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Hello, I'm just creating this thread because I would like to hear your experiences with "ULGS" (unfriendly local gaming shops).

As for me, I've dealt with a few in my area (Central Florida) years ago. This back when I was really into trading card games and other miniature games such as Heroclix and Star Wars. To make a long story short the store in question, "Gathering Place Games", was run by a manager that knew what he was doing but hired a plethora of inexperienced employees. including one 8 yr old kid (I know, crazy right?). The majority of the employees were basically just there to give the customer a hard time, which included but wasn't limited to them offering ridiculously stupid amounts for trade-in items, prices that were 50% above retail for some reason, and overall unprofessional service. In the end they had to move out of their nice storefront and into a ratty building with no air conditioning, lol.

Let me know if you have ever encountered a "ULGS".

Most GW's I've been to have less than friendly people.

One such store featured a 40 year old bloke who had a (rather well painted) Ultramarine army. Upon entering the store, I was greeted by your average overly-pushy employee that asked me if I need any help every two seconds, but the store seemed okay. As I picked up a box of Berzerkers, the big Ultramarine oaf gives a scoff, looking over his shoulder before saying to the player across the table "Kids; think they're cool because they play the bad guys." I was shocked at how rude this guy was being to a complete stranger, so I went to the counter and payed for the Berzerker. I proceeded to walk over to the ignorant arsehole and said "Nerds; think they're cool because they have no lives." He looked at me, shocked. I gave him a satisfied smirk before turning my swag on and walking out the door. I haven't been back to that GW since.

Worst one was in Radford, VA. The owner was always playing everquest as though he were an addict and would argue with anyone about anything. You could walk in and make a statement about how the weather was cold and he might start bantering about how, no.... it's really not that cold. This way he could keep his air of superiority since in his mind he was always right.

Oh and don't even try and play a game with him. He would play a game and complain about every rule that put him at a disadvantage and how the game rules suck, etc.etc..

GG

No personal experiences, but I have read many stories of an unkind worker at a GW Store. The one I can remember best was a guy planning an Imperial Guard army, and said he would use Pig Iron heads for them. The redshirt heard this and proceeded to walk up to them and tell them that the army wouldn't be allowed in the store, because it wasn't supporting GW.
If the person who I read this story from wants it, just ask and I'll give it back.

One store in Boston was kind of a drag for me. I'd travel the hour plus to get there, only to be ignored and not get a game in. It wasn't unfriendly so much as it was elitist, and since I wasn't drinking the Kool-Aid like everyone else I wasn't in on it.

So that's when I started my own gaming group at a different store

Unfortunately for me, there is only one LGS in my area. The closest place for me to get wargaming stuff is an hour away and that's a Hobbytown USA. Otherwise, I have to travel almost two hours to get to the bigger cities where they actually have game shops.

So, you'd think in my little neck of the woods, our single game store would be great, right? Wrong! I started going to my LGS about 8 years ago when I was real big into MtG. The store owner would run the tourneys, which wasn't so bad, except he can be a colossal donkey cave sometime. I can remember him telling a group of MtG players to "get out of his fething shop" because he didn't like one of them personally. That's the thing with my LGS, if the owner doesn't like you (for whatever reason) he lets you know about it.

Then, he hired one of the players that he liked. This guy was a tool. He would spend all day at the LGS and trade with the little kids that came in. I once saw him trade a kid an unopened pack of cards (8th or 9th edition) for an Umezawa's Jitte (a $35 card at the time). The kid loved it, not knowing that he could have gotten 10 packs for the card. The guy didn't care though, he would scam whoever came in.

So, after a while, our player base started to dwindle away and a second store opened up. Long story short, they closed because the owner fooled around with a 15 year old high school girl and his wife took him for everything he had, including the shop. So, back to our only LGS to play MtG. The owner didn't want to be bothered with running the tourneys on Friday nights. One of the players, who the owner trusted, offered to run the tourneys. The LGS wasn't doing well, so the owner agreed. They agreed that the tourney fee would go straight to a prize pool and that would get divided amongst the Top 4 every night for store credit. Well, the owner wouldn't consistently order cards from WotC for us and he started demanding that we pay for the electricity and heat that we were using (we were there for 4 hours a night, 1 night a week, we only used one room that had 8 lights in it...I'll let you do the math...) by charging everyone 2 dollars extra every week.

I'm out of MtG now, I play 40k and D&D. We've tried playing 40k at the shop, but he won't let us anymore because it uses up his electricity and heat (even though we're only wanting to play while he's open) and he doesn't sell that "crap" (even though it brought people in to look at our models). So, yeah, I have encountered the ULGS a time or two.

This store where all the local TFGs nested because they were ostracized out of the other 4 stores in the area.

