The line began to form around 6 a.m. last Friday, and by the time the College
Bookstore opened two hours later there were 30 people waiting for the latest shipment of
Beanie Babies, the stuffed toy that has become a favorite among collectors and kids.
Within a couple of hours, 580 of the plush collectibles had been sold, says Tim Porter,
assistant manager.
Over the past few years the Bookstore has moved about 9,000 Beanie Babies, Porter said.
And since sales are restricted largely to those with Union ID, most of those 9,000 are
staying within the Union family. One employee reports having a roomful of between 400 and
500 Beanies. Others suggest that is not at all unusual.
“The market may be getting saturated,” noted Porter. “We may be on the
downward side of the peak.” Which is not to suggest that they are not selling well.
On the contrary, the Beanies are still hugely popular.
“I've never seen anything like this craze in my 18 years with college
bookstores,” Porter said. “It's quite a phenomenon. We will continue them
as long as our customers still want them.”