How can I go about buying pony merch without being ashamed

[DATAIRSOFTBRONY 13]

Don't pay attention to it, just forget the guy who laughed and remember he just dosen't get it.

 

My advice would be to ignore the world around you, don't think about the people who might diss or laugh. Just concentrate on the ponies and absorb your self in the fun of getting some aewsome new stuff, maybe even block out with your MP3 player and just enjoy yourself

 

good point with the mp3 player, i dont do that anyway but its a good way of blocking out the distrations and snikers of others.

[SonOfTheNorthe 412]

Confidence, bro.

Just walk in, strollin' like a thug, get yo shett, approach the counter, and forcefully, (but not too hard), place it on the counter, and pull out your money.

It helps if you're muscular and/or have badass tattoos.

[Alex0461 33]

Every once in a while I get a chuckle at one of my shirts or something. And when people point and laugh I take it as a compliment.

Because they took their precious time out of their day to laugh at someone they don't even know. I find it funny how people will judge for no reason. It makes me laugh

 

What do you care if they laugh. You'll probably never see those Douche-nozzles again in your life. And if you do, they most likely won't even recognize you.

Any time someone takes the time to chuckle at one of my shirts I just look at it as another example of how the show spreads joy. Even if it is joy or humor based in ignorance at least for that second that person had something that made them smile for a moment. Nothing wrong with that. XD And who cares if they're judging? Odds are if I sat them in a locked room with season 1 playing all the way through they'd come out a Brony too lol.

[Yes-Man 597]

Hot Topic.

They have an entire section dedicated to bronies and MLP, and everyone there is pretty tolerant of our kind. I bought 2 shirts and 5 pins of MLP there, and the cashier didn't give a shit about it.

[Chocolate 109]

If you aren't feeling comfortable buying merchandise than perhaps you should bring along a sibling? A friend? I agree with the others that have said you need self-confidence. Let the others point and smile, you only live once. So long as they don't physically mess with me, then it's all good.

[zZzLucidDream 16]

I went into Toys R Us today and got RD and Twilight Sparkle plushies.  I just kept calm and didn't make a big deal about it.  There was a mom and her kid waiting for me to stop looking at the MLP toys so they would have enough room to look and I think the mom either thought I was weird or just trying to find a present.  But the best advice is to just act casual.

[Skygunner 352]

If the cashier snickers at you, act very offended. I mean very offended. You don't have to start making a fuss right there, but just straight up ask him what his problem is. If he goats you, pop over to the manager and tell em what happened. All the major chain stores like Toys R Us, Target, Walmart, etc, put customers before their staff. (as long as you're not a dick, but even then they do).

 

Do they laugh? Maybe, but I assure you, nothing is more demoralizing to a cashier scraping along at minimum wage at a Toys R US then having one of their bosses (Who they probably don't like) repremand them for little to no reason.

 

 

 

 

....................

 

 

or you can just leave with "thank you, enjoy being a cashier" and make sure you emphasize the word cashier.

 

 

 

 

Sources - Working two soul crushing jobs at a Target and McDonalds

[Rivet Canterlot Mechanic 63]

Walk into that pink aisle, grab a blind pack. Make sure while on the way to buy powertools and large amounts of alcohol if possible, preferably whisky or scotch, if neither are available get rubbing alcohol or anything but avoid any flavored drinks because you are a man (unless this is a women, hell I don't judge). then go up to the clerk with all you manly things and slap them with your massive biceps if they so much as snicker at the blindpack!

PS- shouting "M'ERICA!" while slapping them helps

 

But I suppose if you want to save money you could always go with other brony friends, It's easier to deal with a shame when you have people who deal with the same stuff as you with you.

[Rainbow Dash Loyalty 1,275]

Buy whatever the hell you want then leave the store, it's that simple and nothing to be ashamed of. If the cashier asks why you're buying it, well first its none of their business to ask the customer why they're buying a product from a store because it's rude and second it's basically like saying "Why are you buying food at a restaurant?" 

If you really are embarrassed about it then tell them a small lie, it won't hurt anyone and it much easier to say "I'm buying it for my little sister because her birthday is coming up" rather than explaining entirely what a brony is.

