Helping relieve strain on the pocketbook - Wilmington Town Crier

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TOWN CRIER - WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 3. 1997
Beanie baby ballyhoo basically bonkers
Continued from pg 1
back of the line system, they sold out
in a matter of hours but Mr. LeDuc
maintained that all of his customers
were satisfied ones. Not out to make a
killing, his philosophy is to give ev-
eryone an equal opportunity to make
their purchase without too many re-
strictions. They strive to service the
collector while not making any en-
emies in the process. Mr. LeDuc had
several Beanie stories to share during
a visit to his store. He laughed as he
recalled the pajama-clad mother with
two sick children in tow, who made an
early morning trek form Dedham, ea-
ger to make it in time for the store
opening. All she had on her mind was
being present for the unveiling of the
new Beanie Baby shipment. He also
finds it amusing when women enter
his store, only to catch a glimpse of
some new Beanies, then rapidly pull
out their cell phones to dial up each
and every Beanie-collecting friend
that comes to mind. "After all." he
told two women who actually got into
a heated verbal exchange over a par-
ticular animal, "It's just a bean bag—
get a grip!"
With a marketing strategy that re-
lies mostly on word of mouth by con-
sumers, the Ty Corp. has built an em-
pire in a very short time. Though bean
bag toys have been around for years,
none of them have had the type of
appeal that the original Ty Beanie
Babies have had with their loyal cus-
tomers. Kids like everything about the
colorful, little stuffed toys and they are
happy with the fact that they can buy
them themselves, often with allow-
ance money. Adults are equally at-
tracted to the toys, perhaps, in part,
due to their limited availability
which makes the hunt so much more
exciting.
Each Beanie Baby is special, with
their individual names, birth dates,
and poems printed on the original
heart-shaped Ty lag and they arc
popping up in homes everywhere.
Some say that it's just a fad that will
be gone before we know it while
others sec endless possibilities for
future growth. Internet Web sites,
and clubs continue to provide a fo-
rum lor the hundreds of thousands
of seriOUS people hooked on collect-
ing the cuddly little creatures.
Ken Gandhi, owner of Kay's
Hallmark in Tewksbury. is happy to
be established with the Ty Corpora-
tion, as the company is not opening
any new accounts at the present time.
He shares the philosophy that keep-
ing the price right, at $5.00, keeps
his customers content and coming
back for more purchases. At present.
Ken is anxiously awaiting a back
order that he hopes will come in any
day. Mr. Gandhi feels that the
company is experiencing "growing
pains," expanding so fast that they
arc having difficulties keeping up
with supply and demand. However,
he's confident that he will have new
shipments for holiday gift giving.
According to Mr. Gandhi, one of the
biggest problems facing consumers
arc the people who arc purchasing
as many Beanie Babies as they can
gel. only 10 sell them on the second-
ary market, where they command
much higher prices. This affects the
children, who were initially attracted
by the affordability of the Beanies.
Another problem with delayed ship-
ments has to do with theft; ware-
houses where Beanie Babies are
stored have been robbed and trucks
carrying huge shipments have been
hijacked. It makes you wonder to
what ends people will go to acquire
Robert P> Flaherty
JEWELER
657-8338
WILHINCTON PLAZA
We do repairs, stone
setting and goldsmithing
on the premises.
We'll Be Closed
Sept. 4 ,h at 4 P.M.
and Open
Sept. 8 ,h at 9 A.M.
Jo Sheehan and her granddaughter Kasey Smith checkout the Bcanichabics at Shcchan's shop. The other half in
Tewksbury (Photo Bill Rycrson)
the seemingly unattainable.
At Harvest Gift Shop in Wilming-
ton, I walked in on a shipment of
"Lizzy " the Lizards (three dozen, to
be exact), that had arrived that very
day. The proprietor assured me that
her inventory would be exhausted by
closing time. Harvest Gift also re-
tails the Beanies at their suggested
price and they have had an account
with the Ty-Corp. for many years
before "Beanie Mania" came about.
They were proud to say that they
have received two shipments since
the UPS strike came to a halt. Tyalso
manufactures a group of "Pillow Pals"
along with a larger line of plush ani-
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mals. Harvest Gift had a few of those
on hand, including "Honey", the dog
and "Faith", the bear. Equally charm-
ing, though oversized renditions of
the classic little Beanies, the larger
plush retail for about twenty dollars.
Harvest Gift has had a very positive
response toward the entire Ty line
and plans to continue carrying all of
the favorites. It's a three Beanie limit
per customer at Harvest but so far
they have managed to keep all of
their clientele happy.
Jo Sheehan, the owner of The
Other Half Gift Shop at Shcchan's
Pharmacy in Tewksbury, believes that
the Ty plush line is unsurpassed in
quality and workmanship. On a re-
cent afternoon I was pleasantly sur-
prised to walk in on several shelves
that were brimming with an assort-
ment of Beanie Babies. "This ship-
ment came in today," was Mrs.
Shcchan's response. Many had al-
ready been purchased and her predic-
tion was that by the end of the day she
would sell out of her stock. Sheehan
has had no trouble getting through to
the Ty company and she has been
elated by the customer response to
the product. Even though she's sell-
ing the Beanies at $6.95 each, her
loyal customers have been more than
happy logivchcrthcirbusincss. They
also specialize in stocking an ex-
panded line of the Ty products and I
have to say that I was smitten with a
large Ginger, the bear, who at $40.00,
seemed a bargain for such an ador-
able stuffed animal. The Other Half
recently held a raffle to benefit the
Lindsey Dias fund and the prize was
a basketful of retired Beanie Babies.
The response to the raffle was over-
whelming. "My customers have been
great," said Sheehan, "and word of
mouth continues to bring in new shop-
pers each day."
The last local stop on the Beanie
Baby trail took me to Batter Up Sports
Cards in Tewksbury. Owners Bill
and Jim Judge do not have an account
with the Ty Corporation but their
Beanie Baby business is definitely
booming. Their connection with
Beanie Babies is that of secondary
LOOKING TO SELL YOUR HOME?
DeWolfe Sells More Homes
Than Any Other Broker
Tewksbury
January 1,1997-June 30, 1997 .
191 Single Family & Condominiums Sold
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