The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Pony Corral => Topic started by: Twizel on February 13, 2015, 04:34:42 PM
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I've just been to every local store that sells MLP products, looking for a specific pony for a commission. To my dismay, NONE of the stores have pony models! They only have the playsets, those weird little plastic ponies that you put together yourself, and a crapload of Equestria dolls (ew). Even the blind bags are disappearing around here.
Are they trying to phase out the pony figures that I know and love? Has anyone else noticed this happening?
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No, of course they aren't. The people who are responsible for what you see on the shelves are the stores. Hasbro is putting out pop ponies like you mention, which are pony shaped; giant sitting ponies with brushable hair; new fashion styles (including Sunset Shimmer and soon Coco Pommel); multiple lines of basic singles (including characters like Skywishes and Sweetie Drops); an upcoming TRU-exclusive set (presumably) with characters like Roseluck and Helia and Lavender Honey and Lotus Blossom; a full line of Styling Size ponies (including upcoming princesses); seven different water-filled snowglobe ponies (and three more on the way); three different winged ponies (and three more on the way); ponies that come packaged specifically with their EQG counterparts; larger packs like princesses with ponies, or Twilight/Fluttershy with breezies, or Rarity in a car; blind bags; character packs at the same scale as the blind bags (including a whole lot of Apple Family stuff coming later this year); Design-A-Pony toys, and of course practically every last bit of licensed merchandise there is. But the dolls take up more space and are more expensive, so you'll see more of them.
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I don't know what they are thinking, but the shelves near me are pretty barren of actual ponies as well. The dolls are everywhere, and the pop ponies, but brushables/playful are hard to find. If I do find them, it's usually a whole row of Pinkie Pie, and nothing else. My Mom went to look for something in the states before Christmas for me, and she was very confused. She came back and said "Um, so there are no ponies in the my little pony sections."
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It is the retailers who make the calls and Hasbro who respond to what is demanded. I do however agree that with the volume of directions and lines MLP currently has (blind bags and EQG and POP especially) it does feel as though the core line...ponies with brushable hair...is a little under appreciated.
However the key indicator that its not something Hasbro are giving up on is the way they define their lines. For Hasbro their core is those ponies; those are what they produce and sell to that late pre school (3 to 6 year old) market. That is also the demographic for the cartoon - this is the key spending part of the line. Everything else, all the other lines, are Hasbros attempt to capture older (POP and EQG) and younger (Playskool) markets that they have previously missed out on. As the years have passed age markets have narrowed. In the past MLP would have expected to cover perhaps up to 8 years old with the core line...thats not the case any more and therefore MLP has had to adapt and launch new products to ensure kids keep on wanting and parents keep on buying pony branded items. Unfortunately in this process it means we see more lines and perhaps a little less of each of them because instead of being able to finance one giant line they are working across multiple.
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Also have to remember we're facing more competition in who wants the Ponies too. Up till this gen, it was just kids and collectors buying ponies, making it much easier to find them. Now not only are kids and Collectors buying, but we have the bronies, new fans, and scalpers who are buying. Scalpers have been a real problem in my walmart, they hit up Monster High, Ever After High, Hotwheels, DC Figures, Transformers, Frozen, and Ponies almost daily. I can practically spot a scalper just by how often I see them coming in when we're doing freight and then bam, the new freight is just gone.
Also, Guys this is happening at my Walmart. Somebody is returning Equestria Girls, Ever After High, and Monster High Dolls after removing all their accessories. They take accessories, parts of the clothes, shoes, just a lot. I've shown the people at customer service what to look for on returned dolls, every single one is missing shoes and the plastic ties holding the doll in place are broken, but they tape the box up in a way it looks like it's never been opened.
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Also have to remember we're facing more competition in who wants the Ponies too. Up till this gen, it was just kids and collectors buying ponies, making it much easier to find them. Now not only are kids and Collectors buying, but we have the bronies, new fans, and scalpers who are buying. Scalpers have been a real problem in my walmart, they hit up Monster High, Ever After High, Hotwheels, DC Figures, Transformers, Frozen, and Ponies almost daily. I can practically spot a scalper just by how often I see them coming in when we're doing freight and then bam, the new freight is just gone.
Also, Guys this is happening at my Walmart. Somebody is returning Equestria Girls, Ever After High, and Monster High Dolls after removing all their accessories. They take accessories, parts of the clothes, shoes, just a lot. I've shown the people at customer service what to look for on returned dolls, every single one is missing shoes and the plastic ties holding the doll in place are broken, but they tape the box up in a way it looks like it's never been opened.
