Cover of 2008 Big Toy Book
The best Christmas sales don’t always start on Black Friday. Actually, many of the pre-Thanksgiving sales are right up there with the Black Friday deals. Store are looking to capitalize on profits for the entire quarter, and the sooner they get you to buying, the more money you’ll spend.
Instead of offering huge weekly sale ads, stores will put out a book of coupons at the end of October, filled with special pricing, incentives, and coupons. These books mainly include children and baby items. Their goal? To put the products in the child’s hands. When I was small, I had a Sears Wishbook. My mother said I drove her nearly insane with that book and my constant begging and ‘I wants’. One day, she got so fed up, she threw it in the woodstove. Then I drove her insane with my crying over the loss of my book.
I don’t think I cared if I actually got those items, I was just dreaming about them (I’d like to think anyways- like I remember, I was 3!). A few years ago, I opened one of my gifts and found… a 1984 Sears Wishbook. Thanks to Ebay, things like that are much easier to get your hands on now. The funny thing is, in this era of nostalgia that the toy companies are pushing on us, many of the items in the book are on store shelves now!
Enough of my digressions.. let’s get to the point. These books are great because:
- They are full of discounts.
- You can pre-shop from your couch.
- Your kids can make their Christmas lists off of them!
Many parents give their kids markers and the books and let them go to town on circling items. This encourages them to make their Christmas lists (or write their letters to Santa). The earlier you shop, the better off you are!
What books are available?
Some of the biggest books are the Toys ‘R Us Big Book, the Sears Wishbook, and the Target Toy Coupon Book.
When are they released?
All of these books are released the last Sunday of October. With it falling on a holiday this year, I’m not 100% sure, but I assume it will come out on the 31st. There is a slight chance it may come out this weekend!
How can I get them?
Sears: I cannot find an online registration (if you find it, let me know!). You can either call their customer service number at 800-549-4505 to be added to their mailing list or you may view the entire book online.
Toys ‘R Us: This will be in the Sunday paper, can be picked up in-store, or will be delivered to the homes of those on their mailing list. To join the mailing list, call: 1-800-869-7787 then select options 1, 2, then 4.
Target: In previous years, the coupons have been available for print on their website. They also come out in selected Sunday papers. You can also find these in the store, hung from the endcaps in the toy and electronics departments.
Are there other types of coupons available?
Of course! Around the holidays, retailers are putting out coupons like crazy to get you to purchase their products. Watch in the weekly inserts (in your Sunday paper), on printable coupon sites such as Coupons.com and Redplum, and stuck to products. The Christmas shopping season is full of holiday peelies!
Watch for rebates, too! For the last 3 years, Mattel has offered a $50 prepaid Visa for the purchase of $100 Barbie products. Hasbro puts out rebates for board games every year.
Don’t forget to check out the other posts in this series- they will help you save (and earn!) some serious holiday cash!
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