Edited January 25, 2013 by ~Chaotic Loyalty~

[Aaramus 449]

As somebody who has worked it retail I'm quite surprised that the clerk actually managed to laugh, those kind of jobs are mind numbingly boring to the point where you become practically brain dead.

 

Seriously though, it really doesn't matter what they think as it's unlikely you won't see them again. Plus if they're acting like that towards you it's their problem not yours. You bought a plastic toy, if they're mocking you for that then they need a reality check.

 

Just go in, buy it, leave, don't worry about some numpty on the other side of the checkout.

 

Walk into that pink aisle, grab a blind pack. Make sure while on the way to buy powertools and large amounts of alcohol if possible, preferably whisky or scotch, if neither are available get rubbing alcohol or anything but avoid any flavored drinks because you are a man (unless this is a women, hell I don't judge). then go up to the clerk with all you manly things and slap them with your massive biceps if they so much as snicker at the blindpack!

PS- shouting "M'ERICA!" while slapping them helps

You just made my day, that was so brilliantly funny! I honestly can't brohoof you enough XD.

[Retro*Derpy 3,191]

A lot of peoples ideas in this thread are good, and I would just go with them. Even if you can't find it in you to just go in and buy whatever and walk out, you can always by online. That or you can wear this when you go to buy it.

Edited January 25, 2013 by ~Chaotic✮Derpy~

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

I agree with those in this thread who say you should just buy your pony merch with confidence and with swag like a badflank mofo, but...

 

...if that still doesn't work, my suggestion is to wear aviators. Not only does it hide any apprehension in your eyes, but you instantly look like a badflank.

[kirbyboi 588]

Well, if I were you, I just go buy with no hesitation! Who are they to judge? Be a Brony, be proud! And if you seriously don't want to let them know, just say it's for your cousin's birthday, your daughter, a sibling, whatever. But personally, just buy the thing, who who cares what they say. Haters gonna hate. Nothing to be ashamed of.

 

It's like deciding whether to wear a brony shirt to school. I wore one, and that's how I found another brony. So, who knows, maybe if you buy it, you'll meet a brony! You never know! But just don't be ashamed. Be proud your a brony!

[~Asuka <3~ 867]

Well, it always helps to go with a friend.  And make it a friend that won't make fun of you.  That way, you have a little support team behind you.  

 

Another thing that helps is to simply ignore every snide comment that you hear.  It's hard, I know, but keep your head high and pay them no mind.  

[DoctorWhovian1902 596]

Here's what you do. Go in with a "Screw it, I came to buy ponies" attitude, put on some sunglasses, walk like you know what you're doing, and are proud of it, and you buy those dang ponies.

 

...If you aren't part Chuck Norris or don't have that much self-confidence (trust me, I've been there), then I suggest either having someone else get them for you, lying about it, or, like a lot of people here have said, buying online.

 

Sorry you have to deal with that, man. Just remember that the community's always here for you.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,308]

You shouldn't let it bother you at all. If you buy something and the register person laughs or makes a comment, just say. "Hey stupid, my buying stuff here means you have a job!" If that doesn't work, print out the picture below, glue it to a wooden board, and whack him in the face with it!

[Feather Gem 967]

-snicker-

"Aha.  Ha.  Hahaha.  Shut up." -angelic face-

 

-snicker-

"Get over it."

 

-snicker-

-innocent look-  "Oh...is there something funny in here?"

 

-snicker-

"Glad to have made your day!"

[Scootaloo Is Best Filly 578]

I never buy my pony stuff Off line. The only place near  me is that sells pony stuff is like Hot Topic. But, yeah, you can normally find what you're looking for on Ebay for a pretty good price if you're careful. But, if you wanna buy stuff from stores, just try to ignore them.  For me it's really easy, I get a chuckle from most people when I talk about being a Brony. Parents, friends, co workers, etc.etc.etc. They forget about it . And guess what, that cashier that chuckled at you? He won't have enough time to tell his other co workers about it because guess what? After he takes care of the people behind you, he's gonna forget all about it. When you're a Brony those stunned expressions and little chuckles like "My Little Pony? Really?" Kind of comes with the territory. Here's the good part, every time you buy stuff from department stores, you're gonna get better at ignoring their comments, and rude behavior. Until, one day one Cashier or someone else is gonna chuckle. But, you can just smile and think to yourself, that they just don't understand  the awesomeness that is: My Little Pony, Friendship Is Magic.

