Fastrack is a new game out this year by Blue Orange Games. I highly recommend it, especially if your looking for a gift for boys ages 8-28 that will get them away from the video games and actually playing games with other people.
This is a quick racing game where the object is to be the first player to get all of the game tokens on to the other players side by flicking tokens through the small hole in the middle of the game board. All wood construction and durable playing pieces make this a game to play that will last for many generations to come. It's simple to play and fun for all ages. Ready, Set, Race on the FASTRACK!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Fastrack Game Review at Bee Active Toys
Fastrack is a new game out this year by Blue Orange Games. I highly recommend it, especially if your looking for a gift for boys ages 8-28 that will get them away from the video games and actually playing games with other people.
This is a quick racing game where the object is to be the first player to get all of the game tokens on to the other players side by flicking tokens through the small hole in the middle of the game board. All wood construction and durable playing pieces make this a game to play that will last for many generations to come. It's simple to play and fun for all ages. Ready, Set, Race on the FASTRACK!
This is a quick racing game where the object is to be the first player to get all of the game tokens on to the other players side by flicking tokens through the small hole in the middle of the game board. All wood construction and durable playing pieces make this a game to play that will last for many generations to come. It's simple to play and fun for all ages. Ready, Set, Race on the FASTRACK!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Hot Toys For Kids this Christmas.
Here it is folks; our Hot Toys for Kids list this year and the reasons why I picked them. For those of you that know me, you know that my definition of “Hot” toys is considerably different from all those “hot” toys that you see heavily advertised by the major toy manufacturer and big box retailers. No doubt that a lot of toys can be entertaining, but to make Bee Active Toys list it has to follow a different criteria than “how many of these can we sell?”
My definition of a “Hot Toy” is three fold; a “hot” toy is actively played with and not just passively watched perform, a “hot” toy will be played with over and over again and not just for a few minutes after it is taken out of the box, and a “hot” toy will encourage a child to want to keep playing more and learn something while playing.
We as parents have all done it. We bought that “hot” heavily advertised licensed toy because our kids saw it advertised on TV 1051 times and have been screaming for it since October only to have our children open the box, play with it for a few minutes and then toss it aside and not play with it anymore. It happens. Next week, I’ll give a few tips and pointers on how to help minimize this happening with your kids, but for now I’ll just introduce you to the list.
1. Hot Building and Construction Toy. Meet my friend Z.A.C the Zoob Alien Creature. Z.A.C. is a Zoobling from a different planet and when fully assembled stands 2 feet tall and has glow in the dark pieces and Flashing, Blinking Eyes. How COOL is that!
http://www.infinitoy.com/assets/movies/infinitoy-lo.mov
2. Hot Preschool Game. Chimp And Zee Dinosaur Whirl. Chimp and Zee are awesome games that even us adults will enjoy playing with the little ones because they are gee wally williker fun! Move your caveman around the game board collecting eggs but watch out for that crazy dinosaur!
3. Hot new family memory game. Thinkfun’s Cartoon It! Do you like cartoons? Ever draw one? Hey mom and dad is your memory not what it used to be? With Cartoon it, you look at funny cartoon character cards and then try to draw your character from memory. Hysterical drawings done by all members of the family are sure to follow.
4. Hot new party game. Trigger is a fast card game that everyone will love and is so easy to play all you have to do is answer True or False and then hit the Trigger! Everyone we have played this with has walked away laughing.
http://youtu.be/9beXLZXlqso
5. Hot arts and craft Toy. Orb Factory has rocked the girls world again with Girls Rock! Blinglets. Girls can get their “Bling” on with these sparkling bangles that are easy to create. Girls can create 8 Bangles with over 400 “jewels” that come in this kit.
6. Hot Science Toys. Windpower 2.0. You know it’s a “hot” toy when even your 14 year old son, says, “that’s cool”. Build a 3 ft. tall working windmill that actually generates electricity with this awesome new science kit from Thames & Kosmos.
7. Hot Retro Toys. I love the classics and this year I found a throwback to the 1960’s and 70’s with the Weirdo’s Action Skateboarding Figures. Yes, the Weirdo’s from 1960’s model fame are back with their own totally awesome action figures and collector cards, plus a trick skateboard.
