UA-100768763-1 Jump to content

ToysRUs Minimates -what happens now?


Recommended Posts

As I've often said....I'm a toy collecting novice so I really don't know how to take this news .Many of the 'mates we have seen over the last few years would never have seen the light of day if it hadn't been for TRU but in every other respect the company is second class ...maybe not even that high .........even my own avatar depicts reality rather than some jovial comment .

I'm not kicking anybody when they're down but I've been putting two & two together for quite some time ....something had to happen. Whilst I'm not suggesting that this is actually the 'end' of 'mates at TRU it bloody well ought to be until someone somewhere sorts out the whole farcical distribution process .

I might be on foreign shores in more ways than one but from what I've observed from my lofty peak has been uncomfortable to watch for quite some time .......... I'm almost glad it's happened because someone somewhere needs to get a grip on this before it is actually too bloody late.

BTW I'm not blaming anybody.....yet .

Could I do better ? Bloody right I could ,

So what's going to happen ?

Edited by buttheadsmate
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 416
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I still don't think this is "the end" of Minimates at TRU, but maybe more of a "wiping the slate clean". Street Fighter X Tekken was probably the biggest Minimate flop we've seen to date, and obviously TRU is loaded with inventory, I'm actually surprised they aren't cheaper than $3.98. Sorry Zach, that was meant with no offense to DST or the Minimates product itself, unfortunately the demand for both the SFxT game and the product tie-ins just wasn't there from the consumers, and it didn't help the game was riddled with controversy at the release.

The same clearance prices are now in effect on TRU.com, but the one pack of Tomb Raider that is on the site is still listed at full price, so maybe that is a better indicator that they are just trying to move old stock? Although one could argue at this point that TRU Tomb Raider should be considered "old stock". pinch.gif

The most disconcerting thing about these clearance prices is that it appears that of all the "boys toys" or action figures in the store, Minimates have a strong focus of the clearance sale. If the Hasbro Iron Man 3 or other 2013 movie tie-in toys were as discounted as Minimates, I would feel better about the whole thing, but the fact that there seems to be a certain focus on the Minimates brand is definitely bothersome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's ridiculous that minimates are not all in one section of an aisle, but IIRC Zach once said that the spread out approach was better for sales. I think the dumbest part is the manufactured short-pack nature. There's no reason they can't be even-packed per case, and the exclusive sticker is just meant to spur scalper sales. I'm happy for the clearance purge. This clears the room for new releases (Aliens, other Non-Marvel lines hinted by Zach). I suspect we'll see Tomb Raider after the purge is done. Everyone's complained about pegwarmers preventing new stock, now they complain about them being purged? I think this is a good thing. Clear out the old, bring in the new. I don't think TRU is done with minimates altogether.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, its less of a fear about the purge itself, and more towards what this means in the first place.

It has sort of gone from seeing a bunch of Boomer 2 packs cause no one knows who she is to an entire line of mates pegwarming.

Of course, the SFxT property is more to blame than the mates (MvC was never this awful, but I'm sure the Marvel side of that crossover did a lot of the helping)

I don't mind this purge, since it will be good to see Wolverine/Sauron's entire peg of warmers out of the way (hopefully) and introduce mates to a few people who never considered them, but I am hesitant to call Doom and Gloom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with YB that SFvT has a lot to do with this. For whatever reason, TRU seems to have bought that line pretty heavy, and they paid the price. I regularly visit three TRUs, and each has loads of SFvT. At one point, one of these stores had FIVE full cases on the pegs; sixty packs (I counted). It's certainly not the only factor, but I think it's a big one.

I am trying to not read too much into the clearance pricing, and just assuming that TRU is clearing out old stock. Remember, this is not the first time we've seen them do this, and it's not even the first time some of us have scored new product at clearance prices. But who knows. Minimates, to my eyes, still seem to do well, though not as well as maybe a few years ago. Let's just keep our fingers crossed.