[DATAIRSOFTBRONY 13]

i bought my first MLP stuff this week. first i bought a velcro military patch:

 

http://pbestore.storenvy.com/products/175381-rainbow-dash-hsld-patch

 

for my MULTICAM uniform for when i go airsofting. what is also interesting is that this patch has been featured on Equstria Daily. i figure its a good way of letting other players know i like MLP and if they thought i was anything else . I also had a custom military tab made with the word "BRONY" on it. both should be here later this week.

 

the other purchace was a set of MLP Valentines day cards with stickers. it was my first in-store purchace. i dont really know why i bought them. i quess i figured it was good practice for bigger things. the cash register clerk didnt even look at me more or less the cards. so i wouldnt be worried about it.

[Twinhead B 482]

I'm not ashamed anymore, especially at Hot Topic. Heck, there are displays of MLP stuff in there. You're the intended audience, so there's nothing to be ashamed of. xD 

 

No no, that's still not case. Bronies aren't the intended audience, just a known, unintended consumer of all things pony.

 

ON TOPIC:

 

Be confident. I buy pony merch all the time, and when I do, I walk up to the clerk, and I give them a polite, confident smile. I've never had anyone chuckle or give me weird looks, they usually assume I'm buying it for someone else.

 

Then again, I don't really opt into the bigger pony toys (like the brushables or *cringes* the baby ponies), I usually just get the Blindbag ponies. I also get the Funko vinyls, but I order them offline because there aren't many Hot Topics around where I live.

[olitippo 1]

I know exactly how you feel. Ihave probably one of the worst confidence levels among everypony but hey, I keep my head down and buy it quickly, if not the 'present' approach.

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I recently bought the first season dvd. I know I stated that I wanted a blu ray instead and that I wasn't going to buy the dvd. But I might cancel my netflix account in the future and decided the dvd would come in handy. Not to mention it comes with audio commentaries. . I bought the dvd on amazon by the way. I guess in the future I will just have to be tough and brace myself for the worst. At least the guy at hot topic ws being nice and even told me they were getting fluttershy and doctor whooves in stock in februrary. it was the guy at toys r us when I bought celestia who was being a jerk.

 

speaking of which, I wonder when season 2 is coming out. It been to long

Edited January 28, 2013 by TheMarkz0ne

[Scootaloo Is Best Filly 578]

I recently bought the first season dvd. I know I stated that I wanted a blu ray instead and that I wasn't going to buy the dvd. But I might cancel my netflix account in the future and decided the dvd would come in handy. Not to mention it comes with audio commentaries. . I bought the dvd on amazon by the way. I guess in the future I will just have to be tough and brace myself for the worst. At least the guy at hot topic ws being nice and even told me they were getting fluttershy and doctor whooves in stock in februrary. it was the guy at toys r us when I bought celestia who was being a jerk.

 

speaking of which, I wonder when season 2 is coming out. It been to long

 

Probably later this year, if you think about it  Season one only came out in December so probably some time after that MLP April DVD, whatever that is.

http://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic/dp/B00AZP0BN6/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1359391219&sr=8-11&keywords=My+Little+Pony%3A+Friendship+Is+Magic

Edited January 28, 2013 by Scootaloo Is Best Filly

[Musix 237]

I visited a brony meet the other day AT THE OTHER END OF BLOODY ENGLAND and bought myself a Rainbow Dash badge from one of the brony's there. It's fine if you're in a crowd ^^

[DATAIRSOFTBRONY 13]

Today I had bought a first edition blind bag. Sunday I bought my first figure. It was a basic pony figure. I had a choice between Twilight or Rarity. I got twilight. I styled her hair as well. In either time nopony gave me any problem. Now Im used to doing it no problem.