Strategies to find hot holiday toys

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Are you desperately searching for the hot holiday toy, but having no luck finding the one item your children really wants?

Would you like a Zhu Zhu pet, a toy hamster for your child? How about the Mindflex, a game that claims to let you move objects with only your brain power?

Those toys are out there, but it will take a little work or some extra money.

On Tuesday, Heather Smulyan was shopping at the Target store near 62nd and Keystone in Indianapolis.

She told 24-Hour News 8, "I just kind of zipped in here and I figured it wouldn't be here, but you never know."

She was right. The Zhu Zhu pet she wanted wasn't there.

Linda Bollhoeffer, one of the store managers said the best bet is to check before you head to a store.

"Well what we recommend is that they call before you come to see if we have it in stock. We do get shipments every day. Toys are coming in daily," she said.

To put yourself in a position to snag one of the coveted items here's some toy search strategies you can use.

• Call as soon as the store opens - every day.
• Check with stores in smaller towns. An item that's sold out in Indy may be sitting on the shelf somewhere else.
• Check with friends or relatives out of state. Hot toys can vary by where a person lives.
• And check online.

24-Hour News 8 found plenty of both Zhu Zhu pets and Mindflex. There is a catch however. Zhu Zhu pets that retail at the store for about $10 each will cost you more than three times that amount on line.

And Mindflex that retails for about $80 will cost you more than twice that amount if you want to buy it on the web.

If you don't want to pay the price keep calling the stores.

If you find a store that has what you want, you'll probably have to go and get it immediately.

Most stores will not save items for people.

Once word spreads that they have it in stock, the items sell out very quickly.

If you want to make your purchase online make sure you are buying from a reputable seller.

Remember, you need to check not just the price, but also the history of the seller and arrangements to ship the item to you in time for the holiday.