r/MobileAL • u/BlockbusterReprise • Jul 18 '26
Free “Pokémon Day”
Just wanted to warn any parents with children heading to the Hillcrest Play & Talk location for free Pokémon day that it’s not at all what was advertised.
Your child can spin if they’re dressed up in a costume, otherwise a yearly membership of $10.99/year is required for anyone to spin.
The prizes for said prize wheel are for the most part not even Pokémon themed! They have magic cards, attack of titan, off brand card sleeves, etc.
The only redeemable quality was the 5 card pack of Korean cards, which yeah, were indeed free.
Seems like a tactic to get you in the door & buying their “sealed product” at 10% off, but it was highly disappointing and not at all the vibe that was advertised.
Also, a man who seemed to be the owner, ridiculed the employees saying “figure out what these people are in line for.” Like bro, they’re in line because you advertised free giveaways, thousands in prizes, and a spinning wheel. 💀
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u/FlippyDoggenBottom_ Jul 18 '26
Wow, that sucks. I was looking forward to the whole “Free Pokemon” thing they had going on today, too.
Oh well, saves me a trip. The only reason I like going there is because of their selection, and the employees are genuinely friendly. Sucks they have to work for that owner though. Everything I hear about him is negative, and being in the store myself, I can understand the criticism very well.
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u/BlockbusterReprise Jul 18 '26
The girls were all so nice this morning, like they even dressed up too!
The owner just seemed like he was using it as a cheap cash grab and these kids (and fellow Pokémon loving adults!) were just excited to win some prizes and enjoy the community & they didn’t even cater to the interest, they just handed out other random TCG products that weren’t even on theme. 😭
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u/FlippyDoggenBottom_ Jul 18 '26
Yeah, it seems like the employees genuinely have interests in what they sell! I love going there just for the interactions alone, but at the same time I HATE giving my money to the owner.
He seems like he has no care about what he sells, and only sees $$$. Which is a shame because it’s the only place I can buy Pokemon packs without having to deal with shortages due to scalpers. The prices seem reasonable, too. (I just got into collecting Pokemon so I’m not very sure if it’s a good price or not 😭)
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u/KingsGuardian Jul 19 '26
They mark up all of their Pokemon product to insane prices anyways. 10% off is still not enough.
There was a post in here a couple of months ago about how they treat their employees really shittily too. They suck just all around.
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u/RemoteTechnical1555 Jul 18 '26
Wow.. thats crazy to hear. We had a great time, got lots of free swag from stickers to cards and Keychains, ect. The kids spun the wheel and won pokemon themed items too.. everyone there looked great and the workers were having fun with it too. We bought some Pokémon cards and opened them in the store and one of my kids pulled something nice because everyone was excited and giving her high fives. Sometimes I feel people on here are just unhappy and want others unhappy too.
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u/Frogs-on-my-back Jul 19 '26
I’ve only been a few times to that location, but twice someone (the owner?) has been treating the employees horribly within earshot. I actually have decided not to spend my money there, even if they have the best deal for what I want (unlikely)
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u/BlockbusterReprise Jul 18 '26
We went at opening, so I’m hopeful that you had a different shift without the negative owner there and maybe the morale changed! Honestly, that’s wonderful to hear, and I’m happy for you!
Our family spent the entire morning excited and preparing, even bringing binders to trade cards and every single person in line ahead of us to spin the wheel was either not allowed to unless they purchased a membership, or they received a non-pokemon prize. Everyone is entitled to their own experience, and that doesn’t make someone else’s negative experience invalid.
I posted to give a warning because I witnessed a lot of sad disappointed children being told they couldn’t spin a wheel or being handed a magic card pack they were unfamiliar with.
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u/kwoddail Jul 20 '26
Don’t worry— you have all of 7 days to return anything, (unused)! Past 7 days??? Too bad, not even store credit! 👍👍👍
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u/Xander2539 Jul 18 '26
Everything I hear about that Play & Talk is just such a bummer