In a situation like this I would have just at the very least snaged a couple for myself..."cool, hasbro wants to destroy merch and waste plastic, then me taking a few of these into my truck is really not stealing, Hasbro has elected to not make money on them anyways". And I would do that.

 

The same thing happens in the computer industry. Especially anything marked as recycling or for destruction. For some reason you aren't allowed to take anything, even if its going to be put in the dumpster or crushed. And a lot of good stuff gets tossed. I managed to get some things this way, but if you are caught it counts as stealing for some reason.

I found it rather goofy myself how defective goods are treated. Now the obvious stuff is a no brainer. That anyone can understand. But why there isn't more effort to salvage product that can be salvaged really should be a crime. Not because someone will still want it, but because it can still serve a meaningful purpose.

 

When I started at Target, what I saw just sickened me to no end. Every Friday, the whole store gathered over in the grocery section and did a blanket sweep for damaged and outdated product. About 90% of the defected food items were still totally edible. The tiniest dent was treated the same as the most messed up packages...marked down and tossed in the compactor. Several hundred dented cans a week, maybe a day, were tossed.

 

I kept asking, why isn't usable food donated? Shrugs all around. People just do what they're told, the reasons don't seem to matter much.

 

Eventually in time, they did begin to salvage what food could be salvaged and arranged for them to be picked up for charity, but not before seeing enough food to feed an army for a year, and feed them well, fed to the rats.

 

 

 

So when it comes to other goods, well, it's the same thing. I think it's more of a cost effectiveness issue. I think the only way it may be possible to convince some of these companies to donate more, would be to have specific services that would take these items AND take any legal responsibility for accepting them. They would also have to agree to do their own QC inspections and could never give or sell them as being "new" Hasbro product.

 

We see new types of salvage businesses all the time. Maybe that's another avenue, sell defective store returns off in bulk to independent businesses who can rehab and profit from selling them used. Again, taking all legal responsibility in the process. It would be nice to see them turned over for a business who can deal with loose figures and most importantly SPARE PARTS! That could also take some pressure off Hasbro in terms of dealing with people returning items for things such as 2 left or right arms. With a service in place, one could simply send in the wrong limb and swap it out for the correct one. Better than the Hasbro run-around or dealing with store returns.

 

 

 

 

Either way, I don't think that cheaply made plastic products being destroyed is nearly as bad as something like food or some other essential goods which can really help folks in need. I think part of the idea of over-producing figures is to even out the amount that will eventually be returned or defected, so it's not really all that big of a deal. It only bothers me in a gluttonous kind of way when we're looking at a world that can hardly seem to afford to waste anything anymore.

 

.....and hey, salvaging stays in line with the whole "going green" movement. Can't lose!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpster_diving

as much as i would like to dumpster dive for them....alas i cant.....everything that is destroyed where i work is shipped back to the manufacturer....i guess for that very reason....though you guys have given me some good ideas...i think im going to go to the hasbro area when a hasbro rep is there...and talk to them.....i may even show them this thread to let them read some of your ideas....like whoever suggested an area on Hasbrotoyshop for the sole purpose of selling the damaged stuff...ill see what i can find out and share what i learn with you guys...

I worked at Child World back in the day for a few months and they were after someone for picking thrown out bikes out of the trash. I don't know what the full story ever was, but I do know they were looking to arrest anyone picking from their trashed defects.

UPDATE: so apparently Hasbro is tired of me bugging the shit out of them....i got the bee arcee set for 10 bucks....from the damaged section...i could care less about the box being dinged or raph missing...jack got torched anyway....great set...