April 23rd - TRU or Walmart ? [Archive]

2-1B

03-01-2002, 01:53 PM

Wal-Mart gets my business this time 'round, TRU has worked it's way out of my wallet :mad: I'm basically going for a couple of 12 " figs, numerous LEGOs, and a handful of 3 3/4 " figs. Yep, WM is cheaper here, plus I am certain they will have fewer customers than TRU that night - so I will have the opportunity to browse and contemplate what I want. Last time I just consumed anything in sight, this time I will be very selective :)

DahrJin

03-01-2002, 02:03 PM

I'm the same way. Wallyworld will get my money and not TRU.

I've never been a fan of FULL CONTACT COLLECTING myself. I saw a few clips of it back when TRU did the last one and it sure as H*LL didn't look to fun to me.:crazed:

2-1B

03-01-2002, 02:12 PM

Originally posted by DahrJin
I've never been a fan of FULL CONTACT COLLECTING myself. I saw a few clips of it back when TRU did the last one and it sure as H*LL didn't look to fun to me.:crazed:

The Starwoids DVD has some footage of this. Frightening behavior! :( But that's the extreme minority of experiences. When I went it was pretty crowded, shoulder to shoulder. But most people were quite polite. When I couldn't reach a figure, a tap on the shoulder and request to the person in front of me was always honored. :)

I really want to be able to evaluate all of the figures in person before buying them. I have good ideas as to which I will be buying, but I don't want to lose that opportunity to make an in-store decision :)

JetsAndHeels

03-01-2002, 02:21 PM

Man, Caesar, wasnt Starwoids great!!
Once again, I recall the collector and him making "the run".
Now I want to watch it again.
Starwoids rocks!!

As far as April 23rd, it may have to be Wal-Mart for me.
I asked the manager at my local TRU about midnight madness and she said it may not happen.
I really dont care though, because come opening time at Wal-Mart (or midnight at a 24-hr WM) I am loading up!!

LTBasker

03-01-2002, 02:22 PM

I'll go by Wal-Mart most definitely for the majority of my stuff since they're cheaper and then I'll head on over to TRU for a few things (maybe some extra Battle Droids or somethin') just in case they've got those cool certificate things again like last time. :)

xboywonder

03-01-2002, 02:25 PM

LTBasker... Just out of curiosity what part of OK are you in ??
I am in Tulsa right now...

SithDroid

03-01-2002, 02:58 PM

I'll wait and either go to Wal-Mart or K-Mart. When the EP I stuff was released I went to K-Mart right when they opened. They had a huge selection of stuff and I got everything I needed and I was the only one there. I took the time to find what I wanted and to get what I needed. I'll do the same this year. No reason to go and try to fight with people seeing as there will be enough for everyone.

Jedi Teacher

03-01-2002, 03:17 PM

I haven't decided yet where I'll be. For Episode I stuff I went to TRU and had a great time. Everyone was really polite. I'm considering TRU--but I also have a WalMart and Meijer near me --both of which are open 24 hours.
For most of my recent POTJ purchases, I've actually gone to Target-- so they're an option also, even though they won't be open at midnight. Hmmmm
Decisions, decisions . . .

Why does life have to be so complicated? :D

JetsAndHeels

03-01-2002, 03:46 PM

Jedi Teacher,
You could go to your TRU or WM at midnight, get what you can, and then hit Target later in the morning.
That is what I did for EP1 toys. I went to midnight madness at TRU, then went to WM the next morning at 7am.
That way if you cant get all you want that night, you can finish up the next morning.

JEDIpartner

03-01-2002, 03:56 PM

Wal-Mart if the urge strikes me. I was able to find plenty of figures the following afternoon when I ambled down to the local TRU.

Casual George

03-01-2002, 04:34 PM

I see quite a few comments about TRU up above. I agree, I went to Wal-Mart last time around and all the folks were very nice and friendly. There was plenty to go around and folks were helping other folks out. Passing figures around and the like, very nice and fun. I went to TRU afterwards and it was a mad house. I was told when they opened the doors there was quite a bit of pushing and shoving and folks were rude to each other. So, I'm headed back to Wal-Mart this time around as well. It is also nice that since they are open 24-7 you can browse around the store (DVDs and the like) instead of waiting in a parking lot to go rushing in at the stroke of Midnight!

