Toys are becoming the new toilet paper if the queues outside some of the largest toy shops in the State on Monday morning were any indication.
The prospect of another lockdown which could force all but non-essential retailers to shut for weeks sent people scrambling to get organised for Christmas earlier than ever. And while shelves were not stripped bare as they were during the toilet paper shortages of the spring, demand for toys definitely spiked.
Smyths toys outlets around the country were much busier than normal, with long queues at outlets in retail parks in Dublin and Cork.
Before midday on Monday dozens of anxious-looking parents were standing in line waiting to get into the shop in Carrickmines, Co Dublin, with some shoppers saying that it was taking upwards of 30 minutes to get through the doors.
It was quieter in the same chain’s branch on Dublin’s Jervis Street. There were no queues outside the shop, although as lunchtime approached and people saw pictures on social media of the carry-on at other shops, it definitely got busier.
By 1pm there were long queues at all the open pay-points, something staff said was most unusual for a Monday morning in October.
“It has been mad busy so far today, and all of the people seem to be shopping for Christmas,” one staff member said. “I think it is crazy to be honest. There is no need to panic-buy, and even if we do have to close we will still be operating our click-and-collect service.”
The click-and-collect system allows customers to chose the products they want online and pick them up at a particular time. It operated at many Smyths outlets during the last lockdown.
"I am shopping for Christmas alright," confirmed Jennifer Murray from Dublin, as she appeared weighed down by a mountain of board games.
“I’d never normally be doing it this early but I’d be afraid the shops will close and stay closed until after Christmas. You never know do you?”
Stock
In a statement Smyths moved to reassure customers there was no need to be concerned.
“We have good levels of stock, with more arriving each week. We expect our stores to remain open. Please continue to observe social distancing and wear masks when shopping,” a spokeswoman said.
While Fiona Ryan, the owner of the Little Ones shop and website littleones.ie in Ennis, Co Clare, was also confident about the supplies of toys she had, she said there was still a huge level of uncertainty across the whole retail sector.
“We just don’t know what is going to happen, and if we will end up closed for weeks or months or what the story will be,” she said.
“We have had a fair few people in the shop today. And the website has been up the walls.”
Her shop specialises in quality traditional wooden toys, including kitchens and train sets, and Ms Ryan said that not only were people buying the bigger ticket items, they were also stocking up on stocking fillers.
“Normally the smaller items are left until much closer to Christmas, but people are coming in now looking to get all their shopping done.”
