Okay, how many of us have been in this situation:

We are shopping at a local supermarket and we sneak to the Lego aisle. While casually gazing the sets we watch some mom and a very excited kid come in and start looking at all the Lego. The kid seems to declare what he wants, while his mom tries to convince him that is not what he wants. While we watch this scene the back of our mind is cluttered with thousands of reviews from Brickset, Eurobricks, BZpower, Brothers Brick and anybody else you can think of! We struggle with all our might from not stating our opinion, and watch in silence as the process between mother and child drags on. Eventually the mom and child come to a conclusion and leave the aisle, or we leave to keep from bursting from the seems with Lego opinions.

Am I the only one who feels this way? Or better yet, has anybody actually had the guts to chime in and tell the family what your opinion is on the Lego sets for sale?

Can we as AFOL's contribute to their Lego experience or would we just come across as super nerds?

In this situation I'm inclined to help them out, whether it be by showing which one is a better value for money or by pointing out a cool play feature on the back of a box that the kid may not have noticed. They usually thank me for my help; I haven't been labeled a nerd, at least not yet.

Edited October 10, 20159 yr by mediumsnowman

Ha! Always wondered if this happened to others!

Tempting it may be but I mind my own business unless they ask for help.

I get you, but I never offer help from fear that the parent would tell me off for minding my own business. Besides kids have a different algorithm for value from us. We can't understand why they like something so much over something else.

If asked, I usually help parents hunting for something for their kids. I have not run into a parent child combo hunting, but if asked I would offer my opinion. I don't just offer an opinion without being asked, some people don't like that.

Just MHO, YMMV

Andy D

I've pointed out sets to people who were voicing what they were looking for but couldn't see it, I've pointed out to people what they were looking for when the staff person they have asked takes a cursory look and then says "No, we don't have that" and I've also pointed out clearance sets that were not stickered to families. Never had anyone less than grateful however I do know that there will be a time when it won't be well received :)

Ive gotten to the point where i keep my opinions to myself, unless explicitly asked.

As a parent myself, id mingle the reviews, piece counts, rare pieces and other considerations with those of being a parent, not trying to undermine a parents authority, educational value of the set, subject matter, complexity etc..

It is all way too complex, and chances are if i werent to intrude they'd go home happy with their choice, not knowing they could have gotten a slightly better reviewed set or whatever, what is there to gain by intruding?

Although I'd feel for the kid, I'd keep in mind that possibly the parent can't afford terribly much, and that they're trying to get the kid to agree to a "cheaper" brand so the kid can have a bigger play experience than a tiny LEGO set. Obviously LEGO is the better option always, but at that age, to a lot of kids, they really are the same.

I keep my opinions to myself; everybody's got their own ideas on what's best and most valuable. That kid might like Chima or superheroes. Who am I to judge their strange and terrible taste.

What's best might be irrelevant anyway, that kid might be looking for whatever has the right parts in the right colors for some original build.

I haven't been afraid to chime in if I feel like I have something to contribute. I can't remember any specific examples off the top of my head, but it's usually something where the parent has put a strict "spending limit" like $10–15, and the kid wants something above that limit, so I help find a middle ground.

Even if it does sometimes make me seem more nerdy than helpful, it's not like I'm likely to run into those same people again. And I'll have done my part to help dissuade them from, say, settling for a Mega Bloks set.

I'm from Wales, South Wales. We randomly greet each other on the street and can chatter like lifelong friends in when on the bus having just met.

If people are loud in the LEGO aisle I am quite happily browsing, I'll chip in an opinion when they're discussing the merits of a set. Between the Superhero t-shirts and the colourful trainers, people can tell I'm on the geeky side and will have a chat if they need an opinion for a gift.

I also end up shanghaid into finiding CMFs once my skills are demonstrated

Im trying to mind my own business, however if i get a chance without looking like im interupting, i will share my oppinion.

I have never had anyone getting angry at me or rolling their eyes. Every time i get a thanks and both child and parents leave the store happy.

Over the years it has gotten easier to interviene in these situations.

Oh I always help.. look here kid, this $100 set is the best there is. Your mom should buy you this.. then I leave abruptly..

(just kidding)

I actually mind my own business. The only time I care what other people are buying if they are trying to buy what I want and there is only one copy left... (again kidding, I wouldn't talk someone out of a great set if there was only one copy. I'm sure I'd find it again soon enough)

But I do mind my own business. I'm the type of person that hates talking to other people in general. So a stranger is out of the question. I'd much rather be in my own cave keeping to myself.

I have a good one!

When series 4 came out, I was super excited when I spotted them at Walmart and went back on my own after my kids were down for their naps. I proceeded to graba chair from the camping isle and sat in the middle of the Lego section looking for my CMFs. It wassn't long before kids and parents staring asking me to find them specific figs. After about 3 hours of being a Lego consultant my wife called and asked what I was up to and when I explained she burst out laughing. I am now forbiden by wife-decree to take a chair to the Lego isle!!

I have also offered an opinion to adults trying to find a set for what I assume is a birthday or christmas but I generally don't offer my help to parents with kids; I have kids and bargaining/concessions are part of the game and I would not necessarily like a random person trying to counsel me when I'm trying to get a polybag or small set.

I am now forbiden by wife-decree to take a chair to the Lego isle!!

Haha, at least that makes sense !

