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I was at the Woodfield IL LEGO store this weekend, and I saw something I'd never
seen before. A Pick-A-Brick Tub!
It was a Green Tub. Same width and length, but half the height of the standard
Lego rubermaid style tub pictured here:
http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=5482&cn=306
It was priced at $99.99. Which seems to me to be a great deal. The sign said
it holds aproximately 12 cups worth of bricks and thus saves you about 55 bucks
or so. I wasn't tempted, since the selection was not great, but had I been at
the Northbrook Store (which always seems to have a great selection) as I was the
week before, I might well have taken the tub and filled it with dark red. It
might take all day, but if you took the time to stack, you could possibly fit
thousands of bricks in one of these.
Anyone had any experiences with these?
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Karl Paulsen wrote:
> I was at the Woodfield IL LEGO store this weekend, and I saw something I'd never
> seen before. A Pick-A-Brick Tub!
>
> It was a Green Tub. Same width and length, but half the height of the standard
> Lego rubermaid style tub pictured here:
>
> http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=5482&cn=306
>
> It was priced at $99.99. Which seems to me to be a great deal. The sign said
> it holds aproximately 12 cups worth of bricks and thus saves you about 55 bucks
> or so. I wasn't tempted, since the selection was not great, but had I been at
> the Northbrook Store (which always seems to have a great selection) as I was the
> week before, I might well have taken the tub and filled it with dark red. It
> might take all day, but if you took the time to stack, you could possibly fit
> thousands of bricks in one of these.
>
> Anyone had any experiences with these?
I am aware of the new PAB green tubs, but like most I am waiting for a better
selection of PAB. I was told that for those of us who are "good at packing the
cups" will make out like bandits with the new tubs. The new tubs are available
at the Potomac Mills LEGO outlet and the Tyson's Corner store as well.
Clifton
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Clifton D. Chambers wrote:
> In lugnet.market.shopping, Karl Paulsen wrote:
> > Anyone had any experiences with these?
>
> I am aware of the new PAB green tubs, but like most I am waiting for a better
> selection of PAB. I was told that for those of us who are "good at packing the
> cups" will make out like bandits with the new tubs. The new tubs are available
> at the Potomac Mills LEGO outlet and the Tyson's Corner store as well.
Not having the luxury of being at many pick-a-bricks in my lifetime.... I may be mistaken... BUT I was under the impression that "packing" or "stacking" cups was forbidden. Do they not have some signs in that regard? Or was that just an indulging-too-much-at-a-fest hallucination? Or is this just something staff overlooks? Im all for "when in Rome"... I just don't want to get publicly spanked, for something like Lego insatiability.
Janey "Rules+me=broken, Red Brick"
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In lugnet.market.shopping, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
> I just don't want to get publicly spanked, for something like Lego insatiability.
Grrrs@Lugnet
I am willing to take that spanking for replying to my own post.
Can someone correct the long term glitch in the formatting so the "thing" that
happened with my last post never strikes again?
Janey "Trying to kill the geek within, Red Brick"
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In lugnet.market.shopping, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
> In lugnet.market.shopping, Clifton D. Chambers wrote:
> > In lugnet.market.shopping, Karl Paulsen wrote:
>
> > > Anyone had any experiences with these?
> >
> > I am aware of the new PAB green tubs, but like most I am waiting for a better
> > selection of PAB. I was told that for those of us who are "good at packing the
> > cups" will make out like bandits with the new tubs. The new tubs are available
> > at the Potomac Mills LEGO outlet and the Tyson's Corner store as well.
>
> Not having the luxury of being at many pick-a-bricks in my lifetime.... I may be mistaken... BUT I was under the impression that "packing" or "stacking" cups was forbidden. Do they not have some signs in that regard? Or was that just an indulging-too-much-at-a-fest hallucination? Or is this just something staff overlooks? Im all for "when in Rome"... I just don't want to get publicly spanked, for something like Lego insatiability.
It sounds as though they *do* frown on it:
http://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=200739
specifically (as BrickLink forum posts fade away after six months):
"...Today we raided the Glendale
Ca. Lego store. My wife is unhappy with the
manager there. We spent an hour and a half in
the unpleasantly warm store stacking,
clicking, packing, compacting, and cramming.
