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.
It’s especially critical in the toys and games sector. Each year there seems to be one particular toy that is the “must have” toy of the year. In no particular order we have seen Buzz Lightyear, Tickle-Me-Elmo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Beyblades, Cabbage Patch Kids and Furbies claim the crown in previous years.
In general, these toys will claim the top spot for a single year only. Whilst many of them are still available today, they won’t be challenging for this year’s Christmas best seller - in some cases, they won’t even be in the top fifty of the best seller list.
On the other hand, there are some perennial favorites which are always popular choices every year and have stood the test of time across generations of children. Some well known examples, again in no particular order, would be Lego, Monopoly, Scrabble, Cluedo, Barbie, G.I. Joe and train sets. Admittedly, it’s unlikely that any of these will be the number one toy this year - but they will appear in the top twenty or thirty toys year after year.
Looking at the current sales figure this year, it seems likely that Zhu Zhu Pets - a gang of five motorized hamsters - will be this years Christmas hit. That supposes that the buying public will be able to find them in the shops of course - demand does seem to be much higher than supply. Already, they can be found on eBay, needless to say, for prices well in excess of the official sales price. This seems to happen every year around Christmas and toy manufacturers and retailers have been accused of deliberately setting stock levels low to induce a sense of buyer urgency in the past.
Whilst this almost seems to have become a part of our modern day Christmas tradition, whether or not it is a deliberate ploy is debatable. What is certain is that it very often takes only a few weeks after Christmas for last year’s expensive “must have” toy to become old news. More traditional toys, on the other hand, are generally still used and enjoyed for a long period of time. Many of them will become cherished possessions and may even be passed on to the next generation of kids. That’s exactly why the more traditional toys and games like Scrabble, Lego and Hornby Dublo trainsets etc. offer such great value for money and are the ideal gift at Christmas.
Check on the availability of the Zhu Zhu Hamsters or discover one of the most traditional Christmas gifts available - a Hornby Dublo train set.