I have an independant retailer 30 minutes away, and a GW an hour in the other direction.

The guy who runs the indie is one of those confrontational nerds who has an opinion on everything thinks he knows every c"cause read it on da interweb," thinks that troglodytes are stupid and has the artistic sensibilities of a rat (I have been made fun of for liking David Bowie and Half-Life, and he once gave me a long speach about why games are too short these days, a sentiment which I directly disagree with). I don't go there anymore.

The GW seems fine, but I only ever go to buy stuff, and whenever I go in I get this tremendous feeling that the people there expect me to do something....

The guy who manages it is nice though. I think I may have caught some of his employees on bad days.


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generalgrog wrote:Worst one was in Radford, VA. The owner was always playing everquest as though he were an addict and would argue with anyone about anything. You could walk in and make a statement about how the weather was cold and he might start bantering about how, no.... it's really not that cold. This way he could keep his air of superiority since in his mind he was always right.

Exactly, why do hobby store owners always seem to be socially slowed?

Actually, I guess I didn't really need to ask that.

hahahahaha, I'm having a great time reading all of your stories, especially yours zatchmo.

It may be just me but, I think I met some of the worst people in my life playing MtG and Yugioh. It seemed like little kids were always being taken advantage of. I remember when a little kid with two Exodia cards (worth about $60 for both at the time) was nearly dooped out of his cards once by an employee offering him a few cards packs. I actually jumped in and told the kid not to do it, warned him, and offered him a fair trade. The employee looked at me as if I was a ghost, muttered a selection of curse words under his breath (in front of the 10 yr old), and proceeded to rant at me for the remainder of my stay.

My only local stockist/gaming store I only go to due to it being the only place within 150 miles that carries GW stuff (I usually order from the net though)

The owner is a rather greasy man with waist-length black hair, usually in a ponytail, and a large black goatee (space wolf fan ironically). I personally don't have a problem with his hair, but with his attitude. During my 2 trips there, he consistently drank beer--in front of his 8-year-old son, 2 youngish (10-11) visitors and me, a teen. I still would have gone there, since he didn't actually get drunk, but he is an extremely pushy salesman.

First time I walked in he said hey and asked what I was looking for. I said 40k. He showed me to the 40k aisle and then said "We got some new Clix figs in, are ya interested?" I said, "Clix?" and he said "Heroclix dude! Don't you know what that is?" I said no, and he said, quote: "Sheesh, Jesus kid, who the hell doesn't like Clix? God, another 40k nerd!" and then laughed and walked off, forgetting about helping me find the specific 40k set I needed (I left without buying it for the record).

The cashier is just creepy. Short, with an extremely thin neck and overlarge eyes. He has a mowhawk, despite being in his 50s, and has arms covered in tattoos, including some of rather poorly dressed women. He has a very weird voice and seems to deliberately try and use words not commonly used. He also picks at his neck a lot and has very, very yellow teeth. He also has this habit of starting conversations with everyone, which normally I like but when you use "f***" every other word and have a creepy voice it's not the greatest thing.

Not a very pleasant shop overall. Only been there twice, and probably won't be going back.

I consider myself really lucky. Here in Atlanta there are quite a few LGS to choose from. I go to a place called Gigabites Cafe which is only a 20 minute drive down the highway and two right turns... really easy to get to. The owner is really nice and the players there guided me through a lot of games and fluff for 40k. The store is about 40% 40k, 40% fantasy, and 20% other games like Warmachine and what not. Lots of people play all these games so you see the same peeps there.

Setting up games is really easy there - the store has its own message board and people schedule games and in-house tournies all the time. We have a huge mixture of newbies like me and veterans who have been playings ince the 80s. Overall I'm really pleased with the store, but I do wish it was closer. Yeah, I did say 20 minutes, but sometimes traffic becomes a clusterfeth and it can stretch the journey there to a solid hour.

Also, sometimes kids plague the store as it also is an internet cafe, so during the day snot nosed punks will walk up and touch your models without asking. That's about the only real downside to the store, but I know those kids bring in nice revenue for the owner

Archon Sarubel wrote:

during the day snot nosed punks will walk up and touch your models without asking. That's about the only real downside to the store, but I know those kids bring in nice revenue for the owner

I don't see how wargamers stand up to that. I could never stand to have some 11-year-old grab my stuff without asking--especially since I still need to get ahold of a can of varnish!

