TRU [USA] Toys R Us is now price matching "everything"

[JamesBenjamin]

http://www.rebelscum.com/story/front/To ... 147460.asp

So now if we carry the Lego catalog around with us, does that mean always paying retail at TRU? Will their BOGO 50% off sales stack with the price match?

I suppose we'll know soon enough, but paying retail is a start, I suppose.

[Mister Ed]

So now if we carry the Lego catalog around with us, does that mean always paying retail at TRU?

Guess that depends on what they consider a "valid competitor's ad". I'd bet they'll say that doesn't qualify. (In fact I'm pretty much CERTAIN it wouldn't qualify if you don't have a local LEGO Store, but I think it is likely they would disqualify it even if you did, since the catalog isn't an ad put out by said store.)

For my part this won't change anything. I ALWAYS prefer to buy from the store that actually HAS the lower price vs. the one that offers "price matching". I prefer to reward actual pricing policy rather than a store trying to have it both ways, overcharging those that don't compare pricing, and trying to poach some comparison shoppers through a PR gimmick.

[onions]

from my experience with these price matching deals, they'll match the price but it overrides any other discount or promotion. it's one or the other, not both.

[crazybirdman]

and you definitely want to check the 'participating locations' list, and any other fine print

[Mandalorian Candidat]

and you definitely want to check the 'participating locations' list, and any other fine print

True dat. It's only in selective stores. Not all TRUs will price match.

[kibosh]

For my part this won't change anything. I ALWAYS prefer to buy from the store that actually HAS the lower price vs. the one that offers "price matching". I prefer to reward actual pricing policy rather than a store trying to have it both ways, overcharging those that don't compare pricing, and trying to poach some comparison shoppers through a PR gimmick.

Agreed. Shopping at TRU is an absolute last resort for me. They totally gouge the unsuspecting public, and I will not reward them with my money.

Drives me crazy that my mom takes my kids there to buy Lego. I've told her numerous times about their huge markup, yet she keeps going there.

[ufjason]

Caveat Emptor. They don't gouge, they simply have a higher price than other retailers and do not follow the suggested retail price from Lego. Even Target has started to markup items in certain metro areas and have begun marking up items before applying clearance discounts. Unsuspecting public? Really? Anyone that doesn't price shop an item is a fool. You can call them the foolish public if you like. You are free to take your business elsewhere as you have stated.

Your mom is another story. When she thinks of a toy store where there's a great selection, there is only one, ToysRus. She doesn't think of Walmart, Target or other mass market retailers. They have toy departments but are not toy stores. They also don't carry nearly the entire line of Lego. People need to get over ToysRus' markups. They do what they need to survive as the last free standing toy store. They also have some decent sales that beat Walmart pricing and the rare Target sales. All of these points said, I only shop at TRU when they have a sale.

[Mister Ed]

Well, yeah, technically they can't price gouge, in the usual, legal definition of that term, because they aren't selling "necessary items" in a "period of emergency". Price gouging is generally jacking prices for things people NEED in a situation where they can't reasonably wait for a better deal or shop around.

But they do overcharge, as far as I'm concerned, which is why I DO take my business elsewhere. Their practices come closest to "price gouging" (which isn't very close at all) when they jack the prices on "exclusives" in areas that have no LEGO store for competition.

(And in my experience, Target DOES carry nearly the entire line of LEGO, barring exclusives. They don't keep them in stock for as long as TRU does, though.)

[deco_droid]

I don't know why I bother trying to help you TRU whiners get a clue, but if you would take a moment to sign up for their rewards program and/or use the TRU credit card for your monthly purchases, you would negate any extra markup as well as a bigger discount you will get at Walmart or Target, barring clearances.

I regularly pick up sets at 50-75% off there, but hey, by all means, keep whining and go pick through the crummy selection at Walmart if you so choose...

[Mister Ed]

Uh, huh, OK. I'm a little surprised that these magical giant discounts aren't heavily advertised on the sign up page for said credit card, which only mentions a 1% reward on purchases (and a whopping 10% discount on purchases the day you sign up, whoo-hoo!). The rewards program simply makes it 2% (4% if you use the credit card), but limits it to purchases at their overpriced store, so you don't come out ahead. I get a better reward rate than that on the credit cards I already have, thanks, without having to shop at an overpriced store. Shouldn't surprise me that TRU's card is as lame as their store, I guess.

By comparison, the Target RedCard give 5% off all Target purchases as you go (no need to accumulate a fixed number of points before getting a reward) without the jacked up prices to start with. And donates money to your local school.

(I don't have one of those either, but it seems more useful.)

