Calendars.com

Full review
I have been using Calendars.com once a year for the last few years, and this year as I receive my Early Bird Reminder email, I am wondering if I should continue to use it.

What do they sell?
Calendars.com offers none other than... Calendars! There are only 3 categories - wall calendars, boxed calendars (page-a-day) and engagement calendars. The first 2 you should recognize. The 3rd is kind of like a journal - a 52 or so page book that lists each day of the year and gives you space to write a paragraph.

But what types of Calendars are these?
There are all types of calendars in about 50 categories. Each of these categories is further broken down to get you to exactly what you want. Categories (and Sub Cats) range from (my favorite) Humor (Cartoons and Comics) to Sports (Football) and you'll even find Food (Beer)

Basically there is a wide range. If you've seen it in the store you will most likely find it on this site. I have tested this out. Various calendars throughout the years that I first saw in a store, I came to this site to check it out and found it - usually cheaper!

Ok, wide range sounds good - is it easy to find what I want?
I have to say "ehhh" when it comes to looking for products. The first few years I found it very easy to find what I wanted because I bought basically the same thing every year. However, this year I was looking to mix it up - and I got a little lost in the search engines. This is coming from someone who designs web sites for a living, so if I got lost - it must be poor design.

It's not horrible, but there are some major things that throw me off.

1. If you click on a category, then click on a sub cat, and get all the results... you get calendars from 2005 mixed in with the new ones for 2006. This is irritating. They have links to narrow your search by calendar type (wall/box/engagement) as well as links to sort by A-Z or best selling... however no option to choose a year.

2. Back at the main screen, they do have a link directly to the 2006 calendars. I thought this would make it easier so I checked it out. It wasn't any better. Sure now I see all the 2006 calendars, but now I can't narrow it down by category - and with 683 pages - I need to narrow it down by category.

3. When I was lost in option #2, they had a link and told me to try the Advanced Search. I noticed this same link is found in the main tabs, and is labeled "Search"

****If you don't get anything else out of this part of my review it should be this****

The search function is GREAT! You can enter Keywords, but I usually do not. Instead, just select the Category you want, the type (wall/box) and the Year. You can also select Publisher and Price Range to narrow it even more. So when you go to this site - go straight to the search page for the easiest experience!

So it's cheaper huh, how cheap?
Well it may not appear cheap when compared to Amazon, however when you compare it to the physical stores you will see a difference. I pay 12-15$ for my weekly engagement calendar every year.

The wall calendars are around 12$ and so are the boxed ones. Some are more expensive if they are bigger size, but you can also get some cheaper if they aren't as popular.

I checked my past orders and I paid 3.98 every time for shipping. This isn't that bad since I always get some kind of deal to cut down the total.

What kind of deals and sales?
The only time I shop for Calendars on this site is around this time - September to October. This is because of the Early Bird Special. Every year they email me a reminder of the special, but anyone can get the sale - even if you've never been to the site before.

On the site you'll see that now you will receive 15% off any order of 20 dollars and up. I however, as a previous shopper, get a better deal in my email. I get 20% off and the email does not mention any set minimum order. Although the online deal does not show an "End" date, my email deal is only good until October 3rd, so I assume it's the same online.

If it's so great, why am I hesitating on my next purchase?
Well there are a few reasons why I am unsure if I am going to use this site this year. I should mention the site looks the same to me as it does every year - so it's still just as good as before. The reasons why I don't know about purchasing are more personal as explained below.

1. Every year I buy a weekly engagement calendar so that on a daily basis I can write down my daily activities/events. This is basically for memory purposes - and although I've always liked the books I got from Calendars.com - I'm starting to get sloppy with my writing. So for 2006 I plan to type up my daily events and have it printed into a book.

2. I get so many free wall calendars from the Humane Society and the ASPCA that I really don't need one. Although in the past I would buy a calendar anyway, I am starting to use my wall calendar less so I'll stick to the free ones.

3. I do still plan to buy a boxed calendar from the site - I just haven't shopped around yet to find what I want.

4. I usually buy a gift for someone off this site, but I haven't decided if there's anyone I'd want to buy a calendar for this year. It all depends on what else I'm getting them!

****GIFT IDEA from me to you!**** If you are looking for a good way to give someone tickets to an event for xmas, or for a Dec bday - this is how I do it. I buy a calendar from this site that reflects their favorite things, and tape the tickets onto the appropriate day! People are somewhat disappointed when they open it and see JUST A CALENDAR, however you get them to open it up and Wa-lah! Surprise :)

****Gift Idea #2**** The gift of Time is a great gift for anyone. If you buy a calendar for someone, and spend the time to write in important bdays or other dates, they will appreciate it :)

Who do I recommend it to?
If you're still not sure whether or not to purchase from here, here is another list for you to decide! (I like lists today)

You should shop here if...

1. you are buying a bunch of calendars, b/c you can get a good discount for the early bird and the more you buy the more you save!

2. you need a boxed calendar. They are still great!

3. you don't have sloppy handwriting and you want to start your own collection of yearly books like I do!

4. you want a unique or specific calendar and don't want to go to 30 stores to find it.

5. you want to look at a wide selection of calendars!

6. you plan to purchase a calendar every year, because every year you will get a discount!

Conclusion
I do like this site. It's been good to me in the past and I do plan to shop here again! Although I'm not sure about my 2006 purchases yet, I am about 80% sure my money will go to Calendars.com. It is a trustworthy store that's had my business for quite a while. Every year when I get the Early Bird reminder, I am excited to go there and see what's new. It excites me, so it's great :) Check it out :-D