I want to know if you people have had any bad experiences or interesting experiences while hunting for toys. Maybe the the cashier comments about what you're buying, or someone else in the toy aisle interacts with you, etc.

I myself don't recall anything worth telling while hunting for toys. I'm just curious. Among the most interesting was a kid asking me if he could see something I was holding.

 

I once met Wajo357 at a TRU and ignored him. I found out 3 hours later in the NJ Sightings thread.

 

He tried talking to you and you ignored him? Or you both ignored each other? Usually if someones chatty I'll have a convo. If not it's a quiet outing.

 

Both ignored each other.

 

In 2007 I was hunting for toys in London. I saw Simon Furman. I politely (and by mistake) asked him to sign a comic he did not write. He was very ungracious. Never meet your heroes!

 

Maybe caught him on a bad day?

Recently I was checking out at walmart using 5 of those coupons. Person behind me commented about how it was one heck of a savings. (After having to remind yet another cashier to scan the right barcode for the coupon). I told him about the coupons back on the shelf and how it's a great deal for anyone who has kids or collects.

Honestly, people have been curious more than anything. Had a cashier ask if I was a collector or not. Then said "cool" when I said I was.

 

Was she complaining about collectors stashing certain rare items in hard to find places?

 

The most recent one was at a Marshells near here, at Gurnee. It was while the first RTS sightings at discount stores were popping up. I found most the Legends there and toik them. As I was leaving, a guy came to to the toy section and was picking up RTS stuff. I went back and gave him the Legends Bumblebee. He said thanks and went to check out. Wonder if he's in the boards here or another.

 

Finding out that my main TRU hunting ground has an employee who also collects the classics toy line. Anyway, I told him about sighting thread in cybertron.ca.

I have yet to take advantage of having a friend who works as the regional manager of the TRUs here. His wife is also the regional manager of Graco. I see him from time to time but I never asked for major rebates. Maybe one day.

 

Car broke down once. In 100 degree weather. In the middle of a busy road. There was no way to push it out of the way. My cell phone was dead.

I Left to go use a phone at a nearby restaurant after leaving the hood up so a policeman would automatically know what was going on. The tow truck didn't arrive for five hours. The restaurant was nice enough to give me a free meal, though, so that was nice.

 

^

you just reminded me.

when i use to hunt with my buddy:

- he forgot to put gas. we were lucky that the gas station was only 2 blocks away.
- he forgot the keys inside the car. lucky we were near tim hortons.

 

Not very TF related (well, I was buying Pan-Handler and Victory Leo at the same time) but I told a clerk who I think I used to know, even go out with (If so she's changed enough as to be unrecognizable) that I'm buying Monster High dolls, for myself.

Not a single sidelong glance form anyone, no judgmental-ness. I'm your average overweight 30-year-old with a magnificent red beard.

So, she rung my purchase up and expresssed an interest in the product. It was interesting to not be judged for my hobby, since I've in the past been victim of "What are you, a pedophile?" during my toy hunts.

 

For me it was when I travelled over for BotCon 07.

At Border control we got all the usual questions, and when I mentioned visiting for BotCon the guy just totaly freaked out. Turned out he was a GI Joe collector and was going to JoeCon a few months later. He had a total geek out about Fun Publications and the upcoming TF and Joe movies, he even forgot to do the fingerprint scans on us, and I had to remind him.

Of course that was also the same year that bad weather was causing loads of issues when trying to fly to Rhode Island, my girlfriend and I JUST managed to make it in time to get our packages and tickets for the movie screening.

 

One time I was looking at a Revenge of the Fallen deluxe Skids in a local supermarket with my little brother, and some little boy, maybe about 9 years old, asked if he could see it, so I handed it to him. We ended up getting into a short conversation. Left me with a smile on my face.

 

 

This is not TF related.. a few years ago, I was waiting for TRU to open up and I was looking for a SW Tie fighter. Just as I got to the section where it was, I was pushed nee knocked down and almost went head first into a pillar.  When I got up I was besides myself with such anger that I almost lost it in the store. It was some ponytailed asshole and his bitch wife who were grabbing up all the new Star Wars 12-inch figures. I confronted him right up to his face and and told him that I'll be waiting for him outside the store. He was so freaking scared that he offered to buy me one. I took the figured and threw it back in his face(crushed the box) and told him I'll still be waiting for him. Anywho, I just wanted to see him pee in his pants and he didn't come out of that TRU for a half an hour(he was freaking scared). Oh, got the figure later that day at another store.  No issues with Tf's (or fellow collecters) since I started collecting many eons ago.

 

When I once went to target and found leader ironhide and this kid cane up to me and said he wanted him, he looked to be about 7, anyways I said but there's bumblebee right there take him he said bumblebee sucks then I said there's voyager ironhide he said no. Then his mom came over he told her what was happening so she just asked me nicely and I just gave up and gave it to him.

 

Worst experience was when Rodimus MP was showing up at TRU. I called TRU and was told to come in the morning to pick up a few Rodimus and that they had 6 in stock. When I got there they somehow magically could not locate the Rodimus at all. I needed 2-3 as I needed 2 to Open / Keep sealed and 1 for a friend. My family was with me at the time and they were going to buy 1 each as well. After standing around for a hour and having My mother bitch them out for telling us to come and then not having them a manager pops out with only 2 , 1 for me and 1 for my Mother who they did not know was my Mother. Later on that day there were reportings of more at the same store I had gone to.

I had to wait until they were saturated at the place to pick up one for my friend and it is $20 in gas just to drive out there as there is no TRU in my area. I gave it to him at cost and took the loss to hook him up. Stupid TRU!

What is funny is they did the same thing to me on my B-day back in the mid 90's when the Star Wars Power of the Force AT-AT came out. There was a TRU up the street and I waited there all day from 9am to 8pm waiting for them to bring the AT-AT out and they told me there were none on the truck although I was told they were getting them in that day. I waited there all day for them to tell me this. I went home and was sad and told my Mother who then went with my little brother up to TRU to buy me a birthday present. To my surprise they came back with the AT-AT as my present. So those bastards lied to me and wasted my time for 11 hours. I guess I got the last laugh though!

 

TF related was my best. I had been looking for that Magnus/Skywarp two pack ever since it was announced, and on Valentines Day I looked fruitlessly with the help of a Jewelry associate. After giving up, I made my way to the register with my wife's neclace in hand and I heard a "SIR!" from behind. The associate had continued to look for the two pack after I walked away and found it in the bedding area, of all places. He chased me down to give it to me.


Worst was non TF related. I finally found the Domino from the second or third X Force line, one that was shortpacked one per case. As I pull her out from the back of the peg, up walks some dirty guy in a trenchcoat (it was summer, btw) and demands that I give him "his" toy. I responded with a polite "Fuck off" which was followed by a wild swing towards my face. Now is the time to review the fighters: one is a neckbeard who is responding to his profits getting cut into, the other is a 6 year (at the time) Army infantryman who was attacked unprovoked and is not really used to losing. After sending him into the pegboards with Marvel figures scattered around the floor, I leaned forward and opened the Domino right in front of his face, sniffed it, then took it up to pay. Same dude was in the aisle when I was looking for Ultraforce chase figs some time later. He gave me a rather wide berth.

 

No bad ones really.....but the good ones are usually when there a kid in aisle and listening him talk about transformers...its funny...then he look at me and said are you into Transformers? I said yes...then he said, cool.....dont buy bumblebee, I said why, he said because there will be a new next week...then he walk off...i laughed very hard....

 

Most interesting and best was i was buying a toy and my cashier was really cute and she started talking to me because she was a fellow collector. She was fun to talk to and flirt with a bit.