What is Teaching Toys? FAQ

What is Teaching Toys?

The original Teaching Toys store was opened in 1981 in the historic Proctor District in North Tacoma. Our mission is to provide quality toys that support the emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of our neighborhood's children. We search the world for the best of the best; applying strict standards of safety and durability to the toys we buy. Our staff is trained to assist shoppers in selecting age appropriate gifts for infants, teens, and all ages in between from the thousands of products we have in stock. Our great selection, free gift wrapping, and customer appreciation punch cards are just some of the reasons we've been named "the best toy store in the galaxy".

Where is the store located?

We currently have two locations to serve you best! Our primary location is in the Proctor District in Tacoma, and our secondary location is in the lovely shopping strip in Gig Harbour. After visiting, enjoy the area around either location!

What can I expect during my visit?

We aim to give each and every customer a joyous experience while visiting, either reliving the joys of childhood or enhancing them for little ones. Expect a greeting when entering the store by helpful staff members who are ready for any questions and can offer help for specific quests. Otherwise, enjoy perusing the store at your leisure! Similar items will be grouped together for easy access, with clear indicators for appropriate ages. At checkout, staff will offer a bag and complimentary gift wrapping, as well as adding punches to your Teaching Toys punch card. Simply pay and be on your way!

Do you offer any discounts?

We happily offer discounts for Military ID holders and teachers purchasing items to use in their classrooms! For the general public, we offer a punch card that offers a $10 discount once filled. More information on punch cards can be found here. Punch cards and other discounts cannot be stacked.

For now, we unfortunately cannot apply these discounts online - this includes Military, Classroom, and full punch card discounts. Please visit in store to use these awesome rewards!

Will you be getting in an item I want?

Currently, many of our manufacturers do not offer single purchase and delivery of items. Although we cannot special order toys for our customers, we are happy to set them aside upon receiving them from our manufacterers. Books, on the other hand, can be ordered if available, and are recieved typically in a weeks time.

Is Teaching Toys assosiated with any other store?

We are not assosiated with any other store or brand. Although our two locations have slightly different names, we are one in the same!

Is your online site accurate to actual inventory?

While we strive to have as much of our in store inventory available to our online shoppers, we are constantly cycling new toys and brands to be enjoyed by our customers, which can mean inventory doesn't get updated in time before supplies are gone. That being said, there can sometimes be errors within the inventory counts themselves, so we appreciate your understanding when this occurs. That being said, our website strives to show a good mix of everything we have to offer, which means that, although different, the experience of instore and online are nearly on par with one another.