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Grasshopper Toys starts Cashback For Schools scheme
Schools can receive ten per cent of the value of orders that parents make with the Scottish independent retailer…
PARENTS CAN now earn money for their kids’ schools with Grasshopper Toys’ new cashback scheme. Schools can register with the science and educational toys retailer, which is based in Scotland, to receive a unique code. Parents and supporters can enter this when placing an order. The Grasshopper website remembers the code for future purchases, too. Once the purchase is complete, ten per cent of the value of the order is set aside to be paid into the registered school’s bank account. Dr Wendy Hamilton, owner of Grasshopper Toys, told ToyNews: “We give quite a lot to a local school, in
COUNTER INSURGENT
This month, our mystery toy retail columnist deals with a troublesome tot, and finally sells those paddling pools…
DON’T YOU just love the school holidays? Loads of kids come into the shop looking at the toys they
want and hopefully buy them. But you still get the odd
‘child’ who needs some serious time with the Supernanny. Take this boy that came in the other day, for instance. From the moment he arrived, it was clear his mother had no control over him as he went on a one- child destruction of my shop. Signs were ripped from
shelves, while boxes were thrown around and left lying on the floor. You know it’s bad when the staff call me through to deal with it. I somehow managed to keep his grubby fingers away from the sweets and soft toys, and tried to get him near some tougher toys. I can confirm the Wow Toys
rocket is very well made, as it flew through the air like Jessica Ennis’ javelin before
OCTOBER 2012
smashing into a herd of Schleich elephants.
The staff did comment that
I’m not normally as patient with them, but this is always a good time of year to test my patience as the footy season has started. All my frustrations built up dealing with suppliers, staff and customers are channeled into a useless idiot
SUNNY SALES So what of the toy trade this month? Well, the Olympics gave everyone a feel-good factor, but that didn’t mean extra sales. If anything, the success meant people were less likely to leave the TV
I asked the mum to control her child only to be called a
name I can’t remember, but assume is a chav swear word.
referee or the overpaid idiots on the pitch. With my natural aggression out of the way, I asked his mum to try and control her child, only to be called several names to do with my parentage, sexual preferences and a word I can’t recall but assume is a chav swear word. She announced loudly she was going to Toys R
screen for too long. But once the closing ceremony finished and the sun stayed out, we at last managed to sell the paddling pools we bought two years ago. The Argos book came out and the normal requests for items in there haven’t happened. Either consumers aren’t looking or they just
aren’t allowing the kiddies to get caught up in the whole toy pages thing yet. New Lego lines are selling well, as always, and perhaps I am a little early but no-one has expressed interest in Furby yet, despite the PR and news coverage. Movie properties have been
okay. Once again it seems if there is a Lego version of a brand like Batman, that is
what the kids want, not the action figure.
As I write this, we’re nearing the end of the school holidays, which is the traditional time for consumers to start thinking about Christmas. I think they won’t be so quick off the mark this year. It’ll be a test of nerves and indies will need ‘positive discrimination’ more than ever.
Us. Even other customers breathed a sigh of relief.
Counter Insurgent had a child customer come into the store this month, whose mother was in desperate need of hiring TV Supernanny Jo Frost…
HAMILTON: “We want to be seen as a company which is responsible”
terms of extra stock that we have. The problem is we can only give to one school, so we thought: what can we do for the rest of them? We already sell to a lot of schools anyway,
so we’re hoping they will take advantage of the scheme.” Although Grasshopper is
sacrificing ten per cent of profits on these orders, Dr Hamilton says the
scheme is worthwhile. “I’m sure it will have a really good effect for us, but it’s also part of our ethos,” she added. “We want to be seen as a company which is responsible. “There’s a big role for good educational toys out there, so if parents are able to benefit their schools more by buying a responsible toy for us, then I think everyone wins. “It’s a funny one. I think if you offer parents ten per cent off, it’s not much of an incentive, but for a lot of parents, giving the percentage to a school is a much more exciting incentive for them.” Grasshopper: 01436 670806
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