Pack Searching Solution??

joestalin

Since the companies are (for the moment) oblivious
I left this also over on the beckett board. LMK what you all think

to retail buyers concerns I suggest this:

A retail card machine!!!

All the packs are put into the machine just like cokes are. No one can see the packs, you only see a picture of the
front of the pack and back, so you can read odds and the such. There is a place where you put in cash or coins and even a
place where you can buy with a credit card. No more searched packs, everyone gets a shot even the guy who buys
the last pack.

Ive often wondered why dealers don't do this. Heck the cards could even come already randomly mixed in a tube and
all you do is stick the tube in the machine and you are ready to vend.

If all this didn't work at least maybe a slimy greasy pack searcher might get his hand stuck up it
and we could all take turns hacking him out with an axe!

LMK how this sounds!

JS

pandrews

<< <i>maybe a slimy greasy pack searcher might get his hand stuck up it
and we could all take turns hacking him out with an axe!

LMK how this sounds!

JS >>



sounds great..

pandrews

seriously, i like your idea for a "pack" vending machine in places like Target and Wal-Mart..

funlover1974

When I lived in Fayetteville Arkansas a few years back the Wal-Marts up there were experimenting with vending machines. I saw one the other day that had packs of Yu-Gi-Oh cards in them.

Stone193

I have seen these around a few years ago - packs could get messed up in the delivery tho.



Mike

pandrews

Mike, i can picture those packs falling on their corners.. =(

WinPitcher

maybe they could fall on a pillow

helionaut

If card companies really wanted to prevent pack searchery, they would sell them in boxes, not paper, like the 1993 Flair set. A rigid container would eliminate about 90% of the techniques the "experts" use. Being smarter about making cards with bulges and placement within the pack would take care of the other 10%. The machine is pretty good, but the drop, even onto a pillow, could ding a corner of every card in the pack. A more sophisticated machine that maybe let the pack slide down a chute would be better. But the problem is with the retailer, not the manufacturer. All they have to do is put them under employee control. At Wal-mart you have to ask at a counter for cigarettes, and the cards are right next to the smokes on the other side of the counter (at elast at some of them).

ChrisStufflestreet

Let me toss this into the mix...

What about the card store employee/owner who searches the packs before they go into the machine? I guess the customers can eventually figure it out, but not before dropping a bunch of $$$ first.

Just a theory...

phreakydancin

<< <i>At Wal-mart you have to ask at a counter for cigarettes, and the cards are right next to the smokes on the other side of the counter (at elast at some of them). >>

Or even better, how about selling sealed boxes only? Seriously, does anyone here (besides the pack searchers) go into a mass-market retail chain-store and purchase a single pack of cards?

Stone193

<< <i>Or even better, how about selling sealed boxes only? Seriously, does anyone here (besides the pack searchers) go into a mass-market retail chain-store and purchase a single pack of cards? >>


Phreaky
Good point. But, I was frequenting my local target - a mom said to the young boy - you got 7$ to spend - so you can either buy two 3$ packz or three 2$ packz - carries me back to 1990 when my son would go to the local card shop with 2$ in hand and took about an hour to select what he wanted.
These kids are our future IMO. And they are not always going to have the revenue to purchase sealed retailz at 20$ minimum. Also, there is not a local card shop close at hand like in the 90z and the only place left for the children is Walmart, Kmart, Target etc.
So, I would like to see the little leaguer protected from the searcherz who would eliminate any chance of the child having the amazing experience of pulling an auto card e.g.
Mike

phreakydancin

You mean there are card collectors under 20?

Stone193

<< <i>You mean there are card collectors under 20? >>

joestalin

Speaking of kids, I was at my local card shop and there was a boy probably around 13 buying a few
packs of baskteball....he had birthday money. He was watching me throw my money down the drain on
fleer ultra football (long story), and he opened up one pack of 04 basketball..and what does he pull....
Dwayne Wade auto redemption!!! Probabaly the best card in the whole set. Well the dealer pipes
up with "Ill give you 20 in store credit for it"....I chimed in right away with...."you should keep it"

Dealers are always trying to make a buck, ripping off kids is NOT the way to do it. Dealers who search packs
never get my business again, and I spread the word too.

I like the machines, and the inserts that you put into the machine would be un-searchable. That would
solve everything.

The sad part is, Wal mart and Kmart and target don't care about cards. It isn't part of their store. Beckett comes
in now and sets up, cleans up and takes inventory. Ive been in some stores where it is obvious that the store
doesn't even care that people rip stuff open....it looks like a tornado went through there. I would be willing
to bet that the profit margins on retail packs are so high that the companies really only need to sell maybe
5 packs to break even, everything after that is extra....I mean fleer's 1:900 auto odds on greats is a perfect
example. Hobby packs have become such a HUGE cash cow that retail waste (and there is a lot), just isn't
important! More stuff for those 19.99 multi packs!

JS

Stone193

<< <i>"....I chimed in right away with...."you should keep it" >>


Kevin
Good for you!
I remember talking about this months ago - I had a long conversation with the current contractor for Target storez - he comes around on a regular basis and cleans the shelves and takes stock in what is going on - the store actually getz the product and stocks the shelves - he only orderz based on the volume at the particular store - he told me it is store policy to open all boxes of retail so that a box is not accidentally sold for one pack - it is a big contract and they're duty bound to listen to what Target wantz - when sales dropped, they made the company take stock off the shelves for return - I'm thinking the vendor is Excel right now. Walmart was contracted by Treat corp. a while back - don't know who has the contract now. And as Kevin has stated, they could care less about the buyer and their needs with respect to sportscardz - in fact I think it is probably an annoyance.
Mike

Vargha

Since when did plural words all end with the letter "z"?

pandrews

<< <i>Since when did plural words all end with the letter "z"? >>



David,
have you been living in a cave? you need to catch up with society, you're lagging behind.

inFluX

The jackass who has the job of re-stocking the machines will probably pack search before putting them in the machine.

Stone193

<< <i>Since when did plural words all end with the letter "z"? >>


Thank you David
That meanz at least one person read what I had to say....

Cubfan

Another way to get rid of this is to eliminate the lottery mentality of card sets these days and just go back to printing regular sets.

dtkk49a

The premium packs should be boxed, like the old Flair packs back in 93 or 94. Remember them ?
The card makers need to address this. They lose money in the long run because allt of people
don't buy single packs anymore.