Comic Store Etiquette

[manetteska]

Had a very poor experience at a comic store this weekend while on a trip.

 

The store was 3 hours away, so no chance of going back there. I rummaged around for about an hour and left with nothing.

 

I'm glad I didn't give the store my money, but mad I wasted so much time there.

 

I really wanted to give the employee my , but just left instead.

 

Is there ever an "appropriate" time to tell people how you really feel about their pricing/service/attitude, or do you just suck it up and leave?

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Had a very poor experience at a comic store this weekend while on a trip.

 

What was your poor experience?

[Mark 1]

It's the stores fault because you didn't find anything you wanted to buy?

[techvoodoo]

I'd say it depends on the experience. Unless it was something really out of line like sexually harassing my wife or something, I probably wouldn't bother.

[Dr. Balls]

Is there ever an "appropriate" time to tell people how you really feel about their pricing/service/attitude, or do you just suck it up and leave?

 

Chastising a guy who makes $7 an hour will get you nowhere - even worse, if you have to lecture the owner, you've already lost the battle.

 

Yelp that place. Patterns of bad customer service will either emerge, or prove that maybe it was an isolated incident.

[miraclemet]

Pricing... leave it be. It's their shop, they set their prices.

 

Service/Attitude... if you arent ever coming back its not worth your trouble, you already voted with your wallet (by not purchasing).

 

[Meeklo]

It really depends on the store IMO.

 

I have two very highly reviewed stores near me, ABC and Capstone.

 

ABC is usually ran by the snobby type of sellers. There is one head person who works there who is open for negotiations but if you ask for anything reasonable, he always turns you down. The other employees do not seem to know much about comics and they cannot haggle with you, only that one guy can. I was in there yesterday and I asked some random worker how much their "death of Gwen Stacy" was and he didn't even know which comic I was talking about.

 

Capstone is much better, their head guy has extensive knowledge and is more than happy to haggle, and is an all around nice guy.

 

My problem is ABC usually has a much better selection than Capstone but Capstone usually always gets my money because of how nice they are.

[the blob]

I really wanted to give the employee my , but just left instead.

 

Is there ever an "appropriate" time to tell people how you really feel about their pricing/service/attitude, or do you just suck it up and leave?

 

----------

 

Your post confuses me. Were the employees douchey with you? You reference nothing in particular.

 

Your irritation is that you either found nothing you wanted or nothing you wanted at their prices?

 

Did you make an offer on something you thought was overpriced and they were rude?

 

Did this store invite you to drive there 3 hours with promises of an awesome selection and great deals?

 

What exactly would you have told the guy working there who probably makes $6 an hour with $3 an hour of store credit? "Get better stuff and make it cheap!"

 

Yes, I understand it is irritating to drive 3 hours and find nothing you want, but it doesn't sound like they pulled a bait and switch on you, did they?

 

I am almost always able to find SOMETHING in a store, although once I did spend 1-2 hours rummaging through books in one large store in Middletown new york and was pretty disappointed..though I did wind up getting a GA Captain Marvel for $8 that I figured I could get $15-20 for on ebay and a copy of the Wolverine/Sabretooth beheading issue for cover price.... of course, I am pretty sure I missed out on some stuff I didn't realize was worthwhile, plus they had a decent selection of Walking Dead issues still on the rack at cover in the 20s - 40s about a year before those took off... my lack of foresight in that regard turned what could have been a very profitable trip into a lacklustre one (yes, it took my 2 1/2 hours to get to middletown NY, but i was there for work -- a court conference that literally lasted 5 minutes)

[the blob]

one time i went 20 minutes out of my way and dragged my kid to a shop i wanted to check out ("daddy, do we have to go to a comic shop, i don't want to go, will you buy me a toy if we go.....") and was really irritated that their entire dollar/box back issue selection (which looked to be about 20 longies worth, but in bins) was covered up with boxes and the new arrivals that week and I was told i couldn't look in them because they didn't want to move the stuff. it was probably krap, but it would have been nice to find out for myself.

 

not quite 3 hours, but i did have a tired and irritated 6 year old in tow.

[Bropper]

Sounds like maybe he rummaged around for 3 hours and found a stack of comics that were not priced. Then he brought them up to counter and the guy whips out his OSPG and says, " let me price those for you." Nobody ever wants to pay guide for comics they just spent 3 hours digging through drek to find. Or maybe it was something else. We may never know unless details are provided by OP.

