darkSpyro

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2...ers-swap-force/

Quote:

More than the appeal of a proposition like this though, we wanted to hear what the toy retailer made of the high prices on eBay. Storch seemed unfazed by the idea that products in Toys R Us may then sell for many times their retail value online. In fact it raised more than a smile, that this was a measure of the true value of these products that are “a bargain” when found in store.

Hahaha Fans? I bet that over half the chase variants never hit the pegs. Employees know the value of those on the secondary market and will cash in.

Exactly... It's a "bargain" to be an employee at: Best Buy, Toys R Us, Gamestop, Walmart, etc. when it comes to Skylanders

lol i watched this video early today. I also watched the interview with the activision ceo who justifys series 3 reposes like another stealth elf by saying our favorites never get old.. such as his luke sky walker action figures...

But yeah a lot of stores know about these variants by now and only the odd time will one slip by the employees

I'm sure this information is impossible to find, but I would love to know what percentage of ebay listings for chase variants are major retail store employees. I bet it is a large percentage.

I like how he believes TRU is giving people a "bargain" despite charging more per figure than any other store.

Quote: jjgames

I'm sure this information is impossible to find, but I would love to know what percentage of ebay listings for chase variants are major retail store employees. I bet it is a large percentage.

Undoubtedly. No one locally I have ever spoken to (and I've talked to a lot of people that hunt Skylanders) have ever found a variant. And given that I live in a fairly large area with many stores (2 Best Buys, 3 Walmarts, 3 Gamestops and 1 TRU all within 15 minutes drive) that is highly unusual. I mean even at 1 in 50 boxes someone would have seen at least one.

Quote: Eric-K

Exactly... It's a "bargain" to be an employee at: Best Buy, Toys R Us, Gamestop, Walmart, etc. when it comes to Skylanders

In my younger days I worked the night shift at TRU and specially the Christmas season. I can tell its no bargain to work there. Crappy hours and $. However, when I worked, among the craze were some Justice League action figures and Star Wars mini-ships. I will tell you that we would open every box and nothing "variant" ever made the floor. We did not have ebay back then so we were all collectors taking advantage of the situation. I think most variants are landing in employee collector hands, this time as well.

So, yes, most probably the sellers on ebay are employees at those stores who see it as a "bonus".

Quote: spyroflame0487

I like how he believes TRU is giving people a "bargain" despite charging more per figure than any other store.

Because compared to scalpers, it is a bargain. The more the scalpers charge, the more his prices seem "reasonable", and the more he can jack them up and still sell them.

By the way, Jerry Storch isn't the CEO anymore, he stepped down. He is still Chairman of the Board, though. It has something to do with "disappointing sales" from the holidays. Apparently being overpriced compared to every other retailer (and not just on Skylanders) isn't a wise business plan. Who knew?

I saw that video last week and everyone's comment mirrors mine. Oh, and every TRU I go in NEVER has legendaries or anything else for that matter that's worth a flip. My store still has all S1 stuff...like 50 S1 Hex, Chop Chop and Drill Seargeant. For 10.99 mind you (never mind these were going for 7.99 in 2012).

Yep, I'm getting a bargain. ##!%!$$$%

Quote: Tupelo

lol i watched this video early today. I also watched the interview with the activision ceo who justifys series 3 reposes like another stealth elf by saying our favorites never get old.. such as his luke sky walker action figures...

But yeah a lot of stores know about these variants by now and only the odd time will one slip by the employees

I commented on that video as well. I hope Eric is reading the thread...cause he's full of it. I can only justify it if they DON'T bring back a character for a season--because your customers may be new and perhaps get a character made 2 years ago. Outside of that--it's a cash grab.

Fans do get a bargain, the guy's right. TRU offers plentiful discounts, and is the only store that will provide any advance notice of new toys. He made that part a focal point, and it's true; they really do let you know when and where to get new releases at retail price. You pay a dollar extra, but what you give up in actual cash, you get back in quality of service. And that's IF they don't have a discount running, which happens seemingly on a bi-weekly basis.

^Agreed. They always have sales.

They also price match, so I don't understand why people are still whining. If you don't like it, don't go there... And quit posting about it.

