darkSpyro - Spyro and Skylanders Forum > Skylanders: Trap Team > A Barren Walmart Skylanders Display
Page 1 of 2 | Last
1 2
A Barren Walmart Skylanders Display
fairyland Emerald Sparx Gems: 3800
#1 Posted: 02:59:08 19/05/2015 | Topic Creator
We all know that Walmart has really sucked this year in getting Skylanders out to the public. I thought that some people may get a kick out of seeing this though. My local Walmart (New Hartford, NY) only has one Swap Force pack for sale and of course some water traps as there is no way to ever get rid of those. Additionally, they have a sea of starter packs (lots more around the corner too!)

[User Posted Image]

What's most annoying is that Kaos still goes off whenever someone walks by. Like give it up Kaos, there's nothing left there to sell! No one cares to press the trap BUTTTOOON any longer.

Sadly all of my local Walmarts are similar to this. One of them filled the pegs up with old Giants figures (seems they'll never run out of Giants figures to put out). Another just shrunk the Skylanders space down to two small rows of old figures and hiding them with the rest of the forgettable electronics.

Of course the Infinity is well over-stocked and Amiibos...well it's the same old common figures that you can get anywhere at any time. I'm never certain if they are actually selling them and replacing them instantly or if I'm seeing the same exact ones each time I visit the store. At this point, I'm welcoming that Lego game just to see something different on the shelves for once.
---
Stay Cool!
TrapShadowFan Emerald Sparx Gems: 3500
#2 Posted: 05:41:50 19/05/2015
Wal-Mart's skylander market is slowly dying. In fact, they didn't even get any exclusive variants this time around, and my local wal-mart hasn't received any new Skylanders since wave 1 of Trap Team! I can't see them getting many new ones in the future, and if they do, straight to the bargain bin they'd go.
Bifrost Diamond Sparx Gems: 9943
#3 Posted: 08:48:17 19/05/2015
Well, the negative nancies will show up to say how it is a sign that Skylanders is failing, but since day one people are complaining about Walmart's stock, and for the other two series as well every now and then. Still kind of sad to see the display going unused when there are stores without one that have better stock, or so I heard.
---
SO I'LL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT
(What I need is never what I want)
Street50 Gold Sparx Gems: 2060
#4 Posted: 08:59:30 19/05/2015
the walmarts in my area look the exact same except maybe a few more swap force singles and a bunch more water traps. Really they should start trying to give the water traps away for pennies.
pezskylander Gold Sparx Gems: 2496
#5 Posted: 09:56:43 19/05/2015
Same thing at my Walmart. Just a few water traps and nothing else on the hooks.
KiDFass65 Gold Sparx Gems: 2922
#6 Posted: 10:31:29 19/05/2015
The Walmart appear to be doing their inventory count. When I was at my local Walmart I noticed several inventory sheet and signs of "Do Not Count" around displays.
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#7 Posted: 11:13:40 19/05/2015
Quote: KiDFass65
The Walmart appear to be doing their inventory count. When I was at my local Walmart I noticed several inventory sheet and signs of "Do Not Count" around displays.


Walmart does inventories virtually all year long. One store might inventory in February, while another won't inventory until October. Think about it. 4,000 different stores, if they did inventories every single day of the year, they'd have to inventory ten stores a day as it is. And they don't do inventories between November and January (generally).

Quote: fairyland
Of course the Infinity is well over-stocked [...]


In my humble opinion (and with no inside knowledge whatsoever), it would appear that Walmart bet a lot of money on the wrong horse. Had several promos with Infinity, including gift card promos, timed exclusives, and the Frozen DVD tie-in. Had... err... The Buddy Packs for Trap Team. Yeah. That's not to say Infinity sold poorly or anything - just not in-proportion to the amount of effort put into it.
Txholdem1224 Yellow Sparx Gems: 1793
#8 Posted: 11:56:46 19/05/2015
One of my local Wal-Mart stores didn't help themselves any by choosing not to put out the stock of figures they had in the back. It was one week after launch of Trap Team before they put ANY figures out, and it was over a month after release before they put out any Wave 2 figures, and even then, it was only because I asked for them. I gave them product ID numbers of Wave 2 figures I was looking for, the employee went to the back and returned a few minutes later with a rolling cart of 7 or 8 cases of figures. Kinda hard to sell them if you don't put them out for sale.
Unreallystic Emerald Sparx Gems: 3054
#9 Posted: 12:08:52 19/05/2015
Quote: Bifrost
Well, the negative nancies will show up to say how it is a sign that Skylanders is failing, but since day one people are complaining about Walmart's stock, and for the other two series as well every now and then. Still kind of sad to see the display going unused when there are stores without one that have better stock, or so I heard.