Probably got 12-15 pounds of brand new Lego
for $100. Needless to say, the manager was
not pleased that we spent all that money there
in her store, and showed several other
families how to get the most for their money."
Maggie C. (who also lacks the luxury of living near a PAB)
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In lugnet.admin.suggestions, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
> I am willing to take that spanking for replying to my own post.
*** SPANK ***
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In lugnet.admin.suggestions, Ross Crawford wrote:
> In lugnet.admin.suggestions, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
> > I am willing to take that spanking for replying to my own post.
>
> *** SPANK ***
OMG(oodness) in today's episode of "How the Lugnet Turns", the character of Troy
will be played by Rosco. Tune in next week, when we solve the glitches in
formatting and world peace.
Janey "Rather Purple, Red Brick"
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Maggie Cambron wrote:
> It sounds as though they *do* frown on it:
>
> http://www.bricklink.com/message.asp?ID=200739
> Maggie C. (who also lacks the luxury of living near a PAB)
In probably varies from store to store, and with the individual situation. I was
in Denver not too long ago, and stopped at the Lego store. Three PAB cups in two
visits- nobody cared that I was taking my time. I didn't stack the parts, I
wasn't buying ordinary bricks- but I did a lot of tapping and filling. Topped
off each cup to fill the stud in the lid. And none of the lids would snap on and
stay, but all three were close (they had a big roll of tape at the register, I
guess it's a common situation).
As always, good manners and polite enthusiasm go a long way. I spent some time
telling the teens that worked there how lucky they were and how I'd like to be
in their place.
Tim
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In lugnet.market.shopping, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Clifton D. Chambers wrote:
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Karl Paulsen wrote:
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Anyone had any experiences with these?
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I am aware of the new PAB green tubs, but like most I am waiting for a better
selection of PAB. I was told that for those of us who are “good at packing
the cups” will make out like bandits with the new tubs. The new tubs are
available at the Potomac Mills LEGO outlet and the Tyson’s Corner store as
well.
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Not having the luxury of being at many pick-a-bricks in my lifetime.... I may
be mistaken... BUT I was under the impression that “packing” or “stacking”
cups was forbidden. Do they not have some signs in that regard? Or was that
just an indulging-too-much-at-a-fest hallucination? Or is this just something
staff overlooks? Im all for “when in Rome”... I just don’t want to get
publicly spanked, for something like Lego insatiability.
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Janey, you live too close the the only store I know of that does frown on PAB
stacking: http://www.bricksandblocksoutlet.com/ They post a no-stacking
policy above their PAB tree:
At least it was there when I last visited the store 3 years ago:
http://news.lugnet.com/market/shopping/?n=11693
For Brand Retail PAB, the rule about the lid snapping into place depends on who
is on duty that day. The managers are definitly more picky about what is
allowable. I have seen some cups where the lid did not touch the cup and it was
concidered acceptable. Sometimes I put the lid on so it did snap and was told
it was not full yet by certain staff. Other staff will tell you to take parts
out until the lid does snap. It helps to go in on a regular basis and get to
know the staff and get to know who lets you get away with the most. This is
from experience of living within 30 minutes of 3 brand retail stores and
traveling across country to visit over a dozen more. Unfortunately, I now live
over 4 hours from the closest PAB.
Orlando, Florida does not have the tubs or I would have filled at least one of
those this weekend. The lady in charge of the PAB wall did not even know they
existed the first time I went in.
Doug
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Timothy P. Smith wrote:
> In probably varies from store to store, and with the individual situation. I
> was in Denver not too long ago, and stopped at the Lego store. Three PAB
> cups in two visits- nobody cared that I was taking my time. I didn't stack
> the parts, I wasn't buying ordinary bricks- but I did a lot of tapping and
> filling. Topped off each cup to fill the stud in the lid. And none of the
> lids would snap on and stay, but all three were close (they had a big roll
> of tape at the register, I guess it's a common situation).
The one time I've bought from PAB, I did manage to get both cups (one of each
size) shut to where the lids would stay snapped in place, even after going so
far as to stack a small pile in the center to fill the stud. They taped both of
them shut anyways. My guess is that they're concerned about the customers
possibly dropping them on the way out of the store/mall. Those lids will not
stay attached when dropped with a full load, and a large cup will probably send
parts flying over a few dozen square feet minimum.
