I was just in the local Sprawl-Mart (sweet baby Jesus, I hate Wal-Mart!) on the off chance that they might have restocked the TFs (yeah, right) or that some of the new Airhogs rc planes might be out... (no way) and I found an actual 2002 Microsizer, sealed, never opened, sitting right on the shelf. I really did enjoy these when they came out and I was tempted to buy it (it was the blue WRX body) but the barcode scanner came up wth an error for the price and I didn't feel like going through the hassle just for them to tell me that they wouldn't sell it. Werid stuff though... brought back memories.
It's not uncommon for big stores to have random old items in the back stock hanging around for years in boxes.
A couple of years ago, probably 2004 or 2005, I noticed that the Wal-mart here had a sealed but rather beat up and dusty box of 1989 (that's EIGHTY nine) basketball cards sitting out. That's the oldest stuff I've ever seen sitting out for sale in a regular retail store. I didn't buy it, but I used to collect basketball cards back then and it was definitely legit and not some reissue or something. Since it was so beat up I imagine it fell behind a shelf in the back for years and only just got discovered.
Hell up until a month or two after the movie came out, my local K-Mart still had a few Energon figures on the pegs. Believe it or not, that's how I finished off my Superion Maximus.
Up until about a year ago, I could walk into TRU and buy Armada Minicons. I remember seeing them the same time I saw Cyb Soundwave in person at a store (long after I had mine- June of last year)
I bought the G2 Ramjet at my local WalMart in 2000 for I think $11.49 wich was retail circa 1993 when he was out I'm not sure if they even carried that first wave of G2 I was in high school then and I got all my G2 stuff at toysRus after work on payday back then.
Yeah I got Wave 1 G2 stuff (Sideswipe, Starscream..) around the time Beast Machines was out at a Drug Store in Two Rivers, WI
I could get a G1 megatron at a drug store near me up until the early 90's. The last time I was in there they still had the first wave of Armada mini-cons sitting there.
Kaybee busted out these 12-15 year old DC figures, and had the audacity to put a piece of paper in front of them "Rare Vintage Figures".
One of the strangest places I recall seeing an old TF, was back in about '95 or so I was at marine world(I dont think it was a six flags thempark yet) and I spotted a MISB c9 box g1 jetfire in one of the kiosks for like $40. I clearly remember telling my mom that the damn thing would be worth a couple hundred bucks in 10 years, and we should get it since it was only $40. She laughed and didn't believe me. She has since learned the error of her ways.
Rarities abound Before they disappeared here in AL, Service Merchandise in the Late nineties had things collecting dust like: Batman Returns figures. Several G2 figures- got my sideswipe for less than 5 there- I found a MASK- the motorycle/copter thing- vehicle among others. My best friend still owes me for the spelunking at KB where we found a Jabba's Palace fold out for his collection and at the register it rang up for 1.50
I have heard legends of when the local Service Merchandise closed and a case of G1 cars were found in the back. Though the supposed source is less than what I would call reliable.
I once found a G1 Bluestreak on the shelf of my TRU. It was just sitting there next to the Beast Wars reissues.
That's not so far fetched, I nabbed a G1 Skullcruncher and Snapdragon when the Service Merchandise up the road closed down back in late 2001/early 2002. It turned into one of those "Book Clearance Warehouse" things for a few months, and now it's a Golf Galaxy.
I remember when Caldor was closing down, which was roughly 5 years ago, they were selling early-mid 90s SW figures and vehicles. I got the Falcon for like $15. Sadly havent found too many TF gems like that though.
I got a sealed (but dusty) G2 Pyro from a drugstore in some little Australian town in 2003. Cost me AU$15 I think.
at the toys r us where i'm working at temporarily, we must have, at least 5 years worth of toys in the back... heck we have an old old moped in there from the 80's
Not too long ago at the old Toys R Us here (closed in 05), I saw one of those little panels at the bottom of the shelves had been moved. Curious, as I knew a lot of scalpers liked to hide shit like that, I looked down in there. Nothing but dust, but then I looked a bit further in there, and pulled out this little tiny package. Battle Beasts. What?! At the same TRU I also found an Optimal Optimus during the Armada era, and they were still selling it at retail price haha The local Big Lots was also still selling G2 Cyberjets at least 6-7 years later. And no, not the knock offs you can find now. Unfortunately I only bought one. Dumbshit Not as good as some of the other finds, but it's all I got!
