Toy Sabotage At Retail

[jlprjlpr]

I want to rant about what I am seeing more and more when I go to the local Toys R Us, Walmart or Target. I'm so sick of it, I just want to share it here. Everytime I go looking for new Hasbro Star Wars, Marvel or GI Joe or go looking for Mattel Cars die-cast, I find toys where some low-life person has replaced the new just released action figure or die-cast car in the sealed blister pack with an older action figure, sometimes the action figure they use to replace the new one isn't even from the same brand. For example, they'll replace an Ironman with a Batman. I guess the person will buy the toy, go home, remove the new action figure, put in the Batman, seal it and then go back to Target and get a full refund. No one at Target gives a damn and no one takes the time to notice that the character inside the blister pack is mostly dressed in green and the character drawn on the card is mostly dressed in red. Anyone else seen this? Are there such people all over or is it just one specific person in my area? I imagine its all over the place because I've noticed lately that on ebay there are tons and tons of loose brand new action figures on sale. Stuff that is just coming out. So let me get this straight, somebody goes to Walmart, buys an action figure that was just released, tears it out of the package and then immediately puts it on ebay loose for less than he could have gotten if he put it on ebay Mint on Card? I don't think so. These are low-life shoplifters!

Another thing these people do is that when they run out of welfare money and can't buy every new action figure at the Toys R Us (which of course they will return once they've swapped out the new action figure), the new ones they can't buy, they go and bend or damage the action figure card so that someone else can't go in there and buy a mint on card brand new release. I go in there and all the peg warmers are mint on card, there are 5 new action figures with damaged cards and 2 old Anakins inside some new character's blister card! If I ever find this trailer trash person in the act of bending the cards, I'm gonna beat him to a pulp.

What is wrong with these people. Why can't they quit masturbating, loose 50 pounds, take a bath every day, get an education, work hard and make an honest living like the rest of us?

 

[devlinboy]

its been a long standing issue. It will never change.

 

[sky_captain]

Burn them.

 

[kl241]

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[Dash]

Yeah, I've seen it. Mostly in boxed sets though (exclusives at Walmart, Target).
Whatcha gonna do?

 

[kl241]

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[jlprjlpr]

Yeah, I've seen it. Mostly in boxed sets though (exclusives at Walmart, Target).
Whatcha gonna do?

I don't understand why the stores don't train their people that work at customer service to check products that are being returned for a full refund.

How long does it take to look at the picture on the card and say: that is a photo of a big hairy bear like character (Chewbacca). The action figure inside is not the big hairy bear like character, its a golden robot (C3PO). This product has been tampered with and I will not take it back for a refund.

I know those aren't rocket scientists working at customer service but I think the managers could teach them to "match the picture to the figure".

The retailers must lose tons of money on this crap which of course they pass on in higher retail prices to the rest of us.

 

[Boba Ben]

I've seen it a few times, especially in the late 90s. Lately I've been seeing a trend of people either just stealing or replacing build a figure parts on DC Universe Classics figures.

I wonder if anyone has ever been caught doing it. It would be pretty awesome if the returns person just looked at the replaced figure and called the person out on it.

 

[galactiboy]

The returns people don't care... and my guess is the stores don't really either. They just place it back on the peg or send it back to the manufacturer.

 

[jlprjlpr]

I've seen it a few times, especially in the late 90s. Lately I've been seeing a trend of people either just stealing or replacing build a figure parts on DC Universe Classics figures.

I wonder if anyone has ever been caught doing it. It would be pretty awesome if the returns person just looked at the replaced figure and called the person out on it.

Personally, I think Target, WalMart and TRU should take 5 minutes at each store to get managers to train customer service personnel to not accept back toys where the contents don't match the picture on the card/box. Once the people doing this see they can't return the stuff, the problem will go away.

