My LCS Rant (Long Read)...

[comix4fun]

I made anyone who bought a BI #8 hop around on one foot and quack like a gay duck.

 

Was that wrong?

 

 

How much time do you spend on the gay fowl party line that you discern the hetero call from the one?

 

I was not aware of this party line. Do tell...

 

That's the number Park gives out whenever someone asks for his number.

[Hulksdaddy1]

I made anyone who bought a BI #8 hop around on one foot and quack like a gay duck.

 

Was that wrong?

 

 

How much time do you spend on the gay fowl party line that you discern the hetero call from the one?

 

I was not aware of this party line. Do tell...

 

That's the number Park gives out whenever someone asks for his number.

 

His work number , or home?

[comix4fun]

I made anyone who bought a BI #8 hop around on one foot and quack like a gay duck.

 

Was that wrong?

 

 

How much time do you spend on the gay fowl party line that you discern the hetero call from the one?

 

I was not aware of this party line. Do tell...

 

That's the number Park gives out whenever someone asks for his number.

 

His work number , or home?

 

 

I guess it's neither.

[Hulksdaddy1]

I made anyone who bought a BI #8 hop around on one foot and quack like a gay duck.

 

Was that wrong?

 

 

How much time do you spend on the gay fowl party line that you discern the hetero call from the one?

 

I was not aware of this party line. Do tell...

 

That's the number Park gives out whenever someone asks for his number.

 

His work number , or home?

 

 

I guess it's neither.

 

Maybe both.

[Park]

I made anyone who bought a BI #8 hop around on one foot and quack like a gay duck.

 

Was that wrong?

 

 

How much time do you spend on the gay fowl party line that you discern the hetero call from the one?

 

I was not aware of this party line. Do tell...

 

That's the number Park gives out whenever someone asks for his number.

 

His work number , or home?

 

 

I guess it's neither.

 

Maybe both.

 

It's the party line bltches.

 

[Hulksdaddy1]

I made anyone who bought a BI #8 hop around on one foot and quack like a gay duck.

 

Was that wrong?

 

 

How much time do you spend on the gay fowl party line that you discern the hetero call from the one?

 

I was not aware of this party line. Do tell...

 

That's the number Park gives out whenever someone asks for his number.

 

His work number , or home?

 

 

I guess it's neither.

 

Maybe both.

 

It's the party line bltches.

 

 

[ChiSoxFan]

I feel fortunate that my LCS is run by a really great guy who genuinely provides great customer service to his client base. I can't imagine how some of the stores that are described in threads like these manage to retain any of their business.

 

To the OP and to the later poster who described his BI #8 experience, all I can say to both is that I hope you find better outlets to spend your money with, because neither of the stores in your experiences deserve your business.

 

In the OP's initial post, the part that left me shaking my head the most was when he related this:

 

My uncle took his son to the store to buy issue #3. My other cousin had been sick all week, so they were going to get it for him since he couldn't go to the store. The owner said he couldn't do that because he would get in trouble.

 

The owner couldn't sell the book on his rack to a paying customer because he was going to "get in trouble"? Get in trouble with who exactly? The rack police? The comic mafia? His imaginary partner? Talk about a lame excuse.

[jaxcomics]

Wow, reading this whole thread, it's hard to imagine a LCS owner in this day and time still having that kind of attitude. I think the main reason the LCS here is still in business, while his 10 or so competitors have folded in the last decade, is he refuses to mark up and flip hot product, at least until all of his customers have a fair chance at it.

 

...well, that and the 500 kids and college students that go to Friday Night Magic. But that's beside the point.

[lizards2]

This thread unlike OMGWTFBBQSCUMBAG guy's thread actually managed to give us enough info to make an informed statement.

 

Interesting how that happens.

 

Also, douchebaggotry.

 

Scummmbag

:think: This reminds me...., how many douchebags can dance on the tip of a scumbag? :shrug:

[tjdill]

OK, so I didn't have the patience to read through the whole thing, but limits on books when you're only buying 2-3? BS.

 

Second, $5 a year for a pull list and you only get a 5% discount??? WTF? Most stores I've had experience with bend over backwards to get customers to do pull lists. It helps them by being able to order what they know they need in advance, a few copies for the shelves, helps them meet customer need and lower overhead. Once you have a system in place it streamlines the whole operation. To charge people $5 for the 'service' is BS. Then to only give a 15 cent discount on a $2.99 book on top of that, is just poor form.

 

My "home" LCS gives me 10% off the top on my pull list every week, and if it's a big week, typically 15%, more if I'm paying cash. Plus, pull list folks who are current and more or less pick their books up every week get keyed into their POS system to get a 10-15% discount automatically on everything. Bags, boards, statues, models, whatever.

 

Purchase limits? Not an issue. I saw them deny a dude once, but he was trying to buy all 10+ copies of an issue from the shelf on Wednesday afternoon. They told him to come back Saturday night after everyone had a chance and they'd gladly let him buy what was left. Even regulars don't have EVERY book they read on their pull list, what with limited series and all.

 

And this is a smallish shop. BTW, they've been in business 16 years. So they do what's always worked for them.

 

Sounds like this guy either enjoys being a dong or just has no business sense. But maybe he's independently wealthy and just likes being a sadist to his customers.

