Does PAB stock vary much per store?

[earl9371]

I'm going to be making a trek across Ohio next week, and will be close to three Lego stores. I'm looking for a variety of bricks as I'm building a couple of modular houses with plans from eBay. If I hit one store, will the PAB inventory be pretty much the same at the other two, or should I hit all three to see if they have different items? Thanks in advance for your insights!

[Hodgeman]

Check out this site if you haven't already:

http://www.brickbuildr.com/view/pab/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[earl9371]

Check out this site if you haven't already:

http://www.brickbuildr.com/view/pab/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's awesome! I wish some of the stores had more recent updates, but this gives me a good insight into what they may have. Thanks so much Hodgeman!

[atmail35]

That's an interesting site. I think the stores vary quite a bit, I regularly go to two different stores and the stock seems to vary between the two. I'll see something at one that I want and go to the other and it is not there etc.

[slacker]

I haven't had much luck with that site. I also go to two lego store regularly and they have many of the same blocks like the 2x3 in different colors. I think that's standard. but as far as the specialty pieces or no blocks, it's a crap shoot. most store are different.

[sweener]

From what I've gathered the stores are only able to order from a specific list of elements to fill their PaB wall. The list itself is around 200 elements (ex. each specific color of 2x4 brick is a unique element on the list) and is updated each year around late spring. It's up to the store to decide what to choose to fill their wall and it also depends on what is available at the warehouse.

As far as the brickbuildr site goes there was a time I use to write down every element that was available at my local store so I could update the site. I stopped because between being an AFOL filling up anywhere from 2-6 cups on an average visit plus inventorying everything on the wall, I got some pretty strange looks and comments from both customers and store employees. Also it's not really worth updating the site because if a store gets a shipment of say Plant Leaves 6 x 5 or Tree Pine Small 2 x 2 x 4, it's a guarantee they won't be available for more than a few days. You can always count on common bricks like 2x4's in various colors to be available at any store you visit. IMO the most useful part of brickbuildr is it allows you to get an idea of what the current 200 or so elements are for the current year. Ask your local store when new shipments arrive and try to get there that evening or the next day to score the best elements.

Once you've seen one LEGO store you basically seen them all IMO, it's the PaB walls that differ between each store and the only reason I visit LEGO stores so frequently as an AFOL.

earl9371 I've just recently been to 2 of the 3 Ohio stores and I would say it's worth a stop at all 3 if your main priority is the PaB wall.

[GuaranteedUnity]

To throw my 2¢ in, stock has been fairly varied between the two stores I visit most, but I've also found that employees will sometimes go check their PAB stock out back for you if you're at the store during a lull and ask nicely.

[atmail35]

It's also worth asking the sales associate about grab bags. I've asked when there were none out on the floor and if the sales associate is feeling nice they might make up bags for you. The last time I asked he said they had mostly SW parts, which I passed on (the horror) since we don't collect SW here.

I've also had sales associates tell me that the grab bags tend to come out to the floor on Saturday (I try to avoid on weekends). So YMMV but it's worth asking.

In the past I've also asked about when they get new parts or different stuff and there does not seem to be a schedule and the sales associates never seem to know (or won't share info). I've asked when new BAM parts are going to be available and I've never gotten a straight answer.

[gamermic]

Check out this site if you haven't already:

http://www.brickbuildr.com/view/pab/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the tip!
Hopefully there's pab in m'sia Legoland :p

[Smell-o-vision]

I think it's crazy that the PAB boxes have the same volume as the large cups.


crazy but apparently true!

[Mantisking]

I actually had one of the people who works at my local Lego store ask me what I'd like to see on the PaB wall.

[atmail35]

I actually had one of the people who works at my local Lego store ask me what I'd like to see on the PaB wall.

What did you tell them and what was their response?

[Mantisking]

I actually had one of the people who works at my local Lego store ask me what I'd like to see on the PaB wall.

What did you tell them and what was their response?

I told him I'd like to see more of the stuff that's useful to adult builders -- SNOT pieces -- and cool colors -- Sand Green, etc. He said the cool colors might be hard but he'd see what he could do about the SNOT pieces.

[vynsane]

I would love to see curved slopes - 1x3s, 1x4s. Any color. 1x10s would be readily accepted, as well

1x4 bricks w/studs on the side would be cool. 'Earling' bricks - the 1x1s w/studs on four sides would be awesome, too. I've gotten a bunch of the 'headlight' bricks before. Some 1x1s w/studs on two sides would be the holy grail - those are some of the hardest to find anywhere!

[Mantisking]

'Earling' bricks - the 1x1s w/studs on four sides would be awesome, too.

I've seen them called "Travis" bricks before, but not "Earling".

[vynsane]

^ You're right, I got the terminology (as well as the spelling) wrong. The "Erling" brick is the LEGO-internal name for what we know as a "Headlight" brick, named for the LEGO part designer who designed it.

I seem to remember an 'internal' name for the Travis brick as well, but can't find it anywhere right now...

[silvashado]

I've had a chance to talk to several store employees as well as the community relations guy from LEGO and there is a standard of what should be in all stores. The bottom two rows have to be 2X4 bricks and larger pieces to avoid small children from choking on the pieces. They also have to have certain basic colors, usually bright and basic, in stock for the kids. They also have to have wheels, but that consists of the tires, rims and car bases for the wheels to go on. Remember, LEGO corporate considers the wall to be for kids.

However, I have been encouraged by employees to ask for certain pieces that I want and have been allowed to look through their ordering book and place an order. But that is no guarantee that those pieces will be shipped in. There is a pecking order for stores and my local store is near the bottom so they often don't get what they order, even when it comes to sets.

I definitely recommend getting to know the employees at your local store, especially the managers. They will usually do what they can to help fans, especially if they are fans too. Definitely go in to the stores at low points, like I've found Monday nights are very slow for my local store so that's when we try to go in so we can have some time to chat with the employees. We also bring our MOCs in when we can to show them. Of course, we also participate in the LUG Showcase so we're in there often to change the displays.