Wailing kiddies face Xmas Legogeddon Parents who've been eyeing Lego as a Xmas gift for their wide-eyed kiddies had better get down to their nearest toy shop sharpish, fill a trolley with as many plastic bricks as they can and fight their way to the check-out before the full effects of a predicted pre-Yule Legogeddon begin to bite. According to London's Evening …
Either everything is fine, and they're just trying to whip up a bit of interest to get sales up (given that Argos has reported a dip, this would make perfect sense), or they've taken a leaf out of Apple's book and artificially induced scarcity.
Troll icon, as it has a big chin.
I never understood this.
Your product is hard to come by and you don't make enough of it? Shame, I'm sure your nearby competitors are quite happy to supply en-masse, at normal prices rather than trumped-up "rare" prices that I have to fight to actually find in stock. The days of wandering round every toy store to find Buzz Lightyear or Tracey Island are long gone, mate, and I can safely say that I don't think I ever once received (or cared for) the "toy of the moment" through my childhood. The biggest and best present I ever got was a ZX Spectrum jointly with my brother, and I didn't even know what it was.
And since when has what the KID wanted had anything to do with it? They probably don't want those clothes that Aunt Ada gives them either, but they'll accept them graciously, thank them for them and take care of them anyway. Make a wishlist, sure, but don't expect to get even one item off it, let alone every one or the top one. And, they're kids. I guarantee you I can find something that they want more than whatever-is-advertised-between-children's-programs-near-Christmas (a blessing of online viewing, is that that sort of thing isn't being poured into their brains), whether they know it or not.
Crying because classmate X got present Y and you didn't? Shame. Maybe if you weren't such an ungrateful little git, then "Santa" would have got you something just as good, if not better.
The must-have toy of the year? If I can't order it on Amazon next-day, then chances are you aren't going to have one. How's *that* kind of hype gonna help your sales?
I have to say, my daughter is a fan of Lego Friends kits. I buy one for every event for her. But if they're not available? Then it's on to something else. Can't get magical set number X which they only made 10 of and only for Christmas? Shame. You'll get a more ordinary set, or something else entirely.
And if you failed to properly plan quite how many Lego bricks you should have been making SINCE LAST JANUARY to cater for demand for this year? (Don't give me that rubbish.) I may have to reconsider bothering to try to obtain them at all for Christmas this year and in the future if you can't do some simple maths and extrapolation. Rather than build-up my daughter's hope of a thing I can't guarantee I can get hold of, I'll just find something else for her instead.
I'm sure your short-term sales for the artificial "panic" for this year won't be enough to compensate for the money you lose the rest of the year and in the future.
Good points. It is not as if Lego Bricks are perishables now are they?
It won't be the bricks that will/might/won't be in short supply. IT will be the Star Wars kits timed to go on sale with the release of the new flick.
The 'bricks' are disctinctly uncool with my grandkids. So I get the Meccano out of the loft and notwithstanding the cut fingers they have fun. Last crimble we made a Ferris Wheel (yes I have lots).
Yes, I would prefer Meccano too. Very fond memories, although I was a bit pissed off with the quality of the nuts and I am sure the paint was toxic. The "problem" with Lego, as I see it, is that there is this predefined picture of what to build and your kids will lose interest half way and you end up putting the damned thing together (no kids around anymore, and your wife has decided to hide the whisky). Rather just let them build what ever comes to their mind. The younger the kid the bigger the blocks should be.
Damn it, has Christmas started in Europe too.
... You know nothing about children.
and you presume too much.
In general, my children will accept what they are given, and if they don't get what they want they are at perfect liberty to (and do) save up pocket money, birthday money and birthday vouchers and buy the thing for themselves.
They have learned patience too - eldest son spent six months saving up to buy a Hornby model of the Caerphilly Castle and then had to wait another 12 months for "coming soon" to be "available now". Announcing the model 18 months before it was available to buy was a very mean trick.
Mind you, since the children usually rely on us to do the actual buying (if online) or taxi-ing to the shop, we do have some interesting discussions about why they are not going to be allowed to buy (for example) a games console, even with their own money.
M.
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