Toys R Us employees selling Zhu Zhu pets online

[momxx5]

Probably get told what for.......but this is not all that different than people who go out and buy the "hot item" for the sole purpose of resale....either eBay or Craislist.

I really have a hard time because there are parents who honestly what to make a purchase to grant a Christmas wish for their own children, yet because of the ........what do you even call them?? people....the parents are left without or end up paying too much on eBay.

The manufacturers(sp?) are partly to blame also by causing such shortages and hoopla. Although they cannot always know that something is going to be that hot.

Just a huge pet peeve of mine.
Off my soap box now.

 

[santa's surpriz]

I worked retail for 10 + years. EVERY company and store has a code of conduct and ethics that employees need to follow. I personally would have termed their tails because there is no way that kind of activity while doable is appropriate conduct.

 

[crisi]

Its a terminatable offense at Best Buy as well.

Although I've honestly never been impressed with TRU and the caliber of their employees in general. If you are talking to your boyfriend on your cell phone instead of ringing up customers - that should be a terminatable offense as well - but it seems to be SOP at a TRU. I just have stopped going in there and I'm not really sure how they stay in business.

 

[jessica52877]

I don't think it is right for an employee to take something from the stock room before it is put on the floor. But my husband worked at walmart for 10 years. He would go in early on black friday and purchase what he wanted (off the shelf) then go to work. I don't see any issues with it as long as they are purchasing it off the shelf.

As far as zhu zhu's go, I have fallen upon 10 of them so far. Without even trying or looking, along with the playhouse and tons of accessories! I don't even go out that often. They are all over the place it seems and been on the internet almost daily. I did pay $12 for most of mine and then shipping on top of that yet when I ask for $14 for them everyone wants to know why so much! That doesn't even include tax and if on ebay, fees for ebay or paypal.

 

[TDC Nala]

There will likely be no repercussions unless the store has a rule for employees that they may not resell anything they purchased from the company for which they work - if they bought the items at the store (possibly at an employee discount) before they resold them. If they're stealing the items from the store to resell them, that might be a problem in the company's eyes. You really can't tell from the conversation where these two employees got the items they're selling online, though.

 

[MiniGirl]

There is another way to look at it as well, and for this, I probably will get flamed......

If people weren't willing to pay such high prices, there would be no ebay scalpers. However, as long as people are willing to pay significantly more than retail for hot toys, there will be people doing this.

As far as the OP's story goes..... I do not know what store policy is, so I cannot comment on that. However, regardless of the policy, it should not have been discussed on the floor. I do have a friend that got a job at a big box store for the holiday season the year the Cars die cast cars were so big. Her main reason was so that she could buy and resell the cars on line. She said she did not use her discount though, so I don't know if that made it okay or not.

 

[crisi]

I don't think it is right for an employee to take something from the stock room before it is put on the floor. But my husband worked at walmart for 10 years. He would go in early on black friday and purchase what he wanted (off the shelf) then go to work. I don't see any issues with it as long as they are purchasing it off the shelf.

As far as zhu zhu's go, I have fallen upon 10 of them so far. Without even trying or looking, along with the playhouse and tons of accessories! I don't even go out that often. They are all over the place it seems and been on the internet almost daily. I did pay $12 for most of mine and then shipping on top of that yet when I ask for $14 for them everyone wants to know why so much! That doesn't even include tax and if on ebay, fees for ebay or paypal.

Best Buy's rule - as I understand it - is that you cannot purchase product "on shift" - you can't purchase while wearing your Blue Shirt (leaving the impression you are on shift - so if you want to buy before or after your shift, bring another shirt) - and you can't hold things.

So if you come in half an hour before your shift starts wearing your own clothes, buy something from the shelf like any other customer, change shirts, and start your shift on time, you are in the clear.

And they fired twenty employees from a single store over either Wiis or XBoxes one year. At holiday - the other stores in the region had to scramble to cover the shifts.

 

[disneychrista]

Probably get told what for.......but this is not all that different than people who go out and buy the "hot item" for the sole purpose of resale....either eBay or Craislist..

The difference as I see it is they employee likely gets a discount and in a way has an "inside" to availalbility.

If people weren't willing to pay such high prices, there would be no ebay scalpers. However, as long as people are willing to pay significantly more than retail for hot toys, there will be people doing this.

I agree 100%.

 

[MrsGoofyMitchell]

My husband and I work for target and like some other posters said, you can get terminated for reselling items on Ebay and Craigslist. We have to be off the clock and have our coat on when buying items like that. There have been several overnight team members fired for stashing clearance and hot items.

 

[torinsmom]

I don't know how anyone could be selling one of those dang things on ebay for $75. Last time I looked, they were going between $10-$15 in completed listings. I actually have 2 and a sleep dome listed on craigslist and just asking what I paid for them with shipping, and have had no bites.

Marsha

 

[Robinrs]

I got a pt job at Sams Club for my eBay business ALONE. I never held or hid anything but I knew when things came in and even had access to which stores had what.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

1st of all Its not just a Toys R Us Thing... Employees of Walmart & Target (and about every other store in the world) did and are doing the same thing........ As long as they paid for the item (not stolen etc) - I dont have a problem with it... in all honesty its a perk of working at a store.... You get 1st dibs... If you want the same benefits next year before Christmas get a job at TRU or one of the other big toy or box stores...

I worked at a western store in college and we all had our box of merchandise in the back and we would pick out things we wanted and HOLD them for ourselves... I really dont think there is a problem with it - granted the employees should not have been talkin it up - but really - just relax....

It is my understanding that Target employees ARE NOT allowed to do this and if caught will get fired while on Shift. Now if they are in the store shopping and it comes in and gets put on the shelf then all is fair game.

I am sure someone who works at Target or has worked there can confirm or deny this.

read somemore and one has

My husband and I work for target and like some other posters said, you can get terminated for reselling items on Ebay and Craigslist. We have to be off the clock and have our coat on when buying items like that. There have been several overnight team members fired for stashing clearance and hot items.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Another reason it is NOT ok these guys likely used their employee discount to buy the toys they sell on Ebay or Craigslist. So, this often makes it an offense that could cost people their jobs. It is considered "stealing" from the store they work for, because the of the discount.

I will note that Disneystores are VERY strict about this with CMs.

 

[richmond282]

There is another way to look at it as well, and for this, I probably will get flamed......

If people weren't willing to pay such high prices, there would be no ebay scalpers. However, as long as people are willing to pay significantly more than retail for hot toys, there will be people doing this.

As far as the OP's story goes..... I do not know what store policy is, so I cannot comment on that. However, regardless of the policy, it should not have been discussed on the floor. I do have a friend that got a job at a big box store for the holiday season the year the Cars die cast cars were so big. Her main reason was so that she could buy and resell the cars on line. She said she did not use her discount though, so I don't know if that made it okay or not.

I totally agree with this. It's supply and demand. I'll probably get flamed for this, but the people selling on ebay have just as much right to buy at a retail store and resell as those NOT re-selling the toys. If you don't like the prices on ebay, don't look at it.

As for the TRU policy, I have no idea. I don't shop at TRU b/c the closest one is about 40 miles away and just not worth the effort to drive there especially since their return policy is so awful.

If the employees purchased off the clock and according to the store policy, I don't have a problem with it. Should they have been discussing in front of customers? Absolutely not!!