Wednesday, August 27, 2014

It doesn't hurt to ask (usually)

An unexpected thing happened at TRU today and I was reminded once again it doesn't hurt to ask a simple question.

On Sunday I received an email from TRU showing the new Wydowna spider doll was on sale for $20 ($5 off) this week. (It pays to open those emails and see what's on sale. Most of the time there's nothing I want to buy but it only takes a few seconds to look.) Of course in a year she might be $10 on clearance, who knows, but I didn't want to wait that long for a sale that might not happen.


TRU Exclusive "I love Fashion" Wydowna, TRU promo photo

In case you didn't know, Wydowna was the Monster High ComicCon exclusive doll last year and she was a big hit. Many MH fans were disappointed this was the only way to get a MH spider doll because you had to attend ComicCon to buy her from Mattel and she cost a lot of money on the secondary market. Good news spider fans! Mattel just released another Wydowna doll as a TRU exclusive (part of their MH "I love Fashion" series so she comes with three outfits).She hasn't shown up everywhere yet so I was a little surprised to already see her advertised as being on sale. Cool.

I really dig her blue lips

I went to TRU today to see if Wydowna was in stock and to inquire about a rain check for the sale price if she wasn't there. They had some new MH dolls like the moody ones with changeable eyes and internal organs, but no Wydowna. That prompted the following exchange:

me: Hi, is it possible to get a rain check for a doll that's on sale?
TRU: We don't usually do rain checks. Which one?
me: The Monster High spider doll, she's on sale for $20.
TRU: Let me see if I can order it for you and send it to your house.
me: Oh that's OK, I'd rather not pay shipping.
TRU: There's no shipping charge.
me: And I pay the sale price?
TRU: Yep!
me: OK, yes, please! :D

She confirmed she could order it and entered in my address info and printed out a receipt after I paid for it. The manager had to be called over to enter in a free shipping code ($6 value, nice) and he didn't ask any questions so it seemed fairly routine at this store.
Soon to be mine!

The only downside to this arrangement is that I couldn't choose the specific Wydowna to buy among all the options on the shelf. I have to admit I sometimes take 10-15 minutes to decide on which doll looks the best, and they probably look exactly the same to everyone else, ha! Anyway, if it turns out I'm unhappy with smeared lipstick or whatever on the doll that shows up then I'll just leave the box sealed and exchange her in store when they have a good selection in stock.

You can buy Wydowna online at the $20 sale price until 08/30, but you'll have to pay shipping if you order from home. You might be able to get free shipping if your local TRU doesn't have her in stock but I don't know if this is company policy or unique to my store. It doesn't hurt to ask! :)

Saturday, August 2, 2014

TRU summer clearance hits 90% off

Hello! This is a quick post to inform y'all that Toys R Us has colored sticker clearance items at 90% off. If you've been in TRU this summer then you know what I'm talking about. They still have regular clearance prices on some items (no extra % off), the 90% off only applies to their special summer clearance which used color coded stickers to indicate the % off discount. Now the color doesn't matter: all brown, blue, green, and yellow price stickers are 90% off.

Call your TRU before heading out in case this isn't a nationwide price drop, I don't want anyone to waste gas and time checking it out.

60% off TRU finds (June)

In June I picked up some Bratzillaz, La Dee Da, and Cutie Pops dolls at 60% off. I am guessing most of the brown sticker dolls from June are long gone, but you might get lucky.

I told myself I'd buy these two if I found them on clearance, not thinking I would -- lucky find!

I'm turning into my mother, I plan to make a simple black skirt for Victoria, the doll on the left. What can I say, her outfit looks incomplete to me. :) I didn't want to buy these dolls when they were $20 but $8? Yes! They are my two favorite Bratzillaz, even if Victoria needs some guidance in the clothing department. I don't know if this line is taking a break along with the regular Bratz but I'm looking forward to seeing what MGA does with them next.

 

70% off TRU finds (July)

Two or three weeks ago I picked up these Little Miss Matched outfits at 70% off, they might still be at some TRU stores because I don't think these dolls were all that popular (I could be wrong). These outfits will provide some new pieces for my Moxie Teenz, they are always in need of new clothes.

You can see the brown clearance stickers in these photos, so you know what to look for. Remember the price shown is the original price, you will take 90% off now (or whatever your TRU has brown stickers listed at).


 

90% off TRU finds (August)

Yesterday (August 1st) I bought the following items at 90% off. With the exception of the La Dee Da dog these were the last of their kind on the shelf (and they only had two dogs). So don't delay, check out your TRU this weekend if you're curious to see what's still available.


90% off prices

Novi Stars children's socks, 60 cents -- The alien fabric could be turned into a cute Moxie Teenz dress. There's two pairs of socks in this one package: one pair features the alien on both socks and there's a black pair speckled with faint dots to look like a field of stars.

Cutie Pops fashion pack, $1.10 -- some pieces fit Monster High. Your store might still have the hair pieces and pop packs as well, those disappeared when the sale hit 70% off last month (I may have bought a few then). I was VERY surprised to see these outfits at 90% off.

La Dee Da fashion pack, $1.00 -- LDD dresses fit Monster High. I have a couple other LDD outfits so I felt very fortunate to find two I didn't already own at such a great price.

La Dee Da dog, 70 cents -- comes with a purple rose for a doll to hold

BFC Ink fashion pack, 60 cents -- There's a doll in my closet that might be able to wear this outfit, it was so cheap I decided to throw it in the cart too.

Target clearance

After hunting high and low for clearance items at TRU I headed over to Target because I've heard murmurs online about their summer clearance in the doll aisles. It looks like I missed most of the good stuff but I did find these two Wizard of Oz Dorothy dolls on their second round of clearance:


Target's prices went from $14.99 -> $7.48 -> $4.48 (doll in slim box, the dog is a cardboard cut-out) and $22.99 -> $11.48 -> $6.88 (Dorothy & Toto). These sweet girls haven't been available long but Target wants to clear them out anyway. Both dolls have the same facepaint and hairstyle, the only difference is the dress and dog. They even have the same cute cowboy boots.

You can read a great review of these Legends of Oz dolls (and see much better photos!) over at:
http://www.toyboxphilosopher.com/2014/05/dorothy-toto-from-legends-of-oz.html

I hope you have found some great summer clearance deals as well!

Here's a throwback photo of two Cuties wearing the same Cutie Pops outfits I bought yesterday at TRU. OK, I bought doll clothing I already own but they were only $1.10 each! I left them on the shelf when they were 70% off, but I couldn't say no at 90%.



I have a Mattel doll from the Goodwill that needs a spa day to look her best, I'll record her transformation and share it with you soon! :) Thanks for stopping by.