So I’m attending Canisius College next year but I think other schools have similar programs. I got a letter saying regular sheets don’t fit the beds there and that OCM sheets are the only ones guaranteed to fit. This is probably wrong since twin XL sheets are soooo easy to find. But it does seem convenient, and the prices seem okay. Has anyone used a service like this? I’m concerned about a few things.
Nothing on the website has a review, believe me, I checked.
I can't find what anything is made of. Separate sheets have microfiber or cotton listed but the bundles don't. I'm a bit picky, I'd rather have something that is mostly, if not completely, made of cotton.
It seems a little bit too cheap. Everything is "guaranteed" but I'd rather not have to use a warranty or have things get ripped.
I don't want someone to trick me into buying something "official" that I can easily get somewhere else.
I can’t find anything online about this company or its quality, either. I have, however, seen poor reviews of similar services and I have no reason to believe this one is different. My mom is considering buying from here for the convenience so I’m trying to keep an open mind. If anyone has ever used this service please tell me what you thought of it and whether it actually saved you money.
A couple of my roommates and neighbors in the dorm ordered from this company (they all had the same bedspread). They seemed like pretty decent quality. I ordered twin XL cotton sheets from PB Teen when they were on sale and never had any issues with fitting them on the beds, and they’ve lasted all four years. Cost about the same as it would have to order from the company.
I’m picky about the texture and threat count of linens and towels. I found ok-to-bad reviews for the items in the OCM bundle and did not want to risk it.
I bought higher thread count sheets (forget where) and got a nice solid quilt and quilted sham set from Ikea for DS. I like that their towels have a hanging loop. Many stores will have plenty of twin-XL sheets over the summer and when school starts. DD goes to school this year and I will check Ikea first for the color we want and then BBBeyond. I don’t have the patience for thin towels, etc. and want these things to last my kiddos.
Hard to believe that a college has such unique beds that only one company’s sheets will fit! We got marketing packets like that before my kid’s freshman year started, too. Here’s the deal – the college is $omehow benefitting from the relationship with that “official” company. A Twin XL bed is common. There are lots of places to buy Twin XL sheets, etc. I think my kid got hers from Pottery Barn or The Company Store. Bed Bath & Beyond has them too.
We’ve done BB&B and Target. Twin XL sheets will be everywhere in the summer in preparation for college kids.
Tip: if you move on from an twin XL, hang on to your sheets/set - you may need them again during your school years. D wound up in university housing for a summer internship out of state, and this saved us some time and $$ since she already had them.
I ordered last year for my kid he picked it up when he arrived at his dorm… it was a bundle: sheets, towels, fan and a big other things. Very helpful and made my life easy
The linen sets offered by the various companies give some commission or payment to the Us for every purchase, which is why the price is higher than what you may otherwise be able to get elsewhere. That said, they may have the school’s logos emblazoned that other products may not.
We had no problems with bedding we bought elsewhere fitting fine. Our kids had xl twin beds on their campus as well. When they moved to apartments, they opted for double/full beds.
Exactly, ha ha. I was shopping today and saw a bunch even though it’s definitely not back to school season. I also saw a lot of sheets advertised as twin/twin XL so it really shouldn’t be hard to find something fairly nice.
As for towels, I just bought some at Kohl’s that seem pretty nice. All of their bedding and towels seem to be on sale right now as well so I’m going to check their website to see if they have Twin XL sheets in stock. We don’t have an Ikea around here or a Bed Bath and Beyond.
Pottery Barn, BB&B, or any reputable company would be a better deal. OCM gets pretty annoying with their marketing, especially with their ads for care packages throughout the school year.
We got things my daughter liked in person while shopping sales so it probably cost less and only got the items she felt she needed/wanted.
In terms of OCM care packages - I ordered a welcome package which I thought was from the school but was from OCM. It wasn’t there at arrival though the other 3 girls had there package. After confirming that I was billed I called OCM. They could see that she ordered in time but said it would be shipped when they had gathered all the late orders for her school. She wasn’t late with her order, they were. It took several calls and requests for a refund before they finally sent the welcome package in October with lots of expired items before my daughter received the welcome to school package in October.
Not only that, but you don’t need all the stuff in the OCM package. Sheets (and two sets may be overkill - I don’t think mine used both sets) and towels and that’s it. All the comforters and throws and extra pillows? Mine kids used their stuff from home, from the linen closet at home, or didn’t really need the stuff.
The only thing one kid needed was a hand towel for the work out room at the gym (she was an athlete). I bought two at Target and never saw them again.
We didn’t order the package because it didn’t list fabric for the sheets and my son wanted cotton. I shopped sales and got exactly what he wanted for much less. Cotton sheets from target, cotton reversible quilt and sham from kohl’s, 4 towels, 2 wash cloths, 2 hand towels from JC Penney. Extra pillowcases from target, also small wastbasket and clip-on desk lamp. Fuzzy throw from JC Penney, mattress pad from kohl’s, pillows from home(I had several new ones that I had added as filler items to Kohl’s orders). Mesh shower caddy from Kohl’s. Everything matched and coordinated great and was around $100 total.
The friends who did OCM bundles hated them at my D’s school. Any XL sheets are going to fit. Home Goods/TJ Maxx/Marshall’s have great quality stuff out this time of year.
Absolutely no benefit to the OCM package, unless you really really want exactly the same comforter as 15 other people in the building… two of my freshman roommates ended up with the same set! My dorm sheets were a birthday gift and came from PBTeen; I believe the sale price was reasonable. I used those sheets for four years of undergrad and two summer internships, and the flat sheets are still in very good shape. I was lucky enough to be gifted a homemade quilt and my parents gave me a couple of their old towels, and I was good to go. No need to fuss about getting the “official” set. Other things will work.
We got marketing packets like that before my kid’s freshman year started, too. Here’s the deal – the college is $omehow benefitting from the relationship with that “official” company. A Twin XL bed is common. There are lots of places to buy Twin XL sheets, etc. I think my kid got hers from Pottery Barn or The Company Store. Bed Bath & Beyond has them too.