Walmart, the largest US retailer, has launched its earliest Christmas marketing campaign, announcing last week that it would cut prices on 100 popular toys to less than $10.

The reductions on items such as a Barbie Rapunzel doll, Tonka toys and Play-Doh follow a similar promotion on a list of 10 toys last year, after what the retailer called “a year that has been increasingly tough on consumer wallets”.