As a perk for members of our Hazelnut loyalty program, we offer 2 options for assisted shopping: Virtual Shopping Appointments and a Personal Shopping Form. This blog post will tell you all about both options and answer some frequently asked questions!

Please keep in mind:

• Requesting either assisted shopping option will delay the shipping of your order.
• Assisted shopping is available for doll & animal purchases only, not for doll clothing or accessories.
• These options must be arranged before your order is placed – please email us in advance of your planned shopping day.
• All our dolls and animals are handmade and have natural variation. We believe this only adds to each friend’s character and charm!

Virtual Shopping Appointment

An opportunity to select your woodland friend over video call, from your home to our Brooklyn workshop. Virtual shopping appointments are 5-10 minutes long and are conducted via Zoom. We offer regular virtual shopping hours on Tuesday afternoons and extended hours following the launch of a new animal.

How do I book a virtual appointment?

Send us an email at hello@hazelvillage.com to request a virtual shopping appointment and we will provide a scheduling form. Your shopping appointment must be booked before you place your order. When you book your appointment, please enter the same email address that you normally use to place orders.

If you don’t receive a confirmation email once you have booked, make sure to check your spam folder! We also recommend adding both hello@hazelvillage.com and booking@cowlendar.com to your contacts list, to make sure that our important emails will reach you.

How should I place my order?

Place your order on our website using your Hazelnut email. We recommend shopping directly at launch time for limited-edition drops. Booking a virtual shopping appointment does NOT reserve inventory.

How does the appointment work?

When your meeting day/time arrives, click the Zoom link in your confirmation email to join the call. (Please make sure the Zoom app is downloaded on your device in advance. No account setup is required.) A member of our team will have an assortment of dolls prepared for you to view and we will help you  find the perfect woodland friend!

Personal Shopping Form

If you have specific preferences for your animal’s appearance but you are not interested in a virtual shopping appointment, we can provide you with a Personal Shopping Form. This is a simple form on which you can briefly list any preferences or requests. Personal Shopping is available for new animal launches only.

How does Personal Shopping work?

Send us an email at hello@hazelvillage.com to request a Personal Shopping Form. Please fill out the form promptly and be sure to submit it under your usual Hazelnut shopping email. When a packing elf reaches your order in our queue, they will review your form and carefully select an animal according to your preferences before they ship your package.

How should I place my order?

Place your order on our website using your Hazelnut email. We recommend shopping directly at launch time for limited-edition drops. Submitting a Personal Shopping Form does NOT reserve inventory.

FAQ:

Why do you offer assisted shopping? Aren’t the animals all the same?

All of our woodland friends are handmade, which means no two are exactly alike! Assisted shopping is by no means necessary, and most of our customers don’t feel the need for it. But we are glad to offer these options for those who may be more highly selective, or who may just want the fun of picking out their own unique friend.

What if I can't choose? Can I book a second appointment or can you send me photos of more options?

We understand that choosing a doll may be difficult, and we want to do everything that we can to assist you. However, please keep in mind that virtual/personal shopping is a complimentary service and we cannot guarantee accommodations if you request significant additional assistance. We appreciate you being respectful of our small customer service team's limited time.

What if I miss my virtual appointment?

We recommend adding your appointment to your calendar and setting a reminder for yourself. But we understand that these things happen! If you miss your appointment, we will send you an email letting you know that we have selected a doll for you. Depending on our schedule, you may be able to re-book your appointment if you would like.

Why do I have to set this up in advance?

Arranging assisted shopping in advance allows us to make sure that when you do place your order, we can automatically put it on hold. Otherwise, our speedy packing elves might ship your purchase before we get the chance to assist you with picking out your doll.

What if the animal sells out? Will you run out of dolls before my virtual appointment?

Nope! It typically takes our small team of packing elves about 1 week to ship out all the orders from a limited-edition animal launch. We make sure only to schedule as many virtual shopping appointments as we can fit into that week. This way, we’ll never risk running out of dolls in-house before everyone who has booked an appointment gets the chance to complete it.

I don’t know how to say what I’m looking for!

That’s ok! For some, it might be as simple as looking at a handful of animals until you see one that just feels right. For others, perhaps you might want your friend to have a particular feature, such as big eyes or a big nose. Due to the handmade nature of our woodland friends, they are often not completely symmetrical. We feel that this adds to their charm! But if symmetry is important to you, just let us know and we’ll be happy to help you find a good fit.

I'm worried about being too picky!

Don’t worry! We offer these options to help you find just the right woodland friend, and we rely on your communication to help us do that. Don’t be shy to share any thoughts you may have - we promise, we’ve heard it all!