by Shockwave7 » Sat Apr 09, 2011 8:45 am
I live in Utah, and have noted a few things of late in regard to stores stocking Transformers.
TRU: They only have a small fraction of 'new' Tformers. (I saw 1 Kup and 1 Scourge just yesterday). Everything else is stuff that they obviously overstocked on somehow. For example, the TRU I was in had like 9-10 'Ultimate' Bumblebees from ROTF, and 10 Battle Hook Optimus Prime figures. The shelves are also stuffed with multi figure box sets (like Rumble in the Ruins and Gathering on the Nemesis) that just aren't moving. As far as Deluxe figures go, they had no new scouts, NO voyager figures at all. However, they DID have like 20 'Electrostatic Jolt' figures along with 20-ish Skid and Mudflap figures. In short - they seem to have been given tons of shelf warmer figures that nobody wants. Well, at least it will LOOK like they have plenty of Tformer figures....
K-Mart: The local Kmart stores I've been in lately haven't had anything new on the shelves in 2-3 months. Since the holidays, they seem to have had no new shipments. To their credit, they were one of the ONLY stores in which I found a Highbrow voyager. Granted I didn't want him, but still... I was in Kmart just the other day and their shelves are now almost totally empty of Deluxe figures. Like TRU, they have PLENTY of Battle Hook Optimus and 4-5 ROTF Ultimate Bumblebees, which are pretty much guaranteed to never go anywhere. K-Mart charges more for their toys. But generally, they get them before other stores (when they get them at all). So I'm keeping an eye out....
Target: Another store that (generally) gets figures before other stores, and one where I've been visiting and keeping an eye on. Right now, they have tons of Generations figures, Cyberton Soundwave, Cliffjumper, Megatron. They also have TONS of 'Skullgrin' repaints of Darkmount. Mixed in is smattering of newer RTS figures. According to the clerk I spoke with, they have a stash of toys they 'keep in back'. When one or two on the shelf get sold, they pull out a few to replace them. Seems a silly way to do it. I wish they'd just let me paw through their boxes to see what they've got that they're not sharing. But who knows what they're holding out? Could be they have a stash of Windchargers/Lugnuts that they're just not sharing because they still have 4-5 'Banzaiatron' and 'hubcap' figures on the shelf.
Wal-mart: Like TRU, Wal-mart seems to have been stiffed with tons of figures, but they're figures that nobody wants. The last few weeks I've visited, I've seen only the same array of leftover ROTF deluxe figures (and the 3D glasses Prime preview). They also have a bunch of 'Banzaitron' figures, and I haven't seen any new voyager figures in months.
So SOMETHING has been going on since the holidays last year. US stores haven't been getting the figures as fast. Is it the economy? Could be. I'll still be haunting the stores, because like many, I'd rather not shop online if I can just drive by a store and find the figure on the shelf.
Will 'the economy' get better? Not the way things are being run. I just hope I can find Lugnut, Warpath, Rumble and a few other RTS/Generations figures before things get any worse. I couldn't care less about the movie figures. Since movie1, they've been a waste.
I'm all for diversity and stuff but some many posters are right about the damage the RotF stuff has done to most stores. Thankfully, I got most of the ones I wanted online already, but it seems I should give up trying to find Wreckgar, Wheeljack and Rumble/Frenzy. very sad times indeed, I will keep and eye out for Windcharger and see if I can help peeps out but my area blows lol. Hopefully in the summer I can just order online again, store hunting sucks, especially with DotM on the horizon 
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