Melissa & Doug Wooden Grocery Store and Lemonade Stand - Reversible Awning, 9 Bins, Chalkboards

I bought this toy for my 2 y/o daughter and 3 1/2 year old son. They both have been asking to play supermarket and enjoy using it. I was debating between this toy and a Little Tikes market. The reason I decided on the Melissa and Doug toy was because it seemed bigger and therefore would be able to hold the abundance of play food that the kids already have. The Melissa and Doug has nine bins versus little tike's six. The Melissa and Doug did not come, however, with the doors, food, the ice cream cones, or a cash register, they might enjoy playing with. So I had to buy the cash register and Melissa and Doug Ice cream set. I am glad I did because my son immediately asked for "ice cream" remembering it from the picture of the little Tikes Market that I showed him. He did not miss or notice the doors. It also has these tabs that hold little chalkboards the kids can practice writing on. The only problems with the tabs are that they are not durable. One broke the first day, and it was partly my fault because I was not looking and my 2 year old decided to climb the toy. I had to explain to her that this is not what it was for. Melissa and Doug were very kind enough to, rather quickly, send me a replacement bin, free of charge. That was a big plus for me and one of the reasons I rated the product with five stars. Another issue for parents with younger children, and from what I noticed with one reviewer who complained that the toy was "too advanced", is that this is not a toy that you just hand over to young children and expect them to play with "correctly". You have to be there and explore the toy with them. Arrange the food by color and types, practice writing on the chalkboards, talk about purchasing and how things cost money, etc. It can be a very fun and educational toy for even a 2 y/o. We talk about the different types of food one would find in a supermarket. We also have carts and put the food in the cart as we are shopping and then in a bag to "take home" to their play kitchen to cook. So don't be intimidated by expecting your kids to immediately go shopping on their own. Melissa and Doug's website also has ideas of how to use this toy. Also one person complained of not being able to write their own name on the sign. That problem can easily be solved by taking some black contact paper, writing whatever you want with chalk, and placing it on top of the sign. The toy was not difficult to put together. I put it together, while 6 month's pregnant, by myself, with my two toddlers unhelping me, in about 40 minutes. No major tools are needed, maybe a flat screwdriver to hold and turn the little metal dowel nuts in place. It comes with an Allen wrench. Basically if you can put together Ikea furniture, you can put this together. The instructions are good and straightforward. This is a great toy for Kwanzaa, Christmas, Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Birthdays or whatever you wish to celebrate.

Even as the mom.. this toy makes me want to play along with my kids: It brings the kid out in all of us as a flashback to shopping with our moms. Lessons are endless with this toy once you add some toy foods, money, basket, crafts to the bins. Possibilities are endless!

Fun set that had provided hours of fun for five and six year old. We purchased fruits and veggies to go with it as well as lemonade items. Set up with cash register, baggies, and various other items to make it a full store. Was surprised the construction is not flimsy particle board. It is very sturdy and very heavy with solid wood pieces and slats. The chalkboard pieces are small but appropriate for little hands tho writing must be small. It's time consuming to put together and I suggest reading through entirely as you set aside each part with the appropriate bolts, screws, etc. some pieces are harder to get together than others we found such as the side shelves. Read directions carefully so not to put it opposite. As the mom I put together with six year old helping and it took us four hours on and off with breaks and just goofing off. So I'm guessing a total of two hours total for work as we had a difficult time with the sides and holding the heavy piece steady as pieces were attached. It is worth the effort as the quality is far superior to many products and the quality of this Melissa and Doig product is indeed excellent.

Bought this as a gift for my niece (2) and nephew (4). We were able to put this together in under an hour, very easy instructions. As a teacher I am always looking for gifts which allow children to use their imagination without everything having to be interactive (i.e. no sounds/lights/etc.). I was thrilled with the overall quality of this toy. It was very solidly built. We did add a layer of clear self paper to the top just to give it an another layer of waterproofing. This was by far their favorite gift for Christmas (which is saying a lot as they received a lot of interactive toys and this beat them out hands down!). The baskets are great for not only playtime but also for storing toys when not in use. Even though some of the features like the chalkboards won't be used as much now, I know they will grow into this toy for years to come! I highly recommend anything Melissa and Doug. We have bought their toys for a few years now and they have always been excellent.