-----

I know I'm a bit biased being that I work for TRU, but they really are pretty fair on their Skylanders pricing. They charge ONE dollar more, but how many times have people commented that they went to TRU on a "launch" date and gotten the full new wave the day it released. Saving not only money, but time. TRU justifies charging more because they have the biggest selection of most any store. Ever. And as others have said they run a Skylanders sale just about once a month, if not more.

TRU's markup really isn't a dealbreaker to anyone. To everyone firing comments of TRU being the devil or physically pulling money from wallets; Just cut the drama. One specific example comes to mind: Sleepy once posted that he called his local TRU and asked about the price increase and how it was justified. Supposedly the employee replied: "Cause we need more green from you!" or something to that effect.

I really do hate being so bluntly rude to y'all. I generally feel you guys are a great set of people, but I hate seeing the witch hunt on TRU that is posted here daily.

eh, its a dollar...i dont get why people care...if you dont like it, dont shop there

here in NZ you find giants range in price from 24.99 ~ 29.99 as their standard prices..and nobody cares.

Think of it this way:
We all know that TRU has the most selection of Skylanders and even sends out a Toy Alert when new ones come out (No other store does that). That alone should save you gas money that you would be spending driving around town trying to get lucky at GameStop, Target and Walmart. Plus in some citys (Like mine), you can combine the 3 stores just mentioned and still not have close the amount of Skylanders found at a TRU. Not to mention the sales that have 2-3 times a month.

They can still sell them at $1 more and they know that because they still move plenty of units. But the guy is right... It's better than buying from scalpers most of the time...
I'm actually holding off on buying Swap Force. I'm going to buy the game, then wait until sales to buy any more... K-Mart are selling Series 1 toys at a bargain now, $4.99!
I expect a similar drop for Giants toys when Swap Force is out and I plan to try and exploit it as much as I can each game. I still see lots of stock of Series 1 toys. The only ones I don't see tons of are new toys when they come out, but they're coming back surely as well. Heck, I see a lot of non-reposed stock(sans APs)!
Plus, nobody ever visits my Target for Skylanders, only ever EB Games. ALL THOSE SPROCKETS.

No witch hunt here, just a spend thrifty dad sharing his experiences...

Quote: Tashiji

Fans do get a bargain, the guy's right. TRU offers plentiful discounts, and is the only store that will provide any advance notice of new toys. He made that part a focal point, and it's true; they really do let you know when and where to get new releases at retail price. You pay a dollar extra, but what you give up in actual cash, you get back in quality of service. And that's IF they don't have a discount running, which happens seemingly on a bi-weekly basis.

Well by using that measure of performance EVERYONE gives great deals--I mean everyone has sales eventually. I'm referring to the offerings and pricing if I come in cold off the street.

Quote: IJJusion

eh, its a dollar...i dont get why people care...if you dont like it, dont shop there

$1 for ~50 skylanders and I usually buy 2 or 3 is $150. That's a week of groceries for my family. Yeah, I'm going to care, and I vote with my pocketbook. No other retailer is offering similar pricing. Basically the folks who watch the "sales" get the actual true MSRP and the folks walking off the street pays the difference.

Quote: dinoah2005

We all know that TRU has the most selection of Skylanders and even sends out a Toy Alert when new ones come out (No other store does that).

My experience with toy availability has been much different. Maybe everyone with the flyers have come in and raped the store.

Even though the inflated price is only a dollar more, I hate the fact I paid an inflated price for my Clear Stealth Elf, and Wave 3.

Quote: GhostRoaster

No witch hunt here, just a spend thrifty dad sharing his experiences...

Quote: Tashiji

Fans do get a bargain, the guy's right. TRU offers plentiful discounts, and is the only store that will provide any advance notice of new toys. He made that part a focal point, and it's true; they really do let you know when and where to get new releases at retail price. You pay a dollar extra, but what you give up in actual cash, you get back in quality of service. And that's IF they don't have a discount running, which happens seemingly on a bi-weekly basis.

Well by using that measure of performance EVERYONE gives great deals--I mean everyone has sales eventually. I'm referring to the offerings and pricing if I come in cold off the street.

