sometimes all you have to do is ask

mh3490

I was wondering if anyone else had an experience where they just asked for a promo poly or promo in general and they were just given one I have done this at 3 different gamestops for the 30320 and gotten one each time 

legogal

Yes! They gave me a free Chima polybag at TRU this weekend saying that they had too many. I told them that my two nephews would fight over it (they will), so they gave me an extra one. I had complained that there were no promotions running for a long time, which there have not been except for the kids' build on Saturday. Plus they wanted to get rid of the Chima polys.

samiam391

@mh3490 - Can I have a promotional polybag or item?

I await your response to see if it works. 

Pitfall69

Yes, can I have one for free as well? Doesn't hurt to ask right?

Legoboy

So long as those two are having one each, only seems fair I have the third.

Pitfall69

I'm sure he can "ask" a friend to go in and "ask"for some more. 

haakono

Back when CMF were 'new', Series 1 or 2 I think, I stopped by TRU with the kids in tow to look for them.  None to be found, but the manager gave us two Chrome Troopers as a consolation for the 'resellers' buying out all the CMFs.  8-)

That was a good day.

starfire2

When gamestop had the Western Emmet poly bag, i asked if they had any extras and they gave me one. 

Pitfall69

^You received one. Did you go to other Game Stops to get more? There was a Bricksetter that commented that he went to go get his Pre-Ordered game and get his exclusive minifigure and they ran out of them. Is it more Game Stops fault gor handing these out to anyone who asked or the people that asked for a free exclusive minifigure without pre-ordering the game?

madforLEGO

It does not help when it appears that people are advocating that asking an uninterested salesperson if they will not adhere to the rule of getting only one promo if you pre-ordered a game, but instead getting 3 if you just go in and ask at 3 different stores, even if you did not buy 3 games.
Seems a bit unethical to me when someone gets on a forum to endorse, or even bring to attention, such behavior.
I think there are those who do not care, and there are those who realize that it sounds great until someone else goes in to pick up their pre-ordered game to get the exclusive, only to find the store is out of the figure the buyer was supposed to get because the store was handing them out to people asking for more than the one they should get.

Is the store/employee to blame? Sure, but so are those that go in and ask for something for nothing, especially when you could be taking them away from those that had one waiting with their pre-ordered copy of the game.
I know people try to rationalize it by saying 'well they had 50 by the store by me and they told me they only had 10 pre-ordered games so they are handing them out' but that still does not make it right IMO.
What is great is that these #30320 sets are available at many TRUs for 3.99 USD each.

I would much rather have offers like Walmart had with LEGO Marvel Super Heroes game and Iron Patriot, which was you got one if you ordered the game, period. They were boxed into the game box and that seems to be the best way to stop those who look for an angle to get multiples for free or if they only paid for one game, and potentially take them away from those who followed the rules to get one but have nothing to show for it.

ecmo47

^Hear, Hear! Thanks for taking the time to post that. 

CircleK

ehhh... I have zero problem with asking Gamestop if they have any extras left over but I always wait until about a month after the game has been released.  At that point, the items should truly be "left overs".

I got a Western Emmet several months after the game had released - they had an entire drawer full of them.  They asked me if I wanted more, but I was happy to take one and leave the rest for whatever happened to them, which was probably the trash bin.

TheLoneTensor

mh3490 said:

I was wondering if anyone else had an experience where they just asked for a promo poly or promo in general and they were just given one I have done this at 3 different gamestops for the 30320 and gotten one each time 

How much did you get for them on ebay?

GallardoLU

The GameStop near me (only 1 in a 30mile area) has what has been dubbed "the Promo Graveyard" its just a drawer near the register where they place promo items that are extra (all orders accounted for and/or promo ended) any extras they have and didn't take for themselves end up there. I see nothing wrong with asking to check the graveyard and see if there is anything interesting there.

SithLord196

If you go in and ask for the item for free during the promo period, then yeah, you should be ridiculed for it. You're preventing someone that paid for the game and is expecting their item from getting the merchandise they paid for.

I don't mind if you go in a month or so after the game releases to see if they have any extras, but at that point most pre-order holds expire anyway, so they are all extras at that point. 

Sethro3

^Exactly. You only have a certain amount of time to pick up your item. I'd imagine if you paid some money to pre-order something, you'd want to go in and get your freebie. That's the only reason I've pre-ordered anything, simply because they had some free giveaway.

