The Energon Pub

tacogrande wrote:I think the no returns is because they're sick of people putting in old unwanted figures in the new packaging. Sure it can be helped if your IQ is over 2, since most boxes have pictures of the toys right there and all it takes is pre school matching up to figure out if it's right. This has been a problem with Star Wars and GI Joe for a while. You'll see a 5 pack with the unwanted characters and then the one army builder will be replaced with some 1995 star wars figure.

Can't say I care though, haven't bought hardly anything from Toys R Us in quite a while. Their return policy is AWFUL to begin with.

Like this thread:
http://www.tfans.com/talk/index.php?showtopic=59187

I say it is about time a retailer displayed some fundamental reasoning skills. Enforcable or not, I have no issue with any of what that sign says. They should have been running the business that way to begin with.

Two per customer is completely reasonable.

No traders is completely reasonable.

No returns/exchanges is completely reasonable.(If the toy is broken, then you take your complaint to Hasbro, not TRU).

I don't see a damn thing wrong with any of it. Collectors bring it on themsleves anyway. Hoarding, scalping, buying a piece, then swapping it out and returning it, etc. It will come to this in more and more stores, trust me.

It is truly a sad say when Orwellian rules have to be implemented in a toy store of all places.

What exactly do they mean by no traders anyway?

PorQPine wrote:No returns/exchanges is completely reasonable.(If the toy is broken, then you take your complaint to Hasbro, not TRU).

That doesnt work, Hasbro will send a prepayed postage sticker for the return but you arent guaranteed you will get the same figure back, they just send you whatever is in stock of an equal value.

I once returned a Cybertron Buzzsaw through Hasbro and received a Cybertron Excellion as my return, and no I didnt request the Excellion.

No returns on damaged merch is ridiculous. The limits on purchases make sense but why should the buyer be penalized for damaged goods.

The TRU near me is unlikely to put out a sign like that.

If I see such sign, I'd ask the manager to explain to me what makes Star Wars and Transformers so special, for the store to refuse returns/exchanges. I must know why they decide to divide their customers into two groups and treat them differently.

CRAP!

The limit 2 figures isn't fully enforceable. You could buy multiples on different trips. I mean are they gonna keep track of each persons purchases every time they buy a transformer? I think not. What they may be doing is just making it slightly more difficult to horde and sell figures at a mark up. If any one was to challenge this at a store I guarantee you they would give in and let you buy however many of the same figures you want. Are they gonna have an armed guard there to monitor purchases? Besides, rarely are they gonna have more than a couple of one figure if it's rare. MOST People are not gonna buy multiples of a figure if there are 10 on the shelf if they are looking to resell...that's just kinda crazy. The fact is that most people will only buy one of a certain figure.

Sid Burn wrote:

PorQPine wrote:No returns/exchanges is completely reasonable.(If the toy is broken, then you take your complaint to Hasbro, not TRU).

That doesnt work, Hasbro will send a prepayed postage sticker for the return BUUUUUUUT you arent guaranteed you will get the same figure back, they just send you whatever is in stock of an equal value.

I once returned a Cybertron Buzzsaw through Hasbro and received a Cybertron Excellion as my return, and no I didnt request the Excellion.

No returns on damaged merch is ridiculous. The limits on purchases make sense but why should the buyer be penalized for damaged goods.

I've heard this, and I know that it happens, and I don't approve of it. But I consider it consistent with the message in general. That whole sign is really saying "We're tired of your hypocrisy, selfishness, and general dishonesty, you sad, obsessed man-children. Try these on for size."

A retailer has to do what it has to do to keep afloat. If this particular store has a serious return abuse problem, then I see no problem with them tightening the reigns. It doesn't have to be that way at every store, only where necessary.

If the item is broken and Hasbro refunds my money, I'm fine with that. It's sucks and it's a hassle, but at least I got my money back.

Just think about all of the pissed parents, all of the upset kids during this train-wreck of a summer; hit movie, toys near impossible to find. Then add in all of the standard phony returns and exchanges, employees, scalpers, and dealers buying up stock before it even hits the shelf. Then the collectors are irked and start bothering the employees, an so on. (I don't exclude myself from all this.)

They simply have to put their foot down, and I can't blame them for it, considering all I've seen so far this year.

Ragnorok64 wrote:What exactly do they mean by no traders anyway?

I may be wrong, but they are probably talking about dealers...guys who make a living by setting up at conventions, flea markets, trade expositions, etc. They can often be seen filling their carts with every HTF item until the store is left with the crap that no one wants.

Powersa wrote:If I see such sign, I'd ask the manager to explain to me what makes Star Wars and Transformers so special, for the store to refuse returns/exchanges. I must know why they decide to divide their customers into two groups and treat them differently.

Again, it may just be at this particular store where they are having severe issues with scalping, return abuse, etc. SW and TF are as huge as ever right now. The original poster should check and see if they have a similar sign in the Hot Wheels section. Both SW and TF have attained that kind of obsessive collector base, therefore making them huge targets for the secondary market.

