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

This stand is so versatile and durable enough for my preschoolers! Super easy to assemble! Reasonable price and can be used so many different ways. Very pleased with my purchase and my students love it!

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.

I bought this for my youngest daughter's third birthday. I also bought some wooden foods (some of which are the cuttable velcro kind) and a play cash register/calculator, as well as the Melissa and Doug shopping cart. As part of a themed gift this was a big hit.Having said all that, this is a very well made toy in and of itself. I was impressed with how solid and sturdy it is. It was easy to assemble and came with several shelves and bins and a two-sided canopy that says "grocery store" on one side and "lemonade stand" on the other. It's easy enough for a five year old to switch the sign around. There are even small chalkboards to hang on the plastic bins so kids can label and price their items. There are lots of opportunities for pretend play and even some educational value, with adding up of prices and whatnot.As soon as my daughter opened this present, my three kids immediately took it outside and had a vegetable sale from our garden. They made over $20! I didn't even really expect them to use it that way, but they had a blast. It drew the attention of several neighbors, all of whom loved the stand and pronounced it "the coolest birthday present". I guess that says it all.

Great item! I bought this as a Christmas gift for my daughters two years ago, and it still gets plenty of use. I do not use the chalk boards to label the bins for several reasons. 1) I bought a cheap bag of assorted plastic fruit and vegetables to put in the bins, so each bin has an assortment of items instead of only one. 2) With little hands going in and out to get and replace "groceries," the plaques would often get knocked off. 3) I don't like the chalk dust in the bins and on all of the toys.Instead of using the chalk signs, I turned the bins around so that the little hook area faces the back. I also bought a cute little cash register that sits on top so that my girls can play grocery more realistically.**Just a tip. My daughters love for their play to be realistic, so I did buy a set of paper money and plastic coins; however, I used packing tape to encase the bills (I don't have a laminator, and this worked just as well...maybe better because it makes the bills more pliable.) I also bought a set of 12 little cloth tote bags so that they can bag their groceries. They love these additions :-)

It was exactly what i needed to create a little grocery for my daughter's 4th birthday. It's just the right height for her (she's about 37" tall) to put a play cash register on and ring up our grocery purchases. Absolutely recommend. The instructions were cutely labeled and clear and easy to follow; I docked a star because one of the dowels that holds up the bins was drilled incorrectly and didn't allow the screw and the barrel nut to connect correctly so i had to hunt down my husband's drill and correct it myself.