There was no rhyme or reason to the store selection of the Lionel stuff at Wal-Mart. Our Town has 2 stores, one got the display, 2 of the 3 G gauge sets, the O gauge set, the little Lionel set and some of the T shirts. The other store only had the little Lionel sets. In other towns in our area, it was hit and miss, too. You would find one town with 3 stores and none of them would have anything, then find towns with one store that had evry thing
The Walmart.com web page was no help in finding which stores had what. I have heard the items will be returned after Christmas instead of marked down. However I have seen some stores take markdowns on the sets before Christmas so who knows.
I think Trainworld has the DVD for $10.
Back to the topic of the movie.
The small town Superstore in Auburn, IN didn't carry the movie. Was it only in LARGE cities?
Couldn't find it at the Walmart.com site. Anywhere else carry it?
Any other personal rewiews by forum readers?
That's exatly what I was trying to say ... the small dealers will benefit as you say SJ .... I know very few who once they get started don't add on more engines , cars , and items to their sets . It will not only benefit Lionel but also all of us ... create 100's of thousands of NEW train collectors . Hardly anyone new will search out shops off the mainstream area at christmas time .... but when they're there at the local dept. stores where most go .... they'll buy . It can only help ... and return the train hobby to the public a thousand fold . Maybe he took me wrong .... with thousands of more trains out there in the homes ... train shops will have to profit .
Well when christmas is over and the big stores are done with trains the local store OR mail orderhouse will get some new business. And for some new toy train owners they will be buying addons before christmas.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
Well Ole Timer, sometimes small shops will raise (overinflate) prices on something they know is HOT or already sold out at a distributor level. But other than that, it is not the fault of the smaller shops. They operate on a totally different wholesale level than do the bigger mail order businesses, at least with Lionel products. Often times, the mail order discount is at a level equal to the normal wholesale of the small shop, which is why they are forced into selling at full list or maybe a small discount.
Here I have to give credit to MTH as they try to keep the playing field level between the bigger mail order places and the smaller localized dealers. But even some of the bigger dealers get deals on MTH products as you sometimes see blowouts advertised on MTH products.
Until such a time where all products are wholesaled and distributed at equal prices to all dealers, be they big or small, the problem will continue. And anyone who criticizes Lionel for having a presense in these large big box retailers should look at their own purchases and see how many came from a local dealer at full list or from a mail order venue at a substantial discount or even a blowout? If they weren't from the local dealer, you've hurt the local dealer far more than introductory sets at Wal-Mart, Target and the like.
If anything, these starter sets will prompt folks to look for a local dealer, And the Lionel T-shirts at Wal-Mart are very nice for a price of $5.00. I've already gotten comments and inquiries from strangers from just wearing my shirts around town. Again, great advertising and promotion. Lionel has nothing to lose from all this and everything to gain.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
Brianel027 .... I toyally agree .... I'm over 62 and when I was a kid department stores sold and displayed Lionel and American Flyer train sets .... then all of a sudden none did . It was a trajedy to me not watching them cruise the rails in the windows and watch other kids with eyes glued to them ... amazed and fascinated . The local hobby shops survived .... and still will .... if they don't get too darn greedy and overinflate prices and charges like so many did . It's a once a year display and sale and we need all the new collectors we can get . I'm overjoyed walmart and the others are doing this ... it will put trains and sets in the hands of millions of people that would NEVER have seen them or thought of buying them in some small train dealer shop somewhere .
Roger, that may be so but I think the promotional and advertising benefits of Lionel having this exposure in a store like Wal-Mart is well worth it. If local hobby shops were the key to growth, then it would have happened already. Instead, local small retailers have been closing in what sometimes seems like droves, but that's not because of Lionel starter sets being for sale at Wal-Mart.
If one wants to think of the damage done to small hobby retailers, it's already done and has been going on for years due to the price advantage the big mailer order train businesses get and the lower prices they can sell at. Whenever there is a thread on a blowout at this particular "trains on-line" business, everyone jumps on it.
The truth is the unfavorable wholesale network has already done damage to small hobby retailers. And we, the customers engage in the complicity as we will happily ignore the local store in order to save money at a mail order retailer.
How else could one explain the growth of retailers like "JusTrains" and "Trainz?" Both of which did not exist when I first re-entered the hobby and are now both a couple of the biggest mail order retailers.
Lionel is doing it to the dealers again with this movie. Wal-Mart is selling them for less than many dealers can get them wholesale through Lionel "distributors".
well, for a second there while watching a clip I thought I saw two rails. But................there's three.
Thank god they got that right!
Mike S.
alank Are you talking about the Pennsylvania set in O gauge with the 0-8-0 steamer? $100.00 would be a great price on that. Our Walmart has a O gauge Penn. set, and it is priced $185.00. I think it is a nice set for someone who wants to get into the hobby. Anyhow, got home from work this evening, and The Holiday Express was on. I loved it when the kid got the train and was excited about it, cringed when he got out of the elavator and someone stepped on his bag of trains, and said to my wife I will have to go down to NY and see if I can buy his returned set at a great price in the bargin basement section. Good movie and good time of year for trains.
Are you talking about the Pennsylvania set in O gauge with the 0-8-0 steamer? $100.00 would be a great price on that. Our Walmart has a O gauge Penn. set, and it is priced $185.00. I think it is a nice set for someone who wants to get into the hobby. Anyhow, got home from work this evening, and The Holiday Express was on. I loved it when the kid got the train and was excited about it, cringed when he got out of the elavator and someone stepped on his bag of trains, and said to my wife I will have to go down to NY and see if I can buy his returned set at a great price in the bargin basement section. Good movie and good time of year for trains.
no the plastic G gauge with plastic rails and runs on batteries
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
saw it tonight along with the Battery operated G Scale Polar Express set and Pennsylvania set and the new little tyke train set the Penn set was $100.00 and the polar express set was $124.00 had a big lionel display sign also.
It's kind of like the terminator movies .. instead of saying part 2 later .... this one has the length of a full movie but there will be more for future collecting .... I guess they should have said " and the story goes on " .... letting folks know there will be more movies .... not the rest of this one .
Are those legitamate copies that WallMart is selling for that price?
LOL, you think Wal-Mart would risk a copyright lawsuit with Lionel.
Lionel has a large display set up in certain Wal-Marts selling trains, clothing, and the movie.
Bill T.
Thanks for the info Sir James. I am having my LHS reserve me two. I was going use them as gifts. Wont now. I will be disappointed in Lionel if the ad did no specify part #1. Are those legitamate copies that WallMart is selling for that price?
I bought the movie for the grandson at Wal-Mart for $10. The animation reminds me of the Polar Express. The story line is kind of strange and as stated there is not an ending so I assume there will be another release.
BE FORWARNED it is not a complete movie. it ends with "To Be Continued" The package should say part one or something like that but it doesn't. The movie does not finish.
Ole Timer,
I have did not get the link to this Lionelville movie, but it seems interesting and enjoyable.
Thank You,
Ralph
Did anyone else get this info - link to the new movie ....... http://www.lionelville.com/ ..... looks great !!!!
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