>>9878035That is pitiful! Here at our two stores. Target and Wal-Mart our mainline Hot Wheels has been empty since March. Last big delivery was February. 8 cases, 5 of them never made it off the pallet. The other 3 were tore open instantly. Matchbox MAYBE one case every three months Maybe! Premiums? What are those? M2's are the only "premium" lines in stock. Even ALL THE Monster Jam Monster Trucks are empty! Nascar Authentics, you may see one or two. ANYTHING Fast & Furious related never makes the floor.
I drove by our Target yesterday morning on my way to the Doctor's. I was a retail manager here for 20 years, so the scalpers are like fucking cockroaches. Easy to spot. There was maybe 25-30 people out front at 7:10am. Wal-Mart opens at 6am here. My roommate works there until 7 or 8am, depending on the day. They get between 15 and 30 scalpers in every morning and usually an hour before close. To make sure there's not any cases on pallets put out for the 3rd shifters. You honestly can't find ANY COLLECTIBLES HERE! Star Wars Black Series figures(6"), Legacy figures(3.75"), Marvel Legends, Funko pops, or ANY Die-Cast cars. Even the "re-sale' store or "retro" toy store now sells Hot Wheels for between $5.00 and $25.00 for mainline. Super Treasure Hunts can run $50.00-$200.00+. Premium die-cast cars like Johnny Lightning and Auto World are easily $25.00 +. The older Hot Wheels Retro Entertainment lines? The one that had the Ferris Bueller Ferrari, the Smokey and the Bandit Trans-Am and Snowman's Big Rig, and Marty McCoy's Toyota Pick up? The Ferrari was $129.99, the Smokey & the Bandit pair was $250.00 or $139.99 each. The black Toyota from Back to the Future was $229.99. This is no longer a hobby, it's becoming a massive business for people who don't want to actually work. Even the old days that K-Mart did with K-Days, Mattel did with Gamestop. But people who pre-ordered 36-ct cases from Gamestop got a BIG SURPRISE. Their cases were opened! Huh?