I actually sort of called this before launch, the amount of space required for Trap Team is immense for a retailer, so anyone without the infrastructure like TRU, is going to have a miserable time. Target is NO different than Walmart. Gamestop has done a good job honestly with regards to stock and Best Buy, while a bit behind on waves, seem to carry a solid stock of newer figures, but I blame the game itself more than sales or the stores.
- Unreall
obidawsn Gold Sparx Gems: 2901
#10 Posted: 13:52:35 19/05/2015
My local Walmarts haven't done well, but better than that. At least they put out recent waves of figures. One store even has two sections set aside for Skylanders. Strange thing is that they usually put the new stuff in the secondary display instead of the main Skylanders display. So if you look at the main display, it looks like they don't have much in (or, at least, new stuff).
lamoracke Yellow Sparx Gems: 1635
#11 Posted: 16:26:37 19/05/2015
I boycott Walmart so none of this is discouraging to me, but often when new waves are coming out, I go to Walmart as well. With the exception of the buddy packs, or that mega block / trap team combo thing have not seen much at any Walmart this year at all the few times I have gone to them to look around.
DaMadNes Blue Sparx Gems: 944
#12 Posted: 17:13:23 19/05/2015
The interesting part is that Infinity, right across the aisle is always packed to the gills. I wonder if it means one is selling and the other is not, and if so, which one is which.
lamoracke Yellow Sparx Gems: 1635
#13 Posted: 17:58:48 19/05/2015
One nice thing about Infinity, is that you can pretty much get everything you need, character wise, with a store or two. You can't say that with Amiibo or Skylanders.
darkchylde28 Gold Sparx Gems: 2175
#14 Posted: 21:30:33 19/05/2015
Quote: lamoracke
One nice thing about Infinity, is that you can pretty much get everything you need, character wise, with a store or two. You can't say that with Amiibo or Skylanders.

While true, to me it indicates two problematic things: Overproduction & lack of fan interest. Skylanders has had their issues with scarcity due to underestimating fan responses at times. Nintendo's Amiibo scarcity is artificially produced which is just as potentially problematic as Inifinity's overproduction.

-Doug
---
SSA: Complete, SG: Complete, SSF: Complete, STT: Complete (Save Yawn Traps), SSC: Complete (To Date) + Various Chase/Promotional Variants
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#15 Posted: 21:45:18 19/05/2015
Quote: darkchylde28
Nintendo's Amiibo scarcity is artificially produced [...]


Source?
Bionichute Yellow Sparx Gems: 1889
#16 Posted: 22:10:52 19/05/2015
Pretty sure Amiibo scarcity was caused by a harbor strike.
---
I'M A KAMEN RIDER
//forum.darkspyro.net/spyro/viewposts.php?topic=129460 Check out my Skylanders game idea!
4inCreation Gold Sparx Gems: 2989
#17 Posted: 23:59:31 19/05/2015
My nearest Walmart only had a couple traps hanging with Infinity last time I was there. An employee said they weren't stocking them anymore at that store. Maybe not for the moment, but it was funny that my Walgreens had better stock.
Tigorus Emerald Sparx Gems: 3589
#18 Posted: 00:50:24 20/05/2015
Quote: UncleBob
Quote: darkchylde28
Nintendo's Amiibo scarcity is artificially produced [...]


Source?


It's a fairly old rumor that Nintendo has always created their own market shortage thus increasing it's popularity. Nintendo has never come out a said "Yes we create false demand by engineering our own shortages to create fevered demand and increased popularity". They have done this since the 90's though. There's no way a company can still be caught "unaware" on some new thing thus creating a shortage. EVERY Gamestop, TRU electronics, and every other Nerd/Geek I talk to about this know exactly what I'm talking about (I'm talking about 30+'s here not teens). EVERY new Nintendo system has been extremely hard to secure at launch (honestly not sure about WiiU) since the SNES. Plus with the Amiibo's, they were the only ones other than Skylanders (technically they still had a deep bench to pull from other than new waves) to be out everywhere...and by out, I mean unavailable. Infinity had most everything out by February with a few stragglers in the spring. I NEVER once was unable to find a new figure when it launched. Activision and Nintendo should take note regarding Infinity's distribution and how fast they get the merch. to the players.
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#19 Posted: 01:06:53 20/05/2015
Rumor doesn't equal fact though.

