LOL

I would consider these "small things" to be honest. Major stuff? Machines, purses, personal information, etc.

I had a brand new 2 wheeler stolen at Pintastic New England this year. I put 3 of them out for people to use loading in and out. Yes it was upsetting but because their is one bad egg out of many good ones I can't complain.

No offence to Heighway, but what kind of person would steal a Full Throttle translite?

following...

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What are we talking about in value? $300 total?

When you consider the community of trust established at Expo over the years, yes, this thievery is a big thing. I infer that the vendor(s) of the missing items referred it to Mike so, again, to them it's not an acceptable loss to dismiss and therefore not something for Mike to dismiss.

Leaving white table cloths over the parts tables while we played the nearby machines all night was a cool expression of the trust that had developed. Looks like a person or persons had to go and wreck it.

This may be one of a string of incidences, for all we know. Maybe the vendors had prior thefts at prior Expos and played it cool and now a pattern has been established. We don't know. Besides, now that thieving is a known achievable, what's to stop the thieves and copycats from expanding their reach, next year, if Mike does nothing? What vendor likes thinking of that?

Yeah, Mike needs to act.

Like I said in a different post, in 31 shows the pendulum swings back and forth.

my dad use to leave his locker open at the local YMCA (talking over 50 years ago!). another member had issue with that because he said if something was stolen from my dad he would look differently at the man next to his locker. an interesting point . maybe things should be more secure in that environment anyway. just a thought.

Did someone take a translight out of a Full Throttle machine? That would take some balls; to remove parts from a new, prototype machine. Or, any machine in a room with games at EXPO.

It's hard for me to understand anything Mike posts here. Between the random capslock, misspellings and lack of detail, I just usually scratch my head and go to the next thread.

It doesn't make much sense to be open all night anyways.

He posted this before and if nothing happened I don't know what this new thread is gonna do. I hope they're returned but after this long I think it's safe to assume they're not coming back.

If things are being stolen, then the obvious solution is more security.

Armed guards

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I'm sorry this happened, but shrinkage is a cost of doing business. Things could disappear at any time. If somebody wants it bad enough they'll find a way to take it....doesn't matter what time of day it is.

And lampshades are hot items. They have a tremendous street value, right up there with curtain rods.

It sounds like it was someone who had no interest in the hobby. You've probably got a better chance parusing craigslist for these items, but they're likely in the garbage or in a teenager's apartment. If someone who was actually in the hobby wanted to steal something from a vender hall, they'd probably at least take something of actual utilitarian/fiscal value.

You should hire the Hells Angels for security. What could go wrong?

Last Expo we had all our floor model pinmats and rugs stolen. It just sucks when these things happen and shouldn't be knocked or joked about, theft is an issue no matter what it was ,somebody lost something that belonged to them.

The guys who put on the show didn't spend enough on security. The answer is, hire more security. People suck. You can't change that.

Question: When are these things being stolen? When the hall is closed?

Simple: Security and no one is allowed in after hours for any reason.

Just to clarify, I'm not condoning stealing in any form, but repeatedly posting about it and half-heartedly asserting the blame to the people who supported the event isn't a solution.

Security camera systems don't cost much, does the hotel have one?

As was stated prior, shrinkage happens in all businesses. Unfortunately there are A-holes everywhere. I just don't think anyone is going to find out who took a lampshade from a pinball expo in a hotel by repeatedly asking the pinball forum. It sounds like something a drunk college kid would do who has no affiliation with the hobby.

I would lock the vendor hall non show hours. If thats not possible, then security at the doors non show hours. Yea theft sucks big or small.

Have you found my flyers yet?
I don't know if i live another 20 years...

MIKE writes like he JUST got finished reading a DIARY of a WIMPY KID book.

About 5-6 years ago Ron Kruzman and I had a booth together at Expo and of course I had my parts and playfields etc.. for sale and Ron had brought around 15-20 of his highly valued playfields for display and all of them for sale. On Saturday morning I came down to the booth just before opening to remove all the cover sheets to get the booth open for business and someone said that somebody had just left with one of Ron's playfields...., at first I didn't think to much of it because I figured that he must have sold it and the guy was picking it up or something. About 10 minutes later Ron comes walking in with the exact same playfield, and proceeds to tell me that he ACCIDENTLY ran into the person out in the hallway and they had supposedly wanted to ask him a question about this $1200 playfield to which he politely answered all the questions and when they were done talking Ron brought the playfield back to the booth...because of course the person didn't buy the playfield. Ron and I got talking about it and he thought that I had let the guy take the playfield, of course I told him that I didn't and there's NO WAY I'd ever let someone do that, not even with one of my own playfields. Basically the person (and we know who it was, and haven't see him back at Expo since) was trying to make off with it but he ran into Ron and they had to suddenly come up with a reason why he was walking around with Ron's playfield. Now ever since then at Expo and all the other shows we've done, PATZ, MGC, Ohio show...etc, we've had to chain and padlock every single playfield to the tables to keep them from walking off until were back in the booth and of course it would be easier for us to take them back to the hotel with us but not when your talking 20 or so playfields, but what a pain to take these down from the table each day and run the chain through them and lock them all up and have to do it for each day at each show but it's the only way to keep them from walking off, sad but true. Had Ron not ran into the person in the hallway he would have went right out the door with it because the guys buddy was waiting in his van parked right in front of the hotel lobby doors with the motor running.

John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, Mi.
269-979-3836

PA200568.jpg

pinball is filled with it

Sad that security is needed. I havent done a show, where I didnt have shrinkage/missing/taken products.
For me, it tended to average $300-$400 per show, and a High of $1500, when we left product in place overnight....
a whole bin disappeared. Its not so much the money, but the feelings that hurt, so I hear you Mike.
Yes, its shrinkage, and part of business....not the good part I like.
Especially having Done shows in my regular business, for 34 years....always happens, never happy.

