The toy stores in Santa Rosa arrived at the eve of Children's Day, celebrated on Sunday 16 of August, with very different results. The lower availability of money, the competition from imported products, and the growth of online sales affected the activity, although the surveyed experiences do not allow us to speak of a uniform decline in all stores.
Raúl Palacio, owner of Juguetrón, estimated that their sales fell by at least 50% compared to last year. They noted low customer traffic and attributed part of the decline to the opening of stores with imported toys and to the loss of purchasing power. Their assessment aligns with reports from the La Pampa Chamber of Commerce on the difficulties of the commercial sector.
In the children's book segment, Gabriel Bardini, from Librería Fahrenheit, described a different trend. The number of transactions remained the same, but buyers chose cheaper copies, which reduced the billing volume. The data shows that caution does not always translate into fewer units: it can also appear as substitution with lower-priced products.
Other businesses reported a more stable performance. The owner of Distribuidora Franco said that sales held steady compared to the same previous period, favored by credit cards and by an offer that includes an art bookstore. Mundo Franco also highlighted the effect of promotions, including those of Banco de La Pampa, and of purchase financing.
E-commerce grew more than 55% year-on-year during the first half of 2026, with 645 million units sold and an average ticket of ARS 134,519. In the last Hot Sale, 93% of the transactions were made from mobile phones, and more than half of online sales were paid in 3 or 6 installments, a combination that reflects digital consumption and the search for financing.
The industry also faces competition from screens and digital entertainment for children's attention. Specialists pointed out that building blocks, board games, and educational proposals are gaining ground by combining activity, learning, and justification of family spending. The outlook for Santa Rosa is thus marked by a measured commercial date: there are sharp declines in some stores, stability in others, and a more selective and financed consumer.
