Toys 'R Us in Indiana
April 2, 2005
Story by David Syczylo (Boba Binks)
 

SATURDAY, APRIL 2ND
I awoke after a long night out purchasing new Star Wars Revenge of the Sith toys at Wal-Mart, Toys 'R Us, and Meijers for the midnight madness release. It’s 5:30am in the morning it’s cold and wet from the rain and I got two and a half hours of sleep. It was time to get dressed and drive on over to the Target store to get in line so I can purchase the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure. When I arrived at my selected Target store destination there were already around twenty people in line. So I got behind them and sat down. Some of us chatted and talked about what we have purchased so far. Some people even had some of the toys out that they just bought and was looking at them. Two guys had the electronic light-up Lightsabers and they were fighting each other in the parking lot. It was sight to see.

A lady drove up and asked if we were in line for the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure and we said “yes”. She said she would be back in a few minutes and not to let to many more people get in line. About twenty minutes later the same lady drove up and parked. She asked if someone could help her. Some guy got up and went over to her car. Both of them carried to all of us in line some donuts and bottle orange juices. The lady said it is a long time until the doors open up so she brought us some breakfast. She was a very nice lady, Thank you.

We still all just sat there talking and waiting in line and whatnot. More people were joining our line all in hopes of getting the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure. It was getting close to time for Target to be opening. Around 7:45am a lady from within the Target store came out and asked us all to listen to her. She explained that the Darth Vader figure would be first come first serve. She said each person in line would be handed one ticket that you can take to the service desk and purchase the Darth Vader action figure. So she started going down the line handing each person a ticket. About five or six people up in front of me was a gentleman and lady with twelve kids, yes twelve kids ages between five to nine. You could tell that they were not all theirs some were probably friends and whatnot. When the Target lady got to them she handed one ticket to the gentleman and one ticket to the lady. The gentleman told the Target lady that each kid gets a ticket. She handed each kid a ticket without question or better common sense on her part. You could hear from behind me that people were upset at this. The Target lady continued passing out the tickets to the people in line. Two people up in front of me the Target lady ran out of tickets. The out roar of ticked off customers was immediate. The Target lady said sorry but she was out of tickets. People were arguing with her about how she let the gentleman and lady with all the kids each get a ticket. Again she said sorry and then went back into the store. You could tell from her reaction that she was afraid of the people who did not get the ticket.

From behind me people were arguing and yelling at the gentleman and lady with all the kids. The gentleman turned around and said that if anyone wants to buy the Darth Vader figure from him they could for $100.00 each. People were now really ticked off and someone threw a coke can at the gentle and hit him smack dead in the head. There was some arguing, yelling, cussing, and some people even left all ticked off since they were only in line for the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure.

As I was in the Target store the gentleman and lady with all the kids were in line at the service desk getting their Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figures. Some people were even there yelling at the people behind the service desk about how unfair it was to let that gentleman and lady with all the kids each get a ticket. I just walked away before it got ugly. I went and checked out the toys in hopes of maybe acquiring the three different cup sets with figure, nope, none to be found. As I was leaving the store the gentleman and lady with all the kids were just going out the door. The gentleman was on his cell phone and I heard him say that he just got fourteen of the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figures and was laughing about it.

So after I left this Target I went to four other Target stores in hopes of acquiring just one of the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure or the three different cup sets with figure. I did not find any of these items to add into my ever-growing collection of Star Wars memorabilia.

When I came home empty handed I made a few calls and sent out a few e-mails to some friends and asked them if maybe someone got an extra Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure that I could get off of them.

SUNDAY, APRIL 3RD
I got an e-mail as I was typing up this event to share with the rest of you. One of my friends from Massachusetts has an extra Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure for me. It is on my way. Thank you Jeremy!

If no one was able to help me Target.com does have the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure for sale on the site listed to come in the next four weeks. I feel that there is a slim chance to acquire the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figure that way.

Well that was my Target experience. I hope yours was much better.

Now it is time to plan my attack on that gentleman who used children for his advantage to get fourteen Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader action figures.