Please explain Kohl's to me

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Okay, I probably sound like a moron, but I see people getting all jazzed about Kohl's on these boards. I never paid much attention, since there wasn't one around. Well, we just got one--opened Sunday, with the Grand Opening this coming Sunday, and I got a flyer in the mail with extra discounts. It looked like just another department store to me--high regular prices, decent discounts, bounce-back offers, etc.

So, please educate me--am I missing something? Are they just another JC Penney--which is right across the street, I've shopped there maybe 4 times in the 5 years we've lived here? What do they offer that I can't find in Target?

Thank you in advance. And I'm not slamming them at all, just trying to understand if they're worth a look.

 

[mrsklamc]

For me the 'big' deals with Kohl's is the ultra cheap clearance prices- so you wouldn't be seeing anything at at brand new store that would really excite me, either.

They do regularly do sales that are like, 50% off, for example, and then have another 30% off if you have their charge card, and Kohl's cash, etc, etc, so there are people that love to work those deals when they come up.

 

[Southernmiss]

Kohls has nice sheets and towels and good sales.

Here is a for instance of a couple of'deals' I have gotten at Kohls.

At Easter I bought $220 in dress clothes for my 4 teen kids and dh who wear adult sizes. Nice clothes and exactly what they wanted. Abt an average price spent. BUT I got $40 in Kohls cash to come back another time. When I went back, with my $40 I got a 550 thread count queen sheet set for free as it was on sale. Love these sheets! They also had bath towels on sale and paid less than $20 for 4 bath towels.

Went in and bought dd11 thicker tshirts for back to school on clearance after she left 4 other stores in tears because she could not find anything in an adult small that wasn't too thin or low cut.

They have sent me several $10 gift cards. I recently bought a tablecloth on clearance for $3 with my giftcard.

Like any store, you have to know what you like and are willing to pay. But their clearance used with kohls cash or their free gift cards is great.

 

[msmama]

I don't find Kohl's worth it, generally.

HOWEVER, when they do have sales, you can get stuff super cheap. The problem is, you either have to get lucky, or pay more attention then I am willing to. I'm also really bad at stuff like Kohl's cash when I have to go back at a certain time.

Kohl's (and probably other department stores, I'm a Target girl like you) RAISES their prices, so that they can then lower them (I've heard this from people who have worked there).

I have gotten stuff there when I feel like I've gotten a good deal. Also, their jumping beans brand stuff seems to be a perfect fit for my son when he's between sizes at other stores.

 

[bluezy]

I agree with the others -- it's not about Kohls' regular prices; it's all about combining sale prices with their discounts and/or Kohl's cash (they frequently do promotions where you earn $10 Kohl's cash for every $50 spent). I've gotten some fabulous deals by combining those discounts. And the Kohl's by me will give you the discount even if you forgot your coupon. I've gotten into the habit of *always* asking if there is a discount available since it seems like some of my coupons get lost in the mail. Apparently there was a 20% friends & family discount last week that I wasn't aware of but got just by asking for it.

If you plan to shop there, definitely get their credit card. It's one of the few department store credit cards that is worth having. And if you don't like to use credit cards you can charge the items to the card and then immediately (at the same register) pay it off with cash. That way you earn the rewards but don't carry any balance at all. And make sure to sign up for their e-mails as they send out discounts that way as well.

In general, I really like many brands of merchandise they carry and do a lot of shopping there. When my kids were little, I would buy tons of stuff on clearance (and with a discount on top of that) to stock up for the next year. I could get Carter's clothing cheaper at Kohl's (on sale and with discount) than I could at any local Carter's store/outlet. I never pay full price for something at Kohl's as I know that within a week it will either be on sale or I'll have a discount coupon.