For my part, not wanting to shop at TRU is more about not wanting to reward a store financially that has a regular practice of jacking up prices than it is about what kind of deal I might be able to wangle if I jump through enough hoops and wait for just the right moment...

[anakinisvader]

One thing I like about TRU is when they have the free LEGO builds like the Friends Lemonade stand. I took my daughter and got her some free LEGOs. She asked me if we could buy some of the Friends line and I told her that for the price that TRU charges, we could get almost twice as many somewhere else. I think an employee overheard me and gave me the "I agree look". I don't hold the employees responsible, its just a job to them. Every once and a while you can get a pretty good deal there but for the most part, my LEGO money is spent elsewhere. To each their own.

[onions]

I don't know why I bother trying to help you TRU whiners get a clue, but if you would take a moment to sign up for their rewards program and/or use the TRU credit card for your monthly purchases, you would negate any extra markup as well as a bigger discount you will get at Walmart or Target, barring clearances.

I regularly pick up sets at 50-75% off there, but hey, by all means, keep whining and go pick through the crummy selection at Walmart if you so choose...

do tell how you get 50-75% off at toys'r'us

[deco_droid]

Well, let's see -- just last month I got $60 worth of free Lego, so it's not all that difficult to buy sets at a nice discount. I usually only buy TRU exclusive sets or smaller sets there if you must know...

[Mister Ed]

Well, let's see -- just last month I got $60 worth of free Lego, so it's not all that difficult to buy sets at a nice discount. I usually only buy TRU exclusive sets or smaller sets there if you must know...

Wow. So you didn't have to spend any money to get that $60 of LEGO? How's that work?

Or are you counting the "rewards" you save up from spending LARGE amounts of money at TRU and elsewhere (at a rate of 1-4% depending on the specifics) as somehow adding up to massive discounts once you apply them to a single purchase? Because that's not terribly impressive, if so. If you have to spend $6000 to get $60 of "free" LEGO, that's nothing to crow about. If you have to spend $1500 at TRU (the best reward rate) to get that $60 of "free" LEGO, that's not too impressive, either, since the TRU markup on the other purchases MORE than negates the savings.

[Draykov]

You can't argue that TRU doesn't have great selection compared to places like Wal-Mart or Target. But even with the Rewards program, I find trying to actually catch a deal at TRU frustrating. Last time I actively used the Rewards program, certificates took forever to show up via snail-mail and often expired before I was compelled to try and use them. To add to that, unless I'm mistaken, the only way to earn Rewards is to use the TRU credit card (unlike the LEGO VIP Program). It's too tempting for me to run up my balance, so as a result, I tend not to shop there...kinda the opposite of the intended effect, I guess.

Not to mention the fact that whenever TRU has a sale (like a BOGO), the sets I'd most likely try to purchase would suddenly disappear from the site or store only to reappear once the sale ended. Either that or prices would suddenly be structured to make maximizing the BOGO difficult, negating the awesome selection.

I have a nostalgic soft-spot for Toys R Us. I'm glad there's still at least one dedicated toy store in the market. As far as their practices are concerned, when it's all said and done, they can run their business however they want...but LEGO isn't the only thing they mark up and those practices don't make me want to shop there. Other people must not feel that way, because they do seem to be surviving.

[onions]

Well, let's see -- just last month I got $60 worth of free Lego, so it's not all that difficult to buy sets at a nice discount. I usually only buy TRU exclusive sets or smaller sets there if you must know...

i still don't see an explanation.

this is borderline trolling.

[JamesBenjamin]

The only time I buy from TRU is when they do their BOGO sales, or if I have other coupons/rewards to use. Most recently I got 3 Jabba sets for the 2 for 1 this week at regular price (quick on the draw early sunday morning) then printed out my cart showing 3 skiff sets, then separately three $50 sets (hulk, mf frankenstien, blue creator house) and bought them pricematched at the 2 TRUs between work and home on monday or Tuesday. The website only lets you do each deal once.

I'm a fiend with deals on toys/lego, and I've never gotten as good a sale at TRU as DD posted.

[onions]

I'm a fiend with deals on toys/lego, and I've never gotten as good a sale at TRU as DD posted.

that's because the deals he posts are lies.

[Mister Ed]

You really think so? I was just assuming that he was referring to getting enough "reward" certificates to pay for 75% of a purchase, and calling that a 75% off deal.

[onions]

even with the rewards certificates, they make it hard to spend those. say you get $10 dollars in certificates, you can only spend half of it during one pre-determined period, and the other half the following period so you can't stack the coupons. to spend $60 in certificates in one go, you'd need to have earned $120 in certificates since you can only apply half of them during any given period.