The Energon Pub

Autobot032 wrote:
Travel to and from the stores is costly. I speak from experience from countless searches that were fruitless and wasteful. I buy online, mostly, now. By the time I pay for gas and if I'm lucky to find what I'm looking for, I end up paying online prices anyway.

Not all of us count gas towards the price of our figures. I know I don't. I'm never just hunting for TFs, it's also a hunt for Halo Megabloks and certain GW metal figures since I refuse to buy the casting abortion that is Finecast.

And most of the time, I'm doing other things that tend to bring me near a store(there's a LOT of Targets, Walmarts, and game stores in the Springs) anyway, so again, not counting gas for it.

As well, for ME, the hunting is half the fun of collecting new figures. I can find pretty much ANY figure online, but I appreciate it more if I actually work for it.

Midnight_Fox wrote:Not all of us count gas towards the price of our figures. I know I don't. I'm never just hunting for TFs, it's also a hunt for Halo Megabloks and certain GW metal figures since I refuse to buy the casting abortion that is Finecast.

That only works for some, not all. Some of us only collect Transformers. I only recently started collecting Power Rangers Zords again, after a very long hiatus. (1997...) For those of us who collect one, maybe two things, and locations to do so require a drive, we have to factor in gas.

It's part of our budgeting, it has to be. Some are more fortunate than others, due to their location.

Midnight_Fox wrote:And most of the time, I'm doing other things that tend to bring me near a store(there's a LOT of Targets, Walmarts, and game stores in the Springs) anyway, so again, not counting gas for it.

Plenty of us, myself included, do this as well. However, again, it's a matter of chance. Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're not. So we have to revert to the old hunting game, which costs some of us in gas.

Gas is as much an inherent cost with purchasing collectibles as are shipping fees. Drives me crazy when someone says "man, I got a great deal on this Transformers toy from Asia. Got it for $30 less than a US online store or eBay!" Right, but after paying $30 for shipping you didn't come out ahead. A lot of people don't seem to realize that the cost of imported figures includes the cost of shipping them here. Driving around using gas is just as much a part of your cost in a figure as shipping costs. Your time is also worth money. But for as many Transformers as I purchase online, I certainly love the hunt even when gas is $4.00+ per gallon.

Midnight_Fox wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:
Travel to and from the stores is costly. I speak from experience from countless searches that were fruitless and wasteful. I buy online, mostly, now. By the time I pay for gas and if I'm lucky to find what I'm looking for, I end up paying online prices anyway.

Not all of us count gas towards the price of our figures. I know I don't. I'm never just hunting for TFs, it's also a hunt for Halo Megabloks and certain GW metal figures since I refuse to buy the casting abortion that is Finecast.

And most of the time, I'm doing other things that tend to bring me near a store(there's a LOT of Targets, Walmarts, and game stores in the Springs) anyway, so again, not counting gas for it.

As well, for ME, the hunting is half the fun of collecting new figures. I can find pretty much ANY figure online, but I appreciate it more if I actually work for it.

Exactly. I mean, I typically go poking around when I run to Walmart for groceries. Depending on which mall I go to, there's either a Target and a few other assorted stores or a K-mart, TRU and a different handful of assorted stores.

It means I'm not wasting on gas, since I'm just doing what I was anyway, albeit with a few other stops that are just a few hundred yards away.

This is one of the few instances I'm happy I don't drive and have to pay for a monthly bus pass to get to work. It's pretty much unlimited use, so while it's a relative pain to get where I'm going, I never have to spend extra money to go hunting for TFs. Just more time.

RAcast wrote:

Midnight_Fox wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:
Travel to and from the stores is costly. I speak from experience from countless searches that were fruitless and wasteful. I buy online, mostly, now. By the time I pay for gas and if I'm lucky to find what I'm looking for, I end up paying online prices anyway.

Not all of us count gas towards the price of our figures. I know I don't. I'm never just hunting for TFs, it's also a hunt for Halo Megabloks and certain GW metal figures since I refuse to buy the casting abortion that is Finecast.

And most of the time, I'm doing other things that tend to bring me near a store(there's a LOT of Targets, Walmarts, and game stores in the Springs) anyway, so again, not counting gas for it.

As well, for ME, the hunting is half the fun of collecting new figures. I can find pretty much ANY figure online, but I appreciate it more if I actually work for it.

Exactly. I mean, I typically go poking around when I run to Walmart for groceries. Depending on which mall I go to, there's either a Target and a few other assorted stores or a K-mart, TRU and a different handful of assorted stores.

It means I'm not wasting on gas, since I'm just doing what I was anyway, albeit with a few other stops that are just a few hundred yards away.

I do the same thing to but there are times when I have nothing to do and wanna go looking fot figures. I also collect dcuc and other small things but lately the stores have nothing and I feel like I'm just wasting gas and time. and for the $10 extra I could have ordered it online and had it already but I also like the thrill of finding a figure it's like a treasure hunt lol but it's very disappointing when you keep finding nothing at all. and I have 2 tru 6 walmarts and 4 targets within 15 minutes from my house oh and a Kmart not to mention khols,stop and shop,fye,Walgreens,cvs,dollar general,tj max and marshalls plus a couple comic shops and little toy stores that are way over priced like ebay lol and still nothing good. Maybe it's because I just have everything released lol

Have I mentioned I hate my city's Targets sometimes? Check the DCPI at the machine, get someone to scan and confirm with a PDT that they have more in the back, yet they refuse to pull them because there's 6 items on the pegs and therefore the front is presentable("We only refill if the fronting is empty" was the exact phrase).

Midnight_Fox wrote:Have I mentioned I hate my city's Targets sometimes? Check the DCPI at the machine, get someone to scan and confirm with a PDT that they have more in the back, yet they refuse to pull them because there's 6 items on the pegs and therefore the front is presentable("We only refill if the fronting is empty" was the exact phrase).

I would go in at a different time and ask a different employee. Try, try again. Someone at that store will either

• care enough about Target that they want your business and don't want you to give your money to another chain
• or someone will not care at all about Target and will throw all of their rules and guidelines to the wind.

Just be kind and polite. They're doing you a favor that is taking them away from their regular task that they have to do. Yeah they should be helping out customers, but you're asking them to do something a little extra to help you out. Maybe try the "I've been driving all around town, burning through gas trying to find one of these, and was wondering if there's any way you could help me after I found this item in your computer system." Everyone can relate to this! Surely someone will sympathize with you.

You probably need to explain that the DPCI (DPCI - D P C I is the same for later case assortments and the one you're looking for is the one marked "wave 3" or something along those lines). Also Best to go in during times of the day when they aren't super busy.

Seibertron wrote:
Just be kind and polite. They're doing you a favor that is taking them away from their regular task that they have to do. Yeah they should be helping out customers, but you're asking them to do something a little extra to help you out. Maybe try the "I've been driving all around town, burning through gas trying to find one of these, and was wondering if there's any way you could help me after I found this item in your computer system." Everyone can relate to this! Surely someone will sympathize with you.

Always polite about it. Worked retail for 8 years+ and am looking to do so again, I understand how frustrating the job can be even without people like me asking this sort of stuff.

I also try to have enough to purchase more than just a single figure from a case that they're willing to open at my request(I've been known to purchase more than half the case at times), even if I'm really only looking for a single figure from it.

Here's to hoping I can find it tomorrow!

So it turns out that shortpacked figure + army builder figure = $35 aftermarket price. Boo. If anyone's able to grab just one of this figure for me at a fair price you would be my hero.