darkSpyro

I just got back from a Walmart store in Hamilton, NJ and they had zero Skylanders figures...not even pegs for them. I asked a cashier in electronics and she told me they got rid of them and are featuring Disney Infinity instead from now on. Do any of you guys know of other Walmart stores doing this? I took the info I was provided with a grain of salt and chalked it up as a Walmart location going rogue on not stocking Skylanders. I found it amusing. They had some Skylanders starter packs, but that's it. They did have featured sections for Disney Infinity and Nintendo Amiibo.

i hate DI and i like amiibo but this is bad!

Maybe just that store due to lack of sales! We had one Walmart in my area of 15+ stores stop ordering them also..

All the walmarts around me still order them including the one i work at, no intention of getting rid of them.

Hmm, the local Walmart I frequent has been getting super low on Skylanders as well. Everytime I go I keep thinking it's going to be restocked, but it never is. I don't live in a small town, either.

Maybe Walmart is getting rid of Skylanders for some reason?

they aren't selling there as much anymore that's why. this'll be the start of the shift of'em. i've seen walmarts around here too refuse to restock them but they'll do site to store and offer them online. i think they're trying to get out of it.

The small walmart near where i live has pretty much let Disney Infinity overrun the skylanders section. They moved all their stock (mainly swap force) to an end shelf and the only trap team stock is in those cardboard aisle stands. The larger walmarts still have them in the usual place though.

Check in toy section.

Some Wal-Marts here are putting them back in toys.

I find it interesting (from an Oz perspective) that the two larger Big W stores I have gone to (Brisbane City and Carindale, to name and shame) have bugger all Skylanders stuff but have devoted a fair amount of space to Disney Idiocy. Meanwhile, the other Big W stores I have looked at have significantly more S/Landers stuff, even if a much smaller store (hi Underwood!)

Same as above here.....the skylanders trap team section has drastically shrunk. Not getting restocked either. Amiibo and DI are just enveloping entire sections in electronics. Beginning of the end for skylanders????

Couple of things stand out for me. First, I've noticed MY OWN shopping habits. Several years ago I would reluctantly go into Wal Mart to buy skylanders, especially if there was a Wal Mart exclusive. Outside of the Enchanteds last year and the Molten and GITD Sonic Boom of Giants, I didn't buy NOT ONE other skylander there. I also suspect many other shoppers are tired of the inconsistency of their stocking / customer service. The same thing can be said to a lesser extent for Target. In my view TRU has knocked a grand slam two years running and is slaughtering competition. Convenience of online Amazon shopping cannot be understated. How many gallons of gas have you saved doing that?

In my opinion, Wal Mart shifting out of skylanders will definitely hurt Activision's bottom line...but I also think much of it can also be attributed with a shift in purchaser preference to buy these at other retailers. Wal Mart is cutthroat in terms of their real estate as well; and who's not to say Disney hasn't "helped" them to start shifting to their product.

^ helped indeed, I'm sure

Quote: GhostRoaster

Couple of things stand out for me. First, I've noticed MY OWN shopping habits. Several years ago I would reluctantly go into Wal Mart to buy skylanders, especially if there was a Wal Mart exclusive. Outside of the Enchanteds last year and the Molten and GITD Sonic Boom of Giants, I didn't buy NOT ONE other skylander there. I also suspect many other shoppers are tired of the inconsistency of their stocking / customer service. The same thing can be said to a lesser extent for Target. In my view TRU has knocked a grand slam two years running and is slaughtering competition. Convenience of online Amazon shopping cannot be understated. How many gallons of gas have you saved doing that?

In my opinion, Wal Mart shifting out of skylanders will definitely hurt Activision's bottom line...but I also think much of it can also be attributed with a shift in purchaser preference to buy these at other retailers. Wal Mart is cutthroat in terms of their real estate as well; and who's not to say Disney hasn't "helped" them to start shifting to their product.

Ah, the delicious irony of this...

Here in Oz, TRU have not only dropped the ball but managed to sit on it and get it lodged up in their nether regions. This is to the point that TRU here does not stock TT Legendaries but Big W now does. TRU here is overpriced and the only reason I ever went there was for their exclusives (only to find that their staff had no clue, anyway).

Traditionally I have purchased from:

• EB Games
  
• Big W
  
• Target
  
• KMart to some extent but the past couple of games, they have lost it as they devote too much energy on their cheap crap and not enough on licensed products / name brands
  

EB Games tops my list as the ones I have and continue to go to always price match so I can get the best price and still earn bonus carrots.

