Haven't done this personally. No self checkouts by me.

 

But seriously... I find it REALLY hard to feel bad for Walmart... REALLY hard.

 

They get their money. Whatever.

 

I just can't understand why someone would get that worked up over it.

I have no hard feeling for Walmart (unlike a lot of people), but I have trouble feeling sorry for them since they made the bonehead move of putting the toys on the shelves then refusing to let people buy them. When some poor parent goes to buy the toy and then it rings up "recalled" don't you think they are wondering if the toy is unsafe? Maybe with choking pieces or lead paint. The average person knows nothing of "street dates".

 

When the manager of a Walmart is worried about swapping items in the self checkout, I think they are worried about people who scan a $10 item, then put a $50 item in the basket, essentially stealing $40 for the company.

To turn things around a bit, it may actually be Walmart who is violating the law here, not the people trying to buy the toys.

 

Michigan (where I am) has certain "truth in advertising" laws that are to be considered. It basically states that if they put something up for sale in public, with a legitimate price, the consumers, in good faith, should be able to get the item for that price. If they put the item on the shelves of a public store (not a private club, like say Costco), and put a price on it, then they have to sell it to the public for that price. If they didn't want to sell a ROTF Voyager before a "street date" they should have to remove it from the shelves. They can't put it there, in an open store, witha print on it, and then when you go to pay the manager says "we won't sell that to you! but you can buy this Animated figure next to it." That's a bait and switch.

 

So if Walmart does put them out in public they should have to sell them by Michigan law. If this violates a contract for street date with Hasbro, then it was Walmart who violated their contract, and Hasbro can sue/fine them in the future. At no point should the consumer be punished for Walmart's mistake in stocking shelves prematurely.

It's not ingenious. It's not just douche-baggy, it's illegal.

 

It's called ticket switching, and it is illegal.

 

It be funny if someone did get arrested because they just have to have the toy a couple of weeks early than everyone else...

 

Yeah try explaining THAT in a cell full of gang members...

 

Chewie : So wat' ya in fo ???

 

Transfan : Uuummmm...

 

 

^

 

Transfan: I bought a Transformer's toy before the street date.

 

Chewie: Tha' be some hardco' shit, man!

 

 

Doing that also ensures you won't get wave 2, as the system's inventory will read they still have a ton of ROTF toys, and thus won't ship the next wave until they are sold...but they can't sell them because they don't exist.

 

You'd have to wait for inventory to correct that.

 

This also makes it impossible to return your merchandise in case it's defective, as your reciept will read that it's a Universe or Animated Voyager.

 

Of course I've done all sorta of bad things to Walmarts stores, like when Alternators went on sale for half price at one Walmart, but were full prices at another. The half price store only had 4 Skids left, while the full price store had Mirage, Optimus Prime, Prowl, etc. So I bought them all at full price, and returned them to the half price store, and got my $60 back, they re-purchased them off the shelf at half price the next day.

 

Not impossible at all. Buy another one, use it's receipt and take back the defective one. (It's shitty, no?)

 

And it creates more problems. Some poor kid, or other collector will most likely end up with a defective TF and have nothing to about it because you helped take the last of the good ones, and they won't order any more because the inventory's screwed up.

 

So we're really taking it without Vaseline everytime some douchebag prick circumvents the STORE'S POLICY.

 

Thanks, fucktards.

 

Additionally the self checkout lanes often times will take expired coupons long after the experation date, so if you have a photocopy of a Transformers Animated $5 off coupon for purchases over $20, you can use it at a Walmart self-checkout lane and get your ROTF Voyagers cheap.

 

Also illegal!

 

Exactamundo.

 

 

Spoke to a manager at Wal-Mart. I was tired of the bullshit and had to have an answer.

 

He and the assistant confirmed:

 

1.) They do have the policy "We reserve the right to refuse service at any time, for any reason." Even if it's not on the doors/walls when you come in, it's company policy. They generally will bend the rules if possible, but in a situation like this (legally binding street date) they cannot and will not. (and any employee, even a department manager, will be punished. They could even be fired.)

 

2.) Ticket switching IS illegal, and a form of shoplifting. (They've had people busted for it before.) If caught, no ifs, ands, or buts... you will be removed from the store (by police escort if necessary) and you will be outright banned from that store. If they so choose, they can put you on a list to be banned from ALL Wal-Mart stores and if you violate that, you can be arrested. (It then becomes unlawful trespass.)

 

3.) The people they put on the Self Checkout booth are new and inexperienced cashiers, and when they rotate the crew, they put in a cashier with years of experience. The inexperienced ones won't even notice what you're doing, but the old skool cashiers will, and they will stop you. Otherwise, you've just cost them their job. (In a situation like that, it's a case by case basis, but the cashier IS reprimanded, and some have even been fired on the spot.)

 

4.) It does screw up inventory. It raises prices, creates confusion, less stock is ordered, and they have to hire a third party to come in and find the discrepancies. All of that cost is returned to YOU, the customer. That's part of the reason why everything in the store's gone up. It's not just the economy, they're correcting for lost items, fraudulent sales, dirty coupons, etc.

 

YOU.

END.

UP.

PAYING.

 

So, bottom line is this:

 

1.) You are not allowed to buy the figures until the 30th. Circumventing the restriction is a big no no.

 

2.) It's illegal, and they will remove you from the store, and ban you from it.

 

3.) You're going to cost someone their job, a promotion, or a raise, all because you want your figures a few days early.

 

Pathetic. Stop pulling this shit.

 

 

Okay, so I got in on this one a little late... long flippin' weekend. And well, I have to say, that the whole swapping one figure for another is a royal pain in the ass for the people who are working at the stores you shop! Speaking from past experiences of mine mind you. I understand completely where he is coming from. You get a price change on something like a Deluxe Class Transformer... guess what, you will have to go out and hunt down every last figure on the shelf, in a box etc. just to make sure your counts are correct. Anything less than what it says you should have is 'SHRINK!'

 

It's like I have always said, "How would you feel if someone came to your place of business or work or whatever and told you that you weren't doing something correctly?" You would take offense to the situation immediately. And having someone else come in and try to get something for nothing or ahead of a release date etc. Really, I think we can all wait until the street date to buy an action figure which will apparently take us until next June to figure out how to Transform anyway. Besides, wave two won't be out for a while anyway and that is the wave to be picking up!

Who exactly is in Wave2? The case I saw at Target yesterday said Wave 1 Revision 12 (W1R12) and had Sideswipe, Rampage, that autobot Jet who's name escapes me, and Preview BB. Rampage was single packed in the case, all others had multiples.

Who exactly is in Wave2? The case I saw at Target yesterday said Wave 1 Revision 12 (W1R12) and had Sideswipe, Rampage, that autobot Jet who's name escapes me, and Preview BB. Rampage was single packed in the case, all others had multiples.

WAVE 2:

 

deluxe:

wheelie

smokescreen

skids

chromia

desert brawl

 

voyger:

fallen

optimus prime(re-pack)

ironhide(re-pack)

desert tracker ratchet

What wave is Mudflap in?

What wave is Mudflap in?

not sure, probably wave 3, hasbro wouldn't put too much space between him and skids

Ok awesome. I wanna make sure I didn't skip over him at Target yesterday. I'm going back there now anyway just to see whats going on.

It's like I have always said, "How would you feel if someone came to your place of business or work or whatever and told you that you weren't doing something correctly?"

 

"How did you get in here, Mom?"