I have to admit I once fell victim to this. I bought a box that had Jabba and the Clone Wars animated show version of C3PO in it. Then about a month later, I'm in a store and I see the same box but it has some unexpected variant: it has the Phantom Menace version of C3PO in the box (the C3PO from when young Anakin hadn't put his gold skin on yet). So I'm thinking this is some variant and I buy it and for the longest time I thought this was an actual product. Except I never saw this version at any store ever again. I went on rebelscum.com which has an extensive listing of hasbro SW and they didn't mention that such a Jabba/C3PO variant was ever made. That's when I finally realized someone wanted the animated C3PO, bought the box, replaced him with the Phantom Menace version and that's what I bought.

 

[jlprjlpr]

The returns people don't care... and my guess is the stores don't really either. They just place it back on the peg or send it back to the manufacturer.

My local target has a Mattel Cars diecast card that's been sitting there on a peg for about a month that has some yellow shiny little vehicle in it that looks absolutely nothing like any of the cars in the Cars movie. Its not even diecast metal, you can tell its some cheap plastic baby toy car. It looks nothing like the car on the card. I don't understand why the stores don't care. If they were to send it back to the manufacturer, Hasbro or Mattel will just say the product has been tampered with so we aren't responsible.

 

[superado]

I've seen this done at 2 Target stores near my home, mostly with the 1/72 scale Forces of Valor diecast vehicles, and of all things, Barbies, and not those more expensive, themed items, either. I think that some people, maybe whole families, earn a living doing this scam full time, making their rounds at the Target, Walmarts and Kmarts on a daily basis. At first, I pulled over the 1st Target employee I found in the Toys department, but couldn't help notice the indifference and the feigned concern. Then, I actually requested for a manager and showed her all the Forces of Valor boxes with replaced vehicles, pointing out how the ultimate victims are those unknowing parents buying presents for their kids, nephews, grandkids, etc. I then asked, if they, in the capacity of their management role, would do anything concrete to improve their screening of return items.

I think a simple new step to include in their return policy would be to ask for a valid Driver's License and to fill out a form with that same information whenever ANY toy is being returned, regardless of proof of purchase such as gift receipts. They can input that into a database, from which a person can be flagged for returning a toy item to any of their stores more than once.

 

[dominishin]

Nah, that's too much of a hassle. All they need to do is have their damn employees actually look at the item and see that it matches what is shown on the box/card... like people have mentioned.

 

[jlprjlpr]

I've seen this done at 2 Target stores near my home, mostly with the 1/72 scale Forces of Valor diecast vehicles, and of all things, Barbies, and not those more expensive, themed items, either. I think that some people, maybe whole families, earn a living doing this scam full time, making their rounds at the Target, Walmarts and Kmarts on a daily basis. At first, I pulled over the 1st Target employee I found in the Toys department, but couldn't help notice the indifference and the feigned concern. Then, I actually requested for a manager and showed her all the Forces of Valor boxes with replaced vehicles, pointing out how the ultimate victims are those unknowing parents buying presents for their kids, nephews, grandkids, etc. I then asked, if they, in the capacity of their management role, would do anything concrete to improve their screening of return items.

I think a simple new step to include in their return policy would be to ask for a valid Driver's License and to fill out a form with that same information whenever ANY toy is being returned, regardless of proof of purchase such as gift receipts. They can input that into a database, from which a person can be flagged for returning a toy item to any of their stores more than once.

I talked to a manager at Toys R Us one time and showed him an obvious one where the picture and the figure were so obviously different anyone could have noticed it. I got the same reaction you did: total indifference. He was looking at me like I was crazy, like if he was saying: who cares, they are only some stupid toys.

If customer service won't even look at the picture to see that it matches the toy, getting them to keep an id database is never going to happen.

There are people out there who are stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise. And we all know who they are: they are the people selling loose brand new just released action figures on ebay. I am truly disgusted by these people.

 

[dr_teng]

I don't understand why the stores don't train their people that work at customer service to check products that are being returned for a full refund.

