[Benelux] Promotions

snowhitie

^ you just beat me to it!

Do you want me to order for you?

stlux

The Bricktober sets will be available starting next week at TRU Germany. Free when spending EUR 40 or more on Lego. 

• 27 Aug - 02 Sept: Harry Potter
• 03 Sept - 09 Sept: Jurassic World
• 10 Sept - 16 Sept: Ninjago
• 17 Sept - 23 Sept: Marvel Super Heroes

TRU DE delivers to Belgium for EUR 5.95. Now we still need to find out what TRU NL and TRU FR will do.

sid3windr

Oh no! Hide the wallet! Interesting that they went for 4 (almost) licensed themes now, and nothing generic like "CITY" ...

Kerre

^ and ^^ Hopefully that takes the pressure off demand just a little bit. Though since HP is up first, there's likely more demand for HP exclusives than Batman exclusives and TRU UK is in administration I fear the worst for Aug 27th. 

Last year's experience was atrocious and I can't imagine TRU budgeting for webshop backbone upgrades in the dire state they're in currently.

stlux

@Kerre With the big exception of the UK, most remaining European TRU's (apart from TRU FR?) have been bought by Smyths. So those operations are no longer in trouble.

Don't know enough about Smyths though to know what that means for IT investments.

Kerre

Thanks @stlux, completely missed that Smyths took over the DACH TRU's. 

Makes sense if Smyths has European ambitions as there is no regional overlap. The TRU webshop still seems the same as it was last time I ordered from them however. It's all speculation but it seems TRU operations are not integrated with Smyths' (yet) even though the takeover does relieve the immediate financial strain. Looking at Smyths' size, background and culture it's probably for the best to not rush such an integration.

Given the fact that TRU branding is missing from the Bricktober set boxes, it wouldn't be surprizing to see these popping up at Smyths in UK and IE.

By the way, do you or anyone else know what the current status of TRU FR and ES is?  

stlux

@Kerre TRU FR is under court-appointed receivership ("redressement judiciaire") for a period of 6 months. In effect since the end of July. Basically to allow them to find a buyer.
Next court date is September 10. The group that owns Prémaman is supposedly a potential buyer, but I don't have enough information to judge how solid that is.
I wonder if they'd also buy TRU NL. (Same holding company as TRU FR)

TRU Iberia has been bought earlier this month by a Portuguese private equity firm, with the intention to keep all TRU ES and TRU PT stores open.

Aleydita

stlux said:

The group that owns Prémaman is supposedly a potential buyer

Worst company I've dealt with in Belgium by a country mile.

snowhitie

Any word on if it's only in Tru.de? Do people think promotion will be live at 12?

Kerre

^Was browsing the TRU DE site trying to decide what sets to buy wondering the same. 

The Ninjago promo went live in the morning, not right after midnight on the 25th of September 2017. I still remember it clearly: there was a shoutout from @sid3windr to you and me and you sent me a PM and I ordered a #75179 getting off the plane in Oslo. Still grateful for both heads-ups!

There's no guarantee this year's promo will be handled the same of course. 

sid3windr

I checked at midnight but nothing yet... (and still nothing)

Kerre

#5005254  is up now - visible and can be added to basket -  but unfortunately at a price of 999,99 €, even with a qualifying order value of sets in your basket:



 Offer availability on TRU NL site is now confirmed though. Here's the banner:

snowhitie

It's online now on de and nl. You got to add the order of the figs to your basket plus another item and then you

Kerre

^Just checked, is correctly applied now!

HenkdeVries

For me it keeps being 999,99 even at checkout. Any idea how to fix that?

snowhitie

@HenkdeVries Firefox was not working for me, edge did.

When I've put a set of €40 or more in, together with the 999.99 HP set, looking at the basket, the hp becomes 0.

Just tried again for you, works for me

HenkdeVries

ok super, thanks @snowhitie, moving to Edge!

Kerre

I did have to clear my this morning cart and enter both items again. Refresh did not work.
Still working as expected; evenwhen adding the Minifigures first and then entering 40 € worth of sets:



Using Crome 68 on Win10.

