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 brendan wrote:
I gotta laugh at the "debate" about whether a previous poster should be allowed to disapprove of vulgarity in a game store... Or be accused of being culturally biased - whatever on earth that is supposed to mean in this strange context. Anyway, I know many Scots, have travelled there extensively and am quite positive the nation's children (posh or otherwise) are not widely permitted to act like savages.

They were probably just not wanting to offend your fragile colonial sensibilities.

 brendan wrote:
I gotta laugh at the "debate" about whether a previous poster should be allowed to disapprove of vulgarity in a game store... Or be accused of being culturally biased - whatever on earth that is supposed to mean in this strange context. Anyway, I know many Scots, have travelled there extensively and am quite positive the nation's children (posh or otherwise) are not widely permitted to act like savages.

You'd laugh a bit less and perhaps understand a bit more if you'd actually read the arguments; first, the discussion is not about whether anyone is "allowed to disapprove", people can feel however they like about whatever they like, the discussion is over whether it's reasonable to expect any and every establishment which happens to be open to members of the public to force all customers to refrain from swearing just in case a parent who disapproves of swearing chooses to bring their kids in and the kids overhear. And the meaning of cultural bias is quite evident in this context, you demonstrate it yourself right there - swearing does not mean you are a "savage" in many places, Scotland included.

You know what is hilarious though? Someone telling a Scot who lives in Scotland that they're wrong about Scottish cultural norms on the basis of a couple of holidays taken here - that's not even slightly patronising

 Eilif wrote:

 paulson games wrote:

I'd go up there when I wanted things then and there, not to use their web portal to order stuff I'd get in a week or two, I can do that from home and at a discount. Why would I want to drive to their store just to web order everything? I can't buy something you don't have on the shelf, drove me nuts.

... in addition to stinky clothes he also kept a pair of ferrets in cages in that room, and they have a terrible oily stench that follows them everywhere and their cages weren't cleaned often enough so they also reeked of ferret piss which is even worse than the smell of cat piss. It was so bad we'd all try and hold our breath while passing through there and even then the smell would cling to you for a bit after you walked through. It was pretty horrible and the major reason why we eventually stopped going there. It wouldn't have taken much effort to relocate the ferrets and clean on occasion but he preferred to keep his place a pit ultimately at the expense of his customers.

Customers usually just want to buy and play with products in a clean professional environments, not be assaulted by the owner's personal issues/hobbies/etc.

Out of curiosity, is that store still around?

The stinky ferret store is still in operation as a couple of my friends do still go there on occasion (the owners house is the upstairs portion, so there's little chance that it'll close down unless he loses the whole place). It's been several years since I've been out there so I'm not sure if they still have the ferrets, I don't think ferrets live all that long but he might also replace them. They're over in Hammond so it's not like it's a ritzy area that'd encourage people to keep a clean shop, not quite a ghetto like Gary but like many areas of IN it's an unwashed armpit. Overall the player crowd is great, unfortunately it's the owner's personal habits that are ugh.


At Games Plus I've often gotten a whiff of cat pee walking into the building despite the store never having a cat (as far as I'm aware) They either have a moisture issue in the building or one of the employees/regulars has some really strong pet odors on them as I've noticed it numerous times but have yet to figure out where it's coming from. It's nowhere near the eye watering level of the ferrets but it's still a bit gross. Given the distance I tend not to frequent the Plus very often and only go when there's something I really need. My local store (Fair Game) is amazingly clean and well maintained, the downside is they don't carry much in the way of minis games due to space constraints. (They move a ton of board games and ccgs though)

Another thing that bugs m about all my local FLGS is that they pretty much only carry the following:

1. CCG Cards- Mostly Magic
2. GW
2. Warmahordes

I want a bit more than that out of my games store. However, as a store owner myself I don't fault them that much. They can;t have everythingand should carry what they sell. It just kind of bugs me.

 Yodhrin wrote:

 Theophony wrote:
My peeve with game stores is them allowing the obscenity. I know there's lots of young games around who haven't learned to control themselves, but I just won't take my kids into the shop with me anymore because of hearing the F bomb thrown around by one or two people at the top of their lungs thinking they are so cool because they are fighting "the man" and because they are the customer and their money will leave when they are told to use polite words.

Implying that anyone who disagrees with your specific cultural biases is lacking maturity isn't really on - if you dislike swearing and the store allows it, either do the polite thing and ask people pleasantly and without judgement to refrain when your kids are around, or go elsewhere.

