Organized Confusion

On Saturday, September 18, 2010, I attended my very first Kmart Hot Wheels Collectors' Event. Not many things could inspire me to drag my perpetually late self out of bed after only two hours of sleep with enough time to make a 9am start, but this was one of them. I was fairly anxious, wondering what to expect, though I had read about a previous year's event online. It all sounded simple enough, but I was worried that a lot of people would show up before me. If that was the case, I might not get the opportunity to experience the ultimate thrill -- going through an unopened case of Hot Wheels direct from the manufacturer. The information I read had suggested getting to the store fifteen minutes early, just to be sure. As I approached the store, I looked at the clock in my car and frowned. 8:50. Geesh, I'd be late to my own funeral. Then I saw them -- more cars in Kmart's parking lot than I had seen in years. Trying to remain optimistic, I told myself that most of them were probably just there to shop in the other departments. Before the store had actually opened. Because they had to work later in the day. On a Saturday. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Since it wasn't 9am yet, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to wait for the doors to open or what, but as it turned out, a couple walked in directly ahead of me. I followed them back to the toy department where a crowd had already gathered. It was then that I noticed things weren't going to be quite like the account I had read. Five large boxes were stacked up behind two long tables, and a woman who had clearly done all of this before was standing beside them handing out raffle tickets. So there was to be a drawing. There was still hope. I glanced briefly at a rule sheet that was provided specifically for novices like myself after overhearing someone else reading from it aloud. Each person whose name was drawn would be allowed exclusive access for five minutes to one of the small cartons contained within the larger ones and would be permitted to select -- without any outside guidance -- no more than five vehicles from it. Then the remaining content of the boxes would be dumped into bins. Once all the cartons had been rummaged through, it would be open season on the bins. But first there was to be a drawing for five 2010 Hot Wheels posters. "Wow," I thought, "Wouldn't it be perfect if I won one of those?" And sure enough, I did. Mine was the first name called. I suppose it helped that the woman who selected the winners just grabbed a handful of tickets off the top. This was getting off to a great start. Except for one thing. I soon realized that when they drew my name, they buried the stub upon returning it to the pile. Wonderful. I was happy about getting the poster, but I didn't want it at the expense of missing out on the cartons. And many of the other people were there in pairs, so they were effectively getting two shots at them. Things were beginning to look pretty bleak. At least I got a ticket. One couple arrived a few minutes after 9am and was turned away.

As I cleared a spot beside some clearance water toys to sit down and wait, I noticed that there was only one young boy participating. This was partly because only adult collectors would be crazy enough to drag themselves downtown this early on a Saturday morning. There's hardcore, and then there's hardcore. But I also noticed that the boy didn't have the same focus that his counterparts had. "Ooooooo! Cool!" he'd coo over the most mundane of vehicles before taking a lengthy pause to admire it and show it off to his mother, who was standing nearby. Then he'd look at the next car in the box and repeat the process. At least he was easy to please.

Finally it came down to the last round of cartons. They were bringing them out in groups of eight, and there were seven rounds for a grand total of 56. I was the 55th name drawn. Happy once more, I quickly laid claim to a box. It didn't matter when my name was drawn, so long as it was drawn. Each carton had an equal chance of containing the cars I wanted. My only concern was getting through the whole box and making up my mind on five cars before time was up. I'm not exactly known for making fast decisions. Fortunately, I've had some practice going through Hot Wheels displays. I began pulling out cars at a glance and setting them aside. No time to compare paint. I had work to do. That part went well enough. Only at the very end when I realized that everyone else was finished and I had a pile of eight cars did I begin to panic. Which ones to put back? Some of the keepers were obvious -- the lime green "Treasure Hunts" '69 Ford Mustang, the 2011 new release of a '69 Ford Torino Talladega, and a black and orange "Kmart Exclusive" Olds 442. Beyond that, my brain froze up. I wound up grabbing the 24/Seven and Circle Tracker, probably because they were the most colorful, and threw the rest back in the box. Fortunately, I chose well. A large number of the cars I had given up were still available in the bins afterwards, but unfortunately, I forgot one of them -- the black Porche 911 GT2. I did see it in the bins, but it didn't register at the time. Meanwhile, I couldn't figure out why I only had seven cars selected instead of the eight I remembered. I suppose it was a wonder I didn't get confused earlier, as tired as I was. I wound up grabbing a 2009 leftover model I had previously spotted in their existing display and heading to the checkout, free poster in tow. All in all, it was a really great time. I even had a good laugh when the crowd let out a collective gasp upon seeing an employee attempt to crush one of the empty cardboard boxes. Apparently to collectors, even the cartons in which the Hot Wheels are shipped to the store are sacred. Like I said, hardcore.