AG doll store question

[ktlm]

How old is your DD? Having a 6 year old DD who has been AG crazy since age 2 and having had a few trips to the Dallas AG store, I would not take your daughter to an AG store and let her see all the AG dolls and things and then give her a Target doll for Christmas. In my opinion, you are just asking for tears on Christmas morning. Without her ever actually being in the store and seeing everything, you might get by with the Target doll at Christmas, but if you take her in there and let her see and touch everything, then I think you are setting yourself up for a Christmas dissapointment. Plus, if she is anything like DD, once she is in that store (or even with the catalog), she will focus on a specific doll, and no other doll will do. The Target doll won't be Kit, or Caroline, or Molly, etc. In Disney terms, it's like if you have a huge Cinderella fan that asks for a Cinderella doll for Christmas for months, and she unwraps a Sleeping Beauty doll. Nothing wrong with the doll, but the kid isn't going to be happy. She is going to know that Target doll is not an AG doll, and as others have said the Target doll quality is not comparable to the AG dolls. Instead of getting the clothes and accessories at AG, I would be more inclined to get the actual AG doll, and then you can do the non-AG cheaper accessories and clothes.

As far as the tea, if you decide to keep your reservation, the AG restaurant should have dolls you can borrow to join your DD at tea. I would call and verify that with the Chicago store before you go. I agree with the others that you would be better off skipping the tea and then putting that money toward a real AG doll instead.

 

[Vickie46]

We went to Chicago also.. they also do a special picture studio with girl and doll.. sometimes the hotels have coupons for $10 to get this done! Check around! Also.. ask for a personal shopper .. you have to call ahead for this.. They are awesome!

 

[emmababy]

Thanks everyone! It has nothing to do with affording it. We agreed to get her one but she had to save for half. We explained there is the Target doll and the AG doll and what half is. She chose the Target doll. I am proud that she chose the more affordable option, teaching my kids the value of a dollar is important. My mom could never get me $100 dolls and even though I can, I would rather spend our money creating memories...

My kid likes a toy for a hot minute, so I'm not spending $110 on something she won't play with...

Tell me about the mini dolls..how much are those?

Ohio is getting an AG store. So, I thought if she took good care of this doll, then next year for her birthday, she would get the real deal..

 

[Patience]

Is the doll for Christmas? I'm confused now because I thought the doll was to be a Christmas present. It would be odd to me to require a child to pay half of her Christmas present but I respect that people do things differently.

 

[ceecee]

Tell me about the mini dolls..how much are those?

Ohio is getting an AG store. So, I thought if she took good care of this doll, then next year for her birthday, she would get the real deal..

Ohio, WHERE??? We have been to Chicago, DD picked out a doll (Kit) for her 10th birthday and we did the tea with Kit. She has quite a few, but it was special getting one in Chicago.
The Mini dolls are very small and the newer ones don't have open/close eyes like the older ones did...they may now, we haven't done AG for a while.
DD asked Santa for Samantha (her first AG) and we got her a mini (the big one was at Grandma's house where Santa also drops off gifts) She was so disappointed she almost was in tears when she opened the mini, she said "Oh well, I forgot to tell Santa I wanted a big doll" She tried to act happy but it was terrible, we couldn't get to Grandma's fast enough that Christmas, when she opened her Samantha doll she was over the moon happy!

 

[Mamakop]

We just got my soon to be 5 yr old DD Mckenna with an outfit and one that she can wear. I'm so excited to see her face when she opens it

 

[RitaE]

Thanks everyone! It has nothing to do with affording it. We agreed to get her one but she had to save for half. We explained there is the Target doll and the AG doll and what half is. She chose the Target doll. I am proud that she chose the more affordable option, teaching my kids the value of a dollar is important. My mom could never get me $100 dolls and even though I can, I would rather spend our money creating memories...

My kid likes a toy for a hot minute, so I'm not spending $110 on something she won't play with...

Tell me about the mini dolls..how much are those?

Ohio is getting an AG store. So, I thought if she took good care of this doll, then next year for her birthday, she would get the real deal..

They are $24 when you buy them at American Girl Place. You can usually get them off of Amazon for about $17. They have all the Historical characters but you can't buy extra outfits or anything like that. They are about 6 1/2 inches tall and the nice thing about them is they make good "little dolls for the big dolls." So when your daughter eventually gets an 18" doll, she'll have a little doll for the big doll to play with. They are also fun just to collect and display.

I'll just add a couple of more points for you to think about. While American Girl themselves won't make a big deal over you having another brand doll there, there are no guarantees about what other girls shopping might say. That really wouldn't bother me but if your daughter is going to get upset it is best to be prepared.

As for the price vs value thing .... well I'm all for value too. I'll just mention that low price does not always equal value in terms of the dolls. I'm the first to criticize American Girl for some of the clothes they have put out in recent years of being extremely poor value for the price, but the dolls remain nice high quality. It is not uncommon to see one doll go through 2 or 3 kids and remain in excellent condition. There are little girls today who are being gifted the Samantha, Molly, and Felicity dolls their Mothers played with in the early 1990's.

