It seems a bit weird to me, and I guess this is also the first time that I have followed transformer new releases so closely: I live in the east coast, and there are quite a couple of transformers I am waiting to hit the local TRU, walmart, targets, what-have-yous. I see that, from sightings at other states, especially near West Coast, are able to, about 2-3 weeks prior, receive things like Banzaitron, PCC wave 2, Generations wave 2, etc etc way before East coast get anything (and right now we still do not have it.) Is there a reason (reasonable or unreasonable) as to how this phenominon occur? I understand how countries can have different release dates (such as Jpn vs. USA), but how is it that factory shipments differ so much across the same country? When you are faced with this (this particular question directed to East Coasters), how do you deal with it?
That makes sense, but lets say all boxes gets shipped at the same time, the east coast should take no longer than a week's worth more to get the items, no?
Lived in NorCal for much of my life and now I live in NoVA. That said, I have noticed that things to arrive on the west coast first although it's not really a given. They do tend to get stuff quicker most of the time but there have been instances where the east coast or the central like Chicago have gotten stuff before everyone else. Of course all of the figures come from Asia which would explain why the west coast tends to get stuff first but as for the central or east coast getting stuff first that's a question of how it's distributed I guess. According to a TRU employee in our Virginia Sightings forum, all of the MP Grimlocks that were slated for our state somehow all got shipped out again to the midwest states, leaving nothing for the TRUs in Virginia. Needless to say, it sucked balls.
Except that they don't get shipped at the same time. Sometimes, when shipments arrive, they end up sitting for a week or two in some warehouse in Washington state or California before they're finally sent out (by truck) to wherever they're going in the US.
My condolences, Razor. I always wonder how TRU determines such a stock strategy to completely ship everything and not leave a few for buyers... I guess I am just baffled at the difference in delay times in the same country, and if its really that random (some times west coast, some times central, etc), it really confuses my logic
Sorry, but I noticed the opposite this time around (1st wave). It looked like all the east coast stores got things first and it moved west. I remember this because it came out during BotCon, and Florida seemed to have things first, then Texas, then Arizona...and weeks later California. It might have been an anomaly, but that's what it looked like to me.
I recently talked to a Hasbro rep at my local TRU and according to her manifests that she had, the local TRUs that she checks inventory for has nothing slated for the rest of the month as far as Animated Rodimus, Animated Ironhide, and MP Grimlock goes. Hopefully she'll get a new manifest before the month expires with updated information about the TRU exclusives. But yeah, I can't figure out how TRU's distribution works. This is true. I remember I got all of wave 1 Generation ang HFTD before I left for Botcon. Everyone I met there said they hadn't seen anything on the west coast or the central.
I was told that about the Arcee wave, so I ended up going the scalper route, a week later and since then, they were always on the pegs.
Yeah I had a feeling that the lady didn't know what was going on herself. Kinda makes me wonder if I should try to land a Hasbro rep job. Needless to say I plan on continuing to check my TRUs every Tuesday and Thursday.
From what I've learned from TRU employees who're also members here, yes. Although as Christmas rolls around, trucks come on all days except Sunday.
hm if that is true that would help a lot, I just randomly go a few times each week, but this will help me plan a bit...
Here it's at the very least wednesday and possibly friday as well. When I asked a TRU associate about MP grims item number he said it was last received on 8/6. Which was a friday then told me to check back wednesday morning. And sure enough when I got there they were finishing up the last of the pallets, no grim, rod or ironhide but seemed to hold true.
I have heard a RUMOR that there is a main off-loading warehouse here in the Port Of Seattle. This is where all TF toys first reach the U.S.A.
