TRU Blowout in '99!

[KiAdiRandy]

TRU Blowout in \'99!

Hey guys,
I was reminiscing about this event/period a couple of days ago and some of the AWESOME deals that were found! For those who don't remember, this was Hasbro's flushing of a glut of backstock through TRU around the release of TPM (circa '99) and the phasing out of the Kenner name. I personally remember an ENTIRE aisle of nothing but SW where I picked up ships for $5 and tons of figs at $.99 each. Many, including myself, managed to complete their POTF2 collections during this period. There were reports of some who managed to pick up Weequays and Sandtroopers with slides for a buck or two, believe it or not. Share your memories of this great blowout of Star Wars goodness!

 

[emgamera]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

there was a TRU on the way home from my office back then, and i'd stop by most nights during this period. there wasn't really anything i was looking to pick up, but the spectacle was awesome.

every night, the same group of about 5 guys would arrive bear the stockroom entrance around the same time. they were all really nice, laid-back guys. the store staff knew them (us) by sight, and didn't consider us a pain, which was generous.

some of these guys would even help the staff unload the pallets of non-star wars stuff that rolled out. and the staff would give us updates on what was still to come off the truck.

nearly every evening, there was at least one pallet of treasures. i remember at least three times, the pallet included cases of the then-current AT-AT vehicle (with all the electronics). i won't even guess at the price, since i know i'll get it wrong, but it was astonishingly cheap.

 

[epsilonjedi]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

Man I wish I knew what I know now back then. I was just a kid and opened everything and know for a fact I passed over a lot of good stuff as I have an opened FF Fett to show for it.

 

[ThallJoben]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

Yeah, I remember those days as well. Great times. I got a couple of AT-AT's in early 2000 for around $20 each (when they originally came out in '97 they were $70 each).

I also seem to remember that Kay-bee Toys was also having similar sales at around the same time.

 

[Star_Tours]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

My dad never spoiled me, so I only got a Darth Vader, and a Obi-Wan Kenobi with slides. My dad taught me principals by actions, but unfortunately I did not keep them. I'm a horde're today. Not bad as those on the "show", just what I can fit in my room.

 

[joekiss]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

At Ats and Falcons were 10 bucks if you could find them. Endless supply of X-wings Ties Landspeeders stacked to the ceiling for 5 bucks, i think Slave 1s for 5, bins full of figures for 1.99, a bin of the Power FX figs for 1.99, a bin of the Gunner Stations for 1.99, bin of leia collection for 1.99, went on and on!!

 

[joekiss]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

At Ats and Falcons were 10 bucks if you could find them. Endless supply of X-wings Ties Landspeeders stacked to the ceiling for 5 bucks, i think Slave 1s for 5, bins full of figures for 1.99, a bin of the Power FX figs for 1.99, a bin of the Gunner Stations for 1.99, bin of leia collection for 1.99, went on and on!!

 

[joekiss]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

Double post

 

[pohatu771]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

I remember the same (or a similar) sale, but I think it was later, since Episode I toys were included. I got a few dozen figures for $1.99 each (including Millennium Minted Coins and Gunner Stations), and a few ships for $5 or $10.

 

[TimTeebo]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

What i remember were figures with the $2 and $1 intstant rebate circular coupons on them. TRU & Walmart both had these, they had a bardcode and would immediately take off the price of the figure. When figures got down to 2.99 with $2 off it was pretty much a no-brainer. I purchased a TON of the collection 3 FF figures at this price.

Of course you'll almost NEVER see one with the sticker still on it, because the clerk had to tear it off to give you the sale price, I have them still but peeled off.

 

[gorkoracing]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

Here's the $2 off coupon in yellow which was walmart i think the orange ones were tru

I remember getting a .99 green card greedo with this coupon on it so I got the figure and the cashier GAVE me money to take the figure bwahaha

$5 Maxx rebo set

$4.96 TRU exclusive mynock hunts (once sold for $60+ at comic shops in town)

$2.76 deathstar trooper and reeyees, there was 1 FF sandtrooper and 1 FF fett in these cases. Sadly i only picked up one of each.

$1.50 luke stormtrooper

2.97 fett

Sneak preview sticker

Orange tru $2 off

 

[Turbowars]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

I remember going through bins of Commtech Vaders and Stormtroopers looking for a pegged foot R2. Never found him.

It pissed me off when TRU got the Fan Club FF AT-AT Driver, Wuher, Death Star droid and Leia!

 

[miscus555]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

i remember this, collecting went downhill after those sales.

i don't remember if it was before episode 1 or after when the wheels starting coming off?

