As many get early start on holiday shopping, retailers offer twists, deals

By TERESA McUSIC

tmcusic@savvyconsumer.net

The holiday shopping season has officially been launched, and the key word this year among consumers is frugality.

Toy retailers are ready. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced more than 100 toys for $10 this week; Kmart is offering a layaway plan in its stores and online. Toys R Us has opened 350 temporary pop-up stores in malls and in its Babies R Us outlets to better reach customers.

Last year, the plunging stock market and beginnings of the recession took retailers by surprise, forcing them to heavily discount their overstocked inventory, said Ellen Davis, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation.

This year will be different, she said, with retailers carrying lower levels of inventory and focusing more on necessities than on extravagant gifts.

"Retailers knew going into this season that consumers would be price-conscious and frugal," she said. "This really is the season to buy early."

Sandy Challinor, owner of The Owl’s Nest Toy Shop in Southlake, said her customers are already shopping for the holidays.

"People are buying a lot earlier this year than ever before," she said. "We had some leftover Christmas wrapping paper from last year and we started using it about a month ago."

In addition to free gift-wrapping, Challinor said, she is focusing on keeping her inventory priced as low as possible.

"Everyone is more cost-conscious for sure," she said. "I try to keep my prices as close as possible to Walmart and Target."

She recommends those buying now to tag any gifts wrapped this far in advance to avoid forgetting who the intended receiver is.

Challinor said the weak economy almost shuttered her store last month after seven years in business. An angel investor came in at the last minute to allow the doors to remain open, she said.

For discounts of 30 to 60 percent on Mattel and Fisher Price toys, consumers should consider shopping at the Mattel Toy Store at 501 Meacham Blvd. in Fort Worth. The manufacturer has just nine outlet stores in the U.S. for its current and past merchandise.

With a free membership, customers can obtain coupons at www.matteltoystore.com that change each week, store manager Teresa Taylor said.

"We change our sales every Tuesday and have tried to add more items this year," Taylor said.

The store can even beat Walmart prices on some items: The latest Barbie doll in the Three Musketeers theme sells for $21.99 this week, beating Walmart by $3, Taylor said. She advises shoppers to watch for further discounts on the hot holiday item.

In addition to individual customers, Mattel has an agreement with more than 100 local companies, including Lockheed Martin, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Pepsi and Cook Children’s Medical Center. Employees at participating companies can get a 20 percent discount every day at the store and a 30 percent discount the first week of every month.

For consumers wanting to spread out the cost of their holiday gifts, many stores offer layaway plans, which are seeing increased popularity since the recession hit last year.

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