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The strategizing for the golden fig begins...
There's a store really close to me, so spending $180/box is really not an issue if I know that I'll be returning the ones I don't want.
Last time, I bought 2 boxes for $360. Went home, comfortably and on my own time find the ones I want, then go back and return the rest. I ended up getting 3 sets of 16 and 12 extras, so exactly 60. I essentially returned one full box.
I'm trying to find a way to that again.
The store limitation simply means that I'll have to visit it every single day, to get 16 at a time. I'm trying to avoid that.
Just looking for alternatives, if there are any.
To be fair, I'm all for buying as many as you like, just mass returning doesn't sit right with me.
1) Go to the store. Spend 4 hours finding the ones you want, and buying only the ones you want (let's say it's a total of 4x16 = 64 figs)
And:
2) Go to the store, buy 180 figs (3 boxes), sort them at home, and return the ones you don't want.
In any case, you'll only buy the 64 you wanted (let's assume you could find them in the 180 you bought).
What's the difference for LEGO? How did they make more or less money?
I have a CFOL that would have words for someone that did that on our trip to the store for "hunt and feel."
Could you please explain how is this abusing the return policy, and why it is against the spirit of LEGO in general?
I don't see it that way, and want to understand your opinion better.
LEGO's return policy is not as verbose as your statement. It doesn't mention anything you've said. In their words: "If for any reason you need to return your order, it’s easy!". Any reason. http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Return-Policy
What I'm doing may not sit well with you and others, however, it's not in any way a policy violation.
Thank you all for your feedback. I don't think I'll find an answer to my question here, so I'll have to find a different way. What I do know for a fact is that I won't be going to the store every day to get 16 figs at a time. I'll probably get full boxes on eBay, Amazon, or TRU.
Thanks again.
TLG is redefining how one can purchase minifigs at their stores, to cut down on a specific type of product purchase-return. Here, TLG is attempting to stop people from leaving with product, searching, and then returning what they did not want. That is all.
I am personally against leaving with boxes of CMF only to return them after "feeling" them up in the comfort of my recliner. I'd much rather deal with social stigma while I stand in the store, feeling through the CMF, and knowing that the sound I am making can be heard from one end of Target to the other :p I actually had a manager (Series 5, I believe... about 2 months after series release) at a Target walk up to me and tell me the noise could be heard everywhere. Tried to get me to leave without telling me to. I just smiled and kept searching for the one minifigure that eluded me. That day I found my Graduate, too!
So I'm not for buying/returning. I'm more for standing and helping others find the minifigs their kids keep asking for (usually end result when I'm searching at Target).
They have to spend time to process the return. Product replenishment may have kicked in while you were holding the outstanding items, and then you bring back more product than they wish to stock. You might live somewhere with multiple LEGO stores and return to a different store, which introduces store performance inaccuracy. I realize all these effects might be small, but it scales up if the behavior is common across all stores, and ultimately is a pretty easy loop to close.
By the way, to my knowledge, the minifig purchase limit was enacted last year or the year prior. If you were being allowed to buy entire boxes, it was actually a break from policy, not the other way around.
You may not like it, but you're abusing the system. I get that you don't think you are, but your opinion isn't the one that counts.
I guess yours does?
Thanks for adding so much to the discussion...
If the store had a problem with it, they wouldn't sell the box. It's not as if you're opening the packs, you're returning a product that is saleable but you, personally, do not want. It doesn't mean someone else won't want it.
You're stumping up the initial cash to start with, thus increasing the days sales on that particular day.
Bottom line, the store will sell the minifigures you need and make a bigger sale than they would if you were under pressure feeling up packs in store with instore security stood a metre away.
@Yellowcastle said it best, feel like the rest of us creeps. Oh, and don't ruing the packaging either. I've seen boxes that look like a gorilla went through them.
My original question was based on that assumption (that I can get whatever number I want, only in "increments" rather than one big purchase).
I also don't see a problem with the enforcement of a purchase limit if they no longer want to facilitate this process.
I may do that, but I think I'm more likely to buy a large quantity online via Amazon or eBay, and then return the ones I don't want to the store. I don't see any issue with returning sealed items to the store.
Buying online is better for me anyway, now that I think about it. It's usually cheaper, and there's no added tax.
Thanks for the great discussion, folks.
1) The purchase limit causes a hassle for doing the bulk buy-feel-return, meaning it'll prevent casual people from gaming the system. It's obviously not going to put the brakes on everyone, e.g. going 10 days in a row, etc.
2) Like I said, actions like this, allowed by current policy or not, are what cause purchase limits to appear in the first place, causing hindrance for those that aren't buying hundreds.
I'm not trying to judge you or anyone. I'm just pointing out that all actions result in a reaction. The more blatant and obvious the action, the more visible and impacting the reaction will be.
How about stocking the stores with more minifigs instead?
By the way, I pretty much found a solution to my problem. There are plenty of online sellers offering sealed minifig boxes with free shipping!
I'll end up buying from them, doing the same thing, and returning to the store.
The only difference is that I won't have a receipt, so I'll get a pre-loaded money card instead. Still works for me.
To each their own. Like I said, if I was the store manager, I would not allow such use of the return policy, that isn't what it is for.
It would be... rude to say the least...
The store manager can't overrule LEGO's corporate policy, which allows anyone to return any model that's currently being sold.
FYI, deviating from the return policy can be done at a store's discretion and they can and will suspend receiptless returns for people that make a habit of it.
Honest question: there are also places to source complete sets of 16 minifigures online at nominal markups. Since you mention valuing your time, have you considered that paying the markup might be worth it for the time savings rather than buying, feeling, and returning?
I will freely admit that I returned 20 S2 to TRU back in the day but it felt wrong to me and I haven't done it since.
plus the last time we bought random packs without feeling, she ended up with 5 policeman and was not to happy.
Ya, they can stock more next time; but who's to say you wouldn't just buy everything they had? If someone wants to get their kid a nice little present, they can't because you'll be happily feeling the packs in the comfort of your house.
It's not that it's wrong, technically. But you should be able to see why a store wouldn't want you to do this. You are preventing multiple customers from having a pleasant experience at the store; they might not come back because they know there's some guy who buys up all the stock. If I ran a store, I'd rather have 15 consistent and paying customers than 1 who buys a lot with the intent to return the following week.
Be aware that retail is not a democracy. They have the right to refuse any customer and change policy at any time. I worked in retail for years and we banned certain customers that brought in business, but where more trouble than they were worth. Abusing return policies can result in changes to those policies that can hurt us all. See grab bags for details.
One of the biggest things the Lego stores have going for them over the discount stores or online after selection is customer service. I appreciate the knowledgable, friendly staff I have found at every Lego store I have been in. I don't want to see the reputation of AFOLS tarnished by folks trying to game the system.
In order to get the minifigs I wanted for the last several series I have been buying a case and splitting it with 2 other friends. I end up with a few spares but it's less shenanigans and less time wasted pinching packets.