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Legos in stores where you live


NickonAquaMagna

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What's it like in your hometown? How long does it usually take for the new releases to roll around in your neck of the woods? Do you have a harder time finding certain things at certain stores than others?

 

Sometimes, I do. Here's a good example. I've had my eye on Breez' Flea machine for a while, so I went to a few places, looking for it. It wasn't at Target and it wasn't at Wal Mart (neither were any of the invasion from below summer wave, for that matter), but I understand that since, well, these are new releases and may not have gotten there yet where I live, as I alluded to before. At Toys R Us, though, they had every invasion from below set in stock EXCEPT for that. When I asked the people there to look it up just in case, it didn't appear on their website. It's as if they didn't order that particular set at all. Just my luck.

 

So, whatever, right? I'll just check again in a week or so. Weirdly, though, the Wal Marts are... spotty when it comes to things like Hero Factory sets (I do not want to make this a Hero Factory thread, since we ARE talking about Lego sets in general, and this is just a specific example I'm using that pertains to me), and I often don't see any sign that the store ever carried them at all. It's not always that they ran out of stock shortly before I got there (that certainly can't be the case EVERY time)... it feels like they just don't bother with the theme, at least not around here, anyway.

 

So anyhow, today I called up ANOTHER Wal Mart not too far away and asked if they had Hero Factory sets. The dude who answered had no clue what I was talking about, and didn't seem to have any idea where to look. I just told him "Lego figures" to make it easier for him to understand. He was one of those aloof "yo, dude" kinda guys, you know? Now, apparently he was pretty close to the Lego aisle at the time that I called (said he was in the sports aisle), so when he took a long time to get back to me, I just assumed that he was looking reeeeally hard for it... but then he came back, and said "We don't carry those anymore."

 

I said, "Oh... do those sets not sell very well?"

 

He replied, "Yeah, I guess Legos aren't as popular nowadays, man."

 

 

.......

 

This dude couldn't even find the Lego aisle to save his life. He seriously thinks Lego is dead.

 

Of course, we know that couldn't be further from the truth, that Lego is more popular than ever these days, but still...

 

 

That's my story. What about you guys? Are there any sets or themes that you just can't, for the life of you, find in your corner of the world? Is there any one particular retailer that quite simply drives you up a wall? Share your horror stories here!

Edited by NickonAquaMagna

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The Toa- A Bionicle Retelling by NickonAquaMagna http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/25275-the-toa-a-retelling-of-bionicle/

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My local Walmart is ridiculously bad about getting new Hero Factory sets. It started in 2012, when they didn't get summer sets until September. In 2013, the Winter sets were fine, but in summer they never got any other than Evo and Aquagon. This year, they haven't stocked a single Hero Factory set at all, summer or winter.

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I'm in NYC... So I don't think there's ever been a shortage of new LEGO sets, at all, in my lifetime, anywhere. I know the exact whereabouts of at least on official LEGO Store, and a handful of Toys R Us's, and a whole bunch of other toy stores that would get new and exclusive sets as soon as they were available, as well as Target and other big stores that have everything you could ever dream of. That has it's own set of problems, though, 'cause while the new sets are always available, it's so much harder to find slightly older ones. You gotta be quick and snatch 'em up before the next wave comes out, it seems.

I lived in Washington state for a month earlier this summer, and went to a Walmart for the first time in my life, and the selection there was preeetttyyy pitiful, I have to say. It was very distressing for me :P

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Well here in Costa Rica there is an actual lego store BUT IT IS REALLY EXPENSIVE since it was brought in by the group that owns a store named Universal which is like a Sears Store, they also sell legos in Universal and often the sets come in time and in decent quantities, here there are also walmarts but their toy department sucks 

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The Toys R Us here in Columbia, SC is typically pretty fantastic about putting stuff out very early and their selection is always top notch. Of course, the standard TRU price mark up is always in effect, so if it is not something that I wish to purchase immediatel upon release, I'll just go grab it at Target, which also usually has a quality selection.

