What Recession?: American Girl Packs 'Em In

I recently made my first visit to an American Girl store.  My five-year-old daughter got her first doll just the other day, and I was bringing her back for a hair brush.

Aside from the fact that I stood in line for 35 minutes to pay $6 for what looked like a 5-cent item, I was completely impressed with the operation.  In the face of the worse recession in a lifetime, the store was packed beyond comprehension.  Nothing was on sale, mind you, everything was full price: $100 dolls and $25 outfits... and of course, the doll hair salon, bistro, party area, etc.

I've been writing about "real value" for a while, preaching that quality over margin is sometimes a better route in a consumer landscape that is cutting back.  It's getting harder and harder to separate Americans from their money, and to do so, you need to make a compelling offer.

These days, you need to be either completely discount, or offer a strong brand that stands out. Granted, these dolls are not worth 100 bucks in the real sense, but the entire experience has been conceived to capture the imagination of little girls.  In fact, that's the key...the dolls are presented, treated and outfitted like little girls themselves, a billion miles away from the their Wal-Mart and Toys R Us sisters stacked in boxes and peering through plastic.

The whole experience harkens back to a time when a doll was special, and shopping for one was a right of passage. But unlike the Montgomery Ward days, American Girl has created a full in-store experience that assures multiple visits over time.

Look, I'm the offspring of Italian immigrants.  The concept of spending $100 on a doll (deep down inside) is lunacy.  But like most suburban dads, I'm willing to do lots of crazy things for my little girl. And in the end, the whole package is worth more than the money we spend. The real value is higher than the sum of its parts. That's the whole reason that even in down times, these guys are lining folks around the corner to come in and spend.

And what's more American than that?

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