Why must Target suck so for Star Wars?

[Darth Slothus]

I'm not a Target fan- this thread is for NON target fans. I am a collector so I do HAVE to shop there since I'm a completist and the BULLseye continues to over offer exclusives to try to pull you away from WM (in vain).

I 've shopped at many a Target over the years whereever I've lived. I now have 2 locally. Why does there customer service SUCK SO for Star Wars??

Things I've found out about Target are

-The managers and employees know nothing of the toy industry and really   actually believe the ratio of SW purchases is 70% kids/30% scalper/collector- not the other way around.

-The individual store manager/employees mindsets about MAKING A ******* SALE(the business that they are in) is 180 degrees out from Corporate employees

-I like how they removed the punch in store scanners capability to hinder making there own sales of collectable items

-the store is deceivingly pretty red and sparkling clean and comes included with employees that reflect preprogrammed responses like "what's on the floor is what we have" which is utter complete ********-oh really, the stockrooms empty then?

- I have to look around the store forever or hope the one or 2 quality employees that want to make a sale(duh the number one goal-falls in line with customer service) is available so can gets something that day or at least get a non-preprogrammed response.

WM haters can go to that respective thread. In my experience which is by the way a lot of years all over the US, WM dominates Target in stuff received by me to make a collection-I will overlook the dirty floors to speak to more helpful customer service to get me the product I want. Target in the last 3 years are throwing tons of exclusives(hence all the jokes) at us trying to pull us from other stores in vain.

Nice try BULL- seye  def. BULL.     
 

[Rob]

Target may not be perfect, but I find that it's about 10 billion times better than Walmart in just about every category imaginable.

[JoshEEE]

The managers and employees know nothing of the toy industry and really   actually believe the ratio of SW purchases is 70% kids/30% scalper/collector- not the other way around.

Probably because that's correct. Or at least close to it.

Collectors don't make up 70% of the SW retail business. Not right now anyway. Every Hasbro panel I've ever been to says it's weighted higher than 50/50 in favor of casual consumers (I.E. Kids saying "Mommy buy me that") especially in movie and DVD years....when kids rule.

Now....2 years from now, it might be the other way around...but right now the reason you see 5 or 6 pegs of SW figures is BECAUSE of the kids.  Not for collectors.  When it's back down to 1 or 2 pegs, then maybe your ratios are correct.

-the store is deceivingly pretty red and sparkling clean and comes included with employees that reflect preprogrammed responses like "what's on the floor is what we have" which is utter complete ********-oh really, the stockrooms empty then?

While I love finding the occasional employee at any retail store who will go in the back just for me, I realize that if they all did that...I'd never find a new Star Wars figure at retail, because they'd all go from the stockroom to the first person who asked. This policy is there for a reason, and it helps us as a large group more than it hurts us as individuals.

If you want the hard to find figures, you gotta show up early. Every day.   Or buy them from someone who does.   

[Darth_Anton]

I think Target is better than Wal Mart in almost every way imaginable, but Target's whole collector policy is a head scratcher. Why have so many exclusives to get you in the store for them to say, "I'm sorry, the collectable item that we made especially for you is in the back, but we can't bring it out to you, nor let you know that it is actually there" when you get there?

I can see them wanting to make it fair, but they don't do nearly enough to do so. Regardless of their good intention of keeping resellers from getting the exclusives. resellers are the ones who end up getting them because of unknowledgeable or corrupt employee's. If they truely want to be fair, then every exclusive should be locked up and accessable to only a manager.

[Darth Slothus]

Collectors don't make up 70% of the SW retail business. Not right now anyway. Every Hasbro panel I've ever been to says it's weighted higher than 50/50 in favor of casual consumers (I.E. Kids saying "Mommy buy me that") especially in movie and DVD years....when kids rule.

If you want the hard to find figures, you gotta show up early. Every day.   Or buy them from someone who does.   

