In December in Canada, more than $607 million is spent on games and toys at major retailers, according to Statistics Canada data. But as the holidays approach, while inflation is still being felt, many families are turning to used toys which retail for less than 50% of the price of new ones.
“Last year, both parents in the same family lost their jobs and they only had $100 to spare for their two children. They came to buy all their Christmas presents here and they said to me: ‘Thank you, you saved our Christmas,’” recalls the general director and founder of Réno-Jouets, Annie Asselin, who specializes in the revaluation of games for children.
A second life for toys
Entering Réno-Jouets is similar to visiting a big box store. What makes it different is the absence of packaging, we noted The duty during a visit to their Quebec business.
Behind its commercial facade hides a warehouse where little elves are active throughout the year: Réno-Jouets volunteers. “On average, we receive between 14,000 and 18,000 toys per month,” says the director of development and communications, François Gingras.
After donors drop off their used items, volunteers work to process them. Sorting, washing, assembly: each toy that is returned to the store has the appearance of new, even though it had a first life in another family. “Often, we use our toys for only a few months, whereas they can live for 25 years,” emphasizes Mr. Gingras.
Caroline Boisvert comes to volunteer two days a week. She is busy assembling board games. “We have a piece behind me that we use to complete several games. Often an instruction manual is missing, so we reprint it,” she says. Recently, Annie Asselin noticed that several little pigs were missing from children’s farms. She therefore turned to a school that makes the animal in 3D.
The goal is to revalue the toys given to them as much as possible. “ Our losses are at 3 %. Since Réno-Jouets existed, out of 2.2 millions of toys collected, only 49 were thrown away 000 », Supports the owner.
A change of paradigms
When Mme Asselin started the company in 2002, she faced reluctance to buy used toys. “I fought against a lot of prejudice. » Twenty years later, in 2022, 43.5% of Quebecers have opted for used products during the year, according to the most recent Responsible Consumption Barometer from ESG UQAM.
“Since the pandemic, I have noticed an awareness of the environment; not to recreate a toy. […] Our planet needs a little air, we must not make it worse,” notes Annie Asselin.
The inflationary context of recent years also pushes many families to buy used products. “I think we are a solution to still spoil our children without going too far into our wallets,” she adds.
For the volunteers and employees met on site, the objective is to make all the children happy, regardless of their social and economic status. “You have to help a child complete what I call a toolbox. A carpenter who doesn’t have one cannot build a house, a child who doesn’t have toys can develop his fine motor skills less well,” explains Annie Asselin.
This is also what motivates Sylvie Boulé to show up two mornings a week at her car wash. “These toys that would probably end up in the trash will make other little children happy,” she says.