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Dollar stores, Party City, and even Best Buy are adding more toys to their selection this holiday season.
In the wake of Toys R Us' bankruptcy and liquidation, shoppers will need to turn elsewhere for their holiday toy shopping this year.
Toys R Us filed a motion to liquidate its US business in March, initiating the closing or selling of all 735 of its US stores. They had all closed for good by the end of June.
To win over Toys R Us shoppers, stores like Walmart and Target have ramped up their toy categories, with Walmart announcing it would be expanding its toy selection by 40% online and making more room for toys in stores, and Target laying out plans to add 250,000 square feet of floor space spread throughout 500 stores.
Amazon is also working to win over toy customers, and it will be creating a paper copy of its toy list to be mailed to customers and distributed in Whole Foods stores and other physical Amazon outlets.
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Dollar stores, Party City, and even Best Buy are making a bigger push into toys this holiday season. Here are all of the best places to shop for toys:
Walmart announced in September that it would be expanding its assortment of toys before the holiday season. The store selection would include "more toys than we've ever carried before," Walmart's VP of toys, Anne Marie Kehoe, said at a press conference announcing the plans.
Walmart will be expanding its toy selection by 40% online, and 30% of the toys it's stocking in stores will be brand-new. Walmart will also make room for more toys in stores, and in some locations, it will even be adding more aisles to stock them
Walmart said it will have 1,000 toys exclusive to the retailer, 300 of which are brand-new.
Target
Target announced a new initiative to increase both the space it allots to selling toys in stores and the assortment of toys it carries.
In a press release, the retailer touts that it will have "2,500 new and exclusive toys" with 250,000 additional square feet of floor space spread throughout 500 stores. These stores will also be getting a remodel with more space for items like outdoor play sets and ride-on toys. About 100 of those stores will have a new layout for the toy section with larger displays.
Online, a new "Toy Hub" seeks to help shoppers explore the expanded selection.
Amazon
Amazon will be creating a paper copy of its toy list to be mailed to customers and distributed in Whole Foods stores and other physical Amazon outlets ahead of the holiday season.
A recent consumer survey by Stifel Financial found that shoppers said they prefer to buy toys on Amazon.
Best Buy
Best Buy has added a wider selection of toys in-store and updated the toy page on its website, making it easier to search by brand and age range. Best Buy will also mail out a toy catalog ahead of the holidays for the second year in a row.
Dollar stores
Stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Five Below offer toys for $5 or less. The stores have yet to announce specific holiday plans, but their year-round toy selection is already at a lower price point than competitors like Walmart and Target.
Party City
Party City plans to open around 50 Toy City pop-up stores, some in former Toys R Us stores. Most will open this month alongside Party City's temporary Halloween stores and remain in business through the holidays.
"Toys R Us closing their doors created a new market opportunity, one where we can leverage our existing pop-up store capabilities and expand our toy offerings in a very strategic way," Party City Retail President Ryan Vero said in an email to the Chicago Tribune.
Kohl's
Kohl’s added Lego and FAO Schwarz products to its stores in September. CEO Michelle Gass said during a call with investors that the brands will give "a real boost to our toy business," the Chicago Tribune reported.
JCPenney
JCPenney says it will be adding 40% more toys and games to its stores for the holiday season, in addition to expanding the range of products it will carry. While toys are available in JCPenney year-round, it will be making an extra push before the holidays, publishing a dedicated toy catalog and a list of its top picks.
Macy's
Macy's sells toys year-round but will be making an extra push this holiday season, according to Forbes. Macy's already has its gift guide up on its website, in addition to its toys and games category.
