Predicted Toy Sales 2021:
Toy Sales are one of the best ways for us parents to stock up on presents for Christmas. Keep an eye here on MOAD, my Instagram page & Facebook page to keep up to date on confirmed toy sales for 2021.
Here’s a list of toy retailers in Ireland with predicted upcoming toy sales for 2021: Retailers include Smyth’s, Aldi, Lidl, Argos, Tesco, Littlewoods , Amazon , Choice, Ken black, Art & Hobby, McGreevys, Micro-scooter, Brand max / Heatons, Disney store, World of wonder & more.
With predicting upcoming toy sales, it’s hard to judge based on 2020 dates. A lot of stores were closed & some had to close / stop selling their non-essential middle isle stock. It was a very difficult year for a lot of businesses, so having sales / discounts in 2020, was not on the forefront. (which I completely understand).
So with that in mind, I looked back over the previous few years to try and judge common dates, that pop up every year & it sometimes works!! Lets just wait & see. These dates are not given to me by any “insider”, I am predicting the dates based on previous years….so lets wait & see if any of these dates are right! (I really hope they are!!)
Christmas 2021:
Please keep in mind, I do not want you to panic buy when we are still in the month of September … but there are a few things to keep in mind for Christmas 2021…
1) Please purchase with your budget in mind. There are two times of the year that is my most expensive time - Back to school & Christmas. So please budget in advance & keep an eye on the prices. (Track the prices you know your kids are looking for now!).
2) Stock levels…The lack of shipping containers, cost of shipping etc, Brexit , Suez Canal issue, all resulted in the lack of stock this year. I’ve heard from many many stores, that they are finding it difficult to replenish some stock.
(I’ve even noticed myself when doing my food shopping; some shops are using large cardboard signage in the shelves to bulk up the shelves, to cover up the lack of stock.)
So if you can, I would advise to pick up for Christmas soon (within your budget) using sales / discount codes / voucher sales, to help you & your family, save a few euro one of the most expensive times of the year.
I’m hoping there will be other sales coming up later in the year, so if it’s not an essential purchase, please do not purchase outside your budget. Christmas is an expensive time for a lot of families, including my own.
Keep Track of your Purchases
I use a handy app called “The Christmas Gift List”. It’s a handy app to put names of whom you have bought for already & who to purchase for, so that you are not over buying… which will keep you focused and on budget.
Toy stock & supply chain:
So lets dive in a little bit about 2021 toy supply chain & stock levels…
The effect of the current global shipping crisis has been felt by retail everywhere. 2021 prices for shipping containers have gone up rapidly, causing an increase of shipping containers & in turn, product prices.
We as parents, have heard over the past few weeks & days (for example on TV Prime time & many news reports) they are urging us to start buying toys for Christmas now as stores continue to struggle against supply chain issues.
But when I hear this, I also do not want you to buy outside our budget & try to find the toy on sale / offer. Shopping around really helps & I will help on my Instagram stories to find the best sales around, so keep an eye on my Instagram stories over the next few months.
So lets go…
Predicted Toy Sales for 2021....
We are all looking for an offer on toys coming up to Christmas so keep an eye here for upcoming sales before Santa arrives!
Smyth’s Toys:
Smyth’s Toy sale… what we’re all waiting for!!
Prediction for 2021: Smyth’s are keeping very quiet this year, about any toy sale. I’ve asked many times in store & directly, but to be honest, I don’t think some of the staff know themselves if its definitely happening, until closer to the time. The next predicted voucher date is Tuesday 28th September 2021. (if it doesn’t happen, we can assume it is cancelled again!) #motherofalldeals
At the moment, they have offers on:
· Barbie Buy One Get One Free
· 25% off selected Fisher Price
· 3 for 2 on Thomas & Friends single engines
But looking back over previous years (except for last year, that is an exception!) I’m really hoping they will announce their voucher sale this week!
