I’m not sure if it’s really and actually a conundrum but it’s a cool word to use 🙂

So, if you’re in WM and you happen to see this – well, you’re set. Try only to cry on the cards of the CARS you are buying … leave the others non tear-stained.

(Again, thanks for the great pics JD!)

Wouldn’t it have been cool if on October 1, 2008, when the doors were open to all the Wal-marts across the country, this would’ve been the shelf & display that EVERYONE got to see?

When you open IRON MAN in the theaters, do people wander by the theaters and note, “Hey, Iron Man is playing!” No, people pretty know the exact and specific date the movie will start playing for the first time to the public!

Guess it’s too much to ask for a coordinated launch? Wouldn’t it have been cool for everyone involved right? WM gets to know that X tens/hundreds of thousands of people would have been milling in front of their stores – waiting for the time to open … and for Mattel, Pixar & Disney, more buzz and a showcase of the power of this line … but while this WM looks great and was ready on-time and displayed for maximum sales & exposure … many other WM’s? They ranged from “Huh?” to “We’ll put it out in a few days,” to “We jammed it somewhere out there.”

And for consumers, it’s actually a guessing game – Has the display actually made it out? Have they sold everything? Well, there’s no absolute certainty but somethings should give away the answer immediately.

If you see the Banshees out on an endcap with the red display box underneath, it’s a sign. Of course, if you see a remainder of any of the new ones (Sally w/Cone, Spinout (Tires) or Dexter Hoover (flag man) or the oversized CARS … of course, the full showcase of the endcap CARS were here and gone.

But if you don’t spot ANY of them? Have they come and gone?

Your next clue is to look for Lizzie. If you see a WOC Lizzie, then yep … there were 6 of each of new CARS and 6 Lizzie’s … so if only one or two Lizzie’s remaining, consider the others GONE and get thee to the next WM.

But if you don’t spot Lizzie – the most obvious one that previously had NOT been released on a WOC card?

You can look for ones that have NOT recently been released on WOC cards such as Ghostlight Ramone, or Brand New Mater or even Hamm (in CASE R but probably sold out as it was Hamm’s first appearance then) – if you spot any of these – again, it’s time to move on. If you spot a full shelf 5-6 of Roman Dunes or Leroy Traffik and possibly Charlie Checker .., then yes, display down to the core – time to move on.

For instance, this WM had this oddity which on the surface of it all being slightly older CARS might cause you to give up the search but look carefully, these actually look like remnants of CASE P – they must’ve gotten 10 P CASES recently after everyone did (hence out of the original 30 Petrol Pulaski, there are at least 15 on the shelf) so while there are repeats in the WM Endcap box that are hard to shift through like Doc Hudson or Bug Mouth McQueen, the ones listed above should be the beacon of hope or the last thing you see as you are dashed on the rocks of hope (sorry, dood).

And sometimes you never know … this display had the banshees but NOTHING else on the side cards was from the “WM Endcap” … NOT a slew of Dirt Track McQueen’s, Doc Hudson’s, Bug Mouth McQueen’s, Ferrari F430’s, Dudley Spare’s, Charlie Checker’s etc, etc … I can believe the new 3 are all gone and maybe all 6 Lizzie’s and all 6 Axle Accelerator’s but all 6 Roman Dunes also? All 6 PCM Guido’s? Yea, we like CARS but to sell out of Doc Hudson’s, Bug Mouth McQueen’s, Ferrari F430’s, Dudley Spare’s, Charlie Checker’s in ONE WEEK? Even I find that hard to believe.

So, what’s the scoop here? As others have noted, some stores have said they are not putting out new ones yet … so they moved some from the regular CARS display area here … and as one reader pointed out, the box was moved to the floor but not opened or set up … I think that clearly calls for self service 🙂 So, you might have to improvise … if you still don’t see, follow the clues to see where your WM leads you to … good luck!

Or of course, there’s a reason for no endcap …

Didn’t say it was a good reason, missing a part to build an endcap … yea, where in the world would you be able to find a metal shelf to fit this customized display stand … a month later, nada – maybe the guy who filled this out accidentially used more than “one color of paper” to order the missing shelf … REJECTED!

Though they have a working endcap for 10,000 $1 black roses … really? Am I missing out here? Not many CARS but 10,000 black roses?