What the FREAK is up with W-M??????!!!!!!

[Mandalorian Candidat]

I just read SirSteve's news post on the W-M price increase for POTJ stuff. DON'T THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL TO BE ABLE TO RAISE THE PRICE!!! It's bad enough that they are not stocking their pegs, but then they add insult to injury by pulling this crap. That's about the only reason why I still try W-M, because they have the cheapest price.

There's definitely no reason for them to be doing this except to keep their profits up. I can see some dopey fata** executive in Arkansas whining about how SW sales are so low so why don't they raise the price.

YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL BEFORE YOU CAN MAKE MONEY IDIOTS!!!

Just a second, I'm hyperventilating...

...OK, please pass the valium. I need to drift off into oblivion now.

[evenflow]

Exactly....

[JediCole]

I had not checked out the news since earlier today, so this is the first I've heard of the Wal-Mart price increase. I guess I'll have to look at the home page here before I log off. Anyway, Sith Worm told me that his local Wal-Mart had all Star Wars (yes, POTJ) at $3.00 each! They had TONS of Tusken Raiders, but also Theed Amidalas, Coruscant Guards, and a handful of others.

The above illustrates the real problem with Wal-Mart and part of the frustration on the part of the author of this thread. NO CONSISTANCY! Your local Wal-Mart has nothing to raise the price on while the one in Sith Worm's neck of the woods (prior to this remarkable and seemingly unique price reduction) was always well stocked. I have at least two stores in my area, maybe three and they NEVER have a blessed thing! And one store (historically) will have sweeping markdowns while every single other store in the area (and that is about seven of them if you are up for a drive around) has nothing on sale. One store has tons while others never have anything and never show signs of having anything. I think the problem is not just Wal-Mart in general, but the lack of a consistant plan of action for EVERY SINGLE STORE and a set of rules that insure that all stores are stocked in the same way. I honestly believe that the toy department is the whipping boy of the whole store structure. The assignment no employee wants because it is almost impossible to maintain. And (I have voiced this before) to the average employee saddled with the toy department, a hot toy like Star Wars is no different than a cap gun (do they still make those?), a bike horn, or a Barbie doll. If they have some on the pegs that is good enough for them. So at one store you may have someone with the capacity to recognize trends and rotate thier Star Wars stock while at another you have some slovenly half-wit who has no concept of marketing, perhaps with a back room burgeoning with stock that is not put out because, "the shelves look full to me", or who does not order additional stock from their central distribution for exactly the same reason.
I understand your frustration, I experience it all the time. This doesn't help matters but may shed some light on what seems a really stupid situation. Because it is!

[Mandalorian Candidat]

Whoa! And I thought I needed some Prozac!

I think we all know who to give the "Unibomber Manifesto" award of the month to...

Seriously, I agree. It seems like all these retailers need to get their collective heads out.

[El Chuxter]

Wal-Mart in Southern California isn't consistent even within a few mile radius. The Wal-Mart in San Bernardino had the 12" Maul w/ Speeder on clearance for $10! But it was bashed to pieces, so I checked the one in Redlands, barely five miles away. No Speeders in stock, but they had some of the Legos on clearance. I'd never bought any SW Legos, but I couldn't pass up a $10 Battledroid, $15 Pit Droid, and $8 C-3PO. I haven't figured out why the Pit Droid was by far the priciest, nor why the Stormtrooper (from all indications in the same assortment as C-3PO) was still $34.88! So I stop by the Wal-Mart in Hemet, about 25 miles east of Redlands. Both the Legos and the Sith Speeder are full price! I decided to stop back by the first one, get the lousy Speeder, and exchange it in Hemet, but it was gone. Luckily, if it ever gets marked down in Hemet, there are about fifty million of them!

This is especially weird, since Roanoke, VA (where I lived before moving to SoCal) had three Wal-Marts which loved to clearance Star Wars figures. I got such great buys as the Power FX X-Wing for $12 and a couple of Banthas at $8 each. But the thing is--if I saw something on sale for a price at one, it was the same at all three. Maybe it was the store managers communicating better, I dunno.

[Neo Solo]

I think it's all a conspiracy. I was at W-M earlier this year. Lots of unopened boxes on a pallet. Do you think that I could get anyone to open some cases so I could BUY some figures. NOOOOO!

It's all a conspira-freekin'-cy!!!!!

[Lowly Bantha Cleaner]

I noticed and reported on what Wally Mart had done, a couple weeks ago.

(Apparently the link below won't work, but it was on the old forums dated 8/2/01)

http://www.sirstevesguide.com/forums...y&threadid=349


Up to that point, POTJ figures have been selling rather briskly in my area (with the exception of Porkins), especially when you compare it to the Episode 1 debacle. New figures seemed to be hitting the pegs every week or so. But since then, the figures are starting to gather dust and it's been more than a couple of weeks since I have seen new figures roll in, plus the space for Star Wars has been moved to an oddball location and shelf area has been reduced. Thanks a lot Mr. Walton! (Even though you are deceased).

[Mandalorian Candidat]

That's just wacky. I thought it was only in my area where there were weird W-M problems, but I guess it makes sense that it would happed elsewhere.

A few years ago, the W-M in Paramount, CA used to regularly get figures that were no longer in production. As if it were the repository of all HTF I would frequently find FF C3 POTF stuff. One time I went and found two FF AT-ST drivers for $1.50 each. Another time they had a Zuckuss for $1.50. A third time there was a Leia in bondage for $1. When the CTC Greedos came out I found a GC Greedo at the same price as the CTC ones mixed in with them.

I thought this might happen with the other W-M in my area in Cerritos, but the only odd figure I ever saw was a OC Lando in mint shape for $5 in 1999.

Pretty freaking weird.

[JediTricks]

Originally posted by Neo Solo
I think it's all a conspiracy. I was at W-M earlier this year. Lots of unopened boxes on a pallet. Do you think that I could get anyone to open some cases so I could BUY some figures. NOOOOO!

I've had the same thing, so I've resorted to using my keys to open those suckers up. I'm always waiting for that fight when an employee gives me a hard time, I've got the whole "look, I'm buying enough for me and leaving the rest, just because nobody in your store wants to help me, that doesn't mean I should be deprived of my right to purchase products here" speech ready to go (and yes, it WILL go on a lot longer than that) before I send them to get the manager. I'm sick of employees treating me like I'm an undesirable just because I want to buy toys and they don't want to shelve them, it's discriminatory to tell folks who they deem "collectors" that they can't do what the other customers can simply based on our looks or our hobby.

Oh, and Wal-marts are confusing as heck, I can never figure out why their prices change from store to store.

[Mandalorian Candidat]

Hot damn, JT! I'm going to use your speech next time I get that 'tude from a $5.50/hour W-M/Target/TRU employee. I'll add my own little tag line of "Don't talk to me, talk to the foot up your big A."