Sure, we’re still weeks away from Halloween, but that hasn’t stopped the new Mills Fleet Farm in south Rochester from gearing up for holiday toy shopping. A “toyland” display is in the works at the middle of the sprawling store, with artificial Christmas trees and Santa Claus decorations set up outside.
The section will be unveiled Saturday, according to an employee, putting its opening one day before a new Target store is scheduled to open across the street with its competing toy section. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. fired its first salvo in the holiday discounting toy wars last week, announcing price cuts of 10 percent to 50 percent on products including some new holiday toys such as Hasbro Inc.’s interactive parrot called Squawkers McCaw.
Laura Phillips, Wal-Mart’s chief toy officer, said that the world’s largest retailer will be unveiling more price reductions on holiday toys every week in October. The timing of Wal-Mart’s price reductions is about a week earlier than last year’s discounting campaign. Phillips also noted that Wal-Mart is being more aggressive this year in cutting prices on the current season’s hot toys.
Still, Toys “R” Us wasn’t fazed by Wal-Mart’s move, with Ron Boire, president of the toy giant’s North American division, saying the chain remains an authority on toy selling. He cited special deals every week. Toy merchants have been closely monitoring to see whether shoppers are boycotting specific brands hit hard by recalls, but so far it has been a mixed bag.