2020: Smyth’s didn’t do their voucher promotion due to Covid. They announced it on the 22nd September 2020. That date has passed, so I’m really hoping they will announce something this week / early next week.
But I have some handy MOAD tips on when we MIGHT see an upcoming sale!
· Smyth’s catalogue is out now, Friday 24th September, based on previous years, they have a voucher sale announced when the catalogue is released!! That’s why I’m hoping the voucher sale will be on this weekend / next week!!
· They could either run a voucher sale in September 2021 or Mid-term sale like last year. The catalogue was released on the 29th September 2020 & they had a mid term sale on 22nd October 2020 – 9th November 2020. (This year mid-term is around 25th – 29th October).
· Keep an eye on the prices, every year they stop general sales just before their voucher sale is live, so I always say to keep a close eye on the prices! #motherofalldeals
In 2020, instead of the voucher sale that they cancelled due to Covid, they had 20% off selected ranges, such as 20% off selected Lego sets, 20% off selected Super Wings & 3 for 2 on Scentos Range
2019: they had
1. Voucher sale (€10 off €50 spend) on the 24th – 29th September.
2. Voucher sale on the 24th – 31st October 2019 (€6 off €50 spend or €12 off €100)
3. Black Friday sale on the 12th November 2019 &
4. 25th November they had another voucher sale (€5 off €50 spend or €10 off €100) until 2nd December 2019….. It would be great if they did the similar this year!
Smyth’s Toys Black Friday sales:
Black Friday is on 26th November 2021, so I’m hoping they will have an early Black Friday sale, like previous years. Smyth’s normally run a sale around 3- 6 days before Black Friday! & includes some top branded 'must have' toys and baby items, with prices slashed by up to 50%. The next Smyth’s Toys Black Friday sale event is predicted to start on 23rd November 2021.
In 2020, they had Early Black Friday offers, they had a price slash on selected Lego sets, Black Friday gaming deals & Black Friday sale for baby toys & equipment ended on the 30th November 2020 with amazing value on baby brands.
Stock Levels:
On another note, with all the delays in shipping & stock levels (mentioned above) I was told by Smith’s employee to buy early this year. The container shortage is reducing the number of toys coming in & their stock levels will be dramatically reduced with minimal amount of popular toys available. If one of your children have there hopes set on a particular toy that is deemed popular it'd be smart to buy it early this year to avoid disappointment as there will be massive shortages this year.
Aldi Toy sale:
Prediction for 2021: I’m predicting Aldi’s toy event for 2021 will start very soon, early October (wooden Toys etc) & the Big Brand Toy sale end of October/ early November. In the UK the confirmed dates for Toy sale is on the 30th September 2020, But I haven’t seen any announcement for end of September in Ireland yet, which is why I’m predicting their toy sale to start in October 2021. #motherofalldeals
(Think this year it’s going to be a month earlier than previous years, last few years started end of October & big brand sale end of November).
2020:
Last year, Aldi postponed their toy event due to Covid. Under Government guidelines they postponed all they non-essential Special Buy promotions, on the 28th October 2020, but returned on the 1st December just in time for Christmas.
I would base their toy sale dates on 2019 dates… Toy sale end October & the Big Brand Toy event mid November 2021.
From the 1st December 2020, the middle Isle items just in time for Christmas:
· 1st December 2020: Christmas Lights & Decorations, Plants and Children’s Toys.
· 3rd December 2020: Gifts for Pets, Tech Gifting and Books.
· 6th December 2020: Kevin the Carrot Merchandise will be on sale, as well as Gifts for Beauty Lovers, Party Gifts and Gifts for Women.
· 8th December 2020: 90’s Christmas Gifts, and Christmas Jumpers and Pyjamas
· 10th December 2020: Stocking Fillers and Secret Santa Gifts, Festive Home Decorations and Christmas Bedlinen.
· 13th December 2020: Classic Board Games
· 15th December 2020: Gifts for Kitchen Lovers, Gifts for Men and Warm Winter Gifts
· 17th December 2020: Get cosy and wrap up with Stylish Sleepwear and bedding.
