Now's The Time For Toys

As we head into the last two weeks before Christmas, it's bargain time.  It's prime holiday shopping time and promotions are in full swing.

Local toy store Child's Play is having a very merry holiday.  Sales are up from last year.  They're also cashing in on the last-minute rush for presents under the tree. 

"Crucial.  For a toy store, it's very important.  These couple of weeks we do such a large percentage of our business in the last quarter of the year; especially these two weeks, so we're ready. We're ready to go," Nancy Savage owner of Child's Play said.

Mom of three April Syverson has been bargain hunting all season long.

"A lot of the deals were Cyber Monday. I did shopping online and did ship to site/store shopping here in town as well," Syverson said.

But she still has more on the list to fill.

"I try to shop early and I took advantage of the early shopping deals, so I'm just picking up last-minute gifts," Syverson said.

According to dealnews.com, last year nearly all toys hit price lows during the two weeks leading up to Christmas; some dropped between 50 and 60  percent in price. 

But the only problem with waiting for the best prices is that those high-demand items may be out-of-stock

"There are some hot toys we run out of early and then I scramble and try to get more.  There's a game called Tenzi that has been so popular.  We've been selling 90 a week of this Tenzi and I have one left, but I have more coming in today," Savage said.

Last minute, holiday shoppers can also save on more than just toys.  Retailers often reserve price cuts and other promotions for a variety of merchandise for the last two weeks to get those procrastinators in their doors; so keep watching for more sales as we count down the days to Christmas.