Is it me?

syklops

I was going to put this in the toy section, but could not find it, so this seemed the next best place. This question does not just relate to lego, but to all toys. The question is this:

Is it me, or is the number of toy shops, or shops where you can buy toys on the down turn?

I still play with lego(mainly technic and mindstorms), and transformers etc. and I find it difficult to find them. Argos is quite good, but only has 2 pieces of lego. Where else do they sell toys? The art and crafts shop in Stephens Green, and of course the Toymaster and Smyths on/near Jervis Street, and.... erm. Where else is there? Where else can you get Lego or Transformers?

When I was a lad, Dunnes had a massive toy department. Roches stores had a large section, Tesco was not around, it was Quinnsworth, and they usually had a decent selection. And loads of other places had them too. Why not anymore?

If you agree with me, that there has been a decline in the number of toy shops, I have 2 theories as to why this is the case. The first is mobile phones. Every kid now a days has one, they cost the same as a decent toy would cost. I mean a standard mobile costs about the same as Tracy Island or the large Batcave playset. Now for christmas, the average 10 year old wants a samsung GT911 WITH the bluetooth adapter. The other theory links into this. Toymakers have taken advantage of this and created "toys" out of regular technology, so they don't need to spend money researching new toys. What was last christmas's most sought after toy? The bratz television was on the top of the list of many kids(mainly girls). I was horrified when I saw it recently. Its a regular portable telly, sprayed pink, and has the bratz logo. WTF? Thats not a toy, its a television. It does not do anything, other than show TV. What has gone wrong with kids today? Is it that they are growing up too fast? I think so. I have not grown up yet, neither have a lot of people of my generation. Why is it the only people you see in the Lego/Hornby railway/ Scalextric/Airfix/ areas of Toymaster, are all bearded young men in their 20's and 30's, and are shopping for themselves, not for their kids. What is wrong with our society? Commenst anyone?

lostcarpark

I agree with you, the number of toyshops has fallen rapidly. Plus a lot of department stores had a decent selection of quality toys, and they've largely abandoned this market.

I can think of a few reasons. First is the rise of the Pound/Euro shops, most of which have a huge range of toys. And they're all ****e (no offence - you get what you pay for). Second, Tesco and some of the other supermarkets are building huge stores and they are including larger and larger toy aisles. The quality is a little higher, but the range tends to be very homogonous. Third, the toy stores seem to have merged and consolodated, so that rather than having 2 or 3 little toy shops on the high street, there is one huge store in the retail park. While these are great in one sense, it means the days when you'll find a gem of a toy in the back of the store are gone. The focus is on high turnover and stacking the shelves high with goods that sell fast. Fourth, the rise of the internet means that a lot of toys are bought online bypassing the shops altogether.

Finally, as you point out a lot of kids are getting diverted from toys altogether. Mobile phones are one product that have caused this. I would think video games are the bigger one. Look at the "Wii frenzy" going on at the moment! And while the toy shops have moved to the retail parks (and in most cases at least a quarter of their floor space is filled with video games), every high street still has its video game shops.

On a side note, I think society is forcing a lot of girls to grow up younger, so they are switching to make-up, handbags and glad rags much younger than they used to. Though the mobile phone and video game markets are getting better at appealing to them too.