Get those layby fingers ready to rock ‘n roll, cause the biggest toy sale is coming your way again. Prepare to check off your Christmas gift list as the Big W Toy Mania event offers mountains of great buys, with a few changes this year.

During the peak of the COVID pandemic. Big W was forced to make some significant changes to their annual sale. While previously, the shops welcomed a stampede of eager customers ready for a trolley-jostling midnight shopping spree, last year, the focus of purchasing was online. Which had its own issues. The online sale at the stroke of 12, caused a network blockade that resulted in sleep-deprived shoppers waiting hours in the virtual waiting room.

Will The Website Buckle Under the Load?

As the result of all those frayed nerves, the retailer has decided that this year the Toy Mania sale will once again kick off exclusively online, but this time at 7am, instead of in the middle of the night. My prediction is that the network will still struggle under the pressure, but at least we would have got a full night’s sleep so we may not be as cranky.

The Toys Will Hit The Stores

Two days after the online kick-off, the stores will get in on the Toy Mania action. But as usual, stocks are extremely limited so you’ll have to get in quick to nab those popular bargains. The number of customers in store at any time will be kept at a COVID-safe capacity, so bring your patience and be prepared to queue to get into the shop.

Virtual Reality

Big W also plans on introducing a new augmented reality tool, so customers can have a preview of how an item will look in their home before they buy, according to Yahoo!Lifestyle. You can virtually place objects into your own home to see how they fit. This would be perfect for bigger items like trampolines or swing sets, which are always difficult to size up before committing.

The Catalogue Is Here

The Big W Toy Mania catalogue has been released online as well as in-store. You can also pick up a copy from Woolworths stores. Flicking through the list of toys on sale, it looks like there are over 1,000 different toys at discounted prices, including the big brands like LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher Price.

The hottest items in the sale include:

1) Disney Themed Tablets featuring exclusive games, apps and e-books are expected to be kids’ top pick, priced at $159 (down from $189).

2) The Bluey 4.5′ Trampoline – $129 (down from $149)

3) Star Wars The Child Life Size Plush Yoda – $59 (down from $79)

4) Beyblade Speedstorm Battle Set – $69 (down from $109)

5) Trolls Surprise Bundle Pack – $29 (down from $59)

6) Miraculous Lady Bug, Miraculous 4 Pk Heroes Giftset – $79.00 (down from $99)

7) Lego City Wildlife Rescue Camp – $109 (down from $139)

8) Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage – $89 (save $40.00)

9) Hungry Hippos Launcher – $29 (down from $34)

10) Grow’N Up, Roadie the Rescue Coupe – $79 (down from $99)

Changes To Lay-by

Back by popular demand, shoppers can take advantage of in-store and online lay-by so you can buy now for Christmas. Last year online lay-by was available via Pay Pal only. But this year, you can pay using credit card, debit card or PayPal. Plus during the Toy Mania sale dates, all lay-by orders created (even for non-toy mania products) are eligible for the extended Christmas Lay-by period.

Big W Toy Mania Dates

Toy Mania is kicking off with a 2-day online only sale starting 7am Tuesday 15 June ahead of launching in all stores nationally from Thursday 17 June. The sale will run for 4 weeks through to 14 July.

Are there any toys that you are keen to buy during the Big W Toy Mania Sale? Tell us in the comments below.