CrossWizard

03-01-2002, 04:57 PM

I remember with Epi 1 promising myself that I would be patient and wait until the afternoon when I got out of class to go get the figures but as soon as I saw the parking lot in the mall starting to fill up around 6:30 am on my way to college I couldnt resist and ditched the first 2 classes. I was pretty bummed out when I got there to find out KB toys and Electronics Boutique(EBWorld) were charging $9.99 for each of the regular figures, but when I went to TRU and excused myself thru the mob of people I managed to score everything I wanted at $7.99 except for Mace Windu and Darth Maul. The same night I went to Walmart and found both Mace and Maul, plus an extra Battle Droid at $5.99 so this year if TRU gets too greedy and charges more that $6 for the figures Ill be heading straight to Walmart.

PloKoon2385

03-01-2002, 04:57 PM

Actually I think I will hit TRU on April 23. After that I may head to Wal*Mart but I haven't had much luck with my Wal*Mart. I plan to get just about everything that I can afford. I am really looking forward to that night because as some of you may know, it is my birthday and I also love the Ep. II figs that I have seen.

JediDan

03-01-2002, 06:19 PM

When the Ep.1 figs 1st came out I went to a Walmart that is open 24/7 and they had just started putting out the ep.1 toys out at 1:00am and didn't get done until 3:30am. It was one full aisle and they had 3 employees filling the whole aisle with nothing but ep.1 toys. They closed off the aisle and wouldnt let anyone grab a thing till they were done.:frus: Me and a bunch of others stood at the end of the aisle watching for the 2 and a half hours and it was actually kinda fun. We knew where everything was and we were all planning our attack when the aisle opened. Man when they opend that aisle what a rush, we were all shoulder to shoulder. Pushing and shoving, well not this year, Im staying away from the midnite rush. The thing that really got me was I went to a different walmart that opened at 7am and Igot there and Iwas the ONLY one there. I was picking through the stuff for half an hour and only one other person came and they just looked, didn't buya thing. Then I went to Target whe nthey opened and again I was the only person there looking at the star wars stuff. What a crazy world huh?:crazed: :D

PloKoon2385

03-01-2002, 06:25 PM

When I went in 1999, there wasn't that many people. There were MAYBE 40. But they were all VERY polite. I was never pushed or shoved, nor did I push or shove. Unfortunately I was a fool and forgot to get Mace Windu and Darth Maul that day........ the two hardest figures to find at the time. Sigh...

InsaneJediGirl

03-01-2002, 06:40 PM

I'll probably go to Wal-Mart for midnight madness.I know
alot of the staff at my local Wallyworld and all of them are
pretty nice/helpful.My local wallyworld shouldn't be crowed,
so heck,I might be the only one in the SW section...How nice
would that be!

LTBasker

03-01-2002, 06:44 PM

When I went to TRU for Midnight Madness, that's what it was, Madness. I swear the place was a mess, and even worse, it was a rather small area, plus there weren't alot of the more wanted figures when I got there so I just grabbed a few figures and COMMtech Reader then decided to stop by Wal-Mart to check them out since they had not too long before that that they started staying open 24/7, so I went there, walked in, and right there in front of the door was a whole mobile cart/aisle thing filled with SW stuff, and it even had Darth Maul, the place was literally empty too, just a few cashiers and guy going over the floors, no one else had thought of it, so I was able to get a Darth Maul at WM. :D Which is kinda funny cause when I was leaving TRU I saw this guy and his buddy walking to their car and the guy was holding up this Darth Maul figure and he was hollering and stuff and his buddy was kinda just shuffling along sorta peeved, I guess cause he was jealous.

CrossWizard

03-01-2002, 07:40 PM

Or embarrased at his friend's bragging due to the fact that he had purchased a plastic toy.

Starfig873

03-01-2002, 07:45 PM

Yeah, I'm definitely going to Wal-Mart. It's just sooo much easier and less stressful.

master jedi

03-01-2002, 09:03 PM

Well, Wal-Mart is closer to me but the people who work there suck.

I'm going to TRU and might go to Wal-Mart after.

yaddle yodas love pu

03-01-2002, 10:04 PM

I will go to Walmart which is cheaper. If you feel like spending an extra $1-$2 per figure and an extra $3-$5 per ship and beast, then go to TRU. If you are an IDIOT and want to pay like $10 per figure, go to KB or FAO.

evenflow

03-02-2002, 07:46 AM

There are no Walmarts where I live, Toys R Us it is again.

hairless chewie

03-02-2002, 08:24 AM

Does anyone know if European TRUs will do the madness or if they will even have the new stuff on the 23rd??