This is actually something that loses a lot of stores both dollars and customers. Some gamers will curse everytime they roll a 1 and casually lace all conversations with profanity. They don't have an off switch or don't care if they curse around small children or families. This has the expected result of the store losing those customers. I've yet to lose a gamer over the store policy of "please watch your language and dont curse". I have gained quite a few customers who started shopping with me because they didn't want to take their kids into another store.

 Regnak wrote:
A new store has opened near me. Great selection and the staff are nice but since a local club has made it their base (One night a week is their Club Night and these people are the main people there most days) it has a bit of an unwelcoming feeling when this crowd are there. You get the odd 'why are you here?!' stare etc. No one has ever been rude to me or anything and its not put me off going there at all as I pretty much know what I'm heading there for so I grab what I need, have a bit of small-talk with the staff member serving me and leave with the goods. But yeah, thats my only "Peeve" and such a minor one..

I definitely agree that the "clique" mentality is a pet peeve as well. Even if it's not a club but if the store has been around for a while and has a group of regulars who go there, a new face feels out of place and, often, unwelcome because nobody else knows you. I actually stopped going to a store because the two or three times I had gone there, people just weren't very friendly because they were all regulars and I had never been there before. It didn't feel welcoming, I felt like I was an outsider and didn't belong.

 mikhaila wrote:


This is actually something that loses a lot of stores both dollars and customers. Some gamers will curse everytime they roll a 1 and casually lace all conversations with profanity. They don't have an off switch or don't care if they curse around small children or families. This has the expected result of the store losing those customers. I've yet to lose a gamer over the store policy of "please watch your language and dont curse". I have gained quite a few customers who started shopping with me because they didn't want to take their kids into another store.

Totally agree. I am neither prude nor puritan and having served in the British army I have a tendency to curse like a trooper. However, I am a father of two small children so I have to make a conscientious effort to give the sailor talk the heave-ho when around them - they have a worrying tendency to pick up stuff exceedingly quickly and then to repeat it at the time designed to cause the maximum amount of embarrassment. Likewise, should I nip into a GW or FLGS store whilst out shopping with my kids, I don't expect to hear youngsters and adults effing and jeffing especially over a game of toy soldiers and I would hope most people would respect that common courtesy especially if requested to do so by the store owner. Nothing against cursing but wargaming and more so GW gaming are primarily the pursuits of the young so I would expect FLGS to have a more PG 13 atmosphere than other stores that cater to an exclusive adult audience.

 Yodhrin wrote:

You'd laugh a bit less and perhaps understand a bit more if you'd actually read the arguments; first, the discussion is not about whether anyone is "allowed to disapprove", people can feel however they like about whatever they like, the discussion is over whether it's reasonable to expect any and every establishment which happens to be open to members of the public to force all customers to refrain from swearing just in case a parent who disapproves of swearing chooses to bring their kids in and the kids overhear

Like most adults, I eff and blind a little bit in my everyday speech without thinking much of it. And like most adults, I generally don't do it when there are small children around. Whilst I've heard 12 year olds en-route to school swearing like troopers, that's something of a teenage thing (they learn a new swearword and fit it into every sentence they can with their contemporaries for the next three weeks), and most functioning adults can go the course of a day without feeling the need to resort regularly to vulgarities in the same immature manner.

If someone 'Ahhh, feth' after a batch of particularly bad dicerolls once in a blue moon, that's not an issue in a games store, anymore than it would be in any establishment. But, like most establishments, if the majority of your sentences have loud expletives of varying severity in, it's something of an anti-social behaviour and should be treated accordingly, i.e. the person asked to refrain, and if they persist, ejected from the premises. You have the right to say what you like, but if you cross that threshold into what the majority of people would consider to be anti-social behaviour, the shop owner also has the right to remove and bar you at his discretion for disturbing other paying customers.

paulson games wrote:
At Games Plus I've often gotten a whiff of cat pee walking into the building despite the store never having a cat (as far as I'm aware) They either have a moisture issue in the building or one of the employees/regulars has some really strong pet odors on them as I've noticed it numerous times but have yet to figure out where it's coming from. It's nowhere near the eye watering level of the ferrets but it's still a bit gross. Given the distance I tend not to frequent the Plus very often and only go when there's something I really need. My local store (Fair Game) is amazingly clean and well maintained, the downside is they don't carry much in the way of minis games due to space constraints. (They move a ton of board games and ccgs though)

