general Is Hot Topic really selling hot topics?

[ManaMinori 4,145]

I see stuff like Black Butler, Inuyasha, slipknot, Bob's burgers, etc. being sold at HT, while MLP stuff is being pushed to extinction in the stores. What gives? Are Black Butler, Inuyasha, slipknot, Bob's burgers, ect. even all (or still) that popular?

 

It baffles me that this is happenning, because it still seems like MLP is still very much a hot topic, what with numerous shows continuing to reference pony, Hasbro reporting that MLP is the most sucessful franchise their IP this quarter, newspapers continuing to feature bronies, games adding MLP references, etc.

 

Is Hot Topic REALLY proiritizing "hot topics"?

[Phanact 333]

I guess they don't particularly sell hot ''topics'' but they try to sell weird stuff that might spark topics and discussions about it, like meme shirts

[Jest (Inactive) 875]

It doesn't have to sell hot topics just because it is called hot topic, it's just a brand / shop name.

[bronywhocodes 218]

Yeah. From what I can tell, they just sell random pop culture stuff that might provoke conversation.

[power strike 198]

ya i was looking for kingdom hearts t shirts that i found at the same place ware im at verry long time ago and now its just....hardly anything...

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

I guess this thread is also a "hot topic"? 

 

I suppose they sell what makes money. I guess the brony movement was mainly a fad created by the hay day of FIM, which is fading, while perennial favorites make a comeback? If FiM was making them money, they'd keep advertising it, so I guess the truth of the matter is that it doesn't make them money as much these days. I know many bronies think the show has deteriorated in the later seasons, this might just be a reflection of that.

[Merion 783]

Hot topics or not, I wish we had Hot Topic in my country! 

 

Seriously though, I check their website quite often and I'm glad they have merch for the stuff that's not popular any more (Johnny Bravo, Naruto, etc.) I wish they had more of the actual hot topics. Like Zootopia!

[Nagisa452 182]

I've only seen one thing MLP at the HT store where I live. And many of the stuff they are selling now is weird or even "hipster", you know?

 

ya i was looking for kingdom hearts t shirts that i found at the same place ware im at verry long time ago and now its just....hardly anything...

I'm the same. A few years back I bought a Kingdom Hearts 2 t shirt, now I can't find jack.

[Attack of the Pwns 894]

I think they had trouble selling the MLP stuff, I just don't see many folks in my area being open about pony. Most of us around here that are bronies still keep it on the down low, just so as not to offend/bother anybody. Suffice to say, with that mentality, you're not gonna sell a lot of pony shirts. Also, it seemed like the store got stuck with a lot of pony stuff no one wanted. I remember them having a big stack of Bon Bon and Spitfire Funko figures for seemingly centuries, they couldn't even get rid of them at sale price. There shirts were usually pretty bland and lame, too. Plus, with stuff like. WeLoveFine here on the 'net, I don't see why anypony would want to buy a shirt in-store specifically, anyway.

[PiratePony 8,475]

Why do you drive on a parkway and park in a driveway?

[Mesme Rize 15,683]

Hot Topic, like any normal business, sells the stuff that makes money.

 

The Fandom has certainly has passed his golden age of 2011-2013 and now it seems to settle itself in more and more like every other fandom and i am sure hot topic just dosen't sell as much MLP Stuff, because the customers don't ask much for it.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

The Hot Topic closest to me pretty much ditched MLP as well, and considering the wide variety of franchises there with only a handful of products, including for shows that ended already, it makes me wonder why that is. I think it has to do with the fact that MLP is over the peak of its popularity. Newer cartoons, especially Steven Universe, have come up and grabbed much of the casual "hipster" fanbase that's still around.

[Guest]

Hot Topic goes in cycles. They prioritize what is popular. It just so happens that MLP doesn't sell a lot for them anymore. It may resurge in popularity around the film release, but ultimately stuff like The Walking Dead is FARRRRR more popular and the fans are less embarrassed to buy merchandise.

[EverEverOn 346]

My local hot topic still has a bunch of pony stuff, including shirts, keychains, and even some plushies. I guess this particular location is still selling lots of ponies?

[Luminance 2,186]

I think it varies on different locations, and their physical store is also pretty cramp so they have to move inventory.

[Gestum 2,493]

Well, MLP stuff probably doesn't sell as good as the stuff you mentioned.

[mars 4,862]

Yeah!
The Hot Topic I tend to go to carries Rick and Morty, Free!, Gravity Falls, a few pieces of MLP (it's dying down though, it's not a hot topic anymore), superheroes, Harry Potter, Fallout, etc.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,467]

Eh, Hot Topic pretty much jumps around with random things, probably weird market research stuff. There are many things there that don't seem 'hot' at all, but still are being sold. MLP stuff, yeah, that is basically gone, for no real reason too as the fandom is still massive. It isn't at its peak, but it is still huge. 

 

Oh well, there is always the glorious internet. 

[FlootahBabby 265]

My local hot topic still has a bunch of pony stuff, including shirts, keychains, and even some plushies. I guess this particular location is still selling lots of ponies?

 

Probably because you're the one buying them.

[EverEverOn 346]

Probably because you're the one buying them.

Actually, I mostly go in there to look, because everything in there is too expensive for me. I've only purchased one pony plushie from them.

[Luminance 2,186]

I've check a week ago and no pony merch. The fandom is still huge and I guess HT just ignored us when coming to pony merch.

[GeekySonic 1,150]

I remember when I first became a Brony, and I saw all kinds of pony merch at Hot Topic. But I was broke, so I couldn't buy anything. Fast forward a couple months when I got a job, and it was all gone.

 

I only managed to snag a couple of MLP shirts, and that was because I cheated and starred "My Little Pony" on the customer suggestions list a bunch of times.

Edited April 27, 2016 by GeekySonic

[Sporemane 546]

I was in a Hot Topic once, I could barely find any pony stuff. I was a little disappointed.

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

I don't know what hot topic is, but I don't really care either.

[Splashee 28,564]

Currently the "Stress is good for you" topic here on the forum is marked as "hot topic". I went in there and it was a huge fight and debate about things. I would say, it was pretty hot!