ToysRUs Minimates -what happens now?

[DSTZach]

Obviously, we'd like every Minimate to be sold in every store, but we're just happy Toys R Us is still investing in the line. Sorry people are having trouble getting these, but I imagine the Northeast would be similarly troubled finding a Hastings exclusive set. (They're getting one for Pulp Fiction.)

As far as online goes, Toysrus.com is a different company than Toys "R" Us, as far as I can tell. They operate using what data they get from Toys R Us, but if a SKU number is the same, that might pose a problem.

[MisterPL]

Great.

I don't even know what a "Hastings" is.

(To the Google!)

[Trekker 42]

Great.

I don't even know what a "Hastings" is.

(To the Google!)

Basically if you touch the Atlantic you're out of luck. I don't have one either here in Georgia.

[Shogi]

Great.

I don't even know what a "Hastings" is.

(To the Google!)

This is the only Hastings I have access to:

http://www.gohastings.com/

[Prowlar]

Oh boy, this is going to be really fun to watch. Hastings is my only local source of mates and my experience has been that they are rather interesting in the way they get in stock. It all seems to go to a single location where cases are opened and then individual items are sent out to different stores. It is very unusual to get a short packed variant in a wave. I think my favorite so far has been with the best of wave one. There were no Iron Man/Thing, one Goblin/Spider-Man, three or four Cap/Thor, and at least ten Wolverine/Sabertooths packs. There are still four left because there are only so many that I can force myself to pick up.

I'm sure it will be different with an exclusive. At least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.

[MisterPL]

Oh good. My nearest Hastings is only 658 miles away.

I can just stop in on my way to work.

If I get a job in Kentucky.

[VulcansFury]

Thanks for posting that, papymojo. I tried to read the actual article but it wouldnt let me go to page 2 without registering. From the first page it seems like the author is a bit too "the sky is falling". The bar graph isn't great but its not a huge drop in revenue, it a drop in market share. I saw no mention of all the readily available price scanners when saying people are confused on prices, and the description of the store interior sounds fake. Sounds like a writer up against a deadline just doing some muckraking.

Edited May 4, 2014 by VulcansFury

[Ronan The Accuser]

I don't see the TRU/Hastings comparison... Marvel minimates not being distributed in an entire area of the country by the main retail supplier is a bit different than looking for one exclusive from a finite movie line in stores that aren't national.

Sucks for those of us that don't have them in the area but the loss of Marvel in my area is a much bigger issue to me personally, your mileage may vary.

[DSTZach]

I think my point was that both are minor inconveniences that are easily resolved via the Internet.

[karamazov80]

Though folks would prefer not to pay the jacked up prices of the secondary market, at least--as far as I know--we aren't revisiting the problems of the 1-per-case Marvel exclusives from way back in the day, leading to $80 packs or whatever it was.

Personally, I'll just not bother with the TRU exclusives unless I run across them for retail cost, or unless they are something really great that I want badly. That's what the effect of the TRU exclusivity is on me. I still haven't picked up the Winter Soldier SHIELD version, but would have if I found him on the pegs.

[DSTZach]

If we were seeing TRU exclusives selling for high prices with any regularity, I'd be concerned, but that really doesn't seem to be the case. Most seem to be available for around suggested retail price (if not actual TRU price). Obviously shipping takes its toll, but it isn't so bad when you're buying loose figures, or picking up a set of three or four.

I'm sure it will be different with an exclusive. At least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.

It will also be a box set, not a full assortment, so that should standardize everyone's experience a bit more. Their Femme Fatales exclusive with us was up on the GoHastings.com Website pretty quickly.

[karamazov80]

I agree. If you want TRU figures, you can get them, and it won't break the bank. But, it may be cost prohibitive on something that would otherwise be more of a casual/impulse buy. In any case, I don't think it has such a negative bearing on TRU's sales. As has been mentioned before, the hardcore collectors amongst us looking for specific TRU releases we know about and anticipate are a pretty niche bunch.

