[Peteparker]

Hey gents,

Here in Albuquerque, I figured out that we have one store among 7 which no longer sells MU figures. I had an inkling that this was true when I found a Bucky and a modern Havoc in their clearance section a few weeks ago, both for $4 or less.

Anyway, I have a Walmart next door which has had torn and clearanced peg-warmers hanging up there for 6+ weeks. And when I took the torn package to the front to customer service, and found it back on the pegs UNCHANGED the next day, I decided to experiment.

I bought all of the undamaged peg-warmers on a credit card and took them down to the clearanced store to see what would happen if I tried to return them there. I figured at worst they'd only return the figures at the in-store prices, and I'd just take them back to my local one with that knowledge in the future.

Well, they accepted the return of 7 figures and gave me all of my money back. (Though I had to correct them when they used the wrong price on one by mistake). They had to change the price in their register from the in-store price ($2) to the receipt price, but they did so without batting an eye. I found it interesting, since they no longer had any space to put them up.

The next day, I popped by just to see where those 7 would end up. There they were, right up on the Captain America 3.75" pegs in front of the remaining figures. There were no reduced prices on them, and no indication that they'd be any different than the peg price (full 7.99 or whatever). I grabbed a Union Jack and checked his in-store price at a scanner around the corner. It came up as $2. So I took it up to the register and paid $2.16 for a figure I didn't really care about that I had previously bought and returned for $7.99.

So I don't know how this fits with all of your morals, but this has been verified to work. You do risk whatever figures you do this with being nabbed up until you get back there. Two of the 7 were gone by the time I got there, possibly not put back in the same place?

And I left the rest of the figures I returned, since I didn't really want them anyway.

[M3T4L V1KING]

You sir... Are beyond genius. And have made my damn day.

[Do Boy]

I kinda did they same thing with the Young justice stuff. When TRU had the bogo sale. I found that I didnt' like them AT ALL. Worse investment I could of made. So instead of just returning them to TRU and just getting $20 back, I returned them to Target to get a full refund on all 4 figures $40. And of course I just turned around and used the $40 on MU stuff lol.

[LXL_Guy]

Definitely YMMV seeing as many of the Wally's round here carry Marvel Universe as a norm. Haven't ever seen any clearance them off.

[Peteparker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Do Boy

I kinda did they same thing with the Young justice stuff. When TRU had the bogo sale. I found that I didnt' like them AT ALL. Worse investment I could of made. So instead of just returning them to TRU and just getting $20 back, I returned them to Target to get a full refund on all 4 figures $40. And of course I just turned around and used the $40 on MU stuff lol.

Very interesting, that's something I've never really thought of before. Target has a limit on the amount of Recieptless returns you can do in a year, though. It's weird how there are loopholes if you know the rules well enough. You'd think all of them would be completely closed out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LXL_Guy

Definitely YMMV seeing as many of the Wally's round here carry Marvel Universe as a norm. Haven't ever seen any clearance them off.

Okay, someone has to tell me 'YMMV'. Is there an Acronyms list somewhere? lol.

[Peteparker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3T4L V1KING

You sir... Are beyond genius. And have made my damn day.

Ha! I'm glad the experiment worked out. I'm sure there are some guys on here who are totally, "F Walmart!" and would appreciate this knowledge.

I'd be more prone to want to do this to TRU than anyone.

[M3T4L V1KING]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peteparker

Ha! I'm glad the experiment worked out. I'm sure there are some guys on here who are totally, "F Walmart!" and would appreciate this knowledge.

I'd be more prone to want to do this to TRU than anyone.

Yeah, I'm one of those "F Walmart!" guys lol. I just quit there and couldn't be happier.

[JustryGT]

I don't have a smart phone to keep me entertained while I wait in line so there is no way I am going to wait in 3 lines to pull that off. I can imagine that you might justify this as an attempt to get these toys at the store's cost. But then you didn't even buy all of them back. I am sure if you explained in full detail what you did to the store manager , he might see it as stealing.













'

[M3T4L V1KING]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustryGT

I don't have a smart phone to keep me entertained while I wait in line so there is no way I am going to wait in 3 lines to pull that off. I can imagine that you might justify this as an attempt to get these toys at the store's cost. But then you didn't even buy all of them back. I am sure if you explained in full detail what you did to the store manager , he might see it as stealing.

Isn't stealing if the Walmart sets it at that price. It's just really clever. It's liking thinking something is $20, and it rings up at $15 and you don't say a word about it. Isn't stealing.

[LXL_Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peteparker

Okay, someone has to tell me 'YMMV'. Is there an Acronyms list somewhere? lol.

Oops...thought it was common to throw that one out.