D: Wow that person is a real jerk.... Perhaps you can inform customer service that there are objects missing from the box?
Sounds like what I've seen seen done with lots of TF figures, too. Someone will steal the head, the gun or even swap the ENTIRE toy with something that looks similar (or not at all) and return the whole thing. I've seen a few pictures where you could tell Customer Service/ Returns truly didn't care what was being returned. Like Bumblebee replaced with what was obviously and unpainted wooden car. Or Soundwave replaced with 3 tomatoes. Just who in their right mind would even think tomatoes would even be a good substitute to fill a toy package bubble?
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Also have to remember we're facing more competition in who wants the Ponies too. Up till this gen, it was just kids and collectors buying ponies, making it much easier to find them. Now not only are kids and Collectors buying, but we have the bronies, new fans, and scalpers who are buying. Scalpers have been a real problem in my walmart, they hit up Monster High, Ever After High, Hotwheels, DC Figures, Transformers, Frozen, and Ponies almost daily. I can practically spot a scalper just by how often I see them coming in when we're doing freight and then bam, the new freight is just gone.
Also, Guys this is happening at my Walmart. Somebody is returning Equestria Girls, Ever After High, and Monster High Dolls after removing all their accessories. They take accessories, parts of the clothes, shoes, just a lot. I've shown the people at customer service what to look for on returned dolls, every single one is missing shoes and the plastic ties holding the doll in place are broken, but they tape the box up in a way it looks like it's never been opened.
D: Wow that person is a real jerk.... Perhaps you can inform customer service that there are objects missing from the box?
Sounds like what I've seen seen done with lots of TF figures, too. Someone will steal the head, the gun or even swap the ENTIRE toy with something that looks similar (or not at all) and return the whole thing. I've seen a few pictures where you could tell Customer Service/ Returns truly didn't care what was being returned. Like Bumblebee replaced with what was obviously and unpainted wooden car. Or Soundwave replaced with 3 tomatoes. Just who in their right mind would even think tomatoes would even be a good substitute to fill a toy package bubble?
I'm really sorry that these things are happening, but I laughed so hard at the tomatoes :lmao:
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Also have to remember we're facing more competition in who wants the Ponies too. Up till this gen, it was just kids and collectors buying ponies, making it much easier to find them. Now not only are kids and Collectors buying, but we have the bronies, new fans, and scalpers who are buying. Scalpers have been a real problem in my walmart, they hit up Monster High, Ever After High, Hotwheels, DC Figures, Transformers, Frozen, and Ponies almost daily. I can practically spot a scalper just by how often I see them coming in when we're doing freight and then bam, the new freight is just gone.
Also, Guys this is happening at my Walmart. Somebody is returning Equestria Girls, Ever After High, and Monster High Dolls after removing all their accessories. They take accessories, parts of the clothes, shoes, just a lot. I've shown the people at customer service what to look for on returned dolls, every single one is missing shoes and the plastic ties holding the doll in place are broken, but they tape the box up in a way it looks like it's never been opened.
D: Wow that person is a real jerk.... Perhaps you can inform customer service that there are objects missing from the box?
Sounds like what I've seen seen done with lots of TF figures, too. Someone will steal the head, the gun or even swap the ENTIRE toy with something that looks similar (or not at all) and return the whole thing. I've seen a few pictures where you could tell Customer Service/ Returns truly didn't care what was being returned. Like Bumblebee replaced with what was obviously and unpainted wooden car. Or Soundwave replaced with 3 tomatoes. Just who in their right mind would even think tomatoes would even be a good substitute to fill a toy package bubble?
WOW! The nerve of some people.
Maybe if the toy companies released accessory and clothing sets separately like Barbie does and like Ponywear was sold, people would gobble those up. But companies are greedy... If you want something new you have to buy the whole doll you already have.
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Also have to remember we're facing more competition in who wants the Ponies too. Up till this gen, it was just kids and collectors buying ponies, making it much easier to find them. Now not only are kids and Collectors buying, but we have the bronies, new fans, and scalpers who are buying. Scalpers have been a real problem in my walmart, they hit up Monster High, Ever After High, Hotwheels, DC Figures, Transformers, Frozen, and Ponies almost daily. I can practically spot a scalper just by how often I see them coming in when we're doing freight and then bam, the new freight is just gone.
