I had a fun opportunity recently to check out a business and share a little bit about my experience with you. I have to admit, before participating in this project I was not familiar with CookiesKids.com, but I’m certainly a new fan.
CookiesKids.com is an online kids’ clothing and accessory department store. The site offers a really wide array of kids’ clothes, from basics to school uniforms and even formal clothing like suits and bowties for boys and fancy dresses for weddings or holidays for girls. Cookie’s Kids also has seven physical storefronts in the NYC area, in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Jamaica, NY. I’ve shared a little information about the history of Cookie’s Kids (the company is celebrating 40 years in business!) at the end of this post.
Normally, I have a couple of reservations about online shopping: I don’t like all the excess packaging and waste that comes with shipping, and I worried about shopping for my nine year old without her trying things on in a store, causing returns (and more shipping). For this shopping project, I received a $30 credit. Immediately, I thought that wouldn’t go very far – maybe a shirt or sweater – and that I’d end up spending quite a bit more in addition to tax and shipping. However, because I had signed up for the Cookie’s Kids emails, the very day I was going to place an order I received a 24 hour special offer for free shipping with no minimum order – perfect!
I was SHOCKED at how far a small expenditure went at CookiesKids.com, and this turned about to be a fantastic experience! We also took a little bit of a new approach to all of our school shopping for this 2012 – 2013 school year. I had become tired of doing a huge shopping spree for back to school in August, and ending up with a) a bunch of sweaters, boots and coats that she wouldn’t even wear for three months since it is hot in Arkansas well into fall and b) a bunch of jeans, pants and long-sleeve items that wouldn’t even fit by the time it was cold enough to wear them, since she seems to grow five inches every six months. So, we bought only a few basics in the fall and decided to shop again for some winter fashion items later, which worked out to be perfect timing to visit Cookie’s Kids!
I’m the first to admit I’m not exactly a guru on kids’ fashion and kids’ style, although I have strong opinions about what my daughters are allowed to wear. I’ve had a little bit of secret glee lately though, because my third grader and her friends seem to be rocking what they call “nerdy fashion,” with big glasses (that they do not need) and lots of androgynous looks like skinny jeans and Converse sneakers. My oldest daughter’s current favorite shirt is a Beatles t-shirt we snagged in the juniors section of a local store!
Plus, this is the kind of stuff she is designing on Toca Tailor lately. Good grief. (Oh, you must totally check out the free and paid Toca Boca apps if you have not – they’re so fun!
So, I was a little overwhelmed when I first hit Cookie’s Kids, and I let Sophie shop with me. We quickly decided to hit the clearance section to maximize our spending, and we focused on a few basics (like the tank tops I make her wear under lots of her outfits) as well as a few fun items like this fun corduroy skirt along with a cute tie-front sweater, both $4.99 each! Check out all the great stuff we ordered for a GRAND total of $30.94, taking advantage of an email offer for a 24-hour free shipping offer and no tax!
Check out the CookiesKids.com website, and if you want to receive lots of special offers and coupons, sign up for their emails. I have to admit that they send WAY too many for me, but the offers are certainly very good and are above and beyond what you’ll find on the website. There are frequent discounts and even a discount on your first order, so sign up for the emails before you shop! There is currently a giveaway for an iPad2 for new email subscribers. And, even without the special offers, shipping is always $5.95 per order, every day. My order took a little longer than I anticipated to arrive, but I’m normally not in a rush and don’t mind waiting for free shipping!
Soph was a very happy camper with her new goodies, and is rocking the tanks with both the sweater and other outfits. She really loved the jeans, and I was surprised and all the embellishments and details and how high quality they seem.
I liked finding some higher end outdoor brands such as Patagonia, Spyder, Columbia and The North Face, and there was also a good variety of brands popular with kids such as Hello Kitty, Puma and Disney. There is huge selection, whether you’re looking for a North Face backpack or some trendy Baby Phat clothing. You can shop by brand, by gender and age, by price and just about every combination in between. CookiesKids.com also offers toys, accessories, outerwear and infant clothing. I found the sizes really true and accurate, and we didn’t need to return a single thing. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Alva Kids icon next to the size option when you click on an article of clothing – it will help you determine which size your child might wear on that particular item. Even the cute skinny jeans were the perfect length for my tall and skinny (and always growing) daughter, with a couple of inches to spare!
We were really pleasantly surprised by the overall experience with Cookie’s Kids, and we’ll be shopping there again – particularly in the off-season to scoop up great deals on outerwear, summer gear and back to school clothes. Check out Cookie’s Kids and let me know what you think! You can also connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter or monitor #CookiesKids to keep an eye on deals.
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. However, I only place my honest opinions on my blog, and I only write about products and companies if I am truly enthusiastic about my experience. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Cookie’s Kids. #CBias #CookiesKids #SocialFabric
Background on Cookie’s Kids: In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1,600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and opened a day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a success and they put the extra money toward buying children’s clothing for the next season. When that did well, they bought more clothing. The business was on its way. As Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, another brother who had come in as a third partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations, inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver. By the late 1990s there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and though they previously had different names, they were ultimately all named Cookie’s Kids. Also in the late ’90s came an important addition to Cookie’s Kids’ inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007, which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie’s Kids Inventory.
Super cute clothing choices!!
Thanks! Super cute profile pic! 🙂