Well gang...it is a lot worse 'up here'...
I'm in Canada and there are NO Integrity Dolls in ANY stores. At least, not here in Victoria, British Columbia.
I really wish they WERE carried up here, as not only do I have to pay for the dolls to be shipped to me...I also have to deal with the huge exchange rate! I end up paying 3 to 4 times the original price for a doll!! I'm not complaining though, I really love these dolls and think that they are worth it...it just would be easier on my pocketbook (although let's face it, I would probably just buy MORE of them! LOL!!)
Elizabeth
--- Bradford ebradfrd@crosslink.net wrote:
Hi, Pat & all, I live in Southern Maryland & the only Integrity dolls my Ames carried this year besides the baby & toddler lines was the In Style Jordan & Alejandro which are still on the shelves. None of the "girls". One of our Walmarts occasionally has a couple of Janays from a couple years back. Our Super KMart had NO Integrity dolls AT ALL this year (2001). Our TRU had One case of the Cool Streaks & one case of the Ultra Divas & one case of the In Style Jordan & Alejandro mix, but that was it all year (2001). Since Integrity has its main office in MD, I'm really surprised that we don't see more of the dolls here. I am really disappointed in their "not showing"... What's it like in other parts of the country??? Melissa
I'm in a Northern Virginia suburb of the sprawling
Washington metro area.
Our Ames store provides an interesting view of
dolls, different from
Walmart, because Ames seems to be always trying
some new doll line to
complement Barbie. Walmart doesn't get creative
with its doll selections,
at all. The local Ames has always included
Integrity playline baby dolls
but the fashion dolls are expanding with Janay,
Alyssa Alejandro. (My
K-Mart is too far away for me to watch regularly,
but my visit last week
there were a few Alyssas and Janays.) As a
matter of fact, I'm starting
to notice that Ames has cut back a lot of the
Barbie doll line and is now
carrying another playline called Steffi Love
dolls--they don't do much for
me, but I always welcome variety to the doll
shelf. Problem is, they've
started carrying too many of these dolls. They
seem like a cheaper-made
doll and no imagination with face sculpts and
screening or ethnicity.
Integrity's dolls, however, have long been a
staple, albeit in small
numbers, but present on Ames shelves. Within the
year I've noticed the
Integrity fashion dolls are slowly increasing
visibility and their numbers
on the Ames doll shelves. Integrity is a welcome
alternative to Barbie
because I think it's evident that Integrity can
make a doll whose quality is
comparable to any Barbie and the dolls offer some
relief from the seemingly
all-white dolls on most shelves. I think it's
curious that Walmart hasn't
put any of Integrity's fashion dolls on its
shelves (at least here), but
they put Kid Kore on the shelves. It must be
their off-brand name of toys
and dolls. I'd speculate, that once Walmart
discovers Integrity fashion
dolls do sell, watching Integrity prove itself a
formidable contender to the
Mattel fashion dolls throne will be a fun match to
watch! Is Integrity
publicly traded? Regards, Pat Brown
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