The Energon Pub

I don't hide toys, except maybe for a friend, and I consider it hypocritical, simply because I've had to listen to people whine about their "hidden treasures" not being there anymore.

A few weeks ago, I was hanging out at the local comic shop, when some woman came in completely distraught because she found the complete Marvel Legends Blob series at a nearby WM. She hid them, went back, and they were gone.

So she keeps talking about how, and I quote: "People are so selfish and inconsiderate!" Oh, the irony...

I know that not everyone is made of money, but if you're going to hide stuff, and then whine about fairness, well, I shouldn't have to explain the problem with that. At least do a good job, because if I find it, it is going right back out where everyone can see it.

Should've got there first? The way that I see it, you should have the money first, otherwise I consider your priorities in question.

Not everyone has the money right then? Well, not everyone has the time to make two separate trips to the same store in the same day, or even the same week. It's like some people make a trip to the store just to see if they have what they are looking for, then they go home, get their money, and complain when they come back and it isn't there. It makes no sense to me.

If I were scraping for money, buying collectibles would be the last thing on my mind.

Foallen wrote: I also don't think scalpers should exist on silly things like toys... They should impose some sort of max 2 of a figure per customer. Of course there'll still be ways around it, but it might help some.

Ya walk out the store then back in and buy another 2 after you hide them somewhere else... Wouldn't work I have done this before!!

Kadmon Prime wrote:Sorry, but I have hidden many a treasure. That is the reason why I have many of the figures I do today. It's a free country, the way I look at it, I found it first you should have got there sooner so my no money havin ass didn't hide it before you got there. Besides, if I DID have the money you would have been out of luck then too, because I was there first. So, get there first.

Have to say I am with you on this. I have hide many of toys and will continue to do so. The best part is I am very good at it and NO ONE ever finds my stuff not other collectors or Walmart, TRU or Target employees... Oh and I never hide them in the toy aisle big no no if you want to come back to buy it and have it waiting there for you!!!!

Yes you can call it selfish but like it was mentioned before I don't have the money somtimes and need to wait till payday. I am very helpful though I am willing to try and help anyone out!!!

I did it twice.
i was on holiday in the UK and was sercing all of my time there for a Energon Scorponock, but could never find one.
So on the very last day I found one in the Spider-Man section and noticed I was one pound short. I hid it behind a unicron, went back and got it.

The other time was a Powermaster Optimus Prime Reissue, I alway wanted one and never got one, and as the Bedford TRU got them in, I thote yea, you wayted your whole live for this nows your chance to get one.
I took one and hid it behind some Zoids, half an houer later I cum back and all are gone! There used to be 25! I was lucky to grab the one I hid befor that guy who was looking behind every box for something found it. He didn't look to happy!

I don't fell bad for that cos those wee the onlychances I had to get the things I wanted!

I have no problem with hiding stuff. Usually if people are hiding stuff & someone else can't find it, it's because they are too lazy to look. I actually scored a movie Megatron someone was trying to hide, just because I looked a bit harder to find it. Not to mention, I don't know how it's like in other stores, but at Wal-mart...the ones in my area at least...the employees before the end of the day are supposed to go through their sections & straighten it up, even all the stuff as far out towards the end of the shelves as they can so that way the dept at least looks like they have a full stock.....& in doing so they *should* find anything that is obviously out of place, such as a TF toy behind the power rangers. So it would partially be the employee not doing their job.

All things aside, if you can't find a figure in a local store, you can always find it online, one way or another. But bottom line is, if someone is too lazy to take the time & effort (& perhaps a bit of extra money) to get a particular toy, then perhaps they aren't wanting to get it as much as they claim to be.

sometimes I say to a store, can you hold this, I will pick it up tomorrow and they say sure. So the staff hides it for me

Sunstar wrote:sometimes I say to a store, can you hold this, I will pick it up tomorrow and they say sure. So the staff hides it for me

i somehow did this and asked her to hide barricade and after 5 mins of getting cash they sold it already!

softimus_prime wrote:

Sunstar wrote:sometimes I say to a store, can you hold this, I will pick it up tomorrow and they say sure. So the staff hides it for me

i somehow did this and asked her to hide barricade and after 5 mins of getting cash they sold it already!

hahahah!!!! lol!

Man this thread makes me want to go find someone's stashed stuff and buy it just to piss them off.

I NEVER hide stuff, or even layaway stuff. I'm sure there's a rule about hiding stuff in the stores, they could probably kick you out for good if the employees actually cared.

First come, first serve. Yep. But in order to be served you need to y'know... have the money! If you don't why are you even shopping for toys in the first place?

Generally these Hidden toys you're talking about are done by kids.

They carrey the toy around the store with them looking for their parrent(s) who have the money and ask if they can have the toy. If the parrent(s) say no the toy useually gets left right where they're standing, not back in the toy section.

How do I know this? I've done it. Truth be told I think we've all been guilty of that when we were kids.

Of course now I'd prefer it if things got back to their proper place but still this doesn't bother me that much. What's more dumb than this is Wal-Marts generally don't even keep their shelves stocked at all.

My own Wal-Mart has been guilty of this in the past but last I checked it was over stocked with Transformers. I watched as an employee was mixing Transformers with other toys not because she didn't know where they were supose to go but simply because there wasn't enough shelf space in the Transformers area so the spill over went with the surrounding toys. (and this is the first I've seen this happen, ever.)

