Actually, you just stack the bricks before you put'em in the cup. That's it. Toys are Tools runs all the numbers, and they're significant. So stock up smartly the next time you're in a LEGO store, and if the cashier gives you grief, just say you're "teaching the kid spatial reasoning."
Toy Tips: MORE LEGOs for LESS! [toysaretools.com via @ronlieber]
Nice! Totally doing this next time we hit the city. Never saw any of those tall pick-a-brick containers at the Rockefeller plaza store, though.
Usually, my big struggle is to get The Boy to buy the large basic bricks rather than the small, specialty pieces we already have a ton of at home. He'll buy the weird pieces then complain when I cannot help him build a simple house because we don't have any of the basic 6x2, 8x2, etc. bricks.