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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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