We recently reminisced about the Cabbage Patch Kid craze of 1983-4 and usually each year there is one "gotta have" toy that every parent is trying to track down. Not this year, according to an article in the New York Times, and that's good news for parents hoping for a less stressful shopping season.
I have very clear memories from my days working retail of parents shoving other parents and even children out of the way to get to the latest and greatest toys and games around the holiday season. I can reassure you - it's usually pretty ugly out there.
The Times' article "No Hit Toy To Brighten Retailers' Christmas" describes a toy shopping landscape without a toy that everyone goes bonkers trying to get. The article also cited a survey in which more than one-third of parents were stumped for toy gift ideas because they weren't seeing as many new items for offer. You can read more on this year's buying habits at The New York Times.
How have your shopping days been? Have you run into any crazed parents or have they been pretty mellow?
(Image: Flickr member pasukaru76 licensed for use by Creative Commons)
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Clearly no one there has tried to find a Leap Pad Explorer. (Bought mine in November, whew.) And I had trouble finding the Hot Wheels Wall Tracks for a while, but I eventually found them. (Now I wish I never had, since they keep falling off the wall, but that's another story.)
There may not be a hot toy this year but Leapster Explorer Tablets are no where to be found in stores or online and are selling for twice face value on ebay.
Exactly. The tablet-style toys like LeapPad are hot. I don't know many parents who *don't* have it or something like it on the shopping list. I've had several friends comment on their lack as well as on the Hot Wheels wall tracks.
Oh don't tell me they fall off the wall! That's what I got our girls, and I'm sorry you can't find your leapsters. So glad I don't have cable so our girls can't see all the products, but now they have no clue what they want oh well, its fun to guess and hope they are surprised!
My Hotwheel Wall Track is STILL attached firmly to the wall! What type of surface is yours stuck to pyjammy?
sarahrae, it's a sheetrocked wall, pretty standard. my brother sent the boys an extension kit so i could really only put it in one place (it has to be near a corner) so we might try liquid nails to keep it on FOREVERRRRRRR.
it sucks, because they really enjoy it!
bluepuppybites, my boys have never seen a commercial, so i love being able to surprise them like this! the only thing they want is a train car (each) from the Thomas set. :)
Oh, and to leave ONE more comment, I've heard from moms of girls that those lalaloopsie (or whatever) dolls are hard to find.
I don't really understand parents being 'stumped' as to what to get their children for Christmas just because there isn't a new toy craze. There are thousands of cool, interesting toys out there! Besides, every toy that I can think of that has been 'hot' has ultimately been pretty disappointing (zhu zhu pets??)