Nintendo has had "market shortages" since the 80's (Radarscope machines and Game & Watch systems aside). Here's the deal though - it's pretty well documented (see, David Sheff's Game Over, various interviews with Yamauchi, Reggie, Iwata, etc., research done by various industry analysts) that Nintendo is a pretty conservative company (perhaps this goes back to the metric crap-ton of Radarscope and Game & Watch they had to deal with) when it comes to production numbers.

Don't get me wrong, it's totally, 100% on them that they can't get the situation with amiibo figured out - but the idea that it's some devious plan to sell more product by not having product available to sell... naw.

Check out Hanlon's Razor.
abstractsardine Gold Sparx Gems: 2244
#20 Posted: 01:25:21 20/05/2015
This is is sign... Walmart shall fall and and the lords of the underworld Target, Best Buy, Walgreens, Amazon, Ebay, Game Stop, and Diablo shall rise...


or Walmart is giving up on Skylanders... could be that as well.
TakeYourLemons Gold Sparx Gems: 2350
#21 Posted: 03:27:54 20/05/2015
Negative Nancies or not, having to sell your product in less stores instead of more stores is not a positive trend, Bitfrost. I think Trap Team overreached on the product this time around, and VV will pay the price on their effort. I hope they scale it more realistically.
Tigorus Emerald Sparx Gems: 3589
#22 Posted: 03:34:05 20/05/2015
Quote: UncleBob
Rumor doesn't equal fact though.

Nintendo has had "market shortages" since the 80's (Radarscope machines and Game & Watch systems aside). Here's the deal though - it's pretty well documented (see, David Sheff's Game Over, various interviews with Yamauchi, Reggie, Iwata, etc., research done by various industry analysts) that Nintendo is a pretty conservative company (perhaps this goes back to the metric crap-ton of Radarscope and Game & Watch they had to deal with) when it comes to production numbers.

Don't get me wrong, it's totally, 100% on them that they can't get the situation with amiibo figured out - but the idea that it's some devious plan to sell more product by not having product available to sell... naw.

Check out Hanlon's Razor.


See though with Amiibo it's different. Previously Nintendo was the innovator. In the case of the Amiibo's they are simply jumping on the band wagon but doing it half-assed. There's no dedicated Amiibo game and only one game save per Amiibo...WTF is that?!? How hard would it have been to make an action/adventure/rpg/etc. game that combines their i.p.'s? Who wouldn't have bought that? Usually they (Nintendo) are all about the original and innovative experience. This Amiibo thing has me scratching my head. I'm also not buying the conservative approach to their entry in the "Toys to Life" market for two reasons. First Skylanders and Infinity already paved the way for the market to succeed and people are pretty much throwing their money at brick and mortar retailers as well as their computer screens with online retailers. The market is established and still on the rise. Second, they KNOW people are already rabid for their i.p.'s so the conservative approach is totally unwarranted. They have their brand with various toy and collectible markets already so they know there's already a demand for the figures alone. I honestly don't know what the hell they're doing with Amiibo's.


On a related note with the topic, one of my area Walmart's only has that Gil Grunt/Runt two pack...and I believe that's their exclusive anyway.
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#23 Posted: 03:42:56 20/05/2015
Nintendo doesn't seem to realize how much of a desire there is for their IPs in the market. It was *just* recently that Nintendo really made any kind of efforts to even license out their IPs.

Lots of people were predicting amiibo to be a huge failure. You mentioned many of the reasons people kept saying it was going to fail (no dedicated games, DLC-esque add-ons, limited memory, etc.). And the flagship system has been doing pretty dang poorly in sales - so (combined with the amount of space dedicated to Infinity and Skylanders) even retailers were reluctant to place substantive orders.

It's not unreasonable or unprecedented for Nintendo to be conservative with production numbers.
Tigorus Emerald Sparx Gems: 3589
#24 Posted: 03:55:22 20/05/2015
Quote: UncleBob
Nintendo doesn't seem to realize how much of a desire there is for their IPs in the market. It was *just* recently that Nintendo really made any kind of efforts to even license out their IPs.

