Sunday, October 16, 2011

Watch those loose packs...

this is another semi-rant post, just so you are warned...

So Mrs Dawgbones and myself were in Target late last week, and I always stop by the card aisle for a few packs of cards, and to see what's new since Updates is now out. I chose a rack pack of Updates, two packs of 2010 Upper Deck Series 1 @ $1.59, and a single loose pack of 2011 Allen & Ginter, I'm not trying for the set of these, but there are a few cards I'd like to have out of this set (namely the Guy Fieri).

We are normally at the end of our shopping trip and my wife is usually checking out when I make my card selections.  I quickly make these picks and join her in line. we make our way home, unload the car, sit down to watch TV, eat dinner, an I go to open my cards.

First, the Ginter:  looks a little odd...
What the !@#$!!!
someone has already opened this pack and placed it back in the gravity feeder!! What absolute bullshit!! I've heard of pack searching, but opening them and then leaving them is 8 different kinds of wrong, covered in wrong sauce!! This is the worse kind of thief in my opinion, stealing stuff from stores is wrong, searching packs of cards for the inserts is debatably wrong, but opening the packs and putting them back is just.... There should be a special level of hell reserved just for people like this!

Now, I've no recourse but to accept the fact that I've been screwed by this jack-ass, with no real hopes at inserts or otherwise! Knowing full well that the fine folks at my local Target would say I opened the pack myself and I'm crying foul for not getting what I want out of it. (and absolutely no offense to them)

But I did get some cards out of this pack for my PCs so not all is totally lost:
Look at that, Mr. Helton wearing the #17 jersey for the Rockies, can't go wrong with Tonto (wanted that one) and the Floating Fortresses are way cool in my book as my chosen career is in Marine Design.

I just wanted to make my blogging friends and readers aware of this nasty little practice so that hopefully no one else is ripped off by someone like this in the future. I've come to expect no real inserts from my loose pack purchases of Ginter, but to have even a slim chance removed...

I've had a week to re-think this little episode, and it still PISSES me off every time I think of it, it would be 10 times worse if this had happened to some little kid, saving his allowance, scraping together what money he has to his name, for a chance to buy some packs of cards, looking for that next '52 Mantle, only to have that chance removed by some callous, careless, asshole like this!!

OK, rant over, I now return you to your normally scheduled posting.

Thanks for letting me rant,
Hope you have a GReat week!
Dawgbones

3 comments:

Robert said...

Rant duly noted, and agreed with...glad you at least got something worthy out of the pack

Collective Troll said...

Dude, Target is a magnet for pack searching assholes... It is a nationwide problem... I have been burned by this soooo many times and I never learn my lesson...
I generally attempt to place a complaint and I have ALWAYS been told that I am just upset because I didn't get what I wanted.
I always try and mention that I am glad that I was the one who got burned and not a kid saving their allowance (like you said)... Basically your rant was dead on and I think we have all been there and it generally a Target store that it takes place... I have seen plenty of "rip and return" packs in the feeder, but have never bought one. I get burned with bent cards. REALLY creased cards. It sucks... Anyway, GReat post... Packsearchers will burnn in HELL!!!!!!!

Ryan G said...

I haven't seen much of this, thankfully. I occasionally see them sitting scattered amongst the other packs, but not back in the feeder or box. I saw every pack of Obak opened at a Target recently, and not even as obvious as that. They managed to open the top to be able to slide the cards out or whatever while making it still seem sealed to the average quick observer.

I/we should bring these to the attention of managers every time we see them, even when we notice them before hand. It might make them more aware of what's going on and they might take a closer look (doubtful). Plus, it shows that you're truly looking out for the other collectors, not just complaining about getting some crappy cards. Am I wrong about thinking this way?