Odd, I'm only in there about every other month, but I've never noticed an odor. I'm heading in tomorrow, now my nose will be on alert! Though it's fairly out of my way, It's the only game store I frequent because it's the only store where I'm likely to find something that interests me. Most FLGS's are stocked with the same 3-6 games, none of which I play, but Games Plus is a goldmine of miniatures and games you otherwise only find on the internet.

mikhaila wrote:
This is actually something that loses a lot of stores both dollars and customers. Some gamers will curse everytime they roll a 1 and casually lace all conversations with profanity. They don't have an off switch or don't care if they curse around small children or families. This has the expected result of the store losing those customers. I've yet to lose a gamer over the store policy of "please watch your language and dont curse". I have gained quite a few customers who started shopping with me because they didn't want to take their kids into another store.

Interesting. I always assumed this was the case (mostly because I wouldn't bring my kids into a profanity laden store) but it's good to hear that it's true. Especially glad to hear that your store has benefited from such a policy. I guess politeness is good for the bottom line. Definitely sounds like the kind of place I'd frequent if I were out that way.

I hate when you go to a game store, they're all nice at first. For weeks you come in to a nice envirnment, they give you your special orders on time, and they always keep the latest W40k stuff on the shelves and have plenty of tables and good terrain. And you go there and make friends with the owner and the employees. Then suddenly you're in the middle of a sex slave ring with no clue how you got there.

 Pyeatt wrote:
I hate when you go to a game store, they're all nice at first. For weeks you come in to a nice envirnment, they give you your special orders on time, and they always keep the latest W40k stuff on the shelves and have plenty of tables and good terrain. And you go there and make friends with the owner and the employees. Then suddenly you're in the middle of a sex slave ring with no clue how you got there.

Ugh, like every time I go to a new FLGS.

 mikhaila wrote:

 Yodhrin wrote:

 Theophony wrote:
My peeve with game stores is them allowing the obscenity. I know there's lots of young games around who haven't learned to control themselves, but I just won't take my kids into the shop with me anymore because of hearing the F bomb thrown around by one or two people at the top of their lungs thinking they are so cool because they are fighting "the man" and because they are the customer and their money will leave when they are told to use polite words.

Implying that anyone who disagrees with your specific cultural biases is lacking maturity isn't really on - if you dislike swearing and the store allows it, either do the polite thing and ask people pleasantly and without judgement to refrain when your kids are around, or go elsewhere.

This is actually something that loses a lot of stores both dollars and customers. Some gamers will curse everytime they roll a 1 and casually lace all conversations with profanity. They don't have an off switch or don't care if they curse around small children or families. This has the expected result of the store losing those customers. I've yet to lose a gamer over the store policy of "please watch your language and dont curse". I have gained quite a few customers who started shopping with me because they didn't want to take their kids into another store.

I was going to add to this discussion, but Mihaila pretty much nailed it.

I have a ridiculous potty mouth. I curse like a drunken sailor. I also have a seven year old kid who is really interested in gaming. Both at home at the game store and elsewhere, i watch my mouth. I realize he's my kid, he's not others, but if a store wants me to bring my kid (which means i'm leaving with some pokemon or magic cards bought!), then they have to do their best to have patrons watch their language.

I'm reasonable though ; the occasional s-bomb or something not screamed to the heavens, fine no problem. My kid is smart and knows there are words he cannot say that sometimes adults say.

However if there's a mid to late teenager that has just found the rebellious nature of the f-bomb and decides to drop it like it was February 13, 1945 over Dresden, now we have problems.

Here's the thing: i'm not disapproving of your cursing. I'm not. What i don't want to deal with is my son's quizzical look at me and asking me "Dad, why's he saying feth all the time ? " because that plants the seed that hey, that guys doing it, there's apparently no consequence, feth it, i can say it too. There! I just did. feth me, that feels fething good! Yeah! fething A, lets get some fething poke a fething mon cards up in fething here and while we're fething at it i fething hope i get a fething char i fething zar fething -d .


... I end up with a George Carlin skit on my hands. and then his mom asks where he learned such language... Well, i know its a bad word, but Timmeh at the Game Store said it... and this just rolls downhill from here.


So that's the real rub. If the local game store during kid marketing times (pokemon day, daytime magic), isn't kid friendly.... that's cool. But i can't bring my kid there if i'm paranoid about what he's going to pick up there. I can buy the cards at any target and we can play the games at the house, or with his friends.

