Why Are Zhu Zhu Pets So Hard to Find? Is Holiday Shopping More Difficult This Year?

Certainly you know about the latest toy fad by now. It's the Zhu Zhu Pet, and if you want one then get ready for some stress.

These toy hamsters are built by Cepia Toys, LLC. It's shocking to many that these robotic hamsters were thought up by a group in Clayton, Mo. Less than 20 people are employed at the company, but they receive a deluge of communications every day due to their novel product.

The entrepreneur behind Zhu Zhu Pets says they are modeled after his own family pet. Each toy hamster comes complete with it's own name, emblem, and even its own voice. Each voice by the way, is from employees in the company's office.

Trying to purchase even one Zhu Zhu nowadays is a bit challenging. As a matter of fact, some Toys R Us stores even made a special line and passed out special cards for customers wanting Zhu Zhu Pets. Large stores such as Target say they don't know when they will get in further shipments, although they have been receiving around a handful of the furry critters every couple days or so. Still, some consumers say they won't allow themselves to be outwitted by a toy rodent.

Some shoppers have been blessed enough to attain Zhu Zhu Pet toys in shops, while other shoppers are set to shell out the extra money to obtain them on line. The price tag is sometimes higher, but it may be worth it in the grand scheme of things.

The Zhu Zhu Pets fad arrives in a year when most analysts were not expecting such a must have item. Finance gurus and retail analysts forecast that low supply of popular gifts will be common this holiday because shops have made fewer orders to correspond with soft buyer spending. Compared with the 2007 holiday, some large chains have 20% lower supply on hand this year.

Waiting for last minute sales is a well known strategy, but this year the most wanted merchandise is already difficult to track down. It will not be like last year when shops slashed prices by 70 % or higher. How many of us are last minute holiday shoppers? We typically assume that the gifts we are after will be untaken at last minute close out prices. This might not happen this holiday season though, because inventories are so low to begin with. Stores have went so far as to prime people for the notion of fewer price drops this season. When the conclusion of the holiday shopping season approaches, many folks are expected to wrap up their buying at websites where somewhat more expensive items will still be in stock.


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