Grampstrains posted:franksansev posted:I asked my local Gold Crown store to order me a set. I also offered to set up a small display layout in the store for them the manager spoke to the owner and everyone was on board. All throughout November and December I keep checking and all I got was crickets. My wife and daughter out doing the post holiday shopping stopped in the store and called me. The store was closing at the first of the year, due to the owners deciding to retire. I found out a few months later when I bumped into the manager, and I asked her about it and I was shocked when she told me that the owners told her NOT to make any special orders for any items for the holidays.
They closed and it sucks as they were my Hallmark Gold store for over 20 years! I now have to drive to the local mall for a Hallmark corporate store, or drive 30 miles round trip to another store. Very sad.
Hope is still springing eternal, that I can get myself a set!
There are several sets on Ebay for less than Hallmark's price
They were also sold on Amazon last December - with free shipping too! I'm fairly certain you'll be able to get a set at less than msrp, fransensav, since this will be the second year the set's available. Don't understand why Hallmark obviously wasn't targeting Hallmark collectors for this set since last year's sets weren't dated or numbered therefore no way to distinguish them from the sets offered for sale this upcoming holiday season. Wonder whether Lionel has made a second run of the set for this year's sales or if Hallmark instead held back on what Lionel made for them last year and only distributed to Hallmark stores a portion of Lionel's 2015 run so that Hallmark stores wouldn't have a glut left over to sell at 50% off last December 26th. Holding back on distributing all of Lionel's Lionel production run last year would certainly explain why the sets offered last year weren't dated 2015.
