Recently we have been made aware that Target Stores in some states are chargine $24.39 for the new So In Style dolls. Most of the people I know who have experienced taking the dolls to the front to purchase them, have asked Target managers to check their price. Why? Because these dolls typically retail for $12 -$14. Where is this $24.39 price coming from? I was pretty convinced it was a pricing error, but then thought, could Mattel be charging $24 for this basic doll with no accessories?
Further research from our dear friend Debbie Garrett from Black Doll Collecting, revealed that Mattel's suggested retail price is $14! Again where did this $24.39 Target price come from? Target has responded that "due to the anticipated popularity, this is the price we have decided to charge". Well this has really ticked me off and I am determined to make some waves over this one.
I am not ticked because of my personal desire to purchase the dolls. I am ticked because this line was primarily created so that little African American girls could experience doll play with dolls that more resembled them. This has been an issue all throughout our history. Even today I think companies should do a better job at the diversity of the dolls and toys that are available. So TARGET, you take a line of dolls that were initially priced comparable to the Caucasian counterpart (Fashionista dolls), and you almost double the retail price because of their anticipated popularity. So once again, it is the African American and now Hispanic communities, with the addition of the Hispanic doll to the line, that suffer. So the dolls that were FINALLY created for them is now so overpriced, they still may not be able to experience doll play with dolls that resemble them!!! Of course the dolls are going to be popular because the creation of such a line is long overdue. Stop trying to make extra dollars on the backs of our kids!
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| Photo property of Aurorakinta via Flickr |
Further research from our dear friend Debbie Garrett from Black Doll Collecting, revealed that Mattel's suggested retail price is $14! Again where did this $24.39 Target price come from? Target has responded that "due to the anticipated popularity, this is the price we have decided to charge". Well this has really ticked me off and I am determined to make some waves over this one.
I am not ticked because of my personal desire to purchase the dolls. I am ticked because this line was primarily created so that little African American girls could experience doll play with dolls that more resembled them. This has been an issue all throughout our history. Even today I think companies should do a better job at the diversity of the dolls and toys that are available. So TARGET, you take a line of dolls that were initially priced comparable to the Caucasian counterpart (Fashionista dolls), and you almost double the retail price because of their anticipated popularity. So once again, it is the African American and now Hispanic communities, with the addition of the Hispanic doll to the line, that suffer. So the dolls that were FINALLY created for them is now so overpriced, they still may not be able to experience doll play with dolls that resemble them!!! Of course the dolls are going to be popular because the creation of such a line is long overdue. Stop trying to make extra dollars on the backs of our kids!
Thank You!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMs Lydia T.
Does anyone have any information on the status of the Prettie Girls designed by Stacey McBride Irby who created the SIS dolls? I was saving my money to get at least two of them this fall but since they failed to show up for the Christmas season, I got the feeling we won't be seeing them for a while.
ReplyDeleteTarget's imposition of a "black tax" on our community by overcharging for black and Hispanic dolls is a clear example of why we need to practice the fourth principle of Kwanzaa -- Ujaama or cooperative economics.
Corporations like Target and Mattel are not owned "by us/for us" and they will never serve our best interests unless pressured to do so. Supporting black owned businesses like One World Dolls and doll artists who create black dolls is the best way to vote with our dollars.
Great post, Vanessa! I appreciate your efforts in getting the word out about the malpractice of corporations like Target and/or Mattel of charging AA and other consumers of color more for less or more for similar items priced less for non-people of color. This is an outrage and slap in the face. Because a doll/product is presumed to be popular and retailers "think" consumers will buy it anyway, does not give them the right to almost double suggested retail.
ReplyDeleteLeaving the dolls on the shelves at this escalated price will send the proper message to Target that informed consumers do not not fall for the okie doke.
Limbe Dolls - Your question about the Prettie Girls dolls reminds me to contact the company. I preordered (and paid in full) for the two versions of the 2012 Obama doll. If and when the other Prettie Girls are made available, I do plan to purchase at least one after they are on the market.
dbg
Ms.Lydia - You're welcome. I know you have your eye on that new Trichelle doll. So glad to see that you are back in business.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Vanessa! They have not shown up in my area yet. Hopefully, no one will purchase them from Target. I am curious to see what TRU and Walmart have them priced at. I could understand a couple of dollars more like how TRU and Walmart did with the basic Barbie's, but a whole $10 more is awful.
ReplyDeletelimbe dolls - I too have my money ready for the Prettie Girls. However, new companies rarely have the same distribution channels in the beginning. Not to mention the Prettie Girls are expected to hit the shelves at $17. So the average family looking for a Black doll will still walk into Walmart or Target. That is why we still have to fight to get them to stop doing this crazy stuff. Ujaama is great, but I believe we are supposed to come together as one, do right by each other, and try to have compassion for our fellow man. Otherwise 10 yrs from now we will still be discussing these same issues. This is so much bigger than dolls to me. Corporations are running this country and they have the backing of the politicians that are making the laws. We have to constantly take a stand and stay in the loop because if they can't get it right on something as simple as a doll, they will never get it right on something complicated like healthcare. They expect us not to say anything. Then they will say, "the dolls were a failure because they didn't sell, so we are not going to produce anymore". It is all part of that crazy game they play of market manipulation.
