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.

Don't go to the lego shop... they do their free mini builds surrounded by a whole shop of expensive sets

Come on OP, they are a business… the reason they are giving Lego away is to get you in there and hopefully spend money. You say ‘sorry son, those aren’t the free ones. But why don’t you put it on your Christmas list and we can go and build this one now?’ If he kicks off that’s a you problem.

But that's not the point of a promotion.

Nothing is "free" in life. Smyth's are a business, not a charity. They offer things for free to get the footfall in the hope that you'll buy other things.

You don't HAVE to buy other things of course, so you CAN just get the free stuff, but they work under the assumption that enough people will buy other things to make it worth it.

How old is your child? It’s a lesson they all have to learn unfortunately.

@DidYouRememberToTurnTheKitchenLightOff no trains today so I can't get there 😭

Just looked at those sets and they're large polybags, the despicable me one is about £6 on eBay, I think that's really good!!! Hoping they haven't run out when we go.

So presumably your son is old to enough to not only read the word “free”, but also understand what it means? In which case he’s also old enough to understand which pieces were free.
If he’s not old enough to understand or read the word “free”, then the responsibility for him getting it wrong is on your shoulders.
Of course they advertise full price stuff alongside the free, it’s called marketing.
This is a bit like complaining you have to drive past a McDonald’s on your way to school because your son gets upset that he can’t have one, and then expecting McDonald’s to move it

"Yes it's a business but it seems spectacularly crap to make a free gift confusingly displayed next to other built pieces."
spectacularly crap in what way?

Morally?

From a business sense it's a great idea, entice people in with the free stuff and then up-sell so the shop actually makes money. They are a business, they aren't giving the free versions away out of the goodness of their hearts, they want people to spend money in their shop. Surely your DC gets the concept of you can have squash but not vodka, a child's meal not an adults one, the plain black school shoes not the shiny wellies with dinosaurs on, etc....

Why couldn't you just tell them 'You get the free set now and if you like it think about which one of the expensive sets you might want to ask for for Christmas?'

Your explanation was perfectly clear.

As was the unrealistic sense of entitlement. It’s free Lego! A little minifig for free. That is a source of happiness, not bitching about capitalism.

I think they could have had the free lego on a separate table but lego to purchase nearby next to it.
I guess If there's a big sign above or on the table saying "free lego sets" with boxes of expensive need to purchase lego on it as well as the smaller free packets then that does have the potential to cause upset and misunderstanding in children who can be very literal.
Its a hard lesson that kids have to learn not much in life is free and if something sounds too good to be true then it is!
I think expectations need to be managed by parents but yes smiths should have organised the display and signage better by the sounds of it.

The whole point is to get you to buy the expensive Lego sets.
If they weren’t on display, then you wouldn’t buy them.

When you get free samples in the bakery, they will have them next to the real thing.
They’re not going to hide the real thing or give it away for free, as that’s the whole point.

Well the swings in the park are free but you can't take them home.

But they’re not giving it away out of the goodness of their hearts are they? They are doing it in the hope that people will buy more Lego. I’d understand if it was a community organisation giving away free toys but this is a marketing promotion by two huge toy companies - so you can’t be annoyed that they are trying to sell you something 😊. Taking your kid to a huge toy shop to pick up a free item, I’d say there was already a big risk they will spot something else they want anyway. Hence I won’t go today because I’ll only be asked for about a billion other things!

We’ve just driven past a Smyths and DH told me not to be ridiculous, we aren’t detouring on the off chance of a free minifig. Spoiled sport.

You are never too old for Lego. Although the OP is perhaps proving you can be too petty.

I want the D&D figs, they’re too cute. The crazy cat lady from the Lego Movie lives on my bookcase.

Or the parent can parent? Novel that idea seems

@HiccupHorrendousHaddock oh dear. It's time to LTB I'm afraid 😂

No good deed goes unpunished, does it?

Every shop in the universe puts freebies alongside of bigger paid for promos.
They are a business and the freebies are only a ladder to people buying the more expensive stuff. But you know this as you live in the world.

He’s driving me across the country to visit my Dad in hospital following heart surgery, so I figure he’s earned a free pass.

DS1 buys me Lego for Christmas every year. It’s nice.

I just asked my 5 year old, if we went into a shop and you could choose a tiny Lego set for free, or a large Lego set for £100 which would you choose.
He chose the free Lego.

Although now he's winging he wants free Lego

Oh you know full well you are YABU. If you don't want to buy your child toys, don't take them to a toy shop. Go to the park instead and stop teasing them.

@HiccupHorrendousHaddock ok you can keep him then 🙂
(Get well soon to your Dad 💐)

Of course they're trying to sell you stuff while you have been sucked in with the promise of freebies
It's how promotions like that work

I stand by my earlier post.

I'm not sure a trip to a massive toy shop was the best idea.

You explained just fine.

I suspect the first time, everyone got free Lego and Smyths made no money. This time, I bet at least one parent gave into buying the bigger Lego sets (even if they come back to buy it for Christmas). So all in all a much more successful event for Smyths.