When I was a young 'un going to my first LGS to play Pokemon tournaments the guy who ran the tourneys took bribes for set matchups (which was huge in Pokemon). He was later arrested for having/distributing child pornography. I swear someone lived in the back too as sometimes you could see dirty clothes by one of the back doors. They had boxes of old playboys on the floor marked "if you're under 18 do not look in here." My other story involves a friend who painted a store's AoBR set free of charge. He was afterward accused of stealing and banned from the store mid-Ard Boyz with no proof against him save that he had shown "unusual interest" in the missing item. Never buy from Lone Star Comics, I have more stories :p

I find that it usually is a case of unfriendly staffers instead of the entire store. The main offenders tend to come in a few varieties.

1. Guys on a power trip who want to feel like a big man since they are running the game store.
2. Disinterested staff who play WOW or some other game and treat customers like a nuisance.
3. Failing game store owners who enact draconian policies to try to turn the business around.

I'm sure that working at a game store can mean dealing with a lot of annoying people and surely is a labor of love, but sometimes a store devolves into a place where the customer really feels like they are not welcome or are only allowed to be there for someone's amusement.

Many game stores are quick to ban people. I for one think it is both unprofessional and immature. I never really understood the concept; I can understand if someone actually damaged the store in some way, but wouldn't it just be more appropriate to get the police involved? I guess it's no coincidence that ulgs are plagued with the "banning police".

devinb1690 wrote:Many game stores are quick to ban people. I for one think it is both unprofessional and immature. I never really understood the concept; I can understand if someone actually damaged the store in some way, but wouldn't it just be more appropriate to get the police involved? I guess it's no coincidence that ulgs are plagued with the "banning police".

Agree with you on this. I've banned about 4 people in 22 years, and really do it as a last resort.

One guy gamed here for 2 years, and spent 10.00 total in that time. He had only 350pts of 40k, and had to borrow stuff from other people each week. Never learned the rules. Liked to play with people 10 years younger since he could thow out whatever rule he wanted at the time. He then started trying to impress me by dealing with customers, as if he worked here. He was scaring people out of the store. After two warnings, I booted him.

Second person was caught stealing miniatures from other gamers in the store.

Third smelled so bad he made others ill.

Fourth was two nights ago. Strange guy has come in for a couple of years. Never plays. Always brags about his unbeatable (magic deck, 40k army, etc. Insert topic of conversation, he has the best.) When challenged, "Its in my storage shed", or other excuse. Hangs around for hours, talks, leaves. Doesn't game, doesn't buy. Just talks.
Came in the other night. Tells me how he just bought 100 packs of magic, current stuff, for 25.00, off of ebay. Made some insane, unbeatable decks. But...can't tell me what was in the decks, or even what sets the packs were from. I realized I had given this guy 10 minutes of my life, so he could lie, brag, and make crap up. I told him to take it elsewhere, quit coming in and wasting my time. Never come back.

In 22 years, those were the ones I couldn't work something with. Many others learned to not cheat at games, tone down their voices, take a shower, or reign in whatever the bad habit was. Or I learned to accept that it was my problem with them, not their problem with anyone else, and quit letting it bug me.

You shouldn't ban a customer unless there is absolutely no other choice. Customers are the support and lifeblood of the store. Only a bad businessman, or bad human being bans a lot of people for no reasons.

Samwise158 wrote:2. Disinterested staff who play WOW or some other game and treat customers like a nuisance.

Indeed. I gave up going to such a store, the staff were useless and would largely ignore customers coming in. They would nearly always be playing some game in the corner of the shop where the table and chairs were pushed up against the racks of miniatures. So you simply couldn't reach the stuff on the shelves. They wouldn't move as soon as seeing you making for the miniatures. And instea you'd be left in the position of asking them to move, at which point they would frown or grumble and budge about an inch leaving you still in the position of having to squeeze in behind them, which would elicit the occasional sigh or frown too. Then if you actually wanted to pay for something you'd have to wait for them to put down their game and serve you at the till. Common to some stores, gaming and comic, you find that the owner is playing a game, reading a comic or in a long conversation with another customer (ie. a mate) which they won't break off from to serve you, leaving you standing there holding your money feeling like you simply aren't wanted.

I stopped going to the game store because they treated customers like an inconvenience. You see a fair bit of this in game and comic stores, people open them, or employ people, who treat it firstly as an extension to their hobby instead of a business and a living. You're running a shop, customer care, politeness and good service should come before having a laugh with your mates and playing games.

There was one store back when I was hardcore into MTG and used to go to every friday night magic with my buds. Basically, long story short everytime I would be in a game, this so-called "elitist" group of asses would bum rush our table and ask to look at my tradebles. I would ask them to wait until after the game, considering I didnt trust them one bit(for good reason), and most simply wouldnt listen and would sneak looking at my booklet. Because of these occurences, seven cards were stolen from me, including 2 silklash spiders, and a blistering firecat, 3 cards at the time priced somewhere around 60 bucks total. That place went under, which sucks because the guys running it were cool, and there were some decent gamers, it was simply that one group, who were friends with the manager that pissed me off quite a bit. As well, they would be total (male genitalia) when you played against them...

