Yesterday, my friend Robin really lucked out. She went into a Toys R Us store in Winchester, VA and found a single Zhu Zhu Pets™ boat/dock set! Here is what she told me:
"I walked in the front door, at lunchtime no less, and there was a table up towards customer service. This was the only item sitting on the table when I got there. I have no idea how many they had, or how I managed to luck out that late in the day."
Robin says that TRU's retail price is $17.99 for this set, which will translate to about $14.99 in the lower-end retail stores.
Currently there are 92 auctions on eBay for the boat/dock set, with 64 completed auctions already. It seems the average ending price is around the $20-30 range. This close to Christmas, even Priority mail is taking longer to reach its destination. I found this out last week with some packages I sent out. eBay prices are starting to decline, and my guess is that people are less likely to shell out the big $$$ for something that may not even arrive in time.
If you have a chance to swing by a Toys R Us, you may also be pleasantly surprised like Robin was!
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.
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.
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
As if Monday wasn't bad enough to start with, I was greeted by news-coverage of the Zhu Zhu Pets™ toxicity allegations as soon as my daughter flipped on the TV this morning. To be fair, I will say that CBS did a good job of reporting on both sides of the story, and did end with the statement that the toys are safe to play with. And as I listened to our local noon newscast, the debacle was also mentioned. Cepia LLC had even gone so far as to post their testing reports on their website's homepage . To me, this exemplified their confidence in their product.
I have been waiting to hear the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) official verdict of the issue, which showed up on MSNBC.com about 2 hours ago. “ 'CPSC confirmed today that the popular Zhu Zhu toy is not out of compliance with the antimony or other heavy metal limits of the new U.S. mandatory toy standard,' agency spokesman Scott Wolfson said.". I highly recommend that you read the Associated Press article, in its entirety, at this link.
GoodGuide has also issued an official correction to its misleading statement:
"SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - December 7, 2009) - In a press release we issued on Saturday, December 5th, we published the results of our testing of chemical levels in toys and stated that certain toys we tested had antimony and chromium levels that exceed federal standards. Since issuing our release, we have learned that the testing methodology used in the federal standards (a soluble method) is different than the methodology we used in our testing (a surface-based method). Accordingly, while we accurately reported the chemical levels in the toys that we measured using our testing method, we should not have compared our results to federal standards. We regret this error. Suzanne Skyvara"
WHAT?!They just learned that their testing methodology is not in compliance with what the CPSC and industry testing leaders recognize as accurate testing methods. Seriously? If you are going to attempt to make a name for yourself in the arena of consumer safety testing, wouldn't you think the #1 item on your to-do list would be to KNOW the recognized industry testing equipment and methods? To exemplify this, let me give you one more exerpt from the AP article from MSNBC.com:
"[The] claims fell apart Monday, when GoodGuide said the way it got its test results — using a special gun that shoots X-rays into a toy and gives a reading for how much lead, antimony or other substances are in the material — is not recognized by the CPSC for judging whether a toy is hazardous."
I am sorry if I seem more than a little irritated with the allegations, because I am. This bad publicity has spread like wildfire over the airwaves and internet within the last 24 hours. I have received emails and phone calls from concerned friends, "warning" me about my beloved Zhu Zhu Pets™ because of what they saw on the news. I just hope the airwaves are just as clogged tomorrow with news of GoodGuides retraction statement and Zhu Zhu Pets™ vindication. Twitter is already buzzing, so that is a good sign ☺
There is always a silver lining to that dark, nasty cloud: even with serious allegations lodged against their product during the busiest toy-shopping-season of the year, I really think Cepia did a great job of informing the public (via the email newsletter and the website homepage) and proactively releasing its toxicity reports, giving statements to the media, and working with the CPSC to clear its good name.
I promise, I will find happier things to talk about tomorrow! Good night everyone!
Unfortunately, I am having to pop in on this Sunday with some not-so-happy information. The Good Guide report claims that some of the hottest toys of the season contain unsafe levels of toxic elements. One such claim states that the Mr. Squiggles Zhu Zhu Pet™ contains unsafe levels of antimony and tin.
PLEASE BE ADVISED, CEPIA STATES THIS IS UNTRUE.
I was contacted by the good people at Cepia LLC. to spread the information to my blog-readers, as well as my Facebook and Twitter followers. Those of you on the Zhu Zhu Pets™ email newsletter list will also notice you received an email, as well. Especially with the popularity of the Zhu Zhu Pets™ this season, and the fact that millions of them are already under Christmas trees in waiting, it is important to get the facts out to potentially worried parents.
Zhu Zhu Pets™ products are submitted to vigorous testing above and beyond industry standards, as stated in the press release. As quoted per CEO/founder Russell Hornsby,
"We are contacting the Good Guide people at this moment to share with them all of our Mr. Squiggles and Zhu Zhu Pet testing data so we can get to the bottom of how their report was founded," Russ Hornsby said. "We want to assure everyone already enjoying Mr. Squiggles or other Zhu Zhu Pets, and those planning to purchase Mr. Squiggles or another Zhu Zhu Pet this holiday season, that the toy is 100 percent safe and in compliance with all U.S. and European toy safety standards. I have been in the toy industry for more than 35 years, and being a father of children myself, I would never allow any substandard or unsafe product to hit the shelves. That's why we always test to not only meet but also exceed safety standards."
I wanted to pop in really quick and share this up-close photo of the Hallmark Exclusive Zhu Zhu Pet™ that will be available in March, Fluffy the bunny. Isn't he cute?? Sort of looks like Chunk, but with bigger ears! I will definitely have to find a couple of these for the girls' Easter baskets ☺
Yesterday my friend, Joanne in Washington, got lucky!! She was able to nab the 4 new hamsters at retail, and I am so glad for her.
From what she said, apparently Fred Meyer stores had a sale back in October. At that time Zhu Zhu Pets™ were $6.99 and before they realized the mistake, they handed out rainchecks for a day. So at first, they were hustling to fulfill those rainchecks.
Well, yesterday she received a call and was able to purchase some! Fred Meyer retail is $9.99, and they were limiting to 6 hamsters.
Here's hoping that those newbies start leaking their way eastward!
I hope everyone had a fun + relaxing Thanksgiving holiday/weekend! Did anyone brave the elements and stand outside of Toys R Us for a hamster? I still haven't seen one single hamster on shelves in about 2 months! I asked our Walmart, and they said they are only putting 3 hamsters on the shelf at a time when they do get stock in.
If you haven't already noticed, the NEW Zhu Zhu Pets™ hamsters have showed up in-hand on eBay. It appears they started making an appearance on Sunday evening. Completed listings for the pink-and-white Jilly, who seems to be the most sought-after of the bunch, range from $40-90.
From the information I have been able to gather, shipments containing the "New Four" arrived in Oregon and Washington at "Fred Meyer" stores. Apparently (as disclosed by a FM employee), the company air-freighted the stock directly in to their stores, which is probably the reason these new characters are showing up a bit ahead of schedule.
In this photo of Nugget, you can see that the back "tattoo" is now covered with a very prominent sticker that states "Please Keep Toy Away From Hair". And they all have a very large name sticker on the front of the box... no confusing Pip Squeak and Nugget now!
If more stores follow suit and begin to air-freight stock directly in, you might have a better chance at catching a newbie or two before Christmas than you originally thought!
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