TheYeti1775
Adventurer
Arashi Ravenblade said:
Asking like that is the best way. Wouldn't have had a problem with it either.
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Why I don't support my LGS
- Thread starter maddman75
- Start date
Asking like that is the best way. Wouldn't have had a problem with it either.
GoodKingJayIII
First Post
I worked part-time at Borders for a while, and when we closed, we closed. At 10pm we asked all our customers to be at the registers making their purchases or on their way out the door. We gave plenty of notice (20 to 30 minutes) along with 15-minute and 5-minute warnings.
We did it politely. We didn't hassle anybody if they were in the bathroom and didn't leave til 10:05, or if it took 20 minutes to ring up a final purchase, we didn't shut everything down and say "come back tomorrow." But people have a tendency to loiter in book stores; they tend to be inviting, relaxing places. I myself have sat in Borders with a cup of coffee and a few magazines for hours. But closing time is closing time. Having people in the store after hours is a liability. Opportunities for shop-lifting increase. And also, it's 10pm and people want to get home. It usually took at least 30 minutes to clean up the store and we really couldn't do that with customers milling about and asking questions.
Having worked in retail, it's difficult to implement a balance. I was never rude, but if there's a customer who just won't leave 20 min after we've closed, things got pretty frustrating. There were other things I had to do at that point, and I certainly didn't want to be around all night doing them.
Not that you did this, but I'm just offering another perspective. If you were unhappy with the service, definitely don't go back. It's that simple, really.
We did it politely. We didn't hassle anybody if they were in the bathroom and didn't leave til 10:05, or if it took 20 minutes to ring up a final purchase, we didn't shut everything down and say "come back tomorrow." But people have a tendency to loiter in book stores; they tend to be inviting, relaxing places. I myself have sat in Borders with a cup of coffee and a few magazines for hours. But closing time is closing time. Having people in the store after hours is a liability. Opportunities for shop-lifting increase. And also, it's 10pm and people want to get home. It usually took at least 30 minutes to clean up the store and we really couldn't do that with customers milling about and asking questions.
Having worked in retail, it's difficult to implement a balance. I was never rude, but if there's a customer who just won't leave 20 min after we've closed, things got pretty frustrating. There were other things I had to do at that point, and I certainly didn't want to be around all night doing them.
Not that you did this, but I'm just offering another perspective. If you were unhappy with the service, definitely don't go back. It's that simple, really.
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Mark CMG
Creative Mountain Games
I know Mount Vernon is a 300 mile drive from Mount Prospect but we have got a great game store up here and hold Gamedays three times a year for the last six years that we organize right here on EN World. Think about it. You will be well treated and have a blast. Next one is probably in late June.
http://www.games-plus.com/
http://www.games-plus.com/
TheYeti1775 said:When you think about it, a good majority of our hobby is male. Yes I know we have plenty of ladies playing (my group in GA the girls outnumbered the guys). But to talk to her your going to the register and the best reason for going there, is to purchase something.
Yup its sexist as heck, but it can work.
I agree that it would be conceived as sexist but most other stores do this sort of thing. However, some male gamers (not all, and when I say some I mean a small amount) seem to be so socially awkward that when a female gamer enters a store that may be attractive in someway, react oddly. As if they don't know what to do with themselves. I have actually witnessed it. It's pretty amusing to watch. So having females working at a LGS for that purpose would have some interesting results.
PapersAndPaychecks
First Post
Basic rule of human social interaction, number 18: Do not outstay your welcome on someone else's property. Leave promptly and politely unless you're specifically invited to stay. You are not entitled to any such invitation.
Basic rule of business, number 2: Make your customers feel welcome. (It's a corollary to rule 1, which is, Make a profit.)
I can see both sides. I have to say, in the circumstances, I wouldn't have had a problem with the guy's actions.
Neither would I have returned to the shop.
Basic rule of business, number 2: Make your customers feel welcome. (It's a corollary to rule 1, which is, Make a profit.)
I can see both sides. I have to say, in the circumstances, I wouldn't have had a problem with the guy's actions.
Neither would I have returned to the shop.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Litigation?jdrakeh said:See my post above. As for the customer always being right, this is one of the most carefully cultivated illusions of retail and the foundation of another (closely related) industry
Mark CMG
Creative Mountain Games
maddman75 said:We're always up for a road-trip, might just have to do that
Keep an eye on the EN World General forum. Or, do yourself one better, and sign up on Buzz's gameday site so you get email notification. One thread gets started to organize the thing. Then, once all the DMs have volunteered they start a new thread for signing up players. That can go rather quickly, so be aware of that.
http://gameday.buzzmo.com/
We are always happy to have out of towners and sometimes additional side events spring up in such cases.
jdrakeh
Front Range Warlock
Whizbang Dustyboots said:
Advertising
[Edit: As has been noted elsewhere by people far more important than myself, the idea that a retailer can be held legally accountable for simply not fulfilling the consumer's personal desires or expectations is a fallacy, lest those expectations or desires be part and parcel to written law (which they almost never are).]
Rykion
Explorer
I'm fortunate to have a very good FLGS. I wouldn't judge that store by a single experience. The clerk might have had somewhere to go and a small store with a single employee usually doesn't have a lot to do after closing except running the receipts. They can't sell anything once they've started that.
Since people have mentioned Best Buy, I'll chime in on my Best Buy customer service experiences. My local BB usually has only 2 lines open even when there are 10+ people in line, and they have a half dozen employees doing nothing. I've walked out of BB without making a purchase because one cashier with the light on was "closed" while talking to her boyfriend. I went to the next line and waited about 10 minutes before the cashier left with a customer to take them to customer service on the far side of the store. The cashier didn't say anything to the people in line, and didn't come back within the 5 minutes I waited. The last open line had another 7 or 8 people waiting and the cashier's light was turned off. As I walked out without buying anything, the security person wished me a good day and asked about my experience. When I mentioned I couldn't even buy anything in the store he just shrugged. It was the middle of the day at the time, not even close to closing. The local BB's also used to have a habit of putting defective returns back on the shelf, even though not everything was in the package and they still had the return receipt in them!
It's amazing what people expect of retail employees who are lucky to be pulling in $10 an hour. I've been in offices and factories at closing time. People rush out like the worlds ending, and its often impossible to find someone to help out for a few minutes after work on short notice. That's even though they're making 2 to 3 times as much as most retail people.
Since people have mentioned Best Buy, I'll chime in on my Best Buy customer service experiences. My local BB usually has only 2 lines open even when there are 10+ people in line, and they have a half dozen employees doing nothing. I've walked out of BB without making a purchase because one cashier with the light on was "closed" while talking to her boyfriend. I went to the next line and waited about 10 minutes before the cashier left with a customer to take them to customer service on the far side of the store. The cashier didn't say anything to the people in line, and didn't come back within the 5 minutes I waited. The last open line had another 7 or 8 people waiting and the cashier's light was turned off. As I walked out without buying anything, the security person wished me a good day and asked about my experience. When I mentioned I couldn't even buy anything in the store he just shrugged. It was the middle of the day at the time, not even close to closing. The local BB's also used to have a habit of putting defective returns back on the shelf, even though not everything was in the package and they still had the return receipt in them!
It's amazing what people expect of retail employees who are lucky to be pulling in $10 an hour. I've been in offices and factories at closing time. People rush out like the worlds ending, and its often impossible to find someone to help out for a few minutes after work on short notice. That's even though they're making 2 to 3 times as much as most retail people.
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