So hopefully the stock levels will allow Aldi to have middle aisle toy event again this year.
2019:
· 26th October 2019: The Big Aldi Toy Event! on sale from 31st October
· 14th November 2019: The Big Brand Toy Event at Aldi. Hatchimals, L.O.L! Surprise, Barbie, Meccano, Disney and more! Started 28th November 2019.
· 18th November 2019: Kevin the Carrot inspired merchandise! 28th November 2019
· 20th November 2019: Disney Frozen 2 merchandise Disney Frozen 2 Doll, Fancy Dress and Duvet Cover Set!
· 28th November 2019: Secret Santa gifts and stocking fillers, 5th and Sunday 8th December
Lidl Toy sale:
Prediction for 2021: Toy sale around Start October 2021 & their Big Brand Toy event start of late October / start November. (Lidl generally has their toy sale before Aldi.) #motherofalldeals
2020: Same to Aldi, Lidl cancelled non-essential middle isle sales due to Government guidelines.
2019: Lidl started their toy event on the 17th October. They had wooden toys on offer from wooden trike / rocking horse - wooden toy sets, wooden table & train sets etc.
· On the 21st October 2019, they had wooden balance bike, wooden learning games, Wooden dollhouse €44.99 etc.
· On the 9th November 2019, the Christmas decorations were available.
· Their big Brand Toy event started on the 11th November 2019.
· They also ran a Black Friday sale on the 27th November 2019 & on the 25th November 2019, they had a lot of musical instruments available.
Tesco Toy sale:
**Confirmed for 2021: Tesco Half Price toy sale is started in Tesco Ireland stores now (on selected lines only) started on Monday 4th October 2021. The main Tesco Toy sale is starting on Thursday with lots more toys added to the sale.
Prediction for 2021: Tesco Half Price toy sale is starting in the UK on the 29th September – 3rd November 2021, so hoping Ireland will start around the same date too, which will run in line with previous years dates. #motherofalldeals
So looking back over the years, the big half price Tesco Toy sale generally starts mid September – Early October, based on previous years:
· 2020 started 30th September & they added new selection of toys during October.
· 2019 started 18th September & continued until start of December.
· 2018 started on the 2nd October.
So this year I’m predicting (& hoping) the half price toy sale will start next week or start of October.
Argos Toy Sale:
**Confirmed for 2021: Argos Ireland are running a Toy offer on selected lines “Save up to 1/3 on toys - Spoil them we won’t tell” sale. Click here to have a look at the website & find some great offers on toys.
Prediction for 2021: Hoping their Toy Sale starts around 27th September 2021. #motherofalldeals
At the moment Argos has a clearance section on toys (small selection), but if you wait a little longer, we might see some more great offers pop up. Last year Argos ran the toy sale with Discount Code, random codes for selected brands each week. This year I am predicting their Toy Sale might start around 27th October 2021.
2020: Argos had 1/3 off toys that started on the 23rd September 2020.
The ‘Argos 3 for 2 Toy Sale’ was replaced by their ‘Crazy Codes’ they released each week up to Christmas. First code was available on 21st October 2020.
This year I’m hoping Argos 3 for 2 Toy sales is reinstated (fingers crossed) or they will do another half price toy sale.
In 2020 they also ran the 10% off Lego in October with discount code: LEGO10 & end of October 2020 they ran a half price on selected toys such as Barbie, HotWheels & Thomas&Friends.
2019: Argos half price toy sale from 25th September – 1st October. Argos had 10 weeks of toy discounts to the run-up to Christmas, 16th October - 24 December, every Wednesday a new code will be revealed for the next seven days (eg CHAD25 save 25% off Chad Valley toys). In November 2019, 6th-12th November, Argos had 20% off toys when you spend over €25 with discount code TOYS20 & they had 10% off Lego!