[stroszek]

I feel fortunate that my LCS is run by a really great guy who genuinely provides great customer service to his client base. I can't imagine how some of the stores that are described in threads like these manage to retain any of their business.

 

Same here. My LCS is fantastic; it's darn near a home away from home. The owner knows virtually everyone who walks in the store, he'll hop right onto the phone with Diamond to check on the availability of a single back issue someone wants, and he's a strict grader with good prices. There's a reason he just celebrated his 34th anniversary in business in a boom-bust business.

 

Once he closes up shop, I'm done with buying new comics.

 

 

[The Amazing Chump]

As someone who hasn't bought anything new regularly in over a decade I don't know that I have much to add. But when I grew up I knew that every time I could beg, borrow or steal a ride to Graham Crackers in Downers Grove I could buy anything off any one of three floor to ceiling walls for cover. Made a difference for me.

[budsbundy]

Whenever Superior Spider-Man #1 was released, I took two copies to the counter (one for myself and the other for my 7-year-old brother who was at school). The owner said I could only purchase one copy and the second would be $10. I tried to explain I was getting it for my brother, and he wouldn't sell, so I only bought one.

 

Tell him if that's how he's going to treat a loyal customer who's just trying to pick up an extra copy for his baby brother, then he will never see another dollar from you again.

Push the single copy he was going to sell you across the counter to him, and walk out.

 

If he has more then two functioning brain cells, he will stop you before you get halfway to the door, and sell you both copies at cover price.

[ARWilson-migration]

They told him to come back Saturday night after everyone had a chance and they'd gladly let him buy what was left. Even regulars don't have EVERY book they read on their pull list, what with limited series and all.

 

Why wouldn't the regulars have every book they read on their Pull List? Doesn't your LCS let you order whatever you want from Previews every month? I have every book I read on my Pull List, mini/limited or not

[Point Five]

I don't see a problem with a shop setting limits but it seems out of line when they question why you're buying a comic. "Because I want it" would have been my reply. If it's a hot comic he should have known to order extra. After he's pulled his subs and he has a one per customer limit, there should be no more interrogations.

(thumbs u

 

Honestly, an old-school comic shop owner like that probably doesn't realize how much business he'd be losing if he only sold books to readers with the very purest of intentions. Very dumb to question the motives of your customers like that.

 

 

[Bookery]

I don't see a problem with a shop setting limits but it seems out of line when they question why you're buying a comic. "Because I want it" would have been my reply. If it's a hot comic he should have known to order extra. After he's pulled his subs and he has a one per customer limit, there should be no more interrogations.

 

I get the idea that very few people on these boards have any clue as to the process and limitations of how new comics orders are placed.

 

Yep. We all "choose" not to order "hot" comics three months before they become "hot".

 

 

[ARWilson-migration]

I don't see a problem with a shop setting limits but it seems out of line when they question why you're buying a comic. "Because I want it" would have been my reply. If it's a hot comic he should have known to order extra. After he's pulled his subs and he has a one per customer limit, there should be no more interrogations.

 

I get the idea that very few people on these boards have any clue as to the process and limitations of how new comics orders are placed.

 

Yep. We all "choose" not to order "hot" comics three months before they become "hot".

 

 

One retailer recently mentioned that the Diamond/DC rep called him up to see if he wanted to up his order on the Damien death issue. IIRC, this was only a couple of weeks before it was to come out.

 

And I thought retailers ordered comics 2 months before they come out?

[sd2416]

I don't see a problem with a shop setting limits but it seems out of line when they question why you're buying a comic. "Because I want it" would have been my reply. If it's a hot comic he should have known to order extra. After he's pulled his subs and he has a one per customer limit, there should be no more interrogations.

 

Right, because Batman Inc was so popular before this hit. How many of issue 8 did you buy 3 months ago ahead of time? I don't know about most everyone here but I didn't know about Robin dying in this issue until Monday morning. No way of knowing this would be a hot issue when the order was placed, other than DC saying "Retailers will want to up orders on this one". That could mean anything.

 

Now the stores that ordered this issue back in Nov/Dec has the few regulars picking it up, anyone that reads any of the other Batman titles wanting a copy. The flippers that want to sell 10 copies at $15.00 each (guilty myself ) and people that may actually want to see what happens to Robin.

 

Ive been going to my LCS for 25 years. He knows I have tons of friends that collect and sometimes I pick up books for them and vice versa. He doesnt mind about buying all the copies of a back issue but he does like to have some on the shelf for the chance to draw in a new reader/collector.

[chrisco37]

Subscribe to every title and then never go back again.

[Chaseman210]

I feel fortunate that my LCS is run by a really great guy who genuinely provides great customer service to his client base. I can't imagine how some of the stores that are described in threads like these manage to retain any of their business.

 

To the OP and to the later poster who described his BI #8 experience, all I can say to both is that I hope you find better outlets to spend your money with, because neither of the stores in your experiences deserve your business.

 

In the OP's initial post, the part that left me shaking my head the most was when he related this:

 

My uncle took his son to the store to buy issue #3. My other cousin had been sick all week, so they were going to get it for him since he couldn't go to the store. The owner said he couldn't do that because he would get in trouble.

 

The owner couldn't sell the book on his rack to a paying customer because he was going to "get in trouble"? Get in trouble with who exactly? The rack police? The comic mafia? His imaginary partner? Talk about a lame excuse.

 

That's what I said to my uncle. The guy is the owner!