Shrinkwrapping and your FLGS

[Teflon Billy]

Here in Vancouver, none of the local shops shrinkwraps anything.

I agree with most of the posters here who say this is/would be a pain in the ass.

I'm also intrigued that Arcady and I have the same quality of vision (20/10 low-light). Arcady: Do you suffer from photic migraines (I sure as hell do...bit of a proce to pay for seeing in the dark)

 

[Storm Raven]

Re: Re: Re: Shrinkwrapping and your FLGS

Where is the risk? If the book isn't shrinkwrapped you can see for yourself whether or not it's been damaged or stained. I don't think that shrinkwrapping even protects the books so well. Most of the time when I see shrinkwrapped modules they're all bent from the shrinkwrap being too tight.

Then you have someone incompetent using the shrinkwrapping machine.

In any event, the fact that the book is open doesn't mean that I will spot everything that might have gotten into it. While obvious damage is obvious (by definition), I have seen several books that were stained close to the binding inside the book, inside of a 200+ page text. Those things can be easily missed when youa re browsing through a book.

It is very easy to take a potential purchase up to the counter and ask if you can open it up and look at it. I have never had a store say "no" to this.

On another front, have you ever bought a copy of "Monopoly" or "Candyland" or "Axis and Allies" or any other board game? Was it ever not shrinkwrapped? If you bought that sort of game shrinkwrapped, why is it so different when you buy a game at your FLGS?

 

[Vaxalon]

I'd rather shop at a store that shrinkwraps.

I know I'm getting a book that hasn't been badly handled, and I usually know what I want before I get there, from reading reviews.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Shrinkwrapping and your FLGS

It is very easy to take a potential purchase up to the counter and ask if you can open it up and look at it. I have never had a store say "no" to this. [/B]

I can think of 2 stores where I have been told "No, you can't open it unless you are buying it, and no returns for opened merchandise." One in New York City, one in Virginia. At one of these stores, I bought a book, got it home and opened it, and found writing indentations on several pages, from someone leaning on a page while writing (they were creating a character, to be exact.) When I brought it back, I was told "Oh, yeah, we borrowed it last week to try the game out. Sorry, you should have picked a different book." When I protested that it was shrink wrapped so I couldn't look through it, I was told to talk to the manager, but that he was on vacation. Never went back. They are no longer in business. The other is still in business, but no longer shrink wraps their books (they have reduced their game selection by quite a bit as well. They mostly sell Warhammer stuff now).

 

[TalonComics]

I don't shrink wrap books because basically it would be a waste of time and I think it insults the customer to some degree.

It's a waste of time for me as I don't have hundreds of people perusing books causing damage. Most of my customers either order from online or just walk in the store and pick the book up to purchase it.

There's a store in the DFW area that shrink wraps all White Wolf books because of the content but the same store doesn't do anything regarding paperbacks with the same style content. I think that is just annoying.

~D

 

[RigaMortus]

Bah, just open the shrinkwrap yourself and page through the book. Are they gonna call the "shrinkwrap poilce" on you? If you actually DO get questioned, just say you didn't know you weren't allowed to do that. I've done this mnay times myself, on shrinkwrapped magazines (no, not the dirty kind, the videogame magazines like Gamepro and EGM).

If they continue to hassle you about it simply do this... buy the book, page through it, then if you don't like it, return it. I believe it is illegal for them to not refund your money if you bring the product back within a certain amount of time. Even you really want to mess with them, buy all their shrinkwrapped books, open them all in front of them, then return them

 

[Zander]

I'm lucky enough to have 2 FLGSs. One shrink-wraps and the other doesn't. So I check things out at the latter and buy from the former. Oooh, I'm a bad boy.

I have to say that I'm always very careful when handling goods whether I intend to buy them or not.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Shrinkwrapping and your FLGS

Then you have someone incompetent using the shrinkwrapping machine.

In any event, the fact that the book is open doesn't mean that I will spot everything that might have gotten into it. While obvious damage is obvious (by definition), I have seen several books that were stained close to the binding inside the book, inside of a 200+ page text. Those things can be easily missed when youa re browsing through a book.

It is very easy to take a potential purchase up to the counter and ask if you can open it up and look at it. I have never had a store say "no" to this.

On another front, have you ever bought a copy of "Monopoly" or "Candyland" or "Axis and Allies" or any other board game? Was it ever not shrinkwrapped? If you bought that sort of game shrinkwrapped, why is it so different when you buy a game at your FLGS? [/B]

It's more hassle than it's worth in my experience. Other than defective bindings* I've never had a problem with books from the LGS.

* NG's Tome of Horrors had a terrible binding right out of the box, it was a widespread problem.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Bah, just open the shrinkwrap yourself and page through the book. Are they gonna call the "shrinkwrap poilce" on you? If you actually DO get questioned, just say you didn't know you weren't allowed to do that. I've done this mnay times myself, on shrinkwrapped magazines (no, not the dirty kind, the videogame magazines like Gamepro and EGM).

If they continue to hassle you about it simply do this... buy the book, page through it, then if you don't like it, return it. I believe it is illegal for them to not refund your money if you bring the product back within a certain amount of time. Even you really want to mess with them, buy all their shrinkwrapped books, open them all in front of them, then return them

Or I could buy the book on the net for 11-12 bucks cheaper with free shipping and get the same closed book and risk not liking it and then sending it back for a refund and still save money over the FLGS who charges full price for the same book. I think the "pizza stained" book problem is vastly overstated.

 

[dsfriii]

I also think the 'pizza stain' issue is over blown. Now I do understand the store with play areas shrink wrapping to make sure they are not used a library...