Shrinkwrapping and your FLGS

[KnowTheToe]

Shrinkwrapping bites. I am confused about how anal some people seem to be about their books. These are game books, books that are tossed in bags, brought to tables and opened and used with some regularity, if not then you should have not purchased it. Relax it is just a book.

 

[Foundry of Decay]

Or local store here in Edmonton used to have a very good way of letting a person browse a hardcover, yet still have protected books.

They'd simply put out a 'perusal' copy that wasn't to be sold. People could thumb through it at their leisure, then nab a wrapped item for purchase.

Sadly, the store moved.. Right across to a new location in the same complex of buildings. It seems they went utterly mad by this point, cutting store space down to *nothing* by making the upstairs employees only, and suddenly the perusal copies of everything were gone.

A friend of mine wasn't impressed, and asked for one to be opened. Turns out you have to ask to look through them now. I'm still not too impressed, since their prices seem to have gone up as well :/

Ah well, I'll order online from now on. I got MUCH better service from stores like Talon Comics than I have at the local one here.

 

[John Crichton]

(begin library rant)
And people wonder why sometimes librarians can be so uptight about the books? Books get dropped off at the library I work at in awful condition, because people assume that we will take care of it, or buy a new one. If you knew how much $ was spent on book preservation and replacement, you wouldn't go bending the corners or leaving your coffee mug on it. Just because the person before you abused it, doesn't mean that its ok for you to abuse it too. There is a lot of time and $ that gets spent on fixing things that could have been prevented with a minimum amount of thought or care to a library book. Easiest one to remember? DON'T FOLD THE CORNERS!
(end library rant)

Amen.

Okay, I work in a library but I am not a librarian. But mishandling of books drives me nuts. I'm taking about blatant abuse like the folding corners example (another is putting those little sticky bookmarks in there that are acidic and will kill the ink eventually). Most of our patrons are decent about the care of the books but there are still way too many who just abuse the thing. I have a few books out now that are in terrible condition but that usually means I treat them with even more care because of it.

Okay, now I have ranted and am finished. Just wanted to agree.

As for shrinkwrapping - Hmm. These days I just read reviews and usually just go from there. However, there is always the impulse buy and then again maybe I want to buy something that I see that a reviewer didn't like too much but what I see in it I like. I guess if I know I'm going to buy it I would like it shrinkwrapped. But considering that all the RPG stuff at my FLGS is right next to the counter where the guy/girl at the register can look over if he/she wants to that would be silly.

One of the big advantages of the FLGS, to me, is the ability to go right in, look at things (be respectful!), flip through the books, look at the dice and most likely buy something. So any shop that shrinkwrapped stuff would 9 out of 10 times not get my business. I like to impulse buy and I don't want to ask for help. That's just the way I shop. Also, I know a few owners of these places that are willing to sell a damaged product for a discount which I would jump all over.

:: edited a typo or 2 ::

 

[Goobermunch]

Re: Re: Shrinkwrapping and your FLGS

I would rather be assured that my new book is actually in good condition than take the risk that some bozo has flipped through it with pizza-stained fingers and left thumbprints all over it. I would rather be assured that the binding of my book has not been abused or tampered with by some doofus who has manhandled it. The minor inconvenience of dealing with shrinkwrapped products is more than outweighed by the better condition the books retain.

I am unfortunately someone you'd hate then. I don't eat pizza and I keep my hands clean, but I've got the caustic sweat from hell. I take the ink of off most gaming books, magazines, newspapers, and other printed materials just by touching them. My Ghostwalk book has little white fingerprints on every page where I've pulled the ink off.

Nonetheless, I would never buy from a retailer who didn't let me see what I was getting. I do my best to keep my hands dry while I'm looking through product though. I'd hate to ruin someone else's product.

--G

 

[Goobermunch]

My mother once asked me to write a message to them on the inside cover of a Mother's Day gift. I found this really confusing. Why would you write on a book? And on purpose?

Actually, I think it's rude to buy someone a gift and not write in it. Anyone who buys me a book gets forced to write a note inside. Books are meant to be kept forever. The inscription is a way of sharing your feelings in a permanent fashion. Inscriptions are very cool.

--G