Is the packaging worth enough for it to effect the value of your purchase?

[bowspearer]

I'm not entirely sure that the fault lies solely on retailers, but they are the ones that need to initiate the change.

Yes and no- retail buying groups have alot of clout. I used to work for Bing Lee (head of the NARTA group, the big electronics buying group in the country) and one day this customer came asking us to match a price at one of the majors that was lower than the invoice cost Bing Lee got it for and the rep was immediately called to give a "please explain" by my assistant manager.

Buying groups have a lot of power when it comes to retail and so they could easily force a change.... if they wanted to.

Based on what I've been told, stores here don't approach hasbro for exclusives. Hasbro has to 'beg' the stores to take on exclusives in this country, and its only when the brand is doing well (at its most profitable to stores) that stores take on exclusives.
US stores are the ones who solicit exclusives to get kids and collectors into their store over their rival's.
The stores here though, have no interest in accommodating or targeting collectors (TRU would be an exception - not for getting the product, but in the promoting of it by being the only store to approach us to advertise TF toys). Any other store that had the slightest interest in collectors in this country, would promote that intention and products to the collector communities (like here and other AUS fansites, and at the collector fairs).

Which really only highlights what I was saying about this fitting into the larger scheme of things. It just goes to show that Australian retailers really only have themselves (and really it comes down to their head offices and marketting depts within them) to blame for such lousy retail spending, due to missed opportunities.