TRU Faux Pas...and In Stock at Amazon!

Good evening, Zhu Zhu fiends!

Did anyone notice anything odd on TRU.com over the weekend? On Saturday morning, a TRU search on "zhu zhu" yielded zero results! We were wondering if maybe they were doing some site revamping, in preparation for the "Big Book" sale prices that were slated to start on Sunday. Well, when Sunday rolled around, the Zhu Zhu Pets stuff was back. AND, to boot, it said underneath the price, in pink letters, "ONLY $4.99 with any $50 Toysrus purchase!". My friend Lori saved a couple of screen-shots for proof:

Though, it was a short-lived promotion. Probably an error, I am supposing, because the wording has been replaced with "Exclusive Animal Alley [plush toy] ONLY $4.99 with purchase!" None of the Zhu Zhu items were in stock at the time anyway, so it didn't end up mattering. LOL

☺☺☺

Today, Amazon had Zhu Zhu items in stock... at RETAIL... for the first time that I have ever seen! NO TAX, FREE SHIPPING!! According to a Zoolert administrator, this is what/when items were listed on Amazon today, and how long they lasted:

Amazon Zhu Zhu Pets - Three Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters -- $31.99 11-02-09 16:01 instock and last for 1 minute
Amazon Zhu Zhu Pets - Three Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters -- $31.99 11-02-09 15:39 instock and last for 19 minutes
Amazon Zhu Zhu Pets - Three Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters -- $31.99 11-02-09 15:34 instock and last for 1 minute

Amazon Zhu Zhu Pets - Funhouse Set with [Patches] Hamster -- $34.99 11-02-09 15:43 instock and last for 1 hour 29 minutes

Someone on the Zoolert forum confirmed that when they first noticed the funhouse/Patches set in stock, it said there were 900 available!! With a strict limit of 2, hopefully the wealth was spread out a little.

Please note: This was the more recently released Funhouse set with Patches, as opposed to the Patches starter set.

Retail Secret of the Day: Rain Checks!

Hello, Zhu Zhu Lovers!

I have been checking with my closest Shopko store, off and on, for a couple of weeks. They have had the hamsters in stock ($11.99), but had yet to get any accessories or the starter set with Patches. Since I hate to waste so much time/gas making the 40 minute round-trip, I gave them a call every day or two to check. Here is an abbreviated telephone conversation I had with them last week:

Me: Do you know if you have received any of the Zhu Zhu Pets­™ accessories or houses in yet? I am especially looking for the starter set that comes with Patches the hamster.

Employee: Let me go check for you.

(Few minutes later)

Employee: No, we still haven't received them yet. BUT I scanned the barcode on the shelf, and they are actually on sale right now! If you want to come in and get a rain check, we will hold the items you want AND call you when they come in!

What a noble concept... they will call ME instead! So I went and got my rain checks, and within 24 hours I received the call saying the items had arrived. My husband stopped by on his way home from work and picked them up...the starter set with Patches was on sale for 15.99 (reg 19.99), and he also found the skateboard/U-turn for $9-something (reg. 11.99). That VERY night, a Patches starter set sold on eBay for $109!!! Crazy, crazy people.

(I couldn't help but take Patches out of the box for a quick peek before Christmas!)

The odd thing is that there were no signs up or no mention in the Shopko ad saying that they were on sale. Bless the toy dept. girl who planted the rain check idea in my head! This is certainly something to keep in mind. I look for Zhu Zhu Pets™ to start showing up in the Target, Walmart, etc. weekly ads soon. If they happen to be on sale, it certainly doesn't hurt to get a rain check! You may end up with the thing you most need, PLUS sale-priced, to boot ☺

Patches... where ARE you??

Hello, Zhu Zhu Lovers!
So... have you been able to track down Patches the hamsters?

Patches certainly is the sneakiest of the bunch! Here is another question that the fine people at Cepia, LLC. answered for us inquisitive Zhu Zhu Pets™ fans!

Q: Is the starter set (that includes Patches the hamster) exclusive to Toys R Us? Will it be available for sale in other stores, as well?

A: The Giant Hamster City Playset is exclusive to Toys R Us... Patches is included in this set as well as the starter set.... This hamster is ONLY available in the sets and not sold separately. The Starter Set with Patches will be available at "select" Hallmark stores, Shopko, Duckwall, and Meijer.

The Giant Hamster City playset is currently on Toysrus.com with a list price of $84.99. It is still notated with the "NEW" icon, and I personally have not seen it in stock yet. This set includes the funhouse, wheel, sleep dome, adventure ball, and Patches and Mr. Squiggles hamsters. (It is unclear whether it also comes with the surfboard or the tiny play ball that go along with the sleep dome and adventure ball when purchased seperately). You won't save too much money buying this set rather than the individual pieces, but it might just be worth it to grab multiple pieces in one set!!

The Hamster House Starter Set retails for around $19.99. In addition to the stores listed above, I was told by a fellow webber that they were able to preorder this set from Target. Although I personally did not see it on Target's website, I do believe them. It is possible that Cepia is making changes to their distribution plans and unleashing of new products because of the intense interest in this line of toys!

Happy Hunting! And keep those Zoolert pages on your screens... my rooster was crowing all day yesterday, as TRU.com seemed to be haphazardly adding hamsters and accessories thoughtout the day.