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| Movie Toys Debacle; ROTF | |
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| Topic Started: May 11 2009, 08:13 AM (314 Views) | |
| Spada | May 11 2009, 08:13 AM Post #1 |
Advanced Member
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I have been hearing little bits of this happening all over for a while now but this post over at TFormer.com has cemeted my disdain for Hasbro's handling of the ROTF toys. LINK: http://tformers.com/transformers-street-dates-and-wal-mart-leave-customers-in-need-of-revenge/11487/news.html I worked in retail long enough to “get” street dates. I understand the purpose they are supposed to serve and in some birthday/holiday surprise kind of way I even appreciate them. I can remember having a great time at the Phantom Menace toy premiere. Heck, that even played a part in me getting into collecting again. But this half skidplated travesty Hasbro is perpetrating on the fandom and its younger and wider base is an embarrassment. Street dating a product is about focusing your marketing potential; it’s about generating excitement, demographic focus, and most importantly, advertising. Like the atomic doomsday device in Dr. Strangelove, it doesn’t do any good if no one knows about it. “No one,” he says? That’s right. Only the Transforum-hopping fanboys and girls have any idea that a street date exists for Revenge of the Fallen toys, much less is aware of the crucial date itself. May 10th, 15th, 30th? I’ve heard all three. A Toys R Us list I acquired indicates a street date of the 30th. Others claim to have a Wal-Mart edict banning all sale till the 31st. What is the marketing point of an event no one knows the date of? Want to know who else doesn’t know? The staff of the stores that are supposed to capitalize on this brilliant marketing scheme. The employees to whom I have spoken (mostly management) claim to have heard nothing about Revenge of the Fallen. And why would they? Only in the minds of the ad execs at Hasbro is this the Star Wars-level event that would justify this kind of marketing maneuver. Pretending that Transformers movies are as big as Star Wars won’t make it so. What’s happening now is that the meaningless street date is being violated all over the country. Underpaid, under-trained and under-informed stock people are understandably placing product on the shelves every day. This combined with the lack of event creation and advertising makes the whole endeavor beyond pointless. The release date will be little more than “Scalperfest 2009.” Just yesterday, unthinking retail employees enforcing this nebulous policy at Wal-Mart pulled a mound of toys from my hands and the hands of my TFan children, thereby disenfranchising all potential customers: fan, parent, child and collector alike. The worst thing Hasbro and its retail partners can do is to put the product in our hands and then, upon our attempt to exchange legal tender for it, jealously snatch it back in the name of a poorly regulated and inconsistently applied street date policy. However, that is exactly what is happening. I left a Wal-Mart in Vernon Hills, Illinois with two screaming, hurt, and wronged children. Excited to find new Transformers toys, we had selected an armload and proceeded to the register, only to have our toys taken from us, as the chronically dirty and disorganized Wal-Mart’s management leapt into action to do the only thing it seemed to be capable of – covering up their errors. In this case by pulling and refusing to sell merchandise stocked on the shelves. The crying children seemed beneath their notice. As a consumer, excitement abruptly turned to frustrated disgust – with Wal-Mart for breaking its childish agreement with Hasbro and taking it out on my disappointed children and myself, and with Hasbro for instituting a meaningless and arbitrary policy. I was later informed by a Wal-Mart assistant manager at a different store that her understanding of policy is that I should have been sold the toys and the rest removed from the shelf. Regulation of street date is never intended to be enforced at the point of sale. Yet over and over again I read in forums of customers turned down in the checkout lane. Wal-Mart, stand by your actions and sell what is on your shelves. Should you break a hollow, pointless agreement with a vendor, accept responsibility for your problems and don’t make them mine or those of my fellow fans, parents, and collectors. Hasbro, grow up and sell toys. I’m not sure how retailers slapping our hands when we try to hand you money is a viable marketing strategy. It amazes me the complete lack of common sense that is displayed by all parties here. To take away toys from children as they are trying to purchase them is criminal. Edited by Spada, May 11 2009, 09:51 AM.
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| Opticron Primal | May 11 2009, 09:33 AM Post #2 |
IMMA KITTY!!!