8. Hot Toys for Daddy. Remote Control machines by Thames and Kosmos and the ATR, All Terrain Transforming Robot by Elenco Electronics. As a dad, I like toys a lot too and there is no doubt that Robots are Really Really Cool! I’ll triple Dog Dare all you other Dads to put one of these bad boys together with your kids and then have a blast playing with them. Come on, you know you want to!
http://youtu.be/XCjFLFY9U-A
I can’t wait until Christmas Morning!
My definition of a “Hot Toy” is three fold; a “hot” toy is actively played with and not just passively watched perform, a “hot” toy will be played with over and over again and not just for a few minutes after it is taken out of the box, and a “hot” toy will encourage a child to want to keep playing more and learn something while playing.
We as parents have all done it. We bought that “hot” heavily advertised licensed toy because our kids saw it advertised on TV 1051 times and have been screaming for it since October only to have our children open the box, play with it for a few minutes and then toss it aside and not play with it anymore. It happens. Next week, I’ll give a few tips and pointers on how to help minimize this happening with your kids, but for now I’ll just introduce you to the list.
1. Hot Building and Construction Toy. Meet my friend Z.A.C the Zoob Alien Creature. Z.A.C. is a Zoobling from a different planet and when fully assembled stands 2 feet tall and has glow in the dark pieces and Flashing, Blinking Eyes. How COOL is that!
http://www.infinitoy.com/assets/movies/infinitoy-lo.mov
2. Hot Preschool Game. Chimp And Zee Dinosaur Whirl. Chimp and Zee are awesome games that even us adults will enjoy playing with the little ones because they are gee wally williker fun! Move your caveman around the game board collecting eggs but watch out for that crazy dinosaur!
3. Hot new family memory game. Thinkfun’s Cartoon It! Do you like cartoons? Ever draw one? Hey mom and dad is your memory not what it used to be? With Cartoon it, you look at funny cartoon character cards and then try to draw your character from memory. Hysterical drawings done by all members of the family are sure to follow.
4. Hot new party game. Trigger is a fast card game that everyone will love and is so easy to play all you have to do is answer True or False and then hit the Trigger! Everyone we have played this with has walked away laughing.
http://youtu.be/9beXLZXlqso
5. Hot arts and craft Toy. Orb Factory has rocked the girls world again with Girls Rock! Blinglets. Girls can get their “Bling” on with these sparkling bangles that are easy to create. Girls can create 8 Bangles with over 400 “jewels” that come in this kit.
6. Hot Science Toys. Windpower 2.0. You know it’s a “hot” toy when even your 14 year old son, says, “that’s cool”. Build a 3 ft. tall working windmill that actually generates electricity with this awesome new science kit from Thames & Kosmos.
7. Hot Retro Toys. I love the classics and this year I found a throwback to the 1960’s and 70’s with the Weirdo’s Action Skateboarding Figures. Yes, the Weirdo’s from 1960’s model fame are back with their own totally awesome action figures and collector cards, plus a trick skateboard.
8. Hot Toys for Daddy. Remote Control machines by Thames and Kosmos and the ATR, All Terrain Transforming Robot by Elenco Electronics. As a dad, I like toys a lot too and there is no doubt that Robots are Really Really Cool! I’ll triple Dog Dare all you other Dads to put one of these bad boys together with your kids and then have a blast playing with them. Come on, you know you want to!
http://youtu.be/XCjFLFY9U-A
I can’t wait until Christmas Morning!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Bee Active Toys Black Friday Sale!
It's that time of year! We are ready! Sales are going on all Weekend Long!And most importantly, Thank you for shopping at Bee Active Toys!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thanksgiving or Black Friday: What's your Holiday?
Ok, so there seems to be a lot of social commentary out there right now about the whole Black Friday shopping day and the move by a lot of large chain retailers to open on Thanksgiving instead of waiting for Friday. There seems to be a lot of different viewpoints and of course as a business owner of a toy store I thought I would make a few comments.
First off, I personally think that everyone should stay at home and spend Thanksgiving Day with their family. Forget about the shopping to try to save some money. Saving money may be important but is it really more important to you than the time you have spent with your family? Which will your children remember more? That you saved $$$ on that “Hot” toy that they saw advertised on TV or that you spent Thanksgiving Day playing games with them and tucked them into bed that night? What are your priorities?
