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TRSTS is the the Toy Retail Sales Tracking Service. It is a service provided to retailers through Toy Manufacturers of America and the the NPD Group. Started in 1984, it helps calculate how toys are selling, which ones are hottest and which ones are coming to the end of a hot cycle.
Here is an excerpt from "TMA Tracking Service Helps Reduce Risks of Toy Buying", a June 1987 article from Discount Store News, explaining how the system works. YOuc an see the whoel article by following the link cited below.
How TRSTS Works
At the end of each month, the 10 chains that participate in the survey, all with point of sales electronic data gathering capabilities, send in their unit sales and dollar figures on various toys to NPD. The company consolidates the results from the 1,300 participating stores and sends each member chain a monthly, consolidated report on how many units of each toy sold the previous month, and the dollar volume for each toy.
NPD pays the participating chains at least enough to cover their expenses, then the NPD sells the consolidated sales figures to more than 35 large toy manufacturers, as well as to smaller vendors.
The report covers at least 5,000 sku's representing 10 percent to 15 percent of all toys sold, Zimmey said. New members are accepted only in groups of two or more, Zimmey said. If NPD were to accept a single member at a time, the other participating chains could calculate the volume of the newest member. NPD releases the report only to participating chains and destroys individual chain figures each month to protect the secrecy promised to each chain.
The report shows chains how they are performing on various lines in comparison with the total sample, she said. In addition, the monthly report helps them "identify missed opportunities.' Because the average discount store carries fewer than 5,000 toy sku's, compared to up to 18,000 for a toy specialist, "somebody already has passed on a lot of items. The report helps buyers evaluate the performance of products and see if they have passed on something they shouldn't have, or have under-ordered,' Zimmey said.
On the other hand, the report shows when a particular toy is coming to the end of its life cycle, so chains can "take appropriate action.' In addition, the report helps buyers evaluate what manufacturers are telling them about the toys, she said. The report also helps manufacturers, she said, and, "the better manufacturers manage their businesses, the better retailers can manage theirs.'
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