Zhu Zhu’s Pet-als
If you’re a a parent, you probably know that this year’s unlikely must-have toy is the Zhu Zhu pet imitation hamster, a toy rodent that zooms around in a plastic fun house. The hamsters themselves go for less than $10 in stores–but good luck finding them. Retailers underestimated the popularity of Zhu Zhus and supply has simply not kept up with demand. Compounding the problem, some say, is that third-party sellers on Amazon and Ebay who snatch up inventory and sell it at a huge markup. So, you can have your hamster, but you might pay more than $60 for it. Ditto for the Fun House and the add-on accessories. That’s right. $60. For a toy hamster. For $60, you could buy, like, 10 real hamsters and start your own hamster army.
My suggestion? Be patient. I came across the pets by accident in Target one day; CVS is known to have them from time to time. You’ll get one eventually, even if it’s GASP after December 25.
Now, I don’t usually do giveaways, but these are dire times, and I happen to have 1 Zhu Zhu Pets Fun House. I don’t have a hamster–you’re on your own for that.
How to Enter:
Leave a comment telling me which of the other items on Present Professor you’d like to receive as a gift.
Extra Entries: Do any or all of the following and leave an extra comment for each letting me know:
Follow PresentProf on Twitter and retweet my “I’m giving away a Zhu Zhu pets Fun House” tweet. (If you’re already a follower, just do the retweet.)
Become a fan of “Present Professor” on Facebook.
E-mail me at CarliATpresentprofessor.com and ask me a gift-related question.
Guess the name of the real hamster I had in college. (Hint: She was named after a Buddy Holly song.)
Write a 7,000 word annotated research paper with the topic: Mesocricetus auratus and the Downfall of the Roman Empire.
Open to U.S. residents only. Contest ends at 12:01 a.m., EST, Sunday, December 6
Good luck!
Disclosure: No product nor compensation was provided to me in exchange for this post.
If you’re patient you can get a Zhu Zhu pet at retail price ($10) by using Product-Alertz.com.Enter the product id number from Amazon into Product-Alertz to track the item and be notified the moment it comes into stock, so you can buy before anyone else does.
29 November 2009 at 4:59 pm