Author Topic: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?  (Read 79830 times)

Offline Darth Broem

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #135 on: June 23, 2005, 08:52 PM »
I can't believe those Hasbro chickenshits whimped out and didn't "attempt" to explain the 500 number they labeled this thing with.  That likely means that they knew they were SO far off from 500 that they just glossed over it altogether (as their reactions at the C3 Q&A would suggest).  Whimps.  I'm gonna grill 'em on this down at SDCC next month, and hold their dumb butts accountable for false advertising!  ;)

Darth_Anton - Where was this?

Van Nuys TRU, in SoCal.

Yeah, but the 677th figure does not have the same ring as 500th :)
Just kidding, I have no idea what they are really up to now.  I assumed it was far more than 500 but I don't really know.  At least they acknowledged the milestone.  Can a 600th figure be far off?  Probably. 

Offline Nicklab

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #136 on: June 24, 2005, 01:54 AM »
I was fortunate enough to pick one of these up tonight.  It's still in the car and I'm still at work, so I've yet to open it and give it a good looking over.
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Offline Diddly

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #137 on: June 24, 2005, 02:33 AM »
If anyone opens theirs, could they compare the Vader with the VOTC version?
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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #138 on: June 25, 2005, 01:39 AM »
Does anyone who's purchased this at TRU have the SKN# by any chance?

Offline JayDouble

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #139 on: June 25, 2005, 02:09 AM »
Does anyone who's purchased this at TRU have the SKN# by any chance?

653569013648

SilverZ

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #140 on: June 25, 2005, 04:50 PM »
Thanks!

One of the employees at my TRU was actually totally helpful yesterday and asked if I knew the SKN, and was more than willing to track it down if it was in back. I was pretty impressed.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #141 on: June 27, 2005, 12:57 AM »
Thanks for the # Jay Double, as it may help quite a few people out (hopefully).  Currently no word on these showing in my area but perhaps soon.
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Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #142 on: June 28, 2005, 10:52 AM »
The TRU near where I work has the shelf tag but alas NONE of them in stock.   :-[

This is a piece I will proudly display on my desk for quite a while so I am seriously chomping at the bit to get two of 'em so I can open one of them up!
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Offline bobafett1121

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #143 on: June 28, 2005, 12:30 PM »
For some reason where I live(winter haven,florida) with all the Targets , Wal-marts and toys R us near me. I still cannot find one on the shelfs. I might just have to purchase one off line.
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #144 on: June 28, 2005, 12:39 PM »
For some reason where I live(winter haven,florida) with all the Targets , Wal-marts and toys R us near me. I still cannot find one on the shelfs. I might just have to purchase one off line.

They just started hiting last week, and only at TRU. Give it a few weeks for them to actually start hitting in force and at other stores.
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Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #145 on: June 29, 2005, 12:10 PM »
Well - I had quite an adventure this morning when the TRU near where I work opened up at 10 AM....

Yesterday I went there at lunch and asked if they had any in stock. They said that they didn't but the computer system indicated that they were coming in on that day's truck and to come back or call back around 6PM. I did come back at 6PM and I was told that they were behind on un-loading the truck and to check back in the morning.

At this point, this really isn't a problem, I'm very appreciative of their assistance since hitting this TRU isn't a big deal at either lunch time or after work.

Fast forward to this morning, I am the first person in the door and to my surprise, there are no 500th Vader figures on the shelf. In fact the shelf tag that had been there was now gone.

The Hasbro rep is in the store on Wednesdays so I went up to her and with a smile said "Hey Kathy, where are the 500th Vaders? They got a truck in last night with them on it" - to which she replied "I know, but all I found this morning was an empty box - the same thing happened last week."

So I go to the front desk and ask what's up and where they are. The manager of the store is there and says "We only got one case which has three pieces in it and they were purchased by the employees, that is one of the perks of working at TRU" - this infuriated me - I have always known that the employees grabbed stuff, but here is a manager advocating the practice.

So I asked him - "what's the name and number of your district manager, I would like to speak with them and have them tell me that TRU advocates that practice" - he refused to give me the name or a number explaining that TRU did advocate this practice and there was no need for me to bother a district manager.

So I headed back to over where the Hasbro rep was to tell her what happened and while I was telling her an elderly gentleman who has seen me come into that TRU regularly for over five years now came up to me and said "The district manager and her assistant district manager are having a meeting in the break room in the back, if you want to talk to her wait for the meeting to be over"

So I did.

