A Comic Shop Customer Service Cautionary Tale...

[DocSamson]

This here's a story about 2 comic book shops...in a fairly large city in North Carolina....(I won't mention names....) One store is a large, well known store (whose name most of you would probably be familiar with) and the other is a smaller, modest competitor in the same city.

I showed up at the larger store today to pick up my pull list, only to find that my titles had NOT been pulled. This was the second time, in a row that this has happened. Although the clerk took off with my list and pulled the titles hastily, with apologies, I was still missing the Batman Annual, which they were sold out of.

So I sallied forth into rush hour traffic to the smaller, modest, meager store in search of the Annual. They were also sold out. But when I asked the clerk if he might have any left, he promptly rummaged through his own personal pulls and offered his copy. I didnt want to take it but he said he could get another no problem. Now let's be honest here, this is customer service with a capital "C". This is customer service from bygone days.

The larger store is well known, with a great reputation for knowledgeability and clout in organizing conventions...the problem is that all that clout doesn't do me any good if I show up for my pulls and I get a zilch. I know what I am going to do here...do you? Anyone else have this kinda problem?

[Rachel Grey]

Wow, props to the smallshop guy.

Here in Adelaide there are only two real comic shops that I can get to, and they're both pretty good.

[Dos]

I would go to the smaller one anyway to help them out. But after that I would definately say teh smaller business has proven itself much more worthy of your sales.

[Maleficentogre]

haha I got the last annual on wednesday. no joke. I know where you're talking about. I got there on wednesday at 5 and am glad as hell that they had my stuff. I usually shop somewhere else but the big store is closer to where I live and i"m home on spring break.

[Ronald Bryan]

when you go to a larger store, things are going to get missed every once in a while. You're talking possibly thousands of pulls. Stuff happens. They seem to love not putting a Robin issue in my bag every few months. Not that I'll complain about missing Robin... (But I got my Batman Annual.)

[DocSamson]

Hey Mal,
You got the last one at the big store? Do you have a pull list there? Have you had any problems?

[DocSamson]

Hey Ron,
Stuff happens don't feed the bulldog.

[Maleficentogre]

not anymore. I use to when I lived with my dad. When I first got a pull list there I had a problem because smaller big titles (does that make any sense) like green arrow or street fighter or something wouldn't get pulled cause they figured I'd get there before they all got gone? yeah bummer.

[DocSamson]

Just because a store is large...huge....famous...or important...doesnt mean that customer service basics go out the window....I've dealt with some well-known retailers.....Grasshoppers and InStockTrades, whose service has been outstanding....

[Maleficentogre]

they are important, but the service has gone down over the years. I first started going there back when I lived in PA and came down for the summer and I remember the service being GREAT. I was just a kid (well more of a kid) then and they'd help me find everything and they set up a pull list for me for every summer I came down there and they were really nice. but each year as they got bigger and more popular some of the hires they've made have been less than stellar.

[DocSamson]

Mal,
Are we talkin bout the same place? Charlotte, NC? (Oops, I guess I did name names.....)

[Maleficentogre]

I think so. There aren't that many comic shops here.

[DocSamson]

then I agree with you, the hires have become less than stellar and whosoever is doin pulls should be released forthwith....ps...i only wish i knew the guys name at the small shop....

[Maleficentogre]

I know where the big one is, and I think I know where the small one is you're talking about. and I know where there's another pretty small one. know if there are any others around us?

[DocSamson]

I'm not sure but the small one I speak of is in a rebellious location...lol

[Maleficentogre]

the one that's like an underground base of sorts? that's impossible to find if you don't know where it is cause they did everything they could to keep people from finding it? yeah that one?

[DocSamson]

Okay, yeah thats true but its still an awesome place...especially service-wise...you obviously know where it is....maybe we should spread the word...not that Im biased or anything but they have won me over....

[Maleficentogre]

Well they're infinitely better, and they have toys. sooo many toys. I'm trying to get them to discount the porcelain harley quinn in there, no luck, but I'm working on it everytime I go in there. I'm not financially in the position to spend $90 on a statue yet.

[DocSamson]

i'm glad to see that you are one of my kind....(by that, i mean people of good taste...) my son is forever buying toys in there...DC direct and The Batman toys...)now that we are acclimated to the Base...what do ya think.....and by the way, do you have any idea who the clerk is that I dealt with today?

