Smyth's free lego

[Machiavellian]

AIBU to think it's unfair to display free Lego on a table alongside full price, extremely expensive Lego? Cue one upset and confused child that couldn't understand why they couldn't have the displayed full price pieces for free.

Yes he didn't want any of the free Lego because he was distracted by the built sets on the table alongside of it. He understood the other Lego wasn't free and learned he wasn't getting it. I patented correctly, I'm just pissed that what should have been a straightforward 'pick a free mini figure' turned into LOOK AT THIS OTHER EXPENSIVE LEGO. It was meant to be a free treat of its own.

But for the retailer, the whole point is to get you to buy the full price Lego - that’s why they are giving away the minis! It’s not a nice thing they’re doing because they love kids, and they don’t mind giving stuff away to people who don’t buy anything, because kiddies are smashing! Don’t you understand marketing and retail? It’s not a shop’s job to parent your child.

But they’re going to market, every shop that gives away free stuff is doing it to look at the other stuff. The shop isn’t in the wrong here

I can’t believe you’re so surprised that this was set up like this? Obviously that is exactly why the LEGO is being given away. It’s not out of the goodness of their hearts. They’re doing it to sell more LEGO!

Sounds great! Is it on now? My son's a Lego obsessive so he would love this.

ETA just read the full thread, yay! We are off to the shops later so will pop in.

Cue one upset and confused child that couldn't understand why they couldn't have the displayed full price pieces for free

I'd work on this sharpish, or before you know it you'll have one of those kids who'd have been rolled out by the Oompah Loompahs in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

There's no pleasing some folk

No, it was never meant to be a free treat of it's own. It was always a marketing ploy to shift lego. Smyths is a business not a charity.

I've missed free Lego.
Darn it 🙁

Surely your response should have been "Wow this free Lego is fantastic. We can write a letter to Father Christmas for some of these other sets you like".

Ok maybe I'm not explaining well enough. The last time they did the free Lego offer the Lego was held in a big cardboard Lego branded tub. The tub was supervised and we queued to pick something. Today there was a tub but it was next to a table which had said pieces assembled next to other full price assembled pieces all mixed together. It's totally different. Yes it's a business but it seems spectacularly crap to make a free gift confusingly displayed next to other built pieces.

@Machiavellian the link shared upthread clearly shows it's one of the polybags you get.
How old is your child?
Did you show him what the advert said?

No, you're explaining just fine. Doesn't change the fact it's a non event.

You've explained it perfectly well.

You're still wrong.

But they aren’t giving it away for free through the goodness of their hearts, nor should they be expected to, it’s a marketing ploy to see Lego, it’s pretty obvious why they are giving away free Lego even without going in the shop. If your child can’t understand which I totally get becuase my child is older but autistic it is best not to go into a shop thst is going to cause this level of stress

its really not confusing though, it’s widely advertised it’s mini figs only so prepare that “we’re going to get you a Lego mini fig dc” some children will love looking at the fully made stuff and it makes it more of an event plus obviously marketing. It’s really not crap, no matter which way it’s explained.

But they could have been playing the long game.

First time, "Here's a big tub of free Lego - help yourself to one".

Next time, now the kids and parents are used to the idea of getting free Lego, "Help yourself to a crappy one for free, but just look at these much better ones that you could buy instead!"

But presumably you set out expectations beforehand so he knew he wasn't getting a massive £300 Lego set? 'We are going to get a free mini figure, a little bag of Lego.' My DD1 is 5 and would absolutely understand that we were getting a small gift, not a huge thing. Of course she'd want the bigger Lego and a bunch of other stuff in the shop into the bargain, but that's just what happens when you go into a toy shop with a young child, isn't it? You just have to deal with it same as anything. At least this time you leave the shop with something, even just a mini figure.

That's the whole point. It relies on pester power from the children, or just parents/whoever themselves going in for the free one and finding something else that catches their eye. It's a very simple concept that most, if not all, stores rely on to sell as much as possible.

It's your job as a parent to manage your child's expectations.

Otherwise it might be best not to take them with you to the shops.

It’s not confusing though is it, because no one seriously expects they’ll get the large built up sets for free? Except a small child maybe, in which case you explain it to them?

Gosh, this is why so many young people are entering the workforce with a massive sense of entitlement.

The shop has no obligation to you. You need to parent your own child.

FFS this attitude really pisses me off.

Exactly! Smyth's aren't giving away free Lego out of the goodness of their hearts - it's a marketing tool to get you to buy more Lego.
Maybe they should stop giving free Lego away at all, then your DS would appreciate you have to pay for it.... but should everything be the same price to avoid upsetting your son? Lego mini figures and the Millennium Falcon all in sale for 2.99? 🤔

Not if you can get to a store quick enough

Geez. We stumbled across some free Lego on Star Wars day last year and I thought it was just a really lovely thing. You're taking all the good out of it.

If he'd gone to spend some pocket money on Lego it would've been on the shelf beside the expensive sets too. No fun when you have a disappointed small child in a shop with an audience but it's not a bad lesson for them to learn either.

You've explained fine. You're just wrong.
They can display the free Lego next to non free Lego. You're not entitled to anything and need to manage your child's expectations.