Choosing A Christmas Gift - Trendy Or Traditional?
Posted by Henry Davidson | Filed under Home & Family
Christmas may come but once a year, but when it does, it’s a critical time for many retailers. A lot of retail profits are made around Christmas - it can make all the difference between a great year and a financial disaster. It’s no wonder that so much time and effort is devoted to predicting what items will do well in the Festive sales bonanza.
Obviously this is especially true in the toys and children’s games category. Every year seems to throw up on hot must have toy that is all the rage for a while. In years gone by we have seen, in no particular order, toys such as Cabbage Patch Kids, Buzz Lightyear, Tickle-Me-Elmo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Furbies and Beyblades emerge as the Christmas best seller.
Typically most of these toys will enjoy one year at the top of the list. Whilst most of these toys are still around today, they won’t be number one this year. Many of them won’t even make it into the top fifty.
Of course, there are also some evergreen favorites which are popular choices year in, year out. They have stood the test of time spanning generations of kids. Some of the best known examples - once again in no particular order - would be Scrabble, Monopoly, train sets, Cluedo, Barbie, G. I. Joe, and Lego. It’s not likely that any of the toys on this list will be the best seller this year admittedly - but they will sell well and be in the top twenty or thirty every year.
Based upon the current volume of sales, this year’s top toy looks like being Zhu Zhu Pets - small, robot hamsters which interact using artificial intelligence. However, as in previous years, demand seems to be outstripping supply. It’s already hard to find them in the stores. You can however, find them on eBay - at prices way above the ticket price. This seems to happen every year and toy suppliers have been accused of artificially limiting supply to create a buzz on more than one occasion in the past.
This really isn’t uncommon. Whether or not it’s a deliberate ploy by the manufacturers is open to debate, but it has practically become an annual event these days. Usually, just a few weeks after Christmas, last year’s expensive hot toy will be history. The more traditional toys on the other hand, will still be used and enjoyed for a long time to come. A lot of these toys will actually be passed from one generation to the next. That’s why toys like Hornby Dublo train sets, Lego, Scrabble etc. represent such great value for money and are always a welcome addition to any child’s toy box.
Get an update on the availability of the Zhu Zhu Hamsters - or have a look at a long term Christmas favorite - a Hornby Dublo train set.
Tags: go go hamsters, go go pets, Home & Family, hornby dublo, hornby oo, toys, train sets, zhu zhu hamsters, zhu zhu pets
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