Lots of people were predicting amiibo to be a huge failure. You mentioned many of the reasons people kept saying it was going to fail (no dedicated games, DLC-esque add-ons, limited memory, etc.). And the flagship system has been doing pretty dang poorly in sales - so (combined with the amount of space dedicated to Infinity and Skylanders) even retailers were reluctant to place substantive orders.

It's not unreasonable or unprecedented for Nintendo to be conservative with production numbers.


Personally I don't get it. My TRU is PACKED with Bowsers, Links, Peach's Marios and Luigi's. It's just so unlike them to enter a market that they weren't prepared for (partial sarcasm). It will be interesting to see how Lego does with their launch. At least their stuff is two fold. It's a Lego set as well as video game content. That being said, will they have shortages, overages, too much variety (at this point that's viable since they HAVE a crap-load of i.p.'s and set pieces for their game). This industry is it's own form of entertainment from a spectators perspective. I'm still waiting to see if Hasbro tries to enter the market since they have Transformers, Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony, Gi Joe and many others at their disposal.
JCat Yellow Sparx Gems: 1540
#25 Posted: 03:57:44 20/05/2015
Well, I've been employed at Walmart since the 5th. besides that my Walmart seems fine with having current and older Skylanders for sale. They even have a thriving Infinity section right next to it.

I work as Matenince so not that I know all the ins and outs or anything. though being a customer I also am sad that their little Trap team machine isn't working. Their Skylander's things harder ever work :'(.
---
Main Team: smiliesmiliesmiliesmiliesmiliesmiliesmiliesmilie
~N~
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#26 Posted: 04:19:08 20/05/2015
Quote: Tigorus
Personally I don't get it. My TRU is PACKED with Bowsers, Links, Peach's Marios and Luigi's.


Think about it - what did Nintendo license out for years before amiibo? Did we see anything Fire Emblem? StarFox? Maybe some Kirby stuff, but I don't recall a King Dedede (and there was even a Kirby TV show!). Meanwhile, I have 5 different sets of Mario trading cards from the past 10 years.

Quote:
It's just so unlike them to enter a market that they weren't prepared for (partial sarcasm).


Must be new to Nintendo. Nintendo has a history of jumping head-first into things they don't fully have a grasp on. It's not a perfect history, but I highly, highly recommend reading David Sheff's book "Game Over". It's a great read - good enough I tracked down a first printing and had it personalized & autographed by the author. ;) If you have *any* interest in the history of Nintendo, check it out. :D
Kevin16 Emerald Sparx Gems: 4524
#27 Posted: 14:05:11 20/05/2015
And i thought it was horrible in the netherlands o.o just wave 1 characters and water and life traps...
---
what even is this site anymore lmao
Unreallystic Emerald Sparx Gems: 3054
#28 Posted: 15:59:46 20/05/2015
The Nintendo back and fourth is actually entertaining to me.

Nintendo is DEF a conservative company, they have so much money in reserve that they can function conservatively, and when something catches fire, use that to refill the reserves, its why they didn't rush out a new systemafter the Wii U flopped. They stuck with it and are trying to drive it out of the failure category into 'respectable'. They failed out the gate by not having their own IP games ready though, it took WAY too long for Wii U based Smash, Kart, Zelda, etc. But anyways, they can eat a bad console cycle, so yes they are conservative.

Here's the problem though, that 'rumor' about creating their own interest via low units, is not really just a rumor, its a calculated business plan, tied directly to them being conservative and having strong reliable IPs. Marinate on it. Since the N64, they've been behind in hardware strength, not only that, they've pretty much used the same hardware, scaled up since the Gamecube *why emulators can do so much*. Production 'speed' for them should be minimal. Well I worked at Best Buy when the Wii came out, and I still can't comprehend why it was so difficult for them to keep enough in the wild to populate shelves. It HAD to be on purpose.

That's how I view the amiibo thing. It is on purpose, not in the 'cruel' sense of "oh we are intentially drumming up interest with low inventory", but "we welcome the interest from us not going full steam ahead". The amiibos aren't doing great in Japan. Its not catching (unless something changed over the past month or so). so what's different in the States?

eBay!
Craiglist!
- Unreall
The Bone Chompy Yellow Sparx Gems: 1201
#29 Posted: 16:23:24 20/05/2015
Amiibos are not doing good in Japan? Well no wonder, Skylanders flopped there...
---
^This might be sarcasm.
TakeYourLemons Gold Sparx Gems: 2350
#30 Posted: 16:27:32 20/05/2015
Quote: The Bone Chompy
Amiibos are not doing good in Japan? Well no wonder, Skylanders flopped there...


