I'm just curious. I've seen my third pack searcher so far and thus far have not confronted any of them.
Last week I saw a guy in Target going through every single pack of Topps Football cards. He would take one out of the card box, examine it and then put it in another pile. He must have had been through twenty packs or so when I first saw him. I stood and watched for a few seconds, debating if I should say anything. but ended up just walking away. When I came back a few minutes later though, he was still at it. I really wanted to say something at this point but was to afraid to. I'm not good at confrontation. Hell, sometimes I cry when ordering at Mcdonald's on my own.
I wish I would have said something though. Or gotten the manager, which I also debated about. I don't know if they would do anything though. Plus that would be a strange conversation to have with someone that doesn't know cards.
"Sir there is a guy feeling up the packs."
I just feel bad for kids that buy cards or even adult who don't pack search. They ruin it for everyone else. There is nothing quite like ripping open a pack to find an auto or even a jersey card. At least for me. Or even if people don't care about the over produced jersey card going for 1.99 on e-bay, sometimes the cards wind up getting bent or messed up by over zealous pack searchers who make a TSA enhanced pat down look tame.
So far all the pack searchers have been middle aged men that are slightly obese. Or more than slightly. Nothing against, slightly obese middle ages men, it is just what I've seen thus far.
So just wondering if anyone with more balls than me has ever said anything to one. If so, how did it go? What did you say? What was their reaction? Or if you didnt, why not? Or would you if you had the chance?
I'll give them a funny look, on the off chance they'll feel shame and stop. But I leave it at that, and if I get the slightest pushback, I play it off like I didn't mean anything by it, because honestly, you never know who's got a violent streak in them once agitated.
ReplyDeleteI wish companies would fix this. The only way I can think is to protect all 4 sides with thin cardboard so you can't tell the difference in thickness. By that time, it'd probably be more practical to use a box, which will probably cost more than the current foil/wax, especially for tiny packs of 5-10 cards.
I have always known exactly what I would do. I would watch just briefly enough for a key detail, and then leave. I would return several minutes later, walk up quickly, look over the cards, and pick up whatever packs were in his "good" pile, and walk directly to the cash register.
ReplyDeleteI have and I'll do it again. They are scum.
ReplyDeleteHere are a couple of posts I made about them.
http://playattheplatedude.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-with-packsearcher.html
http://playattheplatedude.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-with-packsearcher-postscript.html
One of the early ones, before I got all confrontational.
http://playattheplatedude.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-saw-what-you-didand-i-tattled.html
I search packs. I will flip through half a dozen or so to see if I can spot any Cardinals showing through the wrapper on the front or the back before I get bored and just grab any old one.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the other kind of pack searching, I think I've witnessed it maybe once or twice. It's actually quite rare that I see anyone looking at the card section at all at Target.
I've never caught a pack searcher in the act, but I was at my LCS one time when I heard the owner tell a customer if he ever caught him doing that again he was going to ban him from his shop. Turns out the guy was pack searching.
ReplyDeleteI'm far too much of a conflict avoider to say anything, but a number of years ago I recognized a dealer from a local card show as he was feeling up packs at Target. I never said anything to him, but I also skipped right past his table at all the subsequent shows. Maybe all the other dealers did it as well, but I didn't see them do it.
ReplyDeleteI've given the death stare to a pack searcher, and kind of shook my head subtly. This was at a Target about two or three years ago. Obviously, the guy had some guilt because he looked at me and said "What?" in a decidedly accusatory manner. Then, amazingly, as I point out it was destroying the hobby for kids and teens, myself being one, he tried to get me into pack searching and told me to try it in search for a Strasburg RC. Whether or not he was trying to cover his tracks was irrelevent, because eventually I talked to a loss-prevention worker at the front of the store. As much as I wanted to, I didn't stick around to find out what happened.
ReplyDelete