Help, I have broken my daughters' Christmas!

[clux73]

My 8 year old and 5 year old will never forgive me!

Monday night: DD's stumble across the bear and the hare cuddly toys on the John Lewis website and instantly want them! DD1 goes off, reappears with £24 and asks me to order them both, one for her, one for her sister. I said that with Christmas coming up they shouldn't be buying stuff and they should see what Father Christmas brings. Hence lots of "but what if there aren't any left" type angst from them both.

Yesterday I went to John Lewis on Oxford Street fully expecting to see a whole floor full of cuddly bears and rabbits. Nope, no sign of any. I ask for help and an assistant looks on the computer and says that they're now out of stock on line but there may be one left on floor 3. I find two hares and NO BEARS!!! A very helpful assistant then rings round a few other London stores but there are no bears anywhere in London. Then it gets worse, I later find out that there are no bears in the country AND no definite order placed for new stock.

Had a little glimmer of hope last night. I'd signed up to be alerted if he came back in stock and I did get an email but as soon as I clicked he was out of stock. And now this morning bear has vanished from the website. I am in complete despair. I have let my daughters' down. And everytime the flipping advert comes on they'll remember bear again!!! I have a hare with no bear. It's like a depressing version of the advert.

[Guitargirl]

Aww, 'like a depressing version of the advert' did make me giggle though!

There are some on EBay - type in John Lewis hare and bear into search.

[FourFlapjacksPlease]

ebay is your friend - but i suspect it will cost you! bear

[MiracleOntheM4]

Oh no! I wish I had an answer for you.

Not helpful I know, but what a lovely gesture from DD1. I'd have done the same as you though and be in the same boat...

Only other thought is eBay, some bastard one may be trying to cash in on the popularity?

I don't know what's going on with the 'email me when in stock' thing. I'm just after some of the wrapping paper to wrap DD's bear and hare book and PJs and keep getting the notification emails. Immediately click and there is none left!

[HolgerDanske]

If you're desperate, ebay or amazon?

But you will most likely have to pay an awful lot.

Otherwise maybe a letter from bear (attached to hare when he turns up on Christmas eve, perhaps?) saying that since he had never seen Christmas he has been invited to visit Santa, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity?

Might work

[FairyJen]

op is it this one?

There are a few on eBay

[FairyJen]

sorry this one

It probably will cost you tho!

[clux73]

Thank you everyone. Love that idea Holger. Miracle, they had loads of wrapping paper in store yesterday. I'll be back there tomorrow and would be happy to post you a roll of it.

[Tygra]

Oh no! They had loads in High Wycombe last week, can't believe they've sold out!! Hope you find one

[MiracleOntheM4]

Thanks clux - I'm a Londoner (username is a bit of a red herring) so will be popping up to Oxford Street or Peter Jones later this weekend. Really, really kind of you though.

[WaitMonkey]

At depressing version of the advert.
Did you buy both hares.? Would you they not be happy with a hare each ? I've been after the B&H wrapping paper. OOS online, so I set up a stock alert. Twice they've emailed to say it's back in stock, twice within minutes I've checked the website, only to find it OOS. You haven't ruined Christmas, John Lewis have. [Daily Mail sad face]

[WaitMonkey]

Just reading thread property. Glad they have the wrapping paper in store. Didn't think they would. Will look on Saturday.

[SpookedMackerel]

Surely you could find a substitute bear that looks similar; the hare is the more unusual one, but the bear could be any old teddy. (Esp if it has disappeared from the website, so they can't remind themselves what it looks like.)

[spiderlight]

£175 on ebay!!!

[LazyLondoner]

I definitely saw at least one of those bears in John lewis at Oxford circus yesterday. It was in the nursery section (?floor 4) in amongst all the jelly cat toys. Might be worth another look?

[fuzzpig]

Can't believe how high the prices are going for a cuddly toy! How much are they supposed to be? £12 each (as your DD gave you £24) or more than that?

[fuzzpig]

Hope you find one :)

[BarfaStewart]

Jesus christ at the price! It really bugs me when I see stuff like that, I don't know why, but it seems a bit mean.

OP, I don't have a JL near me, but could share this on my FB wall, see if any of my friends have seen one. If a few mners did this, there's a chance.

[ELR]

Going to my local jl on Monday will check for you OP.

[fuzzpig]

Oh wow I just googled and I see they are originally £12 each. Jeez.

I guess they sell out so fast thanks to unscrupulous bastards wanting to eBay loads of them :( I wish shops would set limits on purchases for this kind of thing.

Similar thing happened with Monty Python tickets on Monday - the entire lot of tickets for the first show sold out in 45 seconds FFS! Then they were instantly on eBay for hundreds and hundreds of pounds.

[BrianTheMole]

I guess they will get more after xmas? If so write a letter from bear and hare saying they are helping santa and will be arriving in jan.

[TheDayOfMyDoctor]

I hate when people buy up kids stuff to flog it for a fortune on eBay. I hope you find them OP.

[fuzzpig]

I would say it's extremely unlikely that there'll be more after Xmas - as I understood it they are specifically due to the Xmas advert

Prices might go down on eBay though I guess

[MrsMangoBiscuit]

You could make one? Or get someone else to? If you found the right fabric it would be reasonably simple to make an exact copy, but it wouldn't have the tags, obviously. I will check our local store when I'm in, hopefully tomorrow, just on the off chance.

[Rosieliveson]

Oh no. Have an idea that's a bit out of the box. Could you get another hare if they are still about, buy two brown bear onesies (not necessarily from JL) and have your DC be the bear to their very own hare?!