This Is Guernsey

By Zoe Ash

Jessica Nanninga with an under-the-counter Zhu Zhu pet. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0893270)

A STAMPEDE for this year’s must-have toy has forced one shop to move them under the counter.

Aladdin’s Cave managing director Jason Mahy said they had taken Go Go pets – now rebranded Zhu Zhu pets – off the shelves because of demand for the product.

‘It has been bananas. I’ve been in the business 10 years and I have never seen a toy craze as big as this.’

He said the last time there was a similar kind of a ‘stampede’ was when the Teletubbies came out.

Go Go pets, at £10.99, are the store’s biggest seller this Christmas and so far they have sold more than 400.

‘Customers have to ask for them now and we take them out from under the counter to avoid confrontation,’ he said.

Mr Mahy said when there was a popular toy where demand outstripped supply people bought as many as possible and sold them online – in this case for as much as £40.

The shop yesterday took delivery of 104 Zhu Zhu pets – the last before Christmas.

‘We had to limit sales to one per customer, but with this new delivery it will be three,’ he said.

Dark brown was the most popular colour for the toy hamsters but the latest batch features pink, black and white and tan.

Mr Mahy said over the last couple of years there had not been one particular item that all children had wanted.

He said that that, coupled with limited availability, had resulted in the frenzy.

‘There have been availability issues on toys in general. A downturn in the economy was forecast and, while there has been to an extent, suppliers were careful not to over order,’ he said.

UK suppliers ordered stock from the Far East three months in advance on the basis of predicted toy sales.

‘There is a tendency to make these fairly cautious and, as a result, from late October onwards it became clear we would not be able to get the stock we had ordered. Since then, we have been frantically ordering in toys,’ he said.

Article posted on 22nd December, 2009 - 2.29pm