TDS report Week 3

[aero99]

Chesapeake mall. It was Coliseum in Hampton that ran out this morning. (patrick henry doesn't have a disney store)

 

[MeanLaureen]

Thanks for the info Melissa! I was trying to think of malls that would be about 20 minutes from you I didn't know that Patrick Henry didn't have a Disney Store! I haven't been to that mall in years. Matthew travels to the tidewater area every week so I'll have to have him check out the store you are talking about!

 

[beachbunny]

For the first 2 weeks, I arrived at TDS 10 - 15 minutes AFTER opening and was able to get complete sets of pins plus a few extras. This week I was on the ball and arrived 15 minutes before opening. I was shocked to see a long line of people waiting outside the store. I thought the lines would be getting shorter as more and more collectors dropped out. Not so.

A few minutes before the doors opened, a CM announced the new rules - 2 pin limit and no phone orders for the first couple of hours. When the doors opened, most of us walked (in-line) to the cash registers to purchase our pins.

One woman, though, was downright mean! The line got a little tense when one woman wouldn't stand in line but went right to the door. When others told her that she should stand in line, her response was that she had been shoved around last week (pardon me? Last week there was no crowd here.) and that she'd elbow anyone who got in her way. After that, no-one challenged her. Even now, I can't believe that she was threatening physical violence and for what? Cheap pieces of metal. This is a hobby. We should all be having fun!

 

[SueEllen]

Lauri,
I went to the same store as you. I was surprised that they didn't have the Absent Minded Professor pin! I did get the rest of the set, but still need AMP. At least they did have all of the rest of the pins when I got there at 12:00 noon.
Sue Ellen

 

[MeanLaureen]

SueEllen

We need to get our timing down.. Matthew missed you by 5 minutes last week, now I missed you this week!

 

[Sorcerer]

Hey Melissa...do you mean Chesapeake Square Mall in Portsmouth or Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake? Greenbrier Mall normally sells out pretty quickly, but Chesapeake Square does not (they've still got plenty as of today!) I just want to make sure Lauri sends Matt to the right store

Chesapeake Square has a male manager, and you referred to a female manager...so maybe you meant Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake? Why they would name a mall in PORTSMOUTH with a name of another city is beyond me! Makes for lots of confusion

 

[DisneyFan0304]

Things were much better at the Staten Island store this week, too. I got there about 9:20 expecting a very long line. When I came off the escalator and looked across the mall to the store, I couldn't believe there were so few people there. Shortly after I got on line a castmember came out and started handing out numbers to the people on line. I was #6 on line. When they opened the store the line just went in in order. It went very smoothly. They did run out of a couple of pins just a couple of people after me, though. I don't know which ones -- I was talking to the castmember who was ringing up my pins. Our store gave each customer one of the little buttons with Mickey and the flag on it. I thought that was nice. I will get there earlier next week though, because the people who couldn't get a full set will start coming earlier. The next thing you know, you'll have to get there at 6AM!!!

 

[aero99]

Sorcerer,

I meant Chesapeake Square Mall. It was the first time I had ever been to that mall (I mainly stick on the pennisula). To be honest, right now I can't remember if she said she was the manager, I just remember getting that impression. I went back later that day and boy they still had a lot of pins. They were restocking the flubber ones and they seemed to have a lot more still left to put out.

Keep smiling
Melissa

 

[SueEllen]

Hey, I was finally at the store at the same time as Matthew & Lauri!!!

Got the absent minded professor pin finally! So far my set is complete. Let's hope I can keep this up!

Sue Ellen

 

[Sorcerer]

Well welcome to our side of the water Melissa! We have quite a large DIS group who live around here and are in fact getting together on Thursday night at MacArthur Mall to do some pin trading if you'd like to join us! We normally meet in the food court about 5:30. Feel free to email me for more details.

 

[klmall]

Lakeforest Mall DS was orderly last week! Maybe that's because we have so many CMs in line!

I missed the first week's pins (have obtained them elsewhere) but heard that buying pins that week was a nightmare. Week 2 and 3 has been very smooth and we now joke about bringing donuts and coffee! Some of us have even set up a system for helping those who have to miss a week.

The waiting passes more quickly when you bring a printout of the pins to look at and the Dizpins list of releases. We are even getting used to the stares from the "mall walkers"!

From my view near the head of the line many people aren't buying all the pins so I don't know how long the pins last each Saturday but I hope to keep getting 2 sets; one for my collection and one to trade.

And the line increases each week! I'm sure I'll have to get there earlier in November and December!