en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/801219 Comments by marilynwalker12 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57979547 Sadly - there actually IS a fairly large black market for toys. When you see stuff online that is less than it costs me to buy (wholesale), well, it probably "fell off a truck" (or was stolen out of a store or a backroom or a warehouse. And indeed, I'm not sure this crime would have happened before it was so easy to do this. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:51:22 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57979547 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57978119 Buying from a locally-owned store keeps $$ in the community in many ways. Any profit stays here, and much of it is given back. Every penny through our doors stays here. I get it that not everyone cares about that. Totally a personal choice. We do carry the following Colorado toy companies: Zome, KnightWeaver Games, Think-a-Lot Games, Imagiplay Games, Fractiles, WABA Fun, MountainBoy Sleds as well as many other companies not based in Colorado but made in the US - Maple Landmark (Vermont), Harrisville Designs (New Hampshire), Beka (Minnesota), and many others. It's a choice - I get that. We're here for those who want that choice. We're really not that much like Target or even other independent toy stores. We've never claimed to be for everyone. Here for parents looking for creative, educational toys and a staff who knows quite a lot about the toys. Still amazed at the vile of those who really don't care about us - that's fine - we aren't all cut from the same cloth! But no need to be nasty, please, folks. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:45:52 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57978119 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57973658 $4K was an ERROR in the story. It came from Sarah Huntley of the Boulder Police Department. No idea where she got it from. It DOES NOT MATCH the amount that I reported to them. Got that? How is it much larger? I have addressed that elsewhere. If you've ever run a business you'd get it. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:27:51 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57973658 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57972778 I am a bit confused as to how this could happen, but please come see me and we can look up the transaction and straighten it out for. Our aisles are much lower now so not sure what you mean, but we also miss the great windows of the old space. Marilyn Walker Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:24:20 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57972778 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57972194 The math works because the reported paper loss was between $17,000 and $18,000. The $4000 number was not correct and was not from me. That math works like this - multiply those numbers by 3 and you have a number between $51,000 and $54,000. Thanks. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:22:17 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57972194 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57971749 I wish $4k were a drop in the bucket, and I wish that $4k was the amount of the losses. Very unfortunate to see all this nastiness over a key factual error in the story. Please feel free to introduce yourself the next time you are in. I promise you I have neither claws nor fangs nor cold blood. Thank you. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:20:23 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57971749 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57970950 Ph.D. Biology University of Colorado 1987. That's why I introduce myself that way. Now who, may I ask, are you? Very unfortunate for me that the Boulder police made an error - the article was released on a Friday night, so nothing I can do until Monday to sort that out. The reported paper loss was NOT $4,000. It was many times that. The I've had the store for 5 years. Doubt you've been in in that time, based on your comment on our staff, who are incredibly helpful. As to the "markup" comment, that is just plain ignorance. What do you know of these store's margins and costs? If you're in again, please feel free to introduce yourself to me. I much prefer open debate with real people than hiding behind false names and pictures. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:17:10 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57970950 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57969140 I made the video as the quickest way I could think of to tell what had happened. Although there are loads of attacks on this page, accusing me of mismanagement, etc, I truly invite anyone here to please identify themselves and come meet me in person, rather than making these personal and inappropriate attacks. It really speaks poorly of you. One person wrote something to the effect of "how could I let this happen when employee theft is the #1 risk for retail." Ahm - because I'm human? The reason it is the #1 risk is that it's almost impossible to completely guard against it. Having a business means having employees means having risks and sometimes having really unfortunate things happen. Don't have sympathy for me - that isn't what I need. But why the hatred toward me? Please - identify yourself if you choose to be so full of vile and nastiness. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:09:52 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57969140 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57798527 I just did a calculation, and our average item retail price is $9.55. You could buy a $65 toy here every week, but you'd fairly soon have bought everything we have at that level and above. And, again, the $4000 statement came from the Boulder Police Department spokesperson, not from me, and is far off from the number and 32 pages of documentation that I gave them. Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:55:55 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57798527 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57789001 This was an incorrect report and did not match the amount on our police report or insurance filing. I wish that $4k were a drop in the bucket, it is not, but the actual paper loss was about $18K, which translated into a much larger loss. There are lots of barbs being tossed here around this reporting error. Please note that number came from the Boulder Police Department, and I will be contacting them shortly regarding why they have not read through the materials I provided for them, which were quite complete. Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:15:34 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57789001 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57781638 Rather than reply to each posting, I am going to write one message that corrects errors and responds to things said. The theft was not $4000. That was an incorrect number and I do not know where it came from. It was about $18,000 at my cost. My estimate of $50,000 is fairly accurate, based on actual costs that cannot be accounted for simply by lost product but include staff time and lost sales, as well as product not reordered. It may actually be much larger. As far as our new location, World Savings had told us that we must vacate the building after February 2009, they were adamant about that, and in fact you can see that it is not being presented as available for rent. The entire side of the building that was retail and office sits empty. I did an exhaustive search of available spaces, over about 8 months, and felt that the current location was the best option available. The other choice would have been to close. Being next to a favorite family restaurant, a fabric store, and a dress shop does not seem "family unfriendly" to me. There is no perfect in this world. As for the customer saying you were charged an extra $10 instead of having it taken off, please come see me. I should be able to look up the transaction and make that right for you. That would seem more constructive than posting about it here. To whoever accused me of a "sleazy sales pitch" please get a life. To the person who said it would not have happened were it not for the enormous Black Market in toys - that is actually very true. When you see those incredible deals online - hmmm - how do they do that? More people should ask that question. To all our wonderful supporters - thank you from the bottom of my heart. We are still here, we are here for those who appreciate us, and of course I understand that no business is just right for everyone. Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:13:05 +0000 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14436695#IDComment57781638