ATTENTION HASBRO: It’s Time For Big Box Exclusives To End As We Know Them

Hasbro, you know us. We're somewhere between the pitchfork mob hurling unjustified claims and yes men. We're pitchfork-lite. Our Irish gets up from time to time, but we try to be fair. So we know you are not giving Walmart these exclusives. That's like saying Ford gave me my truck. We know that Walmart bought them from you. Whether they solicited an exclusive from you, or they were the only one who answered the bell does not matter. The fact is that Walmart's willingness to buy the product was the impetus for their production. Without Walmart stepping up to the plate, the Din Djarin and Incinerator Trooper figures would still be in the parking lot, perhaps never to be made. We fully accept that big box retailer exclusives are a necessary evil. That will always be our position.

Having said that, the fact that Walmart's pre-order system is simply not acceptable can not be dismissed. It's mindbogglingly ineffective and frustrating. If ours was a serious pursuit, one could argue that it borders on something that is actionable. But this is not a serious pursuit. No one is entitled to be able to buy these things. We also know that you, Hasbro, are powerless to do anything about Walmart's deficiencies. The man doesn't change the mountain. But that doesn't make it any less frustrating on the diehards who consume your product. Moreover, we're only talking about the pre-order side of things. Walmart's shipping department is no better, and they are clearly using sleepwalkers as as source of free labor to package these items.

So we know those are two mountains that cannot be moved. It's pointless to belabor them. Walmart exclusivity and Walmart's ineffectiveness as an online storefront are not going away. But maybe we can kick over the cairn in the foothills. If possible, put and end to big box's full exclusivity of figures. Instead, give them an exclusivity window, after which the fan channel would be allowed to order the product. This worked out very well for the first Retro Collection wave with Target. It should actually incentivize the retailers. If they manage the roll out correctly, the fan channel would have no incentive to order the product because the demand should have already been met. It only becomes a parachute if the retailers fail to satisfy the market demand.

Trying to acquire the Walmart exclusive Din Djarin and Incinerator Trooper figures was simply not fun. Many collectors are facing the prospect of not getting the figures at all, which is actually stressful within the context of a hobby. It's also one of the main things that cause fans to quit the hobby. Knowing a back up plan would eventually be available would remove that stress, and you can assure your big box retail partners that it wouldn't impact them at all. Collectors go mental trying to get things as soon as they can. This change would be imperceptible to the big box retail partners. Their foot traffic and clicks would remain the same.

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