In 1977, I was working night and weekend shifts in a discount store, in the toy department. My primary responsibilities were to straighten the shelves and pegboard racks, keep the teenagers out of the model airplane glue, and discourage the opening of paint-by-number kits. When the Star War action figures (which I once incorrectly referred to as "dolls") were released that summer, my job was subject to pandemonium, pandelirium, and just plain panhandling. Ten-year-old boys with pleading eyes would beg us clerks for a dollar "for the Wookie." Han and Luke and R2D2 literally flew off the shelves, mainly to the cash registers, sometimes into other parts of the store (The Four Seasons Garden and Patio Shop was the next department). And it was my responsibility to gather up all the toys, patrol for pint-sized shoplifters, and order MORE STAR WARS toys. I ordered 10 times the normal amount of pegboard packets, and still we sold out (were stolen out). The manager didn't know what to think. "We've never had anything like this!" The parents were horrid, shoving and pushing--Why can't you put these back for me? I pay your salary... I dreamed night after night about wielding my trusty boxcutter and opening up case after case of these toys. When the fad was finally over and the kids were back in school, I was glad to return to my dusty shelves and rearrange the board games and bicycle parts. Little did I dream that the real invasion was only a few years away--Star Wars II. I did learn an important life lesson from Star Wars...I survived the Cabbage Patch doll riots unscathed by pulling seniority and transferring to the Refund Desk. After dealing with the Dark Side of the Force, handing out refund slips without sales receipts was a breeze!
I have to laugh at my teenaged self for not buying those toys! The 12-pack set, which I did buy for my boyfriend's little brother, is now worth $4500.00.
1 comment:
Pamela, I remeber the very first action figure my mom bought me was Chewbacca, because all the other ones were sold out. I'm glad you made it out of there before the Cabage Patch craze hit! My sister wanted one of those dolls so bad that my parent's ordered a plush replica to be made by a handy seamstress neighbour.
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