Garbage at the LEGO Store

The LEGO Store, Oakridge Shopping Centre, June 10, 2012

Okay, I admit it the photo is pretty terrible. But I was taking it on the sly in a busy shopping mall and the store was filled with people. This was the first chance I had to take a quick snap without a ton of customers in the entrance. (You will notice the large yellow LEGO bag in the left foreground.)

Now that is out of the way, why another photo of the LEGO store?

At the store customers, or as LEGO calls them, guests (And I'll deal with that term in another post) can assemble their own mini figure, and also buy bulk LEGO by the container full. But any time you provide customers with access to bulk products you have two problems. The first is sampling. In a grocery store that is the occasional snack, here is is the brick in the pocket. The second problem is all of the stuff that falls on the floor.

With food on the floor you just sweep it up as no one wants to eat anything that has been on the floor. (The five-second rule for home spillage not withstanding)

So what does the LEGO store do with bricks that fall on the floor. The same as food, into the garbage. I asked one if the clerks and was told that as the store has no control over what people are tracking in on their feet, they can't take any risks with the cleanliness of the floor and some kid taking some contaminated brick home and putting it in their mouth.

That is a legitimate concern but there is a better way. Has LEGO not heard of recycling? LEGO could actually make the "on the floor" problem part of its environmental commitment to its customers. I think that the firm is missing a big opportunity here. What downside could their possibly be to recycling? The next time I'm at the store I'll ask the manager.