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I live back and forth in two cities in Alberta, Edmonton being one of them. There is a LEGO store there, thankfully, but the other city has a pretty lackluster selection, so I generally just order from shop@home.

 

But speaking of themes, London Drugs has a better Hero Factory selection than Wal-Mart which is...interesting.

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Holy crud, I couldn't even begin to tell you what it's like getting certain sets at a store! Now, i live in a small, decent-sized town. We've got a Kmart with an acceptable LEGO selection, but it all depends on what time of the year you visit. As far as I know, they still don't have the summer HF sets, and I need my Queen Beast!! I also have a Wal-Mart and Target within a considerable driving distance, and their performance is only a bit better than Kmart. I think the Target does a much better job than the Wal-Mart, which hasn't had HF sets for how many months? While I'm not the greatest fan of Hero Factory, it's still pretty weak and disappointing to the kids who appreciate Hero Factory more than I do.

 

Okay, HF is really the biggest theme I buy these days, but I'm sure other themes have similar luck... I'm sorry if it sounded like I was focusing on Hero Factory.

mindeth the cobwebs

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Yeah, that's a weird trend I'm starting to see, here. Most other retailers still sell some Hero Factory sets, but Wal Mart in particular seems to have given up on the line altogether. Could it be due to poor sales? A bad image? Are they just thinning it out to get ready for a new line? Who knows? Maybe it's just Wal Mart being really, really darn weird.

 

In any case, these sets still haven't reached most of the stores where I live, yet. I guess it's just taking those trucks a really long time to get up here. I may have to order the new sets on bricklink or something, which is really peeving me off because they're super expensive, there.

 

EDIT, according to Target's website, the new Invasion From Below sets are "not sold in stores."

 

...Okay, what the heck is going on?

Edited by NickonAquaMagna

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The Toa- A Bionicle Retelling by NickonAquaMagna http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/25275-the-toa-a-retelling-of-bionicle/

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Yeah, that's a weird trend I'm starting to see, here. Most other retailers still sell some Hero Factory sets, but Wal Mart in particular seems to have given up on the line altogether. Could it be due to poor sales? A bad image? Are they just thinning it out to get ready for a new line? Who knows? Maybe it's just Wal Mart being really, really darn weird.

 

In any case, these sets still haven't reached most of the stores where I live, yet. I guess it's just taking those trucks a really long time to get up here. I may have to order the new sets on bricklink or something, which is really peeving me off because they're super expensive, there.

 

EDIT, according to Target's website, the new Invasion From Below sets are "not sold in stores."

 

...Okay, what the heck is going on?

Strange. I only visit one Wal-Mart due to any others being much farther away, so I had no idea that I wasn't the only one experiencing this. But Wal-Mart's classified as a "low class Target", so naturally, the inventory won't be perfect. Really, my theory is that they'd rather sell other lines, probably because of poor sales or something. I think the last wave of HF sets in my nearest Wal-Mart was Breakout or Brain Attack Wave 1, so this has been going on for a while.

 

I'm guessing they are shipped to the east coast, loaded up on an army of trucks, and sent off to all the other mainland states (I dunno how they play it for Alaska or Hawaii). That would explain the appalling slowness in stocking new sets.

 

I think what's going on is that Hero Factory's probably dying out by now, so the retailers don't want to treat it as well as Super Heroes or Ninjago. But if that's the case, they would have given Ninjago similar treatment back in early 2013 when people thought the theme was in its final year. So I really don't know. This whole situation is confusing and maddening to think about...

mindeth the cobwebs

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The city I live in in central Virginia is not bad for finding Lego. We have a Toys R Us, several Targets, a few Wal-Marts, and other assorted stores that usually have Lego stock. I'm less than an hour from several Lego Brand Stores in northern Virginia (not to mention BrickFair). My only real regret is that there are very few good places to buy Lego downtown, which means there's not many options within walking distance of my house.

