No Discounts Policy on LEGO Exclusives & Hard to Find Items

[dr_spock]

Doesn't Lego make more money when you buy from them? I would think they would discount more of their sets. Back in 2008 or 2009, I remember the end of the year clearance at 50% off. you just don't see that anymore. What's up Lego?

Lego may not make more money if you buy from them. They still have to cover their fixed brick&mortar store costs--real estate, labour, etc. Amazon has an advantage that they don't have any physical store front presence. Lego could raise their wholesale price of exclusives so that the retailers don't have much room to discount without hurting their margins.

I remember those 50% sales. Got the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at year-end. Totally missed the VW Beetle by a minute or two. I guess Lego now sells desireable sets and don't have many duds like the Prince of Persia that needed to be deeply discounted to get out of their inventory. Either that or there are more people now not waiting for a 50% sale before buying Lego. I think the market has changed.

[kohmonster]

I received a "25% off any one item" coupon from a local mom & pop toy store. The coupon stated that some exclusions apply and to see store for details.

So I did.

Me: "What items are excluded from this coupon?"
Store: "Lego Mindstorms and gift cards". (They don't carry any other lego exclusives or hard to find items)
Me: "That's all? I can buy any other manufacturer's toy here and get 25% off?"
Store: "Yes, that's correct."
Me: "Take me to your most expensive item that isn't lego."

I don't blame the mom & pop shop, they've clearly been strong armed and are no match for Big Bad Brother Brick. What's unfortunate is that most people going in there will assume it's Mom & Pop that are holding back. Oh well, another lost sale for lego. I should really be thanking them for saving me all this money.

[vynsane]

Back in 2008 or 2009, I remember the end of the year clearance at 50% off. you just don't see that anymore. What's up Lego?

The answer to that is pretty easy, really, if you think about it: "Why would we want to clear stuff out at 50% off, when we can sell it at 100%?"

In this case, they're obviously trying to better predict the demand and meet it, rather than exceed it. That's just smart planning.

[Luciant]

People are blowing this waaay out of proportion... The exclusion is on exclusives only... We're talking about not even 5% of the items they sell, and people are going nuts. Plus it's not like there were many sales on these particular sets to begin with...

Are you REALLY that upset over losing out saving 10-20 bucks? If that small of an amount makes/breaks if you would buy the set anyway... Maybe you shouldn't be getting it anyway?

I think we've gotten way too spoiled by the deals in the past few years that we now expect (and some demand) a 25% discount otherwise "the big evil corporations are trying to fleece us.... Where are the pitchforks aimed at Apple and their iPads? Come on people... Be rationale

[Brick & Blue]

The point is that those coupons got us in the store, and if it's only $10-$20, then what is the lose for LEGO?

If LEGO can't lose $20, stop making the coupons.

[atmail35]

While I think it is lousy that I can't use the 10% off coupon on exclusives, I will continue to shop at the LEGO Store for many items...I like the shopping experience there

I like the bonus with purchase items. The VIP card allows you to save some money and in my mind I does not bother me if I get the discount later (vs immediately) as it's not like I won't be shopping there in the near future.

I'm not sure if my purchase level will stay the same, drop or increase. Most likely it will stay the same.

I wonder if the majority of the people using the coupons are parents, grandparents buying gifts for their kids and not AFOLs trying to find a deal. It may be that the number of people "bothered/upset" by this change is really quite low as compared to the overall population that is using the coupon.

[Deathleech]

I would think they would discount more of their sets. Back in 2008 or 2009, I remember the end of the year clearance at 50% off. you just don't see that anymore. What's up Lego?

Probably because smart shoppers just waited until the sets got discounted before buying them if they knew it was coming eventually. I know I almost never buy any Lego sets at full price because Amazon or even TRU will have a sale and I can get them for 20-30% under MSRP if I just wait a few months.

[SandyKC]

Hate that! We spend SO MUCH on Legos.. I agree with everyone saying it's a smart move on Lego's part and think it's unfortunate for the consumers. We do have our frequent shopper card for our local shop, so benefits will accrue, but it's always nice to spend less for any given set.

[alexb54]

I think the reason why this feels so unfair to a lot of us is because in the back of our mind, we already feel like Lego is grossly overpriced already. I love the products and the quality is at the top of the building bricks toy industry, but it makes me feel bad each time I make a large purchase because it feels unnatural to pay so much for plastic. Discounts allow us to feel just a little bit better about the purchase and can stomach it easier. I was also planning on using my first 10% coupon on the X-wing or Orthanc instore, but I ended up not purchasing them and instead getting that discounted Halloween set to use with my Haunted House that I purchased from Amazon when they had that great deal awhile back (and I only purchased it because of the discount). I really want the Orthanc but I don't know when I will get it now. This policy change is kind of a wakeup call for me to realize how much I have been spending and helps me to cut back now. Thanks Lego! Just my humble opinion. I love Lego :(.

[ninjagoyo]

So, yeah, I'm a sale shopper. My response to this policy is, I'm not buying any more exclusives. So instead of getting 70% of MSRP from me for Arkham or whatever, they are getting 0%. Smooth move, LEGO. Also, those 10% coupons were pretty much the only reason I ever went to retail LEGO stores... without them, I might go once a year. Whenever I go to a LEGO store, I end up spending more money. They lost that revenue also.
Then on Saturday they told me I couldn't get triple VIP points in-store, only online, after I drove 45 minutes to get there. If LEGO is trying to get less of my dollars, they are doing a great job.

[Brick & Blue]

So, yeah, I'm a sale shopper. My response to this policy is, I'm not buying any more exclusives. So instead of getting 70% of MSRP from me for Arkham or whatever, they are getting 0%. Smooth move, LEGO. Also, those 10% coupons were pretty much the only reason I ever went to retail LEGO stores... without them, I might go once a year. Whenever I go to a LEGO store, I end up spending more money. They lost that revenue also.
Then on Saturday they told me I couldn't get triple VIP points in-store, only online, after I drove 45 minutes to get there. If LEGO is trying to get less of my dollars, they are doing a great job.

I agree. The coupons got you to the store, where you probably take your kids and spend more money then they would lose at 10% off.

Why would I waste my time and money to put up with LEGO's horrible website or drive all the way to a store when I can get 98% of the sets they sell at Target, Amazon and TRU for so much cheaper?