I bought 18 At-Ats for $10. got a falcon, tons of the little late 1998 stuff that never came out in bulk. I feel like i was at TRU everyday. i never saw the ree yees/DST cases so i thought they never made in into the sales but i guess some made it out there.

i was getting wampas/han tauntauns for $5 at EB games and some people also found the expanded universe wave there.


then in 2000, all the episode 1 gold started hitting KB's. KB also had huge 2 for 5 freeze frame wave sales. all that E1 stuff that never came out like the deluxe jabba, falumpaset, cinema scenes like watto's box, etc. never saw any figures like tc-14 or sio bibble though.

i think in early 2001, TRU had more sales now of E1 product and the POTF commtech R2 wave. all for $2.

good times!

 

[BobaFrank82]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

Two instances that stick out in my mind. First one, i stopped at toys r us about 30 minutes before they closed and snagged x6 TC-14 and x6 R2-B1 figures for $1.99 each!!!

Second time, i went to a local toys r us on a Sunday morning before they opened and i was literally the only one in the star wars aisle and i scored a whopping x10 commtech R2's with holographic leia $1.99 each

Those were the days

 

[Skytripa]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

I think I got a few from TRU at that time. A majority of mine came from a store called service merchandise closing. They had stuff really cheap trying to sell everything.

 

[miscus555]

Re: TRU Blowout in \'99!

i wish i was old enough and interested enough to score all the clearance vintage stuff from 1985-1991. alot of stuff i didn't even have i never thought of picking up

 

[Pedro12345]

We had that here also, but it was mainly old Collect 1 & 2 Freeze Frames...got about 10-20 figures for .99, but nothing that great.

 

[Bantha5]

Got quite a few $10 At-Ats at KB back in the day. Also filled a cart with $1.99 Commtech Stormies, at the time I was sure Hasbro would never be able to make a better Stormtropper, so I stocked up. Ryan

 

[jamesanshutz]

I never bought cheap Phantom Menace figures from Toys R Us back then in 1999-2000 but I did buy an Obi Wan and Darth Maul figure where they were on sale at Kaybees at the Sioux Falls mall. They were on clearance like at 2.99 or something. Not bad looking figures back then but Kenner/Hasbro could have spent more time on making the Naboo Obi Wan look a little better without the cloak and cloak colored arms

 

[MZimmerman]

This kind of ties in with the thread, but I can remember back in 2001 Toys R Us had a Black Friday $0.99/figure doorbuster. Included in this sale was the ever-elusive R2-D2 POTF w/ Holographic Leia which at the time was THE piece to find. I think I bought over 80 figures that early morning, including a handful of R2's. I kind of miss those days of collecting. Going through those R2's recently, they all have darkly-yellowed bubbles.

 

[Jcc2224Cody]

I wish I collected around this time. My cart would of been full of some Stormies and anything I didn't have.

 

[trandoshanhunter]

I wish I collected around this time. My cart would of been full of some Stormies and anything I didn't have.

Ha, same here.

 

[TimTeebo]

Wow, how did you get the sale price without them taking off the sticker? Those stickers had a barcode on the back, so you had to peel them to get the price? Or did you just put it back? They appear untouched. Very cool !

Here's the $2 off coupon in yellow which was walmart i think the orange ones were tru

I remember getting a .99 green card greedo with this coupon on it so I got the figure and the cashier GAVE me money to take the figure bwahaha

 

[gorkoracing]

I purchased them both without using the $2.00 stickers to purposely have one of each with the sticker still on it. I actually put my green card luke up on ebay for sale as I'm trying to raise money for the "help buy gorkoracing a lotus for his B-day in february" fund

 

[Jeremiah2849]

Gosh, this sounds like heaven. Why wasn't I aware of it? :-(

 

[loganbacca]

I remember getting an ATAT at Kaybees for 15.00.
I didnt get the Toys R Us deals but i did get a crapload of Expanded Universe figures from WalMart for like .99 each.
And those were new at the time.
Also saw alot of the slide figures at that price.

 

[Rkenobi77]

I remember getting the entire collection of Episode 1 figures for a buck each. Well, my Dad got them for me at the time
Good memories.

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

Got 100's of Commtech Stormtroopers and about 25 of the best R2D2 Ever. The R2D2 with the Holographic Leia. $2.00 each. They hit once and never again. Hooked up many of my friends with these hard to get figures at that time.

 

[morrison2951]

I've still got my MOC R2 with the holo Leia- great figure!

Sadly, that's one MOC figure where the bubble really has yellowed over the years.

 

[doot]

Got 100's of Commtech Stormtroopers and about 25 of the best R2D2 Ever. The R2D2 with the Holographic Leia. $2.00 each. They hit once and never again. Hooked up many of my friends with these hard to get figures at that time.

Always loved that R2.

 

[DarthMickeyMoose]

Always loved that R2.

I still put that figure at the top of the heap,