ReplyDeleteDBG - They just don't expect that we will take a stand. The creation of ColorOfChange.org has been a great help at showing companies and people that we have a voice and we are finally using it. Money talks and the rest walks. I don't know if ColorofChange will take on this project, but I do plan to approach them and ask their advice on how I should proceed.
ReplyDeleteGeorgia Girl - My fear is that Walmart and TRU will follow suit if Target is able to get away with this. They may not charge as much, but I don't think they would price it at the suggested retail either. I think I am going to contact Target corporate and see if they have a list of the states that are charging the suggested retail price. Detroit is the only place so far that I have been made aware of that has the right price.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know about the ColorOfChange organization, Vanessa.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your communication with Target Corp. By phone communication, I was given the run around by the person for whom English is obviously not a first language. She insisted that the dolls are not made by Mattel and that Mattel cannot control the price.
I have mailed a letter to Target with a copy to Mattel regarding this.
dbg
I agree with dbg, I have no problem leaving them on the shelf. It is unfortunate that corporation feel it is "acceptable" to price gauge products for people of color. It is really unfortunate for our children as well. I have been in stores where parents will not purchase our dolls because of the price but will turn around and purchase the "other" dolls, get this--with all the accessories. Seriously?!?
ReplyDeleteI went home to Detroit and there were not dolls left on the shelves!!, which is a good thing. I know the dolls had to priced correctly! I'm also glad to know that alot of little girls in "The D" woke up to dolls that look like them and that all that matters to me!
brini - Thanks for your comments. The dolls have only hit a few stores here in my area in Georgia. I had two in hand ready to buy them a couple of weeks ago until I went to check out. Back they went. It will be a cold day....... before I spend $25 on them.
ReplyDeleteI felt compelled to come back and make another comment from the comment that limbe dolls made. Corporations like Walmart and Target ARE owned by us/for us. The minute we take that approach we will stop sitting idle while decisions are made that affect us. I have been mistreated by just as many Black owned businesses and I speak out against those too. The us vs. them mentality will not serve us well in the long run. Target and Walmart can both survive if we don't buy So In Style dolls from them. However, One World Project needs everyone buying their dolls in order to be a success. So if others take the us vs. them mentality with One World Project, that company won't be around long enough for us to see what they can really do. It is the collective 'we' that will ultimately make the greater change.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge advocate of supporting the community in which you live to keep it thriving and afloat, but I will not support anyone who treats me unfairly, regardless of "community." I will not pay more for a product when I know it can be purchased for less elsewhere. Often "our" businesses price themselves out of the market or service themselves out of the market by not offering proper customer service. So I agree with you Vanessa. I'll spend my money where it is appreciated and where price gouging is not taking place.
ReplyDeletedbg
Just came back from a trip to TRU's and the toy store. On the way back home I decided to stop at Target and check out what is happening. Here is what I found today. Rocawear Sis Dolls are still priced 24.38. But they also had SIS Locks of Love (2 dolls ex.Grace & little sister) with accessories. Priced 24.38. On the bottom shelf I found the SIS Glam Converible (It's purple) with Grace in the driver's seat. Scanned price 19.99.
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand why the Rocawear dolls are priced that high.
Haven't seen the Rocawear Dolls in TRU's or Wal-Mart yet.
Hi from Spain. Here in Europe there are also a lot of black children (mine is one) and we ask for a big toy store to have SIS also in Spain.The store agree with us that It will be a good bussiness for them even we have to pay 24 euros for a doll, so they ask Mattel Europe to buy SIS, and Mattel Europe says that SIS only sell it in US. I don't understand why an international company as Mattel in a globalized market don't sell in all the world like caucasians ones. We cannot belive it. I buy them from ebay in lots for ethiopian children that live in Spain and we pay a lot for them. It's unveliable Target's politics, of course there is different prices in different shops but not almost twice the price.
ReplyDeleteHi from SpAin, i love the photos. The style are ver y elegant. I love the red plaid dress barbie holiday. With regard to the dolls s.s.i. I think you are righ put more expensive because they know Will sell because they take a few with that race. I told you that SpAin never get black dolls and if you ever sold in atores is always more expensive than the rest. Keep in touch
ReplyDeleteGreat post Vanessa! I will wait as long as I need to and if I decide to purchase the new Marissa doll, I will wait until she's available at Walmart or TRU. I will never purchase a doll item from Target again. I know that sounds drastic and they do have a great sale from time to time but they're being ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteSame on Target!