Dryanta

03-02-2002, 09:16 AM

I think I may take the ride to tru and just check out the whole "Midnight Madness" thing.But considering the cost I'll be buying at Walmart

INDIANA

03-02-2002, 12:35 PM

A few facts from my point-of-view...

TRU sucks. They have done NOTHING but overprice POTJ, never get them in, my store has a HUGE scalper outfit working it. I personally have not been in the store since November. I even ordered the AT-ST on-line. TRU sucks.

I had NO trouble finding ANYTHING during the day after the E1 midnight freak show. I know a guy at Wal-mart who said the store was expecting huge numbers of people at 7am. They even had 3 local police officers to help with crowd control. 1 guy showed up. K-Mart had everything, Target too. We know TRU will be charging the most and I'm not all hell-bent on getting the figures this time around. I will probably wait until 7 and go to Wal-Mart, pick up what I need. IF there is a problem, Target opens at 8, as does K-Mart. TRU sucks.

They took the CEO from a failed toy chain and put him in charge of a failling toy chain....I'm only expecting great things in the future.....

Obi-Don

03-02-2002, 01:42 PM

The last midnight sale at my Wal-mart wouldn't let anyone buy the EP1 stuff until 7am. I don't think they could tell time. The worker told me that the manager said not to sell any Star Wars stuff until morning. I guess he wanted to get the 1st pick on everything. Our Wal-Mart has always sucked like that. If by some chance they have a midnight sale I'm not sure if I will go. If they are going to pull that kind of crap,I'll take my money else where. They need to change the name to Suck-Mart.

SithDroid

03-02-2002, 02:03 PM

Originally posted by INDIANA
A few facts from my point-of-view...

TRU sucks. They have done NOTHING but overprice POTJ, never get them in, my store has a HUGE scalper outfit working it. I personally have not been in the store since November. I even ordered the AT-ST on-line. TRU sucks.

I had NO trouble finding ANYTHING during the day after the E1 midnight freak show. I know a guy at Wal-mart who said the store was expecting huge numbers of people at 7am. They even had 3 local police officers to help with crowd control. 1 guy showed up. K-Mart had everything, Target too. We know TRU will be charging the most and I'm not all hell-bent on getting the figures this time around. I will probably wait until 7 and go to Wal-Mart, pick up what I need. IF there is a problem, Target opens at 8, as does K-Mart. TRU sucks.

I agree completely Indiana. The TRU in my area NEVER has aything when I go in there. What is more pathetic is that the SW section has been moved onto one of those tiny isle browser things because the section is so tiny. I haven't bought a POTJ figure from them since summer 2000. I gave up. It was so disappointing going into TRU and always seeing nothing on the racks. The best place in my area to find SW fig is at Target. They will probably get my business this year. Either them or Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Just because TRU may get in a huge amount of EP II stuff doen't mean I'll buy from them. They are way overpriced and they also don't carry much of SW any other time. So IMO they don't need my business seeing as they only care about carrying SW figures when there is a huge demand for them (ex. SW movie release years) in order to make a lot of money.

Sean the Hutt

03-03-2002, 02:06 AM

where ever I go I promise to be polite, I promise not to hoard, and I promise to be calm. Last time it was not total chaos at TRU but it was a bit like being in a mosh pit. It had it's moments. Just want the vehicals first. they are always fairly plentiful. The electronic light sabers. The figures will be there. There are always a few really popular ones but like evry one said just hit another store. I don't expect as much from Target and Walmart. at least not the monsterous aisles of toys from ep 1

LTBasker

03-03-2002, 02:51 AM

Originally posted by SithDroid
I agree completely Indiana. The TRU in my area NEVER has aything when I go in there. What is more pathetic is that the SW section has been moved onto one of those tiny isle browser things because the section is so tiny.

