Reasons You Should Go For Traditional Xmas Presents
Christmas may come only once a year – but when it arrives, it is a very important period for retailers. It can make all the difference between a good year and a bad year. So it’s unsurprising that so much effort goes into forecasting what the best selling items will be every year.
It’s especially critical in the toys and games market. Every year there seems to be one special toy that is the “must have” toy of the year. In no particular order we have witnessed Buzz Lightyear, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tickle-Me-Elmo, Beyblades, Cabbage Patch Kids and Furbies take the “top toy” title in previous years.
Usually most of these toys will enjoy one year at the top of the list. Whilst the majority of these toys are still available today, they aren’t going to be number one this Xmas. Many of them won’t even make it into the top fifty.
However, there are some evergreen favorites which are always popular choices year after year and have survived the test of time across generations of youngsters. Some well known examples, again in no particular order, might be Lego, Monopoly, Scrabble, Cluedo, Barbie, G.I. Joe and train sets. Admittedly, it’s improbable that any of these will be the best selling this year – but they will appear in the best selling twenty or thirty toys year after year.
Considering the current volume of sales, this year’s top toy looks like being Zhu Zhu Pets – cute, robot hamsters which interact using artificial intelligence. However, as in previous years, demand seems to be outstripping supply. It’s already difficult to locate them in the shops. You can however, see them on eBay – at prices way over the official price. This appears to happen every year and toy suppliers have been accused of artificially limiting supply to create a sense of urgency on more than one occasion in the past.
This really isn’t unusual. Whether or not it’s a deliberate strategy by the manufacturers is open to debate, but it has almost become an annual event these days. Many times, no more than a few weeks after Christmas, last year’s expensive hot toy will become yesterday’s news. The more traditional toys on the other hand, will still be used and enjoyed for a long time to come. Many of these toys will actually be handed from one generation to the next. That’s why toys such as Hornby Dublo train sets, Lego, Scrabble etc. are such fantastic value for money and are always a welcome addition to any child’s toy box.
