Why I don't support my LGS

[Zimri]

If he is the owner I might give him a piece of my mind, politely, to let him know that chasing people off 20 minutes before closing time might not be the best way to run his business. It's fine if he's trying to keep the regulars from hanging out after hours, but the OP was a new customer.

I personally consider 20 minutes before closing plenty of time for someone to shop. It's alright to remind the customers of closing time ONCE, after which he should have left the OP alone.

I don't think it's appropriate for a store to turn customers away unless they're coming in 5 mintues before closing.

I re-reead the OP to be sure it still said what I thought it did. I am an older person and sometimes these things change from waht I remember.

Who did he chase off 20 minutes before closing ? The OP and his spouse came into the store 20 minutes before closing. Were informed of how far away closing time was. They browsed, as they were browsing they were reminded twice more ... in my retail experience that was likely 12 or 13 minutes too and 5 or seven minutes to the hour and a fairly common practice. As he was ringing up a 60 dollar order 3 kids came into the store. By this time it is at best 5 minutes to and probably closer to 2 minutes to. I can't go into my FLGS and have my comic folder checked and rung up in 2 minutes and there is no looking for anything required in that.

The OP is of course free to do what he wants with his cash, I am still not convinced however that the "fatbeard" (and I find that term offensive) did anything wrong. He was in the strictest sense being "lawful neutral" and following the exact rule in place. Could better things have been done ? Surely they could have as could have worse.

So umm yeah who was chased off 20 minutes before closing ?

 

[dpetroc]

Syracuse should start outsourcing it's FLGS people - I've never had problems with anyone at the stores that have been here.

That said, having worked retail, I can see both sides of the argument. There's definitely a sense of entitlement amongst customers, at least here in the USA, however there also seems to be a general resentment of that by retail workers because it has been abused, mostly because of managers who don't take a firmer stance when they should.

I think in the instance originally posted, I think it falls squarely in the middle. The owner has the right to remind someone the store is closing and ask them to leave. However, there's no need to be passive-agressive about it and pester them. I've found most customers to be fairly understanding when I've asked them to leave and explained why. On the other hand, it's important for any business to cater to the customers, especially as has been mentioned many times, the rapidly growing market share of online retailers. Instead of expecting to be entitled to staying after hours, it probably would have been more appropriate to be a little understanding and ask.

Of course, judging from the original post, I suspect the guy was rude from the start, instead of politely welcoming the customers and reminding them. In that case, kill 'em with kindness... nothing's usually gained by being a jerk... as I'm sure the owner has realized.

I am happy to admit that many people both in America and elsewhere take their customer service cues from the suck up retail scene in Pretty Woman. However, I think we can agree that and expectation of courtesy, politeness and at least an effort to be helpful is not 'entitlement'. Hell! The first thing you saw in my old gaming store in NYC was a sign saying "Shoplifters will be killed and eaten". You'd have expected THEM to be hardnosed. They were happy to talk about games...any games. And they were helpful and courteous.

 

[Metus]

A legitimate response.

But who's saying this? Retail owner, or peon clerk?

Peon clerk, although not anymore, thank God. To be fair, though, the management left it up to us if we wanted to stay after-hours - it was optional, not mandatory.

In the real world the experience that I, and it seems many other people, have found to be common enough to be a valid sterotype, is that LGS clerks tend to be rude and lazy.

There is truth in that. However:

The OP's point (despite the many attempts of others to bypass it) was that the clerk at his FLGS was NOT polite.

Not polite, or just rude? There is a difference. People are saying he was rude, and I'm just not getting that. Yes, he could have couched his sentences in gentler language, and he could've reminded less. He didn't cuss, yell, or spit in the customers' faces either, though. The fact that the store was closing was... well, a fact, and I'm not offended by facts.

Were I the OP, I wouldn't have been bothered the tiniest bit: the person working the store was reminding me it would be closing soon. Some people need to be reminded more than others. Maybe not me, but he wouldn't know that. When those kids came in and the store clerk said they were closing, I don't think what he said was rude. If he cussed at them, frothing at the mouth, then yes, that would be rude. Heck, maybe those kids came by other days at closing hours, and he was just getting tired of them doing so.

The store clerk's tone from the OP just came off as neutral to me, or perhaps tired from a long day. How you react to the store clerk's attitude is subjective. Some people are easily offended and demand you walk on eggshells around them. That's an extreme, and I don't think it applies to the OP's example, but the point is that politeness/rudeness is what you perceive it to be. Personally, I didn't take the store clerk's attitude to be rude. He just wasn't very diplomatic.

EDIT:

The OP is of course free to do what he wants with his cash, I am still not convinced however that the "fatbeard" (and I find that term offensive) did anything wrong. He was in the strictest sense being "lawful neutral" and following the exact rule in place. Could better things have been done ? Surely they could have as could have worse.

Thank you, Zimri. This is what I'm saying.

 

[dpetroc]

Not polite, or just rude? There is a difference. People are saying he was rude, and I'm just not getting that. Yes, he could have couched his sentences in gentler language, and he could've reminded less. He didn't cuss, yell, or spit in the customers' faces either, though. The fact that the store was closing was... well, a fact, and I'm not offended by facts.

Were I the OP, I wouldn't have been bothered the tiniest bit: the person working the store was reminding me it would be closing soon. Some people need to be reminded more than others. Maybe not me, but he wouldn't know that. When those kids came in and the store clerk said they were closing, I don't think what he said was rude. If he cussed at them, frothing at the mouth, then yes, that would be rude. Heck, maybe those kids came by other days at closing hours, and he was just getting tired of them doing so.