Big W are dropping said ball to some degree now (TT) so Target are fast becoming 2nd on the list. Target generally charge "RRP" whereas Big W are a tad cheaper; however, Target have been having specials for most of the TT life cycle, so far.

It is interesting to see the regional differences of the same chain. YMMV I guess.

My Walmart hasn't stocked up Skylanders for a while now either. But they also don't stock up Disney Infinity either, they never put Crystal Mickey on the shelves.

Quote: Milla4Prez66

My Walmart hasn't stocked up Skylanders for a while now either. But they also don't stock up Disney Infinity either, they never put Crystal Mickey on the shelves.

I don't know...it sounds like we're talking about Wal Mart "as they have always been".

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: Milla4Prez66

My Walmart hasn't stocked up Skylanders for a while now either. But they also don't stock up Disney Infinity either, they never put Crystal Mickey on the shelves.

I don't know...it sounds like we're talking about Wal Mart "as they have always been".

Wal Mart in general stinks, but my local one has always been lame. They either never get new stuff out or if they do, they put it on the shelves early. They had a ton of Stitch and Maleficent DI figures out a week early and wouldn't let anyone buy them lol.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: Milla4Prez66

My Walmart hasn't stocked up Skylanders for a while now either. But they also don't stock up Disney Infinity either, they never put Crystal Mickey on the shelves.

I don't know...it sounds like we're talking about Wal Mart "as they have always been".

A corporate decision to let individual store managers decide whether or not to stock Skylanders doesn't bode well for the franchise. I guess they don't value this as the hot selling item it was 2-3 years ago. I started this thread and was thinking "what the heck is going on?" when I couldn't find any Skylanders figures at all at the Walmart I mentioned. TRU has great stock, but with the $1-2 markup and the regular buy 1 get 1 40% off sales, the actual savings of each figure is less than 20% as compared to picking it up at Walmart or Target at full price. With Walmart of out of the game, it leaves only Best Buy and Target as reliable alternatives to TRU, although I find the Skylanders area at Best Buy to be quite lackluster.

Quote: chaosworrier

I find it interesting (from an Oz perspective) that the two larger Big W stores I have gone to (Brisbane City and Carindale, to name and shame) have bugger all Skylanders stuff but have devoted a fair amount of space to Disney Idiocy. Meanwhile, the other Big W stores I have looked at have significantly more S/Landers stuff, even if a much smaller store (hi Underwood!)

I miss being an ignorant 12 year old with a keyboard. "Disney Idiocy"? LOL! People like you give Skylanders fans and this forum a bad name.

Quote: IWHBYD

Quote: chaosworrier

I find it interesting (from an Oz perspective) that the two larger Big W stores I have gone to (Brisbane City and Carindale, to name and shame) have bugger all Skylanders stuff but have devoted a fair amount of space to Disney Idiocy. Meanwhile, the other Big W stores I have looked at have significantly more S/Landers stuff, even if a much smaller store (hi Underwood!)

I miss being an ignorant 12 year old with a keyboard. "Disney Idiocy"? LOL! People like you give Skylanders fans and this forum a bad name.

It is a pity that I am over three times that age - my opinion is just as valid as yours. This is a S/Lander forum, not a DI one; if I injured your tender sensibilities, then feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt. After all, I have already reciprocated...

Quote: IWHBYD

I miss being an ignorant 12 year old with a keyboard. "Disney Idiocy"? LOL! People like you give Skylanders fans and this forum a bad name.

I don't get why people are competitive over these games. It's like they feel if some other game does well it will make theirs worse. The opposite is true, it pushes both to be better. There is plenty of room in the market for both to thrive. It's like console fanboyism - without Sony's features, XBox One would have several very unpopular "features" and they wouldn't have given the ability to developers to redirect Kinect processing power to close the gap. XBox One is now giving downward price pressure on Sony (who once had that edge) and Sony's fumbles last generation made them up their game this time around. We, the gamers, win no matter what console you choose. Lack of competition breeds lack of innovation.

Infinity is fun, but it is a very different game. My youngest LOVES it, and his brother helps builds stuff for him to play in so it really helps their creativity and them playing together. But they also love Skylanders, they have been getting Minis in their Advent calendar on some days and they are a big win.

Bottom line, Skylanders forum or no, you don't have to trash Infinity as "Idiocy" (even if it isn't your style of game, because it IS for many people) to prove your bonafides for Skylanders.

As far as Walmart goes, I hate shopping there with a passion, I avoid it unless there is simply no other option. There are far too many reason to list, some store related but most corporate/Walton greed/philosophy related. Their Skylanders section in every one I've been to has been a mess since the game came out. They are probably not getting the floor space kickbacks they desire from Activision like TRU does, so they are downsizing it. Trap Team is doing far better than many expected, so I doubt it is due to lack of sales.

Quote: defpally

As far as Walmart goes, I hate shopping there with a passion, I avoid it unless there is simply no other option. There are far too many reason to list, some store related but most corporate/Walton greed/philosophy related. Their Skylanders section in every one I've been to has been a mess since the game came out. They are probably not getting the floor space kickbacks they desire from Activision like TRU does, so they are downsizing it. Trap Team is doing far better than many expected, so I doubt it is due to lack of sales.

I know we're getting off topic, but any reason why you included Walton in that list? Sam Walton was always for the consumer and never seemed to be someone greedy. I was under the assumption that Walmart was now just ran by some corporation and not really by the Walton family (even if they still have stake in it). They have definitely gotten rid of a lot of great policies that Sam Walton wanted for his stores (namely made in the USA products).

Last time I walked past them at my Walmart I noticed the section did look a lot smaller. But my neighborhood TRU is like Skylander heaven... One while isle in the back of the store and then a whole wall out in front.

Quote: chaosworrier

Quote: IWHBYD

Quote: chaosworrier

I find it interesting (from an Oz perspective) that the two larger Big W stores I have gone to (Brisbane City and Carindale, to name and shame) have bugger all Skylanders stuff but have devoted a fair amount of space to Disney Idiocy. Meanwhile, the other Big W stores I have looked at have significantly more S/Landers stuff, even if a much smaller store (hi Underwood!)

I miss being an ignorant 12 year old with a keyboard. "Disney Idiocy"? LOL! People like you give Skylanders fans and this forum a bad name.

It is a pity that I am over three times that age - my opinion is just as valid as yours. This is a S/Lander forum, not a DI one; if I injured your tender sensibilities, then feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt. After all, I have already reciprocated...

It's even worse than I thought.

My local Walmart still has a pretty hefty Skylanders selection with a bunch of new figures. They have a couple shelves and displays outside the aisle with starter packs and characters. I haven't noticed any sign of them phasing it out yet. This is the Walmart in East Greenbush, NY if anyone's wondering.

Quote: obidawsn

I know we're getting off topic, but any reason why you included Walton in that list? Sam Walton was always for the consumer and never seemed to be someone greedy. I was under the assumption that Walmart was now just ran by some corporation and not really by the Walton family (even if they still have stake in it). They have definitely gotten rid of a lot of great policies that Sam Walton wanted for his stores (namely made in the USA products).

No, Sam Walton was fine, but he has been dead a long time. His kids are greedy S.O.B.s. Sam is rolling over in his grave about now. Once upon a time they looked out for even their lowest level worker, had very employee friendly policies and benefits - most of which have been scaled way back since his death. He provided benefits many other companies didn't, including healthcare when he didn't have to and 1.5 and 2 time for holiday pay. He also didn't do this "open at 5pm on Thanksgiving" crap, and if he did the employees would have been rewarded for their sacrifice. They also made a point to hire people that were otherwise unemployable like the elderly and handicapped as greeters/non-physical labor/etc.

Now they do everything they can to pay bottom basement wages and no benefits. Including scaling hours based on denying healthcare and actively fighting attempts to get them to pay a living wage. They are also far more aggressive on muscling suppliers (though they always did this) resulting in lots of offshoring. And they actively spend profits on share buybacks instead of investing in the employees which benefit only the largest shareholders. They also deal with anyone that tries to argue for better conditions very harshly, particularly any mention of organizing.

And personally, his billionaire kids are notoriously stingy with charitable giving among the super wealthy. Even the Koch Brothers look like Santa Claus compared to them. Their idea of "doing their part" is to plow money into a vanity art museum for one of the sisters and taking a tax cut on something that benefits very few.

The skylanders section in the two walmarts I visited the other day were completely cleaned out of Skylanders, although I attributed that to Shop With A Cop.

I was in 2 different Walmarts today and both were pretty low on Skylanders and I was told they haven't ordered anything until the new releases because the sales are dropping after Black Friday.

Quote: Milla4Prez66

I was in 2 different Walmarts today and both were pretty low on Skylanders and I was told they haven't ordered anything until the new releases because the sales are dropping after Black Friday.

