The first thought I had this morning-

[Strawberry Swirl]

-is kind of a stupid one but just. Do me one favor and consider thinking about it.

Imagine you're at a thrift store/garage sale/flea market/whatever and you find a pony most people will NEVER find ~in the wild~ as the kids say. Maybe it's Mimic or a grail or a nirvana (yes people have found those too, and not just in places like Europe where driving to another country is like driving a couple towns over for us Americans™) and wow! She's super cheap too!

But a little kid also wants this pony. Like not the bag of toys she might be situated in- they want this particular specific pony you've got in your sights. Do you give the pony to the kid, keep it and explain the value, make up some outlandish sob story about some rare incurable disease you don't actually have or what? Because even I'm struggling with this now and I need help. 

[Luxrayx]

I'm kind of a doormat, so in this situation, I'd likely give up the pony regardless of the other person's age. You could also say the pony is better off with the child because ponies ought to be played with... On the other hand, children are fickle creatures, so the pony may be quickly forgotten, gone to waste. I'd say make a decision based on your pre-existing knowledge of the child's behavior and tendencies, but if this isn't something you have... Ask the parents? 

[kakenterprise]

I feel like I've been in this situation at a garage sale.  I had a large pokemon plush and the a kid approached me and he really wanted it.  I think I just said sorry I already bought this and moved on. 

[Pokeyonekenobie]

I guess I'm not as nice as you guys.  If I don't have it and I found it first, I keep it.  If it's one I already have I'd consider leaving it for the kid, but it would also depend on whether or not I'd seen the kid acting like a brat in the store already.  If they ask me why I need it (and I'm not about to let them have it), I either tell them the truth that I want it  or else I lie and say that one of my nieces was looking for it.

Thrift stores are a first come, first serve, finders keepers kind of place.  Just because someone has something in their cart that you want, they are not required to hand it over, nor are you required to give up your find to someone else.

Also, if it's an 80s pony they're made of a different plastic than the newer ones and I read somewhere that the 80s plastic recipe isn't being used anymore because it's been found to be bad for kids to play with.  So really, by keeping it you could be saving a kid's life.

[banditpony]

First come, first serve...
That's a part of life. In this situation the item shouldn't be given up based on age and no other information. It could just be a greedy kid who always gets their way.

(PS I find myself to be a nice person but this isn't a situation I feel like that the other person should get their way)

[Leave a Whisper]

I wanna say I'd be noble, but I'm not entirely sure if I would be.

[Duenia]

I normally just plan that in the event something like that happens I'd apologize to the kid and say it's for my little sister. Which through a long complicated string of loopholes it totally is lol. It just seems like the situation would go over so much easier if I didn't say it was for me. If I got the pony first then I should have to give it up. There's also as has been mentioned before there is the possibility of the pony no longer being safe to be a child's toy. Pony could have a plasticizer leak, mold, or rust.

[Bekuno]

As someone who recently kept an eye on a kid in goodwill who was carrying around a spyro plush in hopes his mother made him put it down so I could snatch it - I'd probably come up with an excuse to take the pony. 

[orangepeachmango]

i wouldn't give it up. first off, i found it first >: )! secondly, older ponies arent safe for kids to have anyway! so if the mom had the nerve to come up to me, another adult, and demand i give it up id kindly let her know about all the lead and plasticizer leaking out of these babies.

[Aflame]

i would keep the pony sorry but most kids wreck stuff in my experience i have seen kids come in the shop where i work ( charity shop ) and grab a porcelain doll out of the toy basket and throw it and it broke  and the mum did nothing just walked out didn't even give us a donation for what the little crap broke !!!!

[Ponyfan]

If I had the pony in my hands or in my basket unless an adult came over and demanded that I give the pony to their child I would keep it.


Ponyfan

[Carrehz]

Finders keepers I actually had something like this once, but with another collector, not a kid - they were looking for a pony that I'd just picked up. Like others have said, first come, first serve; that's just the way the world works, haha. (Plus the whole "G1s-aren't-necessarily-safe-for-kids-any-more" thing... but also finders keepers. )

i would keep the pony sorry but most kids wreck stuff in my experience i have seen kids come in the shop where i work ( charity shop ) and grab a porcelain doll out of the toy basket and throw it and it broke  and the mum did nothing just walked out didn't even give us a donation for what the little crap broke !!!!

That's awful! Some people, ugh..

[SaraMari]

Yeah, despite how awkward it would make me, first come first serve. If the parent came up telling me to give it to their kid that would make me even less likely to give it up. They aren't teaching their kid any lessons​ about patience / you don't get everything handed to you. But I have never experienced this, typically the kids go straight for the bigger or flashier toys and yeah just throw them all over

[Blue Haired Ken Doll]

I'm hearltess in these situations, I'd say "sorry I want this and I'm faster" and be on my way lol
To me G1's aren't toys anymore, they're vintage collectables and like a child shouldn't be messing it up lol

[Icicle]

If it were a G1. I honestly would keep it for myself. Because of how they were manufactured and how they age I wouldn't give it to a kid on that merit, not even taking into account the rarity of the pony in question. And I mean. Who knows what could be lurking inside the thing that the parent might not even think to clean! I'd feel bad, because they were originally kids toys, but their safety is more important than happiness in this instance.

Also a little bit of it is first come, first serve, but. I don't want to admit to that lol.