PAB Cups: What Did You Get?

[Lego Otaku]

Went to LEGO store in Troy, their PAB wall sucked they had quite a lot of empty bins and no parts I really wanted like masonry profile, olive green slopes, or 1x1 round tiles. I did pick up a lot of tan, dark bley, and white parts for my future moc among a few other parts:

6 big cups. All of the empty spaces were stuffed with 1x1's since it's basically free.

2x2 slopes with radar and disk slot pattern, it's the biggest printed piece I've seen on PAB at Troy.

Lots of 1x1 light tr-blue jewels.

A few other including Medium Lavander plates. They had flowers in red, white, and dark pink as well.

A chart below shows what I got and based on Bricklink Quantity average about how much I would have spent if I went there instead. I would have packed better and gotten more but back-to-school sales have started and I didn't want to stay and put up with kids.

I didn't count the tr-dark blue round plates as I ended up with one big cup full at the end, it had to be more than 4000, probably less than 5000.

[antp]

I'm curious to see what MOC will use so many computer-pattern slopes :)

[-Horizon-]

Sweet you found 1x4 Tan bricks. They didn't have those at Orlando, but they did have these in Tan.

Edited July 25, 2014 by lego3364

[MikroMan]

Last week on vacations, I visited LEGO stores in Berlin and Copehagen. As I rarely get the chance, I filled in total 7 cups, though I'm not sure what I was thinking when I took only left 4x6 wing pieces I was slightly annoyed at the desing of PAB wall in Berlin, because it's on two sides of a single wall, so you have to keep going around to look at bricks, but otherwise I had luck because the store was mostly empty and the bins were pretty much filled

Also, I understand that 5-year-olds sometimes can't keep their hands off other people's stuff, and I usually keep an eye on my cups, but this one event rather pissed me off: There was a family in Copehagen (a mother, two small kids and two teenagers) in the area where I stored my cups (4 filled cups with lids on). They were watching me fill the lids and part of a new cup and as I went away to get some filler pieces the mother took one cup, lifted the lid, removed top pieces and gave the cup to her younger kid.

At that point, all five of them were rummaging around two of my cups. I couldn't get to them because the store was totally packed (LEGO store in Copenhagen is located on main shopping street). Eventually they jammed some pieces back in and left lids uncovered. Sure, it's nothing unfixable, just needed few extra minutes to rearrange pieces, but damn if I wasn't angry

Also, finally bought Benny's Spaceship and Ghostbusters, yay!

[Ritsz]

I know the feeling! I was in that same situation a few times (and I'm sure many others to). I'ts just not nice when you can't fill your cups peacefully and have to keep one eye on your already filled cups and use your other eye for filling the next cup.. But I guess that's never going to change, because kids will be kids...

[TheLegoDr]

Kids always seem to ruin LEGO for everyone. (This sounds facetious, but I can be quite serious ).

I have only ever filled one cup at a time. I just never justified more than that. The last time I went into a LEGO store, I ended up emptying my cup I had half full because I couldn't find enough quantity to make it worthwhile. I just wasn't feeling LEGO that day.

With that said, the top comment on this page said the PAB wall sucked, yet you still bought that many cups!!! haha

[antp]

Also, I understand that 5-year-olds sometimes can't keep their hands off other people's stuff,

Indeed, last time I was in a store a little girl "stole" the stairs that she found in the cup I left unattended, to go show them to her mom

(then I just picked new ones from the wall)

[CrazyDalton777]

Apologies.

Edited August 4, 2014 by CrazyDalton777

[kibosh]

I made my point. Deleted so as to not derail a valuable thread.

Edited July 29, 2014 by kibosh

[CrazyDalton777]

Apologies.

Edited August 4, 2014 by CrazyDalton777

[legoman19892]

Well its not really stealing if it fits in the cup and my friend cleans it up himself, just makes the staff move their eyes for 2 seconds so they cant me bothered to check the cup. I have a job and pay for all my LEGO myself so shove that where the sun don't shine. Besides, the staff's customer relations are pathetic in the Cardiff store, I know of 5 employees there that are polite and happy towards their customers.

So you pay for the cup, remove the tape, and fill it up with more bricks before you leave the store...?

If it fits in the cup , why not fill it up and pay for it and leave like everyone else?

Edited July 29, 2014 by legoman19892

[CrazyDalton777]

Apologies.

Edited August 4, 2014 by CrazyDalton777

[kibosh]

Deleted so as to not derail a valuable thread.

Edited July 29, 2014 by kibosh

[CrazyDalton777]

Apologies.

Edited August 4, 2014 by CrazyDalton777

[legoman19892]

So if the lid must be completely down as you say, many people who use cello tape to keep it closed are wrong (which I have seen a lot on this thread using). That is what I am doing. If you don't want to use the method, just don't. You also call me a thief which if it fits in the cup and you pay for it, it isn't stealing. Also you insult me for no reason as well as that. I won't continue to argue with some person on the internet. Its a legitimate method, if I was distracting the staff to put stuff in my pockets, fair enough but I wasn't so don't attempt to insult me.

Is this a specific issue with this store? Are employees telling you that you filled it up too high, and as a result doing what you said you were?

It is s store by store case whether or not a specific cup would be accepted or not. My store had no restrictions on the horses, other stores set limits and you could only put the horses in small cups.

