Go Back to
www.IndependentRetailer.com COVER STORY Toys, Gifts &
Novelties Forecast continued from page 82
than higher priced items. “It’s an easier impulse buy,”
Portale says. “I wouldn’t say they’re totally recession proof, but I would say that the really expensive items are selling at lesser quantities, and the lower priced end is doing better on a relative basis. Our business is starting to pick up right now, and we see things being fairly decent heading into the Christ- mas selling season. I don’t know how good it will be, but I don’t think it will be bad. This coming Christmas season will probably be about the same as
last year. I don’t think it will be better.” Ian Flanagan, co-owner of
Opportunity Buys, a whole- saler of home décor, giftware and novelty products, has wit- nessed a general change in how people are viewing the market. “Whereas years ago people just wanted to see how cheap they could buy something, with no regard to quality, nowadays in
the market you see more people saying, ‘We want better qual- ity at a reasonable price.’ So if you’re able to provide a good quality product to the person, obviously it’s still not going to be as cheap as it used to be, when people didn’t care about quality. But now what Opportu- nity Buys in particular is trying to do is offer that good quality merchandise at a price that’s reasonable. It’s not something that the consumer has to pay $100 for, but people are more willing to spend that $20, as long as they know they’re get- ting something of quality.” The economy has something
to do with this shift. In today’s continued on page 85
* HOT NEW JAPANESE ERASERS * GLEE CD Board Game HOTTEST
Each Pack Contains Multiple Erasers With Different Themes: Fruit,
Veggies, Sports, Picnics And More!
* SHAPED SILICONE BANDZ *
Glow Animal Silicone Bandz
Animal Tie Dye Silicone Bandz
The security of a stuffed animal with the wonderful feeling of a pillow. Super soft chenille many different animals available.
Get Your Glee On!
Animal Glitter Silicone Bandz
NOVELTY GIFT company 84 September 2010 Visit
Ms. Lady Bug
OUTSIDE NY 800-648-4818
www.noveltyposter.com
Online at INDEPENDENTRETAILER.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104