 

[Plumeria9]

I am a "MVC" at Kohl's, or "most valuable customer". I have the Kohl's CC and I think if you shop there regularly, it's a good way to go. I only started going there when they opened up close to where I lived, and now that I live somewhere else, there's still one nearby so I still shop there. The Kohl's cc is good because they send you discounts of 15%-20% off regularly, and frequently now, send out sale catalogs w/ "reveal your savings" discounts of between 15-30% off your entire purchase, which can be used over and over again throughout the specified period. As an MVC I get free shipping offers, but I always look on slickdeals.net if there's something I want shipped and don't have a code. To be an MVC you have to charge $600 on your Kohl's CC in a calendar year. Their shipping is pretty slow, but that may be just based on where I live. When I order something from them online, it's usually seven business days, and that seems like forever, don't forget to add in the weekend days, and that makes it almost two weeks.
I do well at Kohl's because I go there a lot. If I'm looking for specific things like clothes, kid clothes, shoes, tablecloths, etc. it does make sense to drop in and check out prices to see if there are any deals. If you are not interested in doing that, you may not get the most out of it. They have great clearance deals, easy returns (can return online purchases in store), if you can't find your receipt they can just look it up if you have a Kohl's cc, great return policy (they take pretty much everything back!). There are plenty of stores that I don't bother with either, so if Kohl's doesn't fit you, don't feel bad.

 

[crisi]

There clothes are a little better and they have a much larger selection than Target if you are looking for a work wardrobe. There are other places I like better (Nordstrom ), but Kohls has a good balance between professional, trendy and cost. Penny's was good for that, but their recent reinvention doesn't seem to have really done it for me.

I love their costume jewelry. If I'm looking for a necklace to go with something, I usually do pretty well with Kohls.

When my kids were little, their baby clothes were wonderful - well enough made to hold up through one child - or two (which Targets didn't always do), and a lot cheaper than shopping at Gymboree - and cute. When the kids got older, not so much.

You take the 15-20% discount card that they ALWAYS have and you use it for something you need - only when you need it - and spending the amount you need for the Kohl's cash - you return the next week with another 15-20% off (because they are always sending me cards) and the Kohl's cash and get something else. If you are a consistant shopper in fairly small amounts, Kohl's loyalty program works to your favor - you are always spending $50, getting your $10 cash, and getting 15-25% off - and if you are doing all that off the sales racks.....I don't shop enough to make it work consistantly - when I do shop at Kohls, I choose what I want, wait for the coupon, then go back the next week with the cash and get myself either a costume jewelry treat or a pair of Dockers or something.

 

[Ginny Favers]

You have to work hard to find something NOT on sale at Kohls.

They mark things up so much that people get all excited to see, "YOU SAVED $255!" on an order they paid $100 for. Yes, that would be so, considering those cheap-o leggings you would have gotten anywhere else for $5 had a "regular price" of $20.

They do have nice, stylish things, though... but I can't say all of it is of great quality, especially their exclusive brands. They usually last me a few seasons and then the buttons come off our the seam rips or something . . .

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Thanks for the input! The new Kohl's is only a couple miles from my house, and I drive by it at least 15 times a week, so stopping in to check sales, etc. is no big deal. I was curious because so many people here seem to go crazy for Kohl's--my couple visits over the years have been times like Black Friday--tough to judge a store by that. I would have no problem getting a cc there.

Crisi--I totally agree with you on Penney's. Last time I went there was to get my DD a prom dress. She didn't want anything special. We found a dress that was priced okay, but the overall quality was appalling. It was fine for one-use, which worked for us, but it did't make me want to go back for everyday clothing. I suspect this new Kohl's could lead to the Penney's ultimately closing--just as I suspect the Target led to Sears' demise (the Kohl's went into the spot where Sears was).

 

[krnlmustrd]

I used to love Kohl's. But their sale prices are ridiculous these days when the 80% off rack items are more in line with what one would consider a normal-low price.

 

[mikehn]

I think Sears is about on par with Kohls and you dont need any coupons or discount codes at sears.

 

[willowsnn3]

You have to work hard to find something NOT on sale at Kohls.

They mark things up so much that people get all excited to see, "YOU SAVED $255!" on an order they paid $100 for. Yes, that would be so, considering those cheap-o leggings you would have gotten anywhere else for $5 had a "regular price" of $20.

