Chad Valley Electronic Cash Register

Cash Register

Age recommendation - 3yrs +
Requires 2 x AA batteries (not included)
Size 17.8 x 24.7 x 12.7cm

This cash register (till) has been manufactured by Chad Valley. It is part of their range of products designed to encourage role play amongst pre-schoolers and a trolley/play food set can also be purchased. In the box you will receive :

• cash register
• play food
• play money (notes, coins and a credit card)

This cash register features a digital display which acts as a calculator. It can be turned on and off (always beneficial for us adults). There is a card swiper and a conveyor belt to enhance the realistic appearance of the toy.

Price and Availability

This complete cash register set is priced at £9.99 from Argos. It is part of a long running '2 for £15.00' offer.

Our Thoughts

Our son was obsessed with supermarkets just before Christmas and we ended up buying him a trolley, play food and a till from the Chad Valley range. They are affordable when purchased as part of the '2 for £15.00' offer. Boo has now owned his till for nearly 6 months and it has been used less and less over the pass few weeks as he has moved on to more advanced and fun toys! The battery compartment requires a little screwdriver to open it and appears very secure. This toy doesn't drain the batteries quickly which is good.

Appearance and Quality

This till is suitable for boys or girls due to the neutral colour scheme of red, blue, green and yellow. It is made of sturdy and bright plastic and has withstood being thrown in the toy box without any cosmetic damage. It is a good size for a toddler to play about with and sits neatly on a flat surface.

The till is well designed with chunky number buttons. The number pad actually works as a calculator and the numbers your child types in are clearly displayed. There is a big 'cash' button which works regardless if the toy has batteries in it and this pops the till tray open. The little conveyor belt does move but does require a bit of shoving to get it to move!

There is a nice selection of accessories with this till but if your child wants a proper supermarket or shop scenario, you will need to add to the collection as we have done. The age limit is spot on as the coins are small and could pose a choking hazzard. The notes are still in good condition but we have lost the credit card. The range of food is basic but there is a few bottles/tins and some little (and very flimsy) boxes. Most of them have been damaged or mixed in with the other play food we have.

Supermarket Sweep!

Whilst the supermarket items we have are not used much now, my son and nephew occasionally bring them out to play about with. I suppose playing shops is more girly but boys can have fun with it too! My niece (who is 5) will play with this when she visits too. There isn't much to the till as it doesn't have a massive range of features so it does require a level of imagination!

The till isn't overly noisy. The number keys 'bleep' as you press them. The till tray makes no noise when my son presses the cash button. The swiper at the side is designed to encourage your child to swipe the credit card. Doing this results in a little tune being played which my son always finds amusing and it reminds us of the music they play in amusement arcades!

My son and nephew usually take it in turns to be the cashier and put the till on Boos plastic table. The trolley gets parked up at the side and any 'food' is put on the table ready to be swiped. I do feel the till would be more fun (for the boys) if the conveyor belt made a noise as the food is swiped. The boys usually swipe the food, put it back in the trolley (think Lidls more than Tesco) whilst ringing it up on the display.

Cash is handed over, change is given (and usually dropped down the sofa or hoovered up) and the shopper is sent on their merry way. My son is only 4 so isn't fully aware of how much change etc to give or numbers (except counting from memory) but my niece makes use of the calculator and number function more effectively. The calculator works well and I have used it myself when I have found myself needing to do some quick sums and it has been the nearest thing to me!

Conclusion

Overall this till is of a decent quality and is fairly fun to use. My son did get bored of it but I feel it is because he has simply bypassed the supermarket phase and is more onto cars and building sets! I can see it heading to another child soon to get the use from it.

4 stars

Thanks for reading :)