Subject:
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Re: Yes, it is so...
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Sun, 11 Aug 2002 17:27:44 GMT
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Viewed:
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761 times
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In lugnet.general, Kirby Warden writes:
> First off, I'm going to be curteous and leave this in lugnet.general; that
> way, anyone not interested in other groups, don't have to see it.
>
> Secondly, I'm setting the followups to .debate in case any lugneters decide
> to rage against each other.
>
> If anyone responds, and believes their response should have followups to a
> specific group, feel free to set your own followups. If you don't know how,
> just ask and someone will explain it.
>
> Now, with all that said; I am happy to say; yes, it is so...
Unfortunately, yes.
> Lego has branched off into several licenses and about a dozen themes while
> discontinuing the original space, town, and castle lines. The prices have
> gone up and the competition is more tempting than ever. The greatest recent
> success for Lego is Bionicle.
>
> Lego Direct is an experiment. So long as it does well, it will continue to
> progress. This progression will probably slowly occur after careful
> examination of quarterly and annual sales results. Quite simply, Lego is
> not going to bend over backward just so Lego Direct can pander to a bunch of
> whining, impatient adults who constantly criticize todays attention
> deficient youth and their buying habits.
Too many adults think today's youth lack the attention span to build like the
AFOL community, and I think this is a great misconception. I've seen some
really great stuff out there built by kids, so I would like to dismiss these
perceptions. I'm a kid, and do you think I lack to attention to build
something great? No, the only thing I lack is money, and that is no real
cause to complain. I'm just hoping this progression will lead to something
great in the future, and I apologize to anyone who thought I was an overly
impatient
person, just voicing my opinion, anything wrong with that?
>
> Classic all-engrossing themes and many subthemes are done and gone. I wish
> I hadn't missed most of them, but I did. But you know what? I really like
> what I see on the shelves. I often walk down the Lego isle and study the
> pieces shown on the boxes. The more I study, the more I realize I would
> like to have sets that I never thought I'd be interested in. Is that a
> problem? Sure, if you're on a limited budget like myself, or if you only
> purchase sets to build once then place on a shelf forever.
Hmm, well it definitely differs from person to person, and I can't have
much word on that, but don't you think it's a bit odd when all you see on
the shelves are soccer sets, town jr, jack stone, bionicle and countless
copies of Harry Potters Final Challenge? Maybe it's my Local TRU, because they
always have a brackish selection, but I go there at least every three months
and it's always the same thing. (although I find the occasional Star Wars set,
but those Cloud Cars are always out of stock!)
> Lego had a couple of really bad years back-to-back. I'm sure they're still
> getting their bearings readjusted. What happend? Some would blame
> juniorization, while others would blame Insectoids and UFO. The point,
> however, is that Lego had no means of recouping the losses of poor selling,
> all-inclusive themes...like Space or Town Jr. Every new theme or subtheme
> is an experiment; it either hits or misses. If it hits...GREAT!! everyone's
> happy! However, if it misses...the company has to make sure that other
> themes will support the loss. The entertainment industry is reknown for
> this. One great selling album will pay for the loss of dozens of failures.
> The same goes for publishing and movies as well. Maybe Lego was behind on
> this trend when they felt those not-to-distant financial blows, but now
> they've got it right.
Yeah, I remember those dark years of LoM, Insectiods and (gasp!) Town Jr,
but thank god most of that is over (for all of our sakes.) It shouldn't take
that long for lego to recover from these losses (since bionicle is selling
so well),
maybe a few more risks such testing these products in a limited national run
would work.
> A sure-fire hit like Bionicle will surely pay for any loss garnered through
> sub-themes like Alpha Team or Extreme Island or Galidor. So what if some
> people are displeased with a few of the themes...there's plenty to choose
> from. And just in case someone can't find what they like in their hometown,
> there's always Lego.com and their Shop at Home or Lego Direct options.
> Retailers WILL NOT carry every availabe set, nor the entirety of all the
> themes they do carry. If you miss it on the shelf, shame on you. If your
> retailer never ordered it, shame on them, but at least you can still go
> online to find what you want. If you are such a recluse that online
> shopping is beneath you, then you have no call to complain about retail
> selections. Lego has little control over retailers. If you're in financial
> slump and just can't afford to buy what your retailer has, then at least you
> have a chance later on down the road to grab it online.
Like I said before, If lego were to test some new themes on the market, I'm
sure Bionicle will act more as to stymie these losses, so that wouldn't be
bad at all. Definitely seeing Historical Recreation kits on sale and Harry
Potter
expansion accessory packs would definitely bring the sales back up. (after
all, who wouldn't want to but several packs of those. Kids would be drawn to
expand their current collection of HP sets with an idea pamphlet or insert,
and get hooked on the whole concept.
> Bulk parts won't move throgh retail. If that's what you're dying to get
> your hands on, just wait. And if it feels as though you've waited too long,
> then wait some more. Lego is in the process of "catching up" to the current
> market, the bulk parts are comming because there is a market for it.
> Remember, Lego had some very bad losses recently and for their own reasons,
> they would rather focus on expanding the product line.
Sometimes I wonder why Lego has so few specialty shops. I know there are
some in california and near the legoland parks, but why not open several
nationally? Is that just too expensive, or just unfeasable?
> I get dissapointed when I can't purchase all the sets I need to get parts in
> specific colors that I want. But that's the challenge isn't it?...to build
> with what you have? I find that the most challenging models I have built
> were the ones where I used colors that I have in limited supply. They are
> also the models I am most proud of.
Yeah, the challage is fun, but it's really bad when you can't find the set
you want with the part you want in it. Online ordering is usually a hassle
because my parents hate using the credit card, so the only way I can get my
lego is through retail or ebay (in which last minute sniping is
commonplace). Perhaps you know how I feel now.
<<_Matt Hein_>>
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Yes, it is so...
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| First off, I'm going to be curteous and leave this in lugnet.general; that way, anyone not interested in other groups, don't have to see it. Secondly, I'm setting the followups to .debate in case any lugneters decide to rage against each other. If (...) (22 years ago, 11-Aug-02, to lugnet.general)
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