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  • ODBJBG
    Permanent Member
    • May 15, 2009
    • 3143

    #16
    Originally posted by palitoy
    My mileage is my experience and training. You personally have no data (nor do I) and just compared an established brand with a huge social media presence and following to one just reintroducing itself to the retail landscape. I can tell you what right now, that ain't apples to apples.

    Nobody said you had to bury your head in the sand but there is no need to connect your local observations to such specious reasoning.

    Show me a velocity report and I can predict the future, other wise, it's all eye balling and not useful.
    Agreed, but I didn't think it was an apples to apples comparison, nor do I think I said it was. If it seemed that I implied that, then mea culpa. But I do think you can extrapolate some info based on what you see in store, (and in this case several stores in a decent sized area) including, but not limited to comparing other items, even if they are not direct comparisons. You would expect NECA and Ducktales to be doing better than Mego, no doubt, but I wouldn't necessary want it to be such a wide breadth in sales. To me, I'm seeing some red flags, but I certainly don't want to argue about it or make it seem like I'm trying to poo-poo the line. Lord knows I've been championing it in lots of places and trying to push the merits of Mego's comeback as a whole.

    I hope my rather gloomy predictions are wrong, but I do see several trends developing at the local level that eerily match other lines, including Target exclusive ones, that went about the way I described in the past. Of course even really good scientific and concrete data can be wrong when predicting the future, so I realize my local observations and trend following has plenty of birth to be wrong. Only time will tell. I appreciate the input.

    Comment

    • theSamurai
      Banned
      • Mar 27, 2017
      • 40

      #17
      Originally posted by ODBJBG
      Agreed, but I didn't think it was an apples to apples comparison, nor do I think I said it was. If it seemed that I implied that, then mea culpa. But I do think you can extrapolate some info based on what you see in store, (and in this case several stores in a decent sized area) including, but not limited to comparing other items, even if they are not direct comparisons. You would expect NECA and Ducktales to be doing better than Mego, no doubt, but I wouldn't necessary want it to be such a wide breadth in sales. To me, I'm seeing some red flags, but I certainly don't want to argue about it or make it seem like I'm trying to poo-poo the line. Lord knows I've been championing it in lots of places and trying to push the merits of Mego's comeback as a whole.

      I hope my rather gloomy predictions are wrong, but I do see several trends developing at the local level that eerily match other lines, including Target exclusive ones, that went about the way I described in the past. Of course even really good scientific and concrete data can be wrong when predicting the future, so I realize my local observations and trend following has plenty of birth to be wrong. Only time will tell. I appreciate the input.
      I would tend to agree on this. I've traveled to probably a dozen or so local Targets to look for items I collect (not just MEGO) monthly. I've been doing this off and on for almost 40 years. As a collector, I have just as much experience (more sometimes) and knowledge on how certain stores manage their shipments, and restocks, than some of their youthful employees do. Years as a collector can be just as important towards learning what's what in terms of the toy world and developing fairly sharp observation skills, or feelings, on what's going on with various toy lines.

      BTW - in my travels to and fro to these stores, this week specifically, I've seen some with fully stocked MEGO end-caps, others that look almost bare and some in the middle with enough (MEGOs) to look well stocked but were obviously picked over a fair amount to trigger a restock. They were all still stocked on end-caps too. Time will tell, but I'm certain wave 2 will show up as planned .. but hopefully some adjustments can be made to get a balance of characters that sell well along with proper quantities to prevent peg warming for extended periods. Sell thru windows in stores these days are very short (3 months or so) which can determine a toy lines future health and longevity .. units sold and all that.

      Best.
      Last edited by theSamurai; Aug 19, '18, 2:03 AM.

      Comment

      • palitoy
        live. laugh. lisa needs braces
        • Jun 16, 2001
        • 59204

        #18
        Here is what to do when you have no POS data and this what I make my own team do everywhere they go.

        Pick the day you visit the targets, count the inventory (maybe separate by 8", 14" and two packs).

        Return each week and count, if it goes up, you'll have to factor in that they've replenished but otherwise, you'd get a solid picture of weekly turns and shrink. The more stores, the more we can establish an average.

        If I didn't live two hours to the closest target, that's what I'd be doing. I even have the software for it in my handheld.

