FLGS missing the F

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:57 pm

I havn't been supporting my FLGS this year. I don't have one. Don't get me wrong. There is a store just 10-15 minutes down the road from me that specialises in tabletop RPGs and such. They just arent all that friendly.

The owner always smiles when I come in and says hello using my name. He's not the problem. His employees are monkeys wearing human guises. On an increasingly (before I quit going) frequent basis they would take down a special order from me. Then I'd wait a few weeks. Then I'd inquire about what happened to the order. I'd inquire of the owner. Not only was my order not in the store yet, it wasn't going to be. Monkey boy never actually made the order.

Then came the final straw. I had a special order I'd waited a whole month for (not the stores fault, this was Tower of Adventure and was just late hitting the stores in general). When it finally arrived at the store I went down to pick it up. I didnt actually get called by the store clerk that it arrived. I just based it on availability at other stores in the metro area. So I walked in there. Saw the box sitting on the counter behind the register. Had someone elses name on it. S'okay, I thought, mine must be back there ,too. Nope. It wasn't. Some other guys' was.

Now I entered the domain of Pisthood and formed a band of ticked off men and robbed people.

I talked with the owner, who told me that was indeed my box set just that monkey girl (monkey boy's dumb clone?) put the wrong name on it. By that time I already pressed "confirm" on a Noble Knight order hours ago. Blame your monkeys, Phil!

So I tried to keep going to the store. I like the used book shelf, got a lot of copies of books my wicked evil (bible-thumping) stepmother threw away. They also carry KoDT.

But every time I was there I would go over to one shelf or another and think "Hey, it's GURPS Bio-Tech. I wonder if they can order GURPS Martial Arts?" Then I would look over my shoulder. See monkey boy (or girl) chewing their knuckles and dragging their banana through a piss puddle, shudder, and forget the whole idea.

Since I have specific tastes in the genre this means that finding what I want without using the internet is pretty hard. So I've been ordering more and more from the internet. Paizo and Noble Knight mostly. Some Warehouse 23. I cant help but think that thus is the way and the why for a lot of our FLGS closings.

I don't wish ill of my store. But suck on it!
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danbuter · Post by **danbuter** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:01 pm

Unfortunately, I think 3 of the 4 LGS's I have been fit this description almost exactly.
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ssfsx17 · Post by **ssfsx17** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:16 pm

This is why I either use Amazon, or order directly from the writers if this is possible. The money either goes directly to a store that is friendly by necessity (i.e. their business relies on them actually providing service) or it goes directly to the writers themselves.

This may also have something to do with why I'm a big fan of TLG, the current BattleTech writers and other companies that have their own self-made online stores.

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:23 pm

Many game store employees are not in the business to please customers. Mainly, they are there for the employee discount. Often enough, game store employees lose themselves in the act of doing their own thing in a game store and not helping customers. Plus, it's really tough to get rid of employees who only make minimum wage.

-O
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Benoist · Post by **Benoist** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:30 pm

Yup. I too find your description very accurate. This sounds like a lot of game stores I visited.

No offense to these people (they're trying to do their job), but I can't help but sigh to myself when an employee comes to me, tries to talk me into buying some product or another, but quite obviously, after two/three sentences, doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. And I don't mean in a "not the same tastes than I have" sense, no. I mean really clueless about tabletop gaming in general. That... sucks.

Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:47 pm

It is sad, I agree Charlie. Have you tried having a sit-down with the storw owner and telling him how you feel? Telling him about (and giveing specific examples) of all the orders you've tried to get through the store and have not been able to? Does he know that your business is one the line?

You may not be so inclined to take the time to talk to the guy, heart-to-heart, and let him know how you feel, but I think it might do some good. Losing even one customer is big to a small business owner. And I may be wrong, but I think a discussion with him might do some good.

