Am I a jerk for...

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**Slarg232**

I thought, and therefore was wrong, that the OP had made the kid lose out on all of them, period. If he did get two boxes, I withdraw my statement of letting him get another; he has plenty to start himself off with.

**seejay**

I don't understand this need to own things AS SOON AS THEY COME OUT BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE HAS ONE. If I want something that's in high demand, I simply muster up a small amount of patience and wait a week or two, so I can have an easy and pleasant shopping experience. Much more enjoyable, on the whole, than queueing up outside a shop at 6 in the morning.

Pretty unfair of the store owner to point you out to the kid though, but my experience of GW staff is that they have some of the worst ideas about customer service imaginable. They feel so special because they work in a hobby store like they're a rock star or something, just remember they get paid very little more than minimum wage and the only real perk is money off figures.

I have met some wonderful people in GW, but there's far too many of the entitled uber-geek type who wants to lord their position of MASTER OF THE HOBBY STORE over a bunch of 8-year-olds.

I feel ranty tonight, please excuse me.

**Melissia**

Indeed, I've been perfectly fine getting games months or even years after their release... mostly cause I can't afford to get them immediately at release.

**Dark**

I fail to see the issue on buying as much as you want from a store.

Abour preordering. Why is that required? Stores has a stock they want to see, I want to buy, the circle is complete.

Personally, I de-stocked stores that had a small ammount of X thing and, c'est la vie, and no one gets mad and parents tell their kids to wait some more days and tell the store employee to save them up some of that merchandise when restocked.

In the end, we all move along without casualties.

**Field Gen**

Your Purchase was bad and you should feel bad!

I say its the stores fault for not buying enough GK.

**tantan628**

This happened to thousands of people at Games Day 2010 UK; one guy came in after about 10 minutes and bought every single tyranid (that's hundreds of gaunts, at least 20 or so fexes, and everything in those sort of numbers). All that was left was 3 biovores, a couple of zoanthropes and one hive tyrant. I can't be the only one that remembers this, it was amazing, I had to ask three times where on the stall the 'nids were before I saw them and then had to ask again if they were being moved and if this was really it. It was ridiculous yet I don't mind as it was also hilarious.

**Sckitzo**

People also seem to be missing

cgage00 wrote:
They said nothing he sat there and watched the kid start throwing gak around. Also I stopped pre ordering as there are 5 GW ran stores with in 30 miles of me. Last time I preordered something the Bunker sent it to my house and I got it 4 days after the fact with missing product that then took me another 2 weeks to get. I just don't preorder from GW anymore.

The birthday kid DID get two out of three boxes, as for the other kid and the other customers, well it looks like they have a trip going to one of the others. Or you know, call ahead first.

**Dark**

Sckitzo wrote:People also seem to be missing

cgage00 wrote:
They said nothing he sat there and watched the kid start throwing gak around. Also I stopped pre ordering as there are 5 GW ran stores with in 30 miles of me. Last time I preordered something the Bunker sent it to my house and I got it 4 days after the fact with missing product that then took me another 2 weeks to get. I just don't preorder from GW anymore.

The birthday kid DID get two out of three boxes, as for the other kid and the other customers, well it looks like they have a trip going to one of the others. Or you know, call ahead first.

PRetty much like I do

Employee (on the phone): - "2 de 6"

Me: - "Hey, it's Mathias here, I was there a couple days ago, if you recall me."

Employee: - "Ah, yes, how can I help you?"

Me: - "When I last was there you had no Badab Black, got it restocked yed?"

Employee: - "No, not yet, but if you want I can take a pot apart for you."

Me: - "Make it two please."

Employee: - "Ok, we'll send you an e-mail when we get them."

Easy, simple, and spares headaches.

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

I did miss that the kid got 2/3 boxes Sckitz.

Apologies to Cgage, there is definitely nothing to feel bad about.

**wwwZugZugorc**

only jerk there was the store employee that pointed you out for buying 6 of them

**Brettila**

Yak9UT wrote:Why do people buy at stores

Just adavance order them online.

Well, because it is always nice to have a place to play and meet new people. I have had 3 stores close out from under my group. Perhaps if more folks had been buying from the store, they would still have a place to actually use those models they spent all that money on. Playing in someone's house is stagnation. No new players, styles, or opportunities.

