Toys R Us and Target each have their own strategies to compete with both Wal-Mart and Amazon this coming Christmas season.

Toys R Us used to own Christmas, but that has changed. Amazon was the game changer. They're unique as a capitalist enterprise because it seems they never care if they make money, they just want more and more market share -- and then later they'll figure out how to make money on it!

So Toys R Us has announced they're going to price match advertised prices from traditional retail stores this entire season up to Dec. 24. But they won't match Amazon.

Target, meanwhile, is going to have a number of toys that are exclusives this Christmas season to compete with Wal-Mart. They won't have to worry about matching somebody else's price that way.

Target has told vendors they want unique product model numbers and features on their stock so the Red Retailer can't be "showroomed." The only prices that will come up when you try to showroom a particular bar code will be Target's own!

Amazingly, there is precedent for all this.

Go try to compare mattress costs. You can't. Sealy, Serta, and Simmons have done something similar for as far back as I can remember. Their mattresses all have unique names and model numbers so you have no way to comparison shop. The idea is a mattress is sold by marketing, not by price.

But back to toys, because we have four vibrant competitors, if you do your homework, this will be very good Christmas to find deals for the kids!