Quote: IJJusion

eh, its a dollar...i dont get why people care...if you dont like it, dont shop there

$1 for ~50 skylanders and I usually buy 2 or 3 is $150. That's a week of groceries for my family. Yeah, I'm going to care, and I vote with my pocketbook. No other retailer is offering similar pricing. Basically the folks who watch the "sales" get the actual true MSRP and the folks walking off the street pays the difference.

Quote: dinoah2005

We all know that TRU has the most selection of Skylanders and even sends out a Toy Alert when new ones come out (No other store does that).

My experience with toy availability has been much different. Maybe everyone with the flyers have come in and raped the store.

When have you ever seen Walmart have a sale on figures aside from Black Friday? TRU tend to have sales going on all the time and you don't end up paying that $1 extra per figure when you buy them during sales, which happen a lot. If you're not smart enough to wait for a sale to buy all your toys, then that is your own fault. And your statement about the $150 for the $1 extra per figure being grocery money for a week for your family, if that were a problem you wouldn't be blowing all that money on toys. Buy groceries first, then buy your toys. Otherwise, if buying groceries isn't a problem for you, then don't make the comparison. It's a completely invalid argument.

They also give stuff away for free on a semi-regular basis. That Wham-Shell case thingy I got as a freebie around the launch of the game paid for three entire single packs after I got it home and sold it. I like shopping at TRU. Eye Brawl and Thumpback aside, they're the place where I've gotten all the new toys, sometimes weeks ahead of when they arrived at any other retailer. They do charge extra, but we can't act like they give nothing back. They give us plenty of luxuries other stores simply can't or don't choose to offer.

Then again, I'm an adult and can afford an extra buck. It really is hard to shop there for actual kids.

Quote: czs716

Quote: GhostRoaster

No witch hunt here, just a spend thrifty dad sharing his experiences...

Quote: Tashiji

Fans do get a bargain, the guy's right. TRU offers plentiful discounts, and is the only store that will provide any advance notice of new toys. He made that part a focal point, and it's true; they really do let you know when and where to get new releases at retail price. You pay a dollar extra, but what you give up in actual cash, you get back in quality of service. And that's IF they don't have a discount running, which happens seemingly on a bi-weekly basis.

Well by using that measure of performance EVERYONE gives great deals--I mean everyone has sales eventually. I'm referring to the offerings and pricing if I come in cold off the street.

Quote: IJJusion

eh, its a dollar...i dont get why people care...if you dont like it, dont shop there

$1 for ~50 skylanders and I usually buy 2 or 3 is $150. That's a week of groceries for my family. Yeah, I'm going to care, and I vote with my pocketbook. No other retailer is offering similar pricing. Basically the folks who watch the "sales" get the actual true MSRP and the folks walking off the street pays the difference.

Quote: dinoah2005

We all know that TRU has the most selection of Skylanders and even sends out a Toy Alert when new ones come out (No other store does that).

My experience with toy availability has been much different. Maybe everyone with the flyers have come in and raped the store.

When have you ever seen Walmart have a sale on figures aside from Black Friday? TRU tend to have sales going on all the time and you don't end up paying that $1 extra per figure when you buy them during sales, which happen a lot. If you're not smart enough to wait for a sale to buy all your toys, then that is your own fault. And your statement about the $150 for the $1 extra per figure being grocery money for a week for your family, if that were a problem you wouldn't be blowing all that money on toys. Buy groceries first, then buy your toys. Otherwise, if buying groceries isn't a problem for you, then don't make the comparison. It's a completely invalid argument.

Amen!!!
If you are worried about groceries and the extra $1, Then wait until TRU has a BOGO 40%. You would save at least $3 and now you have at least $450 for Groceries. Enough said...

You guys missed my point, but oh well. I do buy when there's sales; I also buy when there's not. When there's not a sale, and I want a product, I don't use TRU. TRU sucks for off the street purchases. I guess you guys don't manage money too well, or wait months to get your figures on sale OR---heaven forbid--go somewhere where you can save $1 on your skylanders. How can you do that? TRU is the greatest!! LOL (that's sarcasm)

My point about groceries is that someone pointed out $1 isn't a big thing. I was simply pointing out that it DOES matter-and used an extreme example to demonstrate it. You guys take me far too literally.