I just got back from vacation and been to 3 other Wal-Marts out of town that are each about 5 times bigger than my own. They all have empty shelf space.

Probly the reason for the overflow at my Wal-Mart is that they were in the process of remodeling when I left and all the toys got moved into the back of the store in a cramped little area that use to be gardening. Not alot of people even realized they were back there and that's a good thing because there's only enough room back there for 2 people to move around at a time. If a third comes in then they're traped in the iles.

You can't just move to the side to get out of people's way you actully have to leave the ile you're in to let someone elce through.

The other good thing is the toys aren't staying in that area. One of the employees said that placement was only temperary till the remodeling was finished then it gets moved to where Electronics use to be.

tacogrande wrote:Man this thread makes me want to go find someone's stashed stuff and buy it just to piss them off.

Well I didnt go looking for anyone's stash but I sure found someones! I went to walmart today to get some stuff for the wife and went into the toy asile just to check if anything new came in..and boyy im so glad I did!! Someone stashed a ARCEE away....they turn it upsidedown so you couldnt see what figure it was...I saw something that look like a motorcycle and pick it up and there she was.....MINES>>>MINES>>> MINES!!!!! I was laughing all the way home...saying to myself...he/she is going to be madddddddd.....hahahahahahahahaaaaaa!!


blkbitcloud1

When i got BB 08 and Arcee i wanted Dreadwing too. I was about to hide him but i said no. They had another BB 08 and Dreadwing so i put them in front so people can pick them up. I only hid a toy once but i dont do it no more.

Scott792 wrote:Its stupid if you want a toy think ahead and bring enough money next time and if you dont have enough money leave it in its orginal found spot and give someone else a chance to buy it...........

I would also blame the Habro need to do case assortments. For example, a more popular figure might come with a not very popular figure and for a retailer to order more of the popular ones they are forced to order the same case assortment and get stuck with more of the less popular figures. Just plain stupid!

Should just allow retailers to order more of the figures that are moving off the shelves.

Case in point:

Can't find Barricade if you tried in stores. Plenty of Jazzes and Brawls though. Retailers will not order more of that case assortment just to get stuck with more Jazzes and Brawls that simply will not move off the shelves.

They will then get sent back to Hasbro by the retailer and then we will get two packs at a reduced price. Some good will come of it maybe.

It's b/c those ppl are lame and financial cripples. Buy first you can always return if you don't want it. Lack of cash is lame, sheesh if want it and you got good credit your plastic kicks arse.

hiding toys especially if you're going to pick it up soon is a good idea. I do it. I know how it feels when you wait an hour and head back to get the toy and it's gone. The toys would be more plentiful if Hasbro, or other companies didn't try to make them "collectible" I HATE it when they do that with Spider-Man and Star Wars toys. [/b]

I do it if I'm gonna get it the same day. If not, I leave it. I can always get it some other time. And I have found other people's hiddens and grabbed 'em. It's been done to me as well. I figure, if you take the time to look, it yours.

I think it's fair to put a figure at the back of the shelf/peg, but thats about as far as it goes. That should give you plenty of time to go get money out and return. Hiding figures, with the intent of not returning for them for a day or longer is nasty.
Sure you got there first, but it's kind of like being first at the 80m line of the 100m sprint, great that you are first there, but no good if you cannot continue to the finish line.

However, if you are hiding something from a scalper, (if they are right there beside you) you should stab them with something sharp, kick them while they are down, and hide the figure in the Pet food section.

I work for the local Target and as a collector, let me tell you guys something. As employees, we get first dibs. And if we can't buy it that day, we hide it. Sooooo many of us have stashes of stuff. Why? because we want it and sometimes don't have the money or refuse to pay that much for it. We hide stuff till it becomes clearance, and then we hide it some more till that 100 dollar optimus prime drops to 10 bucks!

Now, we can all say that we play fair, but in the end, isn't it a free for all? But I will say this, most of us dont take multiple of the same figure. That isnt fair. Most of the local collectors who make the effort to become a friend, get special treatment. Ill call them when we have stuff in. I even keep a look out for stuff they want.

Also, it helps to hide figures guys. Stores wont order more till the pegs are low! Stashers are not the enemey, because we just want to buy stuff too. SCALPERS are the enemey! They hide and buy **** just to rip everyone off!

lvkangaroo wrote:once you lose your one and only chance at one of the toys you'll see.

Isnt that the truth?!

Someday, when you want something, and you have NO money, and you dont hide it and come back the next day to find it GONE, then you will understand the pain of an opportunity lost. Besides SCALPERS cause more damage than the kid or the collector. Their greed knows no bounds. I saw a guy buy 4 reissue soundwaves once. He didnt care that I wanted one.

I've done it, I admit it. I've felt pretty chintzy whenever I've done it too. However, when I come back to collect the booty, I then feel a rush of self-satisfaction at my cunning for having outsmarted the competition and making the score.

Funkmaster Fleximus wrote:I've done it, I admit it. I've felt pretty chintzy whenever I've done it too. However, when I come back to collect the booty, I then feel a rush of self-satisfaction at my cunning for having outsmarted the competition and making the score.

Props to you bro for being honest. Nothing wrong with beating the competition is there? Though it never hurts to help some other guy find a fig either.

Aye, I will say that I don't hide anything if I'm not going to be back that same day. I may be a Capitalist, but not a complete f***ing Capitalist.