Is it worth your time and money to track down a Hatchimal, this season's hottest toy?
Should you fight to find a Nintendo NES Classic, the throwback game station that has now also vanished from store shelves?
On Sunday morning, Dec. 4, Toys R Us stores had between a dozen and 30 Hatchimals in stock at most stores, according to parents who lined up for them hours in advance. At some stores, there were not enough on shelves for everyone who was waiting.
It was worse at Target, according to Twitter reports from parents.
One dad told us he waited outside Target Sunday morning, along with 50 other anxious parents, only to hear store managers announce at 7 a.m. that they only received two of the toys. Everyone else went home disappointed.
Now it's back to checking again, or paying over $200 fromthird party sellers on Amazon or trying your luck on eBay.
Why do you need one?
By now every parent of a young child knows this year's Furby-Tickle Me Elmo-Cabbage Patch Doll is ridiculously impossible to find.
But does your child really need one?
Seems every 7-year-old girl in America wants a Hatchimal, which you help hatch out of its shell, and then care for it.
Moms everywhere are going crazy trying to find one.
Heather Waugh told me a couple of weeks ago she was stunned by asking prices. "On eBay it was anywhere from $178 to a high of $600," she said.
Some parents say "no"
But some moms are blogging they've decided Santa will not be bringing one, one saying "My kid's not getting a Hatchimal and she'll survive."
They say most children will understand the short supply, if you explain it.
Other parents, who managed to get one, are posting disappointing reviews.
One British mom's Facebook review has gone viral, after she said "It's not worth the money: It has a few games that are boring, that kids don't want to play again."
She said her daughter was bored and done with her Hatchimal after just 3 days.
Doesn't that stink?
If that happens to you, after you spend hours trying to locate one, you'll say "doesn't that stink?"
Bottom line: If you really want one, then be prepared to visit stores every morning or spend $200 dollars on eBay.
Or, you can give your child a rain check, look again in January, and determine if they even want one by then, so you don't waste your money.
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“Don't Waste Your Money” is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. (“Scripps”). John Matarese reports on deals and scams so you Don't Waste Your Money. While purchases from links inserted in this article may result in a commission for Scripps, no Scripps reporter benefited from that commission.
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