The Energon Pub

I bought three Transformers from KB-Toys today. A Voyager Ironhide and FAB Ironhide and Jazz. The FAB's were $12.99 each and the Voyagers were $24.99 each.

For anyone who has been to KB, is this kind of mark-up typical? Or is this unique to Hamilton Place Mall? Regardless, I am not opening these in case I find some cheaper elsewhere over the next couple of weeks.

its normal dude i paid $60 for a leader class megatron when the toys first shipped but i think it was worth it causee i'm one of the few who like the toy

Kay Bee's been that way since way back when there were Kay-Bees evrywhere.

Yeah, it really isn't anything new. KB has always been more expensive than everybody. They're really only useful when looking for older stuff. There's a KB outlet near me and I was able to find the Classic Deluxe Grimlock there.

Yeah, they are like that. So are some K-Mart stores. One by me is selling classic Megatron for $26.95.

the high prices is why there aren't KB Toys everywhere anymore.

M-State_Moc wrote:I bought three Transformers from KB-Toys today. A Voyager Ironhide and FAB Ironhide and Jazz. The FAB's were $12.99 each and the Voyagers were $24.99 each.

For anyone who has been to KB, is this kind of mark-up typical? Or is this unique to Hamilton Place Mall? Regardless, I am not opening these in case I find some cheaper elsewhere over the next couple of weeks.

Depending on the order size Hasbro Toy gives there wholesale customer different price cut, and since KB is not as big as Wal-mart and others they will have to mark up the price in order to make a profit.

KB has been doing that for a long time. THey didn't learn the first time around when they had to close so many stores across the US. Then again, KB isn't the only online store that is price gouging...

Only thing KB has ever been useful to me for was finding the Universe Aerialbots, Railbots and a few Mortal Kombat figures.

I only buy from them when they mark stuff cheap. Got alot of my Energon figs from there cause they went on clearence. This was like 2 yrs ago. Other then that, I don't really do my TF shopping there.

In my area, KB, TRU, Sears & Kmart all price their stuff the same. Voyagers are all $23.99 & Deluxes are usually 12.99 or so. Note that each of the high-priced stores are ones that have had bankruptcy trouble in the past. The only places for me to reasonably buy my TFs are Wal-Mart and Target, both selling Voyagers $17.99-$19.99 and deluxes $8.99-$9.99. Neither of them completely beating the other on prices.

KB charges more because most of them are in malls. Basically they have to pay the rent. So expect to pay $2 or more extra for your favorite toy.

boost02celigt wrote:Depending on the order size Hasbro Toy gives there wholesale customer different price cut, and since KB is not as big as Wal-mart and others they will have to mark up the price in order to make a profit.

Actually, Kay-Bee uses a third-party distributor and always has. That's why their prices are more comparable to specialty and comic stores.

i remember asking why the price on the KB website was cheaper than at the store and the salesperson said something about the website and the actual store not being related at all

God Magnus wrote:

boost02celigt wrote:Depending on the order size Hasbro Toy gives there wholesale customer different price cut, and since KB is not as big as Wal-mart and others they will have to mark up the price in order to make a profit.

Actually, Kay-Bee uses a third-party distributor and always has. That's why their prices are more comparable to specialty and comic stores.

Is Hard to imagine that KBtoys do not get there toys from Hasbro unless they are all individually own.... Which i find it hard to believe... plus if you are a crop why would you order from third party??? why not just order straight from Hasbro....

Because they're clueless.

I had the misfortune of working for this company for a few months, and they really have no idea what they're doing. They'll had a heavily promoted sale, and they only send one case of an item to their stores. And their costs don't appear to be that much different from other stores, in terms of the profit they pick up.

As others have pointed out, this is why you don't see too many of the stores around, anymore. Which is sad, because as a kid growing up, KB was awesome for its selection.

Yeah, I remember seeing stores close left and right a few years ago. It's a wonder the rest of them haven't. But seeing how as I just spent $50 in there, I guess that's why. Idiots like me.

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

well to be honest i know target and wal-mart get those toys under 15 a piece
and I actually work in a toy store too... but our cost is almost as high as the Retail? so without jacking up the price is not even worth to sell the item and make 1usd.... So it is reasonable for KB toys to charge a little higher since they are mostly located in malls

Damn KB and screw Hasbro for continually giving them exclusives.

Please share if you remember more about some of this than i can, but, From what i remember, once upon a time, there were lots of kmarts, toys r us's, and kaybee toy stores.

It all basically happened at the same time.

Walmart.


With that said, walmart could afford to rollback the prices of their toys, selling them for less than their competitors, and making back the money in other items they carry in the store, like food and such.

