SWC3B - The Empire Strikes Our Wallets...
Read on below and remember you can see pictures from this great event online right here!
Note to all of you who dialed back feverishly for an update: We have our merchandise from the STAR WARS Store at Celebration III but wow: Do we have feedback.
1.) Figure Only Line No Where to Be Found: Why can there not be just a line for those that want the special edition figure from SWC3? I continue to not understand this one (other than they don't have the people to work/support it in edition to the other lines and merchandise that they're trying to make available?). I also get that they are funneling people into what is basically a barrel where they suckle cash until the cows come home, but how much is enough? They have created 50k figures, all of which are sure to sell. They have the ticket price of everyone that comes. They have the cash they make everywhere else (exhibitors coming in, payments from the companies to be in the halls, etc etc etc).
2.) Cash Only Lines: After finishing at our register and acquiring the goods, we noticed that not only was the Cash Only Line next to the register we were at not open: None of them were. Again, knowing nothing of the logistics of the show, it's hard to guess why this was, but imagine having 8 more registers open to process transactions at the show.
3.) Order from this Form: This probably disturbed me the most of our entire weekend: You could take the form that they had on hand and pay for your merchandise, but it would eventually be sent to you via US Postal - or you can order alllll this same merchandise (save the Darth SWC3 figure) on the StarWars.Com Website.
Huh? So all we were really in line for were the figures and the few baubles (coasters, drink cups, the ONE crappy shirt that noone was buying) available. Astounds the imagination.
4.) The Line: While Jade did a great job and only really have a problem when she had a full diaper, I just can't profess this long a line experience as a "family event" for those with young children. While I know I will love the pictures I took of my daughter standing next to Darth Vader, the experiences I had with her while at the show and during the trip, I am saddened that there isn't a better fix to get the merchandise into people's hands quicker so that the lines can move faster. 4.5 hours to get some figures and a three keychains is a long damn wait in itself, much less with a small child. I can only imagine the stress the people that waited the 7-9 hours yesterday - just cannot fathom it.
5.) The Madness: When we were walking down the hall to the Store area, I saw a young man holding up one of the special edition figures. I asked him where he bought it and he said "I don't know." I asked him if he bought it in the store down the way here and he said "I don't know." I asked him if he thought we could buy some down this way and he shrugged his shoulders and said that I could buy this one for $50 and avoid the line "up that way." I took a moment to grab one of the people with the STAFF embroidered shirts and said whom should I report this gentleman to: Shortly after this I received a cool red "VOLUNTEER" T-shirt, and the man was escorted away. Chalk one up for the good guys. Consequently, I also learned that one of the exhibitors (the people that surely spent a shitload of cash to get placement in the exhibition room) was removed from the floor because they too were selling the figures at way over cost. This in general is something I hope they will police better next time.
Note to all of you who dialed back feverishly for an update: We have our merchandise from the STAR WARS Store at Celebration III but wow: Do we have feedback.
1.) Figure Only Line No Where to Be Found: Why can there not be just a line for those that want the special edition figure from SWC3? I continue to not understand this one (other than they don't have the people to work/support it in edition to the other lines and merchandise that they're trying to make available?). I also get that they are funneling people into what is basically a barrel where they suckle cash until the cows come home, but how much is enough? They have created 50k figures, all of which are sure to sell. They have the ticket price of everyone that comes. They have the cash they make everywhere else (exhibitors coming in, payments from the companies to be in the halls, etc etc etc).
2.) Cash Only Lines: After finishing at our register and acquiring the goods, we noticed that not only was the Cash Only Line next to the register we were at not open: None of them were. Again, knowing nothing of the logistics of the show, it's hard to guess why this was, but imagine having 8 more registers open to process transactions at the show.
3.) Order from this Form: This probably disturbed me the most of our entire weekend: You could take the form that they had on hand and pay for your merchandise, but it would eventually be sent to you via US Postal - or you can order alllll this same merchandise (save the Darth SWC3 figure) on the StarWars.Com Website.
Huh? So all we were really in line for were the figures and the few baubles (coasters, drink cups, the ONE crappy shirt that noone was buying) available. Astounds the imagination.
4.) The Line: While Jade did a great job and only really have a problem when she had a full diaper, I just can't profess this long a line experience as a "family event" for those with young children. While I know I will love the pictures I took of my daughter standing next to Darth Vader, the experiences I had with her while at the show and during the trip, I am saddened that there isn't a better fix to get the merchandise into people's hands quicker so that the lines can move faster. 4.5 hours to get some figures and a three keychains is a long damn wait in itself, much less with a small child. I can only imagine the stress the people that waited the 7-9 hours yesterday - just cannot fathom it.
5.) The Madness: When we were walking down the hall to the Store area, I saw a young man holding up one of the special edition figures. I asked him where he bought it and he said "I don't know." I asked him if he bought it in the store down the way here and he said "I don't know." I asked him if he thought we could buy some down this way and he shrugged his shoulders and said that I could buy this one for $50 and avoid the line "up that way." I took a moment to grab one of the people with the STAFF embroidered shirts and said whom should I report this gentleman to: Shortly after this I received a cool red "VOLUNTEER" T-shirt, and the man was escorted away. Chalk one up for the good guys. Consequently, I also learned that one of the exhibitors (the people that surely spent a shitload of cash to get placement in the exhibition room) was removed from the floor because they too were selling the figures at way over cost. This in general is something I hope they will police better next time.
posted by Mike Wilkerson - 2GuysTalking at 11:07 PM
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