        It's conjecture but I'm inclined to believe sales will climb as awareness grows and while clearance is inevtible (spoilers it's factored in) , I doubt we'll see many discounted Draculas, Wonder Women or Trek people.
        Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

        Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
        http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

        Comment

        • MIB41
          Eloquent Member
          • Sep 25, 2005
          • 15631

          #19
          I can say without question the Target closest to me has been restocked at least once and that existing stock is moving. I know because I watched it sell down to no 14 inch figures and two Jeannie double packs with no individual Trek, Hendrix, Fonzie, or Dracula figures. A couple of days later it was completely restocked. From what I've read about the shipments, stores are receiving enough volume to keep those end caps stocked through at least one cycle. My buddy Chris is across the bridge in Indiana and he saw essentially the same thing occur. So I wouldn't assume that your local Target put out everything they had available and every time you go in you're seeing the same figures you saw before.

          I have five or six Targets in town and I've made several trips around to see what they've had and not all of them are getting them in at the same pace as the one closest to me, so it's been difficult to gauge response there. I'll check them again this week and report back. From what I have read on the Ambassadors page allot of people spent the first couple of weeks just trying to find them, so it sounds like stores are just getting them fully stocked or in some cases like mine, restocked. When you consider there are 160,000 plus figures out there between the eight and 14 inch, it's pretty incredible that inventory has moved at any noticeable pace this quickly.

          Will there be some peg warmers in that lot? I think it's reasonable to assume given the assortment of licensing. But when you consider the level of complaints from people who couldn't find them a couple of weeks ago (and sadly running to the scalpers) it's a bit of a leap to conclude the line is suddenly bombing because they're finally in stores. I would let these end caps sell for at least another month before drawing any conclusions about wave one. When you consider they have scores of movie related figures growing roots on their respective shelves from having been there since late Spring, Mego figures look relatively healthy by comparison. I feel good about the initial response. It was far better than I ever could have imagined.

          Comment

          • palitoy
            live. laugh. lisa needs braces
            • Jun 16, 2001
            • 59204

            #20
            Originally posted by ODBJBG
            You would expect NECA and Ducktales to be doing better than Mego, no doubt, but I wouldn't necessary want it to be such a wide breadth in sales.
            I believe you that is wide right now, Mego wasn't allowed to speak until less than 60 days before launch and product reveals were insanely short.

            Duck Tales has a new audience and blessed with an incredible adult following hungry for product, heck even I like Duck Tales.

            NECA has been steadily promoting the new product to an audience feeling the TRU vacuum, they both had great head starts.

            Mego Corp has less then 300 twitter followers right now, most people think the Museum is behind all of this, that's really needs to build.

            While that seems discouraging, we're very early in the game, that's all i'm saying. I've got people writing things like "I sincerely doubt we see wave 2" and well, unless a boat sinks, we're getting wave 2.

            I can't predict the future with data either but I also can't do much with less then three weeks sales. It's a taste but it's hard to see the trend. The big shopping weeks are coming, the traffic of the non collector will make or break this. I think Wave 2 being filled with less "second string" characters (and Target's insistence to launch with some b-list was odd, even to me) will be the best indicator of it having legs.


            Originally posted by ODBJBG
            . To me, I'm seeing some red flags, but I certainly don't want to argue about it or make it seem like I'm trying to poo-poo the line. Lord knows I've been championing it in lots of places and trying to push the merits of Mego's comeback as a whole.
            Well, that's the most important thing you can do, spread awareness, we as a group won't move the needle sales wise, making others aware that this is a thing is really key.

            I'm still encountering every day people tweeted or DMing me "What, Mego is back? Where?" so keep talking about it.

            Just an aside, and this purely anecdotal, one of my team does a very good job, creeps into a location like clock work, fills the display quietly and leaves, perfect VMI. I ran into one of his managers one day on a tour, he said to me "I swore nothing ever sold because the display looked the same, week in, week out, you're lucky i checked the POS numbers before I tossed you guys out!". The bottom line is, he should have left an empty peg once in a while.
            Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

            Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
            http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

            Comment

            • wise guy
              Career Member
              • Dec 29, 2014
              • 894

              #21
              The 3 stores that have end caps in my area have 3-4 of most of them . I go to Target
              every week and have been checking the numbers to see if there selling. So far it looks
              like Dracula , Sulu and Chekov have less stock and the 14'' are not moving at all with
              8 Wonderwomans,and Harleys on one end cap. Some areas of the U.S might be selling better but right now these could be on clearance before Christmas here in Cen-Cal
              Last edited by wise guy; Aug 19, '18, 10:20 AM.

