We are p-u-m-p-e-d PUMPED for our Webkinz Extravaganza Weekend! We have had lots of calls and lots of people have responded to our eUpdates as well. Mastermind has always been the place to be to get Webkinz, and we’re the place to be for the Webkinz Extravaganza as well!

So… in case you missed it… here’s the scoop: you come to our Mastermind stores on Saturday or Sunday, and you spend $15 on ANYTHING in the store, and you then have the option to purchase a special Webkinz Extravaganza Pet for only $1 more! Webkinz are normally $15, so this is a pretty fantastic deal. We’re also giving away random prizes throughout the day, so you might even get a Webkinz prize free, just for showing up and taking part in the fun! There is also face-painting for the little ones

Now, here is an insider’s tip for you Webkinz scoopsters out there: it’s best to come first thing in the morning on either day for the best selection. We have LOTS of interest and we could only get so many giveaways, so there is a good chance that we’ll run out during the day. There will likely be a small shipment going to each store overnight for Sunday morning as well, so if you miss out Saturday, first thing Sunday morning is your best bet!

Thanks everyone and have fun at our Webkinz Extravaganza!!

---- Ryan the Toy Buyer

We’re pretty excited because this weekend is our second ever “Webkinz Extravaganza Weekend” in our stores. Last year the event was a BIG success… lots of happy people with lots of great Webkinz freebies (as well as painted faces for the little ones!) at the end of the weekend.

What you might not realize is that a lot of fretting goes into this event- and into ALL of our events and promotions- before the fact. As much as we would like to wake up and say “You know what would be fun this weekend? A huge promotion! Minions! To work!” we can’t… mainly because we don’t have any minions (but we’re working on a team of toy robots to help us; I am hoping that the Wowwee people can make it happen).

Our Webkinz Extravaganza Weekend, for example, has a lot of planning behind it. We have to order the right number of freebies and goodies (too many and we have mountains left over; too few and we run out too soon!), decide on how everything will run in the stores, work with our different store teams to make sure that they schedule enough staff to have the event run smoothly (and work around any early summer vacations/midterm exams/family gatherings that staff may have!), get all the products to the stores in time, make our signs, eUpdates, digital animations (some of our stores have cool TV screen signs!) and everything else that we do to let customers know about the event… and all of this while running the day-to-day of a bustling toy chain.

Phew. This reminds me; I need to see how the minion project is coming along…

If you’re in Toronto this weekend, we hope you’ll stop by for our Webkinz Extravaganza Weekend on Friday and Saturday! For a full rundown of the promotion, click here.