Christmas Season is coming soon! Since a lot of parents are already thinking about gifts for the holiday season, I thought I would share about my good experience with Happy Up Inc. in Edwardsville, IL. This is my opinion and not a sponsored post.
During the pandemic, Happy Up came in handy for Easter basket gifts as well as birthday presents. Below I list 5 reasons why I like to shop at Happy Up.
1)The prices are often comparable to Amazon. Also, You can typically pick up the toy much faster than Amazon Prime delivery.
Not long ago, I found out last minute that my son’s friend was celebrating his birthday. I browsed online for ideas, called Happy Up, paid for a toy via phone, and picked up the wrapped toy within the hour! I was then able to give the gift to the boy on his actual birthday that same day.
Recently, Happy Up has added the option to pay online for select toys and pick up curbside. See website for details. https://www.happyupinc.com/blog/shop-happy-anytime-anywhere
In the past, I have price matched items from Happy Up to ones on Amazon. I was surprised to find prices were close to the same. I also found that some toys I found in store were not sold on Amazon. For this blog, I picked 20 random toys from Happy Up and looked them up on Amazon. Here were the results:
1)Wigloo baby toy: $24.99 at Happy Up VERSUS $25.99 on Amazon
2)Blast Pad rocket toy: $19.99 at Happy Up VERSUS $24.99 on Amazon
3)Bike Pewi Elite: $69.99 at Happy Up VERSUS $54.99 on Amazon
4)Magna-Tiles 100 Piece Clear Colors: $119.99 at Happy Up VERSUS $118.95 on Amazon
5)Squigz 50 pieces: $49.99 at Happy Up VERSUS $49.95 on Amazon
6)Homemade Pizza set: $24.99 at Happy Up VERSUS $22.99 on Amazon
7)Klutz Kids Magic Baking kit $21.99 at Happy Up VERSUS Not Available on Amazon
8)Totally Tropical Ladder Toss: $39.99 at Happy Up VERSUS $39.99 on Amazon
9)Air Fort: $49.99 at Happy Up versus $45.98 on Amazon
10)Plus Plus 240pc tubes: $14.99 at Happy Up VERSUS $14.99 on Amazon
11) Baby Stella Brunette Doll: $34.99 at Happy Up versus $36.99 on Amazon
12)Cozys Elephant 10in: $22.99 at Happy Up versus $13.65 on sale on Amazon (usually $22.00)
13) Animal Parade A to Z Puzzle Playset: $39.99 at Happy Up versus Amazon $36.59 on sale (usually $39.99)
14) Luna Unicorn Key-Wind Lullaby 9in: $24.99 at Happy Up versus limited time deal on Amazon $19.31 (usual price of $23.71)
15)SmartMax My First Vehicles: $24.99 at Happy Up versus $21.99 on Amazon
16)Stacking Music Set: $34.99 at Happy Up versus $28.25 on Amazon
17)Move and Groove game: $19.99 at Happy Up versus $25.99 on Amazon
18) Pick up and Go Cornhole: $59.99 at Happy Up versus $49.98 on Amazon
19)1,000 Totally Rainbow Sticker Book: $8.99 at Happy Up versus Same book not found on Amazon
20)Starlux Capture the Flag Redux: $49.99 at Happy Up versus $49.00 on Amazon
Summary: Out of the 20 items, Happy Up had two toys that had the better price. Also, there were two items Happy UP sold that Amazon didn’t have. There were 6 toys that Amazon had the better price. The 10 remaining toys were either the same price or had a 2 dollars difference or less. Since Happy Up wraps presents for free, I feel that should be factored into cost.
2) Gifts can be wrapped for FREE.
No matter what kind of item you purchase, you will be given the option to have it wrapped for free. There are several cute wrapping paper options, too.
3)They will send coupons in the mail.
When you sign up for their email list, you receive seasonal catalogs that also have coupons on the back.
4) There are a variety of toys/games to choose from.
When you look on their website, you can get a small glimpse of the selection. There is a toy section and game section. The toy section is sorted by toy type and age group. When you go into the store, there are classic toys like stuffed animals, baby dolls, games, outdoor toys. However, you will also find unique toys like logic puzzles/games, Plus Plus Go pieces, Air Forts, etc. https://shop.happyupinc.com
5) Since Toy-R-Us is closed, it allows kids to have the toy store experience.
As a child, I remember going to Toys-R-Us with my family before birthdays or Christmas. It was a special treat to see all of the cool toys. Since I am a parent now, I see how going to the toy store is helpful as a parent to discover toys kids are drawn to and interested in. Prior to Covid-19 times, Happy Up offered in-store weekly craft projects for $5.00 each. It was a nice environment for a playdate with friends. Currently, you can shop in-store by appointment. Also, you can shop in store without an appointment if space allows at that time (if certain number of people allowed in-store at that time has not been met yet). They also post videos on social media about toys and games available in-store.