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Doug Eaton wrote:
LOL, Doug, wow, that sure does look familiar... you may have solved the mystery
of why I thought that was a rule. Silly me, right in my own back yard too.
Janey “Red Brick”
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In lugnet.admin.suggestions, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
> In lugnet.market.shopping, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
>
> > I just don't want to get publicly spanked, for something like Lego insatiability.
>
>
>
> Grrrs@Lugnet
> I am willing to take that spanking for replying to my own post.
(snip)
Perks! @ spankings.
wow - talk like that could almost make you pass out.
now where did i put that strap?
Dont ever forget i can me MORE crass, and even though I am without internet, i
DO have ways to go on line. lets hope this library dont have net nanny. You're a
bad girl and will need to be spanked.... (for those lugnet transgressions of
course.)
Sir.
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In lugnet.market.shopping, David Laswell wrote:
> The one time I've bought from PAB, I did manage to get both cups (one of each
> size) shut to where the lids would stay snapped in place, even after going so
> far as to stack a small pile in the center to fill the stud. They taped both of
> them shut anyways. My guess is that they're concerned about the customers
> possibly dropping them on the way out of the store/mall. Those lids will not
> stay attached when dropped with a full load, and a large cup will probably send
> parts flying over a few dozen square feet minimum.
I had a large cup fall to the ground while the employee was taping it shut.
Yes, the pieces flew everywhere. Fortunately, they didn't make me pack the cup
again... :)
-Bryan
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Doug Eaton wrote:
> For Brand Retail PAB, the rule about the lid snapping into place
> depends on who is on duty that day. The managers are definitly more
> picky about what is allowable. I have seen some cups where the lid
> did not touch the cup and it was concidered acceptable. Sometimes I
> put the lid on so it did snap and was told it was not full yet by
> certain staff. Other staff will tell you to take parts out until the
> lid does snap. It helps to go in on a regular basis and get to know
> the staff and get to know who lets you get away with the most. This
> is from experience of living within 30 minutes of 3 brand retail
> stores and traveling across country to visit over a dozen more.
> Unfortunately, I now live over 4 hours from the closest PAB.
Not sure if it's changed recently, but at our brand retail store in Portland
Oregon, the manager won't let you out of the store if your PAB cup lid
touches the rim of the cup, let alone snaps shut! Well, he's not quite that
millitant, but he's told people to go back to the wall and add a few more
pieces. He'll also demonstrate how to BUILD something to fill the stud in
the lid. The guidline seems to be that about a pinky's width gap or so
between lid and rim of cup is acceptable. Oh, and if your cup starts leaking
pieces, they've often quickly taped the loose pieces in or otherwise made
sure you didn't loose any of your hard won LEGO.
They will usually pack your cup in a small bag, and tape that shut, to make
sure nothing leaks out when the lid invariably comes loose.
Frank
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Frank Filz wrote:
> Not sure if it's changed recently, but at our brand retail store in Portland
> Oregon, the manager won't let you out of the store if your PAB cup lid
> touches the rim of the cup,
>
> Frank
Wow! I'll be stopping by the Portland store on my vacation this summer, and I
will be glad of that service. Here in Chicago they don't insist on filling, but
they never object to stacking. My tops rarely close completely, and no one ever
says anything. They just smile and tape it shut.
I've even had employees tell me after packing a couple cups that if I pour the
cups into a bag and leave the cups behind they will give me 15% off!
Perhaps the No-Stack rule is something that only non-LEGO brand stores do?
All in all, nothing but positive experiences from the staff at Chicago area LEGO
stores.
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In lugnet.market.shopping, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
> Not having the luxury of being at many pick-a-bricks in my lifetime.... I may be mistaken... BUT I was under the impression that "packing" or "stacking" cups was forbidden. Do they not have some signs in that regard? Or was that just an indulging-too-much-at-a-fest hallucination? Or is this just something staff overlooks? Im all for "when in Rome"... I just don't want to get publicly spanked, for something like Lego insatiability.
all the stores I've been to (the Chicago, IL and Ontario, CA stores, as well as
the Downtown Disney store in Anaheim, CA) have allowed (or even encouraged)
stacking. I imagine it depends a bit on who is working the cash registers, or
what the individual store's manager says, and perhaps how busy the PAB area of
the store is, but I've never had any problems.
