[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benn Roe

It's very likely that the increased focus on street dates for exclusives is an attempt to address the problems people have been having with flippers, and is the result of pressure from Hasbro. If the street dates were universally adhered to, it might even help. Knowing exactly when a product goes on sale gives people who are serious about getting it a clear path to doing so. Granted, it gives flippers the same clear path, but I believe that's the reason for these street dates. In reality, with stores routinely breaking the street dates, it actually exacerbates the problem, since flippers are more likely to have the connections or persistence to get those street dates broken.

What you've expressed seems reasonable enough and short of Hasbro offering greater transparency on the matter, it's as good of an explanation as any. That said, it still doesn't really explain the capricious nature of providing a street date on something that's also an exclusive to just the one retailer. I think the comic Hulk/Vision/Ultron 3 pack was my first experience of an item that was in one of the Targets I frequent, but I wasn't allowed to purchase until the ascribed release date. While all the figs were comic canon, which may have generated some small buzz, all three were essentially re-tools - I think the only new parts were Vision's feet, Hulk's head, and Ultron's hands lol. In other words, this set wasn't exactly a hot commodity. I remember picking up a second set in the weeks following because my Vision had a paint defect and because it was just sitting there unwanted calling out to me. Why even bother to street date something like that?

While I'd like to believe your glass half full suggestion, I find it difficult to shake the feeling there is some monetized incentive to provide retailers with street dated exclusives. Driving foot-traffic is a huge factor for big-box brick-n-mortar, many of their sales come from browsing buys and this fits that kind of ancillary marketing strategy.

But whutevs...opining about the nuances of shopping/consumerism ranks at the very bottom of what I enjoy about toy collecting, so I'll leave it there...

...or here, for that matter...

Appreciation: