darkSpyro

So I've been reading this forum for along time and never created an account but love all the info I get from y'all! But what happened today at toys r us I had to make an account and share my horror story. So when I saw the HTA from TRU I was so excited to get there early and grab a ninjini. I was surprised how many other people showed up as well I didn't think the game was this popular in the small town in which I reside in. Well they open the doors after a long wait and me and about 16 other people rush to the skylander isle to find they didn't have any on the shelf. So we asked the manager and she stated they didn't know anything about ninjini and would check into it. Well their shipment was mixed up and delayed so they told us all to check back later. Well I called every hour (and I must not have been the only one because they said they have been getting calls all day) for them to say just check back tomorrow. Well thur came and went with the same result. Well finally I called first thing this morning as soon as they opened and they said yes it came in last night and we got six in. Well I was less than five minutes away I figured I would be first in line. I arrived and ran to the skylanders to find a woman standing there upset. She asked me you looking for ninjini as well? I said yes mam she said were out of luck they don't have any. So I saw a stocker come by and I asked him he said yea I just put 6 out but they are all gone! At that time another employee walked up and said hey if they are looking for the new skylander they need to talk to the manager. I was thinking great he's got them in the back and we got one! So we both waited on the manager and he walked up and said sorry we sold out but I bought 4 last night and plan to sell them on eBay. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! He said yea I follow all the HTA and pick them up so I can sell them. Now I'm all for someone making a quick buck however if you only get 6 of a hot item you shouldn't be allowed to buy 4 of them! So he then told us if we are interested he would sell them to us for $50. I laughed and walked out disgusted at what I heard! I then picked up the phone and called corporate which replied I don't know what to tell you they can buy anything they want just like you! I am so disgusted and won't be doing business at a TRU ever again!
Ill just have to wait till walmart or GameStop gets nijini in to get one.
Thanks for all the great info y'all contribute and hope to be a constant contributor but hopefully under better circumstances from now on!

That is lame. I would call/email the head office.

thats pretty crap dude should have swung for him i would have

Can't say I'm surprised, but it took testicular fortitude on behalf of the manager to flat out admit what he did. It took testicles the size of Texas to add insult to injury to ask you if you wanted to pay over 3x store price for them. There was no "mix up" he simply kept it for himself, is what it sounds like...sorry but your post comes across hastily.

He simply doesn't belong in that position.

Quote: cupraR300

thats pretty crap dude should have swung for him i would have

And end up in jail for assault? Nah, there are vaaayyysss....like removing him from his position.

The sad this is a lot of companies do have a policy that will terminate employees for this sort of thing. If you buy something with your employee discount and resell it for profit, you can find yourself without a job if you are caught. I wish I knew if TRU had that same policy. I know where I work does.

Yea he actually had someone at his truck when I was leaving and I guess he made a deal because the person handed him something and I watched him walk away with a ninjini I still can't believe what happened today.

Bigmawnkey where are you from?

I'm in Louisiana.

Call corporate and ask to speak to the chief compliance officer.

A report to the district manager is the correct course of action. They don't like that kind of thing, especially soliciting in the store to customers. I think it is cool to pull one out for yourself, but four to scalp - not so much. But, given that he flat out said it he must either feel pretty secure in his position, thinks he can just deny it or doesn't give a crap. He is a moron if he bought them with his store discount, that is nothing but evidence.

They can buy what they want, but soliciting to customers in the store is grounds for dismissal. That's the angle you want to use.

You do that kind of thing at Wal-Mart and you get the

There has got to be a store policy against doing that. After all, who would goto the store if everyone knew the hot toys were just scalped by the employees.

Its all on you how far you wanna take it, but I would be hounding corporate to report that guy. My guess is you got someone on the phone who didn't care and wasn't going to bother connecting you with the correct person.

Should have just punched the manager in the face.

I'd think he'd be fired just for selling them on company time alone. :/ I've never had any issues with TRU's here [MI] but I'm sure it depends on the workers as with any store. But yeah, I'd have his name ready in hand & be contacting as high up as I could. That's just criminal.

Quote: UncleBob

Should have just punched the manager in the face.

I would've side-kicked him into the Skylanders Display if that was a variant.