And yes, while they do cost $110 .... if she were to only play with it for a short time there remains a robust secondary market for dolls. A lightly used doll with the box and original clothing can easily be sold for $65 to $70 - much higher if she is a limited edition sought after girl as some of those sell for higher than retail. This years limited edition doll McKenna looks to be headed in that direction. Even the terrible condition fixer upper dolls sell for $40 to $45. So the net effect really isn't that much more than what the cheaper Our Generation (Target) doll would cost and that cheaper doll is much more likely to just end up in the landfill. It's mostly the hair. The hair on those Target dolls just does not hold up to little beautician styling.

 

[emmababy]

Is the doll for Christmas? I'm confused now because I thought the doll was to be a Christmas present. It would be odd to me to require a child to pay half of her Christmas present but I respect that people do things differently.

No we don't make our kids pay for their Christmas presents. This was to be an early Christmas present of which she pays half. I thought that would only be fair since her brother and sister are not getting 100 dollar toys right before Christmas either.

I'm sure your comment was not meant to be as judgemental as it sounds.

 

[emmababy]

Ohio, WHERE??? We have been to Chicago, DD picked out a doll (Kit) for her 10th birthday and we did the tea with Kit. She has quite a few, but it was special getting one in Chicago.
The Mini dolls are very small and the newer ones don't have open/close eyes like the older ones did...they may now, we haven't done AG for a while.
DD asked Santa for Samantha (her first AG) and we got her a mini (the big one was at Grandma's house where Santa also drops off gifts) She was so disappointed she almost was in tears when she opened the mini, she said "Oh well, I forgot to tell Santa I wanted a big doll" She tried to act happy but it was terrible, we couldn't get to Grandma's fast enough that Christmas, when she opened her Samantha doll she was over the moon happy!

Easton next year!

 

[RitaE]

No we don't make our kids pay for their Christmas presents. This was to be an early Christmas present of which she pays half. I thought that would only be fair since her brother and sister are not getting 100 dollar toys right before Christmas either.

I'm sure your comment was not meant to be as judgemental as it sounds.

FWIW, I don't think people are trying to be judgmental. I think they are just trying to really warn you that American Girl place is a toy store. It is a destination experience too but make no mistake that it is a huge toy store -- and it is PACKED full of items that send little girls, and quite a few big ones, into a hysteria of dolly lust. Even little girls who don't like dolls get affected by that place.

Taking a girl in there and then telling her that it is all no buy for her when she sees all the other girls running around squealing with the little dolls in their arms is just a land mine field of potential disappointment.

So just consider and prepare really well, that's just my big warning.

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

I agree, I don't think anyone is trying to be judgmental

I think most are just trying to warn you of the quality issues of the target doll. They fall apart quick and their hair is awful, even with careful brushing. The girl I nanny for has one and its bad

My DD has 4 AG dolls, 2 JLY dolls, kanani and my Samantha doll I got in 1991. It looks just like her newer dolls, despite the fact I played with it often as a child.

The difference in quality is amazing. I would skip the tea and upgrade the doll personally, esp if you think the doll will get loved for many years.

Have fun!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

FWIW, I don't think people are trying to be judgmental. I think they are just trying to really warn you that American Girl place is a toy store. It is a destination experience too but make no mistake that it is a huge toy store -- and it is PACKED full of items that send little girls, and quite a few big ones, into a hysteria of dolly lust. Even little girls who don't like dolls get affected by that place.

Taking a girl in there and then telling her that it is all no buy for her when she sees all the other girls running around squealing with the little dolls in their arms is just a land mine field of potential disappointment.

So just consider and prepare really well, that's just my big warning.

I totally agree. When my mom and I took DD last year to Chicago to the AG place it was all my mom and I could both do to contain ourselves. We both commented how we felt like little girls again and we could have easily spent a small fortune (wait we did) .

It was DD's birthday trip and she asked for AG gift cards from everyone since she knew she was going on the trip. Her gift cards didn't even make a dent in what we spent there.
But we live in Pittsburgh. Its not like we have a store close to us and we figured DD would probably never go back again.

DD plays with her AG dolls every once in a while but she isn't doll obsessed, but during the Chicago trip she certainly was . It was a truely magical and special time.

Excited about the store in Easton, woo hoo! I can see another trip on the horizon.

 

[emmababy]

I agree, I don't think anyone is trying to be judgmental

I think most are just trying to warn you of the quality issues of the target doll. They fall apart quick and their hair is awful, even with careful brushing. The girl I nanny for has one and its bad

My DD has 4 AG dolls, 2 JLY dolls, kanani and my Samantha doll I got in 1991. It looks just like her newer dolls, despite the fact I played with it often as a child.

The difference in quality is amazing. I would skip the tea and upgrade the doll personally, esp if you think the doll will get loved for many years.

Have fun!

The person who suggested I make my kids pay for their Christmas gifts was. I, at no time, said I wasn't going to buy her something. I was trying to figure out whether to give her doll to her early so she could enjoy the tea or to just cancel the tea.

