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Post by kgchampion on Mar 3, 2015 0:02:08 GMT -5
Living in Seattle, it seems super rare that I stumble into a truly epic stockpile of stuff at retail stores. It's mostly barren wastelands of really old crap taking up valuable real estate. Occasionally I'll get lucky and stumble upon one or two killer finds, but rarely will I see the mother lode.
I was visiting my parents on the east coast just before Thanksgiving and happened to swing by a Walmart on my way into town. It was so packed with basics, elites, and battlepacks that the entire aisle was devoted to it (pegs, shelf space, etc.) and an entire end cap was so overflowing with stuff, I was knocking everything to the ground just trying to see what was there. Some elites were so high up, I couldn't even see what figures were in the 3 center rows (just my luck, I bought the entire elite case with the Vader series from RSC a couple months earlier, only to see tons of the entire series here). Super cheap compared to Seattle, too. 17 bucks for elites, 18 bucks for battlepacks, 10 bucks for basics.
Another time, as a youth, I was visiting DC and happened to stop at a Toys R Us in a VA suburb that was filled with tons of Jakks BCA figures I had never seen before (got Bret, Owen, Bulldog, Stone Cold, etc). I freaked out. I've noticed over the years, every time I'd go to a toy store in a wealthier suburb, they'd have all the best stuff. Maybe I just went on a good day and it is coincidental, maybe not.
What are your stories of the time you walked into a retail gold mine?
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Browser Brody
POSSIBLE BAD TRADER
afka theworm
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Post by Browser Brody on Mar 3, 2015 0:06:28 GMT -5
I usually have my pick of things in my area. There isn't many collectors around here. Mostly kids buying figures so the rare or chase figures are there for the taking.
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Joe Delta
Main Eventer
Generic Dad sells well
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Post by Joe Delta on Mar 3, 2015 0:18:15 GMT -5
I usually have my pick of things in my area. There isn't many collectors around here. Mostly kids buying figures so the rare or chase figures are there for the taking. This |
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Post by kgchampion on Mar 3, 2015 0:26:06 GMT -5
I usually have my pick of things in my area. There isn't many collectors around here. Mostly kids buying figures so the rare or chase figures are there for the taking. This But how will you get the newest Cena?! Honestly, I'm very jealous and it makes me want to destroy you. |
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Post by Hendrix83 on Mar 3, 2015 0:34:38 GMT -5
I usually have my pick of things in my area. There isn't many collectors around here. Mostly kids buying figures so the rare or chase figures are there for the taking. You lucky bastard  . Seems to be exactly the opposite around here! Flashbacks are the first to go while the modern roster rot on the shelves. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2015 2:29:10 GMT -5
Wal-Mart in this one part of Colorado when Elite 16 was just hitting retail, I saw Slater, Punk, Diesel, and Nash, I could only choose one, so I chose Punk.
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spookytuesday
Superstar
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Post by spookytuesday on Mar 3, 2015 2:51:12 GMT -5
A few years ago, I want to say early 2011, I went to KMart and stumbled upon two cubes filled to the brim with about 15 different legends figures as well as DM Savage. At the time I wasn't really actively collecting Mattel figures but I knew I had to get a couple. After debating for a while I decided on Savage and the first Legends Warrior.
I'd kill to stumble upon that many good figures at once these days, where I have to actually decide which ones I want the most lol.
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wjm
Mid-Carder
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Post by wjm on Mar 3, 2015 3:52:08 GMT -5
I was pretty suprised to find 3 E17 Mankinds at the Redwood City Kmart while Elite 24 was warming the shelves a while back. I also remember seeing E13 Edge and E15 Yokozuna sitting on the pegs for days when I first starting collecting. That's pretty much it for me. I usually have a pretty hard time finding any Flashbacks on the shelves (which is what I only collect).
I don't do much retail for my collecting anymore, which is something that I really hate to say being that I own a retail business. I swear the employees at the stores around here hide the good ones for their friends, or themselves, or the local scalpers. Just got tired of wasting time and gas to find empty pegs or 15 of the same crappy 2 figures that nobody wants. RSC and Amazon seems to have been working for me lately.
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Post by MrPerfect25 on Mar 3, 2015 3:57:56 GMT -5
A few figs I was lucky to find in the wild, aka retail.....
E14 Bossman
E12 Shango
E15 Yoko
E16 Diesel
E17 Mankind
E18 Taker and Lawler
Everything since around E20 has been pretty easy.
