Target Exclusive Clone Trooper

[DoctorPadawan]

As long as their shelves are cleared off of product, they could care less whether or not everyone gets one.

This is completely true.  I reiterate what I said earlier in this thread: wrong though it may be, one person buying all 12 figures is the same thing to Target as 12 people buying 1 figure.  They make the same amount of money, the shelves are still cleared (something Target is rabid about) for new product that will sell, and they have something they can use as clout for further negotiations with Hasbro.  If one of the stock people can buy them and sell them on Ebay as the "VHTF RARE HOT DISCONTINUED REVEGE OF TEH SITH CLONE TROPER" and get 50 bucks for his "investment" it matters not to Target.

As such I don't think I'll ever see one of these at retail and unless I happen across one or someone offers me a cheap one in a trade in the future, I'm not going to even go out of my way to get it.  I'd like one (two, but I'm not going to sweat that at all), but it won't kill me if I don't get it.  Other things do a good enough job at that.   

[Nathan]

Added onto the jacked-up price, this really sucks. I'll grab it if I can find it, but now I'm not gonna bust a nut hunting all over.

[Pete_Fett]

I hope that that's not true. The handled the Lava Vader perfectly: Here's how many there are, period. Here's the date they will be available, period. Here's how you get one, period. Surprising they would handle one so well, but the other poorly.

You would think - but remember - of course they wanted to handle the Lava Vader well - it meant they got you to stop by Target on April 2nd.

I bought just as much stuff at Target (if not more) than the amount of stuff I bought at TRU the night before, let's see:

TRU:
Figures #1 - #24 (1 of each)
2x Holo Yoda
2x Deluxe Sidious
12" Ultimate Vader
12" Sidious & Clone
6x Small Vehicles (2x of AT-RT, Boga & Barc Speeder)
2x Battle Arenas (1 of the Mace/Sidious, 1 of the Anakin/Dooku)

Target:
Figures #1 - #24 (1 of each)
Figures #25 - #32 (2 of each)
1 Figure #37, 1 Figure #39
6x Target Exclusive Cups w/Figures (2 of each set)
4x Lava Vaders
2x ARC-170
12" Grevious

I may have forgotten some items, but that's most of it. I think money spending-wise it's pretty close.

So, to prove my point - by offering the Lava Vader as an exclusive incentive, Target got me to split my major purchases between TRU and Target something I hadn't done in either of the past two Midnight Madnesses - I had always gone 100% TRU.

Also - RE: finding this clone - just keep going into your store armed with the DPCI number. A Target employee told me this morning that she expects them in by Tuesday. But she only told me that because when I got to the aisle I was looking for Deluxe Figures - the pegs were empty except for a handful of Obi-Wans w/SBD - anyway before she scanned it she was like "Are you looking for the Target exclusive that's coming out Tuesday? I know we don't have that yet 'cause I just checked for another guy"

[CHEWIE]

I think it's still a cool figure... yeah the price is ridiculous though - talk about taking advantage of collectors.  That being said, I will limit myself to 4 of them (if I even find them).

 

[DoctorPadawan]

Well, I just got back from the local Target where, armed with the DCPI number thingy, I decided to see if they had the Clones in stock since there weren't any on the shelves.  As seems to always be the case (thankfully), I found a really sweet and helpful Target sales associate who happily went into the back to see if they had any.  She emerged about two minutes later with a case of Clones that hadn't even been opened.  She asked me if there was a space for them on the pegs and I pointed out the four empty pegs for the Lava Vader (which she remembered) and she said, "That must be where they go then."  She opened the case and inside were 12 Clones, tissue paper and all.

She looked them over and said, "Are these supposed to be out yet?" and I told her that people across the country have been finding them but that I had no idea if there was an actual street date attached.  She seemed really nervous about selling one of them to me and I (yes, I did the right thing, and I believe in karma) told her that I would let her check as I did not want her to get into trouble just to sell me a toy.

She went into the back and came out about 10 minutes later with that ROTS handbook that Lord Philip of Assholia had up on RS before the Lava Vader launch and apologized profusely because it said to restrict the Clones until May 8th.  She kept telling me how sorry she was, and I told her that was fine with me and I double checked to make sure May 8th was the official date, and she said, yep, and opened the handbook to make absolutely sure.  I thanked her again for going to such an extraordinary effort for me and apologized for troubling her.

The good side of this is that, while waiting, I managed to get all four of the new Deluxe figures (Vader, Yoda, TF Droid, and the Jet Pack Clone), so my karma came back to me almost immediately.

It looks as if I'll have to go back to Target on May 8th and hope that between now and then the figures haven't magically disappeared from the back stock room in that time.  But, as for today, I really lucked out by finding yet another wonderful and helpful Target employee and was rewarded for it by getting four figures I didn't expect to find at all for at least three more months. 

(and by the way, the Yoda on Can-Cell is AWESOME)

[Jesse James]

If you get denied, don't give up guys.  I got denied TWICE by two separate employees at the one Target, and on the way out stopped at Customer Service who were happy to help...