The only exception possibly being Buttheadsmate, who could single handedly account for about 10% of TRU sales if he were allowed to buy the amount he wanted to at retail cost.

[buttheadsmate]

A bit unfair Sam !

I don't follow the show or the comic but I was a fan of the minimates - I'm pretty bummed that I can't find these in NJ and it seems like the option of ordering online is long gone so I'm probably going to stop collecting these I was waiting to see if I could find TRU Wave 5 before buying Specialty Wave 5 but ya it's not happening

I can completely relate to Modefan's feelings & I believe many other people feel the same way .

[Modefan]

I also could not find TRU Wave 18, I did resort to ebay for those but because people were buying them for $3 or less the markup on ebay wasnt too bad and they came out to regular price more or less plus shipping

Years ago I collected JLU figures - It got to a point where they were only releasing at Target and became super difficult to obtain - I sold my whole collection and the rest is history

I've spent ALOT of time and money on my minimate collection and don't feel I need to be resorting to paying $60 for a wave of walking dead minimates.... When that starts to happen It's time to move on because either something is happening with the line or the distributor

You may say walking away completely is a little drastic but I'm sure there are other collectors with the same OCD that I have where you have to have the entire line or nothing at all

[buttheadsmate]

There are definitely many of us with the same OCD ....absolutely no doubt about that . Chuck made it quite clear (so clear that I can't exactly remember where he said it) that it was design rather than accident that Minimates were spread across the various outlets (& or formats ,2 packs & box sets). This would encourage us all to expand our hunt away from just our local Minimate supplier whether that was TRU or LCS.

Great idea until one of those outlets ceases to be or lets you down ....... completist aren't fools it's just "all or nothing " & nothing inbetween.

[DSTZach]

I didn't mean to question anyone's commitment to Minimates, and I certainly apologize if I have offended anyone with a clinically diagnosed disorder.

There is nothing going on with the line. There is nothing going on with the distributor. One retailer underwent a reset, and that seems to have affected availability of two exclusive assortments in two separate lines (Marvel and TWD). I certainly understand that previous assortments have sometimes required a hunt, or merely a delay of gratification -- if this is the straw that broke the camel's back, and you no longer get enjoyment from the line, then you need to do what makes you happy.

But new assortments of Minimates will arrive at TRU very soon, and I don't anticipate any distribution problems. And those hard-to-find assortments may make themselves available at a later date, much like the Tomb Raider Minimates did. So simply biding one's time may eventually pay off.

And I don't want anyone to HAVE to pay a premium, but in my experience it is something that completists need to do on occasion -- even I did it for a couple of lines in my day, and I was never a completist. I'm sorry for suggesting it in the TWD thread, it was only meant to help.

[goods4life]

I didn't mean to question anyone's commitment to Minimates, and I certainly apologize if I have offended anyone with a clinically diagnosed disorder.

There is nothing going on with the line. There is nothing going on with the distributor. One retailer underwent a reset, and that seems to have affected availability of two exclusive assortments in two separate lines (Marvel and TWD). I certainly understand that previous assortments have sometimes required a hunt, or merely a delay of gratification -- if this is the straw that broke the camel's back, and you no longer get enjoyment from the line, then you need to do what makes you happy.

But new assortments of Minimates will arrive at TRU very soon, and I don't anticipate any distribution problems. And those hard-to-find assortments may make themselves available at a later date, much like the Tomb Raider Minimates did. So simply biding one's time may eventually pay off.

And I don't want anyone to HAVE to pay a premium, but in my experience it is something that completists need to do on occasion -- even I did it for a couple of lines in my day, and I was never a completist. I'm sorry for suggesting it in the TWD thread, it was only meant to help.

Sometimes it just depends on the TRU or sometimes they don't order as many. Mine does that. Sometimes only orders one box and never orders again! Thats why its good to have forums that way people can hook each other up. Sometimes distribution is better in some areas I don't live on other things like Neca figures is a prime example. Sometimes TRU skips whole waves on me! Thankfully I know some great guys in other states that have been able to help me out!

