 | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| "Mark Sandlin" <sandlin@nwlink.com> wrote in message news:B6231630.61E7%s...ink.com... (...) and (...) This paragraph REALLY worries me: Mega Bloks® is a worldwide leader in building blocks with sales in over 100 countries. The MEGA BLOKS® system (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Why does that worry you? If a competitor is able to manufacture a product that receives praise, and that product is still less popular than the leading brand, I'd think the leading brand would be elated. Alternatively, if MegaBloks keeps (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| "Dave Schuler" <orrex@excite.com> wrote in message news:G3B6BE.MDq@lugnet.com... (...) product (...) I'm worried that MegaBloks appears to be gaining ground on LEGO. As you point out later on - juniorization is going to be one of those causes. (...) (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) A world without TLC frightens me. And it frightens me that the company may be in trouble. Not grave trouble. Not yet. But maybe in a few years. IMO, the new catalog indicates a slight shift in the right direction, but not by much. Megabloks is (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) I believe that LEGO can maintain its lead by continuing to design high-quality building sets which appeal to progressively larger market segments, but that the ultimate winner will not be the one who designs and sells the best sets. The leader (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands) !
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| "Todd Lehman" <lehman@javanet.com> wrote in message news:G3BFL3.2u5@lugnet.com... [mega snippage] (...) else (...) name, (...) head-to-head (...) helps (...) the (...) Good thoughts. Though I wouldn't break down into an examination of the MegaBloks (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Only if they lower their prices to the point where people feel they are getting a good deal. There are very few bulk packs I feel are a truly good deal (train windows/doors ARE a good deal). The plain brick prices, frankly, SUCK. And if TLC (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Whoa, yah! You said it!!!! 400-pc. Classic Colors Builders Pack: Red, Blue, Yellow, White, Black (been there, done that, but still cool) 400-pc. Drab Colors Builders Pack: Dark Green, Dark Brown, Dark Gray, Light Gray, Tan 400-pc. Exotic (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) I'm not sure that bulk or by-the-brick type purchasing will ever be that large a segment of the market. I strongly suspect that unless something happens to change our culture, that the in-store purchase of sets will be the the bulk of the (...) (24 years ago, 31-Oct-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) I am guessing that Trans-Chartreuse is the color used on blacktron II? (...) sounds good but you forgot my all time favorite color, trans orange. (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Nope, that would be Trans-Neon Green, aka Trans-Antifreeze or Trans-Yellow green. -dead (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) ^^^^^^^ (...) ^^^^^^ (...) Are you agreeing or disagreeing? I was making predictions about gross profits, not gross revenues. (...) Hasn't this already begun to happen? 5-10 years down the road is anyone's guess, and I'm not holding my breath (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Yes. According to M-W online, the color chartreuse is "a variable color averaging a brilliant yellow green." It describes the LEGO color perfectly! (...) My favorite name for it (I think Jeff Thompson coined it?) is "Alien Vomit." :-) --Todd (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| Basically TLC has 2 goals that several of you are paraphrasing. 1. Gaining market share through superior product. One way to gain market share is by introducing potential long term customers to your product. Does that mean get the kids at an earlier (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Wow, for some reason I always thought Chartreuse was a red or pink color. Oh well...now I know! (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) I still prefer Trans-Antifreeze. Oh well ;-) -Tim (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Alvin Toffler fantasized about the total customization of mass production in the 70s ("Future Shock" and so on.) Fifteen years later, Dell was held up as proof of the concept. Ten years after that, Dell hasn't changed, and nobody is ordering (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| I think MegaBloks have wonderful designs, limited by their brick quality. I hope they buy out TLG and use the high-quality molds for better purposes! I am completely convinced that the only reason the Star Wars sets are any good is that there is a (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) If they were able to make a product up to the quality standards of Lego, I'd love to see them succeed. Unfortunately, their bricks simply don't stick together right. (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Maybe "Earth Tones"? "Drab" doesn't exactly have a great marketing ring... (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) FWIW, oed2 sez: chartreuse chartreuse Sartrö+-z. Fr.; fem. of Chartreux: see next and Charterhouse. 