For me, time is money, and wasting time looking for sales isn't my thing...hence somebody give me the best street price. It's not TRU. Btw, when I do notice a sale, I do stock up...I'll give TRU that. But store selection = POOR. Their web site is serviceable, but sometimes the monkeys who pack send stuff in bubble envelopes totally destroying the product.

I like my TRU, the employees tend to be nice and I do like predictable HTA emails telling me when I can get them. HTA have been really helpful this year.

However, I am definitely not fond of their prices. Yes, they have frequent sales and yes, it's just a dollar more, but they put a higher price on EVERYTHING, not just Skylanders. Wii remotes, for example are $2 more than any other store at $41.99. Legos are considerably more expensive than the Lego Store just across the street, and that is just plain crazy - a specialty store in a major mall having better prices than a stand alone TRU? And their Reward coupons are a complete joke, the exclusions fine print could basically say "not valid on anything you want to buy" and it would be less restrictive. Also, their shipping from the website is really high, and their "free shipping" threshold is double what most other stores have.

Personally I would rather go in anytime and pay a regular price, than to get sales where I can pay lower but a higher price the rest of the time. When I want/need to get something it doesn't always line up with a sale. But, I do shop there for the convenience and selection.

It's objectively cheaper to get these things at TRU when a Hot Toy Alert or a catalog confirms they'll be there. Gas is approaching $4/gal. nationwide, and wasting time looking at other stores for figures that may or may not even be present is the REAL waste of money. Actively hunting burns (literally, in your gas tank) more cash than paying a $1 markup per figure at a guaranteed location unless you're really buying a ton of them. If you want to be cheap and wait weeks until you find them by pure coincidence on an unrelated shopping trip, sure, you'll save a couple bucks, but let's all stop acting like hunting is free. It's not.

I will say I don't know much about the Hot Alert stuff---do I go to the web site and sign up for specific toys/brands? That actually might improve my experience with TRU.

Just register for a Rewards Card, and they will e-mail you when the new figures are going to be in stock. They've been really consistent so far; I've gotten HTA for Wave 3, L. Stealth Elf, Eye Brawl/Thumpback, and I'm sure one will arrive for Wave 4 and L. LC Chill as well. Sure, I'll pay an extra dollar when I get there, but at least I know I'm only making a single stop. Hot Toy Alert has taken the frustration out of collecting for my family, and I'm spending way less on gas running all around town looking for the new toys in the process.

Quote: GhostRoaster

You guys missed my point, but oh well. I do buy when there's sales; I also buy when there's not. When there's not a sale, and I want a product, I don't use TRU. TRU sucks for off the street purchases. I guess you guys don't manage money too well, or wait months to get your figures on sale OR---heaven forbid--go somewhere where you can save $1 on your skylanders. How can you do that? TRU is the greatest!! LOL (that's sarcasm)

My point about groceries is that someone pointed out $1 isn't a big thing. I was simply pointing out that it DOES matter-and used an extreme example to demonstrate it. You guys take me far too literally.

For me, time is money, and wasting time looking for sales isn't my thing...hence somebody give me the best street price. It's not TRU. Btw, when I do notice a sale, I do stock up...I'll give TRU that. But store selection = POOR. Their web site is serviceable, but sometimes the monkeys who pack send stuff in bubble envelopes totally destroying the product.

That is your choice. Pay the extra $1 to get it earlier than other stores or spend your $1 + on gas trying to get it at the other stores, hoping they get them early. My TRU has never failed on the HTA, and I get them before others stores release them and I did not spend the extra money on gas in hope that other stores have them.

GM78, I'm not trying to denounce the fact TRU has a higher markup on Skylanders, but I do honestly feel they are the most collector friendly. Between the enormous selection (Easily double the size of the nearby Target/Walmart displays) and the HTAs, they are the easist way, in my opinion, to fill out your collection.

Honestly GM78, you are the worst advocate for arguing how high the markup is. If it were really pressing you that hard, you wouldn't buy 2 or 3 of every figure.