It sucks that a few jerks have to ruin it for the rest of us, but, really, they are the ones to put the blame on.

Nah it not tru it is the parent company that has hand down this mandate. I talked to my friend who works there and it just came down the next section to get the no trade in rule will be the video game section. It pretty much going to be a store wide thing.

how dumb! i hope there is exceptions cuz i ordered the blackout/scorponok pack with no intentions of opening it and when it showed up the box was beat uo so i had to exchange it for a better box, if i would have gone in there and saw that sign i would have been...well, lets just say mad

They don't even carry enough stock to have that '2per customer' rule apply

Ya, PorQPine, I do not think you understand the concept of distributors, TRU is a distributor of Hasbro products, Hasbro does not have stores, because it has others to distribute product and take care of customer problems.

Thus, Hasbro does not expect to deal with all these issues, the stock that is sent to stores, should be handled by the store.

You do not call Toyota in Japan if your Taurus breaks, you got to the dealer that sold it to you, it is the same with items that are distributed through stores.

And since when is it ok to selectively pick who you will ostracize from returning product, if they want to pout about it they should stop carrying the product if it is such a hassle.

Uhm, what's all this about Target having the same policy??

I've taken TF's back to Target both for exchanges and refunds and never had a problem...

Bun-Bun wrote:Uhm, what's all this about Target having the same policy??

I've taken TF's back to Target both for exchanges and refunds and never had a problem...

dangit! now i wont be able to return the 12 g1 gazzes and 8 g1 starscreams that i wasnt able to resell on ebay

Collector Maximus wrote:The limit 2 figures isn't fully enforceable. You could buy multiples on different trips. I mean are they gonna keep track of each persons purchases every time they buy a transformer?

Yeah... but why make it easy to do so? I'd sleep happier knowing that that scalper on E-bay had to make several trips, even if it's just to the car and back, and hopefully lining up all over again - preferably for long time in a queue each time - in order to stock up on his hoard.

tom brokaw wrote:
dangit! now i wont be able to return the 12 g1 gazzes and 8 g1 starscreams that i wasnt able to resell on ebay

You said it Tom! Actually the last time a poster here joked about putting an unwanted Bumblebee in a box set to exchange after taking out an 08, it crossed my mind that rules are different in the States. Over here, we've long had it written on receipts that Transformers and Star Wars toys are non-returnable and exchangeable.

Not that I agree 100% though. I believe that there are times when a toy is defective, for instance, that non-returnable/ -exchangeable is BS. If a toy is proven defective, and you exchange for EXACTLY the same figure, it should be allowed.

Collector Maximus wrote:]If any one was to challenge this at a store I guarantee you they would give in and let you buy however many of the same figures you want. Are they gonna have an armed guard there to monitor purchases?

I guarantee that you have never met a b-----d employee like me. I just love dealing with unreasonable customers who think they can steamroll over us by threatening to complain or making a lot of noise. And I'll do it in a way that leaves them no recourse too.

I think it's about freaking time stores tried to do the right thing by the children who are also hunting for the toys. I applaud this because it would be so easy for a store to not bother and just immediately make the money on the toys by allowing them to be wiped by scalpers.

I'm sick and tired of people trivialising this scalping issue. I've read here a couple of people who talk about toys being easy to find... and that they bought a couple of boxes each. I can't remember who it was but someone even wrote that he and his friend bought a box of G1 repaint toys, I think it was Jazz or Starscream, thereby 'proving' they weren't difficult to get.

I was like, WTF??? Why the hell would you even do that? Maybe if you didn't buy a whole boxful of a certain toy, then yeah, they would be easy to find! I can't think of any reason anyone would want to do that other than to then resell at higher prices to people who could have gotten them in the stores if they hadn't done that!

So I do applaud this sign at TRU. I'm going to my local TRU and asking them, they've already enforced the third point, how about getting with the program and going international with the first two!

Jestermon wrote:Ya, PorQPine, I do not think you understand the concept of distributors, TRU is a distributor of Hasbro products, Hasbro does not have stores, because it has others to distribute product and take care of customer problems.

Thus, Hasbro does not expect to deal with all these issues, the stock that is sent to stores, should be handled by the store.

You do not call Toyota in Japan if your Taurus breaks, you got to the dealer that sold it to you, it is the same with items that are distributed through stores.

And since when is it ok to selectively pick who you will ostracize from returning product, if they want to pout about it they should stop carrying the product if it is such a hassle.

I think that I have a pretty solid grasp of distribution, Jestermon, thanks. This really isn't a distribution issue, this is a customer issue.

