toys r us has moved into the "irrelevant" category for me.
i've been eager to find the masked daken and green spidey from the new ml line. i found them today at my local tru. but i didn't buy them. why, you might ask? because they're $22.49. i can, literally, go to target and buy a ml figure for 2/3 that price. LITERALLY.
so, with the shock of the price in mind, i decided to look around and take a more thorough look at the prices of things i collect(now, keep in mind, i haven't actually bought anything from tru in a while because they refuse to stock their shelves so i didn't really know what to expect).
ml: $22.49
the lone wwe elite john cena(non-ppv exc): $21.99
wwe basic(i had the option of 100 john cenas or 100 rey mysterios): $12.99
gi joe: $11.99
dcuc: $19.99
this is utter lunacy. i can go to any "big box" store and buy any of these figures for 2/3 of what tru is charging.
wtf are they doing?
I've read that they've been increasing the prices at stores in more "well-off" areas.
I've read that they've been increasing the prices at stores in more "well-off" areas.
i read that, too. but there's no way this tru is in a "well off" area. it's just kinda middle of the road.
I've read that they've been increasing the prices at stores in more "well-off" areas.
I'd say that's true, generally, but the most expensive TRU prices within my range are those in Co-op City in the Bronx. Pretty poor area. So why are the prices so high? Because the stores there know the populace either can't or won't leave the immediate area to shop.
-JJJ
GD, you wouldn't happen to live in South Florida would you? My nearest TRU is 6 miles away, and the price increase hit there a while back and I've stopped going there as a result. Star Wars, GI Joe, Men in Black 3, Marvel Universe & the Marvel movie lines, they went up to $11.99. The DCUC, and Batman Legacy lines were $19.99. I don't recall the Movie Masters cost, but they were increased as well.
Now here's the thing, if you drive either 5 miles west, or 8 miles south you have 2 other TRU stores to choose from that are not participating in this disgusting price increase. As a matter of fact, the one that's 8 miles south of the rip off artists was renovated recently and has a much better, more modern, open floor plan that, you would think, would justify the price increase.
Anyway, it's sad to see such blatant corporate greed in these times.
I noticed the same thing at my local TRUs. I remember finding some new Marvel Legends I wanted. I had them in my hand....and then noticed the price of !9.99. It's hard enough swallowing the modern high prices....but then adding another $5 on top of that. I couldn't do it.
Funny enough, I saw one of those today at Target--only $14.99--and the same thing happened. I had it in my hand--even walked around with it--but then put it back. At these prices I am really re-thinking my purchases. Figures I would have bought in the past without a second thought, I'm now leaving on the shelf.
Still, I will go back to Target and keep looking--I WILL get some figures. But TRU--I won't even bother going. Why would I when I know I won't pay the price?
I commented on this page about a month ago regarding these prices. If you look at Hasbro.com most new MU figures are $9.99. SW and GIJ figures at my TRU in Northern Virginia are $11.49. They can keep them. I agree TRU is irrelevant.
It doesn't make any sense. They definitely have the buying power and you would think they have a distinct advantage over Target and Walmart as far as the ability to stock more product being a specialty retailer.
Bad decisions in touch economic times.
I agree that TRU is poorly run, but I'm guessing they are just pricing products based on the lease price of each store and the desired sales per square foot needed to make that lease profitable. Make no mistake, Target does this too but in a more effective and proper manner. I have 4 targets in my area, one opened up in the biggest mall in the area a few years ago. The other three Target's are roughly 10% cheaper on everything than the Target at the Mall. Sales per square foot is the drving cornerstone in every retail store.
Target specifically charges more at stores that have less competition. The ones that are not within about 10 minutes of a Walmart around here in PA have 10% higher prices.
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Except that they don't have that advantage over Target and Wal-Mart.
They don't have the buying power. They have many, many fewer locations. And while they, as a specialty retailer, have more space for toys, they use it to carry a greater variety of toys (that is their advantage over Target and Wal-Mart) rather than to carry more of the same thing. At the TRUs I hit, most of the major lines don't get much more display space than they do at Wal-Mart, and certainly not enough more to counterbalance the lack of stores relative to other chains.
On a price basis, TRU is and would always be at a disadvantage against Target and Wal-Mart. Because it is a specialty store, and they aren't. TRU needs to sell most of their toys at a profit, because that's what they sell. Wal-Mart can sell action figures at a price that doesn't get them a profit, because toys aren't their core business.