I've always referred to crap at discount stores as "future garbage." Sure, that's end-of-the-line for most things, but these discount stores peddle stuff with an exceptionally short useful life. Especially targeted towards kids, I feel! I guess it's easier for a parent to give in to a child's wants when the toy is only a buck.
Buying cheap crap from the start is just an optimisation of the process.
Is a building kit with magnets 'crap' ? Is a doll 'crap' ? Is a hand powered fan 'crap' ? Are colouring books 'crap' ?
I think a ton of small toys are tremendously fun, can help discover different mechanisms, and help grow a kid's mind. Limiting the variety and amount of toys can end up fine, but from the parent POV it's a bit sad really. Especially when by definition we can't anticipate what for any specific kid will be a hit and what won't.
I also have myself been a kid who grew up with no gaming console in the age of Pokemon, who never indulged in kid music and derivates, who did not wear brands, who did not get to own a pet, and many other things my parents didn't allow, no matter how often I asked for them.
Is it that hard to admit one's own laxism that there's need to resort to badly aged sophisms ?
But keep convincing yourself that your kid has a dagger under your throat at the toy shop checkout and that people with more will power are assholes. I have been on the kid end at least even if not on the parent one. You seem to have been on neither.