another week and a half and the crib would be viable.)

Awesome store and customer service! Expecting my first baby in July and ended up doing my registry early with Joe. Highly recommend this wonderful man for a two hour guided tour of the top BBB or highly recommended products. Gave pro’s and con’s for all items, answered all questions, and made it fun! The husband enjoyed Joe’s comments and down to earth explanations, a.k.a. man terms for certain products. Made it easy and enjoyable for the husband.
The store does carry only certain brand or items but its the top rated or BBB recommended product. I didn’t want to be overwhelmed with various selections of cribs, bottles, and etc. Just wanted to see the top few brands and if I did feel it was overpriced I would say I’d like to move on or register it at Buy Buy Baby. We ended up having two registries. One with all the little things and convenience to the store of Buy Buy Baby all around the U.S. and the other at Great Beginnings with larger ticket items.
We purchased our crib, dresser, nightstand, and glider at Great Beginnings. Some of the cribs were expensive but it depended on the company and type of wood they used. We went with the brand Munire. The price wasn’t bad since we got a bundle and the furniture is not cheap… as in material. It’s built with fine wood that will last another baby or even when baby gets older. As to the complaint about delivery time being four months, the sign with the prices actually tells you it will take as long as four months to be delivered. They also verbally tell you about the shipment. I ordered mine early February since I wasn’t in any rush and can wait the four months. The delivery only took a month for all my items to be shipped to my house and assembled by Great Beginnings.
Will return to Great Beginnings for additional baby items or just the knowledge they have about the products!

Great Beginnings is really the crème de la crème of baby stores, with everything you could possibly need for baby-​to-​be. That being said, it is so huge and there’s so much that it gets quite overwhelming! You must schedule an appointment to get a tour through and start a registry. Attempting to do so by yourself might make you hyperventilate. It almost did for me. lol!
I do appreciate how knowledgeable the entire staff is there, which is refreshing as opposed to Babies R Us. I also love that it is mom-​and-​pop shop and not a chain. Amazing that something this huge and of this caliber can be local and still have a national reputation (featured in «Baby Bargains»). Definitely something to be proud about.
Pricewise, most items here are fairly marked, but there are some that are definitely more expensive than they should be. As with all baby shopping, I would do a lot of comparative shopping online before committing to any one store. It’s the only way that you and ensure that you will get the best deal. Also — make sure you do your safety research in advance. Like all stores, Great Beginnings offers a plethora of options, but you will find that some some items (i.e. cribs) are safer than others.

Started off with a five-​star in-​store experience. This was furthered when I negotiated the price of a damaged and discontinued floor-​model furniture set with one of the managers, Joe, who was fantastic to work with. Unfortunately, I had a one-​star experience with the store manager, Sonia, that I felt should be shared.
A couple of weeks ago I scheduled delivery for our furniture. I was assured a morning delivery when I scheduled, but was told the night before they can’t do anything other than 4−7pm. This conflicts with my daughter’s nap time as well as dinner time and bath/​bed time. I spoke to Mira, who directed me to Sonia to disucss compensation for the inconvenience. I had cleared my entire morning schedule, and was then forced to clear my entire evening to accomodate the delivery service, not to mention the disruption to my two year old’s schedule.
Sonia was extremely rude and offered only excuses, not one apology. She continuously interrupted me and talked over me. In the end, she did agree to deliver our conversion kit for free when it comes in which saves us a trip to Gaithersburg, which I sincerely appreciate, but she was sure to tell me several times that since the conversion kit was free they’re «already taking a hit.» I told her I am buying a damaged floor model of a discontinued set so that’s why it was free and she told me «I know what you’re buying, I have it in front of me.» While I understand Joe gave us a good price, I also know he wouldn’t have given us that price if it wasn’t to Great Beginnings’ benefit as well. I certainly did not appreciate being spoken to in a condescending manner and as if I’m stupid. Her tone and verbiage was not appropriate in any way.
I was very upset after the phone call and reached out to Joe who was wonderful as always. He was apologetic and assured me the situation would be addressed. He also assured me the delivery team would be prompt and courteous, and they definitely were, which is why I’m settling on a four-​star review. So long as I don’t have any issues with the conversion kit delivery, I will definitely return to GB.