The Energon Pub

Do you travel on a 100 mile round trip quest twice a week to find your Transformers?

Do fall to the ground weeping like a baby until a Walmart employee takes pity on you and checks in the back to see if they could possibly have any more Arcee figures left?

Do you spend all night in your car waiting at Target for that one shipment that you *know* must contain Transformers?

Have you taken a second (or third or fourth) job so that you can specifically afford your Transformer addiction?

Well, I want to know! Share all of your stories and let others know just how far you would go to get a Transformers!
(Note: I'm not looking for how you broke the law to get a Transformer)


This is my story.
Right now I don't have a car that we can use. It's a very long and complicated story there. Anyway, I have to walk to where ever I want to go. So twice a week, I walk a nine mile trip (average) around my town to see which stores may have Transformers. Today: None. But I'm getting some great toned legs!

I go as far as my local sorting office and back to collect them after the postie was unable to squeeze them through my letter box. I buy very few Transformers or other figures here in the UK and I rarely make special trips to look for them, maybe if I was remotely interested in the movie line it might be a different stroy.

Yours AK

I drove nearly to a Walmart ridiculously close to the Mexican border to get a Primus on clearance for $15.

Last week I ran out of gas in three days because I made constant round trips that easily surpassed 75 miles each time.

Well, I just pop into a few stores every few days on my way back from uni for the most part. That said, I do try to get around to a few other stores every now and then, especially my nearest Toys R Us, since that has the best range.

I am also in the process of applying for an actual job (well, one beyond delivering newspapers, which actually pays pretty well per hour) so that I can buy more TFs.

Oh, and when I saw one guy walk away with the last '08 Bumblebee in a store, I had to resist the urge to spear tackle him to the ground and swipe the BB for myself. Just shows that I do have some restraint left in me.

In the 15-mile metro area, we've got 5 Walmarts, 4 Kmarts,
2 Targets, and 1 Toys R Us. Needless to say, I don't really
go any farther than 15 miles.

I used to do my shopping on payday, since I had to run out and
grab my check anyway, but since I get it directly deposited now,
I go out whenever I happen to be about.

I actually do drive about 100 miles to get my TFs. The nearest TRU is that far away. Whenever I go hunting I drive there then hit every Wal-Mart and Kohl's between here and there. So I usually spend a Voyager class figure's worth on gas alone, and then come back empty-handed. But it's the thrill of the hunt that keeps me going.

I live about an hour's train journey from Akihabara.

Just this early evening, I waded through muddy water that's ankle deep to get to my car so i can go to the 2 malls in my area. All for an unverified rumor that they were restocking Movie TFs. It was raining all the while and I forgot my umbrella in the car. The rainfall was quite heavy, which just flooded the downtown area.
Oh, no stocks arrived today. All that for nothing.

160km round trip based on sightings from down south, often waste of time so I go to the movies or .... errr ... other gentlemanly establishments.

I bought a TF in Spain last week, that's over 3500 miles from where I live.

I went to Pittsburgh last weekend for a wedding and I checked out the local stores. Found a Classics Grimlock which I haven't seen anywhere here in the Twin Cities! So I could say I traveled 1000 miles to nab Grimlock...

I have gone out of state to buy things (3 hour drive each way). My usual run are the local stores on this side of town but at least once a week my girl and I travel an hour to a different area of the state to check things out. Most of the time it's a bust but last weekend I had an awesome score and ended up spending almost $200.

I actually spend money on them. Considering my life situation, that's crazy enough.

I just go to the local stores. Im not going to go out of town for a TF, No matter how bad I want it.

Heh.

My current location tends to have what I'm looking for, generally. So, between Hermitage, Greenville, Niles and Boardman...I can usually find what I'm looking for, with a little bit of work (asking them to check the back, things of that nature)...that is, until Alternators Prime and Mirage and the Movie line.

I traveled from the PA/OH border (actually fourteen miles from the border, but that's really a stone's throw in the big picture. lol) all the way into a Cleveland suburb looking for Mirage. I found Optimus Prime in Ashtabula OH (which was 35 miles from my old place) and couldn't find a single Mirage anywhere. My girlfriend was looking for a Best Buy laptop deal (which none of the stores seemed to have in stock, except allll the way into Cleveland...) so I got a free trip into other stores. I ended up going to Mayfield Heights OH, to their Wal-Mart, TRU, and Best Buy. Both my girlfriend and I came home empty handed. =\ (it was about a 210 mile round trip)

Two days later, I drove down to Hermitage (which is now 6.5 miles away, but at that point was 38 ) and walked into their newly built Wal-Mart Supercenter and literally just walked into the toy department...and there was one Mirage sitting on the upper shelf (you could tell it had been hidden by someone else, but I got it.) All of that travel for nothing...

My girlfriend ended up going to Harborcreek PA (12 miles east of Erie, PA) and found a brand new Black Friday 2005 HP Laptop leftover for $398.00 and it had the same specs (with more ram!) as the one at BB for a hundred bucks more!).

Problem is (and I learned this the hard way)...if you don't make the trip...they had what you were looking for and sold out. If you make the trip, chances are they don't have what you're looking for. So I burned it into my brain "Make the trip, because they'll have it if you don't, won't if you do, but you might get lucky." Which I have gotten lucky plenty of times, otherwise I wouldn't continue making the trips.

It's amazing...Greenville has absolutely nothing in stock except Real Gear singles, Voyager Thundercracker, Big Rig Blaster, Ultimate Bumblebee, and Classics out the wazoo. Yet Hermitage (which is only 12 miles away from Greenville...) has had a few restocks here and there and generally keeps up to date as much as possible. I've noticed this trend when it comes to towns 20-30 miles from one another as well. One town will have absolutely nothing forever...yet only 20-30 miles away, they're sitting on piles and piles of figures that just collect dust.

Generally my coverage area (Meadville to Niles and back home) is about a 33 mile trip (in either direction) so it's not too bad. For one, I get out of the house (which is never a bad thing). Second, it's nice to have a car trip, even if it's small. Third, I generally come back happy, so I can't really complain.

Although I've made some super duper stupid trips just to find one, perhaps two figures. Like driving 474 miles for the Target Exclusive Dinobots version of Magmatron. (Long story short, we were coming home anyway, but like two weeks later. I ended up pushing the date up weeks early because I was able to call and confirm they had it.)

So technically...I drove 474 miles for a toy. How friggin' ridiculous is that?

I'd say I've probably logged in (over the years) 5,000 miles looking for figures...easily.

Sad...isn't it?

Autobot032 wrote:Sad...isn't it?

Not especially. It's not all that different from someone
looking for sports memorabilia, going to concerts, convention-goers ect.

I have 9 Walmarts, 6 Targets, and 2 TRU within a 25 mile radius and double that in a 35 miles radius. I've hit them all before within a three day period but now I've figured out which ones gets less foot traffic.

Starscream227 wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:Sad...isn't it?

Not especially. It's not all that different from someone
looking for sports memorabilia, going to concerts, convention-goers ect.

...474 miles for a single toy? LOL...that's sad and obsessive. I can even admit that about myself.

A convention's a little different. Why? Well you're going for the experiences, the people, the events, and yes...the toys.

Me personally, I still can't find enough of a reason to spend that kinda dough on a convention. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely like the people here, and I think they're fantastic (even ones I've had problems with) but I see them on here and converse with them everyday. I realize it's not quite the same as actually meeting them face to face, but still..you're with them on a daily basis, so spending the money on that alone...is a moot point.

The experiences, okay...that might be worth the money, but only to certain people. Me personally, I find no need to pay for a dinner and a substandard toy/plate/sticker/whatever it might be, or the lights, sounds, etc. (including the travel)

The events, might be worth money to some, but I was able to go see the movie at the drive in, I can buy toys in the stores (and save mucho money), etc.

To me...I just don't find it necessary to pay to get in, to pay to do this or that or the other thing, when I could still get what I want, still hang out with the people that matter, and still have fun, all while saving scads of money.

Still, even with my view on this, it's still a worthier cause for the money to go to, rather than drive 474 miles for a single toy.

That was ridiculous and I'm an idiot.

Autobot032 wrote:

Starscream227 wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:Sad...isn't it?

Not especially. It's not all that different from someone
looking for sports memorabilia, going to concerts, convention-goers ect.

...474 miles for a single toy? LOL...that's sad and obsessive. I can even admit that about myself.

A convention's a little different. Why? Well you're going for the experiences, the people, the events, and yes...the toys.

Me personally, I still can't find enough of a reason to spend that kinda dough on a convention. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely like the people here, and I think they're fantastic (even ones I've had problems with) but I see them on here and converse with them everyday. I realize it's not quite the same as actually meeting them face to face, but still..you're with them on a daily basis, so spending the money on that alone...is a moot point.

The experiences, okay...that might be worth the money, but only to certain people. Me personally, I find no need to pay for a dinner and a substandard toy/plate/sticker/whatever it might be, or the lights, sounds, etc. (including the travel)

The events, might be worth money to some, but I was able to go see the movie at the drive in, I can buy toys in the stores (and save mucho money), etc.

To me...I just don't find it necessary to pay to get in, to pay to do this or that or the other thing, when I could still get what I want, still hang out with the people that matter, and still have fun, all while saving scads of money.

Still, even with my view on this, it's still a worthier cause for the money to go to, rather than drive 474 miles for a single toy.

That was ridiculous and I'm an idiot.

I'll concede the point of 474 miles for a single toy
IS over the top. However, it's all relative to perspective
and opinion. If you regret the decision, than it's of course
silly (and obsessive no matter what), but if it brought you
joy, I don't really see a problem here, but that's, of course,
just my opinion.

I can totally agree with your stance on conventions. I more or
less still find them a silly expense, but I'll be shelling out
for BotCon '08, and am happy to do so. I'm looking forward
to meeting the many denizens of Seibertron that will, without
a doubt, be there. But, it's also for the trip that it will
likely include. As long as the convention is in the lower
48, me and a buddy will be convoying there and back again.

Gotta go, my wallet's crying...