Best Buy Employee On A Mission To Save R.O.B.

Good luck, hero. Save our robotic friend.

You can't advertise some kind of recycling initiative, take people's things on that condition, and then not go through with it. Pretty poor behaviour by this guy that could land his employers in big trouble.

@Peach64 You could argue that this is recycling; the R.O.B. unit would essentially be being used. I would just hope that this chap isn't planning on nabbing it just so he could resell it!

So what happens if the manager is a redditor?

Robots are an endangered species, we must protect them, especially ancient models like the R.O.B.

Knowing me I would probaubly do the same thing to.

The manager of this particular Best Buy? You guessed it....Phil Fish.

@AbeVigoda Oh, I thought it was Michael Pachter...

Just take it! Get a job anywhere else. Be a hero.
@abevigoda ha ha ha ha! I love it!

Or he could have just taken it without asking anyone or I dunno...NOT MENTION IT ON THE FREAKING INTERNET!!

i'm with Peach64 — him taking it could absolutely land the company in hot water if the local newshound whistleblowers catch wind of Best Buy taking these items under the impression that their components will honestly be recycled and that's not what's done with them at all. If he feels the theft of this set is worth his job, by all means let him make good on his epic plans and deal with the legal repercussions afterward, but I for one can absolutely understand where his manager is coming from on this one, as well as the corporate policy he thinks is 'bad'.

also, if he really intended to steal the damn thing, telling the internet before that plan was enacted (or hell, even afterward when he could absolutely still be fired for having done it)? what a dumb thing to do.

I have no doubt that these recycling programs are outsourced to other companies and that these companies "recycle" these products in more ways than one. I imagine somewhere along the line someone will salvage ROB and save him from a most terrible fate. I hope this guy doesn't have to commit a crime to accomplish his goal. That would suck for him.

Part of recycling is reusing so if someone wants it who can make better use of it, what's the problem with that?

Getting word out about this everywhere he can would probably be what I would do instead.

I fully understand Best Buy's position on this. A customer who brings in something, anything, to be recycled, expects it to be destroyed and made into something new in a manner that would not jeprodize their personal information on, say, a laptop. While this is a bit different (since I highly doubt an R.O.B would have your visa number), no doubt it's company policy to protect consumers.

Wow this could be the basis for Toy Story 4.

What idiot would let a NES, Zapper and ROB get recycled? Sell this on ebay instead of having it destroyed by Best Buy

A friend of mine showed this story to me last night. I guess the best plan random reddit comments came up with was having a friend come in and say "oh, my father came in the other day and turned it in by mistake" but that plan and anything similar is out the window since it's on the internet.

Also, Best Buy's mostly in the right to have the policy; while ROB isn't going to have personal information, other electronics that people bring in might, and while I feel for this guy because I have this entire set and the box myself, he just needs to let it go.

@Void: How would that help him at all? If anything it's already put his store's LP on him with an eagle eye, just waiting for him to try and steal it — or worse yet, they're on the hunt for the thing that's been hidden in their warehouse now so that they can put it into the proper receptacle for these to-be-recycled items.

@sonicfan1373: actually, it was kinda already the basis for Toy Story 2, lol — dude from toy store steals Woody, dude from best buy steals R.O.B. :3

It's an NES Deluxe Set with R.O.B the Robot. Any sense of what's legally right or wrong should go out of the window here.
I assume recycling incentives are there to...you know, help the environment. How about...I dunno...selling the thing to the highest bidder and donating the proceeds to an environmental organisation? Everyone's happy, catastrophe evaded.
Moral of the story: you got to be able to flex the rules a bit in extraordinary situations. This is one of them.

Yeah, saw this on Reddit yesterday. I hope he manages to save it. As someone pointed out in the Reddit comments, reusing an item is the best form of "recycling".

Save R.O.B., be a hero!

I would just take R.O.B., and get fired, but he should try to do what he can first. If there's no other way, I advise getting fired, but that's just me.

I hope he can save R.O.B, he is awesome and this is a rare item that should be reserved since it played a big role in nintendo's career. What if nintendo brought the NES from the best buy? Then it would be safe and preserved. He will need quite the plan to pull this off. He will need phineas and ferb they can make an invention to save the system and R.O.B. I do hope hope he succeeds.

