Last Minute Dorm Shopping Tips For College Bound Students From DormSmart.com

Sept. 1, 2010 - PRLog -- Dorm season is upon us! Many of us are scrambling about trying to make the right decisions when it comes to buying supplies for our dorm room while shopping on a budget. It can be a confusing and frustrating time for college bound students! With that in mind, DormSmart.com has the following three tips for students to use when shopping online for college dorm essentials to make smart last minute dorm buys…

Tip #1: Do not let time constraints adversely affect your buying decisions. Do not panic!

“Life is busy! It seems like we have all the time in the world to finish our dorm shopping during the summer then realize it is here! It can be a little overwhelming for students headed to their campus dorms for the first time,” stated Christi Leslie, Founder and CEO of DormSmart.com and Creator of Dorm411.com, an informational blog providing tips and advice for students living in small dorm rooms, campus apartments and off campus housing.

DormSmart advises students not to panic, not to purchase the wrong dorm products because they are out of time. Students should focus on purchasing the right college dorm essentials then have them shipped to their campus delivery address.

“… Students may have to improvise for a few days. For example, if they are waiting on dorm bedding, they should take their sleeping bag until their bedding arrives. Their sleeping bag will be used for sleepovers, spring break trips… it’s dorm sized. In the end they will be much happier that they purchased the right dorm bedding and probably spent less money. It’s like going to the grocery store without a list when we are hungry, we tend to overspend. Students should just take a deep breath, work through the process, and try to be patient. It will all come together,” stated Christi Leslie.

Tip #2: Students should research and compare products thoroughly before buying dorm supplies.

We’ve all done it. We see a product we really like and just buy it only to realize when it’s delivered; it was not quite what we were expecting. For many of you planning to study retailing in college, it is known as an impulse buy. While the retail industry loves impulse buyers, it is probably best to learn how to control these impulses early in adulthood so you do not have to experience buyer’s remorse.

To prevent buyer’s remorse, DormSmart advises students to thoroughly research and compare dorm products, meaning students need to take the time to read the product descriptions thoroughly and view the enlarged photos prior to buying products online for their dorm room. It saves students a lot time, frustration, and cost associated with having to return purchases or worse having to replace their college dorm room essentials at a financial loss.

Tip #3: Balance price and quality.

For most of us in today’s economy, price is an issue. Students and parents are stretching their budgets just to pay college tuition, fees, and buy textbooks. On top of that, they are tasked with furnishing a dorm room, basically a studio apartment. Let’s face it; mom needs her ironing board and iron, her dishes… So, how do we balance price and quality without overspending?

DormSmart recommends that students make a shopping list of what they “need” to buy; those must have college dorm essentials. Because most students will be attending college over the next 4 years or so, they have time to add those little extras, those desired dorm accessories.

“…At DormSmart, we have yet to uncover a cheap quality dorm product as they are often touted online, so we advise students and parents to choose to shop smart, invest their money in quality products at affordable prices. Initially, they can focus their financial resources on those must have dorm room essentials and add the extras as money permits, it’s a better choice. Otherwise they may have to do this again next summer or sooner and that will not save them money in the long run,” stated Christi Leslie.

Once students have made their list of must have college dorm essentials, it’s time to balance quality and price. Let’s walk through a shopping example using a dorm trunk:

A dorm trunk is one of those multipurpose dorm products that students can use as dorm storage, to travel to college or camp (football, cheerleading, band…) in the summers, and as dorm room seating. Bottom line, their dorm trunk will probably take a beating over the next several years so students should shop for dorm trunks made of quality products then select the one that best fits their price point. For example, the ideal dorm trunk will have:

- Steel edging and corners verses plastic or vinyl corners with cheap brads.
- An interior made of hardwood verses particle board, needs to be structurally sound.
- Removable verses stationary wheels. Students do not want to make it easy for someone to take their dorm trunk but they do want it to be easy for them to move their dorm trunk.
- Leather verses vinyl handles.
- Lifetime warranty.

To identify the ideal dorm trunk, student shoppers must do their homework, read the product detail. If the retailer does not provide the necessary information to make a buying decision, then it is probably a red flag, a sign for students to move on to the next prospect or store until they find their ideal dorm trunk. Once they narrow their search for the perfect dorm trunk, they can check prices against their budget. It may be a little more than they want to spend but a cost savings in the long run; or they may be pleasantly surprised, realizing it fits into their budget. DormSmart advises students to shop for offers of free shipping and discount coupons, especially on big ticket items like dorm trunks.

If students find themselves trying to choose between quality and looks, maybe they want that really cool looking collegiate trunk or polka dot trunk but it is not well made, They may want to consider choosing the quality dorm trunk and purchasing peel and stick decals to get their desired effect. Let’s face it, students can always change the look of the quality dorm trunk but cannot change the quality of a cheaply made dorm trunk.

These are just a few tips and examples for college bound freshman to use when shopping for those last minute dorm buys this season.

For additional information about DormSmart.com visit:

http://www.dormsmart.com

For advice and tips to live dorm smart, visit Dorm411.com:

http://www.dorm411.com

# # #

DormSmart.com LLC, founded by parents & students, is an e-tailer based in Bentonville. Opening on the World Wide Web in August of 2009, they now offer over 7000 smart product selections for college students living in dorms, on-campus & off-campus housing.