Thanks everyone for their opinions and thoughts. I think we will cancel the tea for this year. We will see how she likes the doll she has. If she really likes it, we can consider a AG next year. But, if I know my kid, she will play with for about a month and let it sit- I will be very glad that she decided on the more affordable doll.

We will def go into the store and look around and possibly purchase an outfit or something- but, again I know my kid and she will not be throwing a fit because other people's parents need to spend $100's of dollars on a doll.

We have 2 other kids to consider and I won't spend $100 on a doll for one child and not do equal for the other 2. My kid is not caught up in brand names yet and I am proud of that!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

The person who suggested I make my kids pay for their Christmas gifts was. I, at no time, said I wasn't going to buy her something. I was trying to figure out whether to give her doll to her early so she could enjoy the tea or to just cancel the tea.

Thanks everyone for their opinions and thoughts. I think we will cancel the tea for this year. We will see how she likes the doll she has. If she really likes it, we can consider a AG next year. But, if I know my kid, she will play with for about a month and let it sit- I will be very glad that she decided on the more affordable doll.

We will def go into the store and look around and possibly purchase an outfit or something- but, again I know my kid and she will not be throwing a fit because other people's parents need to spend $100's of dollars on a doll.

We have 2 other kids to consider and I won't spend $100 on a doll for one child and not do equal for the other 2. My kid is not caught up in brand names yet and I am proud of that!

I agree with the majority that the Target dolls are not even a quarter of the quality of the American girl dolls even though they are a quarter of the price. If you do take her to the AG store, she may change her mind and want the real thing. These dolls are just that special. Maybe you should do the tea without a doll. That way if she does change her mind, she hasn't already spent the money on the Target doll. I really do believe that the knock-offs are a waste of money.

 

[Patience]

No, I was not being judgmental and, in fact, I specifically said that I respect that people all do things differently. I was asking for clarification as to what kind of gift it was because I found it unusual to require that a child pay for half of her Christmas present. But, again, different strokes for different folks. Your daughter sounds like a great kid.

 

[Cinderella909]

The person who suggested I make my kids pay for their Christmas gifts was. I, at no time, said I wasn't going to buy her something. I was trying to figure out whether to give her doll to her early so she could enjoy the tea or to just cancel the tea.

Thanks everyone for their opinions and thoughts. I think we will cancel the tea for this year. We will see how she likes the doll she has. If she really likes it, we can consider a AG next year. But, if I know my kid, she will play with for about a month and let it sit- I will be very glad that she decided on the more affordable doll.

We will def go into the store and look around and possibly purchase an outfit or something- but, again I know my kid and she will not be throwing a fit because other people's parents need to spend $100's of dollars on a doll.

We have 2 other kids to consider and I won't spend $100 on a doll for one child and not do equal for the other 2. My kid is not caught up in brand names yet and I am proud of that!

I'm not sure that I understand the logic that you do not want to spend the money on an AG doll, but yet will spend the money on the clothes and/or acessories. I do understand how you feel that she may not 'like' the doll and it's a passing phase. Certainly, the resell value of an AG doll remains high as evidence by the number available on ebay. Personally, if I was that on the fence, I would buy the Target doll and Target clothes and skip the entire AG store. As others have said, the store is sure to get any girl into the AG doll experience. As far as longivity, you just never know. I know I have bought things that I just knew was going to loved, only to have them receive a less ecstatic response. You know, it's kinda of like Mickey ears, I get excited to buy them, but never wear outside of disneyworld. I don't think anyone was being judgemental, but giving honest responses to your original post.

I'm sure you'll make the best decision as you know your child.

Thanks Karen

 

[Fire14]

Ohio is getting an AG store. So, I thought if she took good care of this doll, then next year for her birthday, she would get the real deal..

Oh my gosh where? I'm a big girl who still melts in AG store, I've only been in Chicago one.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Oh my gosh where? I'm a big girl who still melts in AG store, I've only been in Chicago one.

Easton

 

[madelyn]

Took my daughter to the American Girl Doll store in Dallas for the first time when she was about 4.5 years old in the summer of 2011. She did not have a doll at the time and I was willing to buy her whatever she wanted on that trip but didn't want to spend more than $20-$25. So we looked around for a very long time. She liked collecting the little tear off pictures that are my the display that show the item plus the price. She finally settled on a feeding set for the Bitty Babies that was out of stock so it was ordered and would be mailed to our home. She didn't have Bitty dolls (and still does not) but we convinced her that she could use the set w/ her other baby dolls. By the end of the year through Ebay purchases and gifts purchased for her b-day and Christmas, she now has 5 American Girl dolls (3 purchased used and a new Kanani and a new Julie) and lots of things to go with the dolls. She still plays with the dolls but not all the time. I had to control myself because I realized I was feeding my own obsession! There are deals to be had on Craigslist and Ebay and also the after Thanksgiving sale through American Girl. My daughter likes the Target dolls when we see them in the store. But I wanted to invest in something a little better quality.

 

[Fire14]

Easton

I'm doomed