I can't speak for LEGO retail (haven't been inside one in a month or so), but I find them at every Target I've been inside for the last few weeks. Same for TRU actually, though the boxes there look a little more picked over.
Friends animals are harder to find, at least in my area. I already have series 1 - 4 though, lucked out and found a fresh box in TRU a while back. I've been back a few times and haven't seen them restock. Wiped clean.
But then... my local TRU is notoriously bad at stocking polybags... there's a few of the really ugly ones that haven't sold for like a year (I'm looking at you, ugly 30186 christmas tree and a few others just like you)... and I never see anything else, can't figure out why.