76056- Surprise!

waynegg

This set is only available online! So, don't be like me and rush any store (much less your "local" LEGO Store that's an hour away) to buy it. Because, it won't be there. Because it's online only. Nice how it wasn't tagged that way on their site...

ecmo47

#76056

76056 Batman™: Rescue from Ra's al Ghul™

• Price  $29.99

natro220

I've never heard of a set they'll only sell online and not in their physical store.  Why isn't it available in regular retail stores either?  It's not like it's a Lego Exclusive set.

Ma1234

It's available in stores. Your store didn't have it and misinformed you. Today was the first day stores could put it on on shelves. 

SumoLego

Wait - someone at the Lego Retail Store wasn't informed regarding one of their products?

I'm (not) flabbergasted!

MaffyD

At least they know it's not Mega Bloks, right?

Jenni

My local store was also told it's online only, also that the new Friends sets will be too in August.

Lyichir

Jenni said:

My local store was also told it's online only, also that the new Friends sets will be too in August.

Wait, the entire summer 2016 Friends range will be online-only? I have heard rumors that the summer 2016 Bionicle range is being made online-only and those rumors have led to a lot of concern about the theme's future. Butut if the same is being done for a theme as popular and successful as Friends, then perhaps its the stores that people should be worried for, since failing to stock multiple prominent themes could suggest that the stores themselves are struggling...

theLEGOman

You can get it exclusive to Argos in the UK apparently.

Probably in LEGO shops over here too.

Jenni

@lyichir I'm wondering if it's a supply problem and that they may make it to the stores later on. LEGO retail has been making some really odd decisions though.

waynegg

natro220 said:

I've never heard of a set they'll only sell online and not in their physical store.  Why isn't it available in regular retail stores either?  It's not like it's a Lego Exclusive set.

Apparently in the US at least, it is. My store's store manager was pissed, ranting about 'how the hell do they expect us to hit our sales they keep harping on when they do stuff like this? You were our third regular, aside from several casual customers, to come in requesting this set today! And, they're doing this with several sets calling them 'MVP' or whatever; it just makes no sense!'

I can definitely understand the angst of having certain expectations set of you and then having the tools yanked from under your feet. It left me with the impression LEGO is underperforming expectations. It's not like most of us wouldn't happily keeping shelling out the greenbacks, but when they come with crap like the "Classic Batcave" and the "Hoth Lets Put a UCS Sticker on it so Obsessed Collectors Cant Help Themselves Disaster" LEGO has no legitimate reason to scratch their head as to why sales slump. 

And yet there's a whole world of untapped anime IP that in the US, Japan, throughout the Archipeligro, and South America at the very least would hit numbers and reach markets of which they never dreamed. How well is anime accepted in Europe (well and the U.K. since you guys voted yourselves out of Europe... ;) )

Anyhow, yeah, shop.lego exclusive in the US. 

waynegg

Oh yeah, and I confirmed this being online exclusive when I talked to customer service and ordered it. She was contacting people while I was on the phone to get the tag line online exclusive added to the description. 

waynegg

Lyichir said:
could suggest that the stores themselves are struggling...

I'm concerned for the stores for sure. US economics only looks at "what have you done for me lately" and ignores performance reaching further back than the previous quarter. What they don't look at is price increases for no justifiable reason (10 cents per piece was already higher than most people where I live can justify buying in large quantities and with oil being 1/4 the price it was a year ago that aspect of LEGO's overhead has shrunk dramatically) and overall product quality. Fully fleshed out sets sell, facades not so much. If it weren't for 4 new figures and a cool bat buggy I would have passed on this even though Barman is one of the themes I avidly collect because like the review said- it feels incomplete. Because the lair is just a facade. 

LusiferSam

I just picked one up at my local Walmart.

paul88

I have also seen this at a local walmart