Author Topic: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?  (Read 7643 times)

Offline JediMAC

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How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« on: September 17, 2003, 08:42 PM »
I've recently been marveling at just how many stores I can hit in a short amount of time on my various toy hunting routes.  Here's a tally of who all I hit up when I'm on the prowl for my latest Star Wars toy fix:

Daily route from home to work and vice versa (though I don't stop at them all daily):
5 Targets
3 TRUs
3 WMs
2 KBs
1 Kmart

Different route that I take a couple times a week during my lunch breaks:
2 Targets
1 TRU
2 KBs

Monthly route down to my aunt & sister's house:
3 Targets
1 TRU
1 WM
1 Kmart
1 Star Tours shop (at Disneyland ;D)

Monthly route up to my in-laws:
4 Targets
2 TRUs
1 WM
2 KBs
3 Kmarts

Damn!  That's a grand total of:
14 Targets
7 TRUs
5 WMs
6 KBs
5 Kmarts
---------------
37 different Star Wars toy pimpin' stores in all!   :o  And they're all within less than an hour of me (gotta love L.A.)!   8)  No wonder I'm usually fairly caught up on Hasbro's latest SW offerings...  There's a number of other places that I hit as well, when I'm out and about in different areas of L.A. or SoCal that I'm not even mentioning here, since they're not on quite as regular a basis, though I've got 'em all mapped out in my head, of course.  :P

So, how 'bout you guys?  How many, and which, stores are you hitting?!
« Last Edit: September 17, 2003, 08:44 PM by JediMAC »

Offline dustrho

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2003, 08:44 PM »
I don't go on any toy runs anymore... I let my wife do it all because she has the luck in the family.   8)
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Offline JediMAC

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2003, 08:54 PM »
I don't go on any toy runs anymore... I let my wife do it all because she has the luck in the family.   8)

I've noticed Chris!  Well done Carrie...   ;)

I almost forgot about my wife's additional route too (shame on me)!  Hmmm...  Not sure exactly how many and which stores she hits while she's out at one of her teaching jobs in an entirely different area, but I know she hits at least an additional TRU, WM, and a couple Targets (and does very well on the hunt, I might add  8)) - so collectively that puts us over the 40 toy store mark!   :P

Offline Morgbug

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2003, 12:37 AM »
Not nearly so much choice here.  In town, there are six Walmarts, two TRU and six Zellers (Canadian K-mart).  Superstore is a grocery chain that occasionally carries toys, notably McFarlane stuff and Lego.  There would be about six of those as well.  

My toy runs are down dramatically.  We haven't really brought in much Star Wars up here for a long time.  The POK Boba wave came in a couple times, but only as single cases that sold out in about an hour or less.  Basically I don't look for Star Wars unless I'm looking for something else.  

I tend to hit Walmart more than anywhere else given that they have more toys or at least space for toys than anyone else.  A generic toy run would be 3 Walmarts, 3 Zellers and 3 Superstores.  That covers the bottom half of the city pretty well.  I'll do it a couple times a week if I have the time (I do work an hour outside the city).  More frequent if new McFarlane SportsPicks are around.  Less if nothing new is in.  

I've gone to online stuff almost exclusively (well and the stores of OCB, JediMac and chuckles) for pretty much everything.  As I said before, there isn't much SW up here (and Newforce is killing me lately with cancellations).  SportsPicks are good in terms of number that arrive with hockey, everything else is slim pickins with lots of competition.  

Saving gas, saving the environment and spending a ton on shipping and customs fees.  Ya win, ya lose.  LOL.
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Offline Ben

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2003, 02:04 AM »
There's one each of Target, K-Mart, TRU, and KB here, as well as two Wally Worlds in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls, IA area.

To keep up a complete collection, I sometimes find myself heading to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City to hit the stores down there. I scored a couple of ROTK figures at Suncoast, which is down there and not here. Even if I don't find anything, I can still visit some friends and have a few vengeful libations.