Try in the back area, then try an employee on the way out, and if you fail twice, try customer service.  You have nothing to lose on this, they're not gonna ban you from the store.  It's their job.

The item's in the computers, it's got a price (save receipts, as price could change May 5), and it's not marked as a "May 5th Only" kind of item (some ******bag I ran into tried that, but I countered him and he backed off that argument).

Make up excuses too, or use one you maybe have legitimately.  I called, and told them I was TOLD they were in stock and was TOLD to come down and get one off an employee as I have a long drive...  That was true 100% at one store, at the other store the employee lazily told me they didn't have any (when I got there, they did).  I did have to drive an hour to get to either store though, so that's partly true even at the 2nd store. 

It implies you're not gonna be happy if you're told to hike on this one, and not gonna be coming back to their store...  I even went so far as to say, "I figured I'd do some shopping while I was here too, but I'll go to the WM close to home if I can't get anything..." kinda line.

This is one of those crappy things that's gonna take legwork if you want it.

BTW, the price blows and it is an incredible kick to collectors.  Fortunately competition keeps Target in line with pricing, but with an exclusive they know they have an upperhand.  Price blows any way you slice it though, no argument there.  It did on the Vader, Holo Yoda, and EB Kits as well if you ask me...  and C3 Vader.

[Xander]

Yeah, the price blows, but one's not gonna break me. I'd feel a lot stronger about this if I was an army builder, but I'm just kinda of a mini-army builder, and I just like the look of a few of the clones or stormies or whatever in a small group.

It doesn't really matter if these sell "a lot", I think, or if they sit on the shelf. The bread and butter of action figures are the base figures, and those prices haven't changed significantly in YEARS.  And all the time the quality has been improving. Exclusives are just the icing on the cake for retailers.  Its part of the contract with distribution, and something we're not gonna control either way if we don't buy this on the basis of priciple.

I suppose its coming out now in order to sell some before ALL the clones hit: the SA, the 3 pack army builder, and the EE cases.  Hasbro seems to be catering a little better to army builders with all of these upcoming choices, plus the plentiful numbers of Clone #6.

I do feel for completist or real army builders, because taken by itself this one is way overpriced, but down the road the whole pictures is looking pretty good.

Funny I got lucking and found this early.  I always assume that if I get it, everyone's already got one. I least I got an extra for an army building fiend.

[JayDouble]

I got my Target Clone pretty easy.  I called my local Target and asked them to do a stock check.  They said it was in stock and asked how many.  I said 2 and they said it will be waiting for you at Guest Services.   

[spiderpumpkin]

I really like this figure and I plan to buy quite a few even at $12.99.  I don't think we'll see this same figure painted like this again so I'm willing to pay more because once these are gone the price will be a lot more than Target's retail price.

[DoctorPadawan]

After thinking about it today, I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up empty handed on the Clone Trooper.  My conspiracy theory brain has been going off today about how the clerk probably asked someone about it and they said, "Don't sell them and I'll cut you in on the Ebay profits." 

Oh well, it's not the end of the world.

[Ben]

Hey, how did these bastards get ahold of these? And how are they able to sell it to us for the low, low price of $18?

OMGCNFO.

[Darth_Anton]

Finally found a few! I just used the code on the new price scanner and they came up as in stock. Luckily they gave me no hassle bringing them out.

[JesseVader08]

Hey, how did these bastards get ahold of these? And how are they able to sell it to us for the low, low price of $18?

OMGCNFO.

The scary thing is they're already sold out at that price.   

[DoctorPadawan]

Hey, how did these bastards get ahold of these? And how are they able to sell it to us for the low, low price of $18?

I don't know about how they (OMGCNFO stands for "Oh My God Cheap New Figures Online", which makes the high price on the Clone a little ironic) operate now, but they initially started with the idea of doing what their company name implies.  They said that they bought directly from Hasbro and that they would not charge any more than going retail for the items they sold.  The drawback was that 90% of the people on the RS forums who were ordering from them (judging by the posts) expressed unhappiness with their shipping and packing methods, and did not order from them again.

I hadn't been to their site in a while (last summer, I think was the last time I saw it; I've never ordered from them personally and cannot/will not vouch or disparage them), but the only thing it succeeded in doing for them was making me never want to go there again, since three times in a row in two different browsers, the site made my browser crash.

As for how they got their hands on them, I don't think this is one of those situations where they can pull a "Brian's Toys Excuse" (you know, the "We got this from an overseas distributor" bull****, when the photos of the item have a Wal-Mart price sticker on the bubble), as this item was, from what I gather, made specifically for Target. 

[Dressel Rebel]

I'm not against a store having an exclusive figure, but to take a $5 figure and charge $13 for it is extortion.  I will not support a retail store that actually goes above and beyond the Hasbro MSRP of 9.99 for this figure (which was bad enough).  The worst thing is, this is an army builder.  I just put an end to any temptation to buy this figure by continuing to hunt clone #6's, and today I bought my 58th to 63rd    Being a customizer ROCKS.  Target can keep their overpriced ****.