How is your Local Comic Shop's Customer Service Performance?

[Annihilus]

Just wondering if any of you guys have experiences like this in your local comic shops. Having had a multi-unit retail management background, it is just amazing to me how probably 80% of the shops in the twin cities area (and elsewhere across the country) are either completely negligent of their paying clientelle or just downright rude.

 

The other day Annihilus had a decent stack of books, nothing that was going to make the guy's year in sales or anything, but about $120 worth of stuff. While waiting in line to pay, this guy behind the counter managed to:

 

1. Proceed to talk to his buddy (who wasn't buying anything) for 5 minutes while not ringing me up. Here is Annihilus just standing there like a waiting to give this guy his money.

 

2. When he finally decided that he should probably perform some kind of task resembling 'service', he managed to take the books, ring them up, take the credit card and swipe it in the machine, print out the receipt and have it signed, bag the books and hand them over without once even looking at Annihilus, let alone say one word to him. This entire time he was talking with his buddy about fishing.

 

Keep in mind, this is an established shop that's been around for quite a while. A similar incident happened in another popular shop a few miles away a few weeks prior.

 

WTF is that? Do any of you guys experience -poor service like this at your LCS? And let's just state for the record: even if your best customer is in the store and you're talking to them (about whatever), that's no excuse to take $120 from one of your regular customers without even looking at them. It takes about 2 minutes to give someone enough attention to make them want to give you repeat business. And we're not only talking about part-time lackeys here....we're also talking about comic shop owners/operators. Can't count how many times there wasn't one 'hi', 'bye', or 'kiss my spoon' said the entire time shopping at many of these shops.

 

It's service like this that makes mail-ordering look better every day. The post man (or woman) provides better service than a lot of these yahoos.

 

Sorry..... end of

[nik]

No

[OrangeNemesis]

YUP.

[Anfield Fox]

Anfield Fox thinks Annihilus is very funny

[Artboy99]

Anfield Fox thinks Annihilus is very funny

 

Artboy99 would agree with Anfield Fox that Annihilus is funny.

Maybe it has something to do with having his name start with the letter A

[dzminn]

Just wondering if any of you guys have experiences like this in your local comic shops. Having had a multi-unit retail management background, it is just amazing to me how probably 80% of the shops in the twin cities area (and elsewhere across the country) are either completely negligent of their paying clientelle or just downright rude.

 

The other day Annihilus had a decent stack of books, nothing that was going to make the guy's year in sales or anything, but about $120 worth of stuff. While waiting in line to pay, this guy behind the counter managed to:

 

1. Proceed to talk to his buddy (who wasn't buying anything) for 5 minutes while not ringing me up. Here is Annihilus just standing there like a waiting to give this guy his money.

 

2. When he finally decided that he should probably perform some kind of task resembling 'service', he managed to take the books, ring them up, take the credit card and swipe it in the machine, print out the receipt and have it signed, bag the books and hand them over without once even looking at Annihilus, let alone say one word to him. This entire time he was talking with his buddy about fishing.

 

Keep in mind, this is an established shop that's been around for quite a while. A similar incident happened in another popular shop a few miles away a few weeks prior.

 

WTF is that? Do any of you guys experience -poor service like this at your LCS? And let's just state for the record: even if your best customer is in the store and you're talking to them (about whatever), that's no excuse to take $120 from one of your regular customers without even looking at them. It takes about 2 minutes to give someone enough attention to make them want to give you repeat business. And we're not only talking about part-time lackeys here....we're also talking about comic shop owners/operators. Can't count how many times there wasn't one 'hi', 'bye', or 'kiss my spoon' said the entire time shopping at many of these shops.

 

It's service like this that makes mail-ordering look better every day. The post man (or woman) provides better service than a lot of these yahoos.

 

Sorry..... end of

 

This is the time when the Twin Cities shops should be stepping up their service, now that the 800lb. gorilla known as Shinders finally closed. At one time they had 13 stores that pretty much blanketed the area and were the prime source for comics(among other things) for 70+ years.

[blue808]

Anfield Fox thinks Annihilus is very funny

blue808 thinks referring to oneself in the first person is funny

[davidpg]

My loooooooooooong time LCS (Astro Books here in Montreal) is, and always has been fantastic. Never a hassle.

 

They even bailed me out of a big jam when I had my comic shop way-back-when and my new comic order was blocked by my crooked franchisor.

[Jeffro.]

Jeffro thinks that Annihilus' avatar should be a pic of, oh I don't know, Annihilus, instead of Zorak.

 

To answer your question, I've never experienced anything like that. One shop I was in years and years ago (which is long gone btw) I got reemed out by the owner because I dared look at some books another fella had brought in to the shop. I was waiting in line to pay for some books and the guy asks me if I know anything about comics, we get to talking and he asks me if I could look at what he has. Well, the shop owner must have thought I was going to offer to buy them before he could look because he explodes at me.

 

I never went to that shop again. Piece of mess.