The store clerk's tone from the OP just came off as neutral to me, or perhaps tired from a long day. How you react to the store clerk's attitude is subjective. Some people are easily offended and demand you walk on eggshells around them. That's an extreme, and I don't think it applies to the OP's example, but the point is that politeness/rudeness is what you perceive it to be. Personally, I didn't take the store clerk's attitude to be rude. He just wasn't very diplomatic.

Here's the material point. Neither you, nor I nor anyone other than the OP was there -- and the OP claims he was rude. We must assume that fact, or at least HIS perception of the fact and in a case such as this, perception is reality. YOU may have not been offended. But the OP was. He was offended because he was not made to feel welcome and he felt rushed out even though he was there 20 minutes before hand. Some people ARE easily offended, and SOME give offense quite easily. You know, someone can say "Have a nice day" and be rude about it... tone conveys rudeness just as well as words.

Frankly, I've had enough lousy experiences with LGS (note my posts above -- I'm pretty sure the owner yelling (mod deflector on) "Intercourse Yourself!" to a friend of his in front of my six year old is offensive. Hitting on my wife likewise) to feel that that although the OP's experience is not universal by any stretch, it is not uncommon either.

 

[Metus]

Here's the material point. Neither you, nor I nor anyone other than the OP was there -- and the OP claims he was rude. We must assume that fact, or at least HIS perception of the fact and in a case such as this, perception is reality.

Well, yes. I'll take it as fact that the OP was offended. And I'll take it as fact that the OP thought the store clerk was rude. But the entire point of my post was to offer another perspective. The store clerk could, in actuality, have been rude. Or the OP could be thin-skinned. Working in retail, you see both. What I'm saying is that from the posting itself, it looks more of the latter than the former.

 

[s.j. bagley]

the closest gaming store to me is run by a fellow who likes to regale everyone that enters with his ever so clever racist, sexist, and homophobic 'jokes.'
needless to say, i haven't spent a penny there in years.

 

[EditorBFG]

The store clerk could, in actuality, have been rude. Or the OP could be thin-skinned. Working in retail, you see both. What I'm saying is that from the posting itself, it looks more of the latter than the former.

I've been to lot of game stores, and as I mentioned I worked at one for a year, and so I am guessing it was porbably the former, actually. And yes, the OP could be thin-skinned-- in fact, game store customers are more likely to be thin-skinned, to my experience. Which is all the more reason to be polite.

You can say you need to close the store on time. You do not have to be rude.

Thin-skinned or no, the OP isn't shopping there anymore-- the store's loss, not his.

 

[BryonD]

Not polite, or just rude? There is a difference.

I think that is stretching....

However, let's assume that the specific case in the OP has been completely misrepresented and the employee was completely blameless.
All that would mean is that a bad example kicked off a conversation about the larger real trend.

Obviously I'll never know the absolute facts in the OP. But if I were a gambler I'd bet that "rude" was the right word. The odds would favor me.

 

[Zimri]

I think that is stretching....

However, let's assume that the specific case in the OP has been completely misrepresented and the employee was completely blameless.
All that would mean is that a bad example kicked off a conversation about the larger real trend.

Obviously I'll never know the absolute facts in the OP. But if I were a gambler I'd bet that "rude" was the right word. The odds would favor me.

I'ld be more willing to bet that LN clerk and CN op both rubbed each other the wrong way because of the non nuetral parts of the corresponding alignments. The three CE kids that came in to case the joint and shove stuff in their pockets went away due to too many witnesses.

 

[Metus]

However, let's assume that the specific case in the OP has been completely misrepresented and the employee was completely blameless.
All that would mean is that a bad example kicked off a conversation about the larger real trend.

Obviously I'll never know the absolute facts in the OP. But if I were a gambler I'd bet that "rude" was the right word. The odds would favor me.

I would agree with you on the odds. It is funny how many people have run into the asocial game store clerk/owner. In all honesty, I have been very underwhelmed by all LGS I've gone to, so I'm not even claiming a different experience.

And yes, the OP could be thin-skinned-- in fact, game store customers are more likely to be thin-skinned, to my experience. Which is all the more reason to be polite.

I think that's true, and that's part of what bothers me. Because the customer base is more easily offended, even a normal amount of politeness won't cut it. You have to be extra polite to thin-skinned people. So, even if you just take a casual, average attitude towards politeness, you're still considered rude and lacking. I guess I'm contemptous of that, of having to mollycoddle your audience, even if it is necessary for good business, but that's just my own personal feelings.

Thin-skinned or no, the OP isn't shopping there anymore-- the store's loss, not his.

I wonder about that. Having worked retail, I got used to the "problem customers." Being thin-skinned was a trait of theirs, or perhaps just looking for a reason to be offended. A lot of times, they were the ones saying, "Is that a scratch? I think that's a scratch. I want a discount. Is this new? Is it old? I think I should get another discount," as I tried not to sigh and roll my eyes. They were also the ones who would frequently return products after using them, or just generally be a hassle. A lot of times they were bad for the store.

On the other hand, I haven't worked in gaming retail, and as people have pointed out in the thread, it's somewhat of a different beast. I realize gaming stores are more hard-up for customers, and so need to value them more. Still, that doesn't make a difficult customer any less difficult.

All this being said, I hope it doesn't seem like I'm saying that gamer clerks/store owners are not actually asocial. A lot of them really are. I'd even say most of them. But as EditorBFG pointed out, the customers of gaming stores are also more thin-skinned (a bad combo, I guess), so it could be the asocial gaming store clerk, or it could be a thin-skinned customer. I'll repeat my take on the situation, that being that the store clerk wasn't polite, and the customer was thin-skinned.