Procrastinators may have an even harder time this holiday season. Retailers worried about getting stuck with too much inventory may not have ordered enough toys.
“Stores just under ordered across the board," said Jim Silver, an analyst at Timetoplaymag.com, who predicted shortages of the top 100 toys by early December. In a typical year, only the top 15 are in short supply that early.
According to an article by the Associated Press some of the toughest toys to find already include “Zhu Zhu Pets hamster, an interactive mechanical rodent by Cepia Inc. that sells for $9.99 and is being compared to Furby a decade ago”
“Other toys that are already becoming hard to find include Mattel's Mindflex, which measures brain activity through a helmet, a Nerf dart thrower called Nerf N Strike from Hasbro Inc. and Barbie Fashionista, who can twist her hips and strike other poses.”
And it’s not just toys where retailers are cutting back.
“This year, inventory is 8 to 13 percent smaller for mid-price clothing, and 10 to 15 percent smaller for home furnishings,” said Antony Karabus, CEO of Karabus Management, a retail advisory firm.
So the biggest lesson this holiday shopping season may be if you see something you like, buy it because it may not be there when you go back.
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