griffin
1st January 2008, 10:54 PM
Just to prove how bleak things are in my part of the world in terms of Transformers toys, I took my camera with me yesterday to take a photo of each store I went to. A lot of the stores still have the Transformers shelf labelling (you can see it in most of the photos below), but often that is the only indication you get that that is where Transformers toys should be found in that store.
All of the photos below are how I found the shelves - I didn't touch anything to make them look worse for the photos.
Toyworld Carindale - no Transformers left in the TF section (the entire area in this photo of shelves and hooks used to have TFs)
http://www.otca.com.au/shelftwc.jpg
BigW Carindale - both sides of this small set of shelvs was for TFs toys since the Movie came out, but now it is just half of one side with just one movie toy (Megatron).
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfbwc.jpg
Myer Carindale - the TFs section has actually been in a different location each time I have been at this store in the last few months, due to it being relocated as the amount of stock shrank. To the point of it being just one Robot Replica and the Armada Optimus Pens.
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfmc.jpg
Target Carindale - the entire shelf section in this photo used to be packed with Transformers (and sometimes the endcap behind it), and the store hasn't yet put much else in the empty space, as other stores usually do (it just looks bad if supply problems look obvious).
http://www.otca.com.au/shelftgc.jpg
BigW Garden City - a store that is trying to reserve space in their toy section for the eventual resupply of Transformers, but spacing out their unwanted TECH and Slammers across as many pegs as possible. BigW allocate space to toylines, and if it is reallocated to something else, new stock can usually end up packed on shelving that is no where near where it should be (like near the layby counter at Kuraby during Armada-Cybertron).
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfbwgc.jpg
Kmart Garden City - now this is the photo I would use as the perfect example of allocated space not being used because of supply problems. Obviously the stores are wanting the stock, but Hasbro AU are just unable to provide its customers with it.
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfkmgc.jpg
Toys R Us Garden City - actually looks like it is the best stocked store, but looking at the photo, two thirds of the shelf space is taken up by the unwanted, overpriced Unleashed Turnarounds. They do indeed have the most actual Transformers toys of the stores I checked yesterday, but the range was still pretty pathetic.
http://www.otca.com.au/shelftrugc.jpg
Kmart Sunnybank - my nearest department/toy store. Six columns by 2 or 3 rows of pegs, plus three shelves up to where the empty peg section goes to. As you can see, the store is still allocating space to Transformers, but each time I am there, they fill in more space with other toys, so that now, the only items on the shelving are a helmet and a Turnaround.
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfkmsb.jpg
Someone at Hasbro should lose their job for this incompetance that has cost them millions. Or at least anyone there who says that they didn't foresee this obvious demand. The highest grossing non-sequel Movie in 2007 and record breaking sales with the DVD, how could anyone in the AU or US offices not be held responsible for the lost sales. And not just the pre-Christmas lost sales, but the momentum of future sales now lost because fewer kids and parents will be out there looking to buy more of the toyline to add to their new (Christmas) collection.
Okay, so I'm ranting now. But Hasbro's shortsightedness has made it harder for collectors (like me) and kids in this country to affordably and easily buy Transformers toys.
All of the photos below are how I found the shelves - I didn't touch anything to make them look worse for the photos.
Toyworld Carindale - no Transformers left in the TF section (the entire area in this photo of shelves and hooks used to have TFs)
http://www.otca.com.au/shelftwc.jpg
BigW Carindale - both sides of this small set of shelvs was for TFs toys since the Movie came out, but now it is just half of one side with just one movie toy (Megatron).
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfbwc.jpg
Myer Carindale - the TFs section has actually been in a different location each time I have been at this store in the last few months, due to it being relocated as the amount of stock shrank. To the point of it being just one Robot Replica and the Armada Optimus Pens.
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfmc.jpg
Target Carindale - the entire shelf section in this photo used to be packed with Transformers (and sometimes the endcap behind it), and the store hasn't yet put much else in the empty space, as other stores usually do (it just looks bad if supply problems look obvious).
http://www.otca.com.au/shelftgc.jpg
BigW Garden City - a store that is trying to reserve space in their toy section for the eventual resupply of Transformers, but spacing out their unwanted TECH and Slammers across as many pegs as possible. BigW allocate space to toylines, and if it is reallocated to something else, new stock can usually end up packed on shelving that is no where near where it should be (like near the layby counter at Kuraby during Armada-Cybertron).
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfbwgc.jpg
Kmart Garden City - now this is the photo I would use as the perfect example of allocated space not being used because of supply problems. Obviously the stores are wanting the stock, but Hasbro AU are just unable to provide its customers with it.
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfkmgc.jpg
Toys R Us Garden City - actually looks like it is the best stocked store, but looking at the photo, two thirds of the shelf space is taken up by the unwanted, overpriced Unleashed Turnarounds. They do indeed have the most actual Transformers toys of the stores I checked yesterday, but the range was still pretty pathetic.
http://www.otca.com.au/shelftrugc.jpg
Kmart Sunnybank - my nearest department/toy store. Six columns by 2 or 3 rows of pegs, plus three shelves up to where the empty peg section goes to. As you can see, the store is still allocating space to Transformers, but each time I am there, they fill in more space with other toys, so that now, the only items on the shelving are a helmet and a Turnaround.
http://www.otca.com.au/shelfkmsb.jpg
Someone at Hasbro should lose their job for this incompetance that has cost them millions. Or at least anyone there who says that they didn't foresee this obvious demand. The highest grossing non-sequel Movie in 2007 and record breaking sales with the DVD, how could anyone in the AU or US offices not be held responsible for the lost sales. And not just the pre-Christmas lost sales, but the momentum of future sales now lost because fewer kids and parents will be out there looking to buy more of the toyline to add to their new (Christmas) collection.
Okay, so I'm ranting now. But Hasbro's shortsightedness has made it harder for collectors (like me) and kids in this country to affordably and easily buy Transformers toys.