Yea I know what you mean, the SW section at mine is dwindling quite a bit plus it's like when the R2, Vader, and Stormtroopers started showing up in hoards there, they never had R2s and everytime I went there (which was quite often then) I asked if they anymore stuff in the back and would always answer nope, I still ask if they have anything in back (cause they always only have E1 figures on the pegs with a few POTJ) and the answer is always nope. Either they're not getting anything in, they're just getting a little bit in (which I doubt cause they always had those pegs stocked well with Vaders & Stormtroopers) or they just are so lazy that they don't want to do their job. :frus:

TRU sucks plan and simple and so does their site, even more so since it switched to Amazon.

sith_killer_99

03-03-2002, 08:38 AM

Well, I guess I'm kinda lucky.:)

I only plan on buying a few figures, from what I've seen. Probably 10 or less. As for vehicles, there will be plenty hanging around for a few months yet.

So, while many are saving their money right now I am finishing my FF collection, POTJ collection, and my EP1 collection. Plus I am planing to buy those truely hard to find items...the dreaded "Exclusive" Vehicles!

AT-ST-$30.00 (X1)
Snowspeeder-$30.00 (X1)
TIE Bomber-$30.00 (X1)
Freeze Frame-$400.00
EP1-$160.00
POTJ-$50.00 (BoShek wave and Preview wave)

That's $700.00 over the next 2-3 months. So I plan on buying ONLY what I really WANT come the 23rd, the rest WILL see discount prices in a few months. Or I will use what's left of my trade fodder to get what I need.;)

SithDroid

03-03-2002, 05:02 PM

Originally posted by LTBasker

Yea I know what you mean, the SW section at mine is dwindling quite a bit plus it's like when the R2, Vader, and Stormtroopers started showing up in hoards there, they never had R2s and everytime I went there (which was quite often then) I asked if they anymore stuff in the back and would always answer nope, I still ask if they have anything in back (cause they always only have E1 figures on the pegs with a few POTJ) and the answer is always nope. Either they're not getting anything in, they're just getting a little bit in (which I doubt cause they always had those pegs stocked well with Vaders & Stormtroopers) or they just are so lazy that they don't want to do their job. :frus:

TRU sucks plan and simple and so does their site, even more so since it switched to Amazon.

I know the reason why there wee never any R2-D2 w/ holo Leais in that wave at TRU. I went in there one day and was looking through all of the Vaders and Stormtroopers hoping to come across an R2. A man working there came up and said he just put them out and asked if I was finding everything alright. I asked him if there were any R2-D2's anywhere and he told me that some other employees pulled them and bought them for themselves. I was utterly steamed at this. :mad: There must have been about 7 or 8 cases worth of figures on the pegs and there should have been at least 7 or 8 of them. Another reason that I HATE TRU. Luckily I can find one on ebay for around $10, but still if those lousy TRU employees wouldn't have hoarded them all (to probably sell on ebay for way more) then I could have gotten them way cheaper. Another reason TRU is not getting my SW EP II business.

Paul-Kenobi

03-03-2002, 11:36 PM

Why spend 6.99 on a figure when you can get it for 5.99 WM is the place to go on the first day i shall get

Obi
Kit
plo

Lightsabers

Anakin Saber
Dooku Saber

Lego

Jedi Duel

Bounty Hunter Prosut

GeneralKenobi

03-04-2002, 12:31 AM

I think Wal-Mart is a definite for me as well...I haven't found anything at TRU in at least a year...

jedibear

03-04-2002, 03:27 AM

Well, the frugal part of me wants to say "WalMart", but unfortunately the ones in my area (NoCal/NoBay/Sonoma) are NOT open 24/7 anymore (they close at 11pm).

Yes, the TRU is more expensive (by a buck or so per figure), but I'll be there. Maybe I won't pick up everything I want there, but I'll definately grab the 12"ers when I see 'em. Those went first with EpOne (granted, they were all easy finds later, but the Darth Maul still stayed pretty scarce..) As for the figures, I'll try'n grab a few, but I'll wait til the mext morning and hit WM for most and for any vehicles/beasts that catch my eye.

Problem is in my neck of the woods, we have a pretty big SW collecting community, so one usually has to strike quick or miss out. Although most of the stuff this last year was pretty easy to find (with the exception of the last few assortments of figures...the transition carded ones). We've got Anniversary figures galore & I'd love to find the person at Hasbro who said, "Yeah, let's make a gazillion Ketwols! He'll move alot of units!. Urk....I think it's safe to say that when the dust settles on the entire collection, that figure's going to be a shoo-in for SW pegwarmer of all time....

It's gonna be tough not scooping up everything I see at TRU that night, but considering how much money can be saved waiting (and getting even more!!), I'll try'n do it....