Rumors have been going around on Reddit pretty heavily lately that Target was soon to be done with the Neca collector's section.  A few months ago the Target electronics department guy at a store I semi-frequently visit told me that after Christmas all of it would be phased out.  I took that with a grain of salt but then a couple of months later I stopped back by that Target and the section had been reduced from 4 sections to 1 section so that store seems to be heading that way.  He specifically mentioned that collectors were beginning to be a problem for their associates to deal with as far as wanting stuff from the back that they couldn't touch while waiting for the rep.

I wouldn't doubt that collectors, as a whole, can be a pain in the butt. I'd be surprised if Target cared all that much if the stuff was making them money. 

I wonder if it does make them money. I'd assume that fraudulent returns aren't as prevalent with NECA or Funko; I'd assume it would be easier to tell, but maybe not. I don't return things often, but the last few times I have, the employee doesn't examine the package at all. It used to be at least a 30-60 second examination before they'd continue with the return, but now it's a real quick in-and-out. Not to mention when things make it onto the floor early, and even if it's register locked, a lot of folks just scan another item in its place, so maybe their profits aren't quite as good as we'd think.

And with the aforementioned toxicity and entitlement, I can see why they'd want to deal with less of it. Obviously they're not going to stop carrying toys in general, but the ones that perhaps bring in more difficult people. It's not every time I go looking, but I'd say more often than not, I encounter someone who's either giving an employee a hard time or eyeing other customers in the section to see what they go for on the shelves.

Most of my local stores stopped carrying almost all trading cards not too long ago. They still have a very small section of mostly Pokemon behind the customer service counter, but one of the reasons they gave for the decision was that the customers were being impossible to deal with- they were fighting over packs, stealing them, finding ways to reseal the packs after buying them and returning them with different cards inside. It just wasn't worth it for them anymore.

Obviously it's easy to just point fingers and place blame- I've certainly done it. It's ultimately almost always a shared blame, but I do think collectors need to start realizing the effect they can have on decisions like this. I hope it doesn't end up being true, but it also wouldn't surprise me. I'll obviously continue supporting NECA however I can- they're an amazing company- but I would certainly like it to be easy to support them. Online is one thing, of course, but there's nothing like walking into a store and seeing something you've been looking for on the shelf, especially if you weren't expecting to find it.

I would assume the collectibles section makes Target some money since it's basically leased space. It's probably got a floor, even if product isn't moving. It's probably not a lot though in the grand scheme, but then again, a lot of retail is dealing with small margins. I don't know the ins and outs of how Target operates. I would assume if corporate demands a store have such a section then it has to do so regardless, but if store and regional managers have the kind of freedom that lets them cut an entire section from the store then maybe it's happened enough that it's forcing a new direction.

Posted by: @thegillman

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my best friend was talking to a Neca rep at Walmart. He was told that Neca is no longer going to be sold in Target in 2025.

Dont believe the reps, they are just shelf fillers. any up to date toy news would be here anyway on Fwoosh.

@justice where on Reddit are the rumors being discussed? Not questioning it, I’d just like to see the context of the source

I find the idea NECA reps (even if just "ambassadors" and not employees) are the ones who stock their product at Target such a weird concept.  Especially since there's so much non-NECA product in the same area as well.  I suppose there may be shelf tags designating some of it, but NECA stocking is so random, I'm not sure how they can truly corden off a specific area for a specific SKU.  I can see Target wanting more control over their own shelving.

On a related note.  Target's ebay closeout account used to sell NECA stuff.  They'd often have it marked down a bit with best offers or coupons.  I got a few pieces (like The Thing) for 25% off or more.   Then all the NECA items would disappear from their storefront.  I assumed NECA didn't like Target discounting their items.  All the items disappeared once but then came back.  They disappeared a few months ago and haven't returned.  This doesn't indicate an ending of their relationship, but it does some to indicate Target doesn't outright own the NECA items.  Or at least, NECA has a deal with them to reclaim their own product instead of allowing Target to sell it a discount or to discount stores (as an example).

@doc-baghead thinking back I actually believe it has been on Facebook groups that I have seen rumblings in. Possibly Reddit too though. It has come up several times in different posts. I couldn't tell you the group because I'm in so many and never pay attention to which one a post was in.

@ashtalon I think I've seen Randy in the past (obviously well into the past since he doesn't make many public appearances these days) say that Target is not allowed to discount their products. Walmart does which seems to indicate that either they're buying the stuff outright from NECA or NECA had to make concessions in order to get their product into Walmart. The reps are just all third party vendors. They print the tags and put the stuff out. I see them coordinating with floor managers sometimes about where their stuff can go (like when they run promotions) and when they have too much they sometimes can be seen looking for more space or they just keep stuff in the back. And they often represent other vendor-stocked items as well. Since the stuff is rarely entered into store inventory, I assume it works that Target doesn't pay upfront for product and instead just cuts NECA a check on a monthly basis for the items sold or something. The ambassador program NECA runs must just be a very rudimentary way to make sure the vendors are doing their jobs and putting product out and also gives NECA an idea of what's been sold at each store. I've always assumed the Target ebay storefront is like a separate vendor that NECA sells product to rather than take it back to throw on costumes.com or their own ebay store. I suppose it's possible Target is using it to exploit a loophole in their agreement with NECA and it's a way for them to clearance product. I've never bought any NECA from it to see if it ships from Target or if it's like a Target.com order and it ships from a NECA warehouse. If it ships from NECA then I would guess there's some coordination between the two parties going on to make the product available there.

Ultimate Vincent Price is up to order on Target's site.

Yeah, I've never quite understood how sales and discounts apply to NECA items at Target. They're having a toy promo right now that does apply to NECA figures, but many times their promos don't. I think they categorize it in a different section than "kid's toy", which is weird, because the current promo for 25% off a kid's toy does apply to them.

It must be a thing where Target can sell the items "on sale" if it's part of a storewide promotion, but they can't just arbitrarily reduce the price. Whenever these sales actually work on NECA stuff I always assume it's an error, but Target is so big they just don't care.

Posted by: @cmoney

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Ultimate Vincent Price is up to order on Target's site.

Now joined by the American Werewolf in London David/Jack 2-pack.

The Romulus Xenomorph as well. Not sure if he was there before.

Vincent Price turned out great.

I just received the Christopher Lee Dracula from Target.  They keep knocking these old horror releases out of the park!  He's pretty simple, but looks fantastic.  And I love the movie poster images they've been using on the box flaps.  Thanks to cmoney, I was able to use the $15 off of $75 to buy Vincent Price & the American Werewolf in London 2 pack.  Always excited to add to my horror shelves.