Note: When I began brainstorming this post, it was going to be documenting my efforts at getting the Easter D case shipper from Walmart, and then Target began getting in F cases. In the middle of March, COVID-19 hit, and everything changed. Shipments stopped and as of this writing (6/3), Target is still not receiving cases regularly. Walmart got their Easter bins eventually but not after some interruptions as people were stockpiling food items and then the stores adopted reduced hours.
This is how it went:
My third Walmart of the day: I stopped in and saw that they had started to put out the Easter displays that Walmart gets each year. I asked the associate to check and see if they had those section with Hot Wheels. He went and checked, but told me that it would not be out until another day or so. He also told me that management tends to go through the shipments before they hit the floor.
Day three: Easter bins are out with no sign of hot wheels. I know they will have some, because of course people are finding them around the country including Supers. Major FOMO moment.
Day four: We visited five Walmarts, only one had the Easter bin out, it had been out since yesterday the clerk informed me. The rest of the stores are preoccupied with the grocery side, so no sign of the bin coming out.
3/17 update: collector buddy got a D case super while I was sleeping in yesterday. This morning a Target got in on the fun, with a treasure hunt free F case. Thanks guys. Although, the guy was nice enough to bring it from the back.
At the Walmart I’ve been checking most often, The Easter bin came out after my checking on it about 6 times, and I missed it by a half hour.
Later that day, Make that two bins missed that were very fresh.
3/22 update: a fresh F case at Target again. No super but a regular treasure hunt.
3/28 update: after a week of no action, one Target (across town) gets a case. A treasureless F case.
4/1 update: Across town again for another treasureless F case.
What Happened?
When the pandemic hit, the stores were being blown out first for the toilet paper, hand sanitizer etc, and then the groceries. People were stockpiling while facing a potential lockdown, and the toys section just wasn’t a priority. Some stores around the country blocked off those areas, because they weren’t “essential”. Shipments also slowed way down, due to a lot of limitations coming out of China and slowing sales due to the circumstances. A lot less people were hunting because of quarantine, and sales dropped.
On the other hand…
Online sales have skyrocketed, and the prices that collectibles are getting has gone through the roof as well. For example, the Hasbro 123 Kid, usually averaged about $60-80 loose. It spiked to over $700 loose. The demand for the products is as high as it’s ever been. Certain Mattel Elites are over $100 in package, the Mattel Retros have quadrupled in price as well. Hot Wheels have maintained their averages, I will be discussing what I’ve been doing over there in a separate post. The secondary market is the only option right now for wrestling figures, due to the absence of stock in the major stores. Otherwise there are online retailers such as Ringside Collectibles, but those are not going to be typical retail price. It’s good for the community that demand is so high, but it’s definitely more expensive if you’re trying to catch something you might have missed.
Where we Stand:
Target has been getting in some WWE, but very few cases of Hot Wheels.
Walmart has hardly no WWE to speak of, since the Wrestlemania Shipment came through. They did receive new bins of Hot Wheels in May, but nothing much since. Auto World and M2 come through and disappear just as fast. People are paying higher prices to fill their collections, and there is a ton of demand for new WWE Mattel products.
Hopefully whatever the new normal is, will come with some Diecast and Wrestling figures available on the pegs…
