Monday, October 12, 2009
New Super Target and Packsearcher Fail
A Super Target opened fairly close to my home a few days ago. It was built on top of the site of a regular Target that had been torn down a while back. I was without a Target for quite some time, but I went to the new store 2 days after they opened. I went for other reasons, but just "happened" to stop by the card section. UNBELIEVABLE! Their selection is much better than Wally World, but I have to say that they don't have nearly as many discounted blasters. I know, I know, many of you wouldn't stop to pick up retail blasters if they fell off a truck on the side of the road, but I'm not so picky. The store must have had at least 30 open retail boxes along with about 8 or 10 gravity feeder boxes. They had all four major sports (hockey is still a major sport right?) along with the usual gaming products. I'm just kidding about the hockey...I used to buy that stuff too. I know you're on the edge of your seat just waiting to read all the good stuff I bought. Ok, if you're not on the edge of your seat, I'll give you a second to get there......Ok, here goes....I didn't buy anything. You better believe I wanted to buy something, but I didn't have the money in the budget to pull the trigger. They had Goodwin, Ginter, Ticket to Retardom (I stole that idea if you didn't notice) shiny Chromieness and even fresh boxes of 2008 Stadium Club--all at full price. The funny thing was that none of the boxes had been searched. We all know what it looks like when a packsearcher has been through the area. Every box was perfectly lined up with all the packs neatly INSIDE the boxes. A few packs were missing here and there, but it certainly looked like the packs hadn't been molested. The gravity feeder boxes were untouched. I asked one of the associates if these cards had just been put out and he said they had been there since the minute they opened two days prior. I can only imagine by now, some 4 days after I was there, that the packsearchers have descended on the place like ravenous wolves, but at least for a few days there was a chance for some kid (or non-kid, non-searcher) to be happy with pulling a relic or auto card. And that makes me smile.
Seeing 2008 Stadium Club still at full price irks me, but even if it was 50 per cent off, I probably still wouldn't buy it... What did you end up getting?
ReplyDeleteMy Target had them full price as well. While wal-mart had knocked them down to 4.99. Or was it 9.99? I forget, but it was at least half off.
ReplyDeleteTroll, I actually didn't buy a thing. No money! I'm paying for a couple of spots in a case break so nothing new for me this month.
ReplyDeleteOK, Really new to card collecting here and doing my best to learn...what is packsearched? And a couple of the other terms here as well? Such as blasters, gravity feeder boxes? I know this is all really very elementary to most of you, but we all have to start somewhere!
ReplyDeleteDeni, a packsearcher is someone who feels up the retail packs to try to find relic cards. They are pretty much despised among the real collecting community. A blaster is generally a shrink-wrapped mini-box of retail cards that you find at Walmart, Target, etc. A gravity feeder box is one that is open so you can get single packs but it is usually tall and the packs "feed" down as packs are pulled out. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteYup it does! I've been spending some time reading your blog - great stuff! Thanks Brian!
ReplyDeleteI love Target's reduce price boxes, finding quite a few gems, including my first relic!! And I've yet to see my first true pack-searcher. I've seen some wannabes, but no real searchers yet. Guess I just don't go at the right time of day.
ReplyDeleteI'm in!!!! Wow, a bunch of comments from me saying "I'm in!" I'm sure this isn't what you were intending for your contest...
ReplyDeleteWonder if Sam will comment on this one the same way again... but you did spell it out this time... it is fun reading some of the comments...
ReplyDeleteI'm in! Just kidding....
ReplyDeleteI must confess that I love the 2008 Stadium Club base set. Would love to come across some unopened in a store. Still, likely over-priced with all the autos and relics buried therein. I'd just want the base cards.