I believe wholeheartedly in supporting your local game store/FFGS. I know I can purchase what I need from on line cheaper than from my local FFGS. But I haven’t gone the online route because I like to support my local business and I have spent well over $1000 on this game at my local FFGS. My resent experience at my FFGS has changed all that.

Thursday I went to my local FFGS, where they know me by name, to pick up a Rebel Transport. I had called on Wednesday but they had sold out and told to check back on Thursday. So Thursday comes and I go to my local FFGS just after the shipment arrived and was told by one of the employees that if they had them they would be in one of the unopened shipment boxes. So I patiently waited while the owner unpacked the shipment to see if one had come in. I browsed around the store and one of the guys there showed me the transport he had received on Wednesday. While I was talking to the locals in the shop I noticed that the owner seemed irritated that I was there waiting but just brushed it off as me being paranoid. But when I asked one of the guys a question about an old game I saw the owner roll his eyes and smirk at one of his employees and the employee burst out in laughter. I also noticed that he was unpacking the shipment unusually slow popping the packing pillows with his knife one by one and looking at one of his employees as if to say I wish this guy would get the @#&! OUT of my shop. After the shipment was all unpacked nothing was said about if a transport had come in or not. I did not want to ask the owner because he already knew why I was there and I did not want to irritate him. So I assumed none had come in. Than a customer walks in and asked if the new X wing was in. The owner said that the boosters where in the X wing game area. The customer replies not that one the transport. The owner pulls one from behind the counter and gives it to the guy. He clearly did not want me to know that one had come in and was keeping it hid from me. Now that he was busted he proceeds to tell me that only one came in and this guy had asked first and he had to be fair and that he would give me a text or call me when the next one came in. The only problem with that is he does not have my phone number nor did he ask for it.

Now I understand that you have to fill your preorders first, but he could have told me up front he did not have enough instead of being condescending and underhanded. So I went to Barnes & Noble and got one. I think they will be my FFGS from now on.

Why tell us?

Tell the owner of said shop!

^+1

Yeah if you want to name and shame him for bad customer service then at least, y'know, name and shame

Brick and mortar stores can't compete with online prices and stock levels, but i have friends who run gaming stores and i like to invest my money into their local businesses. If they were to **** me about i'd be sure to comment on it and shop from a big store instead...

I would have flipped out on that *******, and told him I could buy this stuff online for 2/3 the price.

For the record; I did not mean this to be snarky. Just genuinely wondering.

I would have told the LGS-owner that he just lost a customer. And walked out. Never to return.

@Boomer_J.

What a bummer of an experience, good on you for voting with your feet. People that run shops like that don't deserve to know why you are shopping elsewhere and deserve to go under as a result. Good on you for using the internet to shop.

You other responders are so ignorant and rude. If you are not interested in the topic, then go away and read another thread. This guy was sharing his bad experience of typical poor customer service and you top his day off by being rude as well.

Boomers experience is just so typical of the people that work in hobby and game that have an attitude towards their customers. Probably one of the main reasons that the majority of hobby sales are now done via the internet. So sad really.

Typical D-Bag hobby shop owner.

It doesn't matter which hobby, hes the personification of nearly every hobby shop owner I've dealt with in my life. Regardless of what the hobby actually is.

It's the one thing I don't understand. Oddly enough, back before there was Amazon or before Ebay was real big - these guys didn't act this way.

Now that I don't HAVE to shop at their store to get what I want, they choose to be a**holes.

Honestly, I have gotten to where I will give hobby shops one shot to keep my money. I don't give second chances anymore.

Out of all the hobby shops in the Atlanta Area, I refuse to buy RC Heli or Truck parts from any of them, and there is only one place I will go to buy X-Wing stuff, and that's more out of a social interaction than anything else, because B&N and Amazon always have a larger selection.

Every time I have a similar experience, I talk about opening my own store again - and then I wonder if the stress of the business would ruin my love for the hobby and turn me into a cynical a**hole.... hey wait a minute.

Wow, I feel for you guys if you've had so many similar experiences. My FLGS, Armored Gopher Games, is awesome. Super friendly and helpful. Sure, their prices can't compete with online prices, but I still toss them business whenever I can.

An issue I have seen with store owners in the area is that you care 1000% more about your hobby than they do. Online is also becoming a huge crutch for the brick and mortar stores. I've been told I need to go to their ebay store to purchase items I've been looking for (mostly limited run items). So when rent is made online too, service becomes less important.

I've been lucky in this regard. There are two places near where I live to buy stuff, if I want it in a hurry. One's new, and the other is a place where I've been shopping since I was about 12, and they were in the mall. Both owners are awesome. SW suburbs of Chicago, btw. PM me if you want more info.

Delete

I'm not sure why other posters have jumped down the OP's throat here. The OP could have plastered the name of the store everywhere but did not. He felt wronged, and was in pain that the store that he shops at would treat him in such a manor. He turned to his community for comfort.

Sometimes these little hobby shops get too clickish. They'll take your money sure, but if you annoy them or ask the wrong questions then you're treated like a pariah. Gamers are often guilty of doing this to one another over the silliest things.

That's what is so special about X-wing. "Fly Casual" Can you imagine saying that in the middle of a MTG tournament? Without this component, X-wing would loose its staying power and draw after the initial nostalgia wears off. As a group, we demand "Fly Casual" in every tournament we enter and every friendly game we play. If we don't find it, we move on to a place that has it.

Currently I am working on building a new X-wing community and I have stressed to the owners of the business how important our motto is to us. It will make or break their first tournament. I also advised them of the age group that plays this game. We are of the age that we are VERY aware of the value of our money and our time.

I applaud this forum for being the most supportive and friendly group on the Internet and will remind the OP that "Fly Casual" is alive and well.