Scalping like a boss!

Quote: Matteomax

Quote: UncleBob

Should have just punched the manager in the face.

I would've side-kicked him into the Skylanders Display if that was a variant.

I would have bought a $50 variant!

Quote: pokemonblack100

Quote: Matteomax

Quote: UncleBob

Should have just punched the manager in the face.

I would've side-kicked him into the Skylanders Display if that was a variant.

I would have bought a $50 variant!

If he wanted more than $50, say, $100.

Dear OP: your story must have been very frustrating, and I hope the chance to vent here gave you at least some peace of mind.

Having lived in Louisiana in the past, I can absolutely confirm that businesses, both big and small, in that part of the country get away with all kinds of corruption, and "good 'ol boy" white collar crime. And while that store manager didn't do anything illegal, I highly doubt that such behavior is condoned by his regional supervisors. I wouldn't blame you if you just wanted to wash your hands of the fiasco, but if you're committed, I would absolutely report his ass right up the chain of command within Toys R Us, and if you're persistent, eventually someone in their corporate-level management will hear you out, and when they do, I would not shocked if the manager gets canned.

Businesses that depend on repeat customers (like Toys R Us) absolutely can not afford that type of example being set by a store manager. This situation is something that the BBB would be interested in hearing about, too, if you want to go that route. Hope things work out for you; you'll have the support of the forums here, for sure.

Quote: UncleBob

Should have just punched the manager in the face.

Uhhh... woulden't recommend that. With jail time and all...

But back on topic, there HAS to be some sort of rules against that. It kinda ticks me off that he pulled that crap. There are people you can call to report things like this, and you should. That guy should be fired, or at the least demoted. Selling on company time is a big no-no. And Scalping doesn't help either. Hopefully you can make this right.

I actually just spoke to a friend/Toys 'R' Us employee about this today. She told me they have to sign paperwork, that states they are NOT allowed to sell anything on eBay that is sold within the store (even if they purchased it "elsewhere"). She said that she would be fired if she were to disobey. That person should be removed from the manger position....a manager should care about a "satisfied" customer...not his own personal gain on a disappointed customer (or child, for that matter!!). Good luck with your quest...I was able to snag ONE, my store got 18, and used a ticket reservation system....I was number 8!

Quote: Postalgoddess

I actually just spoke to a friend/Toys 'R' Us employee about this today. She told me they have to sign paperwork, that states they are NOT allowed to sell anything on eBay that is sold within the store (even if they purchased it "elsewhere"). She said that she would be fired if she were to disobey. That person should be removed from the manger position....a manager should care about a "satisfied" customer...not his own personal gain on a disappointed customer (or child, for that matter!!). Good luck with your quest...I was able to snag ONE, my store got 18, and used a ticket reservation system....I was number 8!

I don't understand stores who didn't use the ticket system/limit one per customer. Not that it would have helped this situation.

Well I called back and explained that an employee on the clock, in uniform, bought a hot item from the store then tried to sell them for more than the store price to customers in the store. I got a lot more attention than the first time I called. They got the address of the store and said they would investigate immediately and gave me a ticket number to call and check on the status of the concern. Now I don't know what that means and but at least they will look into it. I definitely don't want anyone to loose their job but I'd like this to be taken care of and not happen again. But on a good note my molten hot dog came in today!

The guy should have thought about his job before doing that. If he gets fired, it is his own fault.

I'm liking TRU less and less.

great big but I would really want him to loose his job people like that are scum

Quote: Bigmawnkey

Well I called back and explained that an employee on the clock, in uniform, bought a hot item from the store then tried to sell them for more than the store price to customers in the store. I got a lot more attention than the first time I called. They got the address of the store and said they would investigate immediately and gave me a ticket number to call and check on the status of the concern. Now I don't know what that means and but at least they will look into it. I definitely don't want anyone to loose their job but I'd like this to be taken care of and not happen again. But on a good note my molten hot dog came in today!

Yeah, the manager buying stuff isn't going to set off alarms. The manager setting up his own little side business selling stock for a personal profit inside the store, big time alarms.