They can train them all they want, the fact of the matter is when someone is working a tedious job at minimum wage, many of them simply won't care.

As far as stores go, I'm sure they've got to worry about things that actually cost a lot of money, like electronics fraud, over things like action figures. Unfortunately, I can't imagine this situation changing anytime soon.

 

[THX-182]

I saw this twice in the past week. Once at Toys R Us with a vintage style Dack figure being replaced with a POTF2 figure. I took he figure and a correct version to a manager and explained. She just kind of looked at them as if she couldn't tell the difference. I know the main manager of the store is a toy collector and she said she'd show it to him.

The second one I saw was at walmart with the new Jabba the Hutt. I was excited to find it and it was the only one on the shelf. But upon closer inspection I noticed the Oola pack in was a POTF2 Oola and not the new articulated one. The Jabba inside probably wasn't the real one either but I had no way of knowing that. Could have been a brick for all I or the person who accepted the item for refund knew. All they knew is that the box was still taped up and looked untampered.

These employees and managers don't take the time to notice and, from my experience, don't care.

 

[DarthNeil]

Honestly I haven't really seen this at all (on this side or on the US side)-- It sucks though that some kid might get suckered into buying a crappy product (at least seasoned collectors carefully look at an item before buying it). Don't they take the name of the person down who's returning the item?-- And wouldn't it be suspicious if it's the same person returning something very week?...

 

[jinroh75]

dude! i thought it was just my bad luck but i guess this is more rampant than i thought. i bought a hasbro at walker at walmart a few months back and low and behold it was the old 1980s version! it was all smelly and you can see stains on it and worst part is there were only 2 legs in there! i brought it back to walmart for a refund and they took it back with no questions asked. i tried to explain to the guy there and he's like 'yeah whatever' and just threw it in the bin. crazy

 

[jlprjlpr]

dude! i thought it was just my bad luck but i guess this is more rampant than i thought. i bought a hasbro at walker at walmart a few months back and low and behold it was the old 1980s version! it was all smelly and you can see stains on it and worst part is there were only 2 legs in there! i brought it back to walmart for a refund and they took it back with no questions asked. i tried to explain to the guy there and he's like 'yeah whatever' and just threw it in the bin. crazy

wow, that is the worst case of this abuse I have ever heard. And now you are not just talking a $7 item, the new AT-AT is $100.

What happens with this stuff once its returned? Does it go back to Hasbro? Who takes the loss? WalMart or Hasbro? Of course, in the long run, they just pass the loss on to us customers by increasing prices.

 

[jlprjlpr]

I saw this twice in the past week. Once at Toys R Us with a vintage style Dack figure being replaced with a POTF2 figure. I took he figure and a correct version to a manager and explained. She just kind of looked at them as if she couldn't tell the difference. I know the main manager of the store is a toy collector and she said she'd show it to him.

The second one I saw was at walmart with the new Jabba the Hutt. I was excited to find it and it was the only one on the shelf. But upon closer inspection I noticed the Oola pack in was a POTF2 Oola and not the new articulated one. The Jabba inside probably wasn't the real one either but I had no way of knowing that. Could have been a brick for all I or the person who accepted the item for refund knew. All they knew is that the box was still taped up and looked untampered.

These employees and managers don't take the time to notice and, from my experience, don't care.

I looked up Dack Ralter on ebay and sure enough there were multiple listing for loose Dack Ralters. I wrote 3 of them the following question:

"how did you get a loose one? Did you go to Walmart, buy one, open it, stick in an old Luke xwing pilot and then return it for a refund? Seriously, just curious how you got it."

Let's see if any of them respond.
Here are the auctions:
https://cgi.ebay.com/STAR-WARS-2010...ter-LOOSE-/190431566823?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0
https://cgi.ebay.com/Star-Wars-Vintage-Collection-Dack-Ralter-/370422632469?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0
https://cgi.ebay.com/DACK-RALTER-Vintage-Collection-2010-/110573904469?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0