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bdzman26
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Post by bdzman26 on Mar 3, 2015 5:41:11 GMT -5
I'm in northern VA. Went into Walmart a couple weeks before Christmas and they had an island, end cap and regular floor space stocked full of Elite 31. This weekend trip I went into a TRU and grabbed 2 wrestle,ania hogans. Then went next door to Target and they had Elite 33 stocked so I grabbed x-pac and Cesaro. Then yesterday on the way home I found Wrestlemania Elites taker and Kane. That's my best ever haul.
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bdzman26
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Apr 2, 2014 9:33:38 GMT -5
Posts: 261
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Post by bdzman26 on Mar 3, 2015 5:43:10 GMT -5
I'm in northern VA. Went into Walmart a couple weeks before Christmas and they had an island, end cap and regular floor space stocked full of Elite 31. This weekend trip I went into a TRU and grabbed 2 wrestle,ania hogans. Then went next door to Target and they had Elite 33 stocked so I grabbed x-pac and Cesaro. Then yesterday on the way home I found Wrestlemania Elites taker and Kane. That's my best ever haul. First time I've seen those fig series in store. Usually I see the passable figure in an elite series and then really start hunting for the series. |
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alwaysbelieve
Mid-Carder
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Post by alwaysbelieve on Mar 3, 2015 7:33:01 GMT -5
My local target is pretty nice once or twice a month. I'm not sure if there are collectors around or just a bunch of kids, but I can hit a sweet spot and find everything, and come in the next day to nothing. Found all the HOF series, bought warrior, went back later to be slaughter and austin and it was GONE.
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Post by Mongo Bears on Mar 3, 2015 8:05:33 GMT -5
I remember last year when I first started collecting, I didn't know about these forums or any other inside info. I'm tying to think of Xmas gifts for my son and he was getting the age for action figures so I tried to think of the action figure that I would want most. Honky tonk man. I googled it and found mattels elite flashback available MOC for $25. I ordered two. I went into target a week or two later to shop and went to look if they had wrestling action figures. The only one elite figure there was nwo giant. I picked that up.
Months later I went shopping for his birthday at TRU and saw the wrestlemania elites Bret and shawn so I got those. This collecting thing seemed easy and I wanted more.
Since then, finding flashbacks has been a mutha
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Post by The neferious brotha Hargrove on Mar 3, 2015 8:38:36 GMT -5
I remember Early January last year after toys r us Christmas disaster when ever thing was gone I went just spend some gift cards then found a whole set of e18 and DM warrior on the clearance table for 15.99 then I asked if they had any elites in the back the guy walked back there and brought out a case of e23
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Browser Brody
POSSIBLE BAD TRADER
afka theworm
Joined on: Jan 28, 2015 11:04:52 GMT -5
Posts: 3,083
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Post by Browser Brody on Mar 3, 2015 9:00:55 GMT -5
Wal-Mart in this one part of Colorado when Elite 16 was just hitting retail, I saw Slater, Punk, Diesel, and Nash, I could only choose one, so I chose Punk. You chose wrong. lol |
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Post by poindizzle on Mar 3, 2015 9:07:40 GMT -5
I would say that most Walmarts other than the garbage one down the street from me will be stocked to the brim about three or four times a year outside of Christmas. Kmart bursts at the seams at Christmas time. That's about it.
I don't have a massively hard time finding figures, but no one store has everything. For instance, if Target gets one set, they won't get the next, but Kmart will. Then Kmart won't have the next set but Toysrus will, then they won't have the next set but the Walmart in the next town will, and so on.
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Deleted
Joined on: Apr 19, 2024 18:38:00 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2015 9:08:15 GMT -5
What I've seen at retail:
E9 Ryder
E12 Kane
E16 Nash (3 different times)
E18 Taker
E20 Jericho
Just the rarest off the top of my head.
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Post by JC Motors on Mar 3, 2015 11:11:25 GMT -5
I found most of what I wanted at retail with the exception of
The Funkadactyls
Eva Marie
Miss Elizabeth
The Giant
Rosa Mendes
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Post by Last Trent Barreta Fan on Mar 3, 2015 11:12:19 GMT -5
Other than E16 Diesel
Running into Target and finding a fresh case of E19 on the pegs. Oh what a day that was!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2015 11:30:35 GMT -5
I miss toyzam... Brand new cases of e16 the Christmas before last. Legends double packs at TRU for $5 each... $11.99 elites at Kmart couple years ago with tons of E17 cases flooding the shelves.
Those were the days...
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