FLGS rant

[Geoffrey]

I just got off the phone with my local role-playing game store. At least the guy was friendly, but the ignorance was astounding:

ME: Do you have in that new game by Monte Cook, Arcana Unearthed?

HIM: I think so let me see. I don't think it's that new. I think it's been out for about a year.

ME: No, it was just released at Gen Con a couple of weeks ago.

HIM: [after some searching] I guess we don't have it. What did you call it again? Arcana...?

ME: Arcana Unearthed.

HIM: What was the con you went to?

ME: It was Gen Con. I didn't go to it. I just read about it on the internet.

HIM: A minute ago you mentioned the publisher?

ME: It's by Monte Cook, and it's published by Malhavoc.

HIM: OK, maybe we can get some in next week...


What I can't reproduce here was the total cluelessness of his tone. It was obvious that the guy had never even heard of all of the following:

1. Arcana Unearthed
2. Monte Cook
3. Malhavoc
4. Gen Con

How in the world can a guy run a game store and not be at least passingly familiar with these big names? It boggles the mind.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

That is surprising.

One guy in my FLGS (the talky guy) got it briefly confused with the TSR original "Unearthed Arcana" but was up to speed in seconds. The other guy in my FLGS (the big, quiet guy), was not only completely aware of it, but knew how it was faring in shipping, etc.

But I've got a pretty good FLGS.

 

[BSF]

*laugh*

My LGS doesn't have a clue. Most of the time, when I have asked for a product, they are unfamiliar with the publishers. They might be able to look it up.

I was in a differen city right after Gen Con and I called a bunch of the game stores there and roughly half of them had no idea what Arcana Unearthed was, what Malhavoc Press is, who Monte Cook is.

The rest knew what it was and knew it would probably be coming in within a few days. Alas, I was leaving town before then.

 

[Zogg]

I would just call back and try to talk to someone else or just go to the store yourself. I cannot tell you how many times I have asked people at a store (not just gaming - it can be a clothing store, hardware, you name it) about a particular product and they say, "No, we don't have it!" when they actually do after I spend x amount of time looking for it. This obviously isn't a blanket statement about all people working in retail, but from my experience I would just get a second opinion.

 

[Umbran]

How in the world can a guy run a game store and not be at least passingly familiar with these big names? It boggles the mind.

Maybe the guy you talked to doesn't run the store, but merely works there? One ought to know some stuff to run the store, but to work in it, you don't need to know more than to work in any bookstore - meaning not much.

 

[Bloodstone Mage]

(OT Rant: Yeah! Back from the hospital, and it was a healthy baby boy, 7 lbs. 5 oz. 19 inches.)

How in the world can a guy run a game store and not be at least passingly familiar with these big names? It boggles the mind.

That does boggle the mind. I'm sorry about your experiences, Geoffrey. I could possibly understand him not hearing about at least one of those, but all four? Again, I'm terribly sorry.

That kinda makes me thankful for the owners of my FLGS. They're always on the ball about current and upcoming products. They cater to the third party publishing stuff more than the other gaming stores in my town do.

This reminds me of an army surplus outlet in San Antonio. It's your typical army surplus store, except for the people working there are people you'd expect to see working at a record store. They were possibly between the ages of 17 and 22 and looked like the Hot Topic crowd. I guess I just stereotyped a military veteran working there, or at least someone who was knowledgable about the differences between military branches. Don't get me wrong, it was a good store. The people who worked there were very nice and helpful.

Cheers!

 

[WayneLigon]

I can sympathize. I've been trying to get Fiery Dragon's Dwellers in Dungeons and Darkness from my FLGS for a couple months now, and they tell me the distributor tells them that it's out of stock everywhere. I try to get Counter Collection III: Modern and the distributor tells them it won't be out for a month or more (it was released some time ago).

 

[haiiro]

My FLGS is about 50% gaming and 50% comics, with employees hired for their knowledge of either or both. If a comic person answers the phone when I call to ask about a gaming product, I often get an answer that is patently wrong (although never quite as bad as the one you got, Geoffrey).

The folks running the show know what they're doing, though -- their selection of gaming goodies is superlative, including shelves of d20 stuff. In the d20 arena, if it comes out they'll narly always get it in right away -- which I love.

(For other MI folks, I'm talking about The Underworld in Ann Arbor.)

 

[jaerdaph]

Re: Re: FLGS rant

(OT Rant: Yeah! Back from the hospital, and it was a healthy baby boy, 7 lbs. 5 oz. 19 inches.)

Congratulations, Bloodstone!

BTW, is that Wayne Newton in your avatar pic?

 

[Orias]

My FLGS are relatively big, so they hire on different people for different things, & all of the employees at each shop have different knowledge concerning things.

The main shop I go to is pretty RPG oriented, although it does make a good source of income from comics & CCGs. Generally all the people there know relatively of what RPGs are out, how to get ahold of them, & if the store has them. A lot of the people who work there are gamers themselves, so fortunately I am lucky.