Author Topic: The Street Date Debate  (Read 27737 times)

Offline evilanimation

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #15 on: July 5, 2010, 09:01 PM »
Well my TRU that told me 5 times that they will not be put out tell August decided to pick the first day I didnt go early, because i went this afternoon and low and behold they were there nice and picked through. But i didnt pick any up because they are still 9.99 and no more BOGO 50% off. I can wait tell HTS.com send me my order.

Offline Pete_Fett

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #16 on: July 6, 2010, 11:55 AM »
No change at the TRUs where stuff has been brought out but now they seem to be adhering to the street date.

I was expecting to see all of the Clone Wars stuff on the pegs when I went into one of the stores this morning, but no.

I appreciate the additional details you provided, shmash, but unfortunately, I think you may have just lucked out to be in a region where the level of "not caring" about the street date goes all the way up to a regional/district manager, as opposed to just employees at a store not giving a $h!t.

I actually tried to call Hasbro today and report a street date violation on the part of Toys R Us and got bounced from the Corporate Offices to Consumer Affairs to the Inside Sales group and that was a deadend where all I could do was leave a message.

So for me, the net-net is what I've been saying for years, Hasbro isn't going to bite the "hand that feeds it" and is certainly not going to fine Toys R Us thousands of dollars for selling toys early. Hasbro has too much product across numerous brands and lines, flowing through the Toys R Us chain, and the last thing they're gonna want to do is piss off Toys R Us execs over 3.75" Star Wars figures.
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Offline McMetal

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #17 on: July 6, 2010, 01:43 PM »
Yeah, I had no luck again today. Nothing on the pegs, and I found out the employee guy I know is off all week. I just didn't have the energy to hash it all out with the store manager. Maybe after work I will give it a shot.

Hasbro just needs to put a blanket release on their website we can actually show the store managers. Even then, I'm not sure they'd budge around here. It's really an interesting sociological phenomenon...where "following the rules" trumps all known logic.

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Offline Pete_Fett

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #18 on: July 6, 2010, 10:56 PM »
I stopped in to one more of the TRUs where I was denied new product last week to see if I could find out any information regarding the e-mail/memo sent around. There is a dept. manager at this store who is VERY helpful to the collectors so I knew he would give me the straight scoop.

Here's what I found out...

This store received an e-mail on Friday. In the e-mail they were told that TRU was permitted to sell the new Star Wars products as they arrived in-store and they could ignore the street date notifications that were printed on the box.

On Monday, the regional Hasbro rep who comes to all of the stores came by this TRU and told the employees that they had to pack up all of the new SW product and get it back into the stockroom. They proceeded to show the Hasbro rep the e-mail, the Hasbro rep then made some calls and verified that Toys R Us could indeed sell the new Star Wars products.

So if you can get the employees to listen to you, I would definitely see if you could get them to find that memo/e-mail.

I'm gonna bring it up at the TRU near where I work when they open tomorrow morning.
Peter

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Offline McMetal

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #19 on: July 8, 2010, 10:01 AM »
Oh man, did anyone else catch that blurb on JTA this morning about the whole street date snafu?

Apparently someone talked to a Hasbro rep and they confirmed that this is in fact a HARD street date and TRU is not supposed to be putting these out now. They somehow mis-coded these wrong in their system and did not put a hold on them, allowing them to be sold "early". The writer seems to think any remaining Vintage product will be yanked soon.

I don't even know what to believe anymore. Does TRU over-ride Hasbro? Pete's post below seems to indicate this, if the rep backed down after reading the TRU email.

What a mess. I don't know whether we have any true leverage to request these anymore or not.
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Offline P-Siddy

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #20 on: July 8, 2010, 10:11 AM »
Don't worry about it until the street date hits. You will get the figures at some point so no need in anyone getting worked up over these when they'll be aplenty in a month or so. I guess the retailers should be the one complaining to the big H about having product sitting in the back and not being able to sell it. I'm not sure the logic behind such a long wait, but maybe retailers have tons of movie toys (PoP, TS3) that they'd like to get through first.

Offline Dressel Rebel

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #21 on: July 8, 2010, 11:43 AM »
Oh man, did anyone else catch that blurb on JTA this morning about the whole street date snafu?

Apparently someone talked to a Hasbro rep and they confirmed that this is in fact a HARD street date and TRU is not supposed to be putting these out now. They somehow mis-coded these wrong in their system and did not put a hold on them, allowing them to be sold "early". The writer seems to think any remaining Vintage product will be yanked soon.

I don't even know what to believe anymore. Does TRU over-ride Hasbro? Pete's post below seems to indicate this, if the rep backed down after reading the TRU email.

What a mess. I don't know whether we have any true leverage to request these anymore or not.


It's a cluster**** at the moment.

At any rate, TRU is the only place putting them out now, and you have to pay $10+tax each for a figure, so we all might as well wait for Target and Walmart.