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Street dates make thing difficult. Not to mention it's a total fake-out to kids. Do you know how pissed off I'd be if I saw a full display of ROTF figures, walked to the register with all my pickings and be told I can't buy them yet? If your sending them out to stores, fuck putting a street date on them. They're in stock, people are willing to buy them right now. Enough of this release date shit. |
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| Ultra Justin | May 11 2009, 11:40 AM Post #3 |
Commander
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I would hate to get off on a rant here but... Wal-mart just doesn't care, they broke the animated street date last year to. We all know that feeling of going to the store and finding the toy that you have been hunting for and being so happy and then to have it snatched away from some guy in a blue vest, that would be heart braking. I do not blame Hasbro for this they have a street date for the reasons that Spada and Ryan talked about and if wal-mart did brake the street date fine but at least do it right and let the kids get the toys. I mean if you are going to piss people off that it should be Hasbro and other stores and not the costumers. It is like I always said wal-mart is evil always I am going to wait the 19 days and then go to target or toys r us and pick the couple of rotf toys that I want and that will be the end of it. but thats just my opinion I could be wrong. Edited by Ultra Justin, May 11 2009, 12:43 PM.
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| Jaybo | May 11 2009, 02:42 PM Post #4 |
Member
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This happened to me with Legends Beachcomber of all figures!!! I found it at a local Walmart, and when took it up to buy it, it was flagged or something, and the manager said they couldn't sell it yet! Luckily I found it again and could actually buy it that time. |
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| Spada | May 11 2009, 02:45 PM Post #5 |
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Advanced Member
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Legends Beachcomber? Really?!?! That's just silly! |
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| madmegas4 | May 11 2009, 02:46 PM Post #6 |
Just Call Me Megas
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hmm i posted this already |
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| madmegas4 | May 11 2009, 02:46 PM Post #7 |
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Just Call Me Megas
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but whatever |
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| sten4sw | May 11 2009, 10:54 PM Post #8 |
Single-handed TF Stop Motion Creator
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lol, did that really need to be in two separate posts at the exact same time? About this, I hate Wal-Mart, I want the figures out now, but I'm buying Halo 3 figures now, and probably won't get back to TF until later in the summer. So, whatever. |
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| Jazz_Santi | May 15 2009, 04:16 PM Post #9 |
Rock Out! Latino Style
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I had the same problem today, went to walmart & they had all of wave 1 voyagers (3 of each) and two leaders ( prime & megs) took the leaders and two voyagers (screamer & doom wheels) headed to checkout & the register computers said "cannot purchase" or something like that. I was annoyed, even the register woman seemed annoyed aswell and asked why were they on shelves if they cannot sell them. Another worker said "it was (insert name here), he's an idiot, he knows they're not suppose to be on shelves yet" the lady apologized to me and I was on my way with no purchases. |
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| Opticron Primal | May 15 2009, 04:28 PM Post #10 |
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IMMA KITTY!!!
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Atleast they knew they weren't supposed to be up yet. It's idiot shelf-stockers like that that cause customer complaints. |
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| sten4sw | May 16 2009, 04:54 PM Post #11 |
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Single-handed TF Stop Motion Creator
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If this happened to me, then I'd demand to have them set aside for me when they actually do release. Someone on the TFW2005 boards was really pissed off in the Massachusetts TF sightings thread. Look it up, if you wish, it was pretty funny. |
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| Cesium Salami | May 18 2009, 04:39 PM Post #12 |
I will be busy with Arkham Asylum this week. In my absence here's a new gif to keep you entertained.
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About an hour ago, I had in my hands Legends Sideswipe, Jetfire, Springer, Starscream, and Desert Ratchet. The sweet girl at Walmart behind the register scanned each of them for me, and the display on the register said "SALE NOT ALLOWED", she then told me that they couldn't sell them to me, of course. In hand they were pretty awesome, it just sucked that I still gotta wait 2 more weeks! |
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| niteblade | May 18 2009, 04:54 PM Post #13 |
Member
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does ne1 now what th street date is 4 th uk cos seen bb and soundwave in 1 store since friday |
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| Cesium Salami | May 19 2009, 02:54 AM Post #14 |
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I will be busy with Arkham Asylum this week. In my absence here's a new gif to keep you entertained.
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So, fast forward to 12 hours later at the same Walmart. Guess what? The same 5 figures are back on the pegs, so I took them and the Legends Onslaught to the register, when the girl at the register scanned them, and they wouldn't scan I suggested that she scan the crappy Onslaught 6 times, she hesitated. "I really shouldn't, I could get in trouble" she said. I promised I wouldn't rat her out to her boss, and she gave in. So...  |
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| Spada | May 19 2009, 09:06 AM Post #15 |
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Advanced Member
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I'm interested in picking up legends prime and jetfire so I can have a mini version at work. |
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| Cesium Salami | May 19 2009, 10:57 AM Post #16 |
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I will be busy with Arkham Asylum this week. In my absence here's a new gif to keep you entertained.
