Target Black Series 6" Gamorrean Guard

[Nicklab]

I found a couple of local stores that allegedly had the Gamorrean Guard in stock per Brickseek.  I stopped in one of them, but there weren't any on the shelf.  So I limited myself to checking out a single store.  These are supposed to turn up on the 29th, so I can wait a few days.

[McMetal]

Woke up early to get a jump on this guy and predictably all the stores around me that had them earlier in the week are sold out now. #streetdatesonlyhelpscalpers

I just went ahead and placed an order online with free pick up in store at a location across town. Fingers crossed that works.

[Dave]

The good news is it appears the paint jobs on these are all fairly solid.  Its not like the exclusive Chewie where you had to pick through five to find one without significantly crossed eyes.

[Diddly]

None of these at my local store. The good news is my store got a new shipment of Vandor Chewies, so I was able to get a replacement for the one I had stolen from me a few weeks ago

[McMetal]

Man, people are pissed about this figure...hard to blame them, really.

I get why it is an exclusive...the bigger box, higher price point, etc. And of all the places to get an exclusive, Target has generally been one of the best, up until Vandor Chewie anyway. (Although the 1st Order Executioner didn't seem to linger much either) So I give Hasbro credit for at least trying to find a way to get these out to the most people possible.

That said, what a cluster****. These should have never been street dated, should never have been shrink wrapped on a pallet, should have never been tied to a reset. Just open them up and put them on the shelf when they show up on the truck. And every store should have gotten at least 2-3 cases.

I think most all of that is on Target. Just a bad rollout.

I did manage to successfully pick one up in-store that I ordered online (none on the shelf when I walked in though) and I was able to snag a second through a friend that has a Target connection who was cool enough to hold one for me at Electronics. So I have the pair I really wanted, at least, an I am super thankful for that.

But Ive still yet to see one on a shelf or a peg, and at this rate, I don't know if I ever will.

[Nicklab]

I checked a few stores trying to find this over the weekend.  No luck for me.  I'll keep checking Brickseek and Target.com for the next week or so and maybe I'll get lucky.

[GrandMoffNick]

You make me laugh McMetal. It wasn't street dated. It has a planogram set date like every other aisle in toys. Some will set first. Some will set last. That's why people could buy them out of the stockroom. Filling by pallet is much easier than having to backstock and then repull everything. I don't think 6" Gamorrean was a big talker at Target headquarters. It's another toy on the new set. The 7/29 date wasn't advertised by them. It was found out by us. Target is very hardcore on having stuff in correct spot so if the new aisle isn't set they don't put it out. Isn't that what people bitch about at Walmart? They just shove it wherever once they get it and you can't find it. We all seem to assume every retail employee must know what adult guy wanting toys is talking about when realistically the 16 year old kid who works 12 hours a week has no reason to know.

The annoying part is some Target employees are so scared about breaking street dates even they error on the side of "I better leave this in stockroom and not give it to guy who knows the dpci even though there is no shelf spot just in case it's hard street dated."

Sorry for the rant. I just read this mindset often and it brings me back to my retail Target days

[McMetal]

Sorry for the rant. I just read this mindset often and it brings me back to my retail Target days

Aw man, I wasn't trying to throw shade at any of the Target store employees per se. It is the corporate policy that is really to blame here, IMO. I am just relating the litany of stories people have been relating the past week plus about what a nightmare it has been for them to buy this thing.

A LOT of people were told some iteration of "I can't sell this until the 29th/it's streetdated/etc"  and while you and I may know the difference between a "reset date" and a "street date" apparently a lot of stores do not, or are not inclined to acknowledge the difference.

One guy over at RS was told this figure had already gone on clearance and they would never be getting any more. 

The worst part I think is just the inconsistency. So many people, myself included, saw these in stock earlier in the week, couldn't buy them, and when we went back on the date they were supposed to be out, the stores suddenly had none left. So clearly there was some kind of disconnect.

Bottom line to me is just if you are a store just sell people stuff. Don't make it more complicated than that. All I had to do to buy Commander Wolffe was walk into a Barnes and Noble and hand them my money.

 

[GrandMoffNick]

Street dates are the problem then. We knew this was coming out. We tried to buy it asap. We knew the set date was 7/29.

Then Target employees had different ideas of whether it's a street date or not. Some people got lucky on 7/25 or whatever that their employee knew. Some didn't. Then you got lucky if your store set the aisle by Sunday morning and other people coming in didn't talk to a different employee on 7/26 who did pull it/them for him and stock went to 0.

I think we and I include myself as a collecting community don't see the macro of the story and only the micro

Anyway sorry to hijack the thread

[JediJman]

I think people are just impatient.  If I get a figure on 8/1 or 9/1, I really don't care just so long as I get my figure eventually and don't have to buy it secondhand for twice the price.  This guy literally just came out.  I can't think of a single Target exclusive that was ever difficult to find given time and I don't see this thing being any different.  Heck, most of their exclusives eventually go on clearance if you wait long enough or want extras.  Glad I don't waste my time reading about people's BS attitudes on these otheR sites.