Find Hello Kitty, Badtz Maru, Twin Stars & More At Sanrio’s Awesome Online Store!
Written: Aug 07 '04 (Updated May 24 '08)
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In a way I have my obsession with Badtz Maru to blame on fellow Epinions member MaryTara. She might not let on about her hard core Hello Kitty fascination so if I let the cat out of the bag [no pun intended] then I guess I just evened the score. I distinctly recall a conversation on AOL Instant Messenger regarding the plethora of Hello Kitty items, including a toaster and waffle maker – after seeing them and how cute they were, I was hooked on the product line. Not being one to get into the cute girlie stuff I went for the bad seed of the Sanrio family – Badtz Maru. How could you not fall in love with that mischievous little penguin … not to mention the fact that he has an alligator [Pochi] for a pet! But there is a bigger monster at work here – the Sanrio Online Store is more than just Hello Kitty, it’s all of her friends too! Some are cute, some are creepy and some are just so freakin’ adorable that you wanna reach out and squeeze them to death.
As a whole the site is a complete blast to visit, shop at and navigate and the best part is that it is 100% kid friendly. There are a few pops ups here and there but nothing that takes you outside the Sanrio site. The online store is hosted through Yahoo so you get a seamless ordering process every single time. The only time I have had any trouble completing a purchase was when the setting on my computer didn’t agree with the Yahoo site so even though I had a few minor issues, it wasn’t Yahoo’s fault. I like the fact that I can let any of the kids cruise though the site without them being exposed to anything of an adult nature – the worst thing that happens is that they make up a list of things they want. The boys aren’t really into the site that much outside of some of the boyish characters and the games but Annabelle can sit there for hours oohing and ahhing over the products the site sells. It only took her about ten minutes to get the feel of the site and how to get to the different points from the main page – the hardest thing for her to get used to was how some of the links open in to new windows, she would click off of the other pages and have a hard time trying to find her way back. Even so, she’s now a pro at the site and absolutely loves the games and checking out the new products.
Selection
One of the nicest things about the site is that you can search by individual character. This was a huge help for me when I started collecting the basics of Madtz Maru – an entire page of products dedicated to him … I was in absolute heaven. If this isn’t fitting to your needs you can also check out the site by category – jewelry, school items, plushies, clothing, kitchen stuff and more. One of my favorite parts of the site has to be the sale section; this changes pretty often so make sure you check it out before you do any shopping – you never know what you will find there and in most cases you are looking at a savings of up to 65% off the regular price. I always check out this part of the site and stock up on sale items for the holidays, birthday presents and for those unexpected events that might require a small cute gift. You can cruise the site a number of different ways but I find it easiest to shop by category unless I am looking for character specific items. All of the items shown at the site come with a color photo, description, shipping surcharge information, dimensions if necessary, price and once you add it to your cart, the number that remain in stock.
Purchases
I’d love to hide behind the falsehood that all the items I purchased through the site were for other people but that wouldn’t help to explain why I have a Hello Kitty portable CD player, toaster, backpack, water gun [yes, a Hello Kitty water gun] and other assorted wares. A majority of items that I pick up at the site are for my nieces and my little Annabelle but there are more than a few that end up in my collection. Annabelle so loves the whole “pink” scheme of things and happily totes around her spoon and fork set, Twin Stars purse and don’t even get me started on the Hell Kitty clothing – I swear, if I could go anorexic for a few months, I’d wear some of the stuff they sell at the site. There’s even baby related items, something that I’ve been stocking up on [wink wink] over the past few months. One of my favorite baby related item has to be the spoon and fork set [store.yahoo.com/sanriostore/09758]. In the Badtz Maru line I’ve picked up the watch, fuzzy dice, messenger bag, all the school supplies and the awesome CD carrier case. All my purchases went off without a hitch and as I mentioned in the beginning of the review, the only problems I have had were due to my computer, not the site or Yahoo.
Customer Service Information
Sanrio, Inc.
570 Eccles Street
South San Francisco, CA 94080
[800] 759-6454
shopkeeper@sanrio.com
www.sanrio.com
Return Policy
Unlike most sites, Sanrio offers you a 90 day return period, yes, you read that right – 90 days. The only exclusion to this is returns on items at are on clearance, are close-out products or are discounted in any way. Outside of that, you get three times the amount of time to make a return – something that is really appealing to me since I am notoriously horrible at making it to the post office to ship things out. Any type of defective item will be replaced regardless of when it was purchased however you will need to call them if it is an older product to see if there is a suitable replacement item available. When I had to return an item to be exchanged it went off without a hitch and I received the replacement item about ten days after I shipped out the original piece.
Shipping Information
Sanrio ships within the United States, all its territories and overseas and makes use of Federal Express and United States Postal Service to do so. You can have your order shipped via any of the FedEx shipping options from Ground to 3 Day and with the USPS your best bet is Priority Mail but they do offer other options. Your best bet is to call them if you have any questions or concerns about shipping. Most of my orders have been in the $75.00 range and I chose the FedEx method of shipping every time – the cost for my delivery was $11.00, not bad at all. The one time that I needed by stuff quick I chose the 3 day delivery option and paid eight dollars more but ended up getting it in two days instead of three. Some items do have a shipping surcharge – things like the coffee maker [$3.50] and mini heater and cooler [$5.00] have this surcharge but it is already added into the price of the item. These are things that you can save a little money on if you can find them at a local store since the additional shipping fee won’t be reflected in the price.
Nifty Things
= One thing that I absolutely love about the site is that you can see exactly how many items are left in stock. This might not sound like a big deal to most people but when you are trying to find a specific gift or something that is deemed ‘rare’ or ‘hard to find’, knowing how many of an item are left can make the difference between getting your order in a week or having something back ordered for a month.
= You can create a wish list of your favorite items to keep track of what you have ordered and what you still need – a great way to let people know what you really want from the site. Another great feature is the ability to email a page to a friend. When you do this they’ll get a really cute page sent tot hem with all the information they need to learn more about it and order it if they so desire.
The Bottom Line
So far I have had nothing but great experiences at the site. While it is mainly a showcase of Hello Kitty items, there are games to play and ways to learn about all the different characters within the Hello Kitty line. The ability to create a wish list is a really nice feature – especially for those who have relatives scattered all over the world, this way they can check out your wish list and get you something that you really want rather than another pair of socks or some funky sweater that will sit on the shelf for three years before being donated to some charity. The site runs smoothly and I’ve never encountered a broken link or have had trouble with images loading. It’s 100% kid safe and contains no questionable material. All in all, this is a great site to check out, has some nifty games and is one of the best places to get your Hello Kitty wares!
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2004 Freak369
Other awesome online sites …
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Hobbytron
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Emerson Hello Kitty Personal CD Player
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Berger Hello Kitty Watch
Rayovac Hello Kitty Touch Light
Hello Kitty Twelve Ounce Plastic Tumbler
Hello Kitty Pez Collection
Hello Kitty & My Melody Pez Dispenser Collection
Hello Kitty Messenger Bag
Kellogg's Hello Kitty Meow Berry Pop Tarts
Hello Kitty Candy Necklace
Zooth Hello Kitty Toothpaste
Zooth Hello Kitty Electric Toothbrush
Hello Kitty Glue
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Gifts, clothes, school supplies.
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