 

[seanfingh]

Just wondering if any of you guys have experiences like this in your local comic shops. Having had a multi-unit retail management background, it is just amazing to me how probably 80% of the shops in the twin cities area (and elsewhere across the country) are either completely negligent of their paying clientelle or just downright rude.

 

The other day Annihilus had a decent stack of books, nothing that was going to make the guy's year in sales or anything, but about $120 worth of stuff. While waiting in line to pay, this guy behind the counter managed to:

 

1. Proceed to talk to his buddy (who wasn't buying anything) for 5 minutes while not ringing me up. Here is Annihilus just standing there like a waiting to give this guy his money.

 

2. When he finally decided that he should probably perform some kind of task resembling 'service', he managed to take the books, ring them up, take the credit card and swipe it in the machine, print out the receipt and have it signed, bag the books and hand them over without once even looking at Annihilus, let alone say one word to him. This entire time he was talking with his buddy about fishing.

 

Keep in mind, this is an established shop that's been around for quite a while. A similar incident happened in another popular shop a few miles away a few weeks prior.

 

WTF is that? Do any of you guys experience -poor service like this at your LCS? And let's just state for the record: even if your best customer is in the store and you're talking to them (about whatever), that's no excuse to take $120 from one of your regular customers without even looking at them. It takes about 2 minutes to give someone enough attention to make them want to give you repeat business. And we're not only talking about part-time lackeys here....we're also talking about comic shop owners/operators. Can't count how many times there wasn't one 'hi', 'bye', or 'kiss my spoon' said the entire time shopping at many of these shops.

 

It's service like this that makes mail-ordering look better every day. The post man (or woman) provides better service than a lot of these yahoos.

 

Sorry..... end of

 

ORIGIN THREAD!!!!!

[phoenix215]

Would home delivery be considered good customer service?

 

 

[Annihilus]

Would home delivery be considered good customer service?

 

 

If the postman (or woman) was nice? :shrug:

 

Actually, yeah....you can absolutely make an argument for good service through the mail. If the product was priced right, packaged nicely and arrived in a timely manner. It's a little different criteria than you'd apply to a brick/mortar shop obviously, but it's still considered service. The expectations should be different.

 

 

[Dick Pontoon]

Luckily, none of the local shops I frequent have this type of stereotypical service.

[Raphael]

I'm lucky enough to live in an area where there are multiple comic stores to choose from.

 

I go to the place that can give me my weekly pulls in the best condition

[Scrooge]

Scrooge thinks Annihilus should talk to the clerk instead of standing like a doofus waiting for service. Then again Scrooge would just buy the store to burn it down, just out of spite. It always helps to have 3 cubic acres of money lying around.

[the blob]

The shops I frequent are all pretty good in this regard. They might still keep talking to their buddy, but I wouldn't be waiting more than a few seconds and the cashier would probably at least give me a cursory "hey, what's up" or something like that when ringing me up. Midtown Comics is run like a factory, they want your money ASAP, so they keep the line moving. But I have to say, the manager/assistant manager (30something thin asian guy) does a fantastic job of tying up my boxes when I buy them so that I have a handle, etc. Very professional. I buy all my boxes from them when I can. The other stuff can be kindah expensive, although every once in a while there's a "deal."

 

The other, smaller, shops I go to are all very chatty and the people who work there engage everyone in all sorts of conversations. Time Machine over on 14th especially so (uhg, if they only had decent air conditioning i might hang around and B-S). Another shop I think a guy who was kindah grumpy was actually let go, although i suspect the guys who run the place probably got sick of his grumpy act too. There aren't many shops left though.

[phoenix215]

Would home delivery be considered good customer service?

 

 

If the postman (or woman) was nice? :shrug:

 

Actually, yeah....you can absolutely make an argument for good service through the mail. If the product was priced right, packaged nicely and arrived in a timely manner. It's a little different criteria than you'd apply to a brick/mortar shop obviously, but it's still considered service. The expectations should be different.

 

 

Methinks you misread...the comic store owner home delivers (thumbs u

[Monstro]

now i’m not going to lump every comic shop in this same category as

i know there are many great shops out there with great storefronts,

inventory, customer service, etc.

 

but i will say the 95% of all shops that i have been in are a friggin

joke compared to other retail businesses. and i’m talking maybe 20

different stores. most being in the D.C. Baltimore, VA area and a

handful in New Mexico.

 

and i always here how tough it is to run a comic shop…….well no

sheit when you have absolutely no customer service, krapy looking

store, pizz poor inventory. the list goes on and on.

 

that’s all i’m saying.

 

[OldGuy]

How is your Local Comic Shop's Customer Service Performance?

 

Couldn't. Be. Better.

[Annihilus]

How is your Local Comic Shop's Customer Service Performance?

 

Couldn't. Be. Better.

 

That guy ought to write a book.

 

Or maybe he did?

 

Every comic retailer in the country should pay special attention to the chapter on customer service. There's a long diatribe about the folks that gab incessantly while ignoring money walking in and out of their door.