Confessions of a Mattel Toy Club Junkie
May 17 '01
The Bottom Line Mattel is a great company that backs its toys. If you have a Toy Club within driving distance it will be worth your while for a visit.
Look around my house, look around my Epinions and you will notice a slew of Hot Wheels Matchbox and Fisher-Price items. Why you ask do my kids have so many? Because this Mom lives about twenty minutes from two Mattel Toy Outlets, aptly named the Toy Club.
The Hook
Regular prices at the Toy Club are nothing to brag about. They seem to be similarly priced with the higher end stores like Toys R Us. But find an orange tagged or better yet a green tagged item and woohoo, you have found a bargain. Orange tags reduce your cost by 20%; green tags items reduce your price by 50%. Yes! 50%! What is wrong with these items that are tagged in color?
Absolutely nothing, unless you count the dented box, or the missing part of the box. The toys work perfectly, but if you buy these for gifts, think ahead and purchase a gift bag so you can toss the dented box. Every once in a while tags go lower. On Saint Patrick's Day, all green tags were 60% off the regular cost. Knowing this, was the beginning of my downfall.
Besides the draw of the tags, the Toy Club takes another step and will have Wacky Wednesday Sales. What do you get on Wacky Wednesday; terrific discounts on clean boxes. For example: Fisher-Price Bubble Mower = $5, Mattel's Monster Jam GraveDigger = $1.50, Fisher-Price Golf Set for Toddler's = $8, and so on and so on. What is a mother to do?
The Inventory
The items at the Toy Club vary from store to store and from time to time. Staples at the Toy Club consist of numerous Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars and accessories. You can buy single track for your Hot Wheels, carriers and cases for storage and computer games and playing cards marked with the Hot Wheels logo. Barbies, Barbies and more Barbies take up an entire aisle. Not just regular Barbies, but the collection Barbies as well are stacked high.
Having a baby? The Toy Club is for you. Bouncy seats, monitors, play yards and infant toys have a section all to themselves. Is a Power Wheels jeep on your son's Christmas list? Visit the Toy Club often and find a box with an orange tag. Not even Wal Mart can beat that price. Tyco RC cars, the newest Max Steel, Sesame Street, Blues Clues and Disney items and many more adorn my son's favorite toy store. This is a place even he can afford on his measly allowance.
The Best Of The Toy Club
By far the employees make the Toy Club. Friendly courteous and always willing to help, the employees will make you feel right at home. Whether you are looking for a sale item, a birthday gift or just trying to find an item with a green tag, the staff always helps and with a smile.
From shiny windows to sparkling floors, cleanliness is a priority for the Toy Club. Trash is not littered around the floor. Ladders do not block the aisles. Fallen merchandise is replaced quickly. This happens all for the benefits of the customer.
The Worst of Mattel
I cannot stress enough how much I , as a parent, HATE wire ties. Consumer friendly packaging has to be the last priority for Mattel. Wire ties and screws continue to be my nemesis. "Sorry sweetie, you have to wait until we get home so mommy can use her screwdriver and wire cutter to open your new truck". That makes for a long ride home. Thirty minutes unwrapping Bear and getting him unpacked for my son's stocking did not make for a pleasant Christmas Eve. Put the items in enclosed boxes. Have one out on display. Then have the boxes time consuming enough to deter thieves from opening them, but not so hard you need tools to get them undone. Better yet, invest in close circuit cameras.
My Spoiled Sons
My sons are showered with so many toys because of the outlet it is pathetic. No child should have as many Hot Wheel cars as they have, unless you talk to my sons and husband. But Mattel has allowed my kids birthdays and Christmases to be great. Without the Toy Club, I would be deeper in debt and would not have witnessed the smiles on my kids' faces as they unwrapped Bear, Blue and yes the Power Wheels Jeep JR.
***I visit the Toy Club in Chino on a regular basis. All my views on stores and staff are based on them***
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Epinions.com ID:
bootsers
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Member: Vicki
Location: So. California
Reviews written: 129
Trusted by: 232 members
About Me:
WooHoo. I'm going to the World Series. Go Angels!
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