Or i can come, buy the cards there, buy some paints... and now that i think of it, i could fething use some more fething Mournfang. I don't say that though.


-- Haight

Body odor. Showering is not hard people.

 RivenSkull wrote:
Body odor. Showering is not hard people.

Please describe.

Real slow

Mikhaila, can you tell some bad customer stories?

So, I had a bad FLGS experience at my shop before I enlisted. Needless to say I got medboarded out after getting hurt, and roughly a year or two later, the store is drastically different. I don't know if was my stepfather who tagged along being a dick and prompting their bad behavior, or his stature that could have intimidated them the first time I went to the shop. (He's like 6'5.) It had all the problems everyone has mentioned here.

Anyways, this time I went in and it was wonderful. There was no wait but, no real crowding either. There wasn't a million smelly customers duking it out over physic powers, intently studying their rulebooks and screaming, and the shop was calm. All the releases had been organized, the tables condensed, and the graphic novels/comics no longer took up the store portion of the store. I purchased a ton of paint, and swapped some SM bits for various bits to upgrade some tanks and I got some xenos parts as trophy bits.

They no longer spam via text updates either but, they text you when something interesting is going on, and they make events based on the communities needs. (Like people learning to paint for the first time, so they call people in to teach/have a painting workshop day.)

I don't know if they read this thread or not, haha but, it's like they turned a full 180.

 Swan-of-War wrote:

 RivenSkull wrote:
Body odor. Showering is not hard people.

Please describe.

Real slow

Well first you need to turn on the water. Make sure it's warm, but not too hot. Anything beyond a light steam will dry out your skin.

Then you need to actually get into the running water. Just turning on the water and saying you showered doesn't cut it.

Using a soft brush or loofah, gently scrub your body. Make sure not to scrub your skin too harshly, as doing such will damage the outer layers of your skin.
Make sure to give extra attention to anywhere that skin hits skin (armpits, crotch, etc.). Sweat and odors build here and can be primary culprits for odor.

Make sure to wash your face as well, and if you haven't washed your hair this week, make sure you use some shampoo and wash your hair as well.

After you have washed your body and hair, make sure to fully rinse all of the soap off you before turning off the water.

When you get out, dry yourself off and them apply some deodorant to places that you sweat most from.
If your skin is a bit too sensitive for most deodorant, use a powder like Gold Bond to control the perspiration.

Oh god, you forgot to tell him to get dressed afterwards! We can only hope and pray that I have posted this in time!

No, you did not. I just came back from my FLGS, where I had to buy a hobby knife to remove my own eyes.

Oh, God, the flabbby pale flesh I will never be able to unsee.....

I will admit, though, the place smelled fresher than ever. I wandered around sniffing people until the ambulance arrived.

-S'Cipio

Ha - thanks!

niceguyteddy wrote:
Mikhaila, can you tell some bad customer stories?

Yes...but generally only with other retailers over a few beers

I would rather see a thread where FLGS owners can tell their horror stories about us.

 rryannn wrote:
I would rather see a thread where FLGS owners can tell their horror stories about us.

I agree. There must be so many wonderfully bizarre/unsettling/frightening stories floating out there that I bet you could go through multiple bags of popcorn without even noticing.

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:

 rryannn wrote:
I would rather see a thread where FLGS owners can tell their horror stories about us.

I agree. There must be so many wonderfully bizarre/unsettling/frightening stories floating out there that I bet you could go through multiple bags of popcorn without even noticing.

Thirded.

My FLGS has a huge stock of 40k but not much WHFB. Why? Also only GW acrylics. No WHFB club but clubs for Pokemon (?) Yu-gi-oh and MtG

 HandpaintingMasterrace wrote:
My FLGS has a huge stock of 40k but not much WHFB. Why? Also only GW acrylics. No WHFB club but clubs for Pokemon (?) Yu-gi-oh and MtG

Sad, but not surprising. YuGiOh and MtG are far bigger income streams for most places than WHFB. Probably even more than 40k.

I can't really say anything bad about either my FLGS or my local GW store.
Both offer what I want. Knowledgable staff and the supplies minis I want. If they don't have it they order it for me. No fuzz at all.
My only niggle would be that I paid full retail formy new Battlefoam bag. Considering the monies I have left there and will leave a wee discount would be appreciated..