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Step 1
Call Stores That Carry them in Advance.
Nothing is more frustrating to a parent or gift giver than roaming from store to store and finding the same empty shelves. Many stores get a heads up notice in advance of shipments coming in so try calling all of the stores in your area that will carry them and see if they have any idea when a shipment is about to arrive. Be persistent because even if Toys R Us doesn‘t know, Walmart or Target might. Also keep in mind that quite often when one store gets a new shipment so do other surrounding stores. So if your local Walmart sells out on the first day, think about taking a quick run over to your local Kmart or Target who might have gotten a shipment at the same time. -
Step 2
Make Friends with Store Clerks
It might not be a bad idea to also try and make friends with a store clerk who works in the toy section of the store. While they might not be able to hold an item for you (because many stores prohibit employees from grabbing hard to find items) the promise of a financial tip might just get you a call on your cell phone so you can take a quick run over. Just be sure that it will not get the employee in trouble with the store. -
Step 3
Network with Friends
While most stores have a limit on how many Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters a customer could purchase at a time (for example, Toys R Us will only sell 3 to a customer per day), if you inform friends, neighbors and family members that you are on the look out they might be able to pick them up for you if they happen to be in the store at just the right time. -
Step 4
Keep Checking Online
Put a bunch of online stores that carry Zhu Zhu Pets Hampsters in your favorites folder on your computer and do a quick check early each morning as you have your coffee. You can probably check as many as 6 or 7 stores in as little as 5 minutes to see if they have gotten their new shipments in. Get into the habit of doing this at the same time everyday (preferably early morning) and eventually you will get lucky and hit it at exactly the right time. -
Step 5
Bid on Ebay
The good news is that no matter what you are looking for in Zhu Zhu Pets, be it the actual Hamsters or the playsets, you will absolutely find it on Ebay. The bad news is, it is going to cost you more than you would pay in stores. Sometimes, significantly more. The trick with Ebay is to go on everyday and look at auctions that go off at weird times (like a 2am in the morning) and definitely keep an eye out for misspellings. For example, Zhu Zhu is actually pronounced Zoo Zoo and I’ve already seen an auction where someone listed it that way. The item went for much lower than the auctions listed under the proper spelling because most people didn‘t think to look for it under the misspelling and there was less competition for it.
Also keep an eye out for 24 hour auctions. Sometimes they have a tendency to go for less if people haven’t had a chance to see it. -
Step 6
Check Amazon
Amazon is another place where you will always be able to find Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters available. Again however, be prepared to pay more than you would in stores because private sellers can offer it at any price they choose to according to supply and demand. There are some good deals that can still be had however. This is another site you should keep checking because there is a lot of competition among sellers as well. If a lot of people start offering them at the same time, the price will begin to come down so sellers can at least recoup their investment.