Also, Guys this is happening at my Walmart. Somebody is returning Equestria Girls, Ever After High, and Monster High Dolls after removing all their accessories. They take accessories, parts of the clothes, shoes, just a lot. I've shown the people at customer service what to look for on returned dolls, every single one is missing shoes and the plastic ties holding the doll in place are broken, but they tape the box up in a way it looks like it's never been opened.
D: Wow that person is a real jerk.... Perhaps you can inform customer service that there are objects missing from the box?
Sounds like what I've seen seen done with lots of TF figures, too. Someone will steal the head, the gun or even swap the ENTIRE toy with something that looks similar (or not at all) and return the whole thing. I've seen a few pictures where you could tell Customer Service/ Returns truly didn't care what was being returned. Like Bumblebee replaced with what was obviously and unpainted wooden car. Or Soundwave replaced with 3 tomatoes. Just who in their right mind would even think tomatoes would even be a good substitute to fill a toy package bubble?
Admittedly I haven't seen ones that bad yet, but a Marvel Collector I've met a few times and have gotten to know pretty well (Cause I work in the Toy Department at Walmart), brought an Iron Man figure to my attention a few months ago. Somebody had swapped out the Iron Man fig with a slightly smaller one. It was almost convincing, they even tied him back in place, but the paint job was the wrong suit. *shakes head*
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Also have to remember we're facing more competition in who wants the Ponies too. Up till this gen, it was just kids and collectors buying ponies, making it much easier to find them. Now not only are kids and Collectors buying, but we have the bronies, new fans, and scalpers who are buying. Scalpers have been a real problem in my walmart, they hit up Monster High, Ever After High, Hotwheels, DC Figures, Transformers, Frozen, and Ponies almost daily. I can practically spot a scalper just by how often I see them coming in when we're doing freight and then bam, the new freight is just gone.
Also, Guys this is happening at my Walmart. Somebody is returning Equestria Girls, Ever After High, and Monster High Dolls after removing all their accessories. They take accessories, parts of the clothes, shoes, just a lot. I've shown the people at customer service what to look for on returned dolls, every single one is missing shoes and the plastic ties holding the doll in place are broken, but they tape the box up in a way it looks like it's never been opened.
D: Wow that person is a real jerk.... Perhaps you can inform customer service that there are objects missing from the box?
Sounds like what I've seen seen done with lots of TF figures, too. Someone will steal the head, the gun or even swap the ENTIRE toy with something that looks similar (or not at all) and return the whole thing. I've seen a few pictures where you could tell Customer Service/ Returns truly didn't care what was being returned. Like Bumblebee replaced with what was obviously and unpainted wooden car. Or Soundwave replaced with 3 tomatoes. Just who in their right mind would even think tomatoes would even be a good substitute to fill a toy package bubble?
I'm really sorry that these things are happening, but I laughed so hard at the tomatoes :lmao:
Found the picture someone took of it
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What's even better is that sometimes folks swap out new figures with older toys that are quite honestly better or even sought after. Which is weird but I'm guessing those are the folks who might not keep up with the collector scene.
Post Merge: February 14, 2015, 07:44:13 PM
Also have to remember we're facing more competition in who wants the Ponies too. Up till this gen, it was just kids and collectors buying ponies, making it much easier to find them. Now not only are kids and Collectors buying, but we have the bronies, new fans, and scalpers who are buying. Scalpers have been a real problem in my walmart, they hit up Monster High, Ever After High, Hotwheels, DC Figures, Transformers, Frozen, and Ponies almost daily. I can practically spot a scalper just by how often I see them coming in when we're doing freight and then bam, the new freight is just gone.
Also, Guys this is happening at my Walmart. Somebody is returning Equestria Girls, Ever After High, and Monster High Dolls after removing all their accessories. They take accessories, parts of the clothes, shoes, just a lot. I've shown the people at customer service what to look for on returned dolls, every single one is missing shoes and the plastic ties holding the doll in place are broken, but they tape the box up in a way it looks like it's never been opened.
D: Wow that person is a real jerk.... Perhaps you can inform customer service that there are objects missing from the box?
Sounds like what I've seen seen done with lots of TF figures, too. Someone will steal the head, the gun or even swap the ENTIRE toy with something that looks similar (or not at all) and return the whole thing. I've seen a few pictures where you could tell Customer Service/ Returns truly didn't care what was being returned. Like Bumblebee replaced with what was obviously and unpainted wooden car. Or Soundwave replaced with 3 tomatoes. Just who in their right mind would even think tomatoes would even be a good substitute to fill a toy package bubble?
WOW! The nerve of some people.