              Comment

              • Werewolf
                Inhuman
                • Jul 14, 2003
                • 14616

                #22
                Originally posted by palitoy
                Duck Tales has a new audience and blessed with an incredible adult following hungry for product, heck even I like Duck Tales.
                I'm not surprised as well that Duck Tales is selling briskly. It's a beloved 80s property that has been thankfully given a fantastic update. Considering how incredibly popular 80s cartoons continue to be its sadly actually rare for a property to be treated so respectfully in an update. There's an absolute hunger for 80s toons and the demand really isn't being met. Ignoring 80s cartoons is my biggest frustration with new MEGO. If they can get KISS they can get Thundercats.
                You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...

                Comment

                • hedrap
                  Permanent Member
                  • Feb 10, 2009
                  • 4825

                  #23
                  So what happens to the stores that aren't getting squat out to the endcaps?

                  Comment

                  • LonnieFisher
                    Eloquent Member
                    • Jan 19, 2008
                    • 10814

                    #24
                    Originally posted by hedrap
                    So what happens to the stores that aren't getting squat out to the endcaps?
                    Riots in the toy section...

                    Comment

                    • jayraytee
                      Career Member
                      • May 27, 2011
                      • 724

                      #25
                      These figures are individually numbered. It's easy to tell if they are moving or not, our Target had them in right after release and the same figures are still there. Now other Targets in the area seem to have yet to get them in at all. What does this mean? Who freaking knows.
                      My posts were needlessly deleted ...

                      Comment

                      • scott metzger
                        Persistent Member
                        • Jul 9, 2007
                        • 2088

                        #26
                        I didn't expect the figures to fly off the shelves, and I'n hoping Target had realistic expectations. Die hards likely haunted the website for the first few weeks, or. like me , finally found them at a store. THe rest of the figures will likely sell gradually; the properties aren't going to fly off the shelves like Jurassic World. This is the kind of stuff that sells gradually, like the vast majority of the stuff over by the DVD's. Want a Mortal Kombat MOTU style Kitana? 2nd movie Freddy? Stranger Things figures? Plenty of all of them. NECA stuff they just put out? No problems there, either. This sort of product is the stuff that sells as time goes on, and, yes, there's likely going to be some stuff that winds up on clearance. That's the nature of the collectibles beast. It doesn't automatically mean doom and gloom for the future of Mego.

                        Comment

                        • hedrap
                          Permanent Member
                          • Feb 10, 2009
                          • 4825

                          #27
                          Just saw my first display. Harley, Bats and Drac were gone. Everything else was accounted for.

                          It is surreal seeing that logo in a major store.

                          Comment

                          • TRDouble
                            Permanent Member
                            • Jul 10, 2012
                            • 2525

                            #28
                            Originally posted by scott metzger
                            I didn't expect the figures to fly off the shelves, and I'n hoping Target had realistic expectations. Die hards likely haunted the website for the first few weeks, or. like me , finally found them at a store. THe rest of the figures will likely sell gradually; the properties aren't going to fly off the shelves like Jurassic World. This is the kind of stuff that sells gradually, like the vast majority of the stuff over by the DVD's. Want a Mortal Kombat MOTU style Kitana? 2nd movie Freddy? Stranger Things figures? Plenty of all of them. NECA stuff they just put out? No problems there, either. This sort of product is the stuff that sells as time goes on, and, yes, there's likely going to be some stuff that winds up on clearance. That's the nature of the collectibles beast. It doesn't automatically mean doom and gloom for the future of Mego.
                            That's what I expect, which is why I think 47% of the first shelf stocking sold is pretty good, IMO. I was not looking for doom and gloom responses when I made this post.

                            What I was hoping for and actually found interesting from reading various threads was what was hot in different areas. I read that Harley and Norm were selling well in some areas, while neither sold a figure at my closest Target. Yet, WW is gone, and Charmed Piper and Alice both sold two of four. Star Trek and Dracula seems to be the consistent sellers in all areas of the country.

                            Comment

                            • LonnieFisher
                              Eloquent Member
                              • Jan 19, 2008
                              • 10814

                              #29
                              Last time I went they only had ten of the sixteen 8" figures and three of the four 14" figures. There are no mixed characters on the pegs here.

                              Comment

                              • EMCE Hammer
                                Moderation Engineer
                                • Aug 14, 2003
                                • 25679

                                #30
                                I have yet to find a WW or Jeannie set. Most of the Targets nearest me DONT have them yet. This includes the Polaris location, which is a nationally known mall. Of the three locations closest to campus -zero out of three. Luckily Targets are like Starbucks around here.

                                Comment

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