1. A liqueur made by the monks of La Grande-Chartreuse (the head monastery of the Carthusians, near Grenoble), with aromatic herbs and brandy. (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Doesn't seem to be their current method: it's more like "grasping for market share by making simple, disposable sets with the promise of instant play value thereby completely missing the core competency of the product". (...) Well, that at (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| Hi, I think that TLC faces problems in several fronts with respect to their sales and marketing in the future. 1)AFOLs vs Target Audience-By targetting the 12 and under group and designing sets based on what these groups may want Lego in turn is (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| Todd Lehman wrote: If TLC were my toy company.... First, I would do the obvious and offer as many kinds of bricks in bulk online as I could. That's a no-brainer. After all, you can't build imagination without the hardware;-) Second, I would (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.trains)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Exactly! (...) As I stated these are 2 "goals". I didn't mean to imply they had reached either of these, and these might not even be in their current buisness model. Daniel (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) -- (...) than (...) Ah, one advantage of living in an apartment complex is that the carrier shows up in his truck, which generally seems to hold plenty of packages. What is also usually a benefit is that if I'm not there to sign for a package, (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Perhaps you were thinking of cerise? Maggie C. (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Can we all start referring to "Dark Gray" as "Dishwater"? eric (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) That's the perennial complaint against MegaBloks. I used to dig in my heels and deny it, but looking back at products of years past, I have to admit grudgingly that their earlier products didn't stick together consistently or well. Some bricks (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Viability of Bulk sales (was Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?)
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| (...) <snip> (...) <snip yet more> I thought I'd throw some anecdotal data in: I called to place a large Lego order on Monday. About 18 different set #s. Almost all of the new Bulk packs, the train packs, and the castle expander pack were (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Toffler's example was a little different from the Dell incarnation, though, and not just in the nature of the product. The manufacturing of spoons piece-by-piece to be different from one's neighbors entails a manipulation of each item in (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
| | | | | Re: Viability of Bulk sales (was Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?)
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| (...) I would say that it only *appears* to be at glacial speed, because we don't see everything that's going into it. The sudden appearance of rarer colors in bulk pack ordering reflects what was probably an immediate move to follow on-line (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| Great topic. And many of us train heads have thought of this is several very similar ways. Some even doing it (train guild, MOC sales...) But to even partially realize a spin off there would need to be at least a million upfront. Run the numbers on (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.trains)
| | | | | Re: Viability of Bulk sales (was Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?)
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| (...) Nope. I have not ordered anything yet from the latest releases. Yet. ++Lar (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| "Dave Schuler" <orrex@excite.com> wrote in message news:G3Csxo.IFK@lugnet.com... (...) a (...) the (...) the (...) Yes, this is a very real threat to their market sovereignty. But do we *want* it to happen? Answer that for yourself. I'm loyal to the (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Viability of Bulk sales (was Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?)
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| (...) No one has been able to order the new bulk items and not have them backordered. I think it's because we aren't supposed to know about them yet. James James Brown's Parts Sale: (URL) parts, averaging $0.10 per piece. (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Not at all. I thought 100 new parts would be plenty. Maybe 50 new each year. Child's play. -John (...) Alllllrighty now, Stevo's in for a mil-- any others? -John (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.trains)
| | | | | Re: Viability of Bulk sales (was Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?)
