Parents should consider investing in toy batteries ahead of Christmas Day, according to an expert.
Stephen Timlyn is the manager of Smyths Toys Carrickmines, currently overseeing the retailer’s busiest time of year. He has urged parents to prepare properly for Santa’s upcoming visit by making batteries their top priority.
He also reassured parents that Smyths Toys has a wide selection of batteries on offer in store. They are available on request and cater to the countless toys sold in the toy store.
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Stephen told Dublin Live: “The guys at the till will talk to you about the batteries and let you know which ones you should be looking for. Some of the toys obviously won’t need batteries which is great, but keep an eye out for anything with light and sound on it.”
Additionally, he also warned parents that some toys can be deceptive. Any items with a ‘Try Me’ button will come with batteries, but it is a risk to assume they will last as long as standard AAs.
Stephen added: “Some of the toys we have may look like they work because they have a Try Me button... but genuinely those batteries are just for the Try Me function. You don’t want to be dependent on those batteries alone to carry you through the couple of days over Christmas.”
Smyths Toys has been open from 9am to 10pm through December to facilitate the thousands of Santa letters sent out nationwide. Stephen reveals that the retailer will reopen its doors on the 27 December to assist with any Christmas queries.
While Santa rarely makes mistakes with Christmas orders, Stephen explained that children sometimes need assistance from the store if a toy didn’t meet expectations over the festive period.
He said: “There’s always that change of mind after Stephen’s Day. We’ll open up for a busy few days and there’ll be children as well looking to add a few bits on to what they got, it’s always a busy time.”
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