RIP Jessica - hopefully now that justice has been done your friends and family can start to move on ...
RIP Jessica - hopefully now that justice has been done your friends and family can start to move on and remember the good times.
Member since:09.08.2005
Reviews:413
Members who trust:273
Isn't it great that you can go to a big store and buy everything from groceries and clothes to electrical goods and toys. Talk about convenient. No more running around from store to store trying to find exactly what you're looking for at a reasonable price. Of course there were some benefits to the small toy shops I remember as a kid. Sometimes they supplied more unusual toys such as the craft section which included painting by numbers and sequin arts and you did have that personal service which you can't beat when you are looking for something specific but prices were higher and when you've got a few children this can be the difference of staying in budget or getting into debt at times such as birthdays and christmas as so many families do these days with all the credit available from stores as well as credit cards as so much pressure is put on us through advertising.
We are always on a budget so I always start looking for small gifts early. My girls are teenagers now so tend to know what they want and its usually one main present - DVD players and Freeview boxes have been a popular idea in recent times with prices dropping - but I like to get them some sort of game or craft idea as well and Tesco has been good at providing me with ideas. We found that looking at prices from other supermarkets such as Asda that they were very competative and as the weeks
drew closer to Christmas prices were dropped almost daily in some cases sometimes only by a few pence at a time but Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary Edition ended up costing us £25.99 when it had started out at around £30. This was just one of many games that were available all at very reasonable prices - well compared with other shops anyway. I would say that some of the games seem to be remarkably overpriced these days for what they are.
It's not just games they have a good selection of though and having a 3 year old boy I am made very aware of all the merchandising from children's tv shows. There are numerous options to choose from whether your little one is a fan of Bob The Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, Tweenies or one of the many other shows available now. The BBC I think make brilliant programmes for kids but the list of merchandising is endless, from the Fimbles to Balamory and Clifford the Big Red Dog - its everywhere - but never fear Tesco toy department has it all, again at good prices and with a selection to at least be on a par with the likes of Woolworths who seem to lack the same selection these days. From soft toys and dolls to jigsaws and interactive learning toys they have it all. We were especially surprised recently at a selection of Winnie the Pooh 54 small piece jigsaws which have different scenes featuring all the favourite characters for 99p each. You can't beat value like that and the quality of them are excellent and for that price it's affordable to have more than one. What an excellent stocking filler if your little ones like puzzles and have past the wooden board style which you can also buy from Tesco.
But it's not just big name brands like MB Games and Little Bratz that they stock. Like Woolworths Chad Valley range, which is excellent, they also stock a range of Tesco toys which are even better value for money. The toddler range has a good variety all with the same animal theme. The product we love is the Giant Floor Dominoes which are double sided with pictures on one side and spots on the other. The spots are also colour co-ordinated to help with your child's understanding and recognition. The pictures are bright and feature all the animals in the theme which include the cat, dog, pig, sheep, cow and horse. They come in a sturdy box with a handle for easy carrying and are recommended for children 3 and upwards although my son was 2 1/2 when he got them and soon got the hang of it. He now not only plays with us but sets up various toys to have a go and helps them choose which one to play. These have really lasted well as he does sometimes have to be reminded not to throw them around or stand on them, as all toddlers tend to do with their toys from time to time. He also likes to choose whether to use the animals or count the dots now and this really helped with his counting and also with matching colours. It's funny how such a simple game can cause so much enjoyment when there are so many battery powered, flashing lights and making sounds toys available today. This set only cost £2.99 and was well worth the money. As I mentioned before there are other toys in this series of animals such as a wind up tv and a snap game. You can also get cuddly versions of the animals - all at the same cheap prices and with a quality which I feel I can trust.
Of course there are also books to consider when buying presents for children and Tesco's children's selection is fantastic. From the early board books and bath books to books for teenagers they again have it all. I recently spotted The Very Hungry Caterpillar in there which brought back memories. It's good to see that although there are a number of newly released books that some of the old favourites are still being sold. Prices are pretty standard although again you can some on sale from time to time and unlike the toys these can also be found on the Tesco website which is worth a look as it is set out as a bookcase with different age groups and catagories on each shelf. Lovely idea.
All in all I would say I have no faults with the Tesco toy range except that I would love to see it on the website.
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Sep 1st, 2005
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