For many years, LEGO® fans have enjoyed the ability to gather loose elements in LEGO stores from the popular Pick A Brick walls. Their bounty of bricks could be expertly placed in unique plastic cups, which could be reused for a slight discount on future refills. This year, the LEGO Group introduced a cardboard box replacement for plastic cups, as part of the drive to offer sustainable packing across LEGO products. It was widely assumed that the cups could continue to be used in LEGO stores, with new customers being offered the carded boxes. However, it’s now been confirmed by the LEGO Group via the Ambassador Network, that this is no longer the case. Now, when a customer brings in a cup to refill, LEGO stores will provide them with one of the new cardboard boxes for free, to use instead. This will be the case until January 31, 2024. After that date, plastic cups will not be replaced and customers will need to purchase and use the new boxes. Reuse of boxes should still offer a discount on future refills. The reason for completely ditching the use of plastic cups reuse is the need to use tape to secure the lids and local laws requiring a paper attachment to the cups. You can learn more about the new PAB packaging here.
6th November 2023
That’s outrageous!
If I have understood this article correctly, to charge customers extra for a flimsy cardboard box so as to be able to then purchase PAB wall elements is further pushing the limits of exorbitant charging from LEGO. I recall that the cost of a both small and large PAB cups had already had significant increases recently, with the large cups going from £11.99 to £14.99 in 2022.
It seems wholly at odds to the supposed purpose of sustainability to deny customers from continuing to be able to use their existing tubs.
Of course, this now also adds to the cost by not being able to continue to benefit from the small discount applied from reusing the plastic tubs (£0.75 for a large PAB cup).
It just doesn’t sit well. And I have already reigned back my previous purchases from LEGO Store PAB walls as a consequence of the previous significant price increase. It is galling to be made to have to purchase a cardboard box.
6th November 2023
Until Jan 31st you’ll be given a box for free and this can be reused but after that date you’d need to ‘buy’ the box has you would currently if you didn’t have a plastic cup. It’s an odd move I agree
7th November 2023
Hi Adam, Just to clarify, the experience has always been that plastic PAB cups have never needed to be bought as a separate item. A large PAB cup, for example, is/was £14.99 and this included the cup. Same for the smaller PAB cup, being inclusive of the total price (£7.99 if I am not mistaken).
Do you know if the pricing for the carton PAB boxes is changing?
7th November 2023
That is the wording we were given. Basically, from what I assume not having a local store, plastic cups reuse currently allows a discount on future refills. If a store is now using carded boxes then customers won’t be able to use them and instead will be offered a box, which I assume will still offer the reuse discount, this getting the box for ‘free’. After date stated, cups will no longer be swapped out for ‘free’ and a discount apply to the PaB purchase. Effectively meaning you’ll need to ‘buy’ a box or as you note purchase a full priced PaB experience.
Someone has already mentioned the pricing in their store is now £16.99 so I assume a pricing change is expected