Maybe if the toy companies released accessory and clothing sets separately like Barbie does and like Ponywear was sold, people would gobble those up. But companies are greedy... If you want something new you have to buy the whole doll you already have.
It'd be a fun project to make my own (once I learn to sew) but I'd buy the crap out of some G4 fashion style clothing, especially if it looked as awesome as outfits you get on dolls like Monster High. Grand Galloping Gala dresses would be amazing. Current pony "clothing" is little more than weird capes.
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ROTFLOL, those tomatoes. Boggles my mind how that could get past even a bored Customer Service rep.
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I haven't been able to find blind bags in quite a while, either. I was at a Walmart yesterday, and it was almost nothing but Pops! I wish the stores would stock more variety.
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LOL at the tomatoes, and they were at the shelves? :lol:
The main problem here is that most of the non-mane 6 are US store exclusive so you are screwed if you don't live in the US >_<
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I think the problem with blindbags is that they are quite easy to steal. I've seen tons of bags cut open with the ponies removed. It got so bad that virtually all the stores in the vincity stopped stocking them for a while, but eventually brought them back. That's probably why most stores opt out of carrying them.
Not sure about the lack of brushables, though. :huh:
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I have also seen lack of actual ponies lately. If I do it's the same old rainbow rocks, tinsel hair ponies. I also see tons of equestria girls too.
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LOL at the tomatoes, and they were at the shelves? :lol:
The main problem here is that most of the non-mane 6 are US store exclusive so you are screwed if you don't live in the US >_<
I believe those tomatoes were, yes. Ohter folks have taken photos of weird toys swapped that actually WERE on the shelves. Sometimes they are similar enough but other times you wonder how customer service DIDN'T notice. it'd be like trying to return a MLP box with a small, realistic, horse without brushable hair in the box. I know that they are employes that may not know as much about it as us collectors do but at what point do you stop caring enough to even compare what is in the box to the product pictures on the packaging?
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LOL at the tomatoes, and they were at the shelves? :lol:
The main problem here is that most of the non-mane 6 are US store exclusive so you are screwed if you don't live in the US >_<
I believe those tomatoes were, yes. Ohter folks have taken photos of weird toys swapped that actually WERE on the shelves. Sometimes they are similar enough but other times you wonder how customer service DIDN'T notice. it'd be like trying to return a MLP box with a small, realistic, horse without brushable hair in the box. I know that they are employes that may not know as much about it as us collectors do but at what point do you stop caring enough to even compare what is in the box to the product pictures on the packaging?
Missing accessories is one thing, customer service just makes sure the doll is there and looks like it hasn't been opened. Which in all my cases of finding dolls missing the accessories, the doll was still there and still mostly tied down and the box looked unopened. It was just my collector side noticing something was off.
As far as the tomato thing, I bet you anything that never even saw customer service. It probably happened in store, customer took the transformer and opened it up and just stuffed the tomatoes in and put it back on the shelf. Customers who steal are WEIRD. They either steal things that are only a few dollars like Blind Bags, or steal things that you wonder how on earth they managed that. You'd be surprised the stuff I've found just in toys that was empty.
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I can also imagine that some of the returns are from people who discovered the missing items. I remember one issue where someone opened their xbox one to find bibles instead. The store took that back too.
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It's just so frustrating that I have no other option than to buy online and pay shipping fees when I have 4-5 stores within 5 miles of my home. I need the Fashion Style Rarity for a commission, and I was really afraid I wasn't going to be able to find the model that my customer wanted! I looked at Hasbro.com and found about three Rarities, but was aghast to see they didn't list size or anything to tell me which Rarity was the proper size! I ended up buying one on Amazon, and paying twice as much as the damn thing would cost in stores. -_-
I'm glad I don't collect G4 for myself - still mostly a G1 and G3 fan :) Though the larger G4s and blind bags have grown on me (still don't like the 3" ones very much).
I get so angry at people who steal to resell, too. I know the economy sucks, but surely there is a better way to make money than by stealing kids' toys. :mad:
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It's just so frustrating that I have no other option than to buy online and pay shipping fees when I have 4-5 stores within 5 miles of my home. I need the Fashion Style Rarity for a commission, and I was really afraid I wasn't going to be able to find the model that my customer wanted! I looked at Hasbro.com and found about three Rarities, but was aghast to see they didn't list size or anything to tell me which Rarity was the proper size! I ended up buying one on Amazon, and paying twice as much as the damn thing would cost in stores. -_-
I'm glad I don't collect G4 for myself - still mostly a G1 and G3 fan :) Though the larger G4s and blind bags have grown on me (still don't like the 3" ones very much).