If it fits in the cup legally like you say it does, why are you doing that? Are you doing this because it gives you a rush or something? You are causing employees to waste time cleaning up a mess when they could be assisting you or other guests. Your strategy gains you nothing and only causes employees to do work that isn't needed.

You are either trolling us or you are a grade A jerk. That is NOT a legitimate method.

[Tech Artist]

I guess I'm lucky to have a store that doesn't care too much about the lid completely closing. Though I don't try to go over by much anyhow. My last couple cups were over by maybe a quarter of an inch to a half an inch. I don't understand the need to deceive anyone. If your store has a policy on how the lid must be, then so be it. If you don't like it, go find another store.

[-Horizon-]

I guess I'm lucky to have a store that doesn't care too much about the lid completely closing. Though I don't try to go over by much anyhow. My last couple cups were over by maybe a quarter of an inch to a half an inch. I don't understand the need to deceive anyone. If your store has a policy on how the lid must be, then so be it. If you don't like it, go find another store.

Yeah the store in Concord, NC just needs to have the Lid touching the cup same with Downtown Disney. And you don't have to sneak it past them.

[ZCerberus]

Okay. I do have an objection to where this thread is going. This thread is about what you found, through legal means, at a pick-a-brick wall. It is not about how to make sure you get the best bang for your buck by using sneaky tactics to fool employees into not following their store rules.

Whatever the store rule is, it is, and don't discuss deceptive ways to get around that.

This is also an official mod decision that no more will be posted relating to tricking or fooling store employees of any sort.

[Lego Otaku]

I'm curious to see what MOC will use so many computer-pattern slopes :)

Something in the future but right now it's just fodder. Maybe I'd do a e-recycling shop that takes electronic wastes and crush them up?

Well its not really stealing if it fits in the cup and my friend cleans it up himself, just makes the staff move their eyes for 2 seconds so they cant me bothered to check the cup. I have a job and pay for all my LEGO myself so shove that where the sun don't shine. Besides, the staff's customer relations are pathetic in the Cardiff store, I know of 5 employees there that are polite and happy towards their customers.

Check with the staff. It seems to vary but at my store, it is fine if the lid still touches the cup. I could probably stuff it so full of big pieces the lid can't go on straight but as long as it touches the side, it's fine. You might be trying to hard for something that is already OK.

So if the lid must be completely down as you say, many people who use cello tape to keep it closed are wrong (which I have seen a lot on this thread using). That is what I am doing. If you don't want to use the method, just don't. You also call me a thief which if it fits in the cup and you pay for it, it isn't stealing. Also you insult me for no reason as well as that. I won't continue to argue with some person on the internet. Its a legitimate method, if I was distracting the staff to put stuff in my pockets, fair enough but I wasn't so don't attempt to insult me.

I don't use the tape, the store employee uses the tape. If they say no to loose lid, come back at different time and hope for an employee with relaxed rule or try for a different store.

[Peppermint_M]

Just going to have to jump in and say that Cardiff LEGO store is staffed by some pretty lovely folks who have only ever been nice and helpful and willing to strike up conversations. I really enjoy visting it and not just for the LEGO.

My last haul was boring, I got a large cup full of yellow 1x2 bricks for internal structure, a few planned Fabuland builds and I sort of want to take a try at building a Pikachu....

[Redhead1982]

They were watching me fill the lids and part of a new cup and as I went away to get some filler pieces the mother took one cup, lifted the lid, removed top pieces and gave the cup to her younger kid.

At that point, all five of them were rummaging around two of my cups. I couldn't get to them because the store was totally packed (LEGO store in Copenhagen is located on main shopping street). Eventually they jammed some pieces back in and left lids uncovered. Sure, it's nothing unfixable, just needed few extra minutes to rearrange pieces, but damn if I wasn't angry

A friendly advice, you can always ask one of the employees to keep your filled cups at the cash register - I always do that if my hands are too full with sets and cups.

[kibosh]

A friendly advice, you can always ask one of the employees to keep your filled cups at the cash register - I always do that if my hands are too full with sets and cups.

My store is great. They usually recognize that I'm going to be filling a few cups and offer to hold the already filled ones for me. They even tape the lids shut while I'm filling.

[Tech Artist]

Just going to have to jump in and say that Cardiff LEGO store is staffed by some pretty lovely folks who have only ever been nice and helpful and willing to strike up conversations. I really enjoy visting it and not just for the LEGO.

My last haul was boring, I got a large cup full of yellow 1x2 bricks for internal structure, a few planned Fabuland builds and I sort of want to take a try at building a Pikachu....

Pretty much my experience. 1st time I went there I was nervous they'd wonder why I was there for 2 hours and telling me to hurry up. Quite the opposite. This is why Lego is my favorite company.

[clonebricksNL]

I'm planning on going to the cardiff store this vacation. Can i take my time and fill the cups when i'm there? are the employees really that bad?

I've never had problems with employees in a lego store in oberhausen they ask what you are planning to build and have a nice chat

[PeteM]

The staff in Cardiff are excellent - they are friendly, have no problem hen you spend ages trying to get the tub filled perfectly and always tape down the lid for me when it's slightly (but not excessively) over-full. No idea what that other chap is on about....

Edited July 31, 2014 by PeteM