The Energon Pub

I check My TRU every week and they still have ROTF figures out on the pegs. I asked them if they had the New Transformers Prime line and the girl looked at me like I asked her to do a headstand while juggling. I ask them to search their computers and even though they appear there, they say they have no idea what they are or if they will ever get them..

LiKwid wrote:I check My TRU every week and they still have ROTF figures out on the pegs. I asked them if they had the New Transformers Prime line and the girl looked at me like I asked her to do a headstand while juggling. I ask them to search their computers and even though they appear there, they say they have no idea what they are or if they will ever get them..

sales clerks are underpaid souless minions, so its rare you'll find one that actually seems to care.

adamassc wrote:

LiKwid wrote:I check My TRU every week and they still have ROTF figures out on the pegs. I asked them if they had the New Transformers Prime line and the girl looked at me like I asked her to do a headstand while juggling. I ask them to search their computers and even though they appear there, they say they have no idea what they are or if they will ever get them..

sales clerks are underpaid souless minions, so its rare you'll find one that actually seems to care.

Last time I went to TRU more than half of the staff was gathered inside the room behind the games counter. That happens allot when I go in there, I have no idea what the heck they're doing. One time I asked if they had some generations figures that weren't on the shelves with the others, the lady who I asked seemed nice enough, willing to help, she had to go into that same room to check the computer, it seemed like someone else was watching her the hole time and then other people started gathering in there again. For the ten checkouts they have there, only one is ever occupied.

Vicalliose wrote:

adamassc wrote:

LiKwid wrote:I check My TRU every week and they still have ROTF figures out on the pegs. I asked them if they had the New Transformers Prime line and the girl looked at me like I asked her to do a headstand while juggling. I ask them to search their computers and even though they appear there, they say they have no idea what they are or if they will ever get them..

sales clerks are underpaid souless minions, so its rare you'll find one that actually seems to care.

Last time I went to TRU more than half of the staff was gathered inside the room behind the games counter. That happens allot when I go in there, I have no idea what the heck they're doing. One time I asked if they had some generations figures that weren't on the shelves with the others, the lady who I asked seemed nice enough, willing to help, she had to go into that same room to check the computer, it seemed like someone else was watching her the hole time and then other people started gathering in there again. For the ten checkouts they have there, only one is ever occupied.

Oh, thats an old retail trick called "hiding from responsibility."

Sabrblade wrote:

Flux Convoy wrote:New mold...but why? Unless he were either more show accurate in bot mode or closer to scale, why would two deluxes be necessary? Especially this early on.

To sell toys. To sell Bumblebee. To milk the franchise. Pick one.

Bumblebee is going to sell. My point being, why another Prime Bumblebee mold? Why waste the R&D on something that's already been tooled instead of a character not yet done. Especially in the first effing wave. It's kind of a joke.

adamassc wrote:Oh, thats an old retail trick called "hiding from responsibility."

Used to be a master of it myself when I worked retail.

adamassc wrote:

LiKwid wrote:I check My TRU every week and they still have ROTF figures out on the pegs. I asked them if they had the New Transformers Prime line and the girl looked at me like I asked her to do a headstand while juggling. I ask them to search their computers and even though they appear there, they say they have no idea what they are or if they will ever get them..

sales clerks are underpaid souless minions, so its rare you'll find one that actually seems to care.

Sometimes that's just because the managers are soulless, lazy space-hogs. I worked at Gamestop for a while and my manager and assistant manager told me damn near everyday to stop working so hard. What was working hard? Not sitting behind the counter twiddling my thumbs or playing video games when the store esd quiet (which was fairly often) -__-

Needless to say, I was happy to ditch that job when somehting else came up.

Flux Convoy wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Flux Convoy wrote:New mold...but why? Unless he were either more show accurate in bot mode or closer to scale, why would two deluxes be necessary? Especially this early on.

To sell toys. To sell Bumblebee. To milk the franchise. Pick one.

Bumblebee is going to sell. My point being, why another Prime Bumblebee mold? Why waste the R&D on something that's already been tooled instead of a character not yet done. Especially in the first effing wave. It's kind of a joke.

Well, considering that the "First editions" where originally meant to be part of the Generations line, I guess Hasbro decided to go full out and give the series it's own line with more show accurate representations, while getting ridd of the original figures they had already invested money in by selling them as First Editions.

Kinda like what they did back during Beast Machines.

I guess this one's more show accurate, so I'll buy this one instead of the FE one.

Vicalliose wrote:On the subject of the non-first edition figures, I think calling them a "brand new mold" is a bit of a stretch.

