Good Morning, Hamster Homies!
As promised, Zhu Zhu Pets™ are beginning to show up in more places, with some slightly different purchasing options. ToysRUs.com posted this photo of a NEW hamster 4-pack containing Nugget, Scoodles, Jilly, and Winkie. Retailing for 39.99 for the set, it has not been in stock yet at Toysrus.com per the Zoolert tracking system. However.... for a hefty premium, you can currently purchase this 4 pack and an 8-pack of Duracell AAA batteries at ToysRUs-owned eToys.com (79.99) or FAO Schwartz (89.99). Personally, I do not recommend paying an extra $40-50 for a pack of batteries.
On a side note: ToysRUs and their pricing has been a point of contention for several months now. The newest change has been the price for the TRU-exclusive "Giant Hamster City." The original stated price was $84.99 for the first round of presales, which seemed reasonable for the amount of items it contains. This was right around the low-retail price of stores, such as Walmart, and you had the chance to buy a lot of items in a convenient bundle.
When another round of presales began (which had an estimated ship date of 11/23...that didn't happen either), the price was raised to $99.99. The $15 price increase was annoying, but many people still ordered them. Now this week, the "Giant Hamster City" playset was featured in the ToysRUs flier. No price was listed, only "Hot Price" next to the photo. Wonder why? Now that it is available to purchase in stores, the price has raised again to $129.99!!! ToysRUs's own retail price for purchasing the pieces contained in this set individually is only $104. Just another puzzling inconsistency to add to the list.
On a side note: ToysRUs and their pricing has been a point of contention for several months now. The newest change has been the price for the TRU-exclusive "Giant Hamster City." The original stated price was $84.99 for the first round of presales, which seemed reasonable for the amount of items it contains. This was right around the low-retail price of stores, such as Walmart, and you had the chance to buy a lot of items in a convenient bundle.
When another round of presales began (which had an estimated ship date of 11/23...that didn't happen either), the price was raised to $99.99. The $15 price increase was annoying, but many people still ordered them. Now this week, the "Giant Hamster City" playset was featured in the ToysRUs flier. No price was listed, only "Hot Price" next to the photo. Wonder why? Now that it is available to purchase in stores, the price has raised again to $129.99!!! ToysRUs's own retail price for purchasing the pieces contained in this set individually is only $104. Just another puzzling inconsistency to add to the list.
A regional store that I am very familiar with is Shopko. Now Shopko is selling Zhu Zhu Pets™ products online! They tend toward slightly higher retail price (11.99 per hamster), but still much more reasonable than eToys/FAO Schwartz/eBay. Additionally, they are one of few stores that carries the Starter Set with Patches hamster, which you can also purchase online now! At this moment, "wave 2" new hamsters are not available.
You can become a fan of Shopko on their Facebook page and you will see them post as soon as new Zhu Zhu Pets™ items are added to their website.
Walmart.com has added a few new purchasing options to their Zhu Zhu Pets™ line-up. These include a bundle of the original 4 hamsters ($32); a "choose any 2 hamster" bundle ($16); and "choose any 1 hamster and 1 accessory" bundle ($18). Obviously, these bundles reflect Walmart's individual retail price for the items. Though not in stock yet, these are a low-cost and convenient option for those scrambling to complete an online checkout.
Rumors are that Kmart and Justice girls clothing stores will be carrying Zhu Zhu Pets™ items, though it may not be until after January 1.
Rumors are that Kmart and Justice girls clothing stores will be carrying Zhu Zhu Pets™ items, though it may not be until after January 1.
So, with so many more online purchasing options, how do you keep track of it all? ZOOLERT! The free Zoolert online tracking service allows up to pull up a tracking screen (or minimize it on your computer) and it does the work for you. For Zhu Zhu Pets™ items, the system checks online retailers every 60 seconds for newly posted merchandise, then alerts you with an animal noise. You can also choose to get email alerts. Additionally, there are special tracking option for Zhu Zhu Pets™ Hunters in Canada and the UK!
Currently there are 4 main tracking options to choose from:
☺ For those of you only looking for the newly released hamsters, GO HERE
☺ For those of you looking for any hamster (old or new), bundle packs, or the "Giant Hamster City" playset, GO HERE
☺For beds, carriers, and playset accessories,GO HERE
☺ If you are really desperate and do not mind paying the highest-of-high "retail" of eToys and FAO Schwartz, you can GO HERE
Happy hunting everyone!!
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