I get so angry at people who steal to resell, too. I know the economy sucks, but surely there is a better way to make money than by stealing kids' toys. :mad:
o-o Which Fashion Style Rarity were you looking for?
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Any of them. I needed a white unicorn base in that size :p I ended up with this one: http://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Fashion-Rarity/dp/B00CX5X28M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424331484&sr=8-1&keywords=fashion+style+rarity (http://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Fashion-Rarity/dp/B00CX5X28M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424331484&sr=8-1&keywords=fashion+style+rarity)
Why, is this one worth more or something? I haven't been keeping up... I bought this one because the other version on Amazon was going for $33.
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To be perfectly honest, I've noticed this lack of normal brushables as well; the last time I was in a Target I recall seeing primarily EQG and Pop figures. :(
Actually, I haven't been down a pony aisle in a long time because I've finally just given up on G4. What with the constant Mane 6 rereleases, strange/unappealing variants, and slew of EQG (plus the fact that the original G4 style has never fully enamored me), I've decided not to waste my dollars on the current ponies and only go after previous gens. I have twenty or thirty G4s in my collection, and I think some of them are really cute, but the recent releases have made me lose interest...at least for the time being. -_-
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I've just been to every local store that sells MLP products, looking for a specific pony for a commission. To my dismay, NONE of the stores have pony models! They only have the playsets, those weird little plastic ponies that you put together yourself, and a crapload of Equestria dolls (ew). Even the blind bags are disappearing around here.
Are they trying to phase out the pony figures that I know and love? Has anyone else noticed this happening?
The fashion style size always seems to be very poorly stocked- and they usually only have two different fashion style ponies out at any given time, at any given store- in my experience. They aren't necessarily RARE, just not well stocked by stores. Except Pinkie. You can usually always find Pinkie...
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I've just been to every local store that sells MLP products, looking for a specific pony for a commission. To my dismay, NONE of the stores have pony models! They only have the playsets, those weird little plastic ponies that you put together yourself, and a crapload of Equestria dolls (ew). Even the blind bags are disappearing around here.
Are they trying to phase out the pony figures that I know and love? Has anyone else noticed this happening?
The fashion style size always seems to be very poorly stocked- and they usually only have two different fashion style ponies out at any given time, at any given store- in my experience. They aren't necessarily RARE, just not well stocked by stores. Except Pinkie. You can usually always find Pinkie...
Im my area the shelfwarming Fashion Style is that first Princess Twilight. She is EVERYWHERE!
Fashion Styles are also pretty popular because of their size, too. The first Rarity is pretty super expensive because she also came out like... 3 or 4 years ago? Combine that with FS and G4's overall popularity and yeah, she's going to be expensive.
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Good to know. I don't really collect G4, but I use some for customs :) I guess from now on, I'll look online for FS size - Hasbro's site had reasonable prices, but I'm not sure any of the three Rarities there were FS because poor labels. Searching for "Fashion Style" only brought up Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Since it was for a commission I paid more on Amazon for the certainty of getting the right product.
Idk maybe I'm just overreacting because I hate the Equestria anthro dolls so much >_< If I were to judge by the shelves in my Target, the ponies went out of My Little Pony in favor of those dolls.
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there are plenty of ponies at our stores, maybe the EQGs are more likely to be left on the shelf because the ponies are a bit cheaper?
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there are plenty of ponies at our stores, maybe the EQGs are more likely to be left on the shelf because the ponies are a bit cheaper?
This, very much this. Ponies sell faster because they are cheaper, they are small, and lots of little girls seem to get them as a prize for being good at the store or for some other odd reasons. And parents always seem to shy away from blind bags because they don't want their kid to be sad they got two of the same pony. You guys would not believe how many times a parent came up to me and asked if they could open the bag to see what pony was in it, or how to know if the pony would be a double, or even if it was a double could they return it? *Rolls eyes*
Bushables you see exactly what you are getting and as a result, they fly fast. Fashion Styles too. And oddly enough the EQG dolls are flying fast in my Walmart. More demand than there is supply!! Any given day I'm scanning the UPCs to pray we got some in, but the whole four and a half foot section is just so bare and it hurts to see it like that. Right now all we have are the Princess Two-Packs, the packs with the Breezies, Blind Bags, maybe three brushables, a handful of POP, 2 EQG basics, and the EQG dolls with pets. That's it. And that was of two days ago.
Trust me, it's not the store's fault, we have everything ordered! It's just not getting shipped out to the stores for whatever reason.