Link to source on skylanders flopping in Japan? Curious.
The Bone Chompy Yellow Sparx Gems: 1201
#31 Posted: 16:36:47 20/05/2015
Quote: TakeYourLemons
Quote: The Bone Chompy
Amiibos are not doing good in Japan? Well no wonder, Skylanders flopped there...


Link to source on skylanders flopping in Japan? Curious.



No solid proof, but after Spyro's Adventure in 2013, nothing new.
---
^This might be sarcasm.
Matteomax Platinum Sparx Gems: 5378
#32 Posted: 17:17:18 20/05/2015
Quote: The Bone Chompy
Quote: TakeYourLemons
Quote: The Bone Chompy
Amiibos are not doing good in Japan? Well no wonder, Skylanders flopped there...


Link to source on skylanders flopping in Japan? Curious.



No solid proof, but after Spyro's Adventure in 2013, nothing new.



More than 1/2 of the figures available on ToysRUs Japan's website are out of stock. It isn't flopping at all.
---
Will still be checking the forums every now and then!
Edited 1 time - Last edited at 17:17:33 20/05/2015 by Matteomax
Unreallystic Emerald Sparx Gems: 3054
#33 Posted: 17:37:30 20/05/2015
Quote: Matteomax
Quote: The Bone Chompy
Quote: TakeYourLemons


Link to source on skylanders flopping in Japan? Curious.



No solid proof, but after Spyro's Adventure in 2013, nothing new.



More than 1/2 of the figures available on ToysRUs Japan's website are out of stock. It isn't flopping at all.


For Spyro's? Half the figures? That doesn't say its doing good, too many variables, low stock due to being, well old figures, low stock because this was more of a test to see if its worth bringing over there, could be part of the sculpture culture, etc.

I'm not saying it flopped, I just havne't heard ANYTHING about it, which is not how Activision works, if it did well, we would know by now.
- Unreall
Portal___Master Emerald Sparx Gems: 3718
#34 Posted: 18:33:34 20/05/2015
Hmm, guess we're the odd man out in that our 3 local walmarts are stocked with SkyLanders from SSA, SG, SSF, and STT even modern ones of High Five, Short Cut, etc.
---
smilie
Guinness Book of World Records holder for Largest SkyLanders Collection.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SkyLandersCollectorsGroup
The Bone Chompy Yellow Sparx Gems: 1201
#35 Posted: 21:02:04 20/05/2015
Quote: Matteomax
Quote: The Bone Chompy
Quote: TakeYourLemons


Link to source on skylanders flopping in Japan? Curious.



No solid proof, but after Spyro's Adventure in 2013, nothing new.



More than 1/2 of the figures available on ToysRUs Japan's website are out of stock. It isn't flopping at all.


Like Unreall said, there are a lot of things that could contribute to that. Maybe it' seen out of stock for a looong time. Maybe they sold but they're not replenishing it. Besides, my main point that it flopped was that after 2 years, Giants isn't out yet.
---
^This might be sarcasm.
goldenrushducks Yellow Sparx Gems: 1572
#36 Posted: 21:37:31 20/05/2015
I don't go to Walmart often, but last time i checked, they only had GSG toys, and few SSF toys. My target has been failing too, in fact they only have one Knight Mare, Wave three traps, 50 Head rushes, and 50 nitro head rushes.
Edited 1 time - Last edited at 21:38:59 20/05/2015 by goldenrushducks
TheShadowDragon Ripto Gems: 2886
#37 Posted: 23:20:36 20/05/2015
I don't want to bum everyone else here, but seeing this made me do a lot of thinking. Perhaps I should sell some of my Skylanders stuff away while keeping the ones I like most.
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#38 Posted: 23:22:35 20/05/2015
I'm inclined to think SSA bombed in Japan. Two years since it released, no Giants follow-up and I'm not even sure the entire line-up from the first game was released there (but I wouldn't swear on it).
The Bone Chompy Yellow Sparx Gems: 1201
#39 Posted: 00:17:14 21/05/2015
Quote: UncleBob
I'm inclined to think SSA bombed in Japan. Two years since it released, no Giants follow-up and I'm not even sure the entire line-up from the first game was released there (but I wouldn't swear on it).