As far as TRU goes, I will once again step up to defend them with the simple declaration that the alternative is so much worse. Seriously, if you think TRU is a mess, try dealing with the Target or Wal-Mart toy sections. Now, that is a nightmare, as I was reminded these last few weeks when searching for two new Marvel Legends waves at Target. TRU certainly has it's problems, but by and large Minimates show up for sale in every store, each wave is restocked in a timely fashion, and sets are made available on their web site. Minimates are simply not hard to collect from Toys R Us. They aren't always easy, but they aren't hard. Not so other toy lines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SFvsT are now $2.78 in store this week with the new 30% off coupon. I think I'll pick up a few. I'd actually advise everyone to buy a few at that price. When you have so many cool Marvel sets with Alt looks, you can put a Street Fighter minimate under the armored characters and then you're free to display both Marvel figures. And a few SFvT heads should work as Shield agents :)

YB, sorry, I was commenting on the doom & gloom comments from people thinking the purge meant TRU was abandoning minimates altogether, including your concerns above and others from the Wave 18 thread. No insult or offense was meant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the website, the minimates aren't showing up as clearance unless they were previous clearance. The coupon only works on those, not the current markdowns. They aren't in the clearance section on the site either. Are we certain this isn't just a limited markdown/sale and not clearance inventory?

Plus, why is Wolvie/Reaper a dollar more? Maybe it's the adamantium. :)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the website, the minimates aren't showing up as clearance unless they were previous clearance. The coupon only works on those, not the current markdowns. They aren't in the clearance section on the site either. Are we certain this isn't just a limited markdown/sale and not clearance inventory?

Plus, why is Wolvie/Reaper a dollar more? Maybe it's the adamantium. :)

LOL, TRU website....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I've often said....I'm a toy collecting novice so I really don't know how to take this news.

Wait, how long have you been collecting, BHM?

I've been a 'collector' most of my life....I have comics (for example) that I bought 'new' in 1962 safely stashed away mere yards from where I'm typing.

Toy collecting came to my life from about the time I began ebaying, circa 2005 ! I'm a novice .

Edited by buttheadsmate
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think collecting since 2005 makes you more than a novice. An amateur, maybe. An enthusiast?

boyd,we know each other....just say it............biggrin.png...... An nutter ?

What I was trying to say was that most of you guys know ...in a way I don't know.....the ups & downs of 'toys' . It is genuinely a new frontier for me .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We can complain about distribution, and deservedly so, but that's the least likely thing to change. Obviously it could be improved with closer management and some tweaks (seems to me different item numbers for each wave would potentially help) but TRU doesn't make that effort for even the high profile items (as far as I know) so it's unrealistic to expect them to do it for minimates. And, even with all the shortcomings, TRU's distribution is a model of consistency compared to the other major toy retailers. I'm afraid a lot of the problems have as much to do with the niche nature of the product as with any mistakes TRU has made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My local tru has ALL minimates on clearance. The price tag doesnt reflect this but the price scanner does.

According to the price scanner at the store I visited the Munsters coach was $12.99 and Halo 5 was $7.49. How much was the coach at your store?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been in one US TRU( bricks & mortar) once in my life & when I asked for "Minimates please" I might as well have said "excuse me can you point me to the moose " . That was in San Diego some years ago . Nobody had a clue WTF, I,the "Australian" (???) was on about .

Soooooooooo distribution ??? I ,more or less buy everything Minimate online from the US....I get by with a little help with my friends (Lennon & McCartney) ..........even that is hard work . Trust me ....if you can't distribute online to people without geographical limitations don't bother even trying to distribute to the 877 bricks & mortar stores in the US no.gif

This is a logistical problem that the average f*cking mouse could figure out.



I think collecting since 2005 makes you more than a novice. An amateur, maybe. An enthusiast?

Perhaps a Journeyman

Apprentice ? I like 'apprentice' biggrin.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...