10.27.2009

Off topic: Cluster of unrelated thoughts

My blog as slowed considerably for one reason or another. No incoming cards to the 2008 Ginter set due to low funds and a certain deal completing the base (which I still haven't picked yet). No incoming TTM as most teams are in off season mode, and the ones that are still playing have bigger things to occupy their time. Lastly, I have been busy at work and at home lately not allowing for any new TTM attempts. These combination do not lend themselves well to blog posts.

A while back I posted about opening a handful of Retail 2008 Allen & Ginter packs from target and they all contained no mini's and the card counts were all lower than what was promised. Yesterday I came across the scenario again. The target close to work had 2009 Ginter packs in so I had to consider the possibility of picking up a pack. While perusing, I spotted a pack that was thin, when I say thin I mean if it had 4 cards let alone a mini I would be shocked.

I took the pack to customer service and mentioned to the lady that the pack should be taken off the shelve and sent back to Topps or at least classified as a loss. I told her my original story and said that this pack was also missing cards. She had a skeptical look, (I am probably one of the customers they complain about in the break area at this point) she took a pair of scissors and opened the pack. It contained three base cards and an advertisement for the Ginter code. At this point I am probably still annoying but not a nut, she thanked me and had someone go and check the other packs for "visibly thin" packs.

Both instances happened at different targets, and two different years of the same brand. I also could not see any visible evidence of tampering. Is this problem with Target or with Topps? in other words, are customers or employees tampering with these packs, or is Topps distribution on these retail packs less than perfect? Now, I know that retail packs are not the best packs to pick up, but they are the most accessible to me and I don't think I will every swear them off. I guess I just have to be much more careful.

Lastly, I wanted to give some kudos to "My 2008 Topps Set Blog". I have already raved about this blog here before but I wanted to come clean about the impossible feat this blog has accomplished. I hated the 2007 and 2008 Topps set, I think I have even mentioned this while commenting on other blogs before. I thought the design was hideous. The 2008 set to me look like a circus event with those colored circles around every letter of the team's name. Well, I bought a pack for my son and I to go through the other night and as we opened the pack were rummaging through it I realized that I REALLY liked it. I don't know if it was constantly seeing this set while following this blog, or if it is an acquired taste but now I want to collect this set. Seeing how it is a large set, and I have virtually no cards this will take a while. The cards I want to get first are the Presidential Campaign cards, the two cards I have are the 1900, and, 1796 presidential campaigns cards. So I don't know really want to say to my blogging buddy, but perhaps thanks for nothing. Now I have more cards I need to spend money on. Can't you just let me despise sets in peace? Is the sarcasm come through in this medium?

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