Is it time to throw in the towel?

[Dibbles]

If it makes you feel any better, I can't find them either.

[Einhornbaby]

I know what you mean InkyMilk... here in germany there are almost no new ponies at all. I get all my ponies from friendly arena (other other forums) members and most of them are great to work with

[MrBear]

Hasbro has had less than stellar distribution for awhile. Star Wars also suffers from that. They are so/so with Marvel and Transformers. GI JOE is doing abysmal and retailers are already clearanceing  the toys from the crappy movie sequel that was delayed till next year 

That being said, I have been fortunate to find everything I was looking for in Chicagoland.

[hathorcat]

Hasbro has had less than stellar distribution for awhile. Star Wars also suffers from that. They are so/so with Marvel and Transformers. GI JOE is doing abysmal and retailers are already clearanceing  the toys from the crappy movie sequel that was delayed till next year 

That being said, I have been fortunate to find everything I was looking for in Chicagoland.

The distribution to stores isnt Hasbro - thats the retailers themselves.

Unfortunately until "earlier" waves clear off shelves or have been sitting for 8-10 months to justify clearance, retailers wont stock the next wave.

Hasbro are a nightmare a lot of the time but beyond doubt when it comes to what is being stocked thats a retailer - if a shelf has a big empty section with no ponies but the sales tags then thats a Hasbro supply issue - if the shelves are still filled with earlier releases or there is no space for product then thats a retailer decision. Diamonds recent example about TRU is a great example for this - a DC is sitting with 2000 units of Zecora but she still seems to be hard to find on shelves in the stores this DC services; thats not Hasbro they have supplied the product, thats the retailer and their turnaround and how many units stores request or are supplied with.

[ScarletSeraph]

if a shelf has a big empty section with no ponies but the sales tags then thats a Hasbro supply issue

I wouldn't necessary chalk even that up solely to a supply issue - if you've just got a rotten retailer, they may simply not be bothering to restock. It happens a lot at the Wal-Mart here - there have been times an item has been absent from the shelves for so long that we've finally asked about it, been told, "Oh, yes, there are (however many) in the back waiting to be put out," and come back at the suggested time only to find out that it wasn't done. And this goes on for weeks on end (not even just with pony items - I'm talking food and household items and such, too). On pony merchandise, specifically, when other Arena members saw their stores reset earlier this month, ours took much longer about it (we could actually go in from one day to the next and see that no work was being done, to the point that an employee in that department actually complained to US about how it was being handled when she spotted us for the nth time that week - we kind of struck up a sympathetic "God this place sucks" conversation), and even after the shifting of brands to new aisles was complete (our store is notorious for moving things around for seemingly no reason), the endcap with the wedding castle/posters wasn't put up until this week - the castles were just tucked onto a shelf with everything else. We know quite a few people who'll drive to the Wal-Mart a town over rather than shop locally, because the difference in stock and customer service is that dramatic.

Not that I don't have some serious issues with the way Hasbro handles things, too, but sometimes you just don't have to go that far to find the weakest link!

[TimeDance]

I've been waiting for blind bag waves here. Have still only seen wave 1. Not a single other kind no matter how much I look.  I've stopped making it a mandatory trip to 50 different stores without finding what I want. Now I just drop by the toy section of places I happen to be going to anyway, that way I'm not driving myself crazy or loosing gas money.

As people have mentioned, the Christmas season will be coming soon and I'm sure lots of new stock will be out everywhere. In the meantime, definitely don't torture yourself about it. You don't want to suck the fun out of something that should be  a pleasant hobby because you've obsessed over it too much. You never know, maybe one day you'll just be meandering around some place and suddenly you'll see exactly what you've been looking for.

I wish you good luck!

[hathorcat]

if a shelf has a big empty section with no ponies but the sales tags then thats a Hasbro supply issue

I wouldn't necessary chalk even that up solely to a supply issue - if you've just got a rotten retailer, they may simply not be bothering to restock. It happens a lot at the Wal-Mart here - there have been times an item has been absent from the shelves for so long that we've finally asked about it, been told, "Oh, yes, there are (however many) in the back waiting to be put out," and come back at the suggested time only to find out that it wasn't done. And this goes on for weeks on end (not even just with pony items - I'm talking food and household items and such, too). On pony merchandise, specifically, when other Arena members saw their stores reset earlier this month, ours took much longer about it (we could actually go in from one day to the next and see that no work was being done, to the point that an employee in that department actually complained to US about how it was being handled when she spotted us for the nth time that week - we kind of struck up a sympathetic "God this place sucks" conversation), and even after the shifting of brands to new aisles was complete (our store is notorious for moving things around for seemingly no reason), the endcap with the wedding castle/posters wasn't put up until this week - the castles were just tucked onto a shelf with everything else. We know quite a few people who'll drive to the Wal-Mart a town over rather than shop locally, because the difference in stock and customer service is that dramatic.

Not that I don't have some serious issues with the way Hasbro handles things, too, but sometimes you just don't have to go that far to find the weakest link!

Thats a good point.

I should have said if the warehouse doesnt have stock then its Hasbro Dont get me wrong I know we dont call them Hasbroken for nothing but at the same time I think they get a lot of flack when the issue is sometimes as simple  as the retailer.

[rayechu]

*pokes OP* the Dublin TRU is confirmed for having the Favorites set and Zecora. My geography isn't so good, so I am not sure if that is closer to you or further away!

[Evening_Moonstone]

I have not seen any blind bags except for wave 1 until yesterday, but when I got there, they were almost all gone.  I want a few of them, and my Walmart has nothing for blind bags right now.

I have not seen any sign of the Lyra, Trixie, etc wave in Walmart, Target, or TRU.  My best friend works at Kohl's and is getting me a Lyra from there, and she's found tons of blind bag figures in her end of town.  Then again, her husband collects the glitter ones and has been driving all over to find them!

[mysweetabbie]

I have been able to get the Favorites and Zecora and the other day I found a box of blue bags.  There were 3 bags missing, but I went ahead and bought the rest of the box since it was at Walmart and they are only $2 each there.  At TRU they are $3.

I still haven't been able to find Trixie, Lyra and the other 2 girls.  Hopefully I'll find those soon.

[Betelgeuse]

*shrug* Living on an island, I have the same problem. No ponies. They hardly exist here. It's really sad, I remember when my little ponies could be purchased where I live though... makes me a little depressed.