No sequel. But yes, all of them were released, but without anything showing that they are from Japan. Which could have (but didn't, thankfully) start a scalper uprising in Japan with them selling "Rare" "used" Darklight Crypt Packs from Japan (which they obviously wouldn't mention) out of their package, for 2x retail.

One thing though, look at CoinOPTV's "Skylanders BIG in Japan video. That video really just kills our argument.

EDIT:I have not seen the video and can't. Sorry.
---
^This might be sarcasm.
Edited 2 times - Last edited at 00:20:08 21/05/2015 by The Bone Chompy
Bifrost Diamond Sparx Gems: 9943
#40 Posted: 00:19:27 21/05/2015
Quote: TheShadowDragon
I don't want to bum everyone else here, but seeing this made me do a lot of thinking. Perhaps I should sell some of my Skylanders stuff away while keeping the ones I like most.


Well if you're not collecting seriously,why not. Sell who you play the least or has no fun with, save up to buy the new game and whatever new guys catch your eye.
---
SO I'LL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT
(What I need is never what I want)
goldenrushducks Yellow Sparx Gems: 1572
#41 Posted: 00:42:59 21/05/2015
Quote: UncleBob
I'm inclined to think SSA bombed in Japan. Two years since it released, no Giants follow-up and I'm not even sure the entire line-up from the first game was released there (but I wouldn't swear on it).



Quote: The Bone Chompy
Quote: UncleBob
I'm inclined to think SSA bombed in Japan. Two years since it released, no Giants follow-up and I'm not even sure the entire line-up from the first game was released there (but I wouldn't swear on it).



No sequel. But yes, all of them were released, but without anything showing that they are from Japan. Which could have (but didn't, thankfully) start a scalper uprising in Japan with them selling "Rare" "used" Darklight Crypt Packs from Japan (which they obviously wouldn't mention) out of their package, for 2x retail.

One thing though, look at CoinOPTV's "Skylanders BIG in Japan video. That video really just kills our argument.

EDIT:I have not seen the video and can't. Sorry.


SG was released in Japan, You can find the portal owners pack at a Japanese website.
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#42 Posted: 01:02:16 21/05/2015
Link, please?
I can't find anywhere listing a Japanese version of Giants. I can find Japanese-based sites selling NA/EU versions of Giants though.
SlayerX11 Emerald Sparx Gems: 3488
#43 Posted: 02:09:22 21/05/2015
Quote: fairyland
We all know that Walmart has really sucked this year in getting Skylanders out to the public. I thought that some people may get a kick out of seeing this though. My local Walmart (New Hartford, NY) only has one Swap Force pack for sale and of course some water traps as there is no way to ever get rid of those. Additionally, they have a sea of starter packs (lots more around the corner too!)

[User Posted Image]

What's most annoying is that Kaos still goes off whenever someone walks by. Like give it up Kaos, there's nothing left there to sell! No one cares to press the trap BUTTTOOON any longer.

Sadly all of my local Walmarts are similar to this. One of them filled the pegs up with old Giants figures (seems they'll never run out of Giants figures to put out). Another just shrunk the Skylanders space down to two small rows of old figures and hiding them with the rest of the forgettable electronics.

Of course the Infinity is well over-stocked and Amiibos...well it's the same old common figures that you can get anywhere at any time. I'm never certain if they are actually selling them and replacing them instantly or if I'm seeing the same exact ones each time I visit the store. At this point, I'm welcoming that Lego game just to see something different on the shelves for once.


Looks pretty much like the 3 stores by me. Only restocks ive seen was easter and wave 4 for like one stock on shelves and then they were gone.


Quote: obidawsn
My local Walmarts haven't done well, but better than that. At least they put out recent waves of figures. One store even has two sections set aside for Skylanders. Strange thing is that they usually put the new stuff in the secondary display instead of the main Skylanders display. So if you look at the main display, it looks like they don't have much in (or, at least, new stuff).