HenkdeVries

Chrome did not work for me, but Edge did. So free mini's for me! (After spending 70 euros haha)

wardm

Ordered mine as well! Works on Safari!

LostInTranslation

Couldn't get the mobile site to update to make the HP figs free but then on the desktop site it worked, hurray! 

Covi

Order from Belgium +1
Thanks to everyone for the reminders! ;-)

ward

Just tried it will all aforementioned browser, but I can't add the figs. It always says something like "Deze artikelen LEGO City - 60204 City ziekenhuis zijn slechts beperkt beschikbaar. We hebben het beschikbare aantal aangepast. " regardless of what I added. Too bad!

stlux

Same error on the German TRU. Seems like the HP minifig pack has already sold out. (The error could make that a bit clearer though...)
Glad I put in my orders yesterday, even though it took me a while to find something worthwhile to order.

Covi

Argh...got confirmation today they cancelled my order from yesterday. :-/

snowhitie

@Covi sorry to hear that! Did they than cancel the whole order or just the figs? Thought that with the fact you had to manually add the figs they wouldn't have let more orders go through than possible.

@ward sorry you missed out on the promotion, maybe it will be at TRU fr or over the pond at some point. If I hear about it, I'll give you a shoutout. Might be good idea to follow the HP rumours thread if you after this one especially, it's been mentioned there as well.

Covi

@snowhitie Yeah, the whole order: ordered the Shanghai set with the minifigs.

sid3windr

I've gotten 2 GLS tracking numbers yesterday, I assume they won't be canceling those orders.

Kerre

Sorry to hear about @covi 's cancelled order and that @ward missed the very short ordering window. 

While the set still shows up in a 'you might also be interested in...'-box on the sites for me, the promotion banner is now gone from both sites, searches for the set number or internal TRU item number return nothing any more and the product page or any link to it now lead to a generic TRU store page. The set is likely sold out indeed. 

In my experience, there's always a risk TRU.de or .nl cancels your order. Quite a few of my orders in the past were cancelled. TRU claimed this happened because there was no stock available for non-German web orders. When remarking this happened while the item was showing as available on their web site, for multiple days even, I was told the availability mentioned on the product page was just an indication and not an accurate, real-time status. 

Kerre

^Product page now back up but showing out of stock. You can leave your e-mail address just in case. And sure enough, the first sets are popping up in eBay as we speak.

What does everyone think the demand is going to be for the following sets - #5005255, #5005257 and #5005256, in that order? 

Aleydita

Kerre said:

^Product page now back up but showing out of stock. You can leave your e-mail address just in case. And sure enough, the first sets are popping up in eBay as we speak.

What does everyone think the demand is going to be for the following sets - #5005255, #5005257 and #5005256, in that order? 

#5005255 - 383 want this set
#5005257 - 256 want this set
#5005256 - 584 want this set

(Harry Potter #5005254 - 649 want this set)

I think that's about right. HP, then Super Heroes, then Jurassic Park.

Kerre

It's that very BS wanted list that triggered my question. I wonder if the distribution of the BS members who can order from the German and Dutch TRU site is similar.

For instance, I wonder what the demand for Marvel in Europe is as I was surprized to see that many Marvel wants. I also see very limited Marvel set activity  on the second hand collectors market I buy in (Benelux/UK/DE/FR). 

OTOH, there is a large and active Ninjago market. Personally, I don't want to be lulled by these figures as the Ninjago ones are the one I want the most. 

There's probably also a large number of resellers that buy the sets no matter what. No idea if they use BS to manage their purchases. If so, please let us know ;)

Aleydita

Just seen a Maxi Toys employee open a new box of HP minifig collection figs and pull out the chase figure. Always wondered why that branch never seems to have the Star Wars promos, guess now I know!

Kerre

^I'm more shocked by the fact you shop at Maxitoys ;)

Honestly, I'm not surprized. I suspect the same happens at some branches of other Belgian toy retailers. 

sid3windr

Yep. Definitely deserves a complaint at head office though.

Aleydita

Kerre said:

^I'm more shocked by the fact you shop at Maxitoys ;)

Honestly, I'm not surprized. I suspect the same happens at some branches of other Belgian toy retailers. 