**Radical_Edward**

Eh, don't feel bad. I bought the last Warlord Spinetail for my girlfriend's Mordheim warband a while back, minutes after the shop opened. They had only received 4 of each blister and were advertised as semi-"limited edition" at the time. A few youngins came in looking for the model as I left, sure it sucks, but the early bird gets the worm. The staffers were more than willing to call up other local stores and ask them to hold them (if they had any.)

**-Loki-**

Brettila wrote:
Yak9UT wrote:Why do people buy at stores

Just adavance order them online.

Well, because it is always nice to have a place to play and meet new people. I have had 3 stores close out from under my group. Perhaps if more folks had been buying from the store, they would still have a place to actually use those models they spent all that money on. Playing in someone's house is stagnation. No new players, styles, or opportunities.

Only if those people never buy new armies. Out of 3 friends who play the game, there are Space Marines, Blood Angels, Eldar, Daemons, Tyranids and Necrons. Those people always make new lists as well.

**Kroothawk**

wwwZugZugorc wrote:only jerk there was the store employee that pointed you out for buying 6 of them

If it is totally okay to buy 3/4 of the total stock, why is it not okay for the employee to show customers who did that totally okay behavior

Maybe because you are aware that not everyone thinks this behavior is totally okay, right?

Reminds me of: "This is completely legal, but don't tell the police."

**winnertakesall**

Kroothawk wrote:
wwwZugZugorc wrote:only jerk there was the store employee that pointed you out for buying 6 of them

If it is totally okay to buy 3/4 of the total stock, why is it not okay for the employee to show customers who did that totally okay behavior
Maybe because you are aware that not everyone thinks this behavior is totally okay, right?

Reminds me of: "This is completely legal, but don't tell the police."

I think it is perfectly ok to by 3/4 of the stock, that is the way a business works. The shop supplies a product which is then bought by a customer to stop the shop going out of business, the shop then uses themmoney to buy more stock, rinse and repeat. I think it's completely different from 'this is legal but dont tell the police' because it's actually fine, whereas that is breaking the law.

**Bonegrinder**

jordan23ryan wrote:
Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:Should have said to Mom and Red Shirt, what if I give these back for a refund so Timmy Birthday Boy can have his dream come true?

You heartless

I would have said , Hey what would you do for me if i were to give your Kid a couple of these boxes !

Nah, should have said "I'll sell them to you at +50% the price" and claim its an old trick you learned from GW, pointing back at the assistant.

**Da Butcha**

Meh. While you could have let them know how many boxes you wanted in advance, so could the parent buying them for a birthday present. They chose not to plan ahead, and they chose not to get there earliest. Pffft.

**spireland**

Jerk move. It's the kid's birthday.

**Melissia**

The kid got two of the three boxes he wanted, the store just didn't stock enough for him to get that last one. He had already bought the boxes before the birthday boy had come in.

**Kanluwen**

Da Butcha wrote:Meh. While you could have let them know how many boxes you wanted in advance, so could the parent buying them for a birthday present. They chose not to plan ahead, and they chose not to get there earliest. Pffft.

Going by the story:
The parent buying them for a birthday present was in the door right behind the OP.

The other parent arrived 15 minutes after the store opened.

There's really no reasonable expectation that things would have sold out that fast.

**Slick**

If you have to ask, you obviously have a twinge of guilt over it. Personally if I knew I was going to be buying a large quantity at launch I would het my flgs to preorder and set some aside for me, not to be a nice guy but to ensure is get everything I wanted . The staff singling you out for making their error in ordering adequate stock is a straight up dick move though.

**Frazzled**

cgage00 wrote:So today I went to my local GW store and picked up my GKs. Now I have for a long time loved the Ordo armies. But they cost WAY to much money and I hate metal models. So here is why I feel like a jerk. I got to the store early and had more then enough money to get my full 2000 point army right off the bat. So store opens I walk in grab 6 boxes of GK strike guys. Right behind me is a father getting his son some strike guys for his birthday. So within 3 minutes of the store opening the store is now out of Strike squads. Well 1:15pm a kid and his mom walk in and all amped on getting the new models and BAM sold out. The mom gets mad asks how can that be guy says someone(pointed at me) bought all of them. Now the kid is all upset and looks like he is going to cry. So he sits there all dejected wondering what to do. Then 2 more people walk in and now all the terminators and Dreadknights are sold out as well. So thats when I left cause I walked out side to put my bag away in my truck when 3 guys walked up to buy GKs. So should I feel bad or just meh whatever?

