Wait, wait, wait. Not that word. Stop thinking bad things.
I'm talking about Fingerlings.
Or you can even change that letter to H for Hatchimals. Or any letter for any of the "big" toys this Holiday season.
Why am I hating on them so much? Do I think they are stupid toys?
No. I think that some children will absolutely love these toys and play with them daily. I also think that there are children that will play with them for 5 minutes and then never want to touch them again.
I don't hate the toy themselves; I hate the craze that has come up because of them.
Yes, I understand that they are popular because some children already have them and show them off either in person or on YouTube videos. I also understand that all the big stores have made a huge deal about these little toys as well, which only drives up the interest of young children (and even some adults).
I especially hate that there are people out there clearing the shelves and selling the toys for ridiculous amounts of money. And I hate that we are seeing it daily even though stores are restocking these toys as fast as they can, which is sometimes daily.
And I know this is nothing new. My mom stood in line to get me a Furby (which I still have in storage at her house....yep, it's out there somewhere) when they were brand new. I was lucky that she was able to and I was able to get the one toy that I really wanted that year for my birthday. I would have never expected her to pay four times retail to get me one if she hadn't been able to, though.
And that is what I am seeing so much of now. Parents "need" this toy and are paying sixty to a hundred dollars for one. And I get it (even if I don't agree with it); their children asked for very specific items this year and they want to be able to deliver those items.
Would I be spending that kind of money if this was the one item my child really wanted for Christmas? No, I wouldn't. Because I am not going to support someone who goes out and clears the entire shelf of toys just to make extra money themselves. I would keep an eye out at every store I went to just in case I saw one of those toys.
Did you know that we could actually stop this price gouging if we really wanted to? If everyone stopped purchasing these items for way over retail, people would be stuck with the items they bought just to sell for higher and would think twice about buying them all up the next year.
Do I honestly think we will ever see the end of this price gouging? No, sadly, I don't. It has been around forever and just changes each year with what the new "hot" toy is that year.
But you don't have to be a part of this giant problem. Here's my tips to keep from spending way more on a gift than needed:
*Shop around. If there is really only ONE toy that your child wants that year, be prepared to shop multiple stores often to find it.
*Shop early. Don't wait until December to start looking for the item. Most likely, it will be sold out and selling at a huge mark up by this time.
*Have friends and family members look in their areas to find the toy for you and ship it to you. You would be surprised how many times a store in one area of the country has multiples of a toy still in stock when everywhere else is sold out because it just isn't a big item in that area yet.
And here is my tips for not getting sucked into one of the crazes in the first place:
*Start teaching your children that just because they want a toy doesn't mean they will receive it.
*Purchase awesome toys that you know your children will love instead of this toy that is the "hot" toy at the time. Yes, they may still be disappointed in the beginning, but I bet they will be glad you got them something they love anyway!
*Keep your child away from as many ads as possible. This includes all those toy videos floating around YouTube.
Let me expand on point three for a sec. We don't subscribe to cable and keep a watchful eye what our son (my daughter doesn't understand technology yet) is watching on YouTube. We have seen toy videos being watched in the past, but we were careful to let our son know that just because he saw it in a video doesn't mean he actually needs it. He may still ask for things, but we just remind him that he has awesome toys to play with and that seems to work well for now.
And now I am going to apologize if this post seems judgmental at all. I really don't care what you are buying your children, but I am tired of seeing people taken advantage of when it comes to "big" items like these toys.
Let me end this by saying I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family members, however you choose to celebrate.
I'm talking about Fingerlings.
Or you can even change that letter to H for Hatchimals. Or any letter for any of the "big" toys this Holiday season.
Why am I hating on them so much? Do I think they are stupid toys?
No. I think that some children will absolutely love these toys and play with them daily. I also think that there are children that will play with them for 5 minutes and then never want to touch them again.
I don't hate the toy themselves; I hate the craze that has come up because of them.
Yes, I understand that they are popular because some children already have them and show them off either in person or on YouTube videos. I also understand that all the big stores have made a huge deal about these little toys as well, which only drives up the interest of young children (and even some adults).
I especially hate that there are people out there clearing the shelves and selling the toys for ridiculous amounts of money. And I hate that we are seeing it daily even though stores are restocking these toys as fast as they can, which is sometimes daily.
And I know this is nothing new. My mom stood in line to get me a Furby (which I still have in storage at her house....yep, it's out there somewhere) when they were brand new. I was lucky that she was able to and I was able to get the one toy that I really wanted that year for my birthday. I would have never expected her to pay four times retail to get me one if she hadn't been able to, though.
And that is what I am seeing so much of now. Parents "need" this toy and are paying sixty to a hundred dollars for one. And I get it (even if I don't agree with it); their children asked for very specific items this year and they want to be able to deliver those items.
Would I be spending that kind of money if this was the one item my child really wanted for Christmas? No, I wouldn't. Because I am not going to support someone who goes out and clears the entire shelf of toys just to make extra money themselves. I would keep an eye out at every store I went to just in case I saw one of those toys.
Did you know that we could actually stop this price gouging if we really wanted to? If everyone stopped purchasing these items for way over retail, people would be stuck with the items they bought just to sell for higher and would think twice about buying them all up the next year.
Do I honestly think we will ever see the end of this price gouging? No, sadly, I don't. It has been around forever and just changes each year with what the new "hot" toy is that year.
But you don't have to be a part of this giant problem. Here's my tips to keep from spending way more on a gift than needed:
*Shop around. If there is really only ONE toy that your child wants that year, be prepared to shop multiple stores often to find it.
*Shop early. Don't wait until December to start looking for the item. Most likely, it will be sold out and selling at a huge mark up by this time.
*Have friends and family members look in their areas to find the toy for you and ship it to you. You would be surprised how many times a store in one area of the country has multiples of a toy still in stock when everywhere else is sold out because it just isn't a big item in that area yet.
And here is my tips for not getting sucked into one of the crazes in the first place:
*Start teaching your children that just because they want a toy doesn't mean they will receive it.
*Purchase awesome toys that you know your children will love instead of this toy that is the "hot" toy at the time. Yes, they may still be disappointed in the beginning, but I bet they will be glad you got them something they love anyway!
*Keep your child away from as many ads as possible. This includes all those toy videos floating around YouTube.
Let me expand on point three for a sec. We don't subscribe to cable and keep a watchful eye what our son (my daughter doesn't understand technology yet) is watching on YouTube. We have seen toy videos being watched in the past, but we were careful to let our son know that just because he saw it in a video doesn't mean he actually needs it. He may still ask for things, but we just remind him that he has awesome toys to play with and that seems to work well for now.
And now I am going to apologize if this post seems judgmental at all. I really don't care what you are buying your children, but I am tired of seeing people taken advantage of when it comes to "big" items like these toys.
Let me end this by saying I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family members, however you choose to celebrate.
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