Now let me state here that Yes, Bee Active Toys will be open at 10pm on Thanksgiving night just like the other stores at Tanger Outlets. I know, I feel like a hypocrite for telling you to spend it with your family when I’m going to leave my family at 9pm to go to my store. Now before you start labeling me as one of those greedy retailers that is only in it for the money let me defend my position(if you are greedy, owning a toy store probably isn't the type of store to own).
I am opening for two reasons: First, I agreed to follow the mall hours for the benefit of all mall shoppers when I signed my lease and second, because even though I am the business owner, I too still have a boss and that boss is you, my customer. I know some of my customers actually want to be out there shopping at this time. Now, I am the store owner so I could just tell my employees that they have to work it while I stay at my home, but I’m not that type of boss. I believe the best way to lead is by example, (I also think that all the early openings would stop pretty quickly if the CEOS of the largest retailers had to work that Thanksgiving Night graveyard shift, but that probably isn’t going to happen,) so I am going to be there with my other staff members that volunteered to join me.
We are going to do our best, like we always do, to make sure that each customer has a great shopping experience at Bee Active Toys. In fact all of the staff is going to do that all day long on Black Friday like we do every day. We know our livelihood depends on your liking our product and the service that we give you in finding the right toy for your little girl or little boy. We take that very seriously. I like to think that is one of the differences between us as a locally owned toy store and one of the big box chain stores. We are serious about kids having the right toy and experiencing great playtime.
I'm also going to mention that there are a lot of other retail employees that are going to be working in stores everywhere that night. Give them a smile and say thank you to them when they do a good job and give you good service. They too are working because it is their job. Remember, they have lives and families as well.
This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my very caring and understanding family. I really am nothing without them. I’m thankful for a great staff that does great things at Bee Active Toys. Stop in for a fun break and let us show you some those great things. I’m also thankful for you, our customer. Without you Bee Active Toys is not possible.
This Thanksgiving don’t be in that big of a rush to get to the sales that you forget about the reason why you are celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas in the first place. We at Bee Active Toys will be here to help you with your Christmas shopping on Black Friday and each of the other 29 days before Christmas too.
First off, I personally think that everyone should stay at home and spend Thanksgiving Day with their family. Forget about the shopping to try to save some money. Saving money may be important but is it really more important to you than the time you have spent with your family? Which will your children remember more? That you saved $$$ on that “Hot” toy that they saw advertised on TV or that you spent Thanksgiving Day playing games with them and tucked them into bed that night? What are your priorities?
Now let me state here that Yes, Bee Active Toys will be open at 10pm on Thanksgiving night just like the other stores at Tanger Outlets. I know, I feel like a hypocrite for telling you to spend it with your family when I’m going to leave my family at 9pm to go to my store. Now before you start labeling me as one of those greedy retailers that is only in it for the money let me defend my position(if you are greedy, owning a toy store probably isn't the type of store to own).
I am opening for two reasons: First, I agreed to follow the mall hours for the benefit of all mall shoppers when I signed my lease and second, because even though I am the business owner, I too still have a boss and that boss is you, my customer. I know some of my customers actually want to be out there shopping at this time. Now, I am the store owner so I could just tell my employees that they have to work it while I stay at my home, but I’m not that type of boss. I believe the best way to lead is by example, (I also think that all the early openings would stop pretty quickly if the CEOS of the largest retailers had to work that Thanksgiving Night graveyard shift, but that probably isn’t going to happen,) so I am going to be there with my other staff members that volunteered to join me.
We are going to do our best, like we always do, to make sure that each customer has a great shopping experience at Bee Active Toys. In fact all of the staff is going to do that all day long on Black Friday like we do every day. We know our livelihood depends on your liking our product and the service that we give you in finding the right toy for your little girl or little boy. We take that very seriously. I like to think that is one of the differences between us as a locally owned toy store and one of the big box chain stores. We are serious about kids having the right toy and experiencing great playtime.
I'm also going to mention that there are a lot of other retail employees that are going to be working in stores everywhere that night. Give them a smile and say thank you to them when they do a good job and give you good service. They too are working because it is their job. Remember, they have lives and families as well.
This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my very caring and understanding family. I really am nothing without them. I’m thankful for a great staff that does great things at Bee Active Toys. Stop in for a fun break and let us show you some those great things. I’m also thankful for you, our customer. Without you Bee Active Toys is not possible.
