Need Help form McFarlane Staff – HOW DO I GET MY WallMart to carry SPORTSPICKS????

[Gary Stevens]

OK…. Back in the day, life was good and I could get my Sportspicks plastic fix most anywhere. TRU, Target, KB, Gamestop, EB, MediaPlay, Suncoast, Wall-Mart. A virtual cornucopia of stores to hit up for the HTF Chase figures.
But those days are gone. The stores have either closed up or quit carrying my favorite collectables. The only place around for 100 miles that caries McFarlane Figures is one sad, lonely little TRU. :(
But- it says on your “Where to Buy” area that Wall-Mart is still active with ya’ll.
Well… NOT IN MY AREA!:mad:
I have done everything I can think of to get Sportspicks re-instated at the local Wally World. I have talked (and e-mailed) to stockers, Toy Managers, Sub Managers, Store Managers, and Regional Managers. I’ve call the 1-800 customer service a dozen times. I’ve brought in pictures, UPC Codes, release schedules & dates. I’ve called other Wall Marts in other parts of the country to confirm that some stores DO still carry them.
SO McFARLANE PEOPLE – Here’s what I want from you –
What do I do….
To get these Stores….
To carry YOUR PRODUCT and increase your sales?
Tell Me!! Please!!

And Boardies – Please help me define the scope of the problem. LMK if your Wall-Mart still carries Sportspicks. Where are you at? What is the “Dead Zone”?
I personally know that all of the Wall Marts in Central and South Georgia DO NOT carry any McFarlane Figures.
That would be Store Numbers:
#2733 #1367 #3750
#1153 #1076 #2890
#1215 #1099 #1711
#907 #588 #1072

Maybe we can pool our resources and make a loud enough noise to make them start carrying them again.

[spy0070]

Your not alone. Hawaii Wal-Marts (all Oahu ones) don't carry them anymore. I believe some Minnesota stores also don't carry them.

I guess they are trying to get to what makes the most money... generally, the best way to try and get them is to talk to the store manager or the toy manager... I thought actually McFarlanes were coming back once (one of my friends in another forum told me that they put back the UPCs), but they haven't been put back on the shelves for while. The only McFarlane things I've seen around one Wal-Mart was a Chad Cordero which was on clearance.

Well, the good thing is I do have a few stores where I can get some... good luck onto trying to get your stores to get SPs.

[J3-M8]

Wal-Mart? How about any other store, besides TRU?

[PensBraves]

Out of the 3 Wal-Marts in my area around Memphis, only the super Wal-Mart has them and they only get maybe one fig if a Cards player is in the series. Last time I went they still had about 15 Ozzie figs that they have had for about 4 months. Only place that carries them around here is the one TRU we have.

[IceRat]

WM (US) was likely 'eating' more figures then they were selling
if WM isn't making a profit on the product there is little reason for them to carry it unless it is a loss leader product which I don't consider SPs in the states by any means
I'm sure because of the cost to make these there is little profit margin on them and TMP might not have been able to lower cost anymore to make up the difference WM was having to take in markdowns.

Tell TMP to take returns on their product and I'm sure WM will start buying with open arms.
Not likely since I don't think that is part of TMPs business model

personally I'm glad they are not at WM
- having them at WM in mass will water down the lineups even more than the already are
- WM does a crappy job of getting new inventory out in a timely manner (a good reason why they sat on old figs they did stock)

[joonyah129]

Your not alone. Hawaii Wal-Marts (all Oahu ones) don't carry them anymore. I believe some Minnesota stores also don't carry them.

I guess they are trying to get to what makes the most money... generally, the best way to try and get them is to talk to the store manager or the toy manager... I thought actually McFarlanes were coming back once (one of my friends in another forum told me that they put back the UPCs), but they haven't been put back on the shelves for while. The only McFarlane things I've seen around one Wal-Mart was a Chad Cordero which was on clearance.

Well, the good thing is I do have a few stores where I can get some... good luck onto trying to get your stores to get SPs.

