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How do you stack your Pick a Brick cups?
I was visiting the Orlando Lego Store the other day and as I was talking to a few of the employees, they jokingly told me how crazy some people get in terms of efficiency at the Pick a Brick sections. Stories of how people would individually stack studs and bricks to make the most out of the cups. Theyve also seen loads of different designs and layouts inside of the cups and people that even asked if they could put stuff OUTSIDE of the cup.
This made me curious and I had to ask, how do you pack your Pick a Brick cups efficiently?
I for one used to just cram pieces in the cups and even in the little indentation on the cap themselves. However the employee I was talking to did say that he once tried out a comparison of a throw-everything-in cup vs a neat stacked cup and he managed to put in 120 extra pieces!
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If buying 2x4s check this ...
Me I had decided a while ago it is just not worth an extra 20 minutes of crying/screaming kids, crowds around the PaB section and what not to sit there and perfectly stack brick, let alone stacking square pieces, in a round cup. At least when it comes to 1xX brick ) I am really good at doing it, but just decided it is not worth the extra time and energy. Now that is different when I get the gift boxes, as those are square I try to maximize the use as it is easier to fit brick into one of those.
I still try to be as efficient as I can be, piling tiny parts in the bottom to fill the little indention for the cup and knocking the cup on the counter to settle parts, and filling the top 'stud indention' with whatever, usually 1x2 brick or chairs or something, and use a small piece of tape on them so they do not fall out (because I also gave up trying to be fast enough to flip the cup top onto the cup without spilling all over) but I just have largely given up trying to stack bbrick and smaller parts anymore.
And exception would be if it is a new color I want, but for the 1x2 brick with masonry pattern for example, they were so hard to find that when they did have them I was not about to sit there and try to stick them all together to watch someone else walk up and take handfuls to jam into a cup so I just dumped into the cup and knocked the cup down.
But like windows or window/door frames, larger plates (like 6x6 or bigger) or something I tend to still stack because they are larger parts and does not take me long to 'stack' those.
2. Various layers of whatever. Go about a half-inch at a time. If it's large elements, use more filler parts to fill in gaps.
3. fill stud of the cap and do a fast flip to trap some elements in there.
4. Press down the cap very carefully until it stays. You know you've done well if this step is difficult.
5. After you leave the store, remove the cap and let elements flow loose in the bag (prevents elements from getting damaged from the compression in step 4.
Really depends on what you're filling it with. The larger the element, the more you have to think about maximizing efficiency.
That said, I tend to spend time and optimize the bricks, filling in any gaps with what ever will fit, store near me allows for taping lids on of your cup is overflowing but still somewhat contained. (this got me an extra row of 2x4s on top of the rest of my parts)
However, not being sure of protocol, I jokingly asked one of the members of staff if 'that was the done thing', or whether it was considered to be 'taking the mickey'.
The reply I got suggested that yes, that would be considered a bit off, so I ended up just dropping things in in the most efficient manner, rather than building a cube.
Still got a load of useful parts though!
After having stacked bricks and plates, I pour some 1x1 round plates or flowers or plant stems into the cup to take up the remaining space. And shake it a lot, and sometimes bang it into the counter to get the smaller pieces to settle.
In my experience I get about 1½ cup worth of bricks as opposed to just throwing the bricks into the cup.
Oh, and please note that the trick shown in the youtube-video from "your creative friends" will not be tolerated by the store. The lid has to fit on the cup - you cannot build something above the cup, and then just add the lid on top.
Also, I've never had a problem with not clicking the lids down in all three stores I buy from. I would consider it rude to ask staff to tape down a lid where there is a gap between cup and lid.
I have never had anyone at a Lego Store tell me that I had to have the lid snap down, and when the cup is a little over filled, they generally just tape the lids down.
I've got near or just over a hundred of them and they are stacked insider an empty Creator Family Vacation Home box and the lids are in 2 shoeboxes. I use the cups and lids for sorting. They are awesome for this purpose.
This topic is fascinating as it routinely is revisited in new threads lime this one or the older threads are revived.
I was able to stack 656 1x2 bricks inside a PaB cup and two of these were almost equivalent to 3 cups where the bricks were just dropped in.
I thought that too. Interesting methods.
I use the small cups with the stacking technique on page 6 of this price comparison 1000steine.com/brickset/miscellaneous/Documents/PABCostComparisonAnalysis.pdf
I've now done it enough times that I can do it by memory. The above technique assumes it's okay that the lid is 'just' touching the cup which I've had no problem with at any of the stores I've been to. When it comes to anything other than 1x2's then it's the shake and jam method.