TRU is a retailer that distributes Hasbro items, as well as several other toy companies' items. Hasbro should expect to have any QC problems directed toward them. When someone makes return of a toy that is defective or otherwise damaged, TRU contacts Hasbro about it. They get credit for the item, so Hasbro does deal with this stuff all the time. All I'm suggesting is that you remove the middleman when it comes to returns...it will keep people more honest. TRU would be a lot easier to rip off than Hasbro.

I'm not sure about this analogy, but of course I wouldn't call Toyota in Japan if my Taurus breaks down, because Toyota doesn't make the Taurus, Ford(the company that I work for) does. Yes, I would contact the dealership, but it would be a Ford dealership. Now, for QC issues, the dealership would contact Ford, and if it is a commmon problem, a Technical Service Bulletin or Special Service Message would be released. Then they would fix the problem, but only after the manufacturer ok'ed it. TRU only sells toys, they don't fix them. Dealerships both sell and fix cars, so it's not like I could mail my car back to Ford and get a new one.

And they can't just stop carrying two of their hottest selling products...could you imagine walking into a TRU and they don't have SW or TF? You'd hit the ceiling. It's the same thing anyway, they are effectively punishing everyone for what a few jerks are doing. Better to do it with an unfair return policy, than eliminating the product altogether.

Meh.


I've yet to see another collector in a store near me, let alone a scalper.


And if I buy a toy that turns out to be defective, then it's going back to the shop it came from, and they can give me a damn refund.



Not that a single toy I have ever bought has been defective.

The Master Blaster wrote:Meh.


I've yet to see another collector in a store near me, let alone a scalper.


And if I buy a toy that turns out to be defective, then it's going back to the shop it came from, and they can give me a damn refund.



Not that a single toy I have ever bought has been defective.

Yep, take it back.

Here's how I see this sign issue. TRU and other stores are dealing more and more with guys buying every single poplular figure off the shelf. The internet has created a new generation and breed of scalper. That's not a big deal-they could care less if you buy 1 or 100 of something, as long as the "check clears". Here's what they do care about and are trying to stop. You're a small store owner or a scalper and you buy, let's say, a case of deluxe figures-08 Bumblebees. So you take your case home and post them for sale for 80 bucks a pop. This are great as long as the supply is low. But all of a sudden, Hasbro starts pumping them out regularly and any kid or fan can go find one most place for regular price. It you're the scalper, you take your reciept and return the left over figures and get your money back. Hey that's what I'd do if I were making a living as a scalper. So stores like TRU are probably getting sick and tired of people like this returning tons of merchandise because they're not worth the extra the premium price anymore. And their cure for this problem-signs and policies like this. But I feel pretty confident that if you walk into a store with a broken leader Brawl for an exchange or your money back, you're going to get your money back or the answer you want.

I think the sign is designed to scare those who are thinking about figure switching/scalping etc etc.

It wont stop professional scalpers or anything though.

And I'm fairly certain that stores have to provide an equally priced equivalent if an item is broken/un-usable, and the package has not been opened.

Two thoughts:

I'd love to see them try something like that in the UK.

Open your potential purchase before paying for it. If they're going to insist they won't take returns, you're going to insist the item is in good condition before you pay. If their aisles are littered with opened products, they'll probably start re-thinking this one.

Has anyone managed to verify that this sign is not a one off that some overzealous manager made up?

Bonger wrote:Has anyone managed to verify that this sign is not a one off that some overzealous manager made up?

Here's the word on that sign:

IT IS FROM A TOYS R US IN SINGAPORE!!!!!!

Not US, not UK. So please everyone, calm down. This exact same sign is being discussed in rebelscum.com's 30th Anniversary Collection forum (a Star Wars forum in case you didn't know). It is not going to happen in the US, so please don't panic.

The "traders" they refer to, BTW, is a polite way of saying "scalper".

so you can't trade yours in for a better one if the one you bought suddenly looks broken after you bought it, and even if a part falls off inside the package, your screwed.. also if you bought one for a friend or kid's B-day and he already got the same one, you can't switch it out for a new one... and if you recall the Star Wars only 2 per person thing, with the non trader and returnables was due to a maximization of profit by promoting exclusivity and the fact that Hasbro wasn't going to release more stock, until they had what was on shelves sold..hence the only 2, nonretuirnable, non traderable...

Magnus' Mate wrote:
Here's the word on that sign:

IT IS FROM A TOYS R US IN SINGAPORE!!!!!!

That's GREAT news for me, given my sentiments in my previous post! Are you sure? How do you know? I just went down to a branch and demanded they put a sign up like that and they told me they had to check with management.

Magnus' Mate wrote:Here's the word on that sign:

IT IS FROM A TOYS R US IN SINGAPORE!!!!!!

Not US, not UK. So please everyone, calm down. This exact same sign is being discussed in rebelscum.com's 30th Anniversary Collection forum (a Star Wars forum in case you didn't know). It is not going to happen in the US, so please don't panic.

The "traders" they refer to, BTW, is a polite way of saying "scalper".

I am going to quote this again so people will read it.