cody

RED ALERT! BEWARE! WARNING! just a bold reminder for EVERYONE who is concern over the brickshelf MESS maj.com is brickshelf's "sister company" right? like, they are more or less in some way connected. who is to gaurantee that maj.com would not close down like BS? so my suggestion is that just stay put with what you have and wait till everything settles down before mass uploading. Also I would really like to ask how did this mess started? Shouldn't someone from BRICKSHELF at least come out and explain the whole incident and perhaps even better, APOLOGISE to us all?

me too. i suspect there is more to the story, but it just isn't revealed to the general public lego builder who loaded their ENTIRE LIFE'S LEGO CREATION on to brickshelf only to find out it will be closing in 2 weeks.

From my observation of the 10,000 gold c3p0, the limited 500 Darth Vader Death Star Box and the 1 silver c3p0 I believe it is fair to state that SW lego is trying to exclude certain fans to enjoy its product. Is lego NOT capable of producing more gold c3p0? NO! Is lego NOT capable of producing more Darth Vader Death Star Box? NO! Is lego NOT capable of producing more silver c3p0? NO! So they are not "not capable", but more like "won't" or "reluctant to". it is clear that this ideal toy for everyone is polluted with the idea of profit maximisation, contaminated by the act of market dominance and infiltrated by the spirit of perfect capitalism . I really feel greatly dissappointed after all these years of being a SW lego fan. I thought this series was public, open fairly for everyone to enjoy. Look what is happening. It seems that only the rich can afford like 300USD for a figure while the rest of us can only stare. Star Wars Lego has always been our hobby, our little escape from the harsh cruel world, our little paradise where we can expand our imagination with our beloved classic science fiction movie. Today, let us stand together, and fight for a fairer Star Wars Lego distribution.

you mean the "communities" right?

Hallo people, this was brought up in another thread. I just want to clarify the fact that I really don't think man and woman are equal. But, I think they are unequal in a GOOD way. MAN Firstly, we carried out different task, woman should stay in and look after the family while the man goes out to work to financially support the family. We behave differently, gentlemen are always expected to carry out any physical hardwork and show more endurance compared to any regular female. This again is not about being fair or discriminative. The male body is biologically built for heavier physical endurance. Hence men are more capable in physical work. Men are also more intelligent in fields of medicine, mathematics and engineering. there should be no argument here as most famous inventors, mathematicians and engineers and scientists are all men. Politically,man is always the leader of any community or tribe ( i know there is Joan of Arc, but we cannot impose France's standards upon the rest of the world right?). from ancient time to now men have always played the role of a leader. This is because we are capable of making decisions less misguided by our feelings, resulting in more logical decisions made. WOMAN They are biologically responsible to reproduce, a very important feature to our existence (no argument here I hope) . They are responsible for breeding and nurturing human's next generation. Hence they always play the role of mother and kinder garden teacher. they are all the time more observant and care more the detail of everything. that is why they are good secretary as explicit details are recorded in office. In conclusion, man and woman are NOT EQUAL, never was, never is and never will be.

of course it is unlikely, when all you do is to sit here and say "it is unlikely" i don't know about maj.com, it certainly cannot and also, it is hard to make almost everyone to uplaod their pic on to maj. like some may go to photobucket, some to maj, some to flickr some to yahoo......etc but if a site is made especially for this to replace brickshelf....... then obviously everyone will upload their photo there

Guys, with BS to close within 2 weeks, it is time to act. I think it is very important to gain control for the media to share lego images. Then creation from around the world, US, Europe, Australia and Asia shall only be mostly published under our lead here is why I propose All we have to do is all chip in some money, build a website just like Brickshelf. advertise it everywhere and wait for 01/08/2007 maybe there will even be advertising company looking to pay the site for ads because of the huge traffic. Guys this is worth thinking about we can call it the "Euro Brickshelf"

i quite agree with you. but I definitely wasn't the one to bring up Male/Female Balance or African American/ Gay are bad people. back to topic.........is ther anyway we can tackle walmart? Imagine what would happen if Toysrus and other toys storm are being forced to shut down? COMPLETE WALMART DOMINANCE! everything (including) lego is going to sky rocket in terms of price

in one story? where is that story? no no no, YOU have got to be kidding my, do you understand the meaning of "NEUTRAL"? how are we completely equal? name the last US president or UK prime minister who is a female. nothing to say? huh? i assume you know the difference between "BLACK" and "BROWNISH" right? or you don't? No, I'm pretty sure it was not that. As America was not found yet in year 0.

my personal point of view: 1) Allmost all of the Old Testament scriptures are plagerised from Meopotamian manuscripts that have been proven to be older than the writing of the bible. TRUE 2) The Old Testament is not really meant to be taken seriously, it's just metaphors. FALSE 3) Homosexuals are "bad guys"? How narrow minded. Calling someone a "bad guy" based on how they find happiness. How... Republican TRUE all African Americans are evil. NEUTRAL 4) Conrtrary to the way the Bible says it: Women and Men are equels. FALSE 5) Jesus was black... FALSE (like.....what do you mean? he got sun burn or something?) Just an idea: Don't take every thing in religion so seriously, and don't be so un-accepting. You should try being open to other life-styles and beleifs.

