Shopping Back to School at Dick’s Sporting Goods

I’ve written a lot about shopping back to school supplies and clothing. There’s my blog post about the Target college dorm registry, which focuses on shopping for back to college. I’ve also got a recent post on sales tax holidays that let you shop for back to school and not pay sales tax. So it stands to reason that writing another post about shopping back to school makes sense.

However, this back to school shopping article has a slight twist to it. This time around I’m focusing on shopping back to school at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Why? Well, for a couple of reasons.

Shopping back to school at Dick’s Sporting Goods

First, Dick’s is one of many stores that lets you buy online and pick up in store. Or, as the case may be in our current context, pick up curbside. In fact, all products are available for delivery or BOPIS and curbside contactless pickup.

It’s where my younger daughter was able to buy yoga equipment for her at-home practice and never get out of the car for pick up. Nice.

Second, Dick’s stocks many of the brands that I’ve covered in my articles about products with a lifetime guarantee. If you’ve read those, then you know how important it is to me, as a sophisticated consumer and smart shopper, to buy brands that will stand behind their products.

Third, Dick’s understands the allure of shopping back to school and not paying sales tax. In fact, here is the Dick’s website page devoted entirely to the state sales tax holidays happening this summer. The page is called Back to School Tax Free Days.

Fourth, I like the idea of being able to do all of my back to school shopping in one place.

Choosing athleisure for back to class

Fifth, let’s be honest–we’re all wearing athleisure all the time. Kids and teens are, too. I mean, who doesn’t want to be comfortable in our work from home wardrobe–or school from home wardrobe, as the case may be.

Finally, Dick’s actually stocks many of the essentials parents want for back to school or back to college. This is true even if school may be partially or wholly virtual this fall. Either way, kids need new stuff. So I guess you could say that Dick’s Sporting Goods could be one of the best stores for back to school shopping this year.

One more thing: we currently live in the Pittsburgh area. Dick’s Sporting Goods is headquartered in Pittsburgh. So, by shopping at Dick’s, we are, in essence, supporting a local business.

I recently checked out Dick’s Sporting Goods’ newest store concept: Going, Going, Gone.

Looking for school uniform basics

Maybe your child will be attending a private school this year. Many private schools require uniforms. In fact, some public schools require uniforms, too. Did you know that school uniforms can save money on your back to school shopping? Here’s my article on how uniforms can save parents money.

Anyway, many school uniforms are basic and simple–a polo shirt and khaki or dark-color pants. Well, Dick’s can help out with the polo shirt part, for sure. 

Shopping on the Dick’s website

Here’s one of the first things you’ll notice when you start your shopping for back to school on the Dick’s Sporting Goods website. You can filter results by how you want to get your purchase.

So, you can choose “Ship to Me” or “Curbside Pickup.” You can also choose “In Store Only” but for the sake of this article, I’m focusing on the first two options only. In fact, I’ll likely focus primarily on curbside pickup, which Dick’s describes as curbside, contactless pickup. I like that and, honestly, it’s how I prefer to shop these days.

Another thing I noticed: you can shop for brands available only at Dick’s. This includes Calia by Carrie Underwood, her athleisure line for women. It includes leggings, shorts, shirts, sports bras and more.

Finally, you can check out this week’s deals at Dick’s. This is the page that highlights that week’s discounts. As of this writing, I saw up to 25% off Nike products plus a one-day sale of 50% off certain items. Who knows what next week’s deals will be.

Other deals at Dick’s

Did you know that Dick’s Sporting Goods has an outlet warehouse? It’s called Going, Going Gone, and it’s where you can find some of the best deals on Dick’s merchandise. You can get up to 70% off merchandise.

There is a Going, Going Gone location near me in Pittsburgh. So I’m planning to visit, check it out and write a separate review of the store soon. Stay tuned.

Shopping back to school with warranties and guarantees

As I mentioned at the top of this article, I’ve written a lot about products with lifetime warranties or guarantees. This includes those companies that offer a limited lifetime guarantee. Sometimes “limited” means 10 years, which is still pretty generous in my book.

So, I wanted to focus on products you can buy for back to school or back to college at Dick’s that come with these warranties. I’ve highlighted some selections below. This includes clothing, backpacks and other gear

After the product roundup, I’ve included a brief explanation of each company’s warranty or guarantee program.

Carhartt Warranty

Technically, Carhartt makes “tough” clothing and gear for those who work in physically challenging fields–farming, construction, etc. However, I’ve seen plenty of Carhartt hoodies and hats on college campuses.

So, it’s good to know that Carhartt stands behind what it manufacturers with this warranty, which it calls its “commitment” to customers:

“For over 125 years, we’ve built rugged products to serve and protect hardworking people. We stand behind the premium quality, craftsmanship, durability and performance of all our hardworking garments and accessories — and are committed to the satisfaction of our customers. Should one of our products fail to meet your expectations, please contact our dedicated Customer Service team and we’ll do everything we can to come to the solution.”

Here is the link to shop Carhartt products on the Dick’s Sporting Goods website.

Columbia Sportswear Guarantee

The Columbia warranty varies by product type. For example, t-shirts are covered by a one-year “good faith” warranty. Footwear is also guaranteed for one year. However, outwear, like jackets, and certain equipment, like backpacks, have a longer albeit limited lifetime warranty. Columbia suggests checking the hang tag on your product to determine which guarantee applies.

Here is the Columbia Sportswear shopping page at the DSG website. 

HydroFlask Warranty

HydroFlask offers a variety of warranties and guarantees on its products, from lifetime to just five years. It also promises your satisfaction guaranteed. Either way, HydroFlask stands behind the water bottles, lunch packs and other items it sells. It says so right on the FAQ of the company’s website.

Here is a link to shop HydroFlash products at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

JanSport Guarantee

My daughters only carried JanSport backpacks throughout high school and college. Twice we had to take advantage of the JanSport guarantee, when a zipper broke and could not be repaired. In addition to backpacks, JanSport makes lunchboxes.

Here is the official word from JanSport about its warranty:

“JanSport engineers quality, durable, and reliable products. So, if your pack ever breaks down, simply return it to our warranty center. We’ll fix it or if we can’t we’ll replace it or refund it. We stand by our packs for a lifetime and since we’ve been making packs since 1967, that’s a guarantee you can stand by.”

Here is a link to the JanSport shopping page at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Patagonia Guarantee

Patagonia calls its warranty an “ironclad guarantee.” Here is how the company describes it:

“We guarantee everything we make. If you are not satisfied with one of our products at the time you receive it, or if one of our products does not perform to your satisfaction, return it to the store you bought it from or to Patagonia for a repair, replacement or refund.”

Most companies do not cover normal wear and tear. Patagonia does, for a fee: “Damage due to wear and tear will be repaired at a reasonable charge.”

Here is a link to shop Patagonia products at Dick’s Sporting Goods. 

Smartwool Warranty

Smartwool makes socks for men and women, in adult and youth sizes. The company guarantees their socks for two years.

I’ve been wearing Smartwool socks for years. Trust me, you won’t need the guarantee–because they last so much longer than two year. Even so, it’s good to know the brand stands behind the products it sells.

Here is the Smartwool shopping page at DSG.

The North Face Warranty

How The North Face guarantees its products is pretty direct and generous:

“The North Face products are fully warranted to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the product. If a product ever fails due to a manufacturing defect, even after extended use, we will repair the product, without charge, or replace it, at our discretion.”

Here is a link to shop The North Face on the Dick’s website.

Want more back to school shopping savings tips? This article can help.