FLGS sucks

[hectorse]

The point that the job is dull, then they play WoW is so bad...

Why play WoW IN A HOBBY STORE? doesn't that tell you something? What hope does the store have of promoting their product if they themselves don't use it to amuse themselves.

Point is, if they would have been playing a game that the store actually specializes in, like, you know, D&D minis or MtG or Yugi-oH, or plain old D&D 4th edition, or the guy making some NPC's in his computer, or playing RISK, or playing RISK the GODS, or monopoly or freaking chess or POKER...

There are sooo many ways to amuse yourself IN A HOBBY STORE that don't require the clerks to be committed to a computer. Even if the guy was just playing OBLIVION or something like that...

But playing WoW isn't bad just for being WoW, it's bad because it denotes a lack of customer attention. You don't need to be IN THE NECK OF THE CUSTOMER but you at least should be aware of what they want what they look for and be available.

Have you ever tried to talk to someone who is playing in a computer?

It's awkward communications because they are not facing you, not at your same level (they are usually sitting and you standing up) and they are giving you their backs...

I feel weird trying to catch the attn of my roommate when he was playing WoW, imagine a complete stranger.

This is not even a strike against WoW, but most online games. I would feel the same game if the clerk was playing say, Dawn of War multiplayer online or w/e

 

[billd91]

How is that an unfriendly or unprofessional environment? I'm being dead serious here - what could the employees have done to improve this?

How about not play video games rather than wait on customers? That would make the place a lot more professional. The original poster, in a follow-up, makes it clear they were wrapped up in the game (can you even watch WoW without being logged in as a player?).

That's certainly not a favorable environment to be appropriately waited on when you're the only customer in the store. At my FLGS, even if the guy at the counter and the owner are working at computer screens, they're never playing games as far as I can tell and they always look up and not only greet me but check in with me at points throughout my visit to the store. That's pretty much what I was taught to do by my boss when I worked retail.

 

[Mercurius]

I think FLGSes going out of business has less to do with business relations or competitiveness. I think this thread pretty neatly sums it up, as have several psychological studies - people will take offense at anything and everything in real life, and people will take offense at just about nothing from a computer, other people on the internet not counting.

People don't leave FLGS because "They charged too much," 90% of the time it's either 1) "I don't want to leave my house," or 2) "Something there pissed me off." Sure, Amazon.com will never provide the good environment a FLGS will provide, but nobody remembers the positive things, they remember that one time the manager sold you a bad book (out of the twenty or so good ones they've sold you).

You bring up a good point, but I think it is a smaller factor than the ones I mentioned. Also, I disagree that people will not take offense at anything on the computer, such as Amazon. There are a few threads in this very forum in which people express anger towards Amazon.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

You bring up a good point, but I think it is a smaller factor than the ones I mentioned. Also, I disagree that people will not take offense at anything on the computer, such as Amazon. There are a few threads in this very forum in which people express anger towards Amazon.

Yeah, but how many of those people go on to continue using Amazon compared to people who actually DON'T go back to the FLGS?




Also, could the OP clarify? You said they were watching WoW. Now everyone on the thread say that they were playing it. These are two pretty different things.

 

[Treebore]

I have to say I was stunned to find out how much of an issue theft was for my old LGS. Who were, and are, an "F"LGS. I just don't live in Charleston, SC anymore.

Anyone who does visit Charleston should give the Green Dragon on Northwoods BLVD a visit, and buy something. Good people, with lots of good gamers shopping there.

 

[smootrk]

For what it is worth, they were all PLAYING World of Warcraft... not 'watching' it, as if you could just watch MMORPG. Each had a pc or laptop facing the wall away from the sales counter that they were behind. I had played WoW for a time, and I am quite aware of what the basic screen looks like.

Does the exact placement matter, or even the exact game being played? Point was that they were much more interested in their own activities.

Honestly, if a retail organization has that much 'down time' then I would suggest cutting an employee or two to save on costs. There is always a need to wipe down something, dust off the books, face the stock, or working on new displays to actually help drive more sales. 'Time to lean; time to clean' was the mantra I learned in my various jobs - even the ones that were not customer service oriented. Heck, send the inert employees out with a flyer or something to put on windshields in the parking lots nearby. And, we wonder why all these outfits seem to fail over time!?!

 

[Ander00]

Are you sure they were paranoid? Perhaps they had a major shoplifter issue.

Whether or not they did, they treated everyone not as a potential customer but as a potential shoplifter. To me, that does not equate to 'friendly', and I certainly wasn't the only disgruntled regular. A few years later they relaxed quite a bit, but I now much prefer to take my business elsewhere (as do most other people I know).

The shop after that was a lot friendlier. An example, semi-related to the OP: they had a shrink-wrapped box of miniatures I was interested in but the description and pictures on the box weren't clear enough for me to come to a decision (just to be clear, obviously not of the randomly packaged type; I just wanted to see the exact parts). So I asked if I could take a look inside, the wish was granted (under the watchful but friendly eyes of an employee) and being satisfied, I bought the thing. In another case I wasn't, and bought a different box instead.

Now, shrink-wrapping every single book I'd just consider silly. I don't really see what the store has to gain here, except failing to live up to their main advantage over the big online stores.


cheers

 

[Cirex]

There are two stores at my city that sell D&D products, then there's the mall that sell them at the book place, but usually with delay and they are agaisnt browsing.

My main complaint about these two FLGS is the price, which is just too high. I paid 40€ for the Eberron campaign setting, 35€ for each core book. Now, for the 4th edition, I decided to try with amazon.com because I'm paying, for all three books and non-free shipping, 45€. If I wait till 20th June and buy them here, I will be paying ~105€.

Now, there's one of the stores that is friendly, they sell comics, anime, merchandising, etc. besides D&D books. Their business is growing, but I'm sure it isn't thanks to D&D, but anime and other imports. I would gladly buy from there, but the pricing is too high. One could say, "well, half price" but in example, I may want the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. If I want to buy it locally, I will have to wait who knows how much and pay the double. In one year, I can have 12 books if I buy online or 6 if I buy them here. What a hard decision! Plus, reading everything in English really improves my use of the language, especially my vocabulary, so I think it's a win/win situation.

The other store, they sell RPG stuff, Warhammer and "general hobby" (scale models and stuff like that) and they must have some shop-lifting problems, because their level of paranoia is very, very annoying.
And I'm sorry, but I'm not buying anything from there if they keep sending employees to follow me (or any customer) around the store, pretending to be checking prices or similar. Last time, I was talking with a friend while he was browsing the hobby section searching for something (I don't recall what) and we got lost in some deadend corridor. Half second after getting there, some employee appeared to browse everything while keeping both eyes on us. I sighed loudly and left. I can't stand this kind of behaviour. I have worked on a store and yes, you got to check out if people steal, but there's a confidence factor and there's a limit.

 

[pogminky]

Shrink wrapped books - bad.
Staff ignoring customers - bad.
Paranoid staff - bad.

Add to that (in a lot of FLGSs):

Poor product choice
Old, tatty product
Overpriced product
Smelly, dirty, old decor
No clubs, promotion, games
Bad staff attitude and rudeness

Result = no customers, no FLGSs, no hobby.

 

[Arnwyn]

Maybe I'm just reading it wrong.

Sounds like it.

while not actually paying attention to what happened.

Ouch! The irony.

In any case, I'm more inclined to believe smootrk's description and impression of the situation since, you know, it actually happened to him, as opposed to some random internet guy with some baggage from past retail years.