I would hope, this gets returned, but I fear that person isnt reading threads.....

I've always avoided looking at any men next to me in the locker room, differently or otherwise

That's a crazy story.

What benefit is it to the VENDORS if you have the VENDOR hall open when the VENDORS aren't there?

Those who are selling cannot sell if they aren't there to take money.

Those who are demonstrating new/prototype/not-for-sale games don't get any feedback from players if they aren't there to see it.

Closing the vendor hall when the vendors aren't there isn't much of a threat to them, especially if the alternative is stolen goods and ...no apparent upside?

Wouldn't it make sense to make the vendor parts hall separate from the vendor game hall? Has anyone ever had a whole pin stolen at a show?

Close it then. Look, with your attitude at EXPO exposed like a bleeding ulcer for all to see it is hard to imagine that THIS got to the top of your list. The way you treat some of the vendors is SO crappy and rude I won't ever go back. I have never seen a more punk like attitude from an older gentleman.

If you are using TRUST as a basis to run your business and are leaving OTHER PEOPLE property exposed to theft because of your rules - you should fix it. No one should have to be exposed to theft because of how you run your show. To be honest with your vendors you should tell them all that their items are at risk for theft at ALL TIMES and that they must personally see to the safety of their booths and items.

What you are trying to do in this thread is a sad joke (just in case - guilt tripping a thief on a forum)

I think the new release folks should answer this questions. I am assuming that anyone who has a proto or test game there pulls stats off it. Plus it allows their customer base access to the game. I know when WOZ came out the only time I was able to get to it was around 4AM.

The lamp shade that we are talking about were in a booth of a first time Vendor at expo. http://www.pinballgifts.com/lampshade.html. These were nicely made pinball themed shades that have a cost associated with them.

I feel bad they were stolen, and bad that some pinheads here felt like it was ok to make a joke about it. Disappointing in so many ways.

Andrew

Those lampshades are awesome!

Why would most vendors want to sell at Expo under these conditions? I'm going to bring my merchandise, cover it in sheets, leave, and let people wander the area all night long? It sounds like theft has always been a small part of Expo. Someone yelled loud enough to make it a priority for the show.

Secure the area. Set decent hours. Hire security. Maybe more vendors will come to Expo. Maybe the "insecurity" is a reason why some vendors have not returned.

Unfortunately, theft is part of our society. It is Expo's responsibility to help to minimize it. Now that it is a very public problem, it can't be ignored.

I never saw mention of this but supposedly some translights were stolen from the tournament area. I was told that these were brought by the Stern guys as part of the prize packages for the kids.

My daughter won second place in the tournament and was more than happy with the cool Lego trophy and Avatar toy set.

Felt bad for the guy to have to tell the kids that there was more there for them but some greedy adults couldn't keep their hands to themselves.

Major thanks to Daniel Spolar from Project Pinball and Stern for putting that tournament together for the kids.

Seems like you could close at 2am instead of midnight and not "ruin it for everyone" --by definition, ruining it for everyone ruins it for everyone.

Hard to believe the Westin, a Hotel that is under ten years old, does not have security cameras. At least in all hallways that have doors that access the ballroom where these thefts took place.

Even the old Ramada, before it was remodeled and converted to a modern Holiday Inn Express, had security cameras that were used to identify someone going into the auction area the night before the actual auction with a few gassed out displays. The same guy came out with good displays swapped out in some machines for the auction. Search RGP for details.

Any pictures of the items ?

people suck. I think the problem with "people sneaking in and out" is part of how the hotel doors are set up. the maglocks on the doors trip all the time on the wall opposite of where you enter the show. There are bathrooms right outside those doors, and several times I left that door, used the restroom and came back in those doors. Now this is obviously while the show was open but MANY people were doing this.
In past years when the free play area was there and there was only 1 door leading to the vendor hall, it was much more secure than it is now. Cameras won't help. Might deter some, and possibly give you something to examine if a problem is reported, but that in itself is no solution.
99% of expo attendees like myself would never dream of STEALING from a vendor at expo. I work in the hobby and it's other people's passion. I appreciate the vendors and why expo has been my favorite show to attend.
A knee jerk reaction isn't needed here - you have 10 months to come up with a solution.

Those lampshades are nice. When Mike first posted about it, I assumed it was a random lampshade from the hotel. Any theft at all is not cool, but finding out it was a vendor item makes it even worse.

Yes it is, and the person that did it is known here on Pinside....

John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, Mi.
269-979-3836

Dumbest effin' post ever from a person with a history of dumb posts.

Mike, you post on here with your outrage about items being stolen and that they need to be returned. So, what you imply is that it had to be a Pinsider who stole it. Was every person at Expo a member here? Hardly. But your accusation is squarely pointed at us.

Whatever your intent for the message, it spells out what your feelings are towards many here. This post is a shining example of why many people don't bring games to Expo and less people are attending - your terrible attitude toward others. I already posted earlier that this year would likely be the last year I attended due to poor game turnout, general disorganization and an attitude that caters to manufacturers, not the attendees. Thank you for this post. It confirmed for me that I'm not making a rash decision.

The lamp shade is shown in the first post of this thread:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/help-would-you-actually-buy-a-seriously-cool-pinball-lamp#post-2784126

I'm happy to say I was the first cash paying customer at Expo to buy one as the vendor hall was opening at the show. I even bought an extra panel for $24.00 or $26.00, which is more than the price for each of the four with the shade which was $80-Mr. Personality gets a cut.

LOL agree, Must have been something that belonged to Mike. We had mirrors stolen and nothing was said. They were mirrors for the charity auction and didn't seem to matter to much to Mike. Oh well!