PartyPro can handle ANY party!
Written: Jan 17 '05
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Time is a funny thing. For so many years, time seemed to just creep by. Then I graduated from high school and it picked up the pace a little, moving faster and faster until the day I learned that I was pregnant. After slowing to a crawl for nine interminable months, it took off the day my daughter was born and hasn't paused for a breath since - and so with just one short month to go, I have a first birthday party to plan.
Typing "first birthday" into my Google toolbar brought up a wide variety of party supply sites, all of them with adorable first birthday themes - pink flowers and butterflies and teddy bears, oh my! How would I ever choose the perfect pattern for her big day? After all, I want it to be just right for my little girl!
Having looked at sweet little decorations till I was practically cross-eyed, I finally came to a realization: Rachael isn't going to remember any of this. Sure, we'll have plenty of pictures and video to show her of her first birthday party later, but right now, I dare say she would be thoroughly unimpressed by any of the decorations I found at first. Only one thing never fails to get her attention and make her smile: Boohbah.
But, but, but! I hate character-themed parties! I wanted a tasteful decor for the party, not bright neons and trademarked critters! But it's not my birthday party, and I knew she would love to be surrounded with the ugly stars of her favorite kids' show...so I revised my Google search to include the word Boohbah. After eliminating all of the U.K. based retailers, it seemed that I had two sites from which to shop: Birthday Direct and PartyPro. (After comparing prices, I'll admit that I ordered from both in the end.)
~* Not Just for Amateurs *~
A quick glance around PartyPro's main page, located at www.partypro.com, reveals that this is not a site exclusively for parents planning kiddie birthday parties. Absolutely not! The site is broken down on the main page into five groups, each identified by a different color.
The Green Site is where us novice party planners should begin, boasting more than 15,000 discount party supplies, including more than 230 birthday and party themes. Orders of more than $40 within this section of the site are eligible for free shipping within the continental U.S., and this is the area of PartyPro that the majority of this review will focus on. However, the other areas, in brief, are:
* The Red Bulk Site: "Over 2500 items sold in BULK! All the popular and current Disney licenses at wholesale prices. All items are sold by the case. Minimum purchase required."
* The Platinum Bulk Site: "Over 7000 items! BIG savings on many birthday themes and accessories. Great for colored table/dinnerware. High quality party supplies at up to 70% off retail..."
* The Gold Bulk Site: "Over 6000 decorations and party items sold in bulk! Decorations for all the seasons and every event."
* The Lavender Bulk Site: "Hundreds of discount wedding Supplies. Hundreds of hard to find items include Ty Wilson, Precious Moments and Kim Anderson!"
The staggering array of decorative items, tableware and invitations offered for sale in bulk would surely appeal to wedding and party planners, caterers, and so on - but what about us amateurs?
~* Inside the Green Site *~
Although the many references to buying in bulk may be a bit confusing at first to the average consumer stumbling across this website, PartyPro has made it easier to find what you're looking for by displaying click-through images in the menu. On the left of the main page, graphics are divided into the five color groupings and broken down into options such as Balloons, Candles, Theme Parties and Birthday Themes in the green section, with more specialized items (Bulk Baby, Bulk Confetti, Luau, etc.) appearing in the 'bulk' colors below.
In the center of the page are two rows containing 14 more brightly-colored graphics representing the latest releases in popular children's themes. I was pleased to find Boohbah there, just a mouse click away, alongside favorites such as Pooh, Baby Einstein, Disney Princesses and Curious George.
I, of course, clicked on the Boohbah link and was taken immediately to a page containing those items, a blue banner prominently displayed at the top of the page proclaiming "We Take Partying Serious!" Being somewhat obsessive about grammar, this really irritated me - but I overlooked it (and yet again when it appeared at the bottom of the page as well) and got serious about shopping.
I was pleased to find 19 different items in the Boohbah theme, especially since it seemed to be in rather limited supply. All of the necessities were accounted for - paper plates in larger sizes for lunch and smaller for dessert, paper cups as well as plastic souvenir cups, large and small napkins, streamers and banners, invitations and thank you notes. Party favors were in no short supply here, either - there were the traditional blow-outs as well as kaleidoscopes, giggle wands and plastic Boohbah masks, and several others. Thank goodness treat bags aren't needed at a first birthday party (those masks kinda creeped me out!)
