The Disappointing State of Things

[Lt. Col. Thok]

Now, EB, the number one threat facing TLG, apart from Megabloks, unions and Chinese fakes, is store boycotts. Today, in great anticipation, I picked up a Sears catalogue, which I recently got in the mail. I flipped to the Lego section. Shortly after, I flipped off the catalogue. There was no Lego. NONE AT ALL!! Just adverts for stupid megablocking Megabloks!! "Buy our stuff, it will save you 100% more brainpower than the Lego group's sets!" Now, EB, I'm normally a pacifist, and don't get very passionate about things (except at school dances), but this enrages me. 14 years I've been a customer at Sears (switched to Zellers/Hudson's Bay this year), and now they turn their backs on one of their most devoted customers, and bear a child with Megabloks? Seriously, what do these guys think they're doing? Are there members out in EB as....shocked as I am that a store that has three whole aisles donated to Lego would just boycott it in their annual catalogue?

A NOTE TO READERS: I have said some outrageous things in this rant/ attempted survey. take in mind that this is written in Steven Colbert style - 1/2 serious, 1/3 silly and 1/6 random. Thank you.

Edited November 21, 2007 by Lt. Col. Thok

[Brickmaster]

All seems to be true, however what amazes me more is how megablocks are so popular with stores, Ive never seen more than a handfull of people with them, and, to my knowledge, there are no forums and sites utterly dedicated to megablocks, or such an online empire as lego has.

However, I feel your grief, alot of stores around here are loosening up their lego stocks abit, for reasons unknown to me. (Lego has really been improving in my eye, compaired to the handful of brick city buildings and huge <insert that tiresome argument> peices afew years back)

This will be especially hurtful as this xmas season is drawing near.

[john cleese]

Thok, I think your forgetting that Sears, Zellers and The Bay are all part of HBC and furthermore that Zellers has an extensive selection compared to a behemoth like wal-mart and it also has some excellent sales on lego. I personally wonder why Sears sells toys at all. I'm not sure why they would have that many megabloks products, but Sears isn't exactly where parents go toy shopping for there kids anyway.

[Derek]

I honestly think that its sad b/c isnt MB coping Lego? Lego is a modest company whos number one priority is to make durable toys for creative building. How dedicated can Megabloks be if they are mooching off a brilliant patent and using crap pieces which take almost ALL other creative uses out of any possible building. Part of Lego's brilliance is its simpliciaty. Lego Models dont need fancy figures or GINORMOUS special pieces to be good.

ARRGH this gets me mad *sing* *sing* |-/

DP8

[iamded]

there are no forums and sites utterly dedicated to megablocks, or such an online empire as lego has.

Not even the official Megabloks website! No, that's not Megabloks any more, it's MEGA Brands. :-|

Anyway, this is quite outrageous, no Lego at all! maybe it's just because there's nothing new... the Lego's still in the shops though, right? 8-|

~Peace

[zouave]

I know what you guys mean. I've noticed the megablocks slowly eating away at the lego section in my local tru. I wonder what's getting the stores to do this.

[Lt. Col. Thok]

Thok, I think your forgetting that Sears, Zellers and The Bay are all part of HBC and furthermore that Zellers has an extensive selection compared to a behemoth like wal-mart....

Actually, Sears is an independent American Invasion company(that's what we call American stores we don't like at my place! ;-) ), and you're right - Wal-Mart still has many 2004 sets on for full price.

[TroyTMoore]

It is the end of the way we knew things to be, for sure. When I picked up the WishBook about a month ago, I did as I have for the last 28 or so years and went to look at the LEGO in the toy section. Nothing, nada, zip....this cannot be. I checked the index, went through the toy section hald a dozen times to no avail. I have fond memories of the WishBook from years past. I ordered my 6086 out of there. The overall quality of toys in the WishBook are much less....dollar store toys at Sears prices :-X

Support LEGO, buy from S@H :-)

[Two-Faced Batman Fan]

I'm not quite too worried yet, Target this year got rid of all their Megabloks, so I think LEGO is still safe.