Rarely shop there for Lego :)

sid3windr said:

Yep. Definitely deserves a complaint at head office though.

No point. I've complained twice before about lack of promo items and they just shrug their shoulders, suggesting each time that I simply speak to an in-store employee. On the one occasion I did they actually found the promo item inside the office or under a checkout, can't remember which, so it's either employee theft or they're just that incompetent.

sid3windr

Lack of promo items (which can be attributed to incompetence) is something else than pocketing the chase fig from every full box for personal profit (which is -almost- definitely malice), though. One could say their crediblity is at stake, there... ;-)

HenkdeVries

sid3windr said:

I've gotten 2 GLS tracking numbers yesterday, I assume they won't be canceling those orders.

Same here, and according to the tracking info the parcel has been handed to GLS, so I expect them to arrive tomorrow hopefully!

Kerre

^Got my tracking number on Monday and the delivery is now in transit according to GLS. 

Looking at my past TRU orders expecting them tomorrow might be a tad optimistic - I usually get delivered about four working days after TRU ships and TRU claims to have shipped thelm yesterday. Then again, NL is closer to TRU's distribution centre near Berlin than where I am in Flanders. Fingers crossed!

Kerre

sid3windr said:

Lack of promo items (which can be attributed to incompetence) is something else than pocketing the chase fig from every full box for personal profit (which is -almost- definitely malice), though. 

In their defence, they might keep it aside for a preferred customer. Still not very nice of course.

sid3windr

Looks like TRU dropped of a container at GLS, mine are on the way as well and should arrive 31/8 according to the GLS e-mail.

^ Yes, maybe indeed - fair point. I'd like to be such a customer, but I do know I don't like being any other customer, then. :-/

sid3windr

Order update, one of the 2 orders just got delivered (?!). Not sure where the other one is, ordered on the same day, shipping notifications a few minutes apart, etc. Tracking isn't moving for the other order, though. Supposedly still in Germany.

Packed like a true TRU DE shipment, the box is a lot less than pristine after shipping. I guess the perfectly packed Ninjago City from the last order was a total accident.

But it does include the HP figs ;-)

Aleydita

Received mine this morning, mint condition but can't say the same for the shipping packaging or the set I bought to qualify! Guess I was lucky.

My wife's a big HP fan, I'm not sure whether to let her have them or try and get some cash to put towards the big Hogwarts set.

Aleydita

Aleydita said:

My wife's a big HP fan, I'm not sure whether to let her have them or try and get some cash to put towards the big Hogwarts set.

I listed it for €40. If someone wants to pay daft money for it, they can have it, if it hasn't gone by Xmas it'll be in the wife's stocking (do you have that tradition in Belgium? Hang a big sock over the fireplace and fill with little gifts?)

sid3windr

^^ Ahh, well, my HP minifig set is indeed in fine condition, it's the Ninjago City Docks that's dented due to flimsy shipping box. So same experience :-)

I've seen a HP minifig set go on Facebook for 45€ today, so you should be able to shift it.

focor2015

Lego City Advent 60201 now for sale on Amazon.de for 18,49 euro (RRP 29,99 in Belgium)

wardm

Will the jurassic world/park bricktober figs be available from today? 

snowhitie

@wardm tomorrow, 3rd - and probably only early morning (think it was 7 last time).

Kerre

Mornin' fellow Bricksetters! Today's back to school day in Belgium second TRU Bricktober minifig monday! Looks #5005255 is getting the same treatment the HP ones (#5005254) got last week: it's now 6 AM; the sets are there but the discount does not (yet) work.

Summary of the expected timeline for your convenience

1. First the set is made available at a 999,99€ price
2. Then someone at TRU flips a switch and the discount starts working and the set effectively becomes free when purchasing a qualifying amount of LEGO sets). Last week this happened at about 7 AM BeNeLux time. Also,  You might be required to use a certain browser (Edge seemed to do the trick last week) or use arcane magic to get the offer to work. 
3. The moment the limited stock is gone, the site starts to behave erratically. Last week the minifigs were no longer properly added to shopping cart, then disappeared altogether.

Direct link to the figs:
TRU DE
TRU NL

Kerre

^Need coffee. Both are NL links. Correct direct TRU DE link here.