That logic doesn't pan out...nothing will top Black Friday weekend sales, but December sales are HUGE to the bottom line for all retailers and product manufacturers. Sounds like uneducated Walmart logic.

Quote: mastermc54

Quote: Milla4Prez66

I was in 2 different Walmarts today and both were pretty low on Skylanders and I was told they haven't ordered anything until the new releases because the sales are dropping after Black Friday.

That logic doesn't pan out...nothing will top Black Friday weekend sales, but December sales are HUGE to the bottom line for all retailers and product manufacturers. Sounds like uneducated Walmart logic.

Eh, it's what I was told. My Walmart doesn't seem to sell their current stock much at all so it probably just depends on local sales.

Quote: defpally

Quote: IWHBYD

I miss being an ignorant 12 year old with a keyboard. "Disney Idiocy"? LOL! People like you give Skylanders fans and this forum a bad name.

Bottom line, Skylanders forum or no, you don't have to trash Infinity as "Idiocy" (even if it isn't your style of game, because it IS for many people) to prove your bonafides for Skylanders.

It has nothing to do with being a "fanboi" or proving bonafides; I disdain the Disney game due to it (or more's the point, the makers) being disengenuous. I really wanted to like the game when it came out; I also dearly wanted to forgive them when DI2 came out. Neither desire came to any avail. Their business model is crap in my eyes and I have family members who have to deal with irate parents who feel stooged when fig X does not work in campaign Y.

DI devotees harp on about how each fig's packaging says what it will and won't do but I have seen first hand many times and keep hearing all of the time on how parents feel duped that fix X can't be used in campaign Y (or any campaign for many of them). The original excuse was that they did not want to "taint" a universe with other character but I don't see a big stretch in Capt Sparrow in the Wild West or a kid wanting Sorcerer Mickey to combat evil in the Incredible universe. Indeed, in DI2, where characters often swap in to other stories, it makes no sense at all for Spidey not to help the Avengers (in NY). Indeed, Nick Fury is a Spiderman campaign char, not an Avengers one?

I accept that the "toy box" mode may be a salient feature to some but, in all honesty, as a software developer the lack of detail in the story campaign reeks of lazy development to me; one that also smacks with disrespect for the customer. Handy review to cite:



Hence, my position stands. I respect that others can have their own opinion but in no way should that be accepted as a consensus; nor should that censor how I express my beliefs...

same here.
they never restock, so the toys are collecting dust.

it's the



Wal-pacolypse

Quote: ZapNorris

it's the



Wal-pacolypse

insert godzilla music

There are 4 walmarts in my city, which is crazy considering that it's a city of 140,000 residents. Anyway, only one Walmart has a decent selection of Skylanders. They have a whole aisle of figures (shared with DI) and have pretty decent stock. Two of the others have a very small display of maybe 20 pegs that is always a mess. Figures are all pulled off the pegs and laying on the shelf beneath, the plastic is pulled from the cardboard back and its mostly all SF figures. The last Walmart is one I refuse to go in due to the location in a terrible neighborhood. I'm going to guess their stock is the same or worse than the other two due to their "security" issues... I mean, any Walmart that has to hire a local police department to work off duty during open hours as part of their loss prevention team isn't going to stock a whole lot of electronics. I have reluctantlt been shopping at TRU because they have two aisles of figures and the shelves are always full and well stocked.

Quote: chaosworrier

Hence, my position stands. I respect that others can have their own opinion but in no way should that be accepted as a consensus; nor should that censor how I express my beliefs...

I respect your opinion although you are wrong....

just kidding. Well said.

For what it's worth, I went to a Walmart store 10 minutes away from the one with no Skylanders and it had it's own Skylanders section with mostly wave 1, some buddy packs, and some old Swap Force stuff. Not the best selection, but much better than nothing

I haven't actually bought Skylanders from Walmart in ages. To put it in as few words as possible - They simply don't have the shelf space to support it.

Nearly all of my non-exclusive Skylander shopping has been Toys R Us.
They have a WHOLE AISLE dedicated for Skylanders. More space = more product to buy to fill those spaces and more wiggle room for stocking new items (in case any aren't selling so well). I don't like the markup there, but I'll gladly take it vs spending more time/gas money checking competitors since they reliably update their stock.
I'll go to another place if I read online that they've been getting things in early (like the wave 2 traps) but I typically see less-updated stock from those stores.

