WH Smiths has a policy of not letting feel the CMF packets

[JeagerEX]

I heard something from this quote:

WH Smiths and your policy of not letting me feel your packets!

Now why WH Smiths has a policy of not letting feel the CMF packets in their store? I hope they will not have this kind of policy in other stores.

Edited December 22, 2012 by JeagerEX

[305Bats]

Cause they consider it cheating and unfair perhaps?

[RaincloudDustbin]

I've done it loads of times so that's frankly a load of crap.

[dr_spock]

The packaging looks and feels pretty bad after several people have groped them. Maybe they have concerns about product presentation.

[charlieboy]

Well the staff at my local WHSmiths help me feel the bags to find the figures I want, they always have and have never had a problem with helping customers out!

Cause they consider it cheating and unfair perhaps?

The packaging itself is unfair and forces people, mainly parents that don't know any better,to keep buying the figures until their kids get a full set! Obviously that was Lego's plan to make more money so some might say Lego are cheating us by not making the bags easier to identify?

Edited December 22, 2012 by charlieboy

[escortmad79]

I've never had a problem with them letting me do it either, in more than one branch, however one I went in would only hand me over a few at a time which I would hand back to them once I was done with them if they were ones I didn't want, ready for the next batch of 3 & another store they watched me like a hawk!

[JeagerEX]

There's no problem in my local store, even if I feel all the packets one by one before I pay there's nothing wrong with it. In all stores in USA can feel any CMF packets to get what you want by your own instead of telling an employee for help. Feeling all the packets its a free policy to all stores including LEGO Brand Store, Toys R US, Kmart, Target and Walmart.

The packaging itself is unfair and forces people, mainly parents that don't know any better,to keep buying the figures until their kids get a full set! Obviously that was Lego's plan to make more money so some might say Lego are cheating us by not making the bags easier to identify?

In Japan, all CMF is stored in the kind of small vending machine thing rather than on shelves in the aisle so people cannot get what you want. Because LEGO merged with Takara Tomy in Japan.

Edited December 22, 2012 by JeagerEX

[Hrw-Amen]

I think it is using a bit of common sense. Most WH Smith's that I have been in have the mini-figs near the cashier counter so if they are busy they do not want people in the way of others trying to pay so may not put up with those hanging around getting in the way of other customers by feeling countless bags. On the other hand if you go in when they are quiet and have no queues I have found they are more than happy to put up with a bit of bag feeling and even help out. It is just a matter of choosing your timing which I know can be hard sometimes but you have to look at it from a customer service perspective for the majority. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, unless the store is empty!

[Faefrost]

I can kinda understand the stores point if they do decide to put in place a "no fondling the merchandise" rule. Not all bag feelers are neat, discrete, or leave the stock and display in a good presentable and saleable state for the next customers.

[LEGO Historian]

All this fondling and groping of LEGO minifigs... it's so lower middle class....

All those Megablok lovers probably look over and think... "there's those LEGO perverts at it again":......lol....

That brings to mind a USA game show that had a short run at night about 4 years ago... called "1 vs. 100"... with has-been TV star Bob Sagat. Of the 100 non-contestants that populated several tiers of seating.... they often had groups of a particular persuasion... such as one time there were 7 "roller derby chicks"... and Bob asked the last surviving contestant among them what her name was... she replied with a straight face... "Freida"....... "Freida Fondel".... to which Bob Sagat turned beet red.... (true story!)

Edited December 23, 2012 by LEGO Historian

[TheLegoDr]

I prefer feeling the bags. I think if all the stores outlawed it, then there would be a lot of unhappy consumers. However, if that came to be, I would just buy all of the minifigures, feel them at home, then bring back the unwanteds. Take that retail store!

I do think people should be a little more courteous with it though, as in handling them more carefully instead of roughing up the packages. I think sometimes they do look horrible afterwards, and then I always worry about if something is scratched/damaged on the inside of the package.

[Vindicare]

Well the staff at my local WHSmiths help me feel the bags to find the figures I want, they always have and have never had a problem with helping customers out!

The packaging itself is unfair and forces people, mainly parents that don't know any better,to keep buying the figures until their kids get a full set! Obviously that was Lego's plan to make more money so some might say Lego are cheating us by not making the bags easier to identify?

Its not like blind packaging is anything new in the toy industry. TLG didn't come up with it as a way to suck money out of parents...

Have you never heard of/seen all those vending machines at grocery stores and such? Don't remember Monster In My Pocket(among other blind bag toys I can't remember)?

I've never understood why people make such a big stink over blind packaging. If you're really that worried about buying figures you already have, stick to eBay/brick link. It's not like these are a lot of money and buying a few extra isn't going to break the bank...

[TheRedGuy]

I rather not feel, people tend to stare at me with the face "What is a full grown man doing with Lego?" and the workers accuse me of attempting to steal if I do try to feel them :\

[escortmad79]

No problems with feeling bags again earlier, I asked them beforehand, took the remainder of the box to one side & felt the ones I wanted

[JeagerEX]

I rather not feel, people tend to stare at me with the face "What is a full grown man doing with Lego?" and the workers accuse me of attempting to steal if I do try to feel them :\

Most people tend to stare at the person is either children and rival collectors right?

[JeagerEX]

the workers accuse me of attempting to steal if I do try to feel them :\

Some of the workers will not accuse someone of attempting to steal if I do try to feel them, but all employees cannot feel them for you. If some people tend to stare at me with their faces just ignore them and pay attention on feeling all the bags. I hope they don't put on a locked display cabinet just like the video game section at stores.

Sorry for the double post.

Edited January 8, 2013 by JeagerEX

[escortmad79]

I hope they don't put on a locked display cabinet just like the video game section at stores.

Tesco in Bellshill did that for a while