The Energon Pub

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Thu May 13, 2021 2:50 pm

o.supreme wrote:Also this specific store must be running some sort of pilot program. It is probably the 3rd biggest store in my area, but is in an area where a lot of theft occurs. They have more items on lockdown than any other. Every couple minutes you hear someone over the intercom asking for an item to be unlocked. Even high-priced men's underwear is under lockup (no joke!). They have virtually eliminated manned checkstands, and everything is self checkout. But everyone is herded into one big line (kind of like what Fry's used to do), then you are signaled to a specific self-checkout. They have redesigned the store so basically you can't get out without going through this area. So needless to say, anyone just browsing, and not purchasing anything (often I walk out without making any purchases), is given suspicious looks by numerous employees as you navigate a gauntlet of obstacles just to get out.

This was also the store that a couple years back actually bent all the Vintage Optimus Prime packaging in order to physically attach anti-theft devices to the shelving.

That pilot program is real, people. My father-in-law works at a Walmart in the DFW area in Texas and he has heard stories from his colleagues about eliminating cashiers and going self-checkout only. Thing is, we do our weekly groceries there and we're not exactly thrilled about processing a full cart's worth of food ourselves.
As for anti-theft, a couple Walmarts have those gates at either entrance, that sound the alarm if you try to leave through them. The same kind as the ones at Dutch Supermarkets :lol:

Notable in my area: Netflix series is completely gone, SS86 Blurr is abundant... Anything else?

News Credits: 56 · by **o.supreme** » Thu May 13, 2021 3:29 pm

Thanks for the insight Jelze. I actually have become accustomed to only using the self checkout, as I am faster than any walmart cashier I've seen. (Also I usually only do grocery shopping for my mother once per week. My own family groceries we do all pick-up) I have to go to a much more expensive grocery store to see old-school speedy cashier/bagging. In fact, last week at another walmart store a line manager kept trying to convince me to go into a line that had a cashier because the self-checkout line was getting too long. But it was till moving faster than 2 lines I saw where the cashier was going incredibly slow, and of course had to call manager over for assistance with customer requests.

That being said, I dont think all cashiers should be eliminated from all stores. Speaking of father-in-laws, MINE won't set foot in that store now that I told him it was ONLY self checkout. He will only go through a line with a cashier, and somehow he always inevitably picks the longest line so it takes him about 20 minutes to check out :BANG_HEAD:

.

I understand the sentiment that it is "taking jobs away", but from what I've seen. The amount of employee shoppers they have to meet the demand for grocery pick-up has pretty much leveled any deficiency in cashier jobs. Oh and as for those entry/exit gates. YEP pretty much all the Walmarts in my area have those as well.

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Thu May 13, 2021 11:57 pm

Wait a sec, self checkout isnt the norm in the US yet? And some stores dont have the anti theft detectors/gates at entrance and exit?
I want remember when it hasn't been like that in Canada. We so have some cashiers, but self checkout has been the main and prioritized way for a while.
It wont so anything against theft though. Quite the opposite. It's very easy to steal with self checkout, that's how this guy got away with this ridiculous stash
https://www.seibertron.com/transformers ... ust/44205/

News Credits: 56 · by **o.supreme** » Fri May 14, 2021 12:54 am

Self checkout has been at Walmart in the U.S. for quite a while but it's about 20-25% of the lines. Same with most other stores. Some stores are increasing to 50/50, but the example I spoke of is the first store in my area to go 100% full self checkout.

Fun fact. I actually worked at K-mart just after graduating highschool in 1994. They had some of the very first self checkout lines in 1996 (3 of them). But after a year they reverted back to regular registers due to customer complaints. How times have changed...

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Sat May 15, 2021 1:14 pm

william-james88 wrote:Wait a sec, self checkout isnt the norm in the US yet? And some stores dont have the anti theft detectors/gates at entrance and exit?

