Why are my FLGS completely ignorant?

[Mystery Man]

So I call my FLGS to see if they have Stormwrack in. The first question is of course "What's that?". I wouldn't expect a gaming store that sells D20 material to know what it is. How stupid of me. Confirm it's a DnD book and he goes off to look on the shelf. Not there he says and looks to see if its in the order book. "What was it? Rack-something?" *sigh* STORMWRACK!
"Who publishes that?"
*oh my god*

So cut through a bunch of repeating myself and he says that its not out this month but he rattles of a few titles of things to come. But it's on WoTC's site as being shipped this month I say.

"Oh they're always wrong!" says he.



I thanked him and hung up the phone. Why can't I have a gaming store that actually is enthusiastic and follows DnD? Every single time I call with a question, nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about.

Or maybe I'm just having a bad day. :\

 

[Yeoman]

So I call my FLGS to see if they have Stormwrack in. The first question is of course "What's that?". I wouldn't expect a gaming store that sells D20 material to know what it is. How stupid of me. Confirm it's a DnD book and he goes off to look on the shelf. Not there he says and looks to see if its in the order book. "What was it? Rack-something?" *sigh* STORMWRACK!
"Who publishes that?"
*oh my god*

So cut through a bunch of repeating myself and he says that its not out this month but he rattles of a few titles of things to come. But it's on WoTC's site as being shipped this month I say.

"Oh they're always wrong!" says he.



I thanked him and hung up the phone. Why can't I have a gaming store that actually is enthusiastic and follows DnD? Every single time I call with a question, nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about.

Or maybe I'm just having a bad day. :\

That's basically the reason I don't shop at any local gamestores anymore. I got sick of it after moving to michigan, and I'll be damned before I ever shop at a local store again.

 

[Storm Raven]

So I call my FLGS to see if they have Stormwrack in. The first question is of course "What's that?". I wouldn't expect a gaming store that sells D20 material to know what it is. How stupid of me. Confirm it's a DnD book and he goes off to look on the shelf. Not there he says and looks to see if its in the order book. "What was it? Rack-something?" *sigh* STORMWRACK!
"Who publishes that?"
*oh my god*

So cut through a bunch of repeating myself and he says that its not out this month but he rattles of a few titles of things to come. But it's on WoTC's site as being shipped this month I say.

"Oh they're always wrong!" says he.



I thanked him and hung up the phone. Why can't I have a gaming store that actually is enthusiastic and follows DnD? Every single time I call with a question, nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about.

Or maybe I'm just having a bad day. :\

Tell him it is he who is wrong, it is most certainly out. I was at the Game Parlor on Saturday, and they had it on the shelf.

 

[Mystery Man]

Tell him it is he who is wrong, it is most certainly out. I was at the Game Parlor on Saturday, and they had it on the shelf.

"[size=-1]Never argue with a MORON. They will just drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience"

[/size]

That's basically the reason I don't shop at any local gamestores anymore. I got sick of it after moving to michigan, and I'll be damned before I ever shop at a local store again.

[size=-1]But I never learn, I'm like Charlie Brown thinking just this once it will work out and they'll be able to answer a question, but Lucie always pulls the ball away at the last second.
[/size]

 

[sniffles]

Maybe you should complain to the management. I frequent a game store here that had a problem employee a few years ago - he ignored any customer who didn't come to buy Warhammer materials. They fired him.

 

[Arrellion]

I have had a similar issue with a nearby FLGS. I would ask about a product and get the blank look. After explaining what it was, what game system and who published it they would then look it up. I later found out that the manager and the guy that ordered the gaming stuff were not role players and only carried the stuff to make money. There interests were with Magic and Anime so if you were looking for anything else you would have to request it or hope that they might get around to ordering what was popular. Thankfully a new FLGS has opened is being run by a couple who are avid roleplayers and enjoy other game systems as well.

Good Luck to you,

Arrel

 

[mcrow]

Most of the the local stores here in Minneapolis have employees who play rpgs or at the least pay attention to what is on the shelf. I have run into a couple employees @ Phoenix Games though that did not have a clue about anything or where something was unless it had a Games Workshop logo on it. So when I go into that store now if I see one of them I just look for myself and if I don't find it they lose a sale. It's too bad that these few employees give the rest a bad name though because the owner and the rest of the people who work there seem to know the gaming market.

 

[Umbran]

Here's the thing - do you expect an employee at any other retail store to be fully aware of what's going on in inventory? Do you call a clothing store expecting the person who works there to be able to find a particular sweater? You expect them to be able to point you to the Land's End merchandise, sure, but the individual style and color of sweater?

Gaming stores commonly can't afford to offer big salaries to employees. Which means that often, they have to take the employees they can get - which are commonly people who don't have experience or skills required for better jobs.

Think about that for a sec - retail game sales doesn't require a whole lot of skill. So what kind of employees will you often get?

 

[reveal]

So I call my FLGS to see if they have Stormwrack in. The first question is of course "What's that?". I wouldn't expect a gaming store that sells D20 material to know what it is. How stupid of me. Confirm it's a DnD book and he goes off to look on the shelf. Not there he says and looks to see if its in the order book. "What was it? Rack-something?" *sigh* STORMWRACK!
"Who publishes that?"
*oh my god*

So cut through a bunch of repeating myself and he says that its not out this month but he rattles of a few titles of things to come. But it's on WoTC's site as being shipped this month I say.

"Oh they're always wrong!" says he.



I thanked him and hung up the phone. Why can't I have a gaming store that actually is enthusiastic and follows DnD? Every single time I call with a question, nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about.

Or maybe I'm just having a bad day. :\

Did you call Dragon's Lair or Ground Zero? DL hires morons and I will never go there again and I will never call them again as I've had the same experiences you have.

I've been going to the new Ground Zero at the corner of 50th and L since it opened and it's great. It has a large inventory and the staff is always helpful and friendly. When Races of Eberron came out, I called them the day before it was on the shelves and they held a copy for me for a couple of days until I could pick it up.

I just called them (402-733-7212) and they told me they have Stormwrack in stock.

 

[El Ravager]

I am always saddened to hear about poor customer services at (F)LGSs'. It makes me really appriciate the stores I go to. Here in central Iowa, we have two excellent stores, Mayhem Comics of Ames and Mayhem Comics of Des Moines. They are truely great stores with helpful, friendly employees and great communities of gamers. They are a joy to go to, shop at, and game at.

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El Rav