Well here on the Big Island of Hawaii there is nothing as well. Wally's, KB, and Gamestop all stopped carrying them. I think the problem here in HI is that retailers were "stuck" with a whole bunch of NHL figs that absolutley DO NOT SELL here. We live in a tropical paradise and have no hockey and 90% of the population don't even grasp the concept of the sport. I have seen ALL the other sports sell like hotcakes here. But I think retailers just don't want to take the chance anymore.
If I want certain figures, I have to shop on Ebay or buy a whole case and get stuck w/ the one's I don't want. That and my wife makes me sleep on the couch everytime I order a case.:D

[spy0070]

Well here on the Big Island of Hawaii there is nothing as well. Wally's, KB, and Gamestop all stopped carrying them. I think the problem here in HI is that retailers were "stuck" with a whole bunch of NHL figs that absolutley DO NOT SELL here. We live in a tropical paradise and have no hockey and 90% of the population don't even grasp the concept of the sport. I have seen ALL the other sports sell like hotcakes here. But I think retailers just don't want to take the chance anymore.
If I want certain figures, I have to shop on Ebay or buy a whole case and get stuck w/ the one's I don't want. That and my wife makes me sleep on the couch everytime I order a case.:D

KB generally isn't stuck with too much hockey figures... there's a few, but not much. TRU is, most are $5-6.99.

Luckily, I'm a hockey fan, so more stuff for me :P

[TRDouble]

The problem, IceRat, is that TMP wants them in W*M so bad that the line-ups are still made in deference to Wal*Marts' wants & likes, so they still get watered down and will continue to be watered down, W*M actually carrying them or not.

In my area, most W*M had dropped Sports Picks. Then, miraculously, some picked them up again. Unfortunately, it wasn't long after that they all received full cases of Cooperstown Mantle and Maris, or mixed cases of both. Now, most W*Ms are pegs *and* top shelf space full of nothing but those two figures, unable to even move them at $5 clearance. And for those that received any SPs beyond that mess? Try full cases of Mariano (which actually sold pretty well) and Mets David Wright, which has joined the full shelves plus of Mantles and Maris.

This means that no area Wal*Marts will get any new SPs, and the chance of getting full cases of a local SP that would sellout immediately -- Sabres Ryan Miller -- are nil. Not surprising since they never received full cases of another figure sure to sellout -- Sabres Gilbert Perreault. In fact, in hockey mad Buffalo, NY, local W*Ms never received *any* NHL since... I can't remember when :confused:

As a side note, of the few local Kay Bee Toys that might still carry SPs, I think they get one case and that's it; usually gone too fast to even realize they still carry them. TRU & F.Y.E., but at $14.99 at F.Y.E., the chases usually go, maybe a couple more, and then they sit until clearanced out. NFL included.

(Psst... how long before this thread is deleted?)

[HankScorpio]

Only 2 out of 8 Wally Worlds within 30 minutes of me regularly stock SP's. TRU is really the only viable option though, as the 2 WM's that do carry them only get the single-player cases of regional players.

Correction: There's a comic shop that't been getting a couple cases of MLB and MFL for the last three or four series, but they charge $15 and up for them.

[alex99]

The reason why Walmart is so on top of the retail world ... they sell products that move ... SPs don't other than the chase ones.
Maybe TMP should give Walmart exclusives? They seem to work in Canada on the NHL figures.

[IceRat]

The problem, IceRat, is that TMP wants them in W*M so bad that the line-ups are still made in deference to Wal*Marts' wants & likes, so they still get watered down and will continue to be watered down, W*M actually carrying them or not.
hence why I said "even more than they already are"
they are already catering to mass retailers instead of hobby shops/online dealers

to your other point the regional solid pack case initiative must in some way be considered a giant failure..... not faulting TMP without having all the details but first look would put the fault on the retailers who are taking in solid pack cases of players and allocating them to 'parts unknown' ... totally against the spirit of the reason they were done

[joonyah129]

KB generally isn't stuck with too much hockey figures... there's a few, but not much. TRU is, most are $5-6.99.

Luckily, I'm a hockey fan, so more stuff for me :P

we don't have a TRU here so I wouldn't know anything about that. I have to say that I do have 1 hockey fig: Ron Fancis Chase form an earlier series. If you have any Broncos figs : Elam, Sharpe, Elway2.....I'll be willing to trade!!!:cool:

[sharon]

I'm not sure where in Georgia you are, but if you find yourself in the Atlanta area, here are a few places to go. The TRU's are your best bets, they usually have quite a few. The Walmart #1578 has a sprinkling of figs, and it's close to TRU #8847. Most Walmarts here have few or none of the figs. Remember to call ahead, haha!