But hey, I'm a nostalgic sort that still does 90% of my gaming business via a brick-and-mortar. I actually drive quite some distance to go look at new ones I find about, just with some blind hope that they'll have something cool....or at least decent stock. I think the internet, even with good deals, is killing one of the foundations on this hobby, and I do my little part to fight it.
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:29 am

As a game store owner/operator for 6+ wonderful (and not so wonderful) years, I have to tell y'all that it is a hard job, with little monetary reward. All of the reward is in the little slice of gaming heaven that you can hopefully bring to the masses and put a little coin in your pocket. Hiring people for such stores is easy... all your customers want to work for the game store! But finding one who is a reliable employee along with being a good AND knowledgeable gamer is tougher then you might think.

And as you might know, gamers who can also be employees usually have a certain personality. Managing gamer personalities is tough.

-O
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Lurker · Post by **Lurker** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 2:18 am

Charlie

That sucks! I have to say that my FLGS actually deserved the "F" in the name. I drove to there at least once a month when I was in high school, then joined the AF. Even after years of being out of the area when I'd come back they would remember me and also remember the kind of games and minis I always bought, and would point out things for me to look for. It has been years since I've been there and Giedon mentioned they have moved, but I look forward to linking back up with the when I finish my time in the AF.
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Dristram · Post by **Dristram** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 3:48 am

As a past and current game store owner, I say have a heart to heart with the owner and let him know. The way I look at it, the owner/manager is where the "F" often comes from. The employees are usually gamers who are having their "dream job" but don't naturally have the sense of urgency to make sure customers are well taken care of that owners and store managers typically have. My point is, don't blame a game store for bad employees. Look to the owner to determine if it's a good store or not. So take this issue to the owner and see what he does with the information. He should show great concern and get on his employees to do their job better.

A little story, I had a customer quit shopping at my store and complained to another store owner about the horrible service at my store. Turns out, the customer special ordered something that happened to be out of stock at our distributors. He kept asking if it was in yet and kept being told by the employees sorry, we're still waiting for the distributor to get it in. Turns out he thought we were blowing smoke up his butt and quit shopping at my store all together. He never brought this up to me. I had no idea he was so angry. If he had said something, instead of just giving up, I could have reassured him we were not purposely ordering the item for him. Heck, a game store wants every single sale it's able to sell! I finally did get the opportunity to talk to him and he's a customer again. But it just shows that if you have a problem with a store, take it to the owner or manager before you give up on it.

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:30 am

I like shopping at real stores rather then e-stores. But I would have thought that after (at least) three times I can think of (5am here) I've asked the owner if Book X was in. He'd type into his computer. Frown. And go "It hasn't been ordered. D'you want me to order it for you?" And I'd say something like "Yes, I placed the order two weeks ago. I'd really like to get that book."
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Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:05 am

That's true, Charlie. He might just not be able to put the pieces together. Sometimes it's best to spell it out to someone. Whatever you decide to do, hopefully things work out for you and your LGS, sir.
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Maliki · Post by **Maliki** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:06 pm

My FLGS is missing the LGS, it closed up a year or so ago. The former owners are still friendly, I've bumped into them a time or two since the shop closed.
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Hrolfgar · Post by **Hrolfgar** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:17 pm

I have a FLGS but I have never pre-ordered anything from them
It just is too easy to cut out the middleman and order direct online or thru a discount store.

Kinda OT, but I just noticed that this shop is not listed on the TLG retailers list but a couple of others are out of business or do not stock TLG products.

Dristram · Post by **Dristram** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:20 pm

An unfortunate thing about small game stores is that there usually isn't a robust method of handling and tracking special orders. When it's one person (the owner) running the store, items are usually ordered promptly and good communication to the customer is provided. Each additional employee that enters the mix adds to the chance of the order getting lost in the shuffle unless there is a good computerized tracking system.

I experienced this myself first hand when adding employees. Special orders were getting missed left and right. There is quite a bit of training to do and things for employees to remember to keep special orders in check. I've had to input multiple checks and balances even with a computerized POS, and still special orders get missed from time to time. But a lot less and when they're discovered, they're handled more promptly.

I hope your local game shop can re-earn your business.