Parents Find Many Hot Toys Sold Out

Dec. 20 -- It is a parent's Yuletide nightmare: the must-have toy that cannot be had.

In New York City, Mark Toubin says he's been having a hard time finding some of the gifts on his shopping list.

"I've been looking for a Barney Play Mat. I have not been able to find it as of yet," says Toubin. "They were sold out at Toys 'R' Us, and we'll continue to look until we're able to find it."

Vicki Barry, another shopper, echoed that sentiment.

"I've been looking for a lot of Harry Potter stuff, for a lot of Barbie stuff, and it hasn't been easy to find at all," she says. "I've been to Toys 'R' Us and FAO Schwarz and they've either been out of stock or they haven't been carrying it."

With only five shopping days left until Christmas, many shoppers are finding some of the most popular gifts for children are already sold out. Hot toys like Yu Gi Oh cards, the trading cards based on the animated Japanese TV show, Mattel's Chicken Dance Elmo and Rescue Heroes action figures, as well as Hasbro's electronic pets FurReal Friends have been almost impossible to find in stores these days.

"That was the number one thing on my 14-year-old son's Christmas list, the Yu Gi Oh cards," says New York shopper Donna Holzer. "And it's been real hard to find them."

Retailers Caught Short

Why the shortage? As the recession continues to dampen many consumers' appetite for shopping, many retailers have been very conservative in their orders so they don't get stuck with a lot of excess inventory on their hands after the holidays. Both Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, and discount chain Target have said their sales have been at the low end of expectations so far in December.

Further complicating supplies was the West Coast port strike earlier in the fall, which delayed some shipments to retailers.

Wal-Mart spokesman Tom Williams says products like Chicken Dance Elmo, Holiday Celebration Barbie and My Scene Barbie have been a challenge to keep in stock, but they're not sold out yet. But most Wal-Mart stores no longer have any FurReal Friends on their shelves, he says.