TOYS"R"US - ATLANTA
#8805
2997 COBB PARKWAY SOUTH
ATLANTA, GA 30339
Tel: (770)951-8052


TOYS"R"US - ALPHARETTA
#8847
7731 NORTHPOINT PARKWAY
ALPHARETTA, GA 30022
Tel: (770)518-9188


WALMART SUPERCENTER - ROSWELL
#1578
970 MANSELL ROAD
ROSWELL, GA 30076
Tel: (770)993-0533

[julio1867]

I have zero WM in my area, basically all of western Wisconsin. I've completed the survey and done other things, but they won't get them again. I did have a chance to drive 180 miles to a TRU and only saw a few figures that I wanted. I bought one and then went to ****s and Champs, both had zero figures.

[HoosierDaddy]

I know I'm beating a dead horse and I've said this a thousand times but many stores quit carrying them because of three words, overproduction, overproduction, overproduction. I think TMP got a little to greedy and saturated the market after NFL was drying up fast in the firt 5 series and went to far. When you have ANY NFL figs warming pegs you know it's way overproduced. But TMP knew that and still waited way to long to cut back on production. I know they are a business and want to make money but by making less early and still having a strong following is better then getting as much $$$ as soon as you can and watching the retailers disappear because they can't sell all that product. I'm sure retailers were asking for more product because it USED to sell so fast but TMP should have played it out and barely upped the production just a little. Then if Wal Mart was unhappy with not getting enough product TMP would have a better problem to solve now. Because, face it, if it sells and makes a profit Wal Mart might threaten to quit carrying it but they are only bluffing. Instead TMP gave in to the pressure and made a ton of product and now people like me can't find ANY SP's locally. I have to drive clear to Ft Wayne just to find a store that carries them. And I don't get there to often anymore so forget finding any chase figures. I have to buy all my stuff off the net. So now I can only afford to buy Steelers stuff.

[Gary Stevens]

I'm not sure where in Georgia you are, but if you find yourself in the Atlanta area,
I'm just south of Macon. I used to go up to Atlanta a lot, but not so much lately.
Now I travel to North Fla more often.

[Zildjian]

It is a fruitless effort..... this has been brought up NUMEROUS time. Wal-Mart will not carry the line, nor any other McFarlane figures unless the sell, and they won't sell, so they won't carry them. McFarlane is going towards the "special order" type of toy line like DC Direct, etc....

This is why I, like many others, have not purchased a Sportspick figure at retail in YEARS... yes, YEARS!! I used to buy almost every figure made, but when you can't fine them, you can't buy them. McFarlane needs better marketing, and better retail presence if they want to be a more successful retail product.

It will never happen.

[Gary Stevens]

Ok. Now I’m confused.
I just got back from my morning run and 2 of the 3 local Wall Marts had the
756 Barry Bonds figure. First McF I had seen in there for a while.
I guess the point of this post (besides ranting) is to ask
1) Is the purchase of product a local decision? Store by Store basis? Or is it regional?
2) Is there anything, any suggestions from McFarlane as to what to do?

[sting6996]

Chain yourself to the front door and tell them your not moving until they carry SP's.:D

[LasVegas]

Out of the 15 or so Wal Marts in Vegas only 2 of them have SP's, 1 has up to NFL Legends, but the other is only up through NBA 12.

[IceRat]

1) Is the purchase of product a local decision? Store by Store basis? Or is it regional?

purchasing is done on a national level out of Bentonville, AR
to think stores are concerning themselves about SPs on a regional or local level is only kidding yourself

[Gary Stevens]

purchasing is done on a national level out of Bentonville, AR
to think stores are concerning themselves about SPs on a regional or local level is only kidding yourself
So I should contact them there?
Do you think it would do any good?
Should I start up a pettion or something?

[IceRat]

So I should contact them there? no
Do you think it would do any good? no
Should I start up a pettion or something? no
..

[genoinky]

None of the Wal-Marts here have SP's, and i would guess we have around 10 -12 in a 100 mile range.