Not yet, it varies on factors of the area, like shoplifting it seems. I will say this: my Walmarts have like 24 registers, including 4 Express (15 to 20 items or less), but a max of only 6 of them are open at any time. Worse, they seem to have a habit of closing them around 8:30pm to 9pm, hours before the actual store closes for the day. Meanwhile, Self-Checkout at either exit is taking off with lines blocking aisles. However, our Self-Checkouts don't have any gates, and the person watching over them... It's Walmart. Now, Supermarkets in the Netherlands have Self-Checkout as an option, and they do have gates which you open with the receipt, verified by an employee.

News Credits: 22 · by **Rodimus Prime** » Sat May 15, 2021 7:40 pm

My Wal-Mart is sorely lacking in Kingdom and Netflix figures, but they have wave 2 of the Headmasters. I didn't realize Weirdwolf would be a different shade of yellow from the TR figure. I might have to pick him up. But I only want 1 Weirdwolf... :-?

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sat May 15, 2021 8:44 pm

Rodimus Prime wrote:My Wal-Mart is sorely lacking in Kingdom and Netflix figures, but they have wave 2 of the Headmasters. I didn't realize Weirdwolf would be a different shade of yellow from the TR figure. I might have to pick him up. But I only want 1 Weirdwolf...

I recomend you buy it while its still available. That mold is doomed to break one day. And when it does, you'll be glad to have a spare

MyFigureCollection.net collection · by **Emerje** » Mon May 17, 2021 3:52 am

One of my local Walmarts remodeled, the toy department swapped with the hardware department (tools, paint, etc) and is now right next to electronics. Going to take a little getting used to since toys has always been next to lawn and garden. Unfortunately new location didn't mean new stock, nothing is on the bottom shelves. No Voyagers, no Leaders, and no Headmasters.

Target, on the other hand, looked great! Too bad there aren't any Transformers I'm actively hunting for, just MOTU and that's just 6 pegs of He-man and Skeletor at both Walmart and Target.

Only thing on the bottom shelf is the big Cyberverse Optimus. Also, the space Buzzworthy is taking up used to be for Ghostbusters and G.I.Joe so it effectively expanded the Transformers section.

Emerje

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Mon May 17, 2021 8:39 am

All those damn Dinos on your shelves, looking forward to seeing it on mine (along with that bee)

MyFigureCollection.net collection · by **Emerje** » Tue Jun 08, 2021 5:05 am

Local Walmart reset the shelves. Once again no Leader Class for SS or Kingdom. Strangely enough they set up three pegs on the right side for SS Voyagers, not sure how they plan on hanging those there. :-?

Hopefully it's still not finished, I probably should have spent some time looking at the planogram hanging there.

That bottom shelf...

Emerje

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:45 am

When I cashed the recycling the other week, I hit Target after to look for SS86 Hot Rod.

The TF section was picked completely bare of Studio Series, and of Kingdom except for Arcee. Same story at the other local Targets, and this continued to be the case as of the weekend of 5th. I ultimately gave up and ordered Hot Rod off Amazon, was able to find him at base retail price there.

News Credits: 61 · by **EvasionModeBumblebee** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 6:11 am

Checked out a Walmart nearby to search for the fabled Studio Series deluxe wave 5 restock, only to find that they didn’t have any Studio Series at all. 2 kingdom Arcees and some of the REDs was all.

Checking out another one today though, so here’s hoping!

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:12 pm

Speaking of restocking, man my Walmart is on fire. They restock Kingdom wave 2 like a beast. Plus a headmasters wave 1 restock.

News Credits: 56 · by **o.supreme** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:18 pm

None of the stores in my area stock the Retro Headmasters at all. Glad I'm not looking for them, otherwise it would be extremely frustrating.

News Credits: 56 · by **o.supreme** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:57 pm

Was kind of shocked. I saw a single Kingdom Leader at Target ( Ultra Magnus) for the first time in months. Also saw the retro Headmasters at Walmart for the first time ever. A fresh case apparently 2x Mindwipe, 2x Brainstorm, 2x Hardhead, and 2x Chromedome.

