I am often asked this question: When you go to buy the toy your child wants, and find out it’s a hot toy and there are none left, what do you do? There are basically a few different options.
- Bounce from store to store until you find it. This  usually ends up in failure. If you’re going to try this method, go to the  stores that carry the most toys. You can try calling ahead, but that doesn’t  usually work, especially for large stores.
- Get to know the sales help. They often know when the  next shipments are arriving. And be nice! Acting crazy, rude or demanding  won’t get you any good tips or information.
- Buy a different toy and a small gift card. Gift cards  extend the holiday season, and allows a child to spend time walking through a  toy store. For a child, visiting a toy store with a small gift card is an  outing; they can spend hours there.
- Go online. You’re already online reading this, start  hitting the web sites that sell toys. A search for a specific toy will usually  bring up several different stores.
- Check out TTPM’s suggestions for toys in the same or similar categories using the website’s filter.