I've VISITED a few Hasbro "panels" and you know what? there was more kids in the room then collectors at place like...duh a CC where folks WOULD take them- If I was speaking I'd analyze my audience see that there was kids in there and make a commment like that too. Which is why I wonder why I get a letter back from Hasbro stating that I as a collector am important to them because I represent a MAJORITY of their business. I just wonder how many kids own a shock trooper, green commander,EVo pack, Black tie pilot, A new Target Tie to go with it? This all not including parents who already are collectors who buy stuff for their kids for good behaviour because we buy SW anyway and GO to the stores early to get stuff(thanks for the unneeded tip(duh)). If 90% of Collectors can say they have 90% of the SW figures offered(1-56) and 30% of the kids say they have 90%-where's the rest of it??(rhetoric) and if the "rest" of it goes to EBAY guess who's still getting it?(rhetoric again)

Saw 12 to 1 ratio of collectors VS kids on April 2 at WM AND target for the Lava Vader. Tell me....WHY is Target taking on so many exclusives?For kids??? seriously, they need to draw the collectors'(majority of SW business') money. Those Exclusives don't stay on the pegs past an hour after stocking them(and that's pushing it). What kid gets them? Target doesn't necessarily wait until weekends to stock exclusives either-guess what? the kids are in school.It's all a lie by lazy employees- the corporate bosses KNOW where the real money comes from that's why they request these exclusives. Unfortunately ...because it's BULLseye the individual store employees are not on the same page  

[CHEWIE]

Well, I think we as collectors sometimes go a bit hard on the all the retailers.  They aren't Star Wars experts, and Star Wars toys probably don't figure to be very high on affecting their overall gross profit.

That being said though, I do prefer Walmart over Target seven days a week.  And I am pretty fed up with their exclusives relationship they have with Hasbro.

 

[Darth Slothus]

I can't say I really LIKE stepping into a WM but at least they make my shopping exp. easier- they're mostly cheaper AND seems to get more volume in which in turn leads to me getting stuff-but most of all the the employee service makes it a whole hell of alot easier to shop there.

[JoshEEE]

I've VISITED a few Hasbro "panels" and you know what? there was more kids in the room then collectors at place like...duh a CC where folks WOULD take them- If I was speaking I'd analyze my audience see that there was kids in there and make a commment like that too

You're kidding, right?  Every year I've been to Comic Con, both Celebrations...the Hasbro panels (I'm talking about the panel, not the booth) have always been filled with people who are in my demographic (18-35 or so) and while there is always the occasional kid or two, they're certainly not anywhere near the majority of the room. Not in the last 4 or 5 years I've been attending conventions.

It's also never a kid that asks these questions about stock problems and not being able to find figures. It's always a collector frustrated that they can't find what they want at retail. Or complaining about how they hate the action features. Or asking why there are 6 Lukes or Vaders every year, but no ______insert favorite background character here__________.

Hasbro always says the same thing. Kids make up more of the market and they have to do a fair balance of figures, especially in movie years.

I know you may feel like collectors do all the shopping, because you hang out on sites like these where we all buy everything and we all have TONS of toys.  But realize that after you go in and buy your one or two of each (on April 2nd or whenever they come out)....someone else buys all the "pegwarmers" you leave there. Those are the casual fans and kids.  They're not collectors like us.  You also probably don't see them much, because we shop at different hours.  

It's going to be a kid who buys the Mace, Vader, Grievous and all those other main character figures that you already have, it's not going to be a collector.  When they pack a case with ONE new repainted clone, ONE new Obi and ONE Bakara, collectors might snap the new figs up, but who do you think buys the 8 or 9 other "common" figures in that case?

It's not collectors.


Now....post this topic 2 years from now, when there's no movie backing Star Wars, no DVD, when all the casual fans have moved on to something else...and when there is only one new peg of figures in the Star Wars section.  At that point, Star Wars will be weighted a lot more for collectors.  

Even then, I wouldn't expect Target to treat me any better than the rest of the hotwheels guys. You think they open boxes for those dudes? I sure hope not.