I bought this despite a few negative reviews because I've always known Melissa and Doug to have quality products... I will say that they make great products if you don't need to assemble them. That being said, this stand was a pain to assemble. The directions are simple, but the holes were drilled too deep so you had to randomly hold the nut in the right place to line it up with the hole. What should've taken me around 10 minutes took an hour and a lot of cursing. I don't find furniture difficult to assemble and consider myself a pro for certain Swedish furniture with the worst instructions ever, so I'm fairly certain it's not me. One of the side shelves split while I was screwing it on... not really sure how it happened and it's a HUGE split running the length of the shelf. I'm disappointed but the rest of the stand looks great and seems sturdy. I got this on sale and it's well worth the $59, but I wouldn't pay more than that until M&D work on their quality control for this product Regardless of any negatives, my kids immediately loved it and it perfectly fit all of their play food.

We rarely buy kids furnishings because of the space involved but this little market stall has a reasonable footprint and endless possibilities. It is still a bit tall (counter is above her elbow) for my almost 3 yo but she loves it and it has been the centerpiece of discussions about fruits, vegetables, breads etc. The mini chalk boards are a fun way to introduce Chinese characters. The counter is deep enough to fit the larger Learning Resources Teaching Cash Register and wide enough to still allow some counter space for purchases. The boards are covered in laminate. While the boards are "soft", the laminate seems to be able to fend off light scratches well. The screw heads are mostly visible so if there are liquids involved, maybe some silicone sealant is in order. It took awhile to put in the ~30 screws and one of the wood bars arrived slightly cracked (but usable) but it seems very solid after assembly. As another reviewer pointed out, it would be nice if the bins were more robust because it isn't fun scolding a child for being rough with her toys.

We love this Grocery Store. Santa got it for our 3 and 5 yr olds and we've been shopping ever since! It is very sturdy, perfect counter height (~24") for the kids, good amount of counter space to set the register and supplies on top as well as so many storage/product bins. What I like? I can easily hack it to make it multi-functional. Turn the Grocery stand around, add a dowel or pressure curtain rod w/ curtains plus some chalk contact paper to the back of the counter and Voila! The theater is open (and conveniently you can use the bins to store your cast members). We are also adding an overhead board (covered w/ chalk contact paper as well) to the top of the stand to say "Theatre" What do you need? - 24.5" x 0.25" diameter dowel (then trim to fit into the existing awning holes) OR a tension rod that extends to >24" - curtain rings w/ clips and curtains OR curtains w/ rod pocket - chalkboard contact paper Chalkzies Removable Chalkboard Vinyl • Blackboard Contact Paper • Wall Decal • Wall Sticker • 17.75 INCHES x 6.5 FEET + 5 Chalks - Optional additional 5" x ~25" thin flat board to make Theatre overhead Sign

The assembly requiring barrel nuts is absolute garbage. I have put together dozens of toys and this is by far the worst designed. I give it one star because I can't give it zero. The four year old for whom it was purchased was so upset. But this product is garbage; I had no choice but to return it., which was also a massive pain to do.

Had to return it as box was open and screws missing .

This is a fantastic kids toy. Solid wood, very sturdy. The fabric sign is easy to switch from grocery store to lemonade. The black chalkboards are easy to take on and off.

Mi hijo adora su tienda, es importante pasar tiempo con ellos, el juguete no lo hace solo. Lo más importante es que como papá pases tiempo con el, no solo lo compres porque es bonito ;) I’m just saying, you know...

Super cute ! Love this for my daughter can’t wait until summer so she can sell some real lemonade down the street ! Got it on sale for $65 during Xmas

My 6 year old daughter loves that it can switch from grocery store to lemonade stand. It's sturdy and it was shipped on time. Only reason why I gave it 4 stars was because it was shipped missing a couple baskets.