very good, then let's all support Toysrus and BOYCOTT WALMART!

you know what? i will bet you a box of 7261 clone turbo tank he can't find it. why? because he made it up. :-D :-D :-D

very good, glad to hear it. i am on your side pal. Sorry? is that all you can say? what about the employee who got fired because all those toysrus sub-branch got shut down? you going to say: "I am so sorry you lost your job, unable to support your family and feeding your kids. I'd like to support TRU, but i gota go were the better deal is. Sorry." do you not care about the "deal" other people are getting because of your action? maybe you should leave your dog behind when you are doing shopping in a PUBLIC AREA. what if your dog (you know) in the shop? regardless of whether it is Toysrus or Walmart. what would that have on the shopping experience of other customers? I am glad you brought this up. It just shows how Toysrus doesn't mind losing one inconsiderate customer to protect the benefits of thousands of customers. You wonder why Wal mart let you in with your little puppy? this is because they do not care. their store is just a place for them to make $$$$$. forget about hygiene, forget about customer health, forget about the shopping experience. just make me money now that is Walmart.

No toying around, no funny business MegAsia takes a close look at the tug of war between traditional toy stores and retail discounters wanting a bite of the toy pie. Like every other shopper in the US enjoying last-minute bargains offered by major retailers, housewife Cindy Miller is busy shopping for the perfect presents for her kids. Instead of visiting traditional toy stores to look for her ideal toys, she decides this year to get all her shopping done under the roof of Wal-Mart. "I still like to go to specialised stores like Toys R US," she explains, "but the low-priced toys I find at Wal-Mart are simply too good for me to ignore." Cindy Miller is not alone. More and more consumers, in particular those who are in need of toys and children-related products, are now choosing to shop at Wal-Mart (which, initially, was not a specialised toy-selling chain to begin with). The Wal-Mart chains are now luring in shoppers with a variety of merchandise at the lowest prices consumers cannot find elsewhere. The unbeatable bargains seem to be welcomed by consumers alike, who are constantly on the look out for the best deals possible, especially during the peak shopping periods. It's all in the numbers Toys R Us, an American toy-retailing empire, taking pride on its specialty stores and variety of toys, has been serving millions of households since its opening in 1978. The retail giant is now wrestling to survive even though it is still on top of the list as the world's largest toy retailer. The story began a few years ago, when discount chain stores such as Wal-Mart began to spend much marketing effort to generate traffic during the holiday seasons. It has been reported that despite the aggressive marketing effort, Toys R Us still recorded a 1 per cent drop in sales over the 2003 Christmas holiday season, while Wal-Mart claimed a sales rise of 2.3 per cent during the same period. The upside figure is further encouraging Wal-Mart's ambition to conquer the world of toy retailing, as Mr Lee Scott, Wal-Mart's chief executive commented "The toy division is a very profitable category for Wal-Mart with a very strong gross margin...we are very encouraged about toys and our positioning in that particular market. I am excited, I do not feel particularly compelled to apologise for it." The "Wal-Martisation" phenomenon Founded in 1962 in Arkansas, US, Wal-Mart is currently operating with 3, 550 stores scattered across US, and is also known as the world's largest retailer. Striving to provide with customers a value-for- money shopping experience, the retailer is well-known for its enormous product variety and the low price range attached, helping it lure more consumers than Toys R Us in the toy division. How is the newly emerged "Wal-Martization" changing the US and the rest of the world? The leading discounter rides on the following cutting-edge statistics: 1) Wal-Mart is the world's No. 1 retailer in the US, Canada as well as Mexico, with over 4, 800 stores operating worldwide along with its other affiliates. 2) It has reported a 20 per cent increase earnings in the fiscal year of 2003. 3) According to an article recently featured at forbes.com, the retailer also has stores running in South America, Asia and Europe. Wal-Mart International's annual revenue, which has gone up to as high as USD $47.5 billion, is expected to grow steadily with effective marketing and proper technology utilisation. Countries that have been "Wal-Martized" over the 11 years of international exposure include: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico as well as United Kingdom. 4) The retail giant currently has stores operating in 17 cities in China, one of the fastest-growing and high-potential economies in the world. Wal-Mart is determined to conquer this mega market by stepping up market penetration and new store openings across the country. The retail giant surely knows what its consumers want and has done much better to meet their needs than its competitors. "One of Wal-Mart's strategies is to undercut several 'must-have' products to boost traffic," said Geoff Wissman, vice president of its consultants Retail Forward. What gives Wal-Mart another impeccable edge is that it has such a wide variety of products in its stores that one visit to Wal-Mart is enough to satisfy a consumer's daily need in almost every aspect: from clothes to food to kitchenware to electronic goods to toys, the list goes on. The product diversity, which cannot be found at Toys R Us, provides a perfect one-stop, hassle-free shopping experience for every consumer entering the stores despite their different backgrounds and preferences. Specialised toy stores - once the leader, now on the edge? Toys R Us, on the other hand, has been