The tub sounds cool.. I haven't seen it yet (at Ontario, CA). But I don't think
I've ever seen a PAB selection which would justify it. (It would be great for
people who want to sell parts online, I imagine.)
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Frank Filz wrote:
> Doug Eaton wrote:
> > For Brand Retail PAB, the rule about the lid snapping into place
> > depends on who is on duty that day. The managers are definitly more
> > picky about what is allowable. I have seen some cups where the lid
> > did not touch the cup and it was concidered acceptable.
- snip -
> Not sure if it's changed recently, but at our brand retail store in Portland
> Oregon, the manager won't let you out of the store if your PAB cup lid
> touches the rim of the cup, let alone snaps shut!
Yesterday I bought a green PAB tub from the Portland store, and having seen this
thread, decided to do a pseudo-scientific process of it. So I kept track of how
long it took to pack and then tested to see the volume, count, price per brick,
and so on.
TIME TO PACK: 2.5 hours (with some help from Bob Kojima, who's got lightning
fingers; without his help, add another hour)
WEIGHT OF FINISHED TUB: 9 lbs, 9 oz.
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS: 29
NUMBER OF PIECES: 3,005
NUMBER OF TINY PIECES: 1,101
PRICE PAID: $69.95 (received 30% discount for helping out during the "Build a
Batman" event that weekend)
PRICE PER PIECE (TOTAL): 2.3 cents
PRICE PER PIECE (Less Tiny Pieces): 3.7 cents
PRICE PER PIECE AT FULL PRICE: 3.3 cents
The tub was packed pretty tight, not a lot of air or rattling when finished. The
low depressions around the outside were filled with plate + tile, evening out
the bottom, and several blocks of brick were constructed and fitted together.
Once there were no more large holes left, the remainder was filled with tiny
pieces, specifically bley headlight bricks and white 1x2 tiles. Finally, a top
piece was built out of 4x8 dark tan plates to really make it a snug fit.
They had one rule: the handles MUST snap shut. There was some bowing in the
middle of the lid, but it did shut. The plate top piece held all the tiny pieces
in. It was loaded like a catapult - if I'd dropped it, that thing would've
exploded like a fat man at an all you can eat buffet.[1] One hint: The handles
are hollow, you can get some brick in there - I didn't think of that until I got
home.
After unpacking, it took up about 25% more volume than the optimized brick when
packed. I counted the pieces and did a quickie cup count by LOOSELY scooping
brick into a PAB cup and seeing how many unoptimized cups it filled. Without any
optimization, it filled 14 & 4/5th heaping cups.
Brickshelf folder after moderation:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=257601
Here are the piece counts for what I crammed into the tub:
(32x) 4x3 black slope
(103x) 2x2 light orange brick
(8x) 2x2 blue brick
(101x) 4x8 dark tan plate
(177x) 1x2 yellow brick
(56x) 1x4 dark green brick with studs on one side
(109x) 1x2 red brick with bar
(264x) 1x2 dark green brick with horizontal/vertical grooves
(1x) 2x8 dark bley plate
(88x) 1x6 dark bley brick
(3x) 2x4 white plate
(2x) 2x4 blue plate
(1x) 2x6 white plate
(6x) 2x8 red plate
(2x) 4x10 dark red brick
(1x) sand blue plate
(44x) 1x1 white brick
(34x) 2x6 green brick
(4x) 2x2 tan 1/3 curved brick with 2 studs
(96x) 1x4 green brick
(74x) 1x4 yellow brick
(92x) 1x4 orange brick
(70x) 2x2 red tile
(39x) 2x2 yellow tile
(142x) 2x4 white brick
(67x) 2x4 red brick
(188x) 2x8 dark red slope
(519x) 1x1 bley headlight brick
(582) 1x2 white tile
I enjoy packing PAB boxes... I'm in it for the hunt more than the actual feast
on the prize. I also like sorting, which explains how I counted it then messed
it all up again, only to have to sort once more.
Even though the PAB wall wasn't the best I've seen (sorry, Tom) it was a fun
experience. Apparently I was the third one they'd sold the tub to. If the wall
has what you want, and you have the time + patience to optimize, I'd say it's a
very good deal.
- Kelly
[1] I can say that because I go to buffets all the time, and I'm not exactly
skinny these days.