While I was waiting, a manager from another store who was coming into this store for the meeting came past me and asked if I needed assistance. I told him what happened, what the store manager had told me about the policy and I told him I was waiting to speak with the district manager. He then told me that the store manager had lied to me, that TRU does not advocate the policy and that he would go get the district manager.

A few minutes later she came out and she allowed me to tell the story. Shortly after we were joined by her assistant who had investigated whether or not the store actually got them in and had found out they did and confirmed that all three were "purchased" by employees.

While I was standing there talking with the two district managers, who both told me that the store manager should have never told me that they were sold to employees and that was a perk of working for TRU, the manager came up and decided to chime in, his comment was "what is the difference between you (referring to me) and I (referring to himself) buying the item? you're just going to resell it on the internet" - this made both myself AND the district manager mad.

I raised my voice really loud and pointed my finger at him and said "That is where you are wrong, this toy is going to become part of a large collection that my step-son and I have been building since 1995, I don't know what YOU are going to do with it, but since you think everyone who buys stuff re-sells it on the internet, that must be your motives"

Needless to say, one of the three Vaders was put in the store manager's office for him to purchase later. The district manager got it out and gave it to me for purchase, so I was able to walk in and buy at least one. I'm of the mindset that employees should come LAST, not FIRST. I told the district manager "Make me a TRU employee, so I can come in the building at 8AM - I'll help stock the shelves and I'll buy the stuff before the door opens at 10AM and you won't even have to give me a salary - how's that for a perk?"

Some employees were smiling at me, 'cause obviously this is what this manager does - grab all of the hot toys to resell on eBay or wherever, but there was two younger guys who must have been the other two who bought the rest of the case who were giving me nasty looks. I really don't care, if I get hassled from employees at that store, I'll definitely be giving the district manager a call, she gave me her card.

I also said to the district managers - "If the store manager had said to me, 'We didn't get them in, even though the manifest said they were on the truck' - even though that's a lie, I would have believed him, thanked him for his assistance and left the building. It was the fact that he had the stones to BRAG that he and two other employees snatched them up before the store opened 'cause it was a perk of being an employee." To which the district manager replied to me, "I will be having a conversation with him with regards to how he communicates with customers in the future."

Whether or not that's a scolding or just a remark to "lie" in the future, I don't know - but I hope he gets his ass handed to him.

Peter

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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #146 on: June 29, 2005, 12:41 PM »
That is an awsome story Pete!
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Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #147 on: June 29, 2005, 12:50 PM »
That is an awsome story Pete!

Thanks - I just got done opening up the figure and I absolutely LOVE this thing.

I'm pleased that the plastic dome that goes over the figure for the packaging is so sturdy, I was planing on throwing it out, but I've decided I'm going to keep it with the dome cover over it. Kudos on Hasbro for giving us a piece that even after you open it, it can still have some of that "MIB" display-ability.

I think it's also great that they gave us a spare right hand/glove and the lightsaber. They really didn't need to give us either, but the fact that they did makes all the difference - since it means you can display the figure in the chamber or out, whichever your preference is.

Since we're getting the Evolutions Vader soon as we already have the VOTC Vader from late last year - this Vader will spend most of his life sitting comfortably in his chair!  :)

Definitely worth the $17 IMHO!
Peter

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Offline CloneF13Y35

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #148 on: June 29, 2005, 12:52 PM »
I usd to work TRU in the late 80s and that's true, we put stuff aside to buy all the time. though back then, there wasn't an 'ebay' to sell stuff one.
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Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: 500th commemorative figure... Vader?
« Reply #149 on: June 29, 2005, 12:58 PM »
I usd to work TRU in the late 80s and that's true, we put stuff aside to buy all the time. though back then, there wasn't an 'ebay' to sell stuff one.

You know what - I know that is done and I know that is just part of collecting. It's sort of like a dirty little secret. It's done, TRU management knows it's done, they know they really can't do much about it, but if the employees are going to do it:

(a) you don't make it obvious

and more importantly

(b) you don't BRAG about being able to do it to customers and claim it is a perk advocated by the company you work for

In retail you just don't do that - you treat the customers with respect, even if you are telling them a lie, you do it with a smile on your face and with a plesant tone so the customer leaves the store happy. You don't infuriate them even more because you have a pre-conceived notion of what type of person I am.
Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!