KB's, ToysRus, and kmart couldn't compete with walmart.

It also did not help that ToysRus had bad management, as did kmart. If you recall hearing about kmart in the news when they filed for bankruptcy.. Since all that happened, I remember some seibertronians freaking out about how toysrus's were closing left and right, and KB's were following in suit. Toys R Us ended up being sold to.. some new people, and if i recally correctly, they released a statement or something of that nature stating that they were either going to continue with the business, or basically sell it off, liquidate its stock, and gain the money back by selling the land that the actual stores were sitting on, and perhaps building whatever the new ppl wanted on top of the old toy store grounds. Without competitors, walmart would be able to have a sort of toy monopoly and charge whatever it wanted for toys and you wouldn't have any alternatives, except maybe online. Maybe we are already beginning to see this with the G1 ultra magnus reissue. $90? As i recall speaking with one KB toys manager, he was saying something along the lines of how walmart is fixing to put toys R us and KB out of business within the next decade.

I'm not exactly sure why, as others before me here have pointed out, Kmart, ToysRus, and KB's usually have higher prices. Then again, they don't have the luxury of making revenue back on other non-toy items like walmart does. ToysRus did just have a TF sale, and target is staying competitive with Walmart. And believe it or not, i'm not trying to sound all anti-walmart, i am only doing my best to recall what i can of this part of TF history.

At any rate, whenever i can, i try not to buy my tf's from walmart, and prefer to give my money to Toys R Us or anyone else really.

DeathAura wrote:And believe it or not, i'm not trying to sound all anti-walmart,

Why not? Everyone should be anti-Wal-Mart.

DeathAura wrote:Please share if you remember more about some of this than i can, but, From what i remember, once upon a time, there were lots of kmarts, toys r us's, and kaybee toy stores.

It all basically happened at the same time.

Walmart.


With that said, walmart could afford to rollback the prices of their toys, selling them for less than their competitors, and making back the money in other items they carry in the store, like food and such.

KB's, ToysRus, and kmart couldn't compete with walmart.

It also did not help that ToysRus had bad management, as did kmart. If you recall hearing about kmart in the news when they filed for bankruptcy.. Since all that happened, I remember some seibertronians freaking out about how toysrus's were closing left and right, and KB's were following in suit. Toys R Us ended up being sold to.. some new people, and if i recally correctly, they released a statement or something of that nature stating that they were either going to continue with the business, or basically sell it off, liquidate its stock, and gain the money back by selling the land that the actual stores were sitting on, and perhaps building whatever the new ppl wanted on top of the old toy store grounds. Without competitors, walmart would be able to have a sort of toy monopoly and charge whatever it wanted for toys and you wouldn't have any alternatives, except maybe online. Maybe we are already beginning to see this with the G1 ultra magnus reissue. $90? As i recall speaking with one KB toys manager, he was saying something along the lines of how walmart is fixing to put toys R us and KB out of business within the next decade.

That's not going to happen. Wal-Mart has reduced their toy aisles by about 25% and are not stocking as much major maufacturer stuff anymore.

When I was working there, I was told directly by some of the higher-ups, that the idea was to put TRU out of business. Wal-Mart tried and failed to do so.

TRU switched to more baby related stuff for the whole blitz that WalMart threw at them. After WalMart started to give up, TRU switched their market share back. It was quite the good move for TRU.

KB's problem is that they locate only in Malls. That inflates their overhead tremendously. They pass it all along to their customers.

All the reason by all for you are correct but here is once again the major reason behind all this... And i'm telling you this because i'm working in a toy store and i deal with a lot of wholesale account and etc.

Here is an example:
Lets say Wal-mart order 6000 boxes of transformer toys deluxe figures from Hasbro. Hasbro will give them a big price cut maybe 4.75 usd per figures.. Because it was a very large order and in order to keep your client you will give them a price break

Now KB goes and order 1000 boxes of the same thing. Hasbro will only cut the price by a little bit lets say 6.5usd each... with then being located in major Malls they will have to rise the price in order to SURVIVE.......

There might be many reason behind all this but please don't forget about this major factor

M-State_Moc wrote:I bought three Transformers from KB-Toys today. A Voyager Ironhide and FAB Ironhide and Jazz. The FAB's were $12.99 each and the Voyagers were $24.99 each.

For anyone who has been to KB, is this kind of mark-up typical? Or is this unique to Hamilton Place Mall? Regardless, I am not opening these in case I find some cheaper elsewhere over the next couple of weeks.

I used to work at KB toys. Thats typical pricing for them. They mark everything up. But they have incredible clearances sometimes. What i was told by a boss about the pricing is that since KB is the only toy store in the mall usually (as per their contract) they can price things higher because people will pay.