[Maleficentogre]

I love rebel base, it's the bets comic shop I've ever been to. It's because the employees are the greatest people ever. They're never above giving you one of their things if it's sold out.
which store clerk you talkin' about?

[DocSamson]

he was on duty today (Thurs March 2) at around 5:30pm....he's also usually there on Saturday mornings...

[Maleficentogre]

I'm going through my catalog of clerks (I have a horrible memory when it comes to these things. I know them when I walk in the store and forget who they are the second I leave). I think I might know it is.

[DocSamson]

c'mon now... he's kindof a husky guy....(i can say this because i too am a husky guy.......)

[Maleficentogre]

lightbulb! know exactly who he is. He gave a friend of mine his copy of spider-somethigorother with a $0.25 discount cause the spine wasnt perfect. cool dude.
you're not getting a name. totally forgot it.

[DocSamson]

rats....i'm sorry about the name but whoever he is, he's the sh*t, and you can quote me...he's the reason I'm switching my pulls to the base....let the big-shot conventioneers be damned....

[Maleficentogre]

sorry my memory is lax, but I'd never go to the big boys if they weren't so close. I'll probably sacrifice the gas milage next week. can't wait till spring break is over.

[DocSamson]

I see your problem Mal, meanwhile I am making a move....the Base holds my future and that is where I will go......the Base forever brother....

[Kid Omega]

So all the times these guys pulled your list and got it right, did you go online and praise them?

But they mess up once, make a mistake, and you're on a high-trafficked board complaining about them.

I admit that it's bad if you missed a sold-out book. But if you had gone to the other shop an hour later, you might have missed it there, too.

It's all circumstantial. If your biggest complaint about a shop is that they missed a book on your list *once*, that's not so bad.

Not that it matters to me where you shop, I just find it troublesome that a shop makes one mistake, and someone would go on-line and jihad against them.

[Typo Lad]

To be fair, I don't see where he said the store's name.

[Matt Algren]

So all the times these guys pulled your list and got it right, did you go online and praise them?

But they mess up once, make a mistake, and you're on a high-trafficked board complaining about them.

I admit that it's bad if you missed a sold-out book. But if you had gone to the other shop an hour later, you might have missed it there, too.

It's all circumstantial. If your biggest complaint about a shop is that they missed a book on your list *once*, that's not so bad.

Not that it matters to me where you shop, I just find it troublesome that a shop makes one mistake, and someone would go on-line and jihad against them.My impression is that this: They were also sold out. But when I asked the clerk if he might have any left, he promptly rummaged through his own personal pulls and offered his copy. was the most imporant part of the story.

[Kid Omega]

To be fair, I don't see where he said the store's name.

No, but it's pretty easy to figure out.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

To be fair the store where I get my comics missed me pull list once or twice. I got my comics and the guy apologized for it. But I've stuck by my store. I'm loyal like that.

People can mess up. It happens. When I didn't get a copy of House of M #1 , the guy handed me his copy and said " no problem ". I respect that a lot. I didn't wanna take his copy but he insisted. I thanked him and its part of the reason I still get my Pull's from them...going on 2 years. ;)

[Kid Omega]

My impression is that this: was the most imporant part of the story.

Sure, and I think it's great to reward good service.

But the comments like "let the big-shot conventioneers be damned ...." and "maybe we should spread the word ...not that Im biased or anything but they have won me over" and "the hires have become less than stellar and whosoever is doin pulls should be released forthwith " all sound more like a personal vendetta than "look at this great shop I found".

[gary bolt]

I work near two comic shops. One is a big store with three locations and the other is a small shop. I always buy from the small shop because I like to support small businesses. They have the same new releases as the larger shop and they need the money. Over time I have become friends with one of the owners and he recently came to a party I had.

[blackdragon6]

theres no comic shops in the hood :(

[Kid Omega]

theres no comic shops in the hood :(

I bet i can find a find a shop for you...

What's your location?

-a

[Super Samurai]

Well there are two comic shops around my area. The one I go to is alright, pretty good service and okay staff. I used to go to the other one, the store owner there is really nice as well as his staff. Unfortunately it is farther away from me and it doesn't have some of the titles I would like. But I check in once in a while.