I have (easily) sworn off the Toys R Us’s and other big chain toy stores in life.
I find they are only polluting our kids with commericalized crapola and really don’t care about our children as a whole. Walking into their stores is like being sucked into a Black Hole.
I support independent toy stores. ( That would be an awesome bumper sticker.)
Yes, the prices are a little bit more for games that inspire brain work, cooperation, conversation and interaction.
Yes, the toys are a bit more but they are made either by hand or possibly American Made ( or German Made, the Germans make some awesome stuff. And a hint from someone who loves Haba toys , Ravensberger puzzles and Kathy Kruse dolls, if you think you can get them cheaper on vacation in Germany, you would be wrong. It is the same price here -on line or at a toystore - as there. It would have saved me a buttload of hassle on our Big Fat German Vacation last year.)
They have gadets, games and loveys that inspire imagination and creative play. Something that is sorely lacking in our society.
So, before you walk out of Ye Olde Independant Toy Shoppe because they lack the primary colors and spiderman/spongebob/Disney/Strawberry shortcake/polly pockets explosion, take the time to just peruse each aisle slowly and recall your childhood and what you wanted to play with. I guarantee* that in each shelf, in each display there will be something…something cool something OH WOW , that catapults you back to being 8 or 9 years of age instantly and can see your younger self playing with it.
Toy Store owners care about your kids.
*This guarantee does not come with a money back offer.
I also buy fair trade coffee and support my local used book stores, which seem to be readily disappearing from the landscape of life.
I do my best to shop local first and buy American/Canadian or German (or any Euro country) before Chinese crap.