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sun Jul 11, 2021 8:21 am

Man, my Toysrus was filled to the Brim. I don't think they will ever sell all those Ectrotrons

News Credits: 61 · by **EvasionModeBumblebee** » Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:43 pm

I've been to 2 different Walmarts and 2 different Targets looking for Grindor and haven't seen any Studio Series at all.

To be fair, the Star Wars sections were worse, neither Walmart actually carried any Star Wars figures at all.

by **Starseeker** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:11 pm

Yikes, Target!!!!

News Credits: 56 · by **o.supreme** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:13 pm

Plenty of Bumblebee though :lol:

.

News Credits: 42 · by **TF-fan kev777** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:45 pm

Starseeker wrote:Yikes, Target!!!!

You say Yikes, but I'm actually somewhat impressed. Not at the lack of product, but at the number of pegs your store has apparently dedicated to Transformers. The ones near me get 1/2 that space. To not have things in stock.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · by **Emerje** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 3:12 pm

TF-fan kev777 wrote:
Starseeker wrote:Yikes, Target!!!!

You say Yikes, but I'm actually somewhat impressed. Not at the lack of product, but at the number of pegs your store has apparently dedicated to Transformers. The ones near me get 1/2 that space. To not have things in stock.

Yeah, that looks pretty bad, but at least you have new stuff and they've cleaned up the massive Transformers section. My Target hasn't touched the section in at least 3 weeks, no new stock in a month or so. No telling when those clearance tags will finally come down. Cropped to just the Transformers section.

Sure, the shelves aren't empty, but it's the same stuff that's been there for months.

Emerje

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:40 pm

Starseeker wrote:Yikes, Target!!!!

At least you have the toy everyone wants instead of a bunch of shelfwarners.

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:11 pm

I went around a few Wlmarts and TRUs today but aside from the Buzzworthy Worlds Collide box, there wasn't much to brag about in the TF Section. Rescue Bots setion was very well stocked but I don't think people care much. What struck out tome though was what was going on right next to the TF section. Holy Shelfwarm Batman!

(also, I never saw Skeletor or He Man)

MyFigureCollection.net collection · by **Emerje** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:27 pm

william-james88 wrote:(also, I never saw Skeletor or He Man)

Your stores are the exact opposite of the stores here. We had He-Man and Skeletor and wave 1 last year and nothing else. I saw Zodak and Merman from wave 3 at Target once this year around March or April, but aside from that the only thing you'll find at Walmart and Target nationwide is He-man and Skeletor, it's a widely known issue here. Walmart dedicates six pegs to Basic figures and none to Deluxe, split evenly between packed pegs of He-man and Skeletor. Target has four pegs for basics, again packed with He-man and Skeletor, and two pegs for Deluxes that at most stores have never seen a single figure on them. I got wave 1 on Amazon, 2, 4 and 5 in my POL along with Clamp Champ and Ram Man at BBTS plus wave 6 on pre-order there. Wave 3 is proving very elusive, I managed to get Zodak on Amazon the other day, I really just need Roboto and She-Ra (I don't need another Merman).

Now the real question is, how are the basic figures in Canada cheaper than they are here? It's $14.99 both USD and CAD which means you're getting them for US$3 cheaper than we are. Meanwhile the Deluxes are the exact same price, $19.99 USD and $24.99 CAD ($20 USD). Though buying them from BBTS they're $22 so you're getting the better deal there. Odd.

Emerje

MyFigureCollection.net collection · by **Emerje** » Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:06 am

Here, this is basically every Walmart and Target in America right now.

And the pegs are actually labeled "He-Man" and "Skeletor", this is entirely intentional. Oddly the pegs to the right for $11.19 are new and say "MOTU Origins Reg." on them and I have no idea what that could be.

Anyway, anyone else's Walmarts remove the price scanners? At first I thought it was just the local store that's being remodeled preparing for new ones, but my other local Walmart that got updated a few years ago and had new scanners is also missing theirs. Pretty annoying. Doubt it's COVID related, there isn't any reason for most customers to touch them.

Emerje