[jjks]

I think someone got turned down for a job at the bullseye, that's what I think.

[Rob]

Actually, I did get turned down for a job at Target.  It's a long story, but if you want to hear it, I'll type it all out Big-Red-style.

[Morgbug]

You're kidding, right?  Every year I've been to Comic Con, both Celebrations...the Hasbro panels (I'm talking about the panel, not the booth) have always been filled with people who are in my demographic (18-35 or so) and while there is always the occasional kid or two, they're certainly not anywhere near the majority of the room. Not in the last 4 or 5 years I've been attending conventions.

My limited experience fits this.  I don't think I saw a single kid in the panel at CIII and I'd suggest the age category there was even older. 

It's going to be a kid who buys the Mace, Vader, Grievous and all those other main character figures that you already have, it's not going to be a collector.  When they pack a case with ONE new repainted clone, ONE new Obi and ONE Bakara, collectors might snap the new figs up, but who do you think buys the 8 or 9 other "common" figures in that case?

It's not collectors.

Around here it's nobody.  Lordy you should see all the damn Jedi sitting around.  I know we're supposed to be discussing retail, but man, in retrospect those case assortments suck by and large.   Ki-Adi-Mundi at the same ratio as Vader/Clone/Grievous?  Mon Mothma at the same ratio as an AT-TE gunner? 

Sorry, sidetracking by rote.

[Darth Slothus]

I think someone got turned down for a job at the bullseye, that's what I think.

You guys are comedians- you guessing or just wanna know? Ok after high school I worked in a automotive wherehouse for 4 years then enlisted in the service- been doing that for now going on 14 years...never applied for any sales jobs.  

[Famine]

I think someone got turned down for a job at the bullseye, that's what I think.

You guys are comedians- you guessing or just wanna know? Ok after high school I worked in a automotive wherehouse for 4 years then enlisted in the service- been doing that for now going on 14 years...never applied for any sales jobs.  

DS man. Calm down. We like to joke here at Jedidefender.

Kevin

[Darth Slothus]

I know you may feel like collectors do all the shopping, because you hang out on sites like these where we all buy everything and we all have TONS of toys.  But realize that after you go in and buy your one or two of each (on April 2nd or whenever they come out)....someone else buys all the "pegwarmers" you leave there. Those are the casual fans and kids.  They're not collectors like us.  You also probably don't see them much, because we shop at different hours.  

It's going to be a kid who buys the Mace, Vader, Grievous and all those other main character figures that you already have, it's not going to be a collector.  When they pack a case with ONE new repainted clone, ONE new Obi and ONE Bakara, collectors might snap the new figs up, but who do you think buys the 8 or 9 other "common" figures in that case?

It's not collectors.

Are you forgetting about the typical army builders-yeah those are not that uncommon either they pick up SEVERAL of the figure and at times buy up all of them in the store-where's the casual kids getting that one?...?Unless you don't count these as collectors

I don't know what you are talking about(your examples) there's plenty of jedi pegwarming
there are tons of pegwarmers- Guess what? the kids want the hard to get figs too- guess who gets it when the store puts out the cases in the morning ...the kids? no- try army builders,scalpers, collectors . C'mon why don't the kids buy up all those jedi's,frogs,mothmas...get serious. Most kids mine included don't want more than one of a jedi(your precious argument, nice try) Your argument works here if you say there's only one collector in the town (gets 2 of everything) and 20 kids who like SW. But that's not a realistic scenario is it? What else? believe it or not- kids don't want every fig- they want the ones THEY like or the ...__________(insert modern kid word synonimous with cool) ones. This more realistic scenario portrays unwanted pegwarmers(not wanted by either parties) and cool figs the collectors get first(sorry but..case access first)

[Darth Slothus]

DS man. Calm down. We like to joke here at Jedidefender.

Kevin

I know but I was in a good discussion and got sidetracked-did I sound like an Ass there defending myself? Sorry it Happens