Telling the world before committing a crime is probably the worst thing to do
Although saving a ROB is a worthy cause...

This is stupid. It's just a piece of plastic...Good going guy.

You can get another job, but you can't get another R.O.B. Well, both are kinda hard to get right now, but finding another job is probably easier than R.O.B.

Take the ROB and get fired... Best Buy sucks.

I usually am a huge rule lawyer when it comes to things, but even I see the stupidity of recycling this. I fully support this guy in preserving a piece of Nintendo history, especially onne that is extremely rare and not being made anymore.I'm not sure I would have the guts to go through with it, but I'm glad he's willing.

I'm more worried that, no matter how covertly he does this, he will still get caught. There are cameras all over the store, and anything that was recorded in inventory that suddenly goes missing is a red flag. What's worse is, if he gets caught, it isn't a simple matter of him keeping the thing in exchange for his job. Best Buy legaly reclaims it, so in the end he will end up jobless, in jail, and the thing will be recycled anyway. He best chance was to not spread this story on the internet and draw aattention to himself, but he already botched that.

I still wish him luck regardless.

At least we know there will be at least one R.O.B. left in the distant future, after mankind mysteriously disappears, to be found by tiny humanoid aliens leading a group of mobile plant creatures.

Overcome by a heavy sense of nostalgia, the aliens will name their find, "Remembered Old Buddy."

Whoever gets the reference receives a virtual cookie.

@WingedFish It was delicious

So if I was him, someone could bring in a generation old iPad, call it his baby and possibly take it home so it isn't destroyed for recycling. It could technically be considered recycling but it's also Best Buy's job to get rid of it for proper recycling.

@SMEXIZELDAMAN But it's history!, a nice piece of gaming history, you gotta have respect for that.

I just can't even imagine who the heck would even bring a R.O.B. to Best Buy to get it recycled in the first place.

Stupid to play with, cool to have. Hang in there, man!

I don't care about policy, there is an exception to some rules. Place it on display in the store.

@KenB @TBD I would guess it would have a chance of little to none of helping save the R.O.B, but who knows? It might get a lot of people caring about it, and force Best Buy to do something, and change their policy, probably wouldn't, and he might lose his job anyways due to the ruckus caused.
I should rephrase my post into saying it's not a better idea, just what I would do.
If I did try anything in the first place that is, personally, I probably wouldn't do anything, just sigh and keep my job.

Although I don't know why having someone else use it can't be considering recycling, you know "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

my local best buy had a Atari 2600 for the recycle bin.

I'm sorry, but what kind of idiot gives a rare, sought-after piece of gaming history to Best Buy to destroy?

Apparently, this has already been resolved with a happy ending for all involved:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/best-buy-not-destroy-rare-210438109.html

@AbeVigoda said:
The manager of this particular Best Buy? You guessed it....Phil Fish

Wait a minute. Abe Vigoda WAS Phil Fish. In the Barney Miller series.

I'm glad that this was resolved peacefully, and without taking drastic measures like stealing. Really disappointed in whoever dropped it off being unable to think of any other option than sending it off to be destroyed, like donating it to the Goodwill or something.

Thankfully Best Buy came to it's senses. I hope the guy keeps his job!

OH GOD SAVE IT!

R.O.B will live on, but maybe Best Buy could use R.O.B in their commercials, that would be awesome, swell and fantastic.

Glad to see ROB get a new home in the HQ! I almost shed a tear as I read about the fate of the little robot! Chibi-Robo would be proud.

Whatever the problems with this plan, it's R.O.B. I hope he succeeds.

If public perception is the sole problem, they could just sell it to him. I think they generally get away with selling stuff, though I never go there myself to verify it.

@WingedFish Pikmin 2, right?

Heroes still exist. Good luck and god speed!

@Intrepid
Thanks for posting that. Now I can sleep at night.

@WesCash No problem. Rest assured I am also relieved it was saved.

@Tasuki I considered that, and you're right: people will feel misled. I have no answer for how Best Buy will handle this, but I predict that the average customer will not even know about it.