Argos is also a great place to look out for the Amazon Fire, especially when it’s on sale, because you can return to Argos store if you need to.
Littlewoods Toy sale:
*Prediction for 2021: Hoping their toy sale starts in October! #motherofalldeals
Littlewoods Ireland have a small selection of toys on sale.. Click here to keep an eye on what comes up on offer.
They currently have their BIG sale, with a selection of toys on sale such as: Mamas & papas nursery toys & kids watches. But keep an eye on the website for more offers.
Start of September 2021, Littlewoods had Up to 25% off mamas and papas (which is still on) & they had 25% off selected toys, including Lego (ended on the 6th Sept), but I would say this offer might pop up again in October (hoping!)
Amazon Toy sale:
Prediction for 2021: Amazon Prime Toy sale hopefully starting mid October 2021 & Black Friday sales 3 days before 26th November 2021. #motherofalldeals
This year we purchase from Amazon UK & Germany website (translate into English & pay in €). Amazon Prime Germany does not offer free postage. The UK site calculates the extra vat & custom charges at checkout so you know exactly how much you are paying.
You can sign up to Amazon Prime free 30 day trial (& cancel it within 30 days!!). With Prime, members get early access by 30 minutes for Black Friday offers, so it’s worth signing up for. Click here for more information
If you do not have Amazon Prime, you can get it posted through Address Pal. But the Vat bill can be high. An Post sends customs & vat charges plus their fee when its delivered. I think its around, €6.50 processing fee + normal fee of €3.50 + post fee. Also ensure that all orders are under €140 including Vat, or you can incur higher charges.
In 2020, Amazon Prime Day confirmed for October 13th - 14th 2020. Retail giant’s annual Prime Day Event, lasted 48 hours!
Black Friday started on November 22nd until Friday 29th November. Amazon had 20% off various warehouse deals, offers on Amazon Prime membership, discounted Amazon Music offers, the usual tech stuff & more
Top Tip: I would recommend using the Keepa Amazon tracker on your web browser. This handy little tool will show you the price history of any product on Amazon. It will also allow you to track any product and send you an email if the price goes below a set figure or if it’s coming up in a lightning deal, very handy.
Choice Toy sale:
2020: Choice 50% off Toy Sale started on 1st November & ran for 2 or 3 weeks. I have no word yet this year when the offer will start but will update here when I find out. #motherofalldeals
2019: Choice toy sale started on the 1st November and run until the 23rd November 2019. Then they ran straight into their Half Price Christmas sale until the 27th December. That will lead to the end of season sale at the end of the year.
Halfords:
Really hoping Halfords have a good sale in store this year on kids bikes & scooters. I usually pick up great offers on kids helmets in store. Last year their 20% off started on the 8th November 2020.
My eldest son picked up a great bike at a great price with his communion money last year on the 1st October. Previous years, Halfords had 30% off bikes, the week before Black Friday, but there is no guarantee they will go to 30% for Black Friday! Here’s hoping….
The Book Depository:
**Confirmed for 2021: Book Depository have a Discount code 10% off with code BOOK10 until the 17th October. Great time to pick up any books your kids are looking for. Click here to find out more
Ken Black:
Prediction for 2021: Based on previous years, Ken Black runs voucher codes around the same time as Smyth’s toys, so once Smyth’s announce a sale, I’m hoping Ken Blacks also announces a sale. But they might have great offers on around Black Friday (26th November 2021)
22.09.21: Ken Black has great sale on at the moment on lots of brands. Click here to have a look at their website for great sales. I bought an LOL Campervan for my little girl half price. Delighted with it.
21st Nov 2020, they had Black Friday sale with up to half price toys. So I’m hoping this year they will have another good Black Friday sales.
24th September 2019, Ken Black had voucher sale €10 off €50 spend on all toys, outdoor and all baby ended 29th of September. On the 4th October 2019, they had 20% off selected Lego sets.
