These Are The Things You Should & Shouldn't Buy From HomeSense, According To Employees

What to get

Stationery

Believe it or not, the stationery department might have some unique and interesting gems to be enjoyed.

"Stationery is the best, hands down," said Joy, "If they don't know where to put it, it goes to stationery."

"There are a lot of weird things in there that I've literally never seen anywhere else."

Art supplies

If you enjoy painting, you might want to keep an eye out for supplies at HomeSense.

According to Heather, stationery is great for anyone who likes to do art.

"HomeSense has some of the best prices I've seen for larger canvases," said Heather.

Cute stuff from the front of the store

While the front where you line up is typically thought to be where they put all the impulse buy items, according to Joy, this is also a great place to check for goodies of all kinds.

"It's at the front for a reason," she explained.

"It will have all the best little stuff you don't need up there!"

So, you might not need all the cute little doohickeys and decor items that are put up there, but you might really want them.

What to avoid

Perishable groceries

If you've been to HomeSense you've probably seen some of the food, snacks and other packaged goods lining the aisle. And while they're cheap and often fun snacks, Heather recommends staying away from some that might be on the more perishable side.

"I personally don't buy 'grocery' foods at HomeSense," she explained.

"We're a reseller and I'm lazy about checking expiry dates. Things like snacks or items with a long shelf life are generally fine though."

She did add that "Real vanilla at [HomeSense] is so cheap compared to the grocery store."

She also adds that bath products such as shampoos are generally pretty safe, as they don't come with strict expiry dates.

Frames

Frames are an essential part of homeware, and chances are you might hop into HomeSense looking for them.

And while, it's not like you shouldn't get them, employee advice seems to suggest that customers proceed with caution, especially when picking them up.

"Avoid frames. It's just dominos waiting to happen — you can easily break 20 frames by picking up one," said Joy.

Rugs

This might sound strange, but if you're interested in buying a rug from HomeSense, give it the ol' sniff test.

"Smell any hanging rug you're thinking of buying," recommends Heather.

"Sometimes those things are in a warehouse for a while before they make it to a store. If there's a smell and you're not willing to do a deep clean when you get home, don't buy it."

Because sometimes that funky smell won't just air out!

And, while you are over at the rugs, here's a hot tip: ask for help getting them down. Trying to do it yourself can lead to some issues.

"You still need an associate to take the tags off and now we're going to get yelled at about breaking a rug arm because you couldn't wait a minute for us to come over," explained Heather.