Helping out in the Lego aisle is one of the few chances I get as an AFOL to interact with Lego's actual primary audience, and I love being able to step in and lend a hand. Obviously it doesn't work every time, but sometimes even just a recommendation can go a long way. For instance, kids often subscribe to the idea that bigger is always better, but they could reconsider if you bring them a smaller set from a theme they like and tell them "This one's great. I've built it myself" (if it works, their parents are generally grateful). And of course, there's no better way to make a kid's day than helping them to feel for the Collectible Minifigure they want most!

I always respond when asked and will occasionally offer an unsolicited opinion or factoid if it seems apt for the situation without coming across as butting in or eavesdropping (I guess it's the former professor in me).

The oddest time when this sort of thing happened to me, though was actually on a very busy day in The Lego Store when I was just minding my own business at the PaB wall (where my wife had parked me while she went shopping) and the assistant manager (whom i knew quite well) led a mother and child up to me, introduced me (as a professor) and asked if I could take some time to talk about the educational value and age appropriateness of various Technic sets and Mindstorms.

Being an ex professor, of course I can never give anybody a short answer, but while I was going over the various options, I attracted a small crowd of parents and kids. They started as eavesdroppers and then migrated into active attendees for my impromptu "lecture" on mechanics, robotics and child development. We took over the one corner of the store and new arrivals must have thought it was an organized store event because people just kept dropping in. After about 20 minutes, the manager noticed what I was doing and ask if I needed any props; she went into the back room and pulled a couple technic sets (with crushed boxes) so I could illustrate a worm drive, gear ratios, linear actuators and how lego pneumatics worked. Forty minutes later, I still hadn't filled my PaB cup but the customers were happy. The store sold 6 or 7 Mindstorms sets and a slew of midrange Technic models.

People were very appreciative. Some parents told the manager they should hold more such "events". The manager herself let me keep the damaged kits I'd opened, threw in the PaB cup I was working on and offered me 10% off any kit in the store. Not bad for talking about Lego to a bunch of strangers.

Of course, not five minutes later, my wife comes in (after having finished all of her shopping in every other store in the mall), sees my barely filled PaB cup and says "Aren't you done yet? What have you been doing for the past hour?"

^Always fun to read your posts.

I bet that was interesting to listen in on, especially for people like me who know very little about mindstorms or technic.

I've only recently emerged from the Dark Ages but I was able to give advice to a woman who, on a whim, fancied getting some LEGO bricks and was trying to decided between the Creative Suitcase and the Large Creative Brick Box.

I always respond when asked and will occasionally offer an unsolicited opinion or factoid if it seems apt for the situation without coming across as butting in or eavesdropping (I guess it's the former professor in me).

The oddest time when this sort of thing happened to me, though was actually on a very busy day in The Lego Store when I was just minding my own business at the PaB wall (where my wife had parked me while she went shopping) and the assistant manager (whom i knew quite well) led a mother and child up to me, introduced me (as a professor) and asked if I could take some time to talk about the educational value and age appropriateness of various Technic sets and Mindstorms

Wow! Sounds like a fun day, like something I would find fun. Since I retired 2 years ago (also a prof.) the one thing I miss is the opportunity to teach those who want to be taught.

Andy D

(snip…) the one thing I miss is the opportunity to teach those who want to be taught.

Andy D

Yeah, I was really missing that too. That's a large part of why I got out of academia. Due to the school's admission practices (heavily favoring legacy students from wealthy donors), I was finding it harder and harder to find those sorts of students in my classroom (sorry, even more than a decade later I'm still a bit jaded). Still, there's nothing quite like the feeling of teaching something to someone who wants to be there and wants to learn.

And let's face it, LEGO is a great teaching prop when it comes to getting people engaged (particularly for a young audience). If I had more spare time, I'd offer to do something more formal as an actual store event sometime. Even setting aside the free and discounted LEGO incentive, it was kinda fun to get back into "teacher mode" for an hour or so.

in a Lego store, I don't hesitate to offer advice to shopping families, but I always talk to the parent first, and if the child asks a question or is prompted by their parent to ask me a question I then start talking to them. so far everyone I've spoken to has been thankful and often will seek me out later if I'm still in the store. I try to do the same thing in other box stores too but often the parents look annoyed just being there, and I know how I handle random people talking to me when I'm in that state, so I often just let them do their thing and be on their way.

I've helped people in the toy aisle even when not asked and not just on Lego. When I collected action figures pretty aggressively, I would occasionally find people that needed help or who mentioned they were looking for a certain figure not in that store, but one I had seen earlier that day. Then I direct them to the store I saw the other figure at or help them find the best figure for what they needed.

With Lego, I haven't really helped people with sets, but I've helped people find CMF by feeling through the packs. My best experience was helping a kid who really wanted a Bagpiper when they first came out and were super popular. We probably sorted through 40 packs (granted I did most of the sorting) while his mom watched. Eventually we found one. Originally, the kid and his mom were just going to buy a couple random packs and hope for the best, so they were amazed that feeling packs was a trick.

I also really want to say something every time I see someone buying Lego at TRU. They're so over priced...

Either way, if you see someone who could use help, there's never any harm in trying.

... Snip

And let's face it, LEGO is a great teaching prop when it comes to getting people engaged (particularly for a young audience). If I had more spare time, I'd offer to do something more formal as an actual store event sometime. Even setting aside the free and discounted LEGO incentive, it was kinda fun to get back into "teacher mode" for an hour or so.

If you set up a seminar at my local LEGO store, I will be there! ;);)

Andy D