I would hope both customers and employees recognize that it was a one time deal to save a valuable artifact. Remember that the employee did not get to keep the collection, so other employees will have to understand that if they raise an issue about an item, even if it is saved they will not get to own it, hopefully reducing incentive to even try doing something underhanded.

So we will have to see how this plays out, but I predict that Best Buy will emerge with no backlash, with no change to its recycling program, and hardly anyone will notice (outside of reddit of course). Business as usual.

@Intrepid: And what happens when someone else comes and trades in something that a random employee really, really wants for their own purposes and thinks should be saved from being broken down and recycled? I think I'd like to be aware of the fact that my items might actually not wind up recycled as planned (on display in an office somewhere) before I participate in such a program. :/

Yeah why can't they let him sell it on ebay then donate half the money to the companies favourite charity & to his or just let the guy take it but ask him to make a small donation. I don't believe his job is under if he 'takes' rob but they the store could say its theft & he's out on gross misconduct. All the best to him & to rob...

@Intrepid Im glad that this piece of gaming history is now saved, it would be nice if they made a rob that could your wii u game pad or 3ds, it's not needed but it's nice to look at.

Well good thing it all turned out okay.
Also, @WingedFish

@WingedFish
Yes.

@undead_terror
http://www.immaculatebaking.com/goodies/the-worlds-biggest-cookie/

Haha!

@tbd As I was telling Tasuki, I have no idea what will happen from here regarding Best Buy or its recycling program. I'm only predicting that this will be a non issue for the most part because they average lay person will not have heard about this story. If this does escalate...well, they may just have to be stricter in the future or cancel the recycling program.

@Tasuki: You could just break it

@Pikminsi come at me bro

No, this is definitely a fine example of horrid corporate policy. The argument that it would set a precedent for currently sold items being used by and given away to corporate employees, or is poor behavior by the employee, is total bullocks and a cop-out. It's not the same issue at all.

I've volunteered for a computer recycling and refurbishing outfit for a little over 3 years now, and our policy has always been that if a donation or something we scrounge from the local recycling center is not useful to us in our operations, as long as a volunteer who's been with us for a while asks the director if they can take it, and the director approves, you're in the clear. Which is usually the case, for items we cannot use in our operations.

We work with the local county government on this matter. Their own policy is that once someone else's property is given to them to be recycled, and is then subsequently recovered by us in our partnership, they no longer have a say in what particular electronic items we take, or what we do with the products we take, so long as we keep producing a good, sustainable service for our clients.

Best Buy obviously has no appreciable use for the product in question. Their rigid adherence to unbending corporate behavior is what is deplorable here. If there were a significant amount of gold pins and whatnot in the goods, that might be another matter, but that's simply not the case here. If you consider the components, that is the determining factor for usefulness and value. This NES and ROB set does not have that, even compared to a common PC these days.

Recycling processes and identification between various electronic devices are not created equally. Best Buy would most likely just send the thing out into the garbage, to either be sent to the dump, or to a local recycling center. They wouldn't necessarily send this NES set to their own refurbishing and recycling centers, because it would not be of appreciable value to their operations. Even if they did, it would just be stripped for almost no useful parts, and most of it would just be trashed, not recycled properly.

So yeah. Also, the hot water thing is also a cop-out. Recycling facilities don't have the inspection rates of other types of technology facilities; at least not in the United States. Our worker safety standards are on par with third world countries in some places.

In short, people really overestimate the level of accountability corporate entities truly take upon themselves when it comes to "green jobs" and responsible recycling procedures. I wonder how many people here realize how many literal tons of WORKING stuff people just toss into the trash EVERY DAY; and also how many literal tons of broken junk gets sent overseas from the United States, into foreign nations without those nations' consent, IN UNFILTERED PILES, and certainly not being recycled properly.

The real can of worms here is the ugly side of what happens when the junk we Americans "recycle" doesn't necessarily get recycled... Here's a hint: It's more profitable to sell junk to dumping services, to have them dump the junk in an economically poor nation, than to actually recycle nonvaluable parts!

http://www.electronicstakeback.com/global-e-waste-dumping/

For all we know, the remains of that NES set would have just been dumped on a poor village in Africa... the employee is doing a good thing. It's unfortunate that a MUCH bigger issue lies behind the one he reported, and he's going to become a victim because of it.