I have the same experience as Okaps. I bought WFLS at WalMart and 1 trap. That is it. Just about everything else has come from TRU (on sale & with 10% off with my TRU CC).

After looking around some more, today, I'm realizing that many stores don't seem to be stocking Skylanders. I'm not sure why. Even my TRU is bare, which is unusual because they normally have loads of Skylanders during the holidays. It's sad, though, that they had a good sale, this week, with no good selection all week. Of course, they'll put the new ones out after the sale.

Quote: defpally

Quote: obidawsn

I know we're getting off topic, but any reason why you included Walton in that list? Sam Walton was always for the consumer and never seemed to be someone greedy. I was under the assumption that Walmart was now just ran by some corporation and not really by the Walton family (even if they still have stake in it). They have definitely gotten rid of a lot of great policies that Sam Walton wanted for his stores (namely made in the USA products).

No, Sam Walton was fine, but he has been dead a long time. His kids are greedy S.O.B.s. Sam is rolling over in his grave about now. Once upon a time they looked out for even their lowest level worker, had very employee friendly policies and benefits - most of which have been scaled way back since his death. He provided benefits many other companies didn't, including healthcare when he didn't have to and 1.5 and 2 time for holiday pay. He also didn't do this "open at 5pm on Thanksgiving" crap, and if he did the employees would have been rewarded for their sacrifice. They also made a point to hire people that were otherwise unemployable like the elderly and handicapped as greeters/non-physical labor/etc.

Now they do everything they can to pay bottom basement wages and no benefits. Including scaling hours based on denying healthcare and actively fighting attempts to get them to pay a living wage. They are also far more aggressive on muscling suppliers (though they always did this) resulting in lots of offshoring. And they actively spend profits on share buybacks instead of investing in the employees which benefit only the largest shareholders. They also deal with anyone that tries to argue for better conditions very harshly, particularly any mention of organizing.

And personally, his billionaire kids are notoriously stingy with charitable giving among the super wealthy. Even the Koch Brothers look like Santa Claus compared to them. Their idea of "doing their part" is to plow money into a vanity art museum for one of the sisters and taking a tax cut on something that benefits very few.

That's why I try to never shop there. Heck, the last time I bought something there, I think it was Enchanted star strike. I haven't bought any Skylander there since that I couldn't get another way.

DEPENDS on where you are i guess. my local store is bare as far as trap team BUT CLEARANCE section is overflowing with swaps.But 30 minutes away trap team is alive and well with no swaps insight. also i think it depends on store size as my local in rockland county ny has no grocery.....

the only things i ever buy from walmart are exclusives, and other things only if i'm in the area.

the only thing walmart stocked was the buddy pack of fryno and little fry along with a special mega blocks kit that has a slap shot spinner along with a torch figure. nothing for everything else at all. the one at mine remains to be clean of new figs

One of my two Walmart stores has stopped restocking figures, as well. At this point, though, jumping to any conclusion as to why is premature and silly. The shelves go bare every Christmas.

The more telling tale is that Walmart has allowed some stores to do away entirely with their Skylanders section. I'm not talking about empty pegs...the entire real estate in the store that they used to occupy is completely gone while Disney Infinity and Nintendo Amiibo are still prominently featured. It's only the one store in my area which has done that, but it's not a good sign that stock at stores is dwindling and not one sign of wave 3 at a Walmart yet.

The Wal-Mart I Work for..
Had 1 Water Trap on the shelf and in the Backroom there was 24 of them not even been stocked....
I said something to the manager and she said they would stock it up today so it may not be the case of them not getting them in...
It may just be a case of people not wanting to put them out....

Quote: Eureka7

The Wal-Mart I Work for..
Had 1 Water Trap on the shelf and in the Backroom there was 24 of them not even been stocked....
I said something to the manager and she said they would stock it up today so it may not be the case of them not getting them in...
It may just be a case of people not wanting to put them out....

That's exactly my thought about some stores, especially at Walmart. They're lucky to put stuff out on release date, not less just random stuff that's sitting in the back.

My walmart (which is the only store in our area) hasn't had anything since wave 1 Last I looked, there were empty pegs and a bunch of W1 traps along with Gusto and minis.

Quote: seablossom

My walmart (which is the only store in our area) hasn't had anything since wave 1 Last I looked, there were empty pegs and a bunch of W1 traps along with Gusto and minis.

Sounds like every other Walmart I've been too. Maybe something happened between Activision and Walmart to make them not want to promote Skylanders as much anymore.