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Minimates return to Target


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I saw this today at a Super Target in Houston.

IMG_08561.jpg

There was a 4 foot vinyl collector toys section in toys next to 4 foot of trading card games, which seems to have been moved for the latest plan-o-gram. Other stores that have reset in our area only have the tcg section though they do have bobble head toys at the bottom of those sections.

I know that trading cards at Target are handled by an outside vendor. I suspect this new vinyl section is also being handled by an outside vendor, given the selection of older product I saw. I have a feeling the way this works is the product is returnable; in other words, if it doesn't sell, Target doesn't clearance it, the vendor just takes it back. Just my guess of course.

So while this isn't 'great' news, I thought it was interesting. If these do sell, perhaps Target will take notice and carry new mates again.

E>

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Don't know if this is related, but a few weeks ago I saw some Hulk and Star Trek Minimates at a "Music for a Song" store. I was told that they were just recently put out, as well.

My MFAS had the ST Minis forever. Actually put them all on sale recently so I got the lot of the Borgs they had.

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Elm, which Target? And could you possibly tell if it was a LCS lot or specifically a target lot?

Edit: LCS lot? That's a variant ST pack right there. Odd.

On Eldridge.

And yeah, the variant was one of the things that makes me think this is a vendor like the trading cards. I also noted the only Hulk pack missing was the variant.

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Minimates are REAL hard to find where I'm from in stores. All of the LCS have been going out of business and I have to drive 30 miles across the city to get my comics. You can forget picking up minimates there because they fly off the shelves so quick. The other day, I went into a Spin City record store and found a bunch of minimates marked 75% off! I grabbed some of the ones I don't have really fast. They even had variants. To make this thread-related, I'll just say that if Target carried them again, it would make my life so much easier. I am currently going through another online headache getting my Champions boxset ( I know I would probably have to get that online anyway). I am getting tired of the outrageous shipping charges and incompetent vendors online. I am already getting reamed in taxes on my other addiction (ciggs, which cost practically nothing to make)...

I actually live close to a Target.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Minimates are REAL hard to find where I'm from in stores. All of the LCS have been going out of business and I have to drive 30 miles across the city to get my comics. You can forget picking up minimates there because they fly off the shelves so quick. The other day, I went into a Spin City record store and found a bunch of minimates marked 75% off! I grabbed some of the ones I don't have really fast. They even had variants. To make this thread-related, I'll just say that if Target carried them again, it would make my life so much easier. I am currently going through another online headache getting my Champions boxset ( I know I would probably have to get that online anyway). I am getting tired of the outrageous shipping charges and incompetent vendors online. I am already getting reamed in taxes on my other addiction (ciggs, which cost practically nothing to make)...

I actually live close to a Target.

Unfortunately, as long as there's shipping, there will be shipping charges. I know it's the excessive charges you're likely referring to. Still, I have had a lot of success with AFX. Yes, they charge a little higher for shipping, but they also are really good on the customer service side. Plus, sometimes (like now, actually) they run some really good deals on bundled sets. With all the running around I have done on the Toys R Us exclusives, paying shipping and having them delivered would have been nice, if they were available on-line.

Hopefully there won't be special taxes on minimates! I can see it now... "we want to tax minimates so we can use the revenue for programs. So, we have to figure out the maximum tax we can apply, while at the same time NOT taxing minimates so high that people stop buying them"

Who first called these things "plastic crack"?

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Who first called these things "plastic crack"?

I don't know, but lordy does it apply.

I look at shipping costs as a convenience tax. Without it, I would have to bug LCS owners (which even after all these years, I am horrible, HORRIBLE about remembering to get him to hold anything but upcoming books), drive around town and try to hunt stuff down. I find I just don't get the same buzz having to work to find stuff I used to. Maybe it's age, I don't know. So I pay shipping. If only TRU would put regular Marvel waves on their website, my mate collecting life would be perfect. Since not... well I guess it's off to eBay for BE/MS. >sigh<

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I find I just don't get the same buzz having to work to find stuff I used to. Maybe it's age, I don't know. So I pay shipping. If only TRU would put regular Marvel waves on their website, my mate collecting life would be perfect. Since not... well I guess it's off to eBay for BE/MS. >sigh<

I'm in that boat. I don't enjoy the hunt anymore. Or I should say I don't enjoy the disappointing and unsuccessful hunt, which must hunts are. (A rewarding hunt is nice- I was giddy when I found BE/MS. I just don't really have the time to hit up the LCS/TRU as much as I would like. Online ordering is awesome, and I happily look at shipping as convenience charge. And normally after shipping, I'm still only paying $8-9 per pack, so that's not too shabby. As for AFX, I've only ordered from them once, and shipping was cheap.

On topic: Every time I go to Target, I obsessively search for minimates, but, alas, I have found none.

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Both of the Target stores near my house have reconfigured to include this card display in the aisles... neither had minimates but they are not Super Target stores (west coast, liberal city council types have it in for any Super Target or Super Walmart).

Unfortunately, none of the product that has shown up is anything that has sold too well and has been on most websites at bargain-basement prices - which might suggest that the third party vendor is snatching up whatever they can cheap and using Target as a channel to push it, which would make sense if they have to give Target a cut. I'd be interested to see if it keeps going - 'cause it poaches from Target's market for other toys and large supplies of heavily discounted mates are not abundant.

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I would love for Minimates to return to my local Target and other stores with Toy Departments. TRU is supposedly getting a truck tomorrow with Ghostbuster Minimates only downfall is I have a dentist appointment at the same time they open so I can't get right in to get them and so I will have to try my luck when done at the dentist.

I wish they would start making more Star Trek minimates and sell them through TRU. I want Riker, Troi, Worf, Data and Kira, Odo, Bashir, Dax and O'Brien and Quark as minimates really bad.

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  • 1 month later...

it was a super Target, yes. I got the full Hulk wave as I didn't have it yet ($32 may actually not have been as smart on second though, but on the flip side I'm supporting retail) They had a whole Hulk case and a whole ST case w/ variant. I left the star trek. >.<

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I stand by my original assumption that that aisle is where retail goes to die. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the excess stock of DST (or Diamond Distributors maybe) is being pushed off on Target for the cheap. If that was the case, its no wonder there hasn't been any publicity for this deal, since Target is potentially getting screwed in trying to unload the items that no one wanted the first time around.

If the more recent stuff were showing up on those special aisles, I'd have higher hopes, but since its the civilian heavy Hulk wave and the Star Trek wave that arguably killed the line the second time (yes, two more came out after it, but I suspect the move to a wider variety was too little, too late).

But, for a silver lining, maybe if these rogue waves perform well, it might spark some more interest from Target for some newer stock in more stores.

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