Frannie - Wow, I had high hopes that the Targets in Philly had it priced for the $14 like Detroit. The SIS Locks in Style dolls retail for $17.99. I bought mine from Walmart for that price a few months ago. They are also that price at Mattel.com. I was there this morning looking around.
ReplyDeleteBego - Wow! That is very interesting. It doesn't make sense that Mattel won't sell the SIS dolls internationally. I wonder why that is.
Marta - Thanks for your comments. You and Bego have me seriously wondering why Black dolls aren't sold internationally. I think I need to ask someone from Mattel, "why".
Tracy - As I told Georgia Girl, I fear Walmart and TRU are going to follow suit. Time will tell. Hopefully those of us who are protesting and speaking directly to Target can get enough pressure on them get a price change.
Vivo en Argentina y solo se consiguen rubias, que las rubias sean más baratas es promover la discriminación, educando desde la desigualdad. Muchos besos. El traductor es malo y es poco lo que entiendo.
ReplyDeleteU.S. corporations like Mattel export racism by choosing not to sell representations of U.S. minority experience overseas or by producing only negative representations of U.S. minority experience to sell overseas. In response to Maguinda and Bego, I spent a summer in Mexico in the late 1980s. The little girls in my apartment building used to play with their Barbies on the patio in front of my apartment. All the girls had dark hair and eyes. All the dolls had blonde hair and blue eyes. At home I had the Dolls of the World Barbie from Mexico. I didn't see that doll or ANY Barbie with dark hair for the whole nine weeks I was in Mexico. It is disgusting to hear that Mattel has made it a policy NOT to sell the SIS dolls overseas and that this kind of cultural imperialism is still alive and well.
ReplyDeletelimbe dolls - Wow, we were on the same page this morning. This issue has been on my mind ever since Bego wrote about it. Disgusting is putting it mildly. I was racking my brain as to 'why'? And came up with nothing logical. I will pose the question direcly to Mattel to see what logic they tried to put to it. Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI so agree and understand where you all are coming from. However, we have to also think about how deeply imperialism has penetrated several generations back. In many countries, anyone with any black features is considered less desirable. While I think AA/black dolls should be sold everywhere, people of color must recognize their own beauty enough to want to buy them. It is so sad to hear our little sisters referring to someone as attractive because they are "lite skinded" with good/nice hair or our brothers referring to and preferring that fine "redbone over other tones." Some of this, we as a community must ourselves address long before we go doll shopping.
Oh yeah, that statement about our little girls preferring the lite skinded boys was from me.
ReplyDeleteGwen
While we are at it lets do away with perms...for grown folks and especially for kids. How many of us have kids or grands with causian styled hair? Um jus' sayin'
gwen
Sorry I forgot to add...I refer to both the decade old and recent black doll studies.
ReplyDeleteWhen given a choice the little black girls actually PREFERRED the white dolls and suggested that they were prettier.
Having access to dolls in every country in the world would not have mattered in such cases. We blame the stores, but maybe we need to look at some hidden messages we give our little girls. I think the retail stores may be responding to our own apathy and beauty standards in some cases.
Again...um jus'...saying
Gwen
Gwen - It has been my experience that no one is happy with themselves. The light skinned people want to be darker. The dark skinned people want to be lighter. The people with straight hair want curly hair and vice versa. Yes this all exists, and STILL THERE IS NO EXCUSE for what Target has tried to do. Every thing that you mentioned exists and will probably continue to exist in some form for quite some time. There is definite work that needs to be done. Price gouging is wrong on all levels. And there are people of color all over the world. If Mattel is willing to send the Caucasian dolls to other countries, they should be sending all the dolls of different ethnicities to these countries, too, regardless of what is going on inside the community. Isn't what they are doing continuing to perpetuate those feelings of old? Part of making a change is about not making excuses for ourselves or others.
ReplyDeleteJust thinking that these are busineses and exist because of their marketing methods and sales.
ReplyDeleteIf it doesn't sell, they won't offer it. They will not do what is socially concious if it is not profitable.
Neither you nor I would either. You give the people what they want. Not what you think they should want.
Now if the people all over were requesting them or not given a choice then ok of course we are on the same page.
Ok back to enjoying the dolls. (((folding up soapbox putting it away LOL))
Gwen
Gwen - When I blatantly see wrong being done, I will always stand up and fight. I would have been the one standing up and fighting back in the days of slavery. In the 60's I would have been the one marching. In 2012 I am the one willing to Tweet, call, write, and do whatever else needs to be done. I think if you were into fashion dolls you would understand how wrong this really is.
ReplyDeleteGwen - I forgot to mention that my trip to Target yesterday indicated that all the efforts some of the fashion doll people are putting into this, may be paying off. Those $24.39 were ringing up at $11.99. I bought the two dolls that I wanted. Power to the people!
ReplyDeletegreat! Attack the situation from all fronts. I am going to buy at least one just to show unity in the cause.
ReplyDeleteGwen:-)