When my store got the easter stuff thats where I found all of mine down another aisle of electronic where they would normally have the older stuff (sigh is still up for the return of SSA stuff at a lower price).
mastermc54 Emerald Sparx Gems: 3448
#44 Posted: 02:30:31 21/05/2015
It's quite interesting that some people live in areas where there are barren displays like the OP and others still have good stock and ordering procedures which bring in new stock/current waves. Perhaps it is regional??? I'm the one who started a thread a few months back in the toys forum about the Walmart in Hamilton, NJ doing away with the Skylanders section completely. Since then, every Walmart I've been to in central NJ and the northeast US in general has been fairly unimpressive with Skylanders selection and little to no signs of current waves of figures. I've been to Walmarts in NY, CT, PA, and even stopped by one in Baltimore. If you do happen to have a Walmart which has a decent and current selection of Skylanders, please indicate which general area of the country you live in.
Edited 1 time - Last edited at 19:19:07 21/05/2015 by mastermc54
The Bone Chompy Yellow Sparx Gems: 1201
#45 Posted: 14:01:01 21/05/2015
Quote: goldenrushducks
Quote: UncleBob
I'm inclined to think SSA bombed in Japan. Two years since it released, no Giants follow-up and I'm not even sure the entire line-up from the first game was released there (but I wouldn't swear on it).



Quote: The Bone Chompy
Quote: UncleBob
I'm inclined to think SSA bombed in Japan. Two years since it released, no Giants follow-up and I'm not even sure the entire line-up from the first game was released there (but I wouldn't swear on it).



No sequel. But yes, all of them were released, but without anything showing that they are from Japan. Which could have (but didn't, thankfully) start a scalper uprising in Japan with them selling "Rare" "used" Darklight Crypt Packs from Japan (which they obviously wouldn't mention) out of their package, for 2x retail.

One thing though, look at CoinOPTV's "Skylanders BIG in Japan video. That video really just kills our argument.

EDIT:I have not seen the video and can't. Sorry.


SG was released in Japan, You can find the portal owners pack at a Japanese website.


Link, please? Though I bet it's a JP website selling English versions...
---
^This might be sarcasm.
darkchylde28 Gold Sparx Gems: 2175
#46 Posted: 15:44:04 21/05/2015
Quote: UncleBob
Quote: darkchylde28
Nintendo's Amiibo scarcity is artificially produced [...]


Source?

Here's an article discussing it (http://blog.lendingclub.com/ar...fect-on-prices/) which I can verify through personal observation during the Christmas when the Wii was "impossible" to find. A few years prior, I had worked in my local mall at the pizza place right next to Game Stop and made a lot of friends there. During that Christmas season I went in to pick up a couple of games and when one of the managers I knew said "Is there anything else I can get you?" I jokingly went, "Yeah, how about a Wii?" The manager put my purchases on the back shelf and waved me around the counter toward the stock room door, having me walk inside. In that room? Stacks of Wiis literally going to the ceiling. When I was incredulous and asked him how this had happened, he let me know that GameStop had an agreement with Nintendo that they had to keep all GameStop locations stocked with Wiis at all times and that there were penalties for Nintendo if they didn't. Apparently GameStop's agreement with Nintendo on this was only to put out a few in front every few days and when someone asked for one go, "I think we might have one left, let me go check the back." Having witnessed the tower of Wiis with my own eyes and confirmed a few times that they were still in stock without any issues (to help family and friends who were pulling their hair out trying to get ahold of one), I can personally say that this smacks deeply of Nintendo creating artificial scarcity to drive demand and hype.

Quote: Tigorus
Quote: UncleBob
Quote: darkchylde28
Nintendo's Amiibo scarcity is artificially produced [...]


Source?


It's a fairly old rumor that Nintendo has always created their own market shortage thus increasing it's popularity. Nintendo has never come out a said "Yes we create false demand by engineering our own shortages to create fevered demand and increased popularity". They have done this since the 90's though. There's no way a company can still be caught "unaware" on some new thing thus creating a shortage. EVERY Gamestop, TRU electronics, and every other Nerd/Geek I talk to about this know exactly what I'm talking about (I'm talking about 30+'s here not teens). EVERY new Nintendo system has been extremely hard to secure at launch (honestly not sure about WiiU) since the SNES. Plus with the Amiibo's, they were the only ones other than Skylanders (technically they still had a deep bench to pull from other than new waves) to be out everywhere...and by out, I mean unavailable. Infinity had most everything out by February with a few stragglers in the spring. I NEVER once was unable to find a new figure when it launched. Activision and Nintendo should take note regarding Infinity's distribution and how fast they get the merch. to the players.