They do have nice, stylish things, though... but I can't say all of it is of great quality, especially their exclusive brands. They usually last me a few seasons and then the buttons come off our the seam rips or something . . .

I agree with all of this Ginny.
But it has become a tradition for me to take my 2 granddaughters (ages 12 & 10) to Kohl's on their birthday to pick something off their clearance rack, lol. This time I had no discount coupon but did have $20 dollars bonus bucks so only paid $43 dollars for one outfit each.
I do most of my Kohl's shopping on Black Friday as they do have some great deals then.

 

[luvmy3]

Their regular prices are marked up so high that when they have a sale its usually the same as other's regular price. The trick is to combine the "sale" price with a discount, or coupon and the Kohls cash promo. Cardholders can get up to 30%. Non-cardholders can usually get 15 to 20% off. Then you get $10 KC for every $50 you spend. I get $10 off coupons in the mail all the time and usually use those when I redeem my Kohls cash. I've walked out of there paying $0 for a sweater.
(Its not really $0 because I had to spend X amount to get that Kohls cash, but if I add up all the items plus that sweater, the total for all isn't so bad).
When you redeem your KC, that comes off your total first before any other discounts or coupons, that is important to know.

It is possible to find great deals there, but it takes some effort.
I love their Black Friday deals, and you don't even have to go to the store to get those

I hope I haven't confused you even more

 

[DizMe]

I avoid Kohls most of the time. I like some of the things they carry, but the prices are so all-over-the-map and their sales are so mind-boggling to follow that I just can't tell when to purchase something there or whether it's even a good price after all is said and done. I HATE trying to keep track of all of that.

Last year I bought some jeans and shirts for my dh. I got several "Kohl's cash" certificates. But the jeans didn't fit so I returned them and got something else instead (didn't cost less than the jeans). They took away my Koh's cash even though I didn't spend any less.

I find their business practices confusing and frustrating. I think Kohl's has good merchandise but I truly hate their sales/Kohl's cash system.

 

[AntFarm]

I don't shop there. I don't have time for all that headache just to shop. Too frustrating and confusing trying to figure out how to get a deal.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I avoid Kohls most of the time. I like some of the things they carry, but the prices are so all-over-the-map and their sales are so mind-boggling to follow that I just can't tell when to purchase something there or whether it's even a good price after all is said and done. I HATE trying to keep track of all of that.

Last year I bought some jeans and shirts for my dh. I got several "Kohl's cash" certificates. But the jeans didn't fit so I returned them and got something else instead (didn't cost less than the jeans). They took away my Koh's cash even though I didn't spend any less.

I find their business practices confusing and frustrating. I think Kohl's has good merchandise but I truly hate their sales/Kohl's cash system.

See, that's how I feel about CVS. I know people on here can get some great deals, but I could never figure it out. I pass CVS pretty much daily, too, but I never stop in.

 

[Pigeon]

The clearance racks are often pretty good. They also have a larger variety of clothing that I can wear to work than Target does. Last weekend I picked up a classic style ponte knit dress for work for under $20 and a couple of good bras for $7 each. I actually don't find a lot of Target's clothing to generally be all that inexpensive unless it's clearance.

They are more in line with the old JCPenney before all the changes.

The clearance and sales for kids clothes are great.

 

[ktlm]

In my experience, Kohl's "sale" prices are very often the same price you can get the items regular price at other places. You have to watch them because sometimes their "regular" prices are way too high. We don't shop there that often. Sometimes you can get good deals there, but you absolutely have to know the real price of what you are looking at before you go or check it on your Iphone etc. while there before buying it.

 

[RitaE]

Yeah, I mostly have to avoid Kohls because I don't have time to figure out all their Kohls cash and coupon offers and all that. It is a massive game and they have their fans who love playing the game with them, but you can't just walk into the place and pick up a pair of pants on a whim. It takes research, dedication, and a desire to WIN!!!!

 

[heartsy77]

I love Kohls and their return policy is great!
I love their online selection too and I just return what doesn't fit etc.
IMHO you need the cc to reap the most benefits!