This Thanksgiving don’t be in that big of a rush to get to the sales that you forget about the reason why you are celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas in the first place. We at Bee Active Toys will be here to help you with your Christmas shopping on Black Friday and each of the other 29 days before Christmas too.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
False Discounts and Price Gouging on Toys!
It’s that time of year again. It’s the time of year where all sorts of stores start to fill up their shelves with toys in order to take advantage of the seasonal pickup that toy sales can bring in the month of December. “So, what is wrong with that?” you ask and I will tell you there is absolutely nothing wrong with a retailer doing that. Retailers have been doing that every year for over 100 years. Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Sears, Montgomery Ward(remember them?), and Wannamaker were all great men of retail that started these now famous department stores and brought in toys at Christmas time. It makes good business sense. 50% of the toys sold in the toy industry are sold at Christmas time. Only carrying toys at Christmas, means a retailer doesn’t have to pay for the carrying costs of maintaining a toy inventory from January to September and you can maximize your profits for 2 months out of the year. That’s the philosophy behind it for a lot of retailer’s that bring in toys at Christmas and why it’s done. So why am I talking about it and why should you read this blog? Continue reading and find out if you are really saving $$$ on your toy purchases this year.
FALSE DISCOUNT SIGNAGE! That’s the reason for this blog! It offends me! It’s an insult to the consumer! Don’t fall for it! I’m about to make some people in the industry very mad with what I’m about to tell you. Some Big Box and Chain Store Retailers are bringing in toys and then putting 20%, 30%, 40%, even 50% off sale signs up immediately trying to lure consumers into thinking that they are getting a great deal on the toys they are buying. These are not really sales at all. You’re being duped if you fall for it.
So far this year I’ve seen the popular Pillow Pets priced at $29.99 and put on sale for 20% off. The MSRP on these is $24.99. Doing the math, you are paying $23.99. Ok, so you actually did save $1. I see Melissa & Doug product priced at $27.99 with a 25% off sign for product that I sell everyday for $19.99. (No, I don’t discount because I think $19.99 is a fair price to pay for that product and I’m pretty sure that both Melissa and Doug would agree with me.) Whose price is better? Theirs priced at 25% off of $27.99 or mine at $19.99 every day? Last year I saw the Scientific Explorer science kits priced at $29.99 but they were on sale for 30% off. Doing the math, this stores customer paid $20.99 for them. Bee Active Toys and other independent toy stores sell them every day of the year for $19.99. That was a great sale; it helped that chain retailer sell a lot of that product.
Another chain store prices Ty Beanie Boos at $8.99 but gives you 40% off their entire store on a regular basis. Doing the math again folks and you would pay $5.39 for a Beanie Boo that has a MSRP of $4.99. WOW, their customer is getting a really good deal! The worst offense, more like an insult to consumer intelligence, that I’ve seen this year is 50% off of Barbie. Not fancy Barbie either, just the plain ole single, clothed Barbie on a blister card that sales for $9.99. This store had her priced at $19.99 but hey, she was on sale for 50% off.
Hey folks, don’t fall for it this year. Honest, independent toy stores are working hard all year trying to stock toys on the shelf so you can have a place to buy toys every day of the year and they are pricing their toys at the right price so they can pay their hardworking employees, their bills and make a reasonable profit for all of that hard work. They are not trying to gouge their customers or inflating prices to put them on sale and make their customers think they are getting a great deal.
Toy store owners like me, want to offer you, our customers a great store to come and play in and see just how awesome toy stores and the toy industry can be. We price our toys at the right price every day of the year. These independent toy store owners like me care a lot about the toys we sell and the kids that are going to benefit from playing with them.
We are experts on toys and on the price of toys. After all, we look and play with toys every day of the year because it’s our job and we want the children of our customer to experience great play time with the absolute best in toys. Toy stores know how important and valuable play is for your children. Don’t fall for the false discounts and price gouging of some of the large chain stores. Check out your locally owned independent toy retailer this year. We will welcome you with a smile and show you the value behind the toys we sell.
To find a Locally Owned Independent Toy Store in your neighborhood follow this link.
http://www.astratoy.org/find-a-store.asp?f=FindAStore&sf=ByCityState&dirCity=tuscola&dirState=IL
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