Big Bill’s Die Cast

After being a retail manager for 20+ years I still remember a area Vice President share with me when referring to his thoughts on employees and he said «Everyine has an expiration date» it wasn’t until
I frequented this business in several locations that I realized the full
Meaning of what my mentor was trying to relay to me. This visit was no different than previous visits when the owner would openly voice his thoughts of customers and pretend they weren’t directed at me. Once the owner realized I was not there to spend big bucks on overpriced 1:18 scale die cast that I was searching for some 1:64 scale models I heard a «pahrumphs» and then a snide comment about customers coming in to shop at the last minute and causing him to not be able to close his doors on time. I finished my visit 15 minutes before he closed. Then there was the comment to my wife about a minimum purchase to use a credit card. If you would quit running off business maybe you could afford the credit card fees that every other business accepts. I didn’t say it was fair, it’s just a part of doing business. If you don’t like what you do anymore maybe it’s time to pass the torch to someone with renewed passion for the business and move on to something that makes you happy again. Clearly this is isn’t it.

I have stopped by this store on several occasions. I have only found it to be open on one occasion.
On my last trip to Florida, I made two special trips to this store only to find it closed both times.
This is a really cool store, but it’.s a long way from I-​95 to find it closed. I doubt that I will try to visit again. If this store would only stay open it would be more profitable.

This is a pretty awesome die cast collector’s store nestled up next to a bunch of antique & boutique stores. Hundreds (thousands?) of die cast cars, planes, ships, etc. — it’s impressive. I’ve visited a handful of times. However: this is not a toy store. Let me tell you a story.
I visited the other day with my 3 ½ year old son. In the back of the store, we came upon a rubbermaid tub filled with cars from the Pixar movie. As he’s a Lightning McQueen enthusiast, I let him pick out a car as a treat, and we made our way to the front of the store.
Now, this was a large tub of cars, all unopened but pretty beat up, with bent packaging and stuff. Nothing was priced, but I assumed, hey, it’ll be a couple of bucks and a good treat for the kid.
The owner examined the car and said it’d be $ 9. I was a little surprised, but hey, it’s a collector’s store. Dialogue follows:
Me: «Do you take plastic?»
Him: «Not for $ 9.»
Awkward silence. Well, I don’t have $ 9 cash, but do have a 5, so I asked, «are any other of the cars cheaper?»
Him: «Nope, that’s the cheapest one. The rest are $ 15, $ 20. They’re all first run models.»
At this point I realized I wasn’t going to get the car unless I bought something else to get to whatever his credit card minimum was (he didn’t say how much I’d need to spend, and I was quickly losing the motivation to give him any money).
So then I had to tell my son to hand back the Lightning McQueen.
At this point, the owner holds his hand out to my son. My son looks confused and sad, but reluctantly gives back the toy without fussing. The owner then says to him:
«Looks like your daddy forgot his wallet, son.»
We left. My head was spinning a little. On the way out of the store, my 3-​year-​old turned to me and said very sincerely, within earshot of the owner: «Daddy, this is not a great store.»
Like I explained to him once we were outside: this isn’t a toy store. It’s a store for people that like to keep things in the packaging and charge too much money for them. The kind of people who can belittle a 3-year-old’s dad because he doesn’t want to foot a credit card surcharge.
So, you know, there are a lot of die cast cars here. But it’s not a toy store, and the more I reflect on the way my son was treated in front of me, the more I wonder how I managed to leave without causing a scene of some sort. Pretty proud of my son, though. The kid really held it together.

Very unique place! Over 11,000 cars, airplanes, helicopters, trucks, military, & lots more! Collector’s dream come true! I am never seen so many die cast!