YMMV = Your Miles May Vary

[JustryGT]

It might be more clever if you have Walmart buy 7 figures at retail price that you just brought over from China. But Walmart already paid Hasbro for the 7 figures and then had to pay for them again because of this stunt.

First Walmart sold $8.00 x 7 = $56.00 (for simplicity lets say their cost was $3.00 each), so they made a profit of $5.00 x 7 = $35.00 profit
Second Walmart buys them for $56.00 then sells them all eventually at $2.00 x 7 = $14.00 >>> $56.00 - $14.00 = $42.00 loss - $35.00 ( profit made earlier at First Walmart ) =
$7.00 total loss. (ok so nothing to cry about)

I am not the one that knows what the store actually pays per figure. It would be great if they only pay Hasbro $2.00 per figure, then this stunt only forces Walmart to give them up at cost.
My second concern was not whether or not this steals from Walmarts profits , rather if it steals from their investment into this product. I should also point out that I am not trying to stick up for them as I am aware that it is the store's fault for letting this happen.

[M3T4L V1KING]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustryGT

It might be more clever if you have Walmart buy 7 figures at retail price that you just brought over from China. But Walmart already paid Hasbro for the 7 figures and then had to pay for them again because of this stunt.

First Walmart sold $8.00 x 7 = $56.00 (for simplicity lets say their cost was $3.00 each), so they made a profit of $5.00 x 7 = $35.00 profit
Second Walmart buys them for $56.00 then sells them all eventually at $2.00 x 7 = $14.00 >>> $56.00 - $14.00 = $42.00 loss - $35.00 ( profit made earlier at First Walmart ) =
$7.00 total loss. (ok so nothing to cry about)

I am not the one that knows what the store actually pays per figure. It would be great if they only pay Hasbro $2.00 per figure, then this stunt only forces Walmart to give them up at cost.
My second concern was not whether or not this steals from Walmarts profits , rather if it steals from their investment into this product. I should also point out that I am not trying to stick up for them as I am aware that it is the store's fault for letting this happen.

Well we can definitely both agree on the last part lol

[Peteparker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustryGT

It might be more clever if you have Walmart buy 7 figures at retail price that you just brought over from China. But Walmart already paid Hasbro for the 7 figures and then had to pay for them again because of this stunt.

First Walmart sold $8.00 x 7 = $56.00 (for simplicity lets say their cost was $3.00 each), so they made a profit of $5.00 x 7 = $35.00 profit
Second Walmart buys them for $56.00 then sells them all eventually at $2.00 x 7 = $14.00 >>> $56.00 - $14.00 = $42.00 loss - $35.00 ( profit made earlier at First Walmart ) =
$7.00 total loss. (ok so nothing to cry about)

I am not the one that knows what the store actually pays per figure. It would be great if they only pay Hasbro $2.00 per figure, then this stunt only forces Walmart to give them up at cost.
My second concern was not whether or not this steals from Walmarts profits , rather if it steals from their investment into this product. I should also point out that I am not trying to stick up for them as I am aware that it is the store's fault for letting this happen.

I fully understand that based on your perspective and morals, this could be considered stealing.

Two counter points I'll bring up are that 1, the returned-to Walmart has not yet sold the remaining 5, and still has the ability to sell them at full price. Secondly, I could not confirm the price of the other 6, as I only bought one. It's possible they're staggered prices based on the age of the figure, especially since the other two clearanced figures I previously found there were $4 a piece.

I personally don't think Walmart as a conglomerate, or even a customer of Hasbro will allow such a minor difference to stop distributing the product altogether. The cut of the product from one store certainly had no effect on the rest of the stores continuing to carry it.

Based on the prices these items are offered at when ordering directly from Hasbro or through Diamond distribution, Walmart is almost certainly completely screwing Hasbro on the price. According to Dateline's Walmart special, this is common practice for the store, to tell the manufacturer that they will not carry the product unless it is offered at their price (lower than anywhere else).

[deadpool]

Awesome but weird idea.

[Fortune]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peteparker

I fully understand that based on your perspective and morals, this could be considered stealing.

Two counter points I'll bring up are that 1, the returned-to Walmart has not yet sold the remaining 5, and still has the ability to sell them at full price. Secondly, I could not confirm the price of the other 6, as I only bought one. It's possible they're staggered prices based on the age of the figure, especially since the other two clearanced figures I previously found there were $4 a piece.

I personally don't think Walmart as a conglomerate, or even a customer of Hasbro will allow such a minor difference to stop distributing the product altogether. The cut of the product from one store certainly had no effect on the rest of the stores continuing to carry it.