@undead_terror

Does this work?

Getting fired for taking stuff home from work? Duh.

@MadAdam81 Unfortunately, this issue isn't even close to being that simple.

If I was him I would ask them if he could sell it on eBay for charity or something. I can see them having a problem with him taking it home, since the lady was trying to recycle it (IE help the planet), not give to some body to make $$...

If the unit was to be recycled for some water bottles or some crap, what harm would it do if someone took it and used it? The reason recycling exists is so that things aren't left in landfills that could be used for other purposes. If it's being used for it's initial purpose and not filling a landfill, what's the problem?

@KenB Exactly what I was thinking.

This employee should be given a friggin' medal from Nintendo. Miyamoto should knock on his door and honor him.

@Tasuki For all you know, they were watching TV on your 50" plasma long before this happened. If you are that concerned about it, do some research on a recycling center you believe is legitimate and use them instead of Best Buy for now on.

As for my predicting that nothing will come of this, it is just that: a guess. I honestly do feel that either no one will have heard about it or no one will care.

It's fine if you don't agree with me, but you don't need to insult me by calling me a child. I would think that those that resort to name-calling are more childish.

I would say it's not worth it, but if it means getting out of a best buy job than go for it..alas, he didn't get it for himself and he's still stuck at best buy, can we take up a collection for this guy?

This set was the one I originally got my NES with! I have my R.O.B. to the right of my TV, behind my NES.

Sad thing to me about this is the people who took it in for recycling. Some people don't know what they have. Nor do they have emotional attachments to anything. I don't believe in hording, but you can also apply some value to things like this that deserve it.

As for Best Buy, these big corporations are a load of laughs. They have these various "help the community" programs for no reason except helping their public image and attracting customers. If we knew the crooked crap BB and other corporations have pulled behind closed doors, people would riot in the streets and call for heads to roll.

Man, losing your job at Best Buy would be...... uh......... what's the exact opposite of "terrible"?

@undead_terror Kenan Thompson needs to go on a damn diet as long as he isn't in a good Nick show.

I think its worth pointing something out. Do the majority of people honestly care about what happens to the 'junk' they drop off? Most people are well aware that the stuff they drop off will be either used for parts or disposed of, and don't seem to care as long as they no longer have to deal with it.

In my opinion the only person that would have a problem here is the previous owner who realizes his/her mistake, but willingly gave the NES and R.O.B to Bestbuy most likely assuming it was junk.

just take it, sometimes life gets gangsta like that.

Put it out for auction on ebay and give whatever is bid to charity.

Lol screw the BestBuy crappy job, I woulda just grabbed it and ran as soon as I seen it... xD

This story would make for a great Elite Beat Agents level.

@Tasuki Usually, when you call someone a "Naive Child", it is meant as an insult. I don't know if it holds different meaning to you, but it is commonly accepted to be an insult.

I will agree that some lawyer is probably already on this; those people are like sharks hunting for their next meal.

Zombie_Barioth has pointed out the reason why nobady cares: It is junk to them. As long as it is out of their hands they are happy. I really don't think people hold recycling centers in such high esteem in the first place, and I don't think people feel betrayed because they don't bother to care about the wherabouts of their item anyway. They have a "I did my part, its out of my hands" personality anyway.

Let me ask you: If you worked at a company that recycles old paper, and you saw some money that was mixed in, and it happened to be a lot (at least $100), would you salvage it? Or an expensive ring at a scrapyard? If it wasn't recycled, that company would mis-represent itself, but at the same time, no one in their right mind would let it be recycled. That's just common sense.

I honestly don't think Best Buy was being deceitful here. They would have proceeded to destroy that R.O.B on schedule had the employee not complained, and then they decided to preserve it, partly because of its value, and partly out of respect for the employee that was so passionate about it. If Best Buy was to be untrustworthy, they would have sold it to line their pockets, and then covered it up, not put it on display for everyone to see.