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They didn't have Prime or Bumblebee 
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| Cesium Salami | May 26 2009, 12:15 AM Post #17 |
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I will be busy with Arkham Asylum this week. In my absence here's a new gif to keep you entertained.
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Went to Walmart on Memorial Day, and found this! So I took 2 Primes and 2 Bumblebees to the register, and they proceeded to tell me that they couldn't sell them to me. The display wasn't full, so obviously SOMEONE was buying them! This pic is only the top half of the display, there was a sign that said $4. I asked to speak with a manager, and some dude came up and told me that they can't sell them because "they've been recalled or something." |
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| Cesium Salami | May 28 2009, 09:48 PM Post #18 |
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I will be busy with Arkham Asylum this week. In my absence here's a new gif to keep you entertained.
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UPDATE - I went to another Walmart this morning before work, and they had the preview wave on the pegs, but they STILL would not sell them to me! As a note, the Bumblebee looks Spectacular! His head is a crazy-better improvement over the TF1 almond shaped eyes on his old "face". It has a lot of personality, and Soundwave, while smaller than I would like, was really nice too. |
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| leblancis300 | May 28 2009, 10:29 PM Post #19 |
Member
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OMW TO LOCAL WALMART FOR MIDNIGHT!!!!!!They will be doing a midnight release......so excited.... |
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| Cesium Salami | May 28 2009, 11:38 PM Post #20 |
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I will be busy with Arkham Asylum this week. In my absence here's a new gif to keep you entertained.
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Not all Walmarts are doing this. The one I went to this morning and found the preview wave, they were downsizing the rest of the action figure aisle to expand the TF section tonight at midnight, but they didn't have shit out for ROTF except Mr. Potato head and some Walkie Talkies, and a shitty fake cellphone with a shitty voice chip sounding NOTHING like Prime. For a laugh, try this piece of shit out if you see it, it sounds retarded! I'm checking this store tomorrow before work AGAIN! Hopefully they can get their shit together! |
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| sten4sw | May 29 2009, 11:53 AM Post #21 |
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Single-handed TF Stop Motion Creator
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That Wal-Mart sounds rather shitty. |
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| Barricade | May 29 2009, 06:08 PM Post #22 |
Mustang Fangirl
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I live in an area that's sooooo populated that we have several Wal*Marts in the city and it's almost like they have to compete with each other for business. The one near my old apartment is AMAZING! It's spotless, brand new and they usually have everything stocked and ready when they say that it will be. I've been working too much but I will go take a look next Tuesday and Wednesday. |
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| Cesium Salami | May 29 2009, 11:03 PM Post #23 |
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I will be busy with Arkham Asylum this week. In my absence here's a new gif to keep you entertained.
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Well, my shitty Walmarts (plural) got their shit together. I bought BB and Prime before work, then went back after work for Sideswipe 12 hours later. I think tomorrow I'll pick up Starscream, but there were no Legends figures at all, and the only deluxes there were BB, Sideways, Sideswipe, That brown Autobot Jet and the steam shovel Constructicon. No Soundwave... But I saw them yesterday morning, and there were tons of Preview BB, guess he won't be as rare as he was last time. |
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| mellowshade | May 30 2009, 03:28 AM Post #24 |
Kheheheheheheeehheheheeh!
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The UK Toys R Us website has all ize classes available now for purchase, not sure whether they are on the shelves as the closest to me is in Basildon. Prices have taken a hike though, Voyagers up to £22.99, Leaders to £44.99 and Scounts £7.99. I hear rumblings that Tescos were getting them on shelves at the start of this week but mine didn't. Sainsbury's has a sale on their old TF stock and I assume this is to make space for new stuff. They did have one ROTF product however which was some wristband things from the £1 gumball machines but I passed. Play.com has stuff in stock for about £1 cheaper than everywhere else and with free delivery. The Entertainer also has figures in stock but is selling them for rounded prices so don't expect the penny change you might get elsewhere. I expect Argos has stuff in too as the codes were floating around various UK based forums this week. |
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| Barricade | May 30 2009, 11:46 PM Post #25 |
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Mustang Fangirl
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Alright, as I promised I went to the three closest stores (two Targets and a Wal*Mart) to my house. This is what I found... Also, so that I don't flood the board with so many pictures I just left the photobucket links. Target 1 http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300018.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300016.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300016-1.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300015.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300017.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300019.jpg Target 2 http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300021.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300022.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300023.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300024.jpg Wal*Mart http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300030.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300025.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300026.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300027.jpg http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c397/Myukitty/Transformers/P5300028.jpg This is what all I had to chose from at my favorite Wal*Mart... 
Edited by Barricade, May 30 2009, 11:46 PM.
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