Retailers highlight worrying trend of bairns destroying toys amid calls for parents to take greater responsibility
Sound Service Station. Photo: Google
Retailers have highlighted a concerning trend of bairns destroying toys – with calls for parents to take a firmer stance.
Sound Service Station’s post about the problem yesterday sparked a significant debate with other retailers sharing similar experiences.
The original post showed several squishy toys removed from their packaging.
“Please tell your children not to destroy the toys,” the post said.
“That’s £10 worth right there and it’s every second day we find this.”
Sound Service Station also said its staff found lots of empty wrappers, suggesting some of the toys had been stolen.
Ghufar Razaq, who owns Home Furnishing in town, said his staff faced the same problem.
“What’s surprising is it’s not even the infants/younger children who are to blame,” he added.
And Magnus Sinclair, who is the manager at Scalloway Meat Company, said he faced the same troubles too..
Customers also waded into the debate, saying they had seen similar behaviour at other shops in town.
Vaila Knight said she was “very saddened” to see the post but felt it “won’t make a blind bit of difference”.
“I recently witnessed a child select a costume from a basket in the [Cancer Research UK] shop, take it from its packet then throw the items on the floor when told he couldn’t have them.
“What did mum do? I looked to her … nothing.
“Kids need to be taught, parents need to lead by example and learning needs to be reinforced.
“Unfortunately this appears to have become an archaic concept.”
Others branded the behaviour “horrid”, “disgusting” and “absolutely disgraceful”
Some went so far as banning or limiting the number of children in the shop.
However, posting an update later yesterday, Sound Service Station stressed it would not ban children as “we love wir peerie customers and they are generally all brilliant”.
“They just need a peerie bit of direction and sometimes a firm reminder on how to behave in the shop.
“We only ask that parents and guardians have a peerie chat with them and point out what happens when they muck about with the toys.
“They are bound to want to try to ‘squish’ the squishies … after all that is their selling point.
“But taking them out of the wrappers and boxes is a step too far.”
