LEGO Store question

[MrTools]

When i am at an actual LEGO store how does pick a brick work? I know you can get a cup and fill it with as much as can fit but how does it cost for everything? if anyone can help thank you.

[ILikePi]

Small cups are $8-9 each, and large cups are $16-17 each.

Large cups are more than two times the size of the small cups, so I recommend that you get the large ones.

I have yet to buy a PAB cup, even though I have a LEGO Store with a PAB wall 20 minutes away from where I live...

EDIT: Also, if you bring back the cup, you can save around $0.25 for the small cup and $0.50 for the large cup. However, as each cup is made of a large amount of plastic, and are useful for storage, I would recommend not bringing back your cups.

Edited June 2, 2009 by ILikePi

[Natman8000]

Take a cup, either 15 or bucks, than stuff the living hell out of it and pay for it.

[Stash2Sixx]

As far as I know, in the states (LEGO stores, not LEGOLAND), the PAB wall works like this...There are 2 sizes of cups, small and large. Small cups are $7.99 and Large cups are $14.99 You fill up the cup, mix and match, with whatever you want from the PAB wall (not minifigure pieces). When you are done, put the lid on and take it to check out. You can stack bricks if you want and put wheels inside of tires; whatever you can do to save space, do it! When you are checking out, the associate will put a sticker on your PAB cup. As long as you bring back the cup with the sticker still atached and the lid on your next visit, you will get 25 cents of a small refill and 50 cents off of a large refill.

That pretty much answer your question?

Just remember to fill the cup, and then get the lid last. I have seen so many people carry both items, drop the lid, and then bend over to pick up the lid and.....SPLASH!!!!!!!! Brick all over the floor!

You goin' to the new one at Kenwood? I know a few people there!

[MrTools]

As far as I know, in the states (LEGO stores, not LEGOLAND), the PAB wall works like this...There are 2 sizes of cups, small and large. Small cups are $7.99 and Large cups are $14.99 You fill up the cup, mix and match, with whatever you want from the PAB wall (not minifigure pieces). When you are done, put the lid on and take it to check out. You can stack bricks if you want and put wheels inside of tires; whatever you can do to save space, do it! When you are checking out, the associate will put a sticker on your PAB cup. As long as you bring back the cup with the sticker still atached and the lid on your next visit, you will get 25 cents of a small refill and 50 cents off of a large refill.

That pretty much answer your question?

Just remember to fill the cup, and then get the lid last. I have seen so many people carry both items, drop the lid, and then bend over to pick up the lid and.....SPLASH!!!!!!!! Brick all over the floor!

You goin' to the new one at Kenwood? I know a few people there!

The shoping place in Cincinatti?

[TJJohn12]

When i am at an actual LEGO store how does pick a brick work? I know you can get a cup and fill it with as much as can fit but how does it cost for everything? if anyone can help thank you.

Just a tip from someone who now buys his LEGO almost exclusively from PAB: stack the bricks! Plan for a good chunk of time in the store to do so, but make sure to stack and stuff around your selections. My most recent purchase was a small PAB cup full of 2 x 2 'L' Bricks in tan, plus some cheese and 1 x X plates sifted around the sides. With the brick stacked into columns, with the right geometry, I fit a ton into that small cup (sorry, I forgot to actually count as I parted things out this time).

As I broke apart the columns of brick at home, I was dropping them in a large PAB cup. My tightly stacked small PAB cup of 2 x 2 'L' bricks equaled one loosely filled Large PAB cup.

So, the moral: Stack! Stack like the wind!

-John

[Eilif]

Alot of good tips here. Definitely take your time when you pack a cup, fill the bottom rim of the cup with 1x1 plates, then make stacks, in every nook and cranny, insert tiles and headlights. I've bought a dozens of PAB cups over time, and stocking up on PAB is now my source for almost all LEGO that is not a set or a resale shop find.

A while back I posted a little pictorial essay on how to pack a cup, along with the tally's of how many bricks fit. You can see it here. Hope it helps.

A couple of other hints.

1) Feel free to ask the store if they have any particularly interesting stuff in back. Some stores will bring out stuff that isn't on the PAB wall. Ask folks in your area if they know of anything that was on the wall recently, or might be in back.

2) Don't get distracted by large pieces like BURPS. They take up alot of space. If you do buy some, be sure to pack in and around it carefully.

3) If you see a piece that looks usefull to you. Buy as many as you can afford! PAB selection changes periodically, and you may kick yourself if you don't get enough when it's available. I often fill a cup or half a cup primarily with one very usefull element (like 1x4 brown tiles).

4) If you find a piece you want in bulk, you can buy it by the shipping box for about 70-80 dollars. This usually saves you about 20% on the cost of buying pieces individually.

[ILikePi]

Thanks for those tips, Eilif.

When I buy my first PAB cup, I'll be sure to ask if they have anything good in the back.

Edited June 3, 2009 by ILikePi

[Natman8000]

Thanks for those tips, Eilif.

When I buy my first PAB cup, I'll be sure to ask if they have anything good in the back.

I'll have to remember this as well, since I'm going in a week or two. I need to get more white 1x2x5s!

[Dadster]

Seeing this thread makes me want to go today and see if any new elements are out in the PAB wall!

[salty tbone]

A while back I posted a little pictorial essay on how to pack a cup, along with the tally's of how many bricks fit. You can see it here. Hope it helps.

Thanks for that! Amazing what a difference stacking can make. I've been guilty of being lazy and just shaking the cup (especially if the store is crowded and I just want to get out of there), but next time I'm gonna put some effort into filling that cup.

And even though you can save 50 cents bringing the cup back, I've found them to be wonderful for sorting and storage. The lids are very secure and they stack well.

[Peppermint_M]

I wish I could get another cup (I have one small one) but the PaB at Legoland has a large ziplock bag which, while I am able to fit more in, we get charged by weight. Do the PaB walls in other parts of the UK do this? I would love to go to a Lego Shop but it would be a real trip to go there (other side of the country...) and I want to know if it's worth it.