Coldwater Creek -- Stylish, Expensive but Fun!
Written: Sep 09 '07
| Ease of Ordering: |
 |
|
| Selection: |
 |
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
|
|
|
| Full Review |
I wanted a nice pair of earrings (as if I don't have enough of them!). This pair of earrings had to be special, though. I had a definite wish list and shopping my local stores and browsing around the internet wasn't finding me what I wanted. Then I remembered the Coldwater Creek Online Store.
What Does Coldwater Creek Sell?
When I think of Coldwater Creek, I think of fashion. Many years ago, I would have described their clothing line as women's fashion with a northwestern flair. However, Coldwater Creek has evolved beyond that point. In an online chat session with one of their customer service people, I asked how they would describe themselves. Here is the answer, "Coldwater Creek sells a variety of women's clothing, from everyday to clothing for the more sophisticated woman." I don't agree with that statement considering that Coldwater Creek sells much more than clothing. They also offer items for the home and have even branched out into an area they call "The Spa."
Navigating the Website
www.coldwatercreek.com
The Home Page is stark compared to other online stores I have visited. The center of the page features what is new to the store, and today even shows an offer a free croc-embossed tote when spending $100 or more. Along the top of the page are text links to various areas: Home, My Account, Customer Service, Live Help. And beneath those links are more text links: Apparel, What's New, The Shops, Accessories, Home & Gifts, Outlet and a Search box feature. Along the bottom of the page are images to click where you can request a catalog, visit the Outlet with sale merchandise, and how to find a brick-and-mortar store in your area.
Shopping the Site
I wanted earrings. Starting my search, I decided to click on some of the text links. The "Apparel" link offered a large variety of clothing choices (dresses, shirts, skirts, pants, active wear, etc.). The "What's New" link had a jeans boutique, new knits and what was new to the website. Next I tried "The Shops" link, but this only offered two choices: the Spirit Collection (exclusive clothing designs with prices to match), and The Spa (body and facial products, home and gifts, and jewelry).
I took a moment to explore the jewelry in The Spa since I was after earrings. Coldwater creek offers a selection of bracelets (bangle, cuff and charm), simple necklaces (pendant style) and earrings (sterling silver, some with inlay) in this area. Prices were between $29.00 for Abalone inlay earrings to $125.00 for silver bangle bracelets. I didn't see what I wanted, so onward.
Next I clicked on "Accessories". This category offered subcategories including Jewelry, Handbags & Toes, Belts, Hats & Scarves, and Shoes. I clicked on the jewelry link. A page opened featuring photos of the jewelry with the name of the piece and price beneath it. There is also an option of viewing all the pages on a single page, so I clicked that link so that I could view the entire jewelry collection. The jewelry offerings in this section are definitely more varied. In addition to the bracelets, necklaces and earrings, there are pins and watches. New additions to the website are discretely marked with a small red "new". Prices ranged from $29.00 to $229.00. They also offer a Pink Ribbon pin decorated with pink Austrian crystals for $19.00 (portions from this item go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure).
Still I didn't find what I was looking for. So I tried the Search box feature. I typed in the search word "turquoise earrings". A month ago when I did this shopping expedition, the search results yielded about four results. Today, there are only two choices … and the earrings I purchased are no longer available.
In the past I have purchased merchandise from the Coldwater Creek website and their catalog. Among the items I purchased were several fleece tops (nice ones that I could wear to work). The material and workmanship were excellent. At one time you could find the occasional classy sweatshirt, but no longer. Coldwater Creek has definitely gone upscale in their clothing line. About twelve years ago, a friend purchased me a totebag from Coldwater Creek as a gift. The bag has a silk-screened design of purple iris with a zippered opening. I used that bag for years. I still have it, and it looks good.
Filling my Shopping Basket
So I found the earrings I wanted to purchase. Click on the image of an item, and a new window opens featuring that item. There is a photograph of the item, which can be enlarged. To the right side of the photo is the price (and if the price has been reduced, it appears next to the original price in red). There is also a brief description of the item. If applicable, select the size and color as well as the quantity. There is also a link to "Product and Sizing Information", and sizing charts open in a new window. Depending upon what you purchase, Coldwater Creek offers a varied clothing size collection from petite to plus sizes as well as some "long" sizes for pants.