Yup, exactly. Nintendo knows better, the media just hasn't gotten hard evidence of this being their actual policy. With the Wii, it's pretty hard to swallow that they weren't producing enough to meet demand and yet had enough to keep every GameStop stuffed to the gills at all times as part of a contractual obligation.

-Doug
---
SSA: Complete, SG: Complete, SSF: Complete, STT: Complete (Save Yawn Traps), SSC: Complete (To Date) + Various Chase/Promotional Variants
obidawsn Gold Sparx Gems: 2901
#47 Posted: 16:27:53 21/05/2015
Quote: darkchylde28
Quote: UncleBob
Quote: darkchylde28
Nintendo's Amiibo scarcity is artificially produced [...]


Source?

Here's an article discussing it (http://blog.lendingclub.com/ar...fect-on-prices/) which I can verify through personal observation during the Christmas when the Wii was "impossible" to find. A few years prior, I had worked in my local mall at the pizza place right next to Game Stop and made a lot of friends there. During that Christmas season I went in to pick up a couple of games and when one of the managers I knew said "Is there anything else I can get you?" I jokingly went, "Yeah, how about a Wii?" The manager put my purchases on the back shelf and waved me around the counter toward the stock room door, having me walk inside. In that room? Stacks of Wiis literally going to the ceiling. When I was incredulous and asked him how this had happened, he let me know that GameStop had an agreement with Nintendo that they had to keep all GameStop locations stocked with Wiis at all times and that there were penalties for Nintendo if they didn't. Apparently GameStop's agreement with Nintendo on this was only to put out a few in front every few days and when someone asked for one go, "I think we might have one left, let me go check the back." Having witnessed the tower of Wiis with my own eyes and confirmed a few times that they were still in stock without any issues (to help family and friends who were pulling their hair out trying to get ahold of one), I can personally say that this smacks deeply of Nintendo creating artificial scarcity to drive demand and hype.


That doesn't prove anything to me. It sounds like Nintendo wanted to make sure there was always stock, which looks good on their end. To do that, I'm sure they were doing their best to limit their sales. No where in that did it say that Nintendo told them to hold them. They just wanted them in stock.
UncleBob Ripto Gems: 4565
#48 Posted: 18:28:13 21/05/2015
Wow. That GS story sounds like complete BS to me.
I can say that at the time, I was heavily involved with selling Wii systems at a much larger competitor to GS. We were getting 2-10 times the amount of Wii systems each month than we were PS3s and we would generally sell out of them that very day (If not, then the next).

There *were* occasions where we were instructed to hold back stock, but this was done at corporate direction (Not Nintendo's) and would be done for an ad (I.e.: the ad would state a time/date and a minium qty for each store).

Merely look at the sales numbers that have been made public - Nintendo out-shipped and out-sold the competitors - they were producing crazy amounts of these systems.

If forced to take public sales figures, combined with my own, personal experience verses what a random GS manager told you... yeah. Random GS employees have *never* been the best source of information (had one tell me that TRU was running their games BOGO50% Off that week because they were getting out of the video game business...)

Next thing you know, we're going to hear how Nintendo is short-shipping amiibo and selling them on eBay themselves...
ShinkenRed Gold Sparx Gems: 2651
#49 Posted: 18:44:08 21/05/2015
Quote: UncleBob
(had one tell me that TRU was running their games BOGO50% Off that week because they were getting out of the video game business...)


In my four years working for TRU, I can confidently tell you they're considering getting out of the video game business. Before S:SA came out, every store I visited was radically downsizing, or preparing to downsize, their electronics department. One of the managers at the store I worked at was even let go because E+E (Electronics and Entertainment) was condensed in to general Toys and no longer considered a department.

Since Skylanders, and Toys To Life as a whole, have reinvigorated sales to some degree they seem to have stalled their downsizing. However, I can attest to this, people do not go to TRU when they want to buy a video game. They go to Gamestop, Target, or Wal-Mart because one is a specialty store for games, and the other two they can do their general shopping at. People only come to TRU for games when there is a sale (Which is part of why TRU seems to have a BOGO on games or TTL figures every month) or when the other three stores sell out.
---
Unique Character roster:
S:SA: 32/32, S:G: 16/16, S:SF: 32/32, S:TT: 36/36
Page 1 of 2 | Last
1 2

Please login or register a forum account to post a message.

Username Password Remember Me