All of the prices I observed at PartyPro were reasonable - not "drive to Wal-Mart and pick up everything you need for less than $25" reasonable, but "we know your kid will have a fit if their favorite character isn't plastered everywhere and this is the only place you can get it, but we won't stick it to you too bad" reasonable. A pack of eight 9" dinner plates in the Boohbah theme, for example, runs $2.94, eight 9-ounce cups are $2.67 and the coordinating 54 x 90" table cover is $4.72. Sure, a party could be put together for less, but this isn't highway robbery.
After more comparison shopping than was really necessary, and finding plastic Boohbah cake toppers on another site that weren't available through PartyPro, I ended up placing only a small order here - two sets of eight 9-ounce cups and a 5.67-foot long jointed "Happy Birthday" banner. You may enter the quantity of each item you'd like to purchase and click the BUY button beside each individual item, rather than having to scroll away. After clicking on the BUY button, the items are added to your shopping cart without taking you to a separate page. All of the items in your cart are visible in a list on the right side of the page, as well as a running total.
~* Checkout *~
Once finished shopping, you must scroll to the top of the page and click on the 'Express Checkout' button located just above the list of your shopping cart's contents. Express is, indeed, the only checkout option.
During your first visit to PartyPro, you will be prompted to create an account by entering all the usual information - name, telephone number, shipping and billing addresses, etc. Once finished, you are assigned an account number (which will be emailed to you) and taken back to your cart to complete the checkout process.
At this point, I very nearly canceled my order entirely. The two sets of cups and banner had totaled $8.63, but my cart reflected a shipping charge of $11.01! What the heck? I've heard of padding shipping rates to add to the profit, but that was just ridiculous! Thankfully, I took the time to explore this ludicrous amount and found that the cart defaults shipping option to 3 Day Air; the area in which to change this option is located further down the page and, after resetting to UPS Ground or USPS Priority Mail, the shipping rate was automatically changed to a more reasonable (but still painful) $6.89. Shipping via 2nd Day Air, Guaranteed Ground, Next Day Air and Next Day Air Saver are also available.
After confirming your shipping and billing addresses on the checkout page, you are prompted to enter both the date of your party and the date by which your order should be delivered. Although my daughter's party isn't until February 12, I placed my order early - on January 8, a Saturday, and requested delivery by the next Friday, January 14. (I had hoped the invitations would arrive by that date, although I ordered them from a different vendor, and planned for everything to arrive at the same time. But that's another review.)
Near the bottom of the page, you will be asked to enter your credit card information - PartyPro accepts American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Then comes the fine print regarding shipping, which states that orders placed by noon (CST) on weekdays will usually be shipped that same day and that deliveries to "Alaska, Hawaii, APO, FPO, international and P.O. box addresses will incur additional shipping charges."
~* Tracking and Delivery *~
By the time I finished placing my order and logged into my email, I had a confirmation email waiting from PartyPro with a summary of my order. That done, I looked forward to Friday, when my package was scheduled to arrive. Friday came, but didn't bring with it anything from PartyPro (or, for that matter, the rest of the party supplies I'd ordered elsewhere.) On Saturday, however, the mailman made good, delivering a much larger than needed box from PartyPro. Nestled inside, beneath wads of cream-colored paper imprinted with baby name bracelets, was my order, complete and in perfect condition.
Receiving the package one day past the expected delivery date didn't matter much to me - I have time to play with. However, when ordering party supplies online, always be sure and order early, just in case. The other supplies I ordered on the same day still haven't shown up, although I've been assured that they'll be here this week...
~* Overall *~
Whatever kind of party you're planning, chances are good that you'll find what you need at PartyPro. Even obscure holidays are accounted for here, as are major events such as graduations, weddings and baby showers, and theme parties such as fiestas, luaus and Mardi Gras. With a huge selection, easy to navigate website and mostly on-time delivery, PartyPro will certainly be my choice for future events as well.
~* Contact Information *~
Visit PartyPro online at www.partypro.com or call 1-800-631-3310.
This is an entry in captaind's Challenge Yourself 2005 Write-Off - are you up to the challenge??
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Boohbah-themed cups and birthday banner
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About the Author
Member: Kristin
Location: Southern VA
Reviews written: 267
Trusted by: 116 members
About Me: The strength of Motherhood is greater than Natural Laws. -Barbara Kingsolver
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