I didn't see where anyone was jumping on BoomerJ about this thread, just stating that nothing can be done by lodging his complaint here on the forum and it would have been better directed at the shop owner. Nothing wrong with doing both.

I don't get why a shop owner would purposefully not tell about not having the item, item not in order, item is reserved, etc... I've never been treated badly by our few LGS. In past experiences where I didn't care for service, I just never returned.

So is Barnes & Noble cool with you playing x-wing in the store? I was at B&N last night, I was surprised at the amount of x-wing stock they had.

That is why I stopped going to local games stores and do miniature shopping online. Yes it means a longer wait, but it saves walking into a hobby store and feeling like the staff are...well...like this guy......

Sorry for wanting to pay your wages by purchasing something from your store.

I'll take my money elsewhere.

I will say there are 2 sides of every story... It is possible the OP did something other than innocently being excited for the release.

Yet as the poster above said, gamers can been clicky and elitest as well, the owner could have been a big ****** just as the OP explained.

Outside of the most obnoxious behavior imaginable by the OP, these stores probably need as much business as they can get and a good business owner wouldn't in their right mind treat a repeat customer that way.

The Customer is right goes a long way, especially in a market where shops seem to be closing (at least here in the Mpls).

While I too want to support my local shop, 33% is generally too big of a difference to ignore. Sure if I played more at the shops I would buy more. But right now I will just pick up odds and ends at the stores between big orders online. Suppliers should maybe do something to help brick and mortar stores... (though maybe tourneys boost sales enough). Cause it certainly seem unfair that online can offer 33% off but local stores are generally always MSRP.

While I too want to support my local shop, 33% is generally too big of a difference to ignore. Sure if I played more at the shops I would buy more. But right now I will just pick up odds and ends at the stores between big orders online. Suppliers should maybe do something to help brick and mortar stores... (though maybe tourneys boost sales enough). Cause it certainly seem unfair that online can offer 33% off but local stores are generally always MSRP.

The store I like is not retail, but generally a few bucks more than Amazon.

As for why they won't match Amazon pricing, and the answer is fairly obvious - the margins don't support their continued business.

Amazon can turn $.25 per sale and make millions off X-Wing.

The LGS guy can turn $.25 per sale and make a bankruptcy filing.

I love supporting the the local guys, especially ones who are willing to earn your business.

Name and shame please. I will call asking to buy three, then ask if they price match miniature market. Then ask if they will ship for free because I'm buying so much.

I earn points at my local store so it's an added incentive to buy local, even if it is full price usually.

I don't mind store staff or owners being all business...

What do you want?

That

There you go

There's your money

There's your new toy

Bye

But seriously, some stores and even their owners are just...just...Gollums! It's almost as if "how dare you come into my cave and try to take my precioussssss"

EDIT: no rant intended, just disbelief that this is how some conduct business.

If you wanted to support a game shop instead of B&N or Amazon, I honestly suggest checking out Team Covenant 's website. They are all about supporting games like X-Wing and various LCGs. They are more of a niche store where they focus on a handful of products rather than a large selection however they push a lot of content out for each of the games they support.

They also have an awesome community of gamers on their main site.

Wow. That's awful. I've frequented three gaming stores in my life, and all of them have been fantastic. Is this really a problem in Not Wisconsin...

My FLGS is amazing. Near online prices, friendly staff, long hours. They're great.

I have an opposite side of the coin scenario.

I waited for Imperial Aces to be released at my FLGS and I went down to pick up a copy. I did not preorder as I preorder online only and went in asking if they had any on the shelves. I had called and they said they had only 2 in stock so I went down right away. They looked around and could only find one copy now, the one the clerk had himself pre-ordered.

He gave it to me, no questions asked.

This FLGS is known in Ottawa for the best pricing on X-wing mini's and I go there as often as I can because of the service I get from them. I bought my CR75 there on Wednesday.

This is me saying thank you, Wizard's Tower, for awesome customer service and support of the X-wing Miniatures game.

Fly casual.

I have an opposite side of the coin scenario.

I waited for Imperial Aces to be released at my FLGS and I went down to pick up a copy. I did not preorder as I preorder online only and went in asking if they had any on the shelves. I had called and they said they had only 2 in stock so I went down right away. They looked around and could only find one copy now, the one the clerk had himself pre-ordered.

He gave it to me, no questions asked.

This FLGS is known in Ottawa for the best pricing on X-wing mini's and I go there as often as I can because of the service I get from them. I bought my CR75 there on Wednesday.

This is me saying thank you, Wizard's Tower, for awesome customer service and support of the X-wing Miniatures game.

Fly casual.

Personally I would either write the owner a letter or actually make an effort to speak with them.

Let them know actions like that matter... It's usually funny to see the look on the workers face when you ask "Can I speak with your manager?" (que empire dah dah dah music). Then proceed to give the worker and store a glowing review and praise with promise to spend more money there. Don't forget to thank them for such a great experience.

Everyone complains... rarely do people compliment. It is a HUGE pick me up at the store and reinforces their policies and workers.

I get the same treatment at our local store. Its not every staffmember, but one dude who seems to work there 24/7 and also the only one who seems to hate his work with a passion.

Last time I browsed the x-wing stuff, and brought one model to the table, stating that I additionally need some sleeves for the small cards.

Him: "Do you know the size of the cards?"

Me: "No, but I can find out" (get out my phone)

Him: "I got no time for this, go home and bring one of the cards next time you come to us."

Me: "I got a brandnew model here" (start to unpack it, to get a card out"

Him: "Oh well, if it _has_ to be now... ok"

WTF?

I almost feel like I would have to beg, so he accepts my money and be grateful for it...