When LOTR came out, the Game Stops near me wouldn't give out Elrond. I had to buy multiples of the game if I wanted multiples of the figure. Which makes sense since it would/should be store policy.

starfire2

2 Gamestops and nothing. One said they had no more and the other said it was only if you bought the game. 

TheLoneTensor

Hmm, what's next?  Are we going to be hearing people report how they were able to successfully return sets that have been gutted and filled with dog food?

@madforLEGO said it very well already, and @SithLord196 clarified it well also.  Trying to get the promo poly because "they just might do it" is not cool.  Posting here about doing it is even less cool.

Sethro3

^But it says you live in 'Merica, where everything should be handed to you for free...

TheLoneTensor

Apparently I've been standing in the wrong line :)

bendybadger

^you were in the right line on Saturday when you got a free poly and then donated it ;). I agree with most on here asking for handouts during the promo period is just bad form. It may Stop people that may have a valid claim for one getting one at the end of the promo. 

mh3490

well let just say I waited a full week after the game came out to ask so anyone who preordered had their chance to claim there 30320 and no iam not listing them on ebay I opened one and I'll keep the other 2 sealed iam a collector not a reseller so inyour mind I have no guilt 

rdflego

I'm hoping that no one's going to get upset by my comment because it's not about game promo's but; in a Lego store earlier this year I asked to exchange my "spend over £50, get a free gift" for an employee minifig ploybag. I think I got 12 of them, plus a few free gifts after multiple transactions. That was the best day I've had this year and in that situation I think it's ok to ask.

legogal

I would never ask for a freebie during the running of the promotion. After it ends, they often throw away extras. If they offer me one, I give it as a gift to children I know. I don't expect to get something for nothing, but it often happens that they don't have nearly enough freebies for the promotion, so we end up buying the required LEGO and don't receive the promo toy. That makes me feel okay taking a freebie or two to make up for the ones that should have come with my purchases. So there is more than one side to taking a freebie this way. If someone asks for a lot of freebies and then sells them at high markups, that seems very wrong to me.

madforLEGO

mh3490 said:

well let just say I waited a full week after the game came out to ask so anyone who preordered had their chance to claim there 30320 and no iam not listing them on ebay I opened one and I'll keep the other 2 sealed iam a collector not a reseller so inyour mind I have no guilt 

You did not mention this when you posted. Only that you should try to ask when you are going to pickup your game, or just start going to Gamestop's and asking.
Most people would take this to mean that you went in to pick up your game on the day of release and then asked for more of the promo. I saw no mention of maybe waiting a week to ensure there are those that should be able to pick them up when the game was first released to ensure they got theirs first.

I can see an argument that if you waited and no one claimed them and you happen to go to a Gamestop 1-2 weeks after the release and they have them and happen to give it away... OK I can see no issue with that (for the little my opinion means anyway)

daveace21

TRU is literally the worst #$%$%^^& company I have ever dealt with when it comes to customer service. I am not just talking about in store..their 800 # is a joke...i usually get someone overseas in the Philippians (sp) who can barely speak english, let along know anything about LEGO...which is at least 25% if not more of TRU's business !!! My experience got so bad that I tracked down and found the corportate phone numbers and was able to speak with their head CS people, and they were even worse !!!! 

Goldchains

I have done this before myself honestly. I usually wait until a few weeks after the promotion has ended and then go in and ask(I always buy something at least). Sometimes I'll get one, sometimes not. I haven't done it in a long time though.

paul_merton

A couple of years ago, I asked in a Lego store whether it would be possible to buy any of the monthly mini model build polybags and they popped out the back and gave me 6 different ones for free!

Sethro3

Plus, it is all YMMV. Some employees hand stuff out for free, others will follow the rules and not give anything away. Whether you ask or not.

pvancil27

The Red Doodad hater has come and....  You know, I'm just going to walk away from this one.

shotgunchipmunk

Just wanted to say thanks for the idea.  I stopped by my local Gamestop this week and asked if they had any old promos.  They gave me a Gallimimus Trap, Good Morning Bilbo Baggins, and Plastic Man!  Didn't want to feel like a cheapskate so I bought one of those over-priced Minecraft dolls for my kid  o:)