Art & Hobby:
Prediction for 2021: Hope Art & Hobby run Black Friday offers this year, as I found their sale great on craft items. It’s a great store to pick up stocking filler toys & great selection of Lego sets & top brand toys.
Last year 7th September 2020, Art & Hobby had Pocket money sale, where they had 15% off little pocket money toys. They also ran an offer 9th-16th September 15% off on Fairy Door.
In September 2019 they had a voucher sale (15% off €50 spend & 20%off €100 spend). At the end October 2019 they had Mid-term offer, where they had 15% off & they had Green Friday offer, weekend sale 15% OFF when you spend €30.
This year they had great offers already, with their Big Summer Sale that started at the end of July this year. Also in August they had 15% off selected Lego sets. They run offers every few weeks, so keep an eye out for any upcoming sales & offers for Black Friday (26th Nov 2021).
Mc Greevy’s Toys Direct:
Prediction for 2021: Green Friday offers
Mc Greevy’s had a great Green Friday sale on last year. It started on the 21st November 2020. The previous year 28th Nov 2019, they had 20% off all playmobil, 20% off Vteh, 20% off Top Model, 20% off Bruner, 50% off other selected lines, which ended on the 1st Dec 2019.
Micro-Scooter.ie:
Confirmed for 2021
10% off entire order when you buy 2 or more scooters with code SCOOTER10 (expires 30/9/2021) Also a discount code: CHAT5 gives you 5% off if your purchasing one scooter. #motherofalldeals
Brand Max:
** Confirmed for 2021: Brand Max has 20% off selected Lego sets online & up to 70% off Big Brand Toys. Keep an eye on Brand Max for sale in store
2020: Brand Max had a great up to 70% off Toy sale that started on the 2nd November 2020.. They also had a 10% off everything with discount code BM10%off at checkout. Heatons also has 50% sale on big character brands on toys, always good to keep an eye on their toy offers in store.
Disney Store:
Prediction for 2021: Up to 40% off selected lines with an extra 10% off with code EXTRA10 – Also predicting they have a 25% off sale late October / November. (Again I have never purchased online from Disney store, I would advise to keep an eye on the store).
The Disney Store in Blanchardstown (now closed) & Grafton Street had a 25% sale in back in November.
I found the sales in the Disney Store very good. I know there are some items that are very expensive, but they do very good discounts and sales, so it is worth keeping an eye on the shop!
World of Wonder Toys.ie
Confirmed for 2021: From 24th– 26th September 2021, 10% off when you spend over €50, lasting over the three days and in store, 20% off for the 25th & 26th September 2021, on any purchase over €50!
Great to see the toy offers starting to flow in for 2021! #motherofalldeals
Apple.Com
Confirmed for 2021: Apple store also has a sale on refurbished iPads, Apple Watch, Mac, iPod, Apple TV, etc at Apple.com
TK Maxx:
Have a small selection of toys & they have red ticket sales all year round. Its good idea to keep an eye on their red ticket sales, just make sure all the pieces are still in the box!
Adverts / Done Deal:
Adverts /Done Deal is always great place to keep an eye on any toy / kids items. You can be lucky and find what you are looking for locally too. I always keep an eye on the websites for little gems that pop up. You can also set up a Google alert for what you are looking for.
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I know it’s only September, but we will not find the next few months pass by. With all of the above in mind, please keep an eye on the prices & shop around for a better deal to save you money. I will share as much as I can over the next few months of upcoming sales to help you save even more, just keep an eye on my Instagram / Facebook stories!
Please also keep in mind about the delay in deliveries, so might be best to buy closer to home, buy local, to have it in time for Christmas!
If I have missed any toy store off this list, please get in touch.
Hope this helps you save money coming up to Christmas.
Thanks a million for reading,
Karen x
*** This predicted toy sale post is not based on insider knowledge from stores, I am predicting dates from the previous few years of sales. Some of the sales may or may not happen.
Some links above are affiliate links.