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Here's my experience with a PAB tub at the Bellevue, WA store:
Time to pack: 2.75 hours. This included chatting with Neil, Gordon, Soren, and
Jon Tatman (because it's not a real visit to the Bellevue store if you don't run
into Jon there. . .).
My tub was not completely full. The opaque lid made it hard for me to figure
out what else I could fit in. Also, I completely forgot to fill in the handles.
Tub (with bulging center):
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tgarriso/Misc/PABTub/1.jpg
Layers:
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tgarriso/Misc/PABTub/3.jpg
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tgarriso/Misc/PABTub/4.jpg
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tgarriso/Misc/PABTub/5.jpg
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/tgarriso/Misc/PABTub/6.jpg
Contents:
(I should note that the Bellevue store currently has very little in Tan or Gray
brick (only 1x4 MdStone Brick), although there are many DkTan, OldGray, and
MdStone plates. I was looking at measuring the capacity of the tub in bricks so
I went primarily with Green bricks.)
31 DkGreen Brick 1 x 6
42 Green Brick 4 x 6
54 Green Plate 4 x 4
155 Green Brick 2 x 2 Round
956 Green Brick 2 x 2
64 White Slope 33 3 x 3
189 OldGray Slope 33 3 x 4
12 DkRed Brick 2 x 3
144 MdStone Brick 1 x 4
393 Green Brick 2 x 4
115 Green Brick 1 x 4
and a little less than a large cup worth of 1x4 Green tile, 1x2 DkStone tile,
and 1x1 TrYellow round plates.
Now, the interesting part: I bought lots of slopes. I also bought a stack of
32 1x4s that I used to fill out the slope section of the tub. If I take out the
slopes and the 32 1x4s, by my measurements that should be leave 31x18x4
stud^2-bricks worth of brick space. I will also assume that my 2x2 rounds,
which were all on one level and hence avoided the "orange stacking" effect, were
equivalent to 2x2 squares. Adding it all together, a tub has a capacity of
approximately 11,994 stud^2-bricks. If I count all the plates and tiles as
free, this results in a shelf price of about $0.00834/stud^2-brick, or (after
the drunken sailors in Olympia get their pound of flesh) $0.00916/stud^2-brick.
TWS Garrison
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In lugnet.market.shopping, C. L. GunningCook wrote:
> .. was under the impression that "packing" or "stacking" cups was forbidden. Do they not have some signs in that regard? Or was that just an indulging-too-much-at-a-fest hallucination? Or is this just something staff overlooks? Im all for "when in Rome"... I just don't want to get publicly spanked, for something like Lego insatiability.
About two years ago TLC ran an article in a in-house publication marveling at
how we all manage to get upwards of 165 2x4 bricks in a large cup and reviewing
various customer efforts to get the maximum.
-Ted
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Both of you spent almost three hours filling your green tubs. Then, to be able
to actually use the pieces you carefully packed, you had to disassemble them all
once you got them home.
Being cost effective means considering not just the money, but the time and
effort. I really don't think your three hours was worth it.
I've been to two BrickFests and never tried the PAB wall while there. I have
purchased exactly one large cup from the PAB wall in the Mall of America. That
time I remember thinking to myself, "Boy, I'll bet I could fit a lot more parts
in here if I pack it carefully," but I also realized it would take way too much
time.
I have a question: is getting parts from a PAB wall more cost effective than
buying them from PAB online? You can order as many as you want online, and it
certainly is convenient -- especially for me because I don't live near a LEGO
store.
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Jordan Bradford wrote:
> Both of you spent almost three hours filling your green tubs. Then, to be able
> to actually use the pieces you carefully packed, you had to disassemble them all
> once you got them home.
>
> Being cost effective means considering not just the money, but the time and
> effort. I really don't think your three hours was worth it.
That's only true if they were spending their time dealing with the PaB tubs when
they would have otherwise been performing work that had monetary value.
If they would have spent the time sitting on their butts watching TV, then
they've lost nothing, and the value of the tubs remains.
Moral of the story - PaB is for weekenders.
--Tony
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Jordan Bradford wrote:
> Being cost effective means considering not just the money, but the time and
> effort. I really don't think your three hours was worth it.
This got me to thinking, so I ran some numbers (note that math is not my strong
point, and I estimated a lot).
