The Right Time, The Right Products

Thinking outside of the box and jumping ahead of the curve
are hallmarks of this full service Florida firm.

Merchandising is not an exact science, but it is a science. Designing custom plush and toy mixes in the right blend, combined with sensitivity to the market and the players, requires an experienced eye. At Play Time Toys in Orlando, Fla., the science of merchandising is leading the way.

Play Time Toys prides itself on its licensed merchandise, from NASCAR and the NFL, to Disney and Precious Moments Beanies, to fill prize merchandisers, cranes, rotaries, and redemption counters. There are two divisions: plush and novelties. The plush division offers mixes priced from 90 cents to $3 per piece, along with specialty mixes such as licensed seasonal and sports kits.

The company has an all-licensed mix for both jumbo and regular claw cranes, as well as regular plush. The popular machines as Drill-O-Matic, Sports Arena, Pixy Prize, and Gravity Hill, and jewelry cranes.

In four short years Play Time Toys has become a full service merchandising outlet filling orders for in-demand items such as Sponge Bob and Sports Bobble Heads.

A knowledgeable crew is at the helm of this ship, which includes a sales staff with over 75 combined years of experience in the amusement industry including equipment distribution.

History

Dawn Noyes, president of Play Time Toys, worked in the redemption field for six years in the early '90s while going to college. She ordered merchandise and stocked cranes for Play Time Amusements, a route operation established in 1989 and owned by George Asbate.

After time away from the amusement business to obtain a law degree and a master's degree in business, Noyes returned at a time when merchandisers like Sports Arena were taking off and the industry was being peppered with new crane models. As the amusement route grew, Noyes saw an opportunity to begin importing merchandise from the Orient and establishing relationships with suppliers.

Before long friendly competitors were asking Play Time Toys about obtaining the same toys. After filling those requests, Noyes saw another opportunity to establish a separate company. Play Time Toys was the perfect name for the new entity, which is owned and operated by Noyes. Her route experience and education were invaluable in setting up the merchandise supply firm.

The company started out in a 14,000-square-foot facility and expanded into a 15,000-square-foot building across the street. Soon Play Time Toys outgrew that space and built a 40,000-square-foot warehouse and office building close to its original space, which was kept as a holding warehouse. The total capacity is now 54,000 square feet filled with toys and plush of all sizes and varieties. The company maintains a staff of 32 employees in sales, administration, and warehouse personnel.

Secrets to Success

Noyes said, "Our goal in toy distribution is to come up with new things every day and adapt new ideas." This kind of "thinking outside the box" is a hallmark of Play Time Toys. Play Time Amusements is one of the young company's biggest customers and provides a unique perspective. Noyes explained, "I can consult with route drivers and find out what items are moving. Exposure on a daily basis is very helpful. Also, I can test the merchandise on the route."

Noyes added, "We understand the philosophy of plush, and in our merchandise lines we stay with high quality plush pre-packs, which is what most operators want." Noyes recognizes the change in the player base over the years. "We have more intelligent players," she noted. "They are looking for a certain item. If they do not see what they want right away they may go elsewhere. We are not dealing with the same players we did years ago."

Operators are also savvier. Noyes said, "Operators want to know the type of fabric you use and what licenses are available. We have over 140 different licensed items."

Play Time Toys works with its customers to fashion the proper plush and novelty mixes and kits to maximize their routes. As Noyes said, "We are not just a plush pre-pack house. We stay focused on providing as much new and exciting quality merchandise to operators as they need for each location and each new piece of equipment."

Popular Items

According to Noyes, "Licensed items are always popular. We constantly change to new licensed goods. Upper Deck Collectibles Bobble Heads have done well and are in our sports mix and are available for redemption counters."

Bobble Heads are fun retro figures with the faces of current top athletes such as baseball's Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire, football's Peyton Manning and Marshall Faulk, and basketball's Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. A collectible card is included with each figure (six-and-a-half inches tall in a 10-inch clear package). Supplies are limited.

The Play Time Toys staff strives to keep up with the latest trends. When Noyes designs a mix she makes sure there is something in there for every age category. It may be a licensed sports piece or something else. Noyes said, "We want to something for everyone from age four to 100. We look at coloring, fabric quality, and put time into assembling the mix before we actually package it."

Seasons are important at Play Time Toys. Noyes said, "Right now we are getting ready to debut a line of Halloween novelty masks for a Gravity Hill kit." Sports seasons are anticipated with ample stock, as well as calender season items. Noyes advised that even the "summer lull" sports cranes can get a different look in both plush and novelty items.

The key, according to Noyes, is to include an "attention grabber" in the mix. "We focus on finding unique and novel merchandise to put in our sports pre-packs," she explained. For example, Riddell licensed sports items, which are made for the retail side and not for the amusements industry. In addition, Play Time Toys works directly with manufacturers of new and upcoming games in order to provide appropriate merchandise as soon as the games are available. That was the case with Pixy Prize from ICE and Fishin' Treasure from Namco, and it holds true with some new equipment on the horizon.

New Revenue Stream

It's easy to see why merchandisers are hot in today's market. Asbate commented, "As manufacturers make fewer videos and other non-redemption games, operators are looking for new ways to raise revenue on their routes. That is pushing them to the merchandise machines. The value of merchandise machines stays good, and depreciation is almost nil. Operators who in the past did not want merchandise machines for a variety of reasons, now understand that merchandising and being involved with merchandise games can be an important part of their business."

Noyes added, "With merchandising machines, it's important to keep the contents fresh. Be willing to be adventurous and make changes." The biggest pitfall, they said, was to be regimented and continue ordering the same types of items.

Besides variety, Noyes and Asbate agree that operators who were never involved in merchandise machines must recognize the importance of quality merchandise. "Proper merchandising impacts their revenue," said Noyes; "it's not a matter of putting almost anything in the machines."

Noyes also advises close monitoring of equipment to see what items are moving fast. For example, if sports merchandise is not in a crane, and the revenue begins to drop off, adjustments can be made and sports merchandise added to keep the revenues at a high level.

Play Time Toys provides the total package: merchandise of quality and variety to suit every type of operation. For more information, call (888) 457-8697 or (407) 296-9898, or email us at sales@playtimetoys.net.

You can also order through our online store.

 

Reprinted with permission.

Theard, Bonnie. "The Right Time, The Right Products" Play Meter Oct. 2002: 50-53.