[djpinkpanther67]

When I was a kid I was so anal retentive about my books. I HATED it when I was buying books from a shop and the owner would snatch them up, flip casually through them and basically mishandle them. It drove me absolutely nuts! I would literally scream on the inside

 

Now, decades later, I can say I have changed. I basically just tell whomever is working the counter not to TOUCH the books once I have brought them up to ring out.

 

So glad it's no longer a problem

 

 

[jaeldubyoo]

If it's an employee, it won't matter unless you talk to the owner. Maybe.

 

Me, I just leave and don't go back. Don't sweat the small stuff.

[the blob]

Sounds like maybe he rummaged around for 3 hours and found a stack of comics that were not priced. Then he brought them up to counter and the guy whips out his OSPG and says, " let me price those for you." Nobody ever wants to pay guide for comics they just spent 3 hours digging through drek to find. Or maybe it was something else. We may never know unless details are provided by OP.

 

the lesson here is that we need details to properly assist in a time of crisis like this

[the blob]

When I was a kid I was so anal retentive about my books. I HATED it when I was buying books from a shop and the owner would snatch them up, flip casually through them and basically mishandle them. It drove me absolutely nuts! I would literally scream on the inside

 

Now, decades later, I can say I have changed. I basically just tell whomever is working the counter not to TOUCH the books once I have brought them up to ring out.

 

So glad it's no longer a problem

 

 

so true. one shop i go to that is not geared toward collectors and thus sometimes has some currently hot books still on the rack this is exactly what i do...i insist on putting them in the bag myself and what not. i do tell them that i once worked in a comic shop and am ocd about this stuff. no way i am paying $3-$4 for a brand new book only to have it damaged at the counter (which has happened, of course).

[manetteska]

OK; details.

 

Store divided into 3 sections: new comics on the wall, 6 Clearance short boxes, 50 or so drawer boxes of older stuff. Older stuff in this instance is DC/Marvel stuff from the past 5 years; a handful of 80s/90s.

 

After learning my lesson from another store, I asked how the old comics are priced if there is no sticker. The guy said, "I use the book to look them up." Ok, I can deal with that.

 

I found a stack of Omega Men #3. I took one up to the counter to see how this pricing pans out. The book is just in an old bag (probably from when it was first on the rack) and you can see some dings on it. He says he will look it up and I walk away to search some more. After a few minutes he says it is "$25; he will probably be in the next movie so this issue could get crazy." He then takes the comic out of the old bag, puts it in a new bag/board and into a special box behind the counter.

 

I don't know if OM #3 was ever $25 in guide, let alone a beat-up copy, so I move on. I find a copy of Annihilation Quest #6 in another box -- no bag/board at all -- and a Captain America #362 -- just an old bag. I also find 7 copies of Letter 44 #1 in the Clearance boxes (the sign says $1 each, 10 for $9, etc. etc.).

 

Technically, the cover price on Letter 44 #1 is $1, so not much of a clearance, but I get the picture. I see that some of the copies are damaged, and only choose 4. I bring my copies to the counter: AC #6, CA #362, L44 #1 x4.

 

This time I wait at the counter as I'm done looking around. I see him open the OSPG (I don't recall which issue he was looking up), flip around a bit, then say (paraphrasing), "I don't like using this. Let me try somewhere else." He then opens up a web browser and comes back with $15 for AC #6 (not too bad) and $3 for CA #362 (huh?).

 

On top of that, he tells me that I am only allowed 1 copy of my 4 Letter 44's. I said, "Even though they were in the Clearance bin?"

 

"Yes," he said. "I want everyone to get a chance to be able to read them."

 

That's when I had enough. On the way out I saw a picked-over sticker on the display case for Magic cards. Basically it said: "The price you see on the card is subject to change at the time or purchase."

 

So even if something was priced, that's probably not what you were paying. And I doubt the price on the card/comic ever comes up LESS than what the sticker says.

 

Above events have been condensed to save time. I was at the store about 1 hour looking through the new books, clearance items, and trying to find something worthwhile in the back issue.

 

I did not drive 3 hours to the store; I was in the area on vacation and this shop was 20 mins away.

[manetteska]

Sounds like maybe he rummaged around for 3 hours and found a stack of comics that were not priced. Then he brought them up to counter and the guy whips out his OSPG and says, " let me price those for you." Nobody ever wants to pay guide for comics they just spent 3 hours digging through drek to find. Or maybe it was something else. We may never know unless details are provided by OP.