You obviously have a strong sense of moral justice and hold people accountible for their actions, and that is to be respected. Truthfully, I feel the same way most of the time as well, but I was told once that it depends on the situation. I scoffed that people feel there are exceptions to the rule, but now I see that this is a perfect example of that. This ariticle is essentially a story of morality vs. doing what one feels is right, and that can be very decisive.

This is Best Buy's problem now, and they will have to deal with the consequences of the decision they made. It will be interesting to see what happens, but I don't see any reason to discuss this any longer. We have differing opinions, but we need to accept that and move on.

I'm all with GreenDream #69 & #70 and DkFluttershyGuy #80.

Personally I'd rescue the R.O.B., as that's the right thing to do, especially when, like in this case, stupids are ruling over you. We are not meant to obey the brainless. I wouldn't think twice risking losing my dumb job as I'd be happy envisioning not having to waste my limited lifetime with these suckers anymore.
Anyway, if people were really interested to see their plastic/electronics stuff recycled, they wouldn't go to Best Buy (as they don't recycle, they just send them to the nearest dump station that piles it up and burns it down). Instead they would educate themselves, hammer and separate the plastics from the electronics and, well, dip them in hot sauce and eat em up...

@theblackdragon 'him taking it could absolutely land the company in hot water if the local newshound whistleblowers catch wind of Best Buy taking these items under the impression that their components will honestly be recycled and that's not what's done with them at all.'

But reuse is a form of recycling, arguably a greener one than conversion. They could possibly sell that to the public/press if they had to. Looking at the condition that system is in, though, I can't help but wonder if the employee's interest is actually less heroic than this article implies. The box looks to be in perfect condition, so it could be worth more than the NES itself (which looks like it has a bit yellowing going on), but the whole kit together will be worth a fair bit in a few years.

Take the NES system home, get fired, collect unemployment, get a new job at Gamestop = win, win, win, win

Save ROB!!!

That thing is in like perfect condition! Please let him save it!

Why are there idiots out there that would just recycle that?! Friends don't let friends throw out valuable things!

that is a very stupid policy, I say take it, f*** Best Buy

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It's all about not ending up in a dump site. Plus the person who took it there was a fool. Thousands of people will would love this thing, I could make profit on it and even when it gets recycled some harmful stuff will be created. Better take it to best buy.

If I donate something to be recycled, I would much rather have someone be able to take it and use it for themselves than have the item turned into scrap.

Getting fired for stealing from a company doesn't look good on your resume. Even if you don't think you are stealing, to BestBuy you are so I would just let ROB go.

I said it before when I read this article earlier; I would have just bought it straight from the person who brought it in. How much can Best Buy be giving people for recycling these types of things? Not much if anything. Obviously the person wanted to get rid of it, so they would gladly take a little cold hard cash for it. Best Buy wouldn't even have known it was brought in if I was that employee. This employee doesn't sound like the sharpest knife in the drawer. Who goes on the web and tells people they are going to steal something before doing it? I'm sure all the best thief's in the world join message boards to share their future aspirations.

@McHaggis: they're advertising what sorts of facilities these products are going to be recycled at, though, not that your products have the potential to wind up in the hands of employees or on display in an office somewhere. they're also claiming that they can recycle technology of any age without a problem — and obviously there was a 'problem' here, they felt it necessary to keep an item from being recycled. Who's to say they won't do it again in the future when something else like this comes along? How long will these items be preserved, or will they wind up in a dump a few years from now? It's not recycling, it's not reusing, it's prolonging the life of an item intended by its owner to be remade into something else.

There are programs that will take old laptops, cell phones, etc. and so forth, refurbish them, and sell them or give them away in third-world countries. That doesn't bother me, because they're being straight-up regarding what's happening to the stuff I'm potentially giving them. With Best Buy, now I'm being potentially lied to when they're telling me my stuff will go to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycling facility. It's false advertisement.

That said, I absolutely agree with you regarding the employee's interest. Anyone who knows the worth of that set would go nuts if they thought they could get it for free. I'm glad at least it's been kept by corporate, not him. :3

@toeveryonewhogussed Pikmin2 You're right! Now we all can enjoy...cookie galaxy? Sounds like an unused planet in the Super Mario Galaxy games.