As for those Chinese workers... is this really new to anyone? It's the Chinese Socialist Market Economy hard at work. Hasbro's factories are just some of many. Not much we can do to change that outside of discouraging Chinese production altogether, which would only make things worse for those people. Though frankly America is in such a terrible economic downturn I'd rather we take those jobs away and produce the toys here. My words are cold, yes, but myself, my family and my fellow countrymen should always come before strangers, America has poor people too.

Y'know, what really freaks me out is that China has not had another revolution.

Sorry to inform your Political assumption, but China is a Communist Society. Dont try to lump that **** in as a Socialist Market because you would be VERY WRONG! There is no spreading of the wealth in China!! But you are right in saying that it is NOTHING new. In fact its even ridiculous for collectors to even imagine any toys being made in the USA let alone a very complex toy like a Transformer and staying under a reasonable price range. If we had toy factories here in the states and we paid just average wages I could only imagine that a deluxe $10 Transformer would run you over $100 easy. Its that out of whack.

Cybershark wrote:Sorry to inform your Political assumption, but China is a Communist Society. Dont try to lump that **** in as a Socialist Market because you would be VERY WRONG! There is no spreading of the wealth in China!! But you are right in saying that it is NOTHING new. In fact its even ridiculous for collectors to even imagine any toys being made in the USA let alone a very complex toy like a Transformer and staying under a reasonable price range. If we had toy factories here in the states and we paid just average wages I could only imagine that a deluxe $10 Transformer would run you over $100 easy. Its that out of whack.

*ahem* Allow me to explain myself... "The socialist market economy" is what it is officially referred to, in my own opinion China itself is communist as it is currently run by the communist party. But do you really think socialism and communism are so different? Socialism is communism lite as far as I'm concerned. Also, by encouraging businesses to produce here, we'd have to do away with all the over-zealous regulatory and environmentalist agencies, as well as bringing down corporate tax rates. Items produced in America would obviously still cost more even under these circumstances, but I'd also suggest adding higher taxes to imported goods to encourage more American competition.

Dead Metal wrote:Well, considering that the "First editions" where originally meant to be part of the Generations line, I guess Hasbro decided to go full out and give the series it's own line with more show accurate representations, while getting ridd of the original figures they had already invested money in by selling them as First Editions.

Kinda like what they did back during Beast Machines.

I guess this one's more show accurate, so I'll buy this one instead of the FE one.

Don't misunderstand me, I realize the push for BB is inevitable. I'm a little ticked that's it's within the first wave of figures.

Flux Convoy wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:Well, considering that the "First editions" where originally meant to be part of the Generations line, I guess Hasbro decided to go full out and give the series it's own line with more show accurate representations, while getting ridd of the original figures they had already invested money in by selling them as First Editions.

Kinda like what they did back during Beast Machines.

I guess this one's more show accurate, so I'll buy this one instead of the FE one.

Don't misunderstand me, I realize the push for BB is inevitable. I'm a little ticked that's it's within the first wave of figures.

I agree.

However, we still have a choice: If the First Editions are the better choice, then a number of us won't be buying that figure. Which doesn't sound like a lot, but it really is, considering we're the only ones watching the show at .5 million.

If the show was airing where all kids, not just a select few, could see it, then Hasbro might have a winner.

I don't see Prime, as a whole, doing better than Animated, in the long run.

(pertaining to the workplace conditions in China)

There are plenty of places here in the U.S. that have similar working conditions. I have worked at two different jobs that tested the limits of the human body. One, for example, was a kitchen where the summer temps would regularly exceed 115 degrees in the grill and fryer area (and yes, we had a thermometer and I checked it regularly). Many nights I would undress at home to find some of my leg and arm hairs fused together from the excess heat (No, I'm not kidding).

We worked 15-16 hour days with no breaks except for a 10 minute lunch. Nobody was allowed to talk and there were no vacation days, sick days or benefits. 14-15 year old kids made up most of the staff... I was the kitchen manager so my pay was better, but the work load was much, much heavier for me.

Sure, some of these things are illegal, but you try to say anything to your boss and you are at home with no job... and nobody believes minimum wage workers over wealthy business owners and "pillars" of the community.

The difference, I suppose, is that the pay is a good bit better here at minimum wage and at least we have a choice whether to work at such a job here in the States. But, losing your home and having your kids go hungry is not much of a choice... when you leave your "unsatisfactory" job.



You have to also remember that unless you find products that have the "Made in USA" label... most any product you buy - from toothpaste to shoes - has been made under similar conditions.

wilcosu35 wrote:slightly off-topic: i've read that pdf file, and i am appalled at what is happening to those poor chinese workers.
is there anything that we fans can do to make a fist?

Dont buy TFs at all?

Or if it makes you feel better buy all the Takara editions... some are made in Vietnam i think.