Santa’s elves in the trenches

Santa has many helpers during the holiday season, but those who work retail may be better described as saints. Keeping a toy store in shape can be especially challenging as mothers jockey their strollers for position and hordes of screaming, excitable children attempt to climb the shelves. Mellisa Fernandez, general manager of FAO Schwarz at the Grove, lets us in on her life.

Tough stuff

The store’s theme song, “Welcome to our world of toys!” sung by a children’s choir, which plays constantly. “You learn to drown it out, to tell the truth. Sometimes you start to sing it. What’s funny is that you hear customers singing that song also.”

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Toy box woes

After closing, it can take as long as an hour and a half to get the place in shape for the following morning. At other times of year, it’s half an hour. “It’s pretty messy,” Fernandez says.

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The soft touch

Plush toys get hit hardest. “Children like to pick up the stuffed animals and roll around with them.”

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Kids’ choice

Rapunzel Barbie (whose golden hair reaches her feet),

Musini (a gizmo that kids jump on to make music) and Bratz dolls (a line of big-eyed boyz and girlz).

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Breaking the bank

A custom-built treehouse runs $50,000, a Lamborghini Countach sports car is $40,000 and a Mini Humvee is priced at $30,000. The Humvee’s so popular that “we’ve actually had to rope it off.”

-- Susan Carpenter