ATTENTION HASBRO: Walmart Is Definitely Broken

Posted by Chris on 08/14/18 at 03:00 PM Category: Walmart

The UPC that won't die.

I am not trying to be "click baity". I am not going for utter hyperbole for the sake of eyeballs. The following statement is 100% my authentic sentiment:

If Hasbro does not intercede, Walmart will never stock Vintage Collection figures.

Walmart's inventory system is broken, and they simply don't care. We recently reported of a Walmart store that had previously stocked Vintage Collection figures, but was reset with four shiny new pegs for the defunct Black Series 3.75" line. We also reported on the planogram for a high traffic store undergoing the most recent toy section reset showing three pegs allocated for the same defunct Black Series 3.75" UPC.

These cases stood out to me because they were new. But until today, I didn't realize that this dire situation has been playing out very close to home since May/June. This is the Star Wars section of the Walmart store closest to my house. Without a shred of exaggeration I check this store 4 to 5 times a week:

These pegs have been unoccupied for months.

Here are the facts about this store that I could swear to in court.

This store did stock one case of Vintage Collection shortly after Wookiee Weekend
The Vintage Collection was on a row of unmarked and mismarked pegs which would have been at the far left of the above picture
Within a few weeks to a month of Wookiee Weekend, the Star Wars section was reset after the physical inventory
The reset eliminated the unmarked pegs in favor of a second row of pegs for the Force Link 2.0 device (brilliant call, Walmart)
The three empty pegs marked $14.92 are for the defunct Black Series Titanium figures
The three empty pegs marked $8.84 are for the defunct Black Series 3.75" line
SINCE THE RESET A FEW MONTHS AGO, NO PRODUCT HAS BEEN STOCKED ON ANY OF THESE PEGS

What I witnessed at some local Walmart stores this past weekend isn't new. It has been going on for months. I AM ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE THAT WALMART STOCK PERSONNEL WILL NEVER PUT ANY PRODUCT ON THOSE PEGS. There is no way these pegs have sat empty for approximately two months unless the preceding statement has at least some truth to it.

Hasbro, you need to intervene to clear up this problem. There is entirely too much smoke around this situation for it be just another case of Walmart's wacky distribution problems. It's broken.