Article on AGPlace

monimarine · January 27th, 2006, 05:01 PM

Good point. She certainly wasn't limiting her daughter's spending!

**only1genevieve** · January 27th, 2006, 05:13 PM

This review gets my goat a little bit. If she hates American Girl and their message so much, why does she buy it for her daughter? There were plenty of toys my mom didn't like when I was a little girl. If I asked for it the answer was "no." If I got it for Christmas, it was given to the Good Will.

Secondly, she seems to be really mean-spirited and condescending to her daughter, which spells trouble for me. It irritates me when parents speak to/about their children in a derisive manner. They think their kids are "too dumb to notice," but kids do pick up on it. In the peds office I worked, the worst behaved children were always the ones with parents like this.

joelanddeborah · January 27th, 2006, 06:08 PM

Thanks for the link. I enjoyed the article. I don't know if I will ever get to an American Girl Place--But I know if I do, I will certainly give my little girl (and myself) a money limit or an approved list of what we were going to buy or do. I think it's too easy to get sucked into clever displays or clever marketing strategies. I think if we already know exactly what we are going to buy, the experience could actually be more fun and relaxing than the general "let's look," or "let's see."

**kikilives** · January 27th, 2006, 06:09 PM

I actually liked the review. It was really funny and cute. It was actually an epinions AGP review that moved my daughter and my trip up a year. I couldn't not go. I totally understand about some of the things she says. My daughter wears consignment/clearance clothes, I've never spent money to get her a haircut and I also believed AG would be a 1 doll experience. How wrong was that!! Anyways, I think its cute, even if she did have a few of her facts messed up. The fact that she lets her daughter have her own likes, etc...I think points to a good mother. I let my daughter try things I don't necessarily enjoy because I want her to be her and not me. Anyways just my 2 cents as they say. Thanks for posting it I really enjoyed reading it!!

**Kaileyfan1** · January 27th, 2006, 07:08 PM

I thought the review was good!

**jenndon** · January 27th, 2006, 07:35 PM

Yes, I thought she started off criticizing AG, and was prepared to be irritated, but I think in the end, she appreciates it for what it is--and does point out the historical accuracy of some of the stuff etc etc.

I also was one of those people who thought it was dumb to buy "those $100 dolls" for your kids, and now how many do I have, and how many outfits, and what's on our wishlist???

**robin0850** · January 27th, 2006, 07:39 PM

IMHO, I think this article IS a tad mean-spirited--
According to the writer, her daughter received:

Samantha, 2 dresses, Samantha's book set, brass bed, commode, Nellie, 2 doll coats, the Cental Park sleigh, and Kit

as GIFTS from relatives! Not only does she under-appreciate her relatives' generosity, but she also seems to leave out any mention of how much time her daughter spends playing with her dolls, or how much she's learned about the Victorian era through Samantha.

Nor does she mention the quality of these items versus regular department-store doll items, or AG's celebrated excellent customer service. Aside from her belief that everything AG is over-priced, I'm not sure what her problem is--the whole article seems very one-sided.

If she doesn't like the prices at the AG salon, she could "just say no", (I skip the salon, myself) likewise the dress-like-your-doll thing.
Many people find little girls and dolls in matching outfits charming--making fun of this seems to serve no purpose. (If I had a daughter who wanted these outfits, I'd make a matching outfit instead of buying them--they ARE quite expensive.)
At the end of the article, she grudgingly admits that the AGPNY experience was fun, but instead of limiting her daughter's spending (or her relatives' gift-giving) she seems to blame the expense on American Girl for presenting a popular product in a charming way.

I suppose what really bothers me is the term "stupid rich"--I'm far from rich, and I'm not stupid. I only spend on AG what I've earned myself, and I plan my expenditures carefully. Financially, I see it as an investment in high-quality items that have a good resale value; meanwhile I can enjoy them mightily myself--and do I ever!! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]
Just ask my DH!

Felicity_Fan85 · January 27th, 2006, 11:41 PM

I think it seems mean-spirited by the title with the "stupid" parts. I'm also far from rich and not stupid. But it does become funnier.

**karbipbaby** · January 28th, 2006, 12:09 AM

I enjoyed the article. I often find myself wondering "What in the world have I gotten myself into!?" However, Nellie, Felicity, Samantha and Elizabeth are the only toys that my girls have ever cared about and played with for more than 24 hours. I found the article humorus!! I've felt that way myself! [img]tongue.gif[/img]