MEMBERSHIP DAY

I noticed an ad on Friday, 20 November 1998 in the Trenton Times of Trenton, New Jersey announcing a Beanie Babies Official Club Membership Day at a NORMAN'S not far from me [PIC]

 

I was still tired from my teddy bear making class and my usual online activities until 2am, BUT Saturday at 16h (4pm) my curiosity finally got the best of me. So armed with my trusty digital camera and the names, addresses and birth dates of my nieces and nephews, I road up to where I thought the event was to take place. Wrong NORMAN'S!! It was the one at the mall, another 10 minute drive-- and I would probably get there late-- but I got this far, so why not at least try.

 

I expected to find lines stretching all over the mall, but i was second in line!! I asked if I could get a couple for my family, and the girl said yes. So I went a step further and asked how many one could buy. SHE SAID A MAXIMUM OF 10!! I almost croaked!! So I paid for ten, got that number of Club Kits, Clubby order forms and a receipt. [PIC]

 

I had to take the stuff to the table outside to fill-out the Clubby order forms, which I thought would take forever, and I only had about 20 minutes before the 5pm deadline!! [PIC] At the table were two CYRK reps from the New York office, handling the Clubby business. Very helpful girls.

 

So I sat on a bench with my bag of Club Kits, a clipboard and the ten order forms which I filled out as quickly as I could. Next to me were a pair of collectors who had gotten 10 each. The woman was busily attempting to fit her new bears with TY tag protectors-- with difficulty, I might add!! She wanted to make sure that their stash arrived in Philadelphia in minty fresh condition.

 

A tallish seemingly good natured guy in what appeared to be a camel-hair coat (made from left over Humphreys??) sporting an oversized TY button was pointed out by the pair on my bench as a TY rep. GAWD, I was to forcefully meet my FIRST TY REP!! I did not get his name written down, and he conveniently did not have a business card handy. He pointed out several times that he WAS NOT a TY rep, rather that he was from CORPORATE - Eastern Division!! I almost kissed his ring and asked for a blessing!! He sort of looked like a "bouncer" at some upscale place like Club 21 or something!!

 

He told me that TY held this special Membership Day today at 5 places in the United States as a trial-- BUT would NOT tell me where the other places were. I gave him one of my "cards" with my site on it-- to which he quickly changed expression and said he hoped that I was NOT an official dealer!! Told him I wish I were-- I would NOT have to do all this stuff to get my Beanies!! We chatted briefly, and I asked a number of extremely pressing questions-- the answers to which I swore NOT to put on my site!! SORRY.

 

I finally finished filling out all the cards and found that I had to include the membership numbers!! OMG, it was one minute to 5-- they would close up shop and I would be left in a Beanie lurch!! So I ripped open all the Club Kits and wrote all the numbers down.

 

Went over to the CYRK table, gave the girl all the forms-- she asked for the actual kits so she could verify the numbers!! Luckily, in the meantime the other nice girl was letting me see which ten Clubbys I wanted-- some had bent tags, and she threw them in another box. All of them have the "01" on their tush tags!! And they gave me the Beanies posters corresponding with my number of kits. Needless to say I also asked her some VERY pointed Beanie questions and unfortunately had to swear to secrecy again!!

OK, all done. Then I had the pleasure of meeting Howard Henschel, the President of NORMAN'S. [PIC] They have stores in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He was an extremely pleasant guy, and he even allowed me to take their official smallish poster of the event to include in my report (see above). I also gave him my web address in case he had the time to cyber visit with me.

 

NORMAN'S has a really great selection of Attic Collectibles as well as Beanies, and at the "normal" prices. My credit card slips must be in their files by the dozens already!!

 

It was a most pleasant and rather unusual experience-- I was the LAST one to get my little Clubbys!! They closed up the promotion promptly at 5pm. I rarely "fall for" promotions of any kind, BUT my curiosity got the best of me, PLUS I wanted to give all of my faithful readers this latest development in the continuing Beanie saga. Hope my nieces and nephews do not read this and find out one of the things they will get for Christmas!!