Wal-Mart's holiday bargain: 100 toys for $10

The big-box retailer looks to spur holiday sales with a list of 100 toys for $10 each.

EMAIL  |   PRINT  |   SHARE  |   RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
By Ben Rooney, CNNMoney.com staff reporter

When will you know that an economic recovery is underway?
  • When the Dow tops 10,000
  • When GDP turns positive
  • When job growth resumes
  • It's already started

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Wal-Mart is looking to jump-start holiday sales by expanding last year's $10 toy incentive tenfold, the company said Wednesday.

The world's largest retailer said it will offer 100 toys, from Barbies to Transformers, for $10 through the Christmas holiday. Last year, the program included only 10 toys.

The company decided to expand the $10 program and roll back prices "at a time when our customers were ready to make purchases," said Laura Phillips, Wal-Mart's vice president of toys, in a statement.

Wal-Mart said research has shown that 70% of its customers plan to start shopping for holiday items before Halloween.

More than half of Wal-Mart shoppers have already started budgeting for their holiday shopping, and nearly 40% say they are watching for deals, according to the company.

Hoping to attract shoppers. The incentive plan comes as retailers prepare for what is expected to be a lackluster holiday shopping season.

Holiday sales, which are largely driven by toy sales, can account for half of annual profit at many U.S. retailers.

Last year, toy sales declined 5% in the forth quarter, and 3% overall, generating $21.64 billion in 2008, versus $22.32 billion in 2007, according to market research company NDP Group Inc.

While Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) has weathered the recession better than its higher priced rivals as consumers hunt for bargains amid the weak economy, the discount retailer is not immune to the downturn in sales.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based company said last month that sales at stores open at least one year, a key measure of retail activity, fell 1.2% in the second-quarter versus the year before.

Wal-Mart's latest sales figures were considered worrisome by some analysts, who had expected same-store sales to rise 1% in the second quarter.

And with unemployment continuing to rise and household budgets still under pressure, many retailers are looking for ways to appeal to price-conscious shoppers, especially with the crucial holiday shopping season quickly approaching.

What's on the $10 list. Under the expanded $10 program, Wal-Mart will offer a "newly released toys, top brands and classic toys that shoppers seek out each holiday season."

Some of the toys are being introduced at $10, while others are being reduced by up to 50%, the company said.

The following is a partial list of the brands being offered:

  • New Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Action Figures
  • Barbie Cut and Style Rapunzel
  • Games such as Connect 4, Battleship, Monopoly, Trouble and Jenga
  • Vtech Explore and Learn Helicopter
  • Tonka Light and Sound vehicle assortment (firetruck, dumptruck, etc.)
  • New Littlest Pet Shop Online Animals (virtual pet) or Littlest Pet Shop Playpack sets
  • Clean-Up Pup Barbie Play Set and Mermaid Splash & Style Barbie
  • New Play-Doh Burger Builder Set
  • New Garanimals line Bath Boat (with squirter) and ABC 50 wood blocks kit
  • Hot Wheels Trick Track
  • LEGO Bionicle Legends set
  • New Nerf-N-Force Sword
  • My Little Pony So Soft Newborn
  • Little Dreams Interactive Baby Doll
  •  To top of page
Features
They're hiring!These Fortune 100 employers have at least 350 openings each. What are they looking for in a new hire? More
If the Fortune 500 were a country...It would be the world's second-biggest economy. See how big companies' sales stack up against GDP over the past decade. More
Sponsored By:
More Galleries
10 of the most luxurious airline amenity kits When it comes to in-flight pampering, the amenity kits offered by these 10 airlines are the ultimate in luxury More
7 startups that want to improve your mental health From a text therapy platform to apps that push you reminders to breathe, these self-care startups offer help on a daily basis or in times of need. More
5 radical technologies that will change how you get to work From Uber's flying cars to the Hyperloop, these are some of the neatest transportation concepts in the works today. More
Sponsors
Worry about the hackers you don't know 
Crime syndicates and government organizations pose a much greater cyber threat than renegade hacker groups like Anonymous. Play
GE CEO: Bringing jobs back to the U.S. 
Jeff Immelt says the U.S. is a cost competitive market for advanced manufacturing and that GE is bringing jobs back from Mexico. Play
Hamster wheel and wedgie-powered transit 
Red Bull Creation challenges hackers and engineers to invent new modes of transportation. Play

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.