When we went to Toys Galore in Edinburgh, the owner, Donald Nairn, told us that the current state of business is the toughest he has ever encountered.
“If you’d asked me in 2019 what the next few years would be like I could not have possibly imagined in my wildest dreams it would have been as challenging as it has been,” he said.
That’s because toys have gone up in price due to rises in production and global shipping costs as well as the pound being weaker, he explains.
But he says there’s a limit to how much he can put up prices for his customers.
“There have been some products where we have simply decided not to sell it anymore because we think the price has gone up so much that it’s no longer sellable,” he said.
And he’s noticed his customers are being a lot more cautious in their spending.
“Most people are struggling because they’ve seen all the costs go up – interest, fuel, food and yet their wages just haven’t kept up so everything’s squeezed.
“Although they will still buy a toy for a birthday or Christmas present they will buy a smaller toy or there might not be a trip to a toy shop on a Saturday.
“I think people try to do their best to make Christmas as normal as possible but undoubtedly people will be cutting back a bit.”
Source:BBC.com