Formerly Lyichir: Rachira of Influence

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I have a few options if I want to buy LEGO locally: one Target store and one Wal-Mart, both in the neighboring city, about 20 min. away each. I have one more Target about 25-30 min. away by my estimates. There are no local LEGO stores that I can reasonably drive to.

 

I can't say for certain what kind of stock Wal-Mart has as I don't buy from them. Last time I recall looking, though, I wasn't too impressed (comments here regarding Wal-Mart suggest this would probably still the case). Target is usually stocked pretty good, though in recent trips I haven't seen any of the Mixels. They seem to get new stock in on time as well, as I found the new Chima sets when I went and looked last week.

 

If I'm with someone who has a military ID I can buy LEGO form the Base Exchange. Their selection isn't great, but they tend to have a lot of old stock. Last week they even had the now two-year old Attack of the Wargs- a set I haven't seen still on shelves elsewhere.

 

So while there are definitely better places to live where one can buy LEGO, it certainly isn't the worst. Although I honestly don't shop for LEGO that much, so really I couldn't say how great my local stores are in comparison to others.

Edited by Vorahk1Panrahk2
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Portland, Oregon and the surounding area is fairly good for Lego purchases. I don't know about Wal Mart, but Target and TRU usually have decent selections (although TRU always have higher prices.) The main benefit here is Fred Meyers, which is a Pacific Northwest chain but is also a "we sell everything" store that often has a good Lego selection. Sometimes they take a while to get new stuff in stock, but occasionally they will get stuff earlier than everybody else (S3 minifigs, for example) and often they have good discounts. Plus, there's the Lego Store itself, which is currently a 20 minute drive from my place (or 40+ minute bus ride, since I don't have a car). Makes it way too easy to blow all my money on em.

 

So I guess that's another draw for Portland... we have Lego!

 

:music:

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Okay... I'm sorry to bring this up, but this is really starting to worry me. There's is a severe lack of new Hero Factory sets in Maine. At first, I thought that maybe it was just taking a little longer for these sets to reach this state, but most of the stores around here, including Toys R Us, have recently gotten new shipments with lego sets, minus Hero Factory. It's looking more and more like these retailers have just given up on the theme altogether, at least where I live. And if that's the case, well... how am I supposed to get my hands on these things, now?

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The Toa- A Bionicle Retelling by NickonAquaMagna http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/25275-the-toa-a-retelling-of-bionicle/

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Two ways:

 

1: you buy them online or in another state(hard).

 

2. You have another BZPower member buy it, ship it to you, and then have you pay shipping prices(easy)

 

Also, if you live in either Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Florida(all usa) then you can try MEIJER stores, which usually have them close to ttwo months after official release and don't run down quick.

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Two ways:

 

1: you buy them online or in another state(hard).

 

2. You have another BZPower member buy it, ship it to you, and then have you pay shipping prices(easy)

 

Also, if you live in either Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Florida(all usa) then you can try MEIJER stores, which usually have them close to ttwo months after official release and don't run down quick.

 

I know, I just got Breez' Flea Machine on Amazon. It's just that when I looked on places like Bricklink, well... yeah, heh.

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The Toa- A Bionicle Retelling by NickonAquaMagna http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/25275-the-toa-a-retelling-of-bionicle/

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Yeah, that's a weird trend I'm starting to see, here. Most other retailers still sell some Hero Factory sets, but Wal Mart in particular seems to have given up on the line altogether. Could it be due to poor sales? A bad image? Are they just thinning it out to get ready for a new line? Who knows? Maybe it's just Wal Mart being really, really darn weird.

 

In any case, these sets still haven't reached most of the stores where I live, yet. I guess it's just taking those trucks a really long time to get up here. I may have to order the new sets on bricklink or something, which is really peeving me off because they're super expensive, there.

 

EDIT, according to Target's website, the new Invasion From Below sets are "not sold in stores."