That being siad I have a hard time finding some of the TRU exclusives as well but thankfully I am not a completist! i also don't believe in little plastic coffins for me figures either though. To quote William Wallace FFFFRRRRREEEEEEEDDDDDOOOOMMMMM

[pappymojo]

Pretty sure Tomb Raider never showed up in the north east either.

[Modefan]

Gotta say I'm pretty passionate about the minimate brand - I've been a fan for many years - 95% of my collection is just minimates and I've even made my own spreadsheet to keep track of extra's that somehow I wind up with (Something in the range of over 700 extra 2 packs)

I go to NYCC specifically to check out the DST booth so ya when things like this happens it's a little upsetting I really hope this all gets squared away with the asm2 wave at TRU

[buttheadsmate]

I'm a quick learner & I recall meeting you (Modefan) at SDCC way back when . I'm very aware of the hard-core 'quiet ones' on the MMMV that love the line equally if not more than the gobby twats like myself .

Beware the silent majority .

[darthdoughboy]

Yes, beware (honestly, I have found most of TWD wave 5 and all of wave 18, but that was a month and a half ago, so hopefully it is just some dusty boxes hiding in a warehouse waiting to be free)

[Santos L Halper]

As one of those (mostly)silent members that also suffers from completist OCD; I can understand the frustration of not being able to find what you're looking for with relative ease. It was a very sad day when my local comic shop informed me they would no longer be carrying Minimates because I was the only one buying them at that time and until Luke's toy store opened up it was a pain having to deal with the likes of Action Figure Express and Big Bad Toy Store. Fortunately the Toysrus in my town has always been great about having the new 'mates and the employees have been very helpful with letting me know when trucks are coming in(I'm know as the Minimate guy by the employees lol). Other than the Angel/Warpath set; I've been able to get them all in store, but I will admit it was very frustrating at the time and put me off 'mates for a while. Fortunately DST realized the TRU one per case set was not a good idea and has fixed that problem. Really hope those that are unable to find what they are looking for are able to get help from members on the forum or their TRU finally gets the 'mates in stock.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Santos L Halper

[goods4life]

Yes, beware (honestly, I have found most of TWD wave 5 and all of wave 18, but that was a month and a half ago, so hopefully it is just some dusty boxes hiding in a warehouse waiting to be free)

Right next to the Ark of the Covenant......

[buttheadsmate]

Am I being unfair by cherry-picking quotes from other threads & placing them here ?

I'm just catching up on stuff so this is older news *...........

Battle Beasts and Tomb Raider shipped to TRU in smaller numbers, so apparently not every store got them. Marvel, I don't know what's up there, but circumstances may have made Series 18 a bit of a hot item.

*Not news to me & probably not news to many of us but yet again I'm not shooting the messenger .

I have no insider info but after scouring ebay for the last 8 years for Minimates on a daily basis you get to know (feel ?) what's going on ........& fairly quickly . That's not to say I buy much from ebay it's just a good gauge .

The trouble is & was that if I had actually posted what I felt I knew in my heart then the feeding frenzy would have increased..........Zach (& others ) were undoubtedly in the same position. No win situation.

I'm not sure whether I'm using the right word here but I'll use it ....the word is momentum ......... the ToysRUs 'incident' had cost the Minimate line its momentum for the time being . I will quickly add however that what I saw first-hand at C2E2 completely contradicted what I had been quietly thinking .........you just needed to watch the body-language of everybody connected ............Minimates ain't going away anytime yet .

[DSTZach]

If I was as invested in a line as some people are invested in Minimates, I would be voicing my opinion from the rooftops. Chuck reads these threads, so please, speak up. If you come to a convention, introduce yourself. Modefan, find me and say hi at the next NYCC.

And oh, my God, I hope nobody thinks Minimates is in trouble. I've been telling people they're not in trouble at TRU, but they're doing fine everywhere else, as well. We just picked up three national chains.

If you're one of those people who doesn't like things once they get popular, you're about to hate Minimates.