This is sad as I recently bought a few figures at a TRU (The 2 being 2 Wham-Shells, but the main reason I bought 2 was 1 for myself for playing and 1 for my Aunt's Grandson as she's been desperately trying to find one, so I did her a favor and got one for her to give to her Grandson)

Quote: cupraR300

thats pretty crap dude should have swung for him i would have

Over... a... toy?

These stories I keep seeing on here are unbelievable. Biggest lesson I've learned so far is NEVER take my kid with me to one of these things. It's just for the better. The disappointment of not getting a toy is very probable. I can't even begin to know exactly how I'd handle something like this story or the one where the scalper waved a Ninjini in front of a kid's face taunting him. I could imagine myself doing something like this:

"Yeah, I really want one, how much do you want for it? Ok. Sounds good. I'll take it. Let me see it"...then my grabbing the toy out of his hand, throwing it on the ground and stomping it into a million pieces right in front of his face-which would inevitably lead to something worse occurring I'm sure (IE fistfight etc).

So yeah, that assures me that I don't want my kid around for this kind of stuff. Matter of fact, I probably don't want ME around for this kind of stuff. Granted, I think these situations are very, very much the exception rather than the norm and I'm truly sorry for anyone that has to deal with this garbage.

And I agree with the sentiment of "it's just a toy" in the end. Better to just let it go. Easier said than done, though, I'm sure.

If he offered it to you IN STORE its simple.
Agree.

Take it from him and pretend to take out cash, don't, RUN to the till and try to pay for it. DO NOT LEAVE THE STORE OR PASS THE TILL. Stop and get it scanned ASAP.

The thing to do is get other store employees involved quick sharp, especially at the checkout. Because then it's up to HIM to explain why HE was handing it to you if it wasn't stock.
It's up to him to explain why he bought FOUR.

It's up to him to explain why he offered to sell it to you for more than retail.

If any fuss is kicked up DEMAND they call the police.

Simply tell the police you took a item that is sold in store from a store employee and tried to pay for it at the till, the store employee tried to demand money for letting you have stock.

If ANY doubt is cast, demand the police check out the security footage. It will show a staff member giving you an item from the back that you looked for on the shelf and you trying to go to a till and pay.

This guy is a total jerk, basically stealing from children. There is scum, and they look down on this guy.

You should totally buy something and fill out the online survey.

Quote: Skylanders Dad

These stories I keep seeing on here are unbelievable. Biggest lesson I've learned so far is NEVER take my kid with me to one of these things. It's just for the better. The disappointment of not getting a toy is very probable. I can't even begin to know exactly how I'd handle something like this story or the one where the scalper waved a Ninjini in front of a kid's face taunting him. I could imagine myself doing something like this:

"Yeah, I really want one, how much do you want for it? Ok. Sounds good. I'll take it. Let me see it"...then my grabbing the toy out of his hand, throwing it on the ground and stomping it into a million pieces right in front of his face-which would inevitably lead to something worse occurring I'm sure (IE fistfight etc).

So yeah, that assures me that I don't want my kid around for this kind of stuff. Matter of fact, I probably don't want ME around for this kind of stuff. Granted, I think these situations are very, very much the exception rather than the norm and I'm truly sorry for anyone that has to deal with this garbage.

And I agree with the sentiment of "it's just a toy" in the end. Better to just let it go. Easier said than done, though, I'm sure.

Absolutely true, and I hate this part of it. I'd love for my son to be able to enjoy finding them with me. The day I took him to pick up Dragon's Peak was great, he was so surprised (My TRU had reserved them with names on them since they couldn't be sold on 3/21 and they had told people they could be). But it simply isn't worth the potential problems. And since I often have to get them at the crack of dawn on school days, I'm definitely not interfering with that. School is far more important, I'm lucky my job is flexible in hours or else this hobby would be near impossible to sustain.

Quote: Secretsof2113

The sad this is a lot of companies do have a policy that will terminate employees for this sort of thing. If you buy something with your employee discount and resell it for profit, you can find yourself without a job if you are caught. I wish I knew if TRU had that same policy. I know where I work does.

TRU does. I was warned at least a dozen times during my orientation. I've read that you'll be terminated for reselling, and I've also read its okay if you don't use your employee discount. I honestly don't know which is true or if its one of those "Its only illegal if you're caught" sort of things.