 

...Okay, what the heck is going on?

Strange. I only visit one Wal-Mart due to any others being much farther away, so I had no idea that I wasn't the only one experiencing this. But Wal-Mart's classified as a "low class Target", so naturally, the inventory won't be perfect. Really, my theory is that they'd rather sell other lines, probably because of poor sales or something. I think the last wave of HF sets in my nearest Wal-Mart was Breakout or Brain Attack Wave 1, so this has been going on for a while.

 

I'm guessing they are shipped to the east coast, loaded up on an army of trucks, and sent off to all the other mainland states (I dunno how they play it for Alaska or Hawaii). That would explain the appalling slowness in stocking new sets.

 

 

I live in an East coast state, and Walmart stockings are pathetic here too.

 

Also, a few days ago I went to a Walmart in Morehead City, NC, and they had no HF at all.

Edited by The Swimming Beard

"I pitea the fool!"


(quote by Chro)


98.7% OF BZPOWER MEMBERS HAVEN'T SEEN MY BUCKET 


IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE 1.3% THAT HAS SEEN MY BUCKET, COPY THIS AND PASTE IT INTO YOUR SIGNATURE


I MISS MY BUCKET 

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Yeah, that's a weird trend I'm starting to see, here. Most other retailers still sell some Hero Factory sets, but Wal Mart in particular seems to have given up on the line altogether. Could it be due to poor sales? A bad image? Are they just thinning it out to get ready for a new line? Who knows? Maybe it's just Wal Mart being really, really darn weird.

 

In any case, these sets still haven't reached most of the stores where I live, yet. I guess it's just taking those trucks a really long time to get up here. I may have to order the new sets on bricklink or something, which is really peeving me off because they're super expensive, there.

 

EDIT, according to Target's website, the new Invasion From Below sets are "not sold in stores."

 

...Okay, what the heck is going on?

Strange. I only visit one Wal-Mart due to any others being much farther away, so I had no idea that I wasn't the only one experiencing this. But Wal-Mart's classified as a "low class Target", so naturally, the inventory won't be perfect. Really, my theory is that they'd rather sell other lines, probably because of poor sales or something. I think the last wave of HF sets in my nearest Wal-Mart was Breakout or Brain Attack Wave 1, so this has been going on for a while.

 

I'm guessing they are shipped to the east coast, loaded up on an army of trucks, and sent off to all the other mainland states (I dunno how they play it for Alaska or Hawaii). That would explain the appalling slowness in stocking new sets.

I live in an East coast state, and Walmart stockings are pathetic here too.

 

Also, a few days ago I went to a Walmart in Morehead City, NC, and they had no HF at all.

Wow, everything I know is a lie!!!

 

I guess it's a national trend going on at Walmarts...

mindeth the cobwebs

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Oregon's got it good for Lego of all kinds. A couple in-mall Lego stores, plenty of Walmarts, Targets, Fred Meyers, and two "new and used" Lego stores called "Bricks & Minifigs." While they don't dabble too far into Hero Factory or Bionicle, (still having an array of both sealed and used old Bionicles for pretty good prices, though) the brick selection is fantastic and plentiful - albeit not sorted very well. I sometimes forget what a luxury it is to be able to go there and look for a piece I need instead of having to hit up eBay or Bricklink.

 

Portland, Oregon and the surrounding area is fairly good for Lego purchases. I don't know about Wal Mart, but Target and TRU usually have decent selections (although TRU always have higher prices.) The main benefit here is Fred Meyers.

 

 

 If you haven't been to Bricks & Minifigs, you have no idea what you're missing. One in Beaverton and another in Canby.

Edited by IXRollOutIX
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My Target seems to have not done so good with the HF selection lately. Recently I was trying to get both Rocka Stealth Machine and Flyer Beast vs. Breez, and they only had Evo's and Furno's machines. 

 

Also, last I checked they still have old-wave Chima figures. :shrugs: It's in and out. 

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