Posted by jim on October 18, 2008 under Consumer Experience | 
All right, so another post from me bashing Big Box Toy retailer Toys R Us…. But, bear with me. Here’s the quote from Toys “R” Us Senior Vice President:
“At Toys”R”Us, we love kids, and we want to help parents make a big deal about their children this holiday season. Our new campaign shows parents looking for the perfect gift and incredible values that Toys”R”Us has something special for every child and every budget. It also reminds everyone about the magical experience in stores by bringing back the famous, ‘I’m a Toys”R”Us Kid’ jingle.” See Market Watch for more….
If Toys “R” Us is truly so concerned with helping parents make their kids happy, why don’t they revamp their service rather than changing their advertising pitch and reviving their old jingle?
This is how I think of Toys “R” Us. And yes, I sometimes go to Toys “R” Us because we don’t stock and sell every toy brand in the world and sometimes my little girls have their heart set on a toy for Christmas or a birthday that I can’t buy direct and don’t have in stock. In any event, I always thought it would make sense if you could walk into a toy store and say to someone working there, “I have to buy a present for a seven year old boy, can you help me pick something out?” The clerk would then respond with, “Sure, how much do you want to spend? Oh, yes, would you like this, that or we have this over here….”
Actually, we have a local toy store around the corner from our warehouse (yes, I go there too) and you can do pretty much that. But, try that in any Toys “R” Us and you’ll get a blank stare. As a matter of fact, try this one (this is my favorite). “I’m looking for a certain item by this manufacturer, do you have it.” Response: (Employee pointing) “I don’t know, if we have any of those they would be over there.”
That’s the Toys “R” Us I know. No nostalgia there. No love for kids – no help for parents to show them how to make a big deal out of their kids. Just another big box with a bunch of disorganized stuff on the shelves. Always employees that know little or nothing about the product and care little or nothing about the consumer. Most likely this way not because of the employees themselves, but because of another large corporation that believes in spending a lot more money on marketing trying to convince the consumer they care, rather than training employees to do just that.
Posted by jim on October 10, 2008 under Economics |
As if the consumer wasn’t scared enough already, now we have to fear that the world’s largest toy manufacturer and the world’s largest toy retailers might not make all the money they had hoped for on yet another version of Elmo. It appears that Tickle Me Elmo, TMX Elmo, Stretch and Fun Elmo, Ba Ba Baby Elmo, Up Up Elmo and Elmo Knows Your Name have not completely satisfied the public’s appetite for all things Elmo. This Christmas, Mattel thought the answer was Elmo Live.
Elmo Live is Scary!
But wait, Mattel (Fisher Price), had to cut some corners to keep the price point at $60. Mattel “made several concessions. Its final version sacrificed some movement to reduce the toy’s complexity. It also eliminated, for example, the ability to swivel at the hip. Elmo Live blows kisses, but other gestures were ruled out.”
And now, with the DJIA devastation plaguing the US economy, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us may not sell enough Elmos. Wouldn’t that be terrible? Forget the speciality toy store that can’t just “always invest heavily on Elmo” like Chief Executive Officer of Toys R Us Gerald L. Storch does. The independent retailer actually has to take risks on unique products, by innovative manufacturers. Products that the speciality retailer knows are exceptional because they have played with them and researched them. The only problem is that they haven’t been shoved down the public’s throats like Elmo – often in the name of “education” by PBS’s Sesame Street.
In any event, as consumers we should not fear for Mattel (who just one a monstrous lawsuit against MGA, makers of Bratz), as if spending $60 on Elmo Live at Wal-Mart might some how stabilize the economy and thrill the child that only currently owns a meager 4 out of 400 versions of Elmos. If Big Box toy companies can’t move enough Elmos at $60, they will just drop the price to $55. If that doesn’t work, $49.99 sounds about right.
Tags: big box, bratz, buy local, consumer fear, DJIA, educational toys, elmo, elmo live, mattel, mga, speciality toys, toys, WalMart
Posted by jim on October 9, 2008 under Consumer Experience |
In the wake of WalMart announcing dramatic price drops in the Toy category, KB announced it would drop prices on 200 toys. CEO Andy Bailen explained, “Clearly, more consumers are looking for affordably priced gifts and that is why we also just took over 200 great toys and lowered their prices to $10 or less.” What a great gesture to the consumer in this time of economic crisis!
Not so fast! Let’s look at some of the items on the list. The Are U Smarter Than a 5th Grader? game. This game came out for last Christmas. Toy sellers have been selling that at below cost all year to get rid of it. MLB action figures – it’s October. My Little Pony – it’s 2008.
Big Box toy stores are using the fear put into consumers by the DJIA dropping faster and faster every day (in the wake of any news, good or bad) to convince them to buy toys they can’t sell anyway.
Don’t fall for it. Purchasing toys that kids don’t want in order to save money is not going to help the consumer. Why not make smarter purchases from independent toys stores? Instead of buying a couple of outdated, useless, sub-$10 toys, why not purchase a product with an online component that is only $14.99 and allows children to play for months and months with other children on the web like VIPs or Groovy Girl RSVPs?
Both presidential candidates have gone on record about the importance of supporting small business and how it helps the economy. What will help the economy faster? Helping WalMart or KB unload some old stock before Christmas or supporting that local toy store in your town that can barely pay the light bill?
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