Bustling children's toy market during Mid-Autumn Festival

Purchasing power increased sharply

Different from the bleakness ofchildren's toy marketMid-Autumn Festival 2021 due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, this year the children's toy market in the province has flourished. Walking around the streets specializing in selling children's toys in Vinh City such as Dinh Cong Trang, Le Loi, Nguyen Van Cu, Vinh market area, supermarkets, parks... it is easy to see children's toys everywhere, eye-catchingly arranged to attract parents and children.

People look to buy children's toys during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: Quang An

Ms. Nguyen Quynh Nga, owner of a children's toy store in Vinh City, said: "To prepare for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, since the seventh lunar month, we have started importing children's toys with a full range of designs and types to serve young customers. Since the beginning of August, the number of customers coming to buy and order online has increased dramatically, and the closer to Mid-Autumn Festival, the more orders there are. Because it is the main business season of the year, I have to mobilize my family members to help sell and ship goods to customers on time."

According to the reporter's records, children's toy products this year are diverse. With the criteria of choosing toys that can both entertain and stimulate, arouse children's curiosity and desire to learn, parents often look for smart toys such as puzzles, letter puzzles, clay sets, alphabet boards... to buy as gifts for their children. Therefore, this type of product often has higher purchasing power.

Children's toys are diverse and abundant. Photo: Quang An

In addition, traditional children's toys such as lanterns, star lanterns, fish lanterns, paper masks, lion heads, lions, dragons... with prices ranging from only a few tens of thousands of dong to a few hundred thousand dong, are made from materials close to nature such as paper, bamboo, rattan... ensuring safety for children, so they are also chosen by many parents as gifts for their children. These games help children learn cultural values ​​such as the spirit of studiousness, patriotism; understanding the images of familiar Vietnamese folk characters such as Ong Dia, Uncle Teu...

Traditional toys are popular in the market. Photo: Quang An

Sharing about the purchasing power of toys this year, Ms. Le Thi Mai, owner of a children's toy store, said: Compared to last year, this year the consumption of children's toys has increased 2-3 times because the Covid-19 epidemic has been controlled, many parents also buy gifts to encourage their children in the new school year. In addition, restaurants, hotels, cafes, playgrounds... order large quantities of toys to decorate their stores. Youth groups and groups also order a lot to perform arts and serve the Mid-Autumn Festival for children, so purchasing power has increased significantly.

Strengthening control of toxic toys

Although smart toys and traditional toys dominate the market this year, there are still many violent, unknown-origin, and low-quality toys on the market. The most recognizable feature of these products is that they have no labels and are cheap to appeal to consumers. In particular, violent toys such as guns, swords, spears, horror masks, etc. are still openly sold in crowded places such as schools, parks, and playgrounds.

Consumers need to carefully choose children's toys, avoiding toxic and violent toys. Photo: Quang An

In particular, with the explosion of social networks, children today are exposed to many harmful images and cultures when watching phones and tablets, so the search for and competition for violent and offensive toys is becoming more and more common. Unlike traditional shopping in the past, many children's toys are now ordered online, so checking and handling items of unknown origin and poor quality is also difficult.

Mr. Nguyen Van Huong - Director of Nghe An Market Management Department said: Mid-Autumn Festival is the time when the business of items such as confectionery and children's toys is most active in the year. This is also the time when the trade, sale and transportation of moon cakes and toys of unknown origin flourish. The unit has directed market management teams in the area to strengthen the application of professional measures, proactively coordinate with relevant functional agencies to promptly inspect, prevent and handle poor quality children's toys and moon cakes of unknown origin.

Market management forces and authorities confiscated violent children's toys. Photo: DVCC

In addition to the involvement of authorities, consumers need to change their awareness and consumption habits, not because of the desire to buy cheap toys that affect the comprehensive development of children. When choosing toys for children, parents should pay attention to the label, origin, and ingredients of the product. At the same time, they should choose reputable, quality toy brands to ensure the health of children, avoiding unfortunate incidents when playing with toxic toys.

Quang An