Today, I made the 15 minute journey to the only local store known to have Webkinz in stock. And I was told to get there at 9:45 b/c people line up and when the door's open at 10a, you file in and grab what you can. My understanding is that somehow, they are hoarding a bunch somewhere and each night, they dole out x number of undisclosed Webkinz to this store, Pizazz, which by the way has many other just adorable product lines, but nobody is looking at a thing but Webkinz, at least not at 10a on a Tuesday morning.
We went b/c my daughter had saved enough money for one ($10 for a large, $7.99 for the smaller) and she has been sick and she has no school today so I decided we'd head out and give it a go. We got there a minute or so after 10 which had my heart racing. I figured they had about 8 and we were about to miss out. Not so. There plenty, maybe 3 dozen or more. Jackpot! There were about a dozen women, and one man, already there shopping, most already in line, single file, with their loot. Two Webkinz a piece. Which come to find out, is the number they will sell each person. This is about to become integral to the story.
I tell Olivia to just pick up two, and then decide which she likes b/c I will admit, my heart is racing and the competive monster in me, is rearing it's ugly head. Mostly, I don't want her to leave empty handed. So she chooses the Googles and a smaller orange cat. I agree to buy one b/c I need another stuffed animal in this house. I just do {insert sarcasm}.
While waiting to pay, I am talking to a really nice lady who has driven a distance for her Webkinz and even admitted to paying $30+ for one on ebay. She is pretty in the know on this whole craze. I am trying to make sure my two stay nearby me b/c as I said, this store is filled with other things, which includes breakables and Vera Bradley purses.
Behind her, a woman lines up with an overflowing armful of Webkinz. Because I have a big mouth and have just learned the protocol here, I felt the need to tell her that "I think you can only buy two at a time". Wrong thing to say...
She began yelling that she could buy SIX, she called the Attorney General and it is illegal to limit the sales of these things, AND she brought her two kids, and they could each buy TWO, and she drove an HOUR to get here while rest of YOU's live right here...blah blah blah. The poor saleswomen were initially speechless, as was everyone else. It was at least a 3 minute tirade. I did finally say something like: wow, these are toys for kids and I think this might be out of control and I'd really rather not have my kids exposed to this. I do want to commend the people working at at the store for keeping their cool, and in general, for selling Webkinz with a smile on their face!!
So we pay and leave. Two other women were waiting outside, just talking about how shocked they were and really embarassed for this woman's behavior. I gather, from the conversation, that they go to Pizazz frequently in search of elusive Webkinz. They did say, they never bring their kids though!
So, this is my very long winded way to say, that the joy was pretty much robbed from me, and my child today. I was pretty excited to be scoring 2 Webkinz in one day until this lady came along. I am pretty sure the point of the toy was sadly missed today. I think they are intended to make kids happy, and teach them too. I am sure Googles and Orange Cat will live a happy life here and I bet they are really glad we got to them before she did!
Just in case you seek a broader education in all things Webkinz, check out this ebay link:
A mere 11,818 itmes listed in this search :
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