In addition to what webjon said, pack searchers are seldom benign. Anyone who has bought packs at a store, only to open them and find the edges have a gouge all the way down from someone 'thumbing' the packs knows how evil they can be. That, or 'cracking' the packs, damages every card in every pack that DOESN'T have a chase.

While I totally understand what you are saying, there are a few key differences. . .

The main one is that you don't go into the store and buy all the good fruit, leaving all the old browning pieces to the side, then go home and sell the fruit you just bought. So the analogy doesn't quite work as the objective of most cherry pickers isn't to buy something for themselves, it is generally to buy to resell.

This is a huge issue in my area, not only cherry pickers, but people who open packages looking for inserts.

I'd love to see wax/blaster/box vending machines at Target selling hobby materials.

Jon[/QUOTE]

I know that people don't like "cherry pickers." And if they are opening packs, looking for specials, than that's against the law. That's damaging merchandise. That's like opening a box of cookies or chips, eating a few because your hungry, and then just leaving the box on the self. They should be made to either purchase the product or be prosecuted by the retail chain.

I do have to fall back on my earlier remarks about consumerism. As a consumer they/we have a right to purchase as much product as they/we wish. And we also have a right scrutinize which products within a box, in a bin, or hanging on a peg we want to purchase. It is of no concern to me, or anyone else, what someone else does with something they purchased. They can keep it, re-sell it on the secondary market, or take it home and destroy it. As long as they do it legally.

I know it's an emotional issue but unless they stick these cards in a vending machine I don't see what can change.

F

quote:

Originally posted by Nicnac:
In addition to what webjon said, pack searchers are seldom benign. Anyone who has bought packs at a store, only to open them and find the edges have a gouge all the way down from someone 'thumbing' the packs knows how evil they can be. That, or 'cracking' the packs, damages every card in every pack that DOESN'T have a chase.

That's just wrong and they should be made to buy the product they damaged or prosecuted by the retail chain.

quote:

Originally posted by Freddy:

quote:

Originally posted by Nicnac:
In addition to what webjon said, pack searchers are seldom benign. Anyone who has bought packs at a store, only to open them and find the edges have a gouge all the way down from someone 'thumbing' the packs knows how evil they can be. That, or 'cracking' the packs, damages every card in every pack that DOESN'T have a chase.

That's just wrong and they should be made to buy the product they damaged or prosecuted by the retail chain.

Target and Wal-Mart regard trading card collectors as some weird sort of nuts (which we probably are). They choose to ignore people hanging around those aisles even though they are damaging merchandise.

Target and Wal-Mart regard trading card collectors as some weird sort of nuts (which we probably are). They choose to ignore people hanging around those aisles even though they are damaging merchandise.[/QUOTE]

Here in Rhode Island's Wal-Marts...the trading card section is behind the express check out registers. You can't even get to them. You have to lean over the counter and strain to see what they even have. At least the four or five Wal-Marts I've been to in Little Rhody are like this.
To be honest with you, I don't even worry about t-cards in Wal-mart anymore, because they are so buried and hard to get to. Target is nice because the t-card section is all by itself and it has easy access to it, too.

But if I ever do see someone damaging ANY product in a retail store I'll be sure to notify the nearest employee or manager. Just like I would if I saw any other mischievous activity. And so should YOU.


Fred

quote:

Originally posted by Freddy:

But if I ever do see someone damaging ANY product in a retail store I'll be sure to notify the nearest employee or manager. Just like I would if I saw any other mischievous activity. And so should YOU.


Fred

Indeed. Unfortunately unless someone is damaging a lot of cards mass merchants aren't likely to do much over a $2-3 item getting damaged, especially if you have to take it out of the store first and open the package to see the damage.

Additionally, I believe Target/Walmart have distribution deals that don't make them pay for things that don't sell. . . so if something cards get damaged they simply get return at no cost to the store. This is also why they don't care much about people weighing or otherwise messing with packs.

Jon

Indeed. Unfortunately unless someone is damaging a lot of cards mass merchants aren't likely to do much over a $2-3 item getting damaged, especially if you have to take it out of the store first and open the package to see the damage.

Additionally, I believe Target/Walmart have distribution deals that don't make them pay for things that don't sell. . . so if something cards get damaged they simply get return at no cost to the store. This is also why they don't care much about people weighing or otherwise messing with packs.

Jon[/QUOTE]

Then I guess this whole discussion is MUTE ? If the retail chains don't pay for products on their shelves and hence don't care what goes on inside their stores, there's really nothing one can do to stop this. Also, is anyone really going to get into fisticuffs with a "cherry picker" and risk being arrested on assault charges, I hope not.

I guess the only thing one could do is take a picture of a "cherry picker" but since it's a regional thing, who's going to care a few states away?

My advice, if you get lucky finding a new box of cards, or toys, or Hot Wheels...buy the entire box.
Or just go through a dealer and buy a box. It's the price we all have to deal with when dealing with the general public.


Keep your receipts!
Fred

I constantly find opened packs in my $1 bin. I love it when someone thinks they know the method for picking the right pack and they fail and then someone picks up a pack they discared and gets something good.

I once purchased close out packs from Comic Images and every almost every pack had an insert. It was harder to put together a common set than it was to get multiple insert sets. I still have some of those packs floating around in my dollar bin.

Some of the methods for pulling inserts work in the same case, but when you have left over packs from different cases it makes it hard for the pack pickers. I love buying cheap close out packs from Comic stores because you never know what you are going to get.

Dave

By the way Freddy there is a collector in the Attleboro area who goes into RI and scams the good stuff from boxes at Target and Newbury Comics.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Moulder:
By the way Freddy there is a collector in the Attleboro area who goes into RI and scams the good stuff from boxes at Target and Newbury Comics.

Dave,

There's really nothing I can do about this Attleboro person trying to "cherry pick" packs. Other than telling the management that they are damaging merchandise before they purchase it.

As for Newbury Comics...I don't even bother with that store either. First time I went in there looking for cards I almost shat my pants. They're too expensive for me. Like Walmart...I don't even bother looking for cards in there anymore.

Fred

PS: are you going down to the Philly Show in May ?

quote:

Originally posted by Freddy:

Then I guess this whole discussion is MUTE ? If the retail chains don't pay for products on their shelves and hence don't care what goes on inside their stores, there's really nothing one can do to stop this.

This is why I think the resolution has to come at the manufacturer level. If collectors make enough noise something might be done, but since it doesn't directly cost them anything there isn't likely to be any outrage from the retail merchants.

Jon