A 2x4 brick at the online PAB is $0.16. Adding 3 sets of 999 (for close to the
3,000 parts that someone quoted) 2x4 bricks shows me a total of about $480, plus
$25 for shipping. Total order, $505.
Assuming I can fit the same number of bricks in a tub for $110 (to cover tax),
it seems like a pretty good deal. Then figure labor time. At $8 an hour for
three hours, I've got another $24. Then there is driving time. My nearest PAB
is three hours away, so I'd have six hours of driving time, again figured at $8
an hour. Now I'm up to $182. It also take me two tanks of gas to get to the
store and back. About $30 each. The additional $60 brings me up to $242.
It still looks like a pretty good deal, even with my really really rough
estimated numbers. Plus, I'd get a handy storage tub.
Of course, I don't have the patience to pack bricks for three hours. I can't
even pack a small PAB cup without beginning to lose my mind.
-Elroy
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Jordan Bradford wrote:
> Being cost effective means considering not just the money, but the time and
> effort. I really don't think your three hours was worth it.
It's all part of the hobby. I would agree with the watching TV example. "Free
time" shouldn't figure into a cost equasion. If you are looking a brick dealer,
and that's your livelyhood...maybe.
> I've been to two BrickFests and never tried the PAB wall while there. I have
> purchased exactly one large cup from the PAB wall in the Mall of America. That
> time I remember thinking to myself, "Boy, I'll bet I could fit a lot more parts
> in here if I pack it carefully," but I also realized it would take way too much
> time.
For some folks, myself included, the discovery and "hunt" for what might appear
on the PAB wall is part of the fun, along with packing the cups, especially when
you live close to LEGO stores. Clearly not everyone feels this way.
> I have a question: is getting parts from a PAB wall more cost effective than
> buying them from PAB online?
No. I can't think of very many pieces at PAB online that would be cheaper to
purchase online than in a well packed tub or cup. Maybe some of the larger
pieces: BURPs, baseplates, etc.
Depending on the piece, some are cheaper at bricklink than PAB online, and visa
versa, but in my experience, a well packed store PAB cup or tub of uncommon
parts (i.e. stuff that isn't cheap on Bricklink or in stock LEGO tubs) is still
the best deal outside of resale shops.
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In lugnet.market.shopping, Jordan Bradford wrote:
> Both of you spent almost three hours filling your green tubs. Then, to be able
> to actually use the pieces you carefully packed, you had to disassemble them all
> once you got them home.
>
> Being cost effective means considering not just the money, but the time and
> effort. I really don't think your three hours was worth it.
For me, part of the "fun" of LEGO is the socialization aspect. I know all the
LEGO Store employees by name, and they know me... we like to BS and throw
insults back and forth. The environment is fun. I get to say "thanks" when
people walk up to my display in the community window and ooh-n-ahh. There's the
ambiance of just being around so much brick. And so on.
So for me, packing a cup or tub is a social occasion. Last time, I got to stand
with my friend Bob Kojima for a while and chat while he helped me. It was also
fun flinging barbs (and receiving them) with the store manager as he bustled
around. I realize packing or unpacking probably isn't the most enjoyable aspect
of the hobby for some (most?) people, but I get a cathartic sense of well-being
while clicking bricks into a cup. And later, when unpacking, I usually stand at
my table while the TV blares reruns of Mythbusters or something. Sometimes my
kids help, making it a family experience.
Last but not least is the feeling that I've earned sweat equity on my brick. By
expending some elbow grease doing something I like to do anyway, I got a deal
(and the tub, well-packed, is quite a deal). For me, it's win-win. Same for the
store... I'm easy money for them. And my enthusiasm and dropping hints to other
customers has more than once caused them to fill their own cups, or buy an
Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide, or so on. So what the store may "lose" on my
cups runneth over, they often regain in different ways. The manager and I agree
it's a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Although I don't feel my time is wasted, even figuring the time spent (3 hours)
multiplied by my hourly pay, it's still only about half what I'd pay through
online PAB. Since I live less than a mile from the store, transportation costs
are negligable.
In short - I feel it's well worth my leisure time to stand for three hours
packing a tub. Or for an hour packing a cup. I realize this activity isn't for
everyone, but I enjoy it a lot.
- Kelly
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