So I am sure you are thinking from the title of my post you are thinking you are about to read about some type of bad behavior I am having to deal with from one of my boys. Actually at this point, I wish that was the case, because we expect that from our children and part of our job as moms is to teach our children good behavior. This is where this post turns into me getting onto my soapbox and sharing and experience that I had here in Twin Falls yesterday. Many of you have read my posts on saving money and couponing. Part of saving money and being frugal involves shopping ahead for things when there are sales. Every year after Christmas there are sales that can be a mother’s dream in saving money on such things as winter clothes and toys. Reading coupon blogs you can read advice on how these sales occur. One such series of sales is Target’s annual toy sale/clearance after Christmas. The toys start out at 25% percent off for a week or two, then are marked down to 50% off and then down to 75% off. Because you don’t know exactly what day these markdowns will happen, many mothers go into the store a few times a week checking for these markdowns until they occur. I had been doing this as have many other people I know.
On Wednesday morning I had to go to Target with my 2 year old to get a new humidifier as he developed croup the night before and meant a trip to the ER for us. As I was making my tour through the toys to check the markdowns, another mother told me to come back the next day as she had heard from a friend that the next day (Thursday) was going to be the morning the sale went to 75% off and to come back at 8am when they opened. So Thursday morning I dropped my boys off for school and headed to Target. As I pulled into the Target parking lot I saw a trailer parked out front. I went into the store, grabbed a shopping cart and headed back to the toys only to find other mothers back there with their carts being blocked off by a group of men with about 10 shopping carts clearing the shelves. The men were there from a local “toy store” buying all of the toys to take back to their store of which I am told they also have an online business selling toys. They proceeded to check out with all of these toys and load up their trailer.
A friend of mine decided when she got home to go to “Thrifty And Thriving’s” facebook page and “Fabulessly Frugal’s” facebook page to post about what had happened, only to receive responses from women in Utah that had gone to their Target’s sales only to be met with men with trailers and U-hauls that bought all of the toys for their “toy store in Twin Falls” and to be met with empty shelves. While what they did is not illegal many of us question the ethics of their behavior. All of us are just mothers trying to budget our money and put gifts away for birthdays and Christmas. While I love to support local and small businesses, this a store I will not go into now as was the sentiment shared by the other women I spoke with yesterday. It is also sad to see Twin Falls gain this reputation in other towns where this business represented themselves as they cleared the shelves.
Shelley, I too witnessed this with my own eyes. I also witnessed it for years before they opened their store when they only had an online business. I was disgusted then and I was even more disgusted yesterday when it only took their team of people 30 minutes to completely clear every clearance toy off of 2 isles at Target. And then to hear that they sent teams of people to Utah to do the same thing there….repulsive. Other locally owned businesses don’t clear the shelves of their competitors to gain inventory. Why can’t these people find vendors to buy from rather than take from another store. Why anyone would shop there is beyond me. I heard they sent their teams of people from Twin Falls to Utah on Black Friday to do the same things as well. How long is Target and other stores going to allow this? I suppose they don’t care because it is getting rid of their inventory, however the angry mob of mothers may make them think twice. This behavior, while may be legal, is despicable and unforgivable. They are in fact making a reputation for themselves, but it is NOT a good one.
Maybe if we wrote to Target headquarters to voice our displeasure something might be done. It’s the regular day-to-day shoppers that keep Target in business. Hopefully they would realize this and put an end to that bad behavior. Thanks for bringing it to everyone’s attention.
Superb blog post, I have book marked this internet site so ideally I’ll see much more on this subject in the foreseeable future!
I realize the article probably can’t post the name of the business for fear of libel, but can someone who knows the name please put it in the comments? I want to avoid that store as well, although I do usually prefer locally-owned shops.
Toy Town on Blue Lakes. Wow, I wanted to cry, I have been looking forward to this sale to get my little boy a birthday present for the longest time. I was there at 8 with two kids, and got nothing. I was entirely blocked out by workers from Toy Town and their 20 carts. Not to mention the ones outside filling the moving trailer! It kills me that I wont be able to shop this sale anymore.
Ladies,
I completely understand that you have been quite upset with the inability to purchase product when these men have been in the stores. However, I had a completely different experience. When I encountered them, as I have done on multiple occasions, I simply asked one of the gentlemen if he was going to take all of the items. “No, go ahead and grab something.” this was his response and with a smile no less. These are not people who are hoarding toys so that they can charge you more at their store. I have been to Toy Town, I love the store, and they don’t sell anything that they buy at other locations. These gentlemen are running a thriving online business that mostly sells to people out of the state, how can I be upset at them for being good at what they do? Obviously it works for them or they would not do it. Now,if you are unlucky enough to miss out on a product because it is gone, that is how it goes. I traveled all over southern Idaho on black Friday to find my sons a kinect for their xbox. I watched a man grab six and when I asked for one he gave me a snide rebuttal. He was not affiliated with Toy Town as far as I know, so obviously regular citizens are doing the same thing. Lets not be too quick to blame a company that is smart enough to buy cheap products from a local distributor. Target and other retail chains love companies like Toy Town because the purpose of their sale is to get rid of all their product. They don’t care who it goes to, they just want it gone. Why do you think Black Friday is such a big deal?
With that said, I do respect the fact that you have had some negative experiences and I am sorry to hear people can be so rude. I know that they can seem a little overwhelming, but from my experiences all of the employees with Toy Town have been nothing but spectacular. Give them a chance and next time just ask, they may surprise you.
Bree
I am sorry, but I would have to disagree with most of what has been said. I have been in Target during that sale before. All the people I have seen are purchasing carts full of toys, including mothers with children. No one purchasing one or two carts full of toys is buying them for their children. They are Ebay Moms doing the same thing as everybody else. As to the store employees blocking off aisles, that is a gross overstatement. I wanted a Buzz Lightyear that one of those guys had in his cart and he was super nice about it. If someone is going to cry over this, you should feel shamed. John.
I response to John: I arrived at about 8:10. By this time, as “Out Of Luck” mentioned, they were already checking out with about 10 carts of toys while they had more men loading up at least another 10 carts. The mothers I saw had children in their carts which takes up part of their cart space. These were moms that have 3-5 children of their own that they were hoping to get birthday and Christmas presents for. As a coupon/bargain shopper you buy ahead when you can get things and you buy in quantity instead of buying when the event comes and you then have to pay full price for an item. These women were also hoping to get presents for birthdays of nieces/nephews and for parties their children are invited to. This involves planning and “stockpiling”. These were not moms selling items on ebay.
I had one husband tell me how his wife came and got him because the men were blocking her off and would not let her reach over and get anything. As soon as he came with her and told them they could not touch his wife, they then allowed her to get some items.