Well this is a first. Right before posting a Hot Wheels International Case Unboxing, I find the US Case in store. That doesn’t happen very often.
Typically the International cases are shipped a few weeks before the US Cases hit retail. But mix in a slight shipment delay with the wonky schedule of the holiday batches, and this happened.
I am not fretting though. Have a gander at this C Case unboxing, and then head out and find the models. Good luck:
There sees to be a major distribution slump going on with Mattel right now because this batch should’ve been out for the month of November already. Usually starting Thanksgiving week, Walmarts start getting in holiday dump bins or cubies typically carrying the C case assortments. That didn’t happen at all this year. Most Walmarts don’t even have B case yet. Target, K-Mart and even Toys R Us were more on top of it! Also, during the end of December, stores start getting in the D case assortment. I highly doubt that’s happening this year thanks to the major delay of C case unless they get their act together. It just seems the distribution gets worse and worse with every passing year.
I know I’m ranting but I live in Florida where the starting grounds of the Publix grocery store chain began. For the last few years they’ve carried Matchbox Superfasts, Hot Wheels Classics, and Holiday Hot Rods. Currently, they carry modern mainline Hot Wheels on worldwide blister packs along with 5-Packs. Since I’ve been collecting for eight years, I’ve noticed a bit of a pattern that I just don’t understand that occurs between Publix and Mattel. Typically starting in November and lasting through April or May of the following year, Publix’s don’t get in any Hot Wheels at all and for the very few times they do, it’s old stock. And then starting in May and carrying through October, they regularly order the new cases of Hot Wheels for those months. Anyone else notice this pattern and can explain why this happens? Currently right now Publix’s haven’t gotten anything at all since September, which is two months earlier from the drought period. I don’t know what’s going on! It’s so aggravating pointlessly taking time out of your day and wasting gas hoping to find these new batches, especially for really good ones, and striking out big time and instead looking at old and wiped out pegs with fantasy cars left over!
I’m noticing the same shortage/lack of stock here in Lynchburg, VA as well. WalMart, Target, TRU and even Dollar Tree all have the same cases on hangers and they are months behind and often super low for both HW and MB.
OMG – was at Walmart last night and they have 2017 K case – the cards still say NEW FOR 2017. Ridiculous! Pegs and pegs FULL of them. Too full to be worth digging. Mt Airy NC – not far from Lynchburg VA. Evidently single cars are not selling much at all. Plenty of M2s as well. Same stuff for a month. How many Camaros do I really need???
C case has landed in the UK recently at asda…found the Honda City (briefly sold as the Honda Jazz here in the ’80s…)…great model hope you do a feature on it…
Too right there’s a distribution problem, we’re now seeing 2018 stuff in the UK when a good half of the 2017 hasn’t turned up, at least where I live in the Midlands with a number of major cities included. Then there’s the unavailability of the majority of “MATCHBOX” stuff anyway. This wave system just does not work here anymore.