I'm the parent of a total pop-culture nerd. He gets it from me except he is way worse. I'm like a top level enthusiast but he has gone deep into the dark side of nerddom. He loves all things Marvel and DC, Dr Who, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and everything else with a complicated origin story and an entire universe.
So when EB Games asked me to come on a complementary shopping trip at their new pop culture store, Zing Pop Culture, I knew just who to take...
We arrived at a stand alone Zing store at Macquarie Centre, where the staff greeted us with a smile and a shopping basket- and Tahrin was in heaven! He went straight for the mugs (he has a bit of an obsession) and then all things Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Dr Who, Harry Potter and Deadpool. They have a huge range- from the higher level collectables that cost big bucks, to the POP figurines which old cost about $20. There are games, t'shirts, socks, hats, stuffed toys, and everything else you can think of.
The staff were all so lovely and completely into what they were selling. They were so knowledgable and enthusiastic that they had a 17 year old grunter actively debating the merits of the 10th Doctor over the 11th Doctor. I haven't heard him talk that much to a stranger- ever!
As you can see... he left with quite the haul!
While the teens and the avid collectors were well catered for there was also plenty for the younger kids- with lots of Minecraft, Minions, Sonic and more. To get a good feel on what was available for the younger ones, I sent along one of our contributors, Jess, and her 5 year old nerd-in-training, Ayden. Here's what they thought...
Jessica
From a very young age, my son Ayden has always had a very eclectic taste in music, movies and TV Shows. He has always been drawn to modern influences as well as those from well before his time and it’s been a pleasure to watch him appreciate so many different genres (and secretly I am SO happy we skipped the whole Wiggles fanfare!).
Fast forward 5 years and my little man is a budding gamer with his current favourites being Super Mario Bros, Sonic (was anyone else aware that there is a ‘Classic Sonic’ and a ‘Modern Sonic’?), Minecraft and anything Marvel.
I was finding it quite hard this Christmas to find him gifts that he would appreciate and that would hold his interest for more than 5 minutes, and when ZiNG Pop Culture invited us to visit their store in Tea Tree Plaza I was quite relieved to say the least! Whenever we were near an EB Games, Ayden would gravitate to the merchandise section, so we were very excited to find that ZiNG Pop Culture was a much bigger version of that and was full of great Christmas Gift ideas which are normally quite hard to come by.
The minute we walked into the store we were greeted by the friendly staff who despite the store being super busy at the time, took the time to direct us to all the sections within the store which would be of interest to Ayden. He was in his very own little heaven!
Although the store had plenty of items for adults and teens, they had a great range for children as well. They had a great Mario Bros section which Ayden spent most of his time in, plenty of Minecraft toys and figurines, Ninja Turtles and Marvel merchandise and lots of really cool little bits and pieces that even I found myself wanting for Christmas!
The staff knew their products and genres really well, and the layout of the store was easy to navigate. The lovely Sales Assistants even took the time to show Ayden how to work a few of the toys and products that he was really interested in, and let him test them out in store. There were lots of “Mum this is AWESOME!” and “This is so COOL!”.
From a Parent’s perspective, there were PLENTY of gift ideas which catered for every budget. With items starting at $5, there was a great selection of stocking stuffer ideas, as well as larger gift ideas for all ages.
All in all it was a great shopping experience, we found that ZiNG’s range of products was quite extensive, and we came away so many great Christmas Gifts for our boys.
To find your closest Zing Pop Culture store visit www.zingpopculture.com.au
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