[Athos]

I don't know about Sears, but at Target and Walmart and TRU the Lego aisles more than match the megablock sections. My local TRU had an aisle with both sides full of Lego, plus Duplo on a third aisle that it was sharing with M.B. Walmart has two medium sized sections of Lego and I didn't see any M.B. around. Target has a full aisle (plus the exclusives on the end of the aisle) whiile M.B. is sharing the other side with all the other building sets.

So, I think your fears are unfounded... Besides Sears has turned into kind of a dump lately...

Steve

[Lt. Col. Thok]

I'm not quite too worried yet, Target this year got rid of all their Megabloks, so I think LEGO is still safe.

Wal-Mart Kingston - Three rows MB, 1/2 row Lego. That sucks.

[Brickmaster]

There are probably many local factors aswell, depending on how past performance of sales have done, maybe megablocks boom in your area, and lego not as much, so they switched abit, but as for here, lego is still going strong *y*

[john cleese]

Megabloks has become about as much of a competeter with lego as matchbox, its not even a building toy anymore. The problem is that parents and store managers dont realize this and simply pick one which they think is more popular. And Megabloks is gaining popularity because it's a simpler toy for a dumbed down generation. It's a dissapointing state indeed.

[Brickmaster]

For the most part, its also cheaper, and the models in the end seem 'larger' because theres so few large ugly useless <insert that tiresome argument> peices. Because of the cheapness, gift givers also seem to like it..

[trooperdavinfelth]

Honestly, it sounds as if MB is becoming the Megabloks Empire. Kinda like Dilbert's pointy haired boss. He keeps tossing out a Freudian Slip about his empire, er, company, and MB just seems to be expanding too far. They'll soon burst, IMHO. That's simply terrible that Sears should boycott Lego. Good find, Lt. Col. Thok, and IMO, that rant was worth it. ;-)

[Clonie]

Click

They got rid of Lego for this ############# ##### ## ####### ####?!

Edited November 22, 2007 by Clonie

[Johnny 5]

I'm from a smaller town so I dont get much in the stores.

At my Target I haven't seen any MB. Thier buiding toy aisle has only Lego and playmobil.

At walmart its only one aisle about half Lego and half MB. I've actually talked to the store manager about getting more Lego in there and he just said that he doesn't make that detirmination thier coporate headquarters does.

[Lt. Col. Thok]

Click

They got rid of Lego for this ############# ##### ## ####### ####?!

8-

[highlandcattle]

The reason why stores put in more mega bloks is because it has a higher profit margin. that is all. Here in Belgium we don't see much MB except on sale in those outlet stores. Sadly one of those great outlet stores (Kruidvat) always used to have great lego deals and now only has great MB deals. But you must consider this a good thing, this only mean that TLC has no more left-over stock that they need to dump on the market. Whilst Mega Brands seem to have plenty.

[gylman]

Seriously, I don't get the pessimism.

Lego is stronger in the past 2 years than I have seen in a decade. It has lots of visible retail space at the TRUs in Toronto.

Sure MB has its place, but a couple of years ago I really thought it was going to take over. It's always on clearance.

Only problem in Canada now is the outrageous prices compared to the US. Shop at Home continue to charge 33-50% more in Canadian dollars than in US dollars, even though our dollar is now MORE valuable than the US dollar.

[maiq the liar]

Well, lego seems to be fairly strong out where i live. (illinois) LEGO pretty much is equal to MB at our local target and there's a good amount of LEGO at the local Toys R us.

(This reminds me, nickelodeon went to crap once invader zim and pelswick got cancelled...Seriously, what happened?)

[Lt. Col. Thok]

Because this rant was such a success, I am going to post another one. Thanks everyone!

[maiq the liar]

And my view on why some Kids (Those W**ks at my school, COUGH COUGH) Pan lego In favor of "Hip" and "Cool" things Is that lego, is in a way, cute. I Will now explain the rest with a quote from Rise of the video game

It seems, due to the Female gender's influence on japan, japan has a higher tolerance for Cuteness then places like america

(it was something along those lines.)

Fixed your quote, clonie...

Click

They got rid of Lego for this BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL HONKEY?!

Edited November 28, 2007 by maiq the liar

[Clonie]

Close enough. X-D

[john cleese]

Click

They got rid of Lego for this ############# ##### ## ####### ####?!

HULK SHOOT!