"...."Oh, what do we got in these boxes?"
Xgamer wrote:I like this thread. It is very bold. This happens with every hot item in these kind of retailers. I had the honor of finding xbox 360s for 2 families 3 weeks before xmas (the 1st year they were released- OOS everywhere). As luck would have it , I knew the inventory systems of most of the retailers and knew how to coerce employees from other stores to enter skus and not know what I was talking about. Well, I found a Circuit City that had some 360s in stock- when I got to CC I asked them if they had any- I was turned away. So when I got home I called them and spoke with a new employee- she said they in fact had them- I rushed to CC and asked the lady that had turned me away to get a 360 from the back from me- she just stared at me in disbelief- I could hear her argue with the employees to bring one to the front. She wouldnt even check me out (all of a sudden the manager called her into his office), another employee came in and started asking me how I knew...blah, blah, blah. Apparently (just from observation) the manager had held stock from the floor for the employees (my war with them meant that other customers would demand the same)- I saw alot of them start calling their families to get down their immediately (it took an hour to checkout). Some of them were really upset with me, but in the end I had a great Xmas getting 2 phone calls from families (non-relatives) thanking me for a Christmas miracle (I got the other 360 online).
Grimlock_CA wrote:Just one of the perks of the job...
I have a friend who works in my local walmart and hooks me up with info when stuff comes in.
I don't see anything wrong with this. Id do the same thing if I was them, and I think so would most of you. Because there in the company they see the inner workings, and I find if you ask them nicely they tend to be very helpful instead of hovering around.
If you work at a bakery you get fresh bread, If you work at a brewery you get free beer (or at least discounts), same is true here its just one of the perks. Oh, and if you were working for min wage at a walmart would you care if you took 10 minutes to check out the cool stuff hitting the floor
Versa wrote:Of course some people know the collectors who come through and they save stuff for them. I had regulars who seemed to know every day things would get in on the truck. Many had the UPC numbers and we could check with the manifest online in the internal terminal on what exactly was on the truck for the next shipment. So if anyone tells you they don't know what comes in on the truck, that's a load of bullcrap, I guarantee that. You could even look up by keyword and find stuff, but an employee has to look it up.
Versa wrote:It's amazing the stuff these collectors/scalpers seem to be able to find. They have nothing better to do than walk in these stores everyday. They make the rounds to almost every store. They keep in contact with others and when you walk in the store wondering why you can't find anything, keep in mind:
1. There's store employees who are there for more than just making minumum wage
2. There are collectors & Scalpers who are heavily in the loop on these toys and WILL be there before the store opens and buy as much as they can afford to re-sell (if it's a scalper)
Versa wrote:I reccommend that if you can, get to these stores just before they open. Your chances will be much greater at finding stuff. There is actually quite a bit out there, but too many single individuals make these hard to find by how much they hoard, this being the scalpers.
Versa wrote:I was a big toy collector for a while and you wouldn't believe some of the jerks I came across. I only wanted one of each for myself, but some of these guys would just be relentless. Some guys you think are collectors aren't. Especially when you see the volume they buy at times. They know variants and what is rare. They will raid the pegs to find the good stuff and leave the rest behind. If they can't afford to buy all the pristine condition toys, they've been known to dog-ear or purposely damage packaging for those wanting to keep them in package.
JTKranix wrote:How is this different than the majority of the people who post on these forums?Versa wrote:Of course some people know the collectors who come through and they save stuff for them. I had regulars who seemed to know every day things would get in on the truck. Many had the UPC numbers and we could check with the manifest online in the internal terminal on what exactly was on the truck for the next shipment. So if anyone tells you they don't know what comes in on the truck, that's a load of bullcrap, I guarantee that. You could even look up by keyword and find stuff, but an employee has to look it up.
When I am looking for something specific I always call or show up with a UPC, SKU or DPCI number. Asking someone to look up a number is so much easier than trying to explain to them what it is that you want.Versa wrote:It's amazing the stuff these collectors/scalpers seem to be able to find. They have nothing better to do than walk in these stores everyday. They make the rounds to almost every store. They keep in contact with others and when you walk in the store wondering why you can't find anything, keep in mind:
1. There's store employees who are there for more than just making minumum wage
2. There are collectors & Scalpers who are heavily in the loop on these toys and WILL be there before the store opens and buy as much as they can afford to re-sell (if it's a scalper)
Again, this isn't any different than the majority of the people who post on these forums. There is an entire forum dedicated to sightings with threads of people in specific areas keeping in touch with each other about what is where.Versa wrote:I reccommend that if you can, get to these stores just before they open. Your chances will be much greater at finding stuff. There is actually quite a bit out there, but too many single individuals make these hard to find by how much they hoard, this being the scalpers.
I hoard. I have picked up a ton of stuff for people on the forums but I'm not a scalper. Cost + Shipping. The last run I made to Fort Wayne I picked up a bunch of Classic Devastator and Alt. Rumble and Ravage for people who couldn't find them local.Versa wrote:I was a big toy collector for a while and you wouldn't believe some of the jerks I came across. I only wanted one of each for myself, but some of these guys would just be relentless. Some guys you think are collectors aren't. Especially when you see the volume they buy at times. They know variants and what is rare. They will raid the pegs to find the good stuff and leave the rest behind. If they can't afford to buy all the pristine condition toys, they've been known to dog-ear or purposely damage packaging for those wanting to keep them in package.
Like I said, I buy a ton of stuff. It's not always for me. I also know the variants and what is rare for every toyline I collect. It's part of the fun. As far as packages being damaged, the only time I have seen that happen are when kids do it.
It's frustrating, fun and rewarding (for me anyway) to hunt, not find and/or find what I'm looking for. If I could walk into any store and always find what I wanted right away the hobby wouldn't be nearly as entertaining to me.
Grimlock_CA wrote:Just one of the perks of the job...
I have a friend who works in my local walmart and hooks me up with info when stuff comes in.
I don't see anything wrong with this. Id do the same thing if I was them, and I think so would most of you. Because there in the company they see the inner workings, and I find if you ask them nicely they tend to be very helpful instead of hovering around.
If you work at a bakery you get fresh bread, If you work at a brewery you get free beer (or at least discounts), same is true here its just one of the perks. Oh, and if you were working for min wage at a walmart would you care if you took 10 minutes to check out the cool stuff hitting the floor
Skowl wrote:"Action", "Back Door" and "Wal-Mart" should not go in the same sentence.
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