I'm curious as to who else feels awkward walking through this part of the store. How do you approach it? As for me, I usually do flybys to make sure the coast is clear. Then I swoop in quickly, browse quickly, and grab what I want. I usually try to sandwich it between a couple of DVDs. I am still a little skittish about buying pony stuff. If someone I know sees me, it's for my niece.
People'll probably end up thinking you're just buying a present for someone, so I never really think much of it. I usually end up just browsing, nobody seems to mind much. I don't really care if people think it strange anywho, I'll probably never meet 'em again. The only time I feel awkward about it is when a kid's already there, with their parents... Then, I tend to just wait 'til they leave.
Whenever I'm out at the store, ASDA, Tesco etc. I always have a quick look down the isle to see if I can see any pony merch. I don't buy merch anyway, so that one quick look is enough pony pony for me.
Goes into Store> Walks into Pink Aisle> Grabs Merch> Brings to Counter> Buys> Out. I just grabs them just for heck of it really. I don't really care what people think of me of buying them. People think of me as a creep for getting them is their problem, not mine.
I'm usually wearing a pony shirt and a pony bag covered in pony buttons. :derpe: So I'm pretty comfortable.
Simply browsing is not much of a problem. Sifting through the box of blindbags - pretty much the only toys I'm interested in - to find the ones I'm looking for still feels a bit odd, though.
I know that feel. Usually I don't think much of it because people prolly just assume I'm shopping for a niece or something, but one time I had a female employee walk past the isle I was in like three times and I had a sneaking suspicion that she was keeping an eye on me. Then again, I was meticulously sorting through blind bags so I probably did look a bit odd lol.
Honestly, to say that I'm overly open about by fandom preferences is an understatement. I walk into the pink aisle with my brony shirt and collectibles that I just bought from a different location minutes ago and browse and buy. Me personally, I don't mind what people think of me, because people don't understand me. If someone understood me completely, and disliked me, I'd have a better chance of being offended =P. But anyways, I wouldn't say I flaunt my bronydom, but I definitely let people know.
I gave up trying to be cool a long time ago when I began my Pokemon phase at 10yrs old so I don't care what people think. More people make rude comments about the colour of my hair than the fact that I'm buying my little pony stuff (got called a freak 5 times in one day when I was shopping with my best friend LOL). I agree with Frost though, people give me a weird look when I'm shifting through the blind bags. Last time I was there, I took the whole mess of blind bag boxes and meticulously went through them...course I left the section and bags in a more organized fashion than when I arrive, but I still got a couple weirded out looks from some old ladies that went by. Based upon my experience as a fan that often buys geek merchandise, I find that guys in general really don't give a ****, while I frequently have old women telling me 'you're to old for toys, you really ought to grow up', which then makes my mother and best friend angry and want to argue with them for being rude. If you don't make a big deal or act like your nervous while you buy it, then chances are, no one will say anything. I figure, You don't make fun of me for liking ponies, and I wont make fun of you for liking Fantasy Football.
I know this is off topic, but what color is your hair? Sorry, I have nothing meaningful to contribute to this discussion
I like going down the pink aisle to browse the MLP merch every time I get the chance. Mostly I'm checking for blind-bag figures and little stuff like that. Not a brushable fan. Sometimes I notice people giving me the fuzzy-eyeball, but I think I'm casual and friendly enough that I don't arouse too much suspicion. Of course, if I'm with a friend, I take great delight in striking up a conversation about the pony-merch while we're looking it over just so I can see how passers-by react. I figure these are people I'll never see again, and I don't mind making light of myself, so I might as well give them a chuckle (or freak them out for my own amusement) x3
At my local hot topic at my local mall, the pony section is behind the adventure time section so that it looks like we're looking at adventure time from outside of the store. Everyone inside is either a Brony or is fine with Bronies, I don't worry at all.
