UA-100768763-1 Jump to content

How to shop for Minimates at TRU?


Recommended Posts

Okay. So in the past I have only collected DC minimates, I know have my collection complete at moved on to Battle Beasts. I have all BB except the Gold Vorin, which I'm not going to get into.

I've noticed that when I go to my local TRU, btw I am located in Chicago ( not the suburbs )the MM shelves are always empty with the exclusives gone.

With BattleBeasts coming in Dec...is there anyway I can know when I should be there to get them on time? Is there a particular day shipments come in? Week?

Any info would helpful as I love going to a store to get MM but everytime I got they have a bunch of Thor And balder the brave on clearance and some Halo. The other shelves are cleaned out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know my local TRU seems to get shipments on Thursdays, but that's not always been the case since a few years ago, Wednesday was their stock day (Or maybe that's backwards) Ask the workers at TRU, they'll typically tell you when they get shipments. Like buttheadsmate said, a network of helpful members can be a great help since different stores in different towns get different amounts of items. (A TRU in the next town over can always be counted on having a lot of exclusives while the one in my town is a crapshoot)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The nearest TRU to me is well, a few hundred miles away. So I'm screwed there, but I have a friend out of state who goes to his local one and gets me stuff. It's not a big TRU and near as I can tell he might be the main source of minimates selling there, because of me. But he goes on Fridays after work and if they get new stuff in, they always seem to have plenty as every time he finds new stuff all the exclusives tend to still be there and in multiple. The problem? Lately they haven't been getting any new stuff in until at least a month after it releases, aside from movie mates. It might be the issue of the marvel waves using the same SKU number and there are just too many sitting there pegwarming, and I don't need them at all. Example being, when they Avengers movie wave came out, they got them in right away and at the same time finally got Marvel wave 12 with Crossbones, like what, five months after it was actually supposed to come out? Last I heard from him, they had the Amazing Spider-Man wave but still not wave 13, so in my experience, it's a pretty serious crapshoot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also if you ask a manager about Minimates, and have them check in their system for the series you want (most comic Marvel stuff is under the same SKU), they will be able to tell you how many are in the store. This can be really helpful, as sometimes they get put in the wrong place, or are still in the box on a top shelf somewhere, or even not in the store at all. That has happened to me several times, and the manager just scratches his head, fixes the inventory in the system, and two weeks later there are new Minimates in the store.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shit will be off the hook once the battle beasts roll off the line, I will try my best not to punch any children in the face to get to them first... (joking ofc for you that don't realize that lol)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Luck, persistence, and MMMV friends. Check tru.com daily when release time draws near, you may only have a tiny window for shortpacks even online. This board is great for alerting each other when things start hitting. Ask for help if you need it, odds are you'll get it. BB is a largely unknown quantity as far as what demand is going to be. You might not have the fits Marvel collectors do. But you might so you need to be ready to work for them. This can be a tough hobby, wear a cup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will try my best not to punch any children in the face. . .

I, too, struggle with that impulse every day. Repulsive little creatures, aren't they?

Now now, they have there place in the world, just nowhere near a man and his minimates......

As my wife, a teacher, says "teaching would be a great job if it were'nt for all the bloody children" :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TRU seems to be doing a lot better in general with quantities than during the first couple years. It's been a while since a TRU wave came and went without demand eventually being filled – it just takes a little patience. There's the first few weeks of crazy-making as the "sample" cases pop up on the site, a couple more cases straggle into isolated stores, and everyone freaks out thinking "this is it, this is a repeat of Angel/Warpath-gate," but a couple more weeks pass and we're all swimming in exclusive sets at our respective TRUs. Case in point: I hit a store yesterday and saw three new cases of wave 13, multiple Boomer and Magma sets hanging untouched on the front of the peg.

So, if you want the exclusives, you probably just need to sit tight. Now, if you want them first, you'll need to strap on your bike helmet and climb into the ring with Groundhog and YB... <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not trying to hijack this thread, but how do you know where different sets will be available for purchase? For example, the new Marvel v Capcon sets, the X-Men Outback sets, the Alpha Flight sets. How do you know what will be available for purchase where? Is it strictly TRU or Comic Shops and for the Comic Shops, it depends on what store pre-ordered what, and just luck of the draw, where you walk into a store and they are carrying Alpha Flight?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not trying to hijack this thread, but how do you know where different sets will be available for purchase? For example, the new Marvel v Capcon sets, the X-Men Outback sets, the Alpha Flight sets. How do you know what will be available for purchase where? Is it strictly TRU or Comic Shops and for the Comic Shops, it depends on what store pre-ordered what, and just luck of the draw, where you walk into a store and they are carrying Alpha Flight?

All of those sets are going to be in comic shops, SDCC for Alpha Flight, NYCC for Alpha Flight 2, check Luke's Toy Store and DST's website for release dates.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TRU.com & an extensive network of helpful fellow-members .

^ This. We have a bunch of unbelievably friendly, caring, and helpful people in the 'verse. It's thanks to the generosity of many of the individuals here that I've been able to obtain TRU exclusives that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to find.

Edited by MinnesotaIceman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also be aware that most (Pickle may disagree) TRU stores have ZERO merchandising cohesion. You may find a Minimate price sticker with the marvel toys, but the minimates themselves may be on a shelf somewhere else. Not to mention go find the clearance section for action figures, often times there are a ton of mates there as well. You literally need to look throughout the action figure sections before you give up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also be aware that most (Pickle may disagree) TRU stores have ZERO merchandising cohesion. You may find a Minimate price sticker with the marvel toys, but the minimates themselves may be on a shelf somewhere else. Not to mention go find the clearance section for action figures, often times there are a ton of mates there as well. You literally need to look throughout the action figure sections before you give up.

It also depends on what minimates you're looking for. The stores around me are set up like this:

Marvel Minimates (Comic or movie related) - Same aisle as Marvel Universe/Marvel Movie Toys (Sometimes the Spiderman Aisle)

MAX Minimates - Clearance area (Typically at the end of the Marvel Movie Aisle)

Universal Monsters/Video Game Minimates - Collectibles Aisle (This is the new aisle next to the movies)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not trying to hijack this thread, but how do you know where different sets will be available for purchase? For example, the new Marvel v Capcon sets, the X-Men Outback sets, the Alpha Flight sets. How do you know what will be available for purchase where? Is it strictly TRU or Comic Shops and for the Comic Shops, it depends on what store pre-ordered what, and just luck of the draw, where you walk into a store and they are carrying Alpha Flight?

All of those sets are going to be in comic shops, SDCC for Alpha Flight, NYCC for Alpha Flight 2, check Luke's Toy Store and DST's website for release dates.

Outback is comic shops only, but MvC3 does have two TRU-exckusive sets per wave. MODOK/Akuma and Amaterasu/Thor are TRU only.

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...