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Offline DSJ™

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2003, 09:02 AM »
2 TRU's, 2 Zeller's, 2 Walmarts & anything else in my path!  ;D

Offline Scott

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2003, 09:13 AM »
Way to Work Run I could hit:

1 K-MArt (although I never do)
1 Wal-Mart
1 Target (this is not a Greatland or Super though so I have stopped going here)

Extended Work Run:

3 Wal-Marts
4 Targets (Inlcuding two Super Targets)

If I go on a lunch run it only to the spots missed on the morning run

After Work Run:

The Above Plus
1 TRU

See the problem with living so close to my job is that I have no real way stopping at a ton of stores without driving forever to get there, except for the

Secret Run...

8 Targets
4 Wal-Marts
2 TRU's
2 K-Marts

I can only do this on an extended lunch break when I am going to or coming back from a client we have,

I'm also guessing by just driving around the main interstate loop I could go to over 70 Targets, we are filthy with them here ;)

I find myself also going to TRU more than I ever have, which is strange considering the fact that they haven't had any new SW since the Ephant wave last X-Mas

Offline Mikey D

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2003, 09:35 AM »
I don't have a set toy run and usually just decide to go to a store when I feel like it.  And since I'm a member of kebco's one of every figure club, I don't do toy runs as much as I did.  With that said, the stores I go to are as follows:

Regular
(2) Targets
(2) TRU
(2) KB

Semi-regular
(2) WM
(2) TRU

The above are my usual hunting grounds but can go to an additional (2) TRU, (2) Targets and various Kmarts and KBs with relative ease.
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Offline Vator

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2003, 10:38 AM »
Regular:
3 Wal-marts
3 Targets
1 KB
3 TRUs

10 stores
- June 22, 2004 12:13 AM -

Offline Nicklab

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2003, 11:30 AM »
My local run:

2 x WalMart's
2 x Target's
3 x KayBee's
1 x Toys R Us
2 x Comic Shops
1 x Suncoast
6 x EB/Gamestop type stores

Uggghhh!  17 stores
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2003, 11:37 AM »
You'd be going to a lot less if you just gave up the McFarlane stuff Nick :P  

Prior to our EB's dropping toys last year, I would have had four more places to visit.  Too bad too, they were good for sports picks.  
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Offline Darth Kenobi

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2003, 04:14 PM »
I don't have a set pattern of toy runs and only go once in a while but here is where I go:

Small Run:
2x Target
3x TRU
3x Walmart
3x Kb Toys

The longer toy runs that I go on I just start to drive and stop at the different places I can find on the way.  I have gone a total of around 50 miles once to look for toys.

Offline Brian

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #12 on: September 18, 2003, 04:29 PM »
Unfortunately, the town we live in isn't large enough for these stores...but when we go on our "shopping" trips (about 40 minutes away), here's the rundown of what I check out usually.

1 Super Wal-Mart (Not much recently though, mostly old stock of all the lines...they do have a TON of Marvel Legends figures as of late though)
1 Greatland Target (this just opened recently, has been pretty well stocked with most lines)
1 TRU (giant wall of Pilot Jangos in the SW section, but got an Unleashed Luke there)
1 K-B (this store usually has nothing, and we don't always stop there)

Offline Angry Ewok

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2003, 05:12 PM »
Wal-Mart & Toys R Us @ the same time, as they are relatively close...

KB's in the mall and Target @ the same time, as they are relatively close...

Offline Nicklab

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Re: How many stores do you hit on your toy runs?
« Reply #14 on: September 18, 2003, 05:53 PM »
You'd be going to a lot less if you just gave up the McFarlane stuff Nick :P  

Prior to our EB's dropping toys last year, I would have had four more places to visit.  Too bad too, they were good for sports picks.  

Tell me about it.  They had to release MLB7 and NFL6 at the same time.  Cripes!
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