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| (...) Then they shouldn't have sent out their holiday catalogs yet... Dave! (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) But it's "Bard" backwards! ;-) "Earth Tones" sounds a lot better! :-) --Todd (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) I certainly don't want MegaBloks to take over the whole market, but I just as certainly don't mind their presence in it, if only as a warning against complacency. In addition, my brand loyalty (or anyone else's) shouldn't be taken for granted, (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) I can't speak for Dave!, but "I" am of this mindset. As long as the product is quality 99% of the time, I don't care who wins this struggle for marketshare. But more to the point -- why should the average consumer care? And I assure you that (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| [Trimmed ng list lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands] (...) Heck, if Dave isn't clear, I will be: I'm a consumer. I will go with the best product. The company does not matter. My personal feelings are with TLC -- I want them to be, and remain, the best. (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| "Dave Schuler" <orrex@excite.com> wrote in message news:G3D163.K3D@lugnet.com... (...) just (...) be (...) have (...) I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. I'm certainly loyal to the brand - but if it comes to the point I'll only be loyal to (...) (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| I don't know what YOU eat, but MY dishwater doesn't end up Lego dark grey ;-) (...) -- | Tom Stangl, Technical Support Netscape Communications Corp | Please do not associate my personal views with my employer (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Yep, the good ol' technical marvel that fell apart. I gotcha ;-) -Tim (24 years ago, 1-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) snip... Sort of like those tall Mega Blok buckets on sale for $8 at Shopko? I like those tall buckets, and some of those colors. The lids with their studs are also useful. IMO, Ritvik is trying harder to make customers happy than TLC. If they (...) (24 years ago, 2-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands, lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Wow, right on. Except for the hope Ritvik buys out TLC, I totally agree. (...) I have to smile, because I thought of Mega Bloks the first time I saw the Statue of Liberty. Not only did the color remind me of Mega Bloks, but so was the abundant (...) (24 years ago, 2-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands, lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) I am diffently in always wanted to be an inventor of legos. :) (kai in michigan) (...) (24 years ago, 2-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.trains)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| Hi Dave, I remember reading an article about Dell in the 80s, and it was that reporter that cited Toffler as the visionary on customization of mass production. I don't recall Toffler even mentioning computers. And the spoon example is telling--the (...) (24 years ago, 2-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Heh! That's a good point about free time. Every week there are reports about the rising trend of mandatory overtime on Dateline, 20/20, and the like. I'll come clean as well--I haven't read Toffler in a few years either. I remember, though, (...) (24 years ago, 2-Nov-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| With respect to the discussion of Lego vs Mega Bloks, one parallel that springs to mind is Apple Macintosh vs Wintel PC's. Apple hardware has long been characterized as a good quality product that is overpriced when compared to functionally similar (...) (24 years ago, 2-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) He's not wacking hard enough...seen the POOPS in the new shuttle? (24 years ago, 2-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) Whatever TLC are doing, they are obviously basing it on a 'More Sales; policy by following proven lines (quick-fix excitement for kids with the Juniorisation to compete with lesser quality ready-made toys). Yes, this sells right now, but when (...) (24 years ago, 4-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) a (...) (with (...) According to shoppinglist.com, TRU will have the blue tubs on sale for $16.99 November 5 through November 22, 2000. I just found shoppinglist.com yesterday, so I don't know how reliable the info is. I hope it turns out to (...) (24 years ago, 4-Nov-00, to lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| Tom Stangl wrote: snip... (...) When are the blue tubs supposed to end? I recently found more that had a production date of September 2000. Doesn't seem like they're being discontinued here in Wisconsin. This is not a complaint. :) Mark (24 years ago, 5-Nov-00, to lugnet.lego.direct)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| (...) of (...) LEGO (...) are! True, many AFOLs are buying Lego on-line but they are probably a group well-suited to e-tailing. Why? AFOLs will usually know exactly what they want to buy -- they know they want Lego, they know they want certain (...) (24 years ago, 6-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| In lugnet.general, Kerry Raymond writes: (snip) (...) My first bulk purchase was in 1986 or so, and was from the UK. Sampsonite here had a crummy selection!. I got, IIRC, 25 quid worth of lego, including the (brand new) double acting pnumatics, and (...) (24 years ago, 6-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
| | | | | Re: Are you paying attention, LEGO?
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| Yep, my first bulk purchase was in the late 70s, so I was around 10 at the time. I still have a couple of accessory packs from that purchase, still unopened ;-) (...) -- Tom Stangl ***(URL) Visual FAQ home ***(URL) Bay Area DSMs (24 years ago, 6-Nov-00, to lugnet.general, lugnet.lego.direct, lugnet.dear-lego, lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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