 

the lesson here is that we need details to properly assist in a time of crisis like this

 

Definitely not a crisis. There are more important things to worry about.

 

I would have liked to have told him what I thought, but in the end, he is probably just an employee and wouldn't care either way. More frustration than anger.

 

They could have actually made money, but instead wanted to keep the comics for themselves. Apparently to sit in the drawer boxes for several more years.

[bronze_rules]

OK; details.

 

Store divided into 3 sections....

 

Very annoying and I've encountered similar things in the past. End result is usually no more trips to that store. As others noted, I don't think lecturing them is going to do any good; watching the store go out of business (as it likely will) is justice enough.

[miraclemet]

 

I would have liked to have told him what I thought, but in the end, he is probably just an employee and wouldn't care either way. More frustration than anger.

 

They could have actually made money, but instead wanted to keep the comics for themselves. Apparently to sit in the drawer boxes for several more years.

 

I wouldnt think an employee would have cared enough to either look up prices in multiple places or enforce a "1 per customer" policy.

 

Odds are you were dealing with the Owner, or at least the manager.

 

Just post a yelp review so others know they are dealing with a store that will change prices at the cashier's whim.

[lambfan68]

After going through that once at a shop, I've made it my policy not to bother with anything that isn't priced.

[the blob]

OK; details.

 

Store divided into 3 sections: new comics on the wall, 6 Clearance short boxes, 50 or so drawer boxes of older stuff. Older stuff in this instance is DC/Marvel stuff from the past 5 years; a handful of 80s/90s.

 

After learning my lesson from another store, I asked how the old comics are priced if there is no sticker. The guy said, "I use the book to look them up." Ok, I can deal with that.

 

I found a stack of Omega Men #3. I took one up to the counter to see how this pricing pans out. The book is just in an old bag (probably from when it was first on the rack) and you can see some dings on it. He says he will look it up and I walk away to search some more. After a few minutes he says it is "$25; he will probably be in the next movie so this issue could get crazy." He then takes the comic out of the old bag, puts it in a new bag/board and into a special box behind the counter.

 

I don't know if OM #3 was ever $25 in guide, let alone a beat-up copy, so I move on. I find a copy of Annihilation Quest #6 in another box -- no bag/board at all -- and a Captain America #362 -- just an old bag. I also find 7 copies of Letter 44 #1 in the Clearance boxes (the sign says $1 each, 10 for $9, etc. etc.).

 

Technically, the cover price on Letter 44 #1 is $1, so not much of a clearance, but I get the picture. I see that some of the copies are damaged, and only choose 4. I bring my copies to the counter: AC #6, CA #362, L44 #1 x4.

 

This time I wait at the counter as I'm done looking around. I see him open the OSPG (I don't recall which issue he was looking up), flip around a bit, then say (paraphrasing), "I don't like using this. Let me try somewhere else." He then opens up a web browser and comes back with $15 for AC #6 (not too bad) and $3 for CA #362 (huh?).

 

On top of that, he tells me that I am only allowed 1 copy of my 4 Letter 44's. I said, "Even though they were in the Clearance bin?"

 

"Yes," he said. "I want everyone to get a chance to be able to read them."

 

That's when I had enough. On the way out I saw a picked-over sticker on the display case for Magic cards. Basically it said: "The price you see on the card is subject to change at the time or purchase."

 

So even if something was priced, that's probably not what you were paying. And I doubt the price on the card/comic ever comes up LESS than what the sticker says.

 

Above events have been condensed to save time. I was at the store about 1 hour looking through the new books, clearance items, and trying to find something worthwhile in the back issue.

 

I did not drive 3 hours to the store; I was in the area on vacation and this shop was 20 mins away.

 

I probably would have said something given the scenario you've given. So basically he jacks up a $2-5 book (you say it was dinged up) to $25 based on some potential movie?

 

Personally I can't stand the 'I'll look it up" stores as it is always stacked against you other than Roger's Time Machine where the owner is fair about this stuff (the guide serves as a basis for his 25-75% discount off guide). for one, i don't want to stand around for 45 minutes while you look this stuff up on the guide and then on ebay to make sure you're not missing anything. one place that had a huge selection where i asked would not explain their criteria for me..guide or ebay or what. i suspect they may have actually been looking on mycomicshop to get their prices. anyway, they went under, although as I understand it not due to lack of sales, over a business dispute. i should have pulled a hgue stack and gotten their price and left it for them to put back in the bins when i walked out.