There is a retro shop in my town, and I don't use

[thx1138]

It is run by the most onbnoxious wankers that it has ever been my misfortune to meet, in the course of my collecting.

Most people in retro stores are reasonably friendly, and normally quite helpful - as long as you are not a time wasting idiot. There are excpetions to this, there is a store in Brighton, run  by a few teenagers, who may as well have a letter A for attitude branded on their foreheads - but Brighton is awash with retro stores, so it's not important.

This store, buys and sells games, for most systems. At least it did, it doesn't seem to now. I think I know why ------------  THE STAFF ARE CUNTS - AND PEOPLE DONT SHOP THERE!

A few ebayers have stopped by my house and picked up their purchases, not uncommon, I live in a shire town (a bit like a state capital) so a lot of people in the county will work in town.

All of the serious collectors agree with me, they are rude, arrogant, aloof - and have such a weird and crappy attitude, it's unbelivable.

They are too expensive, but I don't mind that, free market economy, I can deal with picking and choosing what I want to buy......

But, like one time, I had maybe £200 worth of retro games in my hands, and was trying to get served. I walked up to this one checkout, and the twentysomething cunt,(FRENCH by the way) looks at me, and says "I'm busy".

So, I go to the next checkout, and get told rudly "I'm serving a customer". Which wasn't obvious at all, and II could have been told that more politely. Then the first guy "who was busy"- then goes and starts stackiing shelves,  and the other guy walks off .

Stood ther for a couple minutes, and dumped the stuff on the counter and left.

Most people in retro stores are friendly, don't mind a brief chat about the state of the scene if it's quiet, good managers get to know their regulat customers, and try to sell them stuff as soon as they walk in.

Anyway, a year later, I heard that it had changed hands. May have done - different staff in the shop.

They have all these glass cases, "The precious things" go in the glass cases. Not.

Amongst the crap, were a couple of common C64 carts. I wanted them, the assisstant, said "oh, I don't know how much they are, the manager isn't here".

I went back 6 fucking times, to get that same shit.  C64 carts,  common ones, locked up like the crown fucking jewels.  My wife took a Jap Megadrive game up to the checkout to buy it, and the shitty assistant, put a real sneer in his voice and said "that won't work love, it's a Japanese import"., so not just unhelpful, but sexist too.

The last time I went back, I noticed that they had no more SEGA retro games. Looks like they are winding down. Good, bunch of fools!

Don't realise that most of the hardcore collectors that I have met, also boycott them now, I hope they close for good.

[Arrrhalomynn]

That's mighty obnoxious indeed. I'm surprised you went there so often.

I don't understand what's up with stores like that. You'd think that in a highly specialized store like a game store, the people would be happy that they could make their hobby their job.  And most of the stores like that I went to actually had people like that, but every now and then you end up with someone who seems to care about games, as much as a supermarket employee cares about toiletpaper.

In nearby Zwolle for example. There's a gamestore run by some crazy guy. Sometimes he's very friendly, and sometimes he doesn't show any interest in selling something. I remember some time when I wanted saturn games. He didn't have them on display, but I knew he had them in the back.

Me: Do you have saturn games?
he: yes
<silence>
me: Can I see them?
<silence>
He: Not when there are people in the store (there was one guy in the store, that clearly knew the owner).
Me: Ok (And I left)

[den68]

similar attitudes and ways of treating customers are quite prominent here as well.

in the specialty shops like games stores they are often clearly more interested in preselling Madden 2005 than aswering questions about PS1 or SNES games (if they even still have them). If your question regards anything older than last years Xbox releases, forget about it.

in the thrifts, well it's a thrift so they really don't care.

I once found a CED Videodisc player that I wanted. it was still in the drop off box and not yet priced. I was told the pricers had left for the day. a manager would not do it and they would not hold it for me. I was told to come back the next day as it should be on the sales floor by then. well 6 straight days and no such luck. I couldn't even get anyone to check in the store room to see if it even had been priced. I've still yet to find one.

another store I found a Socrates and 2 boxed games, it was priced but the bag was torn open and the tag unattached. it was still with the package just no longer stapled to it. it was only like 8 bucks. they wouldn't sell it to me because it was open. again, no pricers available to reticket the item. I did get them to hold it for me, but only till noon the next day. fat lot of good that does me as i work full time. well, I wanted it so I ducked out to pick it up. it was priced and 2 bucks less, go figure. they could have just sold it to me the day before, saved me a trip and made an extra 2 bucks.

unfortunately as sources for this video game hobby of mine are limited I bite the bullet and still frequent these establishments. sometimes it's worth the hassles for a good score.

[Izret101]

@ Arr that is the funiest story i have heard from anyone on this site. I laughed for at least 2 minutes.

I have yet to run into the problem of obnoxious store clercks (accept in... Walmart). The shop i go to the most i have become friends with all the people who work there and they let me name my price on unpriced itmes. Anything that is dusty i can get a minimum of half off. This could be because i shop there 1 a week minimum for the last few years and have helped to increase there sales. But everywere else i have been people have always been glad to give me advice or information if they could. I guess im just lucky.

[jonlester]

Customer service is as much a part of market forces as pricing and supply vs. demand. It sounds like the people THX is describing are going out of their way to run their business into the ground. That they would completely disregard what a valuable customer Mrs. THX would be shows in itself how inept these people are, to put it kindly.

There's a retro shop in my area but it's way across town from me. Some of the Atari classic carts are overpriced but it's run by friendly and interested poeple. Now that I have an SNES I need to go back to see the guy. I need to go back also because on my first visit, he was explaining Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to a kid in the store and he's in a jinxed shopping center as it is. I mean to go tomorrow when I cash my check.

[Sauza12]

I usually don't run into to many hassles like this when I actually find a place that sells retro games.  At first I always try to get in good with at least one sales clerk.  I pick the most bored looking dude in the entire establishment and talk to him for about an hour.  If I still don't get what i want, then I get pissed and bossy (being a corporate bitch does help sometimes!).  I haven't had that route fail yet.

[Izret101]

The store i go to i pretty much walk around like i own the place. Go behind shelves grab what i want negociate the price they ring it up i happily look for more junk.

[thx1138]

the manager  in Gamestation is the complete opposite of my rant.

they have set trade in prices, they gave me £14 for the Megadrive, and he laughed when I told him  it cost me £2, the manager likes to talk about retro games too.

[Mike Leon]

I always dress up like a lady bunny to seduce the clerks. Then I can get whatever I want.

[thx1138]

uh-oh......................

note to self: FOLLOW MRS.THX NEXT TIME SHE GOES HUNTING

[smiley=laugh.gif]