working hard to capture and retain consumers' attention. Over years of development and expansion, the company has become the leader in the toy-selling industry with its headquarters located in the US and stores spread across the world, operated by a total of 65, 000 employees. Despite the USD $116 million spent on advertising last year, the renowned toy retailer chain has posted a net loss of USD $38 million, while having to close down all of its 146 Kids R Us stores and 36 Imaginarium stores across the US due to underperformance. While troubled with such weakening sales results, Toys R Us should consider itself one of the fortunate ones, as the intense price war has in recent years cost the lives of a few long-established, reputable toy stores, driving these "victims" to the road of bankruptcy. A perfect example would be the closing of FAO Schwarz in the US. A prestigious toy retailing icon famous for its one-of-a-kind merchandise, FAO Schwarz was eventually defeated by drastic competitors such as Toys R Us and Wal-Mart towards the end of year 2003. FAO Schwarz was forced to seek bankruptcy protection twice and is still searching for prospective buyers to take over the business. In the Securities & Exchange Commission filings, officials from FAO Schwarz even pointed out specifically that the throat-cutting competition with discount chain stores was causing the devastating threat to their business survival. Another toy giant trapped in the very same destiny was KB Toys Inc, which used to be one of the largest toy retailers in US but has filed for bankruptcy in January 2004. The bankruptcy has resulted in the closedown of 350 KB Toys stores, as well as 3, 500 employee layoffs. Restructuring tactics to make a turnaround Fighting back is no picnic for Toys R Us, despite its abounding experience in the field. On the whole, the company is still holding up nicely due to its effective marketing strategy developed over the years. Understanding that it is not always wise to put all its eggs in one basket, Toys R Us has learned to diversify to net as many sources of revenue as possible. This explains the launching of many of its other divisions, namely Toys R Us International, Kids R Us, Babies R Us, Imaginarium, as well as Toysrus.com. Investments in these divisions had proven to be paying off well, as sales figures in recent years have shown that they do play a crucial role in generating business revenues for Toys R Us. For instance, Babies R Us, which currently has 199 stores operating in the US, achieved a profit of USD $202 million in 2003. Decision makers at Toys R Us are positive about Babies R Us's future, as Jon Elyer, the company's Chief Executive said recently that the baby division has definite potential to achieve "a very solid earnings performance for the full year". The uplifting financial results and market response in the babies' department can be attributed to the emerging social trend in which parents are now spending more on babies than ever before. This new tendency provides an explanation for the company's move to close down underperforming Toys R Us stores in exchange of the Babies R Us division's expansion. Such restructuring plan is welcomed and encouraged by many investors and analysts, who have expressed concerns over the company's seemingly unfavorable future. While shutting down stores that are not performing well, Toys R Us has also learned to utilise its existing stores to a greater extent. The company is now projecting a new division called "Geoffrey" in order to better compete with Wal-Mart. Named after the company's mascot, Toys R Us is expecting the brand new division to upgrade shoppers' toy-purchasing experience by providing value-added services such as hair-cutting, as well as party rooms which can be used to hold special events catered for children. Stores in the US also hold regular seminars and talks on subjects ranging from parenting to anything children-related to generate in-store traffic, while giving consumers an extra incentive to visit the stores. Meanwhile, the company's official website, toysrus.com (which operates in alliance with Amazon.com) reported an encouraging 2.8 per cent increase in sales over the holiday seasons last year. As the internet continues to become a popular shopping platform, Toys R Us is expecting more consumers looking for their merchandise online in the future. The company's website is currently the most-visited online toy store in the US. On the other hand, Wal-Mart is gradually catching up on the online shopping craze with its fast-improving official website. With its corporate dotcom division based in Silicon Valley, US, Wal-Mart's online store combines expertise in technology with its thorough knowledge in retailing to swiftly complement its existing stores. Though Toys R Us seems to be losing its local consumers in midst of stiff domestic competition and ever-changing shopping pattern, its local shortfall is counterbalanced by an increasing number of consumers base worldwide. With its very first overseas stores opening in Singapore and Canada back in 1984, the company's international unit has now grown to a worldly toy empire with 573 international stores in 27 countries. The company has recently revealed a slight increase in international store sales in local currency. The war will go on Almost no business sectors can be exempted from the troubles of the unpredictable global economy, which is now even more fragile than ever since terrorism struck across the world in 2001. Toys R Us is now facing another battle with Wal-Mart, which has been working closely with amazon.com to leverage the online commerce pioneer's expertise. Nevertheless, the future may not be all that gloomy for the Toys R Us after all, as its effective marketing strategies will give the toy veteran an edge to outwit the rivaled chain store next door. Under the crossfire of heated price war, it seems that the consumers have now gotten the upper hand and will be claiming triumph and reaping the benefits in it.