The Power Of #MakeTheMains On Full Display At Walmart

Posted by Chris on 07/23/24 at 07:05 AM Category: Walmart, Vintage Collection

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You may recall that a little over three months ago, I bemoaned the fact that the Vintage Collection was shut out of the massive "Dark Side" Walmart shipper that featured every other Hasbro Star Wars product. Well, it turns out, TVC was just biding its time. In the past few weeks, a Vintage Collection "Dark Side" side-shipper has been showing up at Wally World:

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A good reporter would have taken notes on the spot, but it's hard to write when you're holding breakfast sausages in your off hand. I saw the shipping container, and know the display contains 24 pieces. I believe the makeup is as follows:

If you will allow me, I'm going to ignore the Dark Troopers. I don't think including something that has already been pegwarming for about a year now is meanigful to include in this observation. That leaves 18 figures, or 2.25 cases worth. This display arrived at my Walmart on July 11th (I was actually there as it was removed from the cardboard shipping case). I purposely left most of the contents there. I bought one Darth Vader and one Stormtrooper just for the childhood flashback. I wanted to leave the others there in hopes that TVC might gain a new hobbyist courtesy of the first super articulated OT Stormtrooper figure to hit brick and mortar in over a dozen years. My Walmart, being a Walmart, did not set up the side-shipper on the side of an endcap, as intended, but instead merely placed the figures on the standard TVC pegs (the Dark Troopers are placed on a random peg in the midst of the Epic Heroes section). Exactly one week later, this is what was left of the 18 figures I was monitoring:

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After one week, only a lone Klatooinian Raider remains (and I'm confident that it probably sold this past weekend). Just like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, my heart tells me that brick and mortar has some part to play yet, if TVC is to return to its former glory. We have so few 100% newly tooled figures in TVC that I think we should be pushing for as many #MakeTheMains figures as possible because they have such strong sell through rate at brick and mortar. Core characters and army builders from the first six movies and The Clone Wars have such strong recognition with the more casual buyers at traditional retail that they almost never pegwarm (so long as they're not packed 3x case). Three of the other four figures remaining at this store, which have all been there for at least six months, do not (noting that Ahsoka is not TCW sourced):

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Yes, this is purely anecdotal and isolated, and it also confirms my world view, but I promise you I would have also reported if these figures did not sell through quickly. Until we get to 20+ newly tooled figures per year, I think we, as a community, should push for things that consistently sell well. I don't think we should become apoplectic when we don't get full waves dedicated to strictly to media every time something drops because, all too often, those figures underperform. I know it can be frustrating if something hits big, and we have to wait a while for figures like Baylan and Shin, but it's better than the inventory pipeline grinding to a halt. Getting a few representative figures followed by a "wait and see" approach with new media is much safer, in my opinion. I can tell you right now that I am deeply concerned that Mae and Osha are heading to brick and mortar. TVC is actually in a very advantageous position right now. Dozens upon dozen of core characters need updating. Core characters sell. If we push for them in concert, maybe we can pull even with TBS in terms of sales. Episode III Anakin is going to be at the top of my next want list. This I can promise you.