Hasbro didn't exactly reinvent the wheel with wave 1 anyhow, it's fairly uninteresting to me on the whole with a couple exceptions.
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Offline Crackbrick

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #22 on: July 8, 2010, 12:39 PM »
I stopped in to one more of the TRUs where I was denied new product last week to see if I could find out any information regarding the e-mail/memo sent around. There is a dept. manager at this store who is VERY helpful to the collectors so I knew he would give me the straight scoop.

Here's what I found out...

This store received an e-mail on Friday. In the e-mail they were told that TRU was permitted to sell the new Star Wars products as they arrived in-store and they could ignore the street date notifications that were printed on the box.

On Monday, the regional Hasbro rep who comes to all of the stores came by this TRU and told the employees that they had to pack up all of the new SW product and get it back into the stockroom. They proceeded to show the Hasbro rep the e-mail, the Hasbro rep then made some calls and verified that Toys R Us could indeed sell the new Star Wars products.

So if you can get the employees to listen to you, I would definitely see if you could get them to find that memo/e-mail.

I'm gonna bring it up at the TRU near where I work when they open tomorrow morning.

I have not had any luck.
I think some went out at the one store but they have not filled them since.
The other store put them out twice but I missed them and each time I was there i asked if they had any in stock and was told no.

cb
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Offline Jabba the Slug

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #23 on: July 8, 2010, 01:32 PM »
JTA has an interesting report from a run-in with a Hasbro rep and discussion about the broken street date.

Hasbro's being dumb.
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Offline Pete_Fett

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #24 on: July 8, 2010, 02:08 PM »
Oh man, did anyone else catch that blurb on JTA this morning about the whole street date snafu?

Apparently someone talked to a Hasbro rep and they confirmed that this is in fact a HARD street date and TRU is not supposed to be putting these out now. They somehow mis-coded these wrong in their system and did not put a hold on them, allowing them to be sold "early". The writer seems to think any remaining Vintage product will be yanked soon.

I don't even know what to believe anymore. Does TRU over-ride Hasbro? Pete's post below seems to indicate this, if the rep backed down after reading the TRU email.

What a mess. I don't know whether we have any true leverage to request these anymore or not.

Interesting.

I actually got another store this morning to sell me a Snowspeeder, Cloud Car and Cloud Car pilot by calling the store I was talking about in my earlier post.

From the Toys R Us perspective, I can totally understand why they would want the new product to be put out on the shelves and sold NOW if the demand is there.

Toys R Us as a chain has already paid Hasbro for this stuff and Hasbro is expecting a company, in this economy, to just hold product in the back and not let them recoup any of the captial expenditure of buying the product in the first place? To me that's just absurd and probably the root of the reason why it seems like TRU is essentially telling Hasbro "Tough s**t we're selling this stuff anyway."

Hasbro's being dumb.

I think the Hasbro rep was indeed playing "dumb" in this instance. Again, going back to my story, the local rep in the New Jersey Shore area also was freaked out when she entered into the Toys R Us and saw new stuff on the pegs. It was only after she made some calls to her own management that she found out that it was okay.

« Last Edit: July 8, 2010, 02:10 PM by Pete_Fett »
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Offline Crackbrick

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #25 on: July 8, 2010, 07:19 PM »
JTA has an interesting report from a run-in with a Hasbro rep and discussion about the broken street date.

Hasbro's being dumb.

Thanks for the info.
Makes me feel like I will find the ones I want at some point.
 A buddy got mewanting the Cloud Car now after describing it!

cb
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Offline darth broem 2

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #26 on: July 14, 2010, 09:12 AM »
The couple of TRU around me are practically bare of SW figures.  They must actually be waiting for that street date?

Offline CHEWIE

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #27 on: July 14, 2010, 04:52 PM »
The TRU stores around here sure don't seem to have a problem with putting the stuff out after getting the email (well, one store apparently refuses to put them out still per the manager).

Anways, I hope this leads to Hasbro ending the whole street date thing.  I understand the intent, but if a company has the stuff and people want to buy it, then sell it.

Offline JACKOFTRADZE

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #28 on: July 14, 2010, 05:07 PM »
Anways, I hope this leads to Hasbro ending the whole street date thing.  I understand the intent, but if a company has the stuff and people want to buy it, then sell it.

A street date for this product go around is really pointless. Shelves are bare and it's not a movie release where the marketing is crucial. My local TRU has the AT-ATs in stock but they will not put them out along with the vehicles. They had no problem putting out all of the new figure lines and TF. When I asked they said they cannot break the street date but when I pointed out that they already did by putting out he new CW, Legends and Vintage figures all I got was a shrug. I was so pissed, if you are going to hold the street date so be it but do not half follow it and not allow me to spend my money. I wanted to take advantage of the sale but my guess is that's exactly why they did not put them out.

At least I have one on the way as we speak, the only problem is I will be on vacation when it arrives.
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Offline EdSolo

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The Street Date Debate
« Reply #29 on: July 15, 2010, 07:16 AM »
Just a head's up...Entertainment Earth is also breaking street date since my wave 1 case showed up yesterday.  The assortment has two Darth Vaders instead of 2 C-3PO's as was advertised on the EE website.  Sadly, the bubble redesign on the figures prevents them from fitting into the clamshells that came with the previous waves of vintage figures.