Mom's Best Friend: Shop Online, Pick Up In Store...

Yesterday was one of those days where I just couldn't get motivated to get off the couch.

And then I remembered my little two had a birthday party to attend. And we didn't have a gift.

One look at my kids and I knew we wouldn't make it out of any store without tears (probably mine) because there was some silly toy their lives weren't complete without.

So instead, I shopped online to pick up in store at Toys R Us.

Shopping online is all the rage these days. Major grocers are hopping on board- you can now order your groceries online from Walmart (see my guest blog post a few posts back), Albertson's and Kroger. I'm sure other grocery stores won't be far behind.

But did you know you can shop online with stores such as Toys R Us (or the Babies R Us on Arbrook if it's a toy they carry) and Target and pick up at customer service? With Toys R Us, pick up is ready within an hour if the item is in stock!

I love this for a number of reasons. Number one, I can browse and compare prices with no pressure. I don't need to wonder if I'm getting the best price- I can flip from Amazon to Toys R Us to Walmart with a click of a button. Secondly, I can use coupons and rebate apps! That's right- when I shop online, I use Ebates to collect cash back on all my purchases. When I shop online to pick up in store, I can still use Ebates to collect my cash back. I can also check RetailMeNot.com for any coupon codes that can be applied at checkout. Lastly, I don't need to wander the aisles of the toy store with multiple children who will ultimately throw a massive tantrum when I say no to any and all of the toys they beg for.

So today I selected the toy I wanted to give as a gift for our party and checked out on toysrus.com. I selected "in-store pick-up" and voila. I was done! Toys R Us emailed me an hour later saying my item was ready for pick up. I selected a bag and card from my stash and stuck them in the car to head to the store for in-store pick-up.

The downside? There is no curbside pick up. Yet. I did still have to drag my girls to the customer service counter to pick up the gift. But, we were able to avoid the rows and rows of shiny toys just begging my girls to take them home. We were in and out with minimal fussing, whining and begging in about 5 minutes.

I've done this multiple times with Target, as well. It really is a sanity-saver. Being able to shop in my pjs and pick up at my leisure takes my laziness to a whole new level.

What stores have you done in-store pick up at that I don't know about?!