Based on the prices these items are offered at when ordering directly from Hasbro or through Diamond distribution, Walmart is almost certainly completely screwing Hasbro on the price. According to Dateline's Walmart special, this is common practice for the store, to tell the manufacturer that they will not carry the product unless it is offered at their price (lower than anywhere else).

I play this trading card game called yugioh. A few years back the company that ran it here in the US (then upperdeck) had a huge problem with Wal mart. Bassicly Wal mart made up about 53% of yugiohs sales nationwide so they told the company that if they wanted Walmart to continue carrying their product they had to sell it to them for less then 80% of what they sell it to everyone else for. The company said no way and walmart dropped them for a long time until the company played ball. At which point Walmart demanded a further discount.

Long story short ...Wal Mart is evil. Worst part is whenever we try to stick it to the evil empire they punish the little man but taking away jobs or benefits from employess. Although this little trick is no way even close to enough for walmart to even notice in their overall totals.

[Optimus Vader]

Seems like a lot of work.

[perrych]

Wal-mart is not evil. Neither are they looking out for the middle class. They are a business, just like Target, and all business have good practices and bad practices (or perhaps, better put, practices you would find unsavory but not illegal). Some say WM is evil because it puts mom and pop stores out of business, but the simple truth is that mom and pop went under because their prices were too high and they couldn't afford to compete. In the same way, iTunes is evil because it pushed out the local record store. Some say WM is evil because of how it treats its employees. They have so much money, the argument goes, they could afford to give employees health insurance and retirement. Baloney! The mom and pop didn't do that. Neither does most mega stores. They could pay their people more - maybe. But Walt Disney World doesn't either, and those folks have to wear costumes in the Florida heat. Folks don't understand that if WM gives folks more money to work, it will mean higher prices. Does it have to mean that, no, but it will because companies like to have a higher profit margin each year to show their shareholders so their stocks continue to do well.

I have no issue with this scam because it has inherit risks - but not because I hate WM. The risks are that the store will return the figures at full price, that they won't put them on the shelves at full price, and that you will find the figures when you go back because someone else might buy them. It also has a hidden cost - a lot of driving between WMs, the stress of "will they be there when I go back", having to stand in line for customer service, etc. If you have that much time and gas, go for it. Sadly, I don't have that many WMs that even carry MU, much less have them for $2. But don't assume you are really sticking it to them by doing this. As much is stolen from WM each year through shoplifting, you aren't even beginning to touch their loses.

[miketime]

It's a good Idea but I haven't found a Wallmart that discounts MU to $2. And how many times can you pull it off with out being recognized? I'll stick to my current scam. lol

[bmorr]

ive never seen MU discounted ever lol unless you count a sale.

[fosterlager]

Closest I've gotten to this price was the Target exclusive Arctic Cap/Fire Red Skull set for $3.

[Do Boy]

I have had Iron Man 2 figures for $1 and some of them still had that $1 off coupon on the packaging. So the figures became free lol. That if you felt like you needed 4 Iron Man Mark IVs thou lol

[Colder Soldier]

Wow. Either times have changed or there are huge differences in the attitudes and demeanors of different types of collector's.

If Peteparker posted this story over at HISSTank, all the idiot members would yell and scream about how you were a thief and a POS. The thread would drag, and be argued and debated for days. It really all boils down to jealousy in how you were able to walk out with a deal the haters didn't.

Anyway. Good job of loopholing to get the best deal, man! Closest thing I've done to that is buy a clearanced item at Target and then returned it to Wal-Mart for store credit. Turning an $0.80 "Rise of Cobra" figure into $7.99 store credit is great. I still have a dozen figs I (or a friend) could return as well.

I also returned a lot of "Supercharge your Giftcard" freebies to Wal-Mart too.

[fosterlager]

Oh I don't know, I think the Ross/Marshall's/TJMaxx prices have mellowed out a lot of the Joe fandom these days, as far as getting butthurt about working the loopholes in the system.

Or the population has shifted to a younger demographic that is more apathetic and anti-authority. Hollywood films do that, at least in TF we've seen a shit ton of that.

[Fedup23]

Please..I beg my fellow collectors..if I ever get so broke that I have to run around town perfecting this kind of scam to save a few bucks on an action figure.. just shoot me in the street and the first one to my house inherits my toys.

Hopefully if I am that strapped I wont be worrying about getting the latest version of Captain America!!! LoL

[Do Boy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fedup23

Please..I beg my fellow collectors..if I ever get so broke that I have to run around town perfecting this kind of scam to save a few bucks on an action figure.. just shoot me in the street and the first one to my house inherits my toys.

Hopefully if I am that strapped I wont be worrying about getting the latest version of Captain America!!! LoL

A few bucks? He saved $6 that's almost a whole figure lol.