Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and now Cyber Monday are in the record books for 2012. If you have children or have kids in your life to shop for, I am pretty sure there are toys on your list. Hopefully you have managed to get a lot of your gifts out the way with the fabulous steals and deals that took place this past weekend. But if not, you still may have a chance to get the toys you want for the kids in your life without breaking the bank.
Time to Play has been a wonderful resource for people who are looking for information, tips, and tools about some of the world’s most popular toys. Back in September, I attended their Holiday Showcase in New York that features toys on their 2012 Most Wanted List for the holidays as well as other toys that manufacturers are positioning as this season’s must-haves. While at the showcase, us attendees got to meet with Time to Play Editor In Chief Jim Silver and Content Director Christopher Byrne, who schooled us on how to shop for toys to make sure they are under our tree come Christmas.
Here are a few tips and tools from Time to Play:
- When you see a toy, especially one on the Most Wanted list or a popular item either in-store or online, get it. Toy manufacturers only make so many of each toy and stores including Toys R Us and Walmart have supply limits. Don’t wait until it’s too late Buy now.
- Layaway is a great option for securing the toys your kids want, even if you don’t have all of the money right then to purchase. Toys R Us, Walmart, and Kmart all have layaway for the holiday. Know the terms, conditions, and rules before placing your items in layaway, as well as the deadline for payment. Walmart’s holiday layaway deadline this year is December 14th.
- When shopping in stores, the best time to do so is on Fridays, after they’ve restocked the shelves and before the evening rush when people get off of work. Between the hours of 2 and 6 are the best times to shop stores for toys.
- Use price/coupon matching to get the best deals.
- Be aware of special collections or toys that are only sold in certain stores. Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us all have toys that are created just for their stores, and are not offered everywhere.
- Utilize Time to Play’s newest feature, the Price Comparison tool on their site, to see live comparisons of toy prices across stores in one place. Compare the prices and see if it’s in stock and available for purchase (currently in BETA, you can visit Time to Play to see how it works).
Price comparison as of November 15th at 3:30 pm
7. Keep your receipts. If you purchase a toy and see it somewhere else cheaper, then you can return it hassle free. See store’s return policy for information.
Shopping for toys on your little one’s list shouldn’t be hard or full of hassle. Utilize these tips above from Time to Play to make it easy, breezy!
Editorial photo credit: Getty Images
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