Civil or not?

[TheCivilCollector]

So, I've been looking EVERYWHERE for a Tranformers '08 Concept Bumblebee for a LOOOONNNGGG time....

The other day I was in a Target looking again. Found nothing in the toy aisle except some older movie deluxes. I went to look around in the videogame section of the store and saw something interesting-

An older guy (40-ish) was pushing around a cart that held around 20 Hot Wheels, two of the Movie "Arcee" repaints, and..... an '08 Bumblebee. He was (in my mind) CLEARLY a scalper. I kind of tailed him for awhile, and when he left his cart to look at some DVDs, I snatched the Bumblebee right out of his cart and went right to the register.

So, am I a total jerk in doing this? Feel a little guilty about it, but less so when I see the 'Bee sitting on my shelf.

[stillakid]

So, I've been looking EVERYWHERE for a Tranformers '08 Concept Bumblebee for a LOOOONNNGGG time....

The other day I was in a Target looking again. Found nothing in the toy aisle except some older movie deluxes. I went to look around in the videogame section of the store and saw something interesting-

An older guy (40-ish) was pushing around a cart that held around 20 Hot Wheels, two of the Movie "Arcee" repaints, and..... an '08 Bumblebee. He was (in my mind) CLEARLY a scalper. I kind of tailed him for awhile, and when he left his cart to look at some DVDs, I snatched the Bumblebee right out of his cart and went right to the register.

So, am I a total jerk in doing this? Feel a little guilty about it, but less so when I see the 'Bee sitting on my shelf.

No, F that guy. He undoubtedly already snagged a number of those toys before and will get more later. One won't kill him. Don't feel guilty. People who take advantage of others for profit are scum and don't deserve any respect. If you see him again, please feel free to shop from his cart as he should likely get a real job anyway. Only next time, leave a note telling him what a piece of sh** he is and let him know that he should get a real job. Leave a note in his cart that makes him feel like the biggest failure on the face of the planet that he needs to make a living scalping toys from kids who just want to play with toys.

Don't feel guilty. Do it again until that scumbucket stops "shopping" at that store.

[Luuuuuuke]

An older guy (40-ish) was pushing around a cart that held around 20 Hot Wheels, two of the Movie "Arcee" repaints, and..... an '08 Bumblebee. He was (in my mind) CLEARLY a scalper. I kind of tailed him for awhile, and when he left his cart to look at some DVDs, I snatched the Bumblebee right out of his cart and went right to the register.

So, am I a total jerk in doing this? Feel a little guilty about it, but less so when I see the 'Bee sitting on my shelf.

If he was a scalper, I wouldn't feel guilty. Besides, he's probably cleared stores of countless figures. He got what he deserved.

One thing though: You said he was clearly a scalper. Why? That sounds like the shopping cart of a lot of people on this forum(probably with the exception of the Hot Wheels). A lot of people here buy a variety of toys: Transformers, Star Wars, Cars. On a good day for some collectors here, their cart could make them look like a scalper.

That's my only caveat. Then again, after doing this for so long, you develop a Sixth Sense for Scalpers.

[Tycho]

First off, smoothe-move!

Now, I would not have done this myself.

He could have been a toy COLLECTOR who gets Hot Wheels for himself. Were there some duplicates, they might've been for buddies. You don't know for sure.

The same thing goes with the Arcees.

BumbleBee '08 is a natural purchase of course.

I might have done what you'd done only if I'd seen this particular guy shopping the way you described him at least a second time - such as like the infamous Dirty Sanchez or Headphones guys oft-mentioned in the LA forum.

But when a new version of a Clone Trooper was released back in the old days (I'm done now, as is Sal for the most part), you would have seen a guy like myself or JediMasterSal with an armfull of every Clone a store got in, and instantly thought "scalper." I would have shared some clones if you'd asked or I could sense you wanted some, but otherwise, I'd get out of that store with my loot as quickly as I could in hopes of being all done with my shopping - or as close as I could get to it.

So you just don't ever really know.

[TheCivilCollector]

Yeah, truthfully I feel like a *bit* of a jerk about it, but the other side of the coin- He had alot of the same Hotwheels, and multiple Arcees, so that what made up my mind that he was scalperific. I'm sure if there were more '08 'Bees on the shelf, he'd have had those, too.

First time I've ever done something like this, and likely the last.

[BountyHunterScum]

You sound more like a modern day "outlaw" enjoy the adrenaline rush.
If you see him again totally deny everything. Absolute denial works, plan it out in your head first that way if the situation arises you've already burned it into your mind that you know nothing about something that went missing out of his cart. I wouldn't broadcast it too much because the dumb**** probably comes here. The ***hole probably did have several of them anyway. I'd probably get a second one to open if the chance came my way.

[stillakid]

Yeah, truthfully I feel like a *bit* of a jerk about it, but the other side of the coin- He had alot of the same Hotwheels, and multiple Arcees, so that what made up my mind that he was scalperific. I'm sure if there were more '08 'Bees on the shelf, he'd have had those, too.

First time I've ever done something like this, and likely the last.

Please dont' let it be the last. FU** those guys. When he looked in his cart he probably was angry that someone "stole" from him. Well, it's about time he felt some of that same emotion that most of us feel when we see losers like that try to profit off of other people.

F them and the piece of s*** car they drove to TRU in. And leave a note with a phone number for the nearest job placement service. And Please, don't feel any remorse. He was just going to resell that toy for more than he bought it for in order to make a profit to fund his porn obsession.

[JetsAndHeels]

I think you did the right thing.

I remember in 99 at the midnight opening of TRU for EP1 toys, some jerk came by my buggy and grabbed my program that they had given everyone as they came in. That ****ed me off to no end, so when he wasnt looking I grabbed about 10 that he had in a stack.

[Kidhuman]

I think you need to change your name tosometing other than the Civil Collector.

I would have done it and have done it in the past. The only thing besides scalping I could be tinking of is Christmas Presents. He could have multiple sons,nephews,or maybe even donating them(hence multiples of the same thing).

[DarthBrandon]

Please dont' let it be the last. FU** those guys. When he looked in his cart he probably was angry that someone "stole" from him. Well, it's about time he felt some of that same emotion that most of us feel when we see losers like that try to profit off of other people.

F them and the piece of s*** car they drove to TRU in. And leave a note with a phone number for the nearest job placement service. And Please, don't feel any remorse. He was just going to resell that toy for more than he bought it for in order to make a profit to fund his porn obsession.

Um, how does one fund a porn obsession stillakid? Just curious.