To select items, just click the "Add to Bag" button. A new screen opens showing the list of items in the shopping bag. It is easy to delete items and change the quantity ordered. You can also select whether each item should be gift boxes (costs extra). This page also offers the option of purchasing Gift Cards. This view of the shopping bag does not give a subtotal of all the items ordered. To find that out, you need to click the "Checkout" button.
Gift Cards
There are two types of Gift Cards available. You can select a physical card be sent to someone along with a catalog, and it will be sent via U.S. mail. There are Gift Cards that say "Happy Birthday", and a fun selection of "Fashion Horoscope" gift cards. For example, the card for Capricorn says, "For you, getting dress is a science. You won't budge from the classics. Hot trends leave you cold." The card amount can be from $20.00 to $500.00, and you can add a personal message.
Coldwater Creek also offers E-Gift Cards. These are gift cards sent by e-mail that will arrive hours after they are ordered (an ideal way to salvage forgetting a gift-giving occasion!). Just like the regular gift cards, there is an option of either "Happy Birthday" or the "Fashion Horoscope" cards. Need another fashion horoscope? Here's the one for Aries, "Control, without the freak. You adore taming a closetful of clothes on the only terms that matter, yours." Again, the amounts are from $20.00 to $500.00.
Checkout, Payment & Shipping Options
To check out, click on the "Check Out" button. What I hate about this website is that you can't log-in as a guest. You have to provide your email address and a password and create an account. The typical contact information is required: name, address, phone number. There is also an area to enter an "offer code" for a discount if you have one.
Shipping methods include: Standard Delivery, 2nd Day (3 business days), Next day (2 business days). For orders over $1,500 a signature is required regardless of delivery method. A tiny, very small print, link offers a shipping charge chart to view.
For Standard Shipping (7 – 10 days), you can expect the following charges:
up to $25.00 -- $5.95
$25.01 - $50.00 -- $7.95
$50.01 - $75.00 -- $9.95
$75.01 - $100.00 -- $10.95
$100.01 - $125.00 -- $12.95
$125.01 - $150.00 -- $13.95
$150.01 - $200.00 -- $14.95
$200.01 - $300.00 -- $16.95
over $300.01 -- $18.95
The next screen offers a review of the order and shipping information. Now we see the shipping charges and order total.
Credit cards accepted are: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, and GiveAnything.com. There is a checkbox to click if you wish your credit card information stored for future orders.
E-mail Notifications
I received an e-mail notice that my order had been placed. The message included the order number and a summary of the order. Two days later, I received another email informing me that my order had shipped via U.S. mail First Class. There was also a link to email customer service with any questions. I was disappointed that there was no way to track the order.
Receiving the Shipment & Returns
The package arrived on time and in excellent condition. The earrings even arrived in a box, which I wasn't sure about when I ordered them.
Coldwater Creek offers a 100% Guarantee. It states: "If a Coldwater Creek purchase ever fails to meet your expectations for any reason, return it for an exchange or a full and prompt refund of the merchandise purchase price. There's no time limit to our guarantee, so there's absolutely no risk."
Summary
I enjoy browsing the Coldwater Creek website, and sometimes they even have something I feel I can afford! I'm a frugal shopper, and this website doesn't offer too many bargain finds. Definitely check the Outlet section, though. They usually offer some fun finds at reasonable prices. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the earrings I purchased. They are gorgeous!
I hope you found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Please read my other reviews:
Coach Online Store
Sheplers Online Store
Hank's Clothing Online Store
Kohl's Online Store
Linen 'n Things Online Store
Best Buy Online Store
Buy.com Online Store
NewEgg Online Store
Staples Online Store
Keepsake Quilting Online Store
Joann.com Online Store
Copyright 2007 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? earrings
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc.