What's in those stores....UK

[niftynigel]

Nigel, that certainly makes for interesting reading but I do hope you have your Mattel mole's permission to post what is essentially commercial information? Hate for the shutters to come crashing down again - recall you said they got peed off with you once before for something similar.

It's great you have a channel into Mattel, it's just a shame it goes one-way and those navel-gazers still have no firm plans to release 99W/Y properly. To add insult to injury, the Deluxes are now starting to show up in Europe too, along with both these new cases.

Not all their information proves to be reliable. I'm sure they'll say that they have to react to market conditions, so they have a natural excuse!

I get information from a number of sources. Some of it so ludicrous, it can't possibly be true. That said, nothing in life should be a surprise, so expect the unexpected.

When you look at the number of stores each of the main retailers have, coupled to a bit of detective work here and there (not taking no for an answer and hassling customer service staff), you can probably work the figures out fairly accurately anyway!

Some stores, like Wilkinsons were remarkably open in the number of cases ordered and when and where they were going. They went and spoilt it by ordering 964 US case 999F last November! That's an additional 4,820 Finns unleashed on the UK populus!

I'm sure Mattel will release what they want to, so posting stuff like this makes no difference whatsoever. Sure, it could scupper advance information, but that is hit and miss at the best of times.

Much of this information is freely available in the US. Met on T5AD regularly posts this sort of information and there is no come back, so if Mattel UK objects, that reflects badly on them!

[Enzo]

I get information from a number of sources. Some of it so ludicrous, it can't possibly be true. That said, nothing in life should be a surprise, so expect the unexpected.

Now THIS I'd like to hear!

[niftynigel]

Post 164 updated 14 July 2013.

[Lozzi31]

So grabbed myself the Chauncey Fares London Race Set at Smyths - finally decided to get it after seeing it on the shelves last week. I was tempted along to see this as I had a text saying this item was in stock....

http://www.smythstoys.com/cars-the-m...e-b106b435e455

No sign of this one but thought I would get the London one as we in the UK dont get alot of 1:55 box sets!

[niftynigel]

So grabbed myself the Chauncey Fares London Race Set at Smyths - finally decided to get it after seeing it on the shelves last week. I was tempted along to see this as I had a text saying this item was in stock....

http://www.smythstoys.com/cars-the-m...e-b106b435e455

No sign of this one but thought I would get the London one as we in the UK dont get alot of 1:55 box sets!

Like you, I was going to buy the 7 car set as shown in the picture on the Smyths website, so it was a pleasant surprise when others reported it was the London Race set. I don't think it'll happen, but it would be nice if Smyths stocked the Piston Cup 7 car set too if the London Race set proves popular.

[Lozzi31]

Well why have it on their website (with a only available at target sticker on!) if they aren't gonna stock it, have the right photo for the stock! Silly toy shops! The 7 box set seemed popular - my hubby said there was a few put by for people who requested through the website and none left on the shelves. Interesting!

[MarknotaMack]

I have seen this 7 pack in Smyths too and it's just too overpriced.
I doubt this will encourage Smyths to stock other gift sets
I buy all mine from the US via other collectors on this site or other sources
I've got this set for £22 in the US.
Cars are too overpriced here sadly and that's why only the good items disappear and all the rest stays
I can see these 7 packs being reduced very soon

[cac1959]

It seems to me that prices for Cars in the UK are the same digits as they are in the US - but with the conversion from dollars to pounds it just makes them very expensive... and they are even more expensive in other parts of the world... it's good to have friends throughout the world who can and do help you out.

[Enzo]

It seems to me that prices for Cars in the UK are the same digits as they are in the US - but with the conversion from dollars to pounds it just makes them very expensive... and they are even more expensive in other parts of the world... it's good to have friends throughout the world who can and do help you out.

That's basically the same rip-off rule of thumb pretty much every single US retailer applies over here. Apple springs to mind but there's many others. When you complain, they usually trot out the "US sales tax" argument which I know in most states is no more than 7% or so, whereas we pay 20% VAT. When you point that out, they then revert to the old "cost of import" excuse. It's sickening when the exchange rate has never dipped below £1:$1.50 and has approached £1:$2 many times over the last decade.

[niftynigel]

There's nothing cynical about it. It's the rule of supply and demand. The US will order 15,000 of an average case and the UK will order in the region of 2,000 of an average case. Europe probably less?

The more you buy, the cheaper it gets. Mattel US, Europe and UK are all standalone companies in the same empire. Each has to pay their way, so they order independently. If the card designs were universal, it would then be down to currency fluctuations only.

I go to the Republic of Ireland on a regular basis. I see UK products at vastly inflated prices. The exchange rate has varied between 1 GBP = 1.45 Euros to almost parity, but some products are being sold at an exchange rate of 1.60 - 1.80.

The London Race box set is being sold at Smyths Ireland for 39.99 Euros. That's an exchange rate of 1.33. The current tourist rate is about 1.12. The UK and Ireland box sets would've been on the same shipments, so go figure ...

On reflection, I don't believe that £29.99 for a seven car box set is excessive. It arrived by courier in pristine condition. That was important to me.

[DiZz]

This is what our stores on the mainland get:



There were 4 more of these in the back.
The store received this shipment last week.

That's a lot of Franca's, Mike's etc..

They can't choose which cases they want.
Mattel just ships any case..

[pirelliboy]

Tesco has put out the planes now.

They also had this r/c McQueen

[boogity]

29.99 is over the top on this, there were about 12 out on display, on the bottom shelves I may add, which means they will get damaged by little fingers etc
i,ll wait til the price comes down, which it will, as for chauncy fares, its a chauncy scale more like, reckon you could buy a taxi in the pound shop, stick eyes on it and it would just as good

There's nothing cynical about it. It's the rule of supply and demand. The US will order 15,000 of an average case and the UK will order in the region of 2,000 of an average case. Europe probably less?

The more you buy, the cheaper it gets. Mattel US, Europe and UK are all standalone companies in the same empire. Each has to pay their way, so they order independently. If the card designs were universal, it would then be down to currency fluctuations only.

I go to the Republic of Ireland on a regular basis. I see UK products at vastly inflated prices. The exchange rate has varied between 1 GBP = 1.45 Euros to almost parity, but some products are being sold at an exchange rate of 1.60 - 1.80.

The London Race box set is being sold at Smyths Ireland for 39.99 Euros. That's an exchange rate of 1.33. The current tourist rate is about 1.12. The UK and Ireland box sets would've been on the same shipments, so go figure ...

On reflection, I don't believe that £29.99 for a seven car box set is excessive. It arrived by courier in pristine condition. That was important to me.

[niftynigel]

On my way home from football tonight, I took the opportunity to visit a handful of Tesco Extra stores. It would appear that it's the 'refit' season! The toy section has reduced significantly in the stores I visited. Apart from the remnants of the 996Y, 997R and 997U cases, all appeared to have had recent deliveries of silver racers.

No one else is restocking those, so let's hope that it's Tesco's interim stock until they get brand new cases?

The Sainsburys (Local) near work actually has a toy section as big as some of the Tesco Extra's that have had the refit!

Over the last couple of weeks, they took delivery of a fresh 996Y and 997Y cases. Most of the cars from those two cases had been sold. They've just got another fresh 997V case!

Fair play to Sainsburys for having three of the last four cases!

Who is going to stock the latest 994B case, when Toymaster's exclusive period of sale is up?

Tesco? ASDA? Smyths? Argos (laughs)? Wilkinsons? Morrisons? Toys R Us? Sainsburys?

Suggestions to helplineuk(at)mattel.com

[niftynigel]

Is this going to be the contents of the next UK/European cases (994C?)

This is the confirmed contents of US case 999M (as reported by Arbara on CTT) ...

ERIK LANELEY - 1
RACE OFFICIAL TOM - 2
EDWIN KRANKS - 1
BRAND NEW MATER - 1
NATURE DRIVE LIGHTNING McQUEEN - 2
MAURICE WHEELKS - 1
VERN - 1
LIGHTNING McQUEEN (with Racing Wheels) - 1
DARRELL CARTRIP (with Headset) - 1
FRANCESCO BERNOULLI - 1
RACE TEAM MATER- 1
PETEY PACER (with Torch) - 1
J. CURBY GREMLIN - 1
LIGHTNING McQUEEN (with Cone) - 2
ALEX CORVILL - 2
DJ (with Flames) - 1
SPUTTER STOP - 1
JONATHAN WRENCHWORTHS - 1
RIP CLUTCHGONESKI - 2


Three new cars and a welcome European reissue of J. Curby Gremlin, which would be the first UK issue of him.