Lego store.... what they carry

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renedlb
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Lego store.... what they carry

Post by renedlb » Thu Jun 10, 2010 7:03 am

Hello all,

I have a friend going to CHicago and she has asked if I want anything??? Well I have never been to a lego store and really dont know what they carry.. SOOO my question is does the store carry different or a better variety than what you can get online??? Such as minifig heads, torsos, and stuff like that.

Thanks

Rene'

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legitimatealex
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Re: Lego store.... what they carry

Post by legitimatealex » Thu Jun 10, 2010 7:31 am

The one in Chicago carries pretty much everything that is online. It's a very large store compared to some other ones that you can find in malls. That said, what really differentiates LEGO stores from stores like Toys R Us is their pick a brick. For $15 dollars you can stuff a container full of whatever LEGO pieces they have in stock on their pick a brick wall. Depending on what they have stocked there on their pick a brick wall this is an amazing deal. You can haul a good 1000+ pieces if you go for the smaller LEGO pieces, like 1x1 circular studs.

There's also a deal that for $10 you can make 3 minifigures with whatever minifigure parts they have there to offer. This one is alright but its usually just city people.

They also carry a lot of items that Toys R Us doesn't carry, like DACTA sets, the road baseplates, those little children's toys that LEGO makes to accompany certain lines, etc. etc. You can also purchase the larger $100+ sets. Also shopping at the LEGO store racks up VIP points that you can redeem for discounts later :D

I hope this clears it up for you!
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vynsane
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Re: Lego store.... what they carry

Post by vynsane » Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:33 am

legitimatealex wrote:For $15 dollars you can stuff a container full of whatever LEGO pieces they have in stock on their pick a brick wall. Depending on what they have stocked there on their pick a brick wall this is an amazing deal. You can haul a good 1000+ pieces if you go for the smaller LEGO pieces, like 1x1 circular studs.
The selection ranges from store to store, and it's completely random what stores get from the headquarters. Sometimes it's all 2-by's or other large bricks, but sometimes you can really score a great deal of small parts - you can check out my topic "Pick a Brick is actually a good deal!" for more on that. There's also a smaller cup for $7.99, but I don't know too many people who go for that one. I've only seen the tall $14.99 cups in pics online.
There's also a deal that for $10 you can make 3 minifigures with whatever minifigure parts they have there to offer. This one is alright but its usually just city people.
As with the PaB wall, the selection is randomized. At the Raleigh store where I filled the PaB cup above, they had a lot of PIRATE themed pieces as well as TOWN/CITY pieces. Before that I had been to the Palisades Mall NY Store and the Roosevelt Field NY store, each having the same TOWN/CITY pieces. Maybe they're phasing in other themes.
They also carry a lot of items that Toys R Us doesn't carry, like DACTA sets, the road baseplates, those little children's toys that LEGO makes to accompany certain lines, etc. etc. You can also purchase the larger $100+ sets. Also shopping at the LEGO store racks up VIP points that you can redeem for discounts later
If you don't have a VIP card, I'd ask your friend to sign you up. It's worth it, especially now that you can garner/redeem points online and over the phone in addition to the stores. Aside from the PaB and Build-a-minifigure stations, the biggest thing that LEGO Stores have over other retailers are the LEGO exclusives, as 2legit2alex pointed out - The Taj Mahal set, the Emerald Knight train, etc... and the events. They have a monthly model build, LEGO Club meetings, building events and more. They're usually marked on the LEGO Store calendar, which you can get at a store on paper or at the website in PDF format.

The grand opening celebrations are rather huge deals sometimes, also, although it depends on the location. Where I live in the Hudson Valley of NY it probably wouldn't be too huge an event, the opening I went to on Long Island wasn't as huge as some I've seen online, but not a bust either, but the NYC store opening later this month as well as the one opening in Queens should be rather insane. They've scheduled the grand opening of the NYC store for the middle of the week as opposed to a weekend (as is standard procedure) because it will cut down on the crowds.
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renedlb
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Re: Lego store.... what they carry

Post by renedlb » Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:10 am

THanks all,

But does anyone have any pictures of the stuff.

I know sorry to ask, I am new to the whole LEGO stuff so not very bright.

Thanks again
Rene'

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vynsane
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Re: Lego store.... what they carry

Post by vynsane » Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:15 am

There are some pics of the interior of the Roosevelt Field store from the grand opening in my Flickr set - don't know what size the Chi-town store is, so YMMV. That said, the three I've been to have basically been the exact same layout.
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Re: Lego store.... what they carry

Post by legitimatealex » Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:21 pm

There are a number of videos on youtube of the Chicago store, mainly from building events. The Chicago store is definitely larger than a standard store and carries pretty much everything they sell online. Their pickabrick is also larger than usual. If you go to the LEGO site and look at the Chicago store they have some photos there as well I believe. I was just in Chicago today for a job interview but I was at Hyde Park, not downtown on Michigan Avenue. Shame : \ Only 57 blocks and I could have been there :P
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vynsane
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Re: Lego store.... what they carry

Post by vynsane » Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:24 pm

legitimatealex wrote:Only 57 blocks and I could have been there :P
HA! That's nothing to a NYer. ;)
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Re: Lego store.... what they carry

Post by legitimatealex » Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:42 pm

Yeah but the real trick would have been walking 57 blocks and back in 40 mins :D
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