Irvine police department announces bust in pun-filled social media post about alleged $34,000 Lego looting
So much for using his noodle.
A California man pilfered thousands of dollars in Lego toy sets from the retailer Target in a return-based scam, sometimes swapping valuable figurines with dried pasta pieces and before returning the construction-centric toys, authorities recently alleged.
The alleged plot ended with the arrest of 28-year-old Jarrelle Augustine, accused of grand theft for allegedly stealing the Lego sets, whose manufacturer is known for the interlocking miniature bricks and figurines, according to Irvine, California, police.
“You read that correctly,” police said in a Facebook post announcing the 14 April arrest. “We are talking about durum wheat semolina pasta, and what we are calling a pasta-tively terrible plan.”
Surely they spend more on upfront design/engineering though
Like what? Lego have been essentially unchanged for decades. They have to keep coming up with new kit ideas, but the fundamental building blocks have remained unchanged for decades, and they are simple to reproduce by the billions, and they are dirt cheap.
And yet because of colorful pieces, good package design, and excellent marketing, they can sell a box of tiny dirt cheap plastic blocks for an eye-watering price. Yeah, they have to come up with the occasional weird piece now and then, but otherwise, the bulk of the upfront engineering and design was done decades ago.
Lego is wildly profitable.