For the most part all of the stores near me are actually not too bad...except on those days they have gaming. I tend to avoid going there on those days like the store smells bad (because they do). But other then that those days that are not dedicated gaming days I am more then happy to go there.

man this makes me grateful for my LGS. I haven't actually played there yet (weekends keep getting taken up by massive snowfall and/or TDY orders), but I've shopped there several times and its awesome. Friendly, helpful staff (who aren't uber-nerds), military discount (HELL YES), and from what I hear most of the other 40K players there are pretty cool.

So are these ULGS' a fairly common occurance?

Well, I've been to 4 hobby stores and 2 of them were unpleasent (though one was much worse than the other, and to be fair to the better on I was quite young while it was open).

But that is a pretty limited sample size, so I wouldn't draw any conclusions from it.

It's not so much that there's some sort of fundamental reason LGS tend to drive me away, but a lack of reason to go there. Then it's the little things that tip the balance.

Started testing the waters on one local place. Was interested in the 40k stuff, but they wanted retail for everything. Selection was somewhat anemic (said they had just had a big sale, but it was the the 2nd time I'd dropped in in 3 months and both times they were pretty blown out). Clerk was friendly enough chatting me up, but then he told me "I can order anything you want from the GW catalogue, and you won't have to worry about shipping!" Yeah, I can order anything I want out of the GW catalogue too, and shipping is free over $15

My Local store has a small club with 3 tables.
Being internet famous (ok I kid, this was before I became Internet famous), I was asked, because I had the most experience with 40k, to GM a 20k Apoc game, which I agreed to.

The Store owner was playing in the game, and constantly was whining about rules and playing the Apoc game in WAAC mode. Eventually, there came a time when I called him out on a rules conflict, and told him that he was incorrect and the rules said something else.

He then banned me from the store.

1-UP wrote: Was interested in the 40k stuff, but they wanted retail for everything.

Bastards. You would think they were running a business!

Yeah its realy annoying at my gws when these people just randomly coem in,pick up your models without asking. So yesterday, i had enough of it. These teenagers started to harrase me and my friend,(im 13,he was forteen.)Soz,i tell them to put down my carnifex,and he says ok,and throws it on the floor.Soz,i deck him,and then he and his stupid wangster friends leave.Teh ends!

Grambo wrote:Yeah its realy annoying at my gws when these people just randomly coem in,pick up your models without asking. So yesterday, i had enough of it. These teenagers started to harrase me and my friend,(im 13,he was forteen.)Soz,i tell them to put down my carnifex,and he says ok,and throws it on the floor.Soz,i deck him,and then he and his stupid wangster friends leave.Teh ends!

No offense, but you're either making that up, joking or stupid.

If you decked a kid in public for dropping your toy you'd have the cops on you before you know it. Or he and his "wangster" friends would be pissed off and start harassing you a hell of a lot more. Or they'd decide not to be scared of some 13-year-old and wreck first you and then ALL of your toys. Or all three. So please tell me you're joking, because quite frankly, I don't believe you.

You dont believe me?Id rather some poser kid not take my $50 miniature and throw it on the floor.

At the risk of de-railing this topic, no, I don't exactly believe you. It just seems a bit strange that a gang would run off because a 13-year-old hit one of them.


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Unless the store manager kicked them or threatened to call the police. On a side note, I don't think even a gang member would be stupid enough to deliberately cause a fight in public.

It's hard to imagine that anyone who punched another individual in the store wouldn't get kicked out themselves. Unless of course the store had inept employees, like 50% of the game stores these days typically have.

And by the way, I got to thinking. I realized of the 6 game stores in my area, 3 of them are ulgs, having either terrible customer service/support, have bad management, or just have an unorganized/unprofessional "business".

Lord of Kaith wrote:At the risk of de-railing this topic, no, I don't exactly believe you. It just seems a bit strange that a gang would run off because a 13-year-old hit one of them.


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Unless the store manager kicked them or threatened to call the police. On a side note, I don't think even a gang member would be stupid enough to deliberately cause a fight in public.

By calling him a "wangster" he was reffering to the him acting "gangsta" or being a white guy acting black (they block out w**ger for some reason), rather than the fact that he was actually in a gang. Wangster is a slang word...*facepalm*. You have no reason to be calling him out on a story that may or may not be true, because you don't know; you're not a psychic. No-one cares if you believe him, so stop acting like an immature ass, and refrain from trying to start a flame war in an otherwise mellow thread (especially when it's a thread that you made ).

Even if he is lieing, why do you care? It doen't affect you.