I'm sorry what exactly are you being a jerk for? Are you asking because you bought the minis they had been priming you to buy at a store selling those minis? OMG!!! How dare their fiendish marketing campaign work!!!

Besides take it from a parent. Little Timmy is a whiny

boy who would sulk about something anyway. He needs to get a job, the bum!

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Bonegrinder wrote:First come, first served, plus the mom can order online so don't feel bad.

That guy shouldn't have pointed you out and put ya on the spot like that, I would complain.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Bonegrinder wrote:First come, first served, plus the mom can order online so don't feel bad.

That guy shouldn't have pointed you out and put ya on the spot like that, I would complain.

No, its not a big deal. Just like the kid shouldn't mind, he shouldn't mind either.

**timetowaste85**

I was starting to feel bad for the birthday kid...until you said he still got two full boxes. Sounds like a vicious little brat now: "Mommy, that mean man got more than me and I can't get every box. I want it and I want it now!" Veruka Salt from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" anyone? Don't feel bad for him man, and if it was a big release they should have been expecting to sell a lot. If the store told you "Hey, just get four boxes for now and wait a few hours before picking up the last two" then things would have been cool. As it stands, it's the manager's fault for not putting a limit on boxes sold like most companies do on opening day, and it sounds like the birthday brat is a cross between Veruka and Cartman about his Megamans (I'm pretty sure he said it that way in the show, so nobody lecture the English major here

)

**Frazzled**

Kanluwen wrote:And you don't anticipate someone buying six boxes when most customers who would be doing huge purchases like that preordered.

Bull gak. Thats a nothing amount and could be seen as a bait and switch tactic.

**Lord Scythican**

I would have handed three boxes over to the mom and say "here you go. I can get more in a few weeks."

It would have been good karma.

Wait he got two boxes? Edit the OP and put that info in there. The kid did get some and while he was sulking, he could have picked up some Terminators before the other people got them.

**Kroothawk**

winnertakesall wrote:I think it is perfectly ok to by 3/4 of the stock, that is the way a business works. The shop supplies a product which is then bought by a customer to stop the shop going out of business, the shop then uses themmoney to buy more stock, rinse and repeat. I think it's completely different from 'this is legal but dont tell the police' because it's actually fine, whereas that is breaking the law.

It's more a "This is capitalism: I have the money, so I have the damn right to be mean to kids. Grow up, make money then you can be mean yourself. And if anyone dares to point out my mean behavior, I'll make his boss fire him" kind of thing.

**Tabo**

Kanluwen wrote:
Da Butcha wrote:Meh. While you could have let them know how many boxes you wanted in advance, so could the parent buying them for a birthday present. They chose not to plan ahead, and they chose not to get there earliest. Pffft.

Going by the story:
The parent buying them for a birthday present was in the door right behind the OP.

The other parent arrived 15 minutes after the store opened.

There's really no reasonable expectation that things would have sold out that fast.

I work for a Friendly Local Gaming Store. We do our best to stock things as much as we can but we know that things sell out. While we ask people to pre-order we understand sometimes you can't. Sometimes things come up. Who knows. But i know for a fact if either I, or a co worker, pointed out a customer and said "That guy bought it all" I'd either be written up or have dice thrown at me.

How old was this birthday boy? If he was around 8 what the hell is he doing playing 40k? if he's around 13 why is his mother treating him like a baby?

**seejay**

Kroothawk wrote:It's more a "This is capitalism: I have the money, so I have the damn right to be mean to kids. Grow up, make money then you can be mean yourself. And if anyone dares to point out my mean behavior, I'll make his boss fire him" kind of thing.

I really don't think at any point he was "mean to a kid". It's not like he snatched the boxes out of the kid's hands, running away laughing while twirling a finely waxed moustache.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Tabo wrote:How old was this birthday boy? If he was around 8 what the hell is he doing playing 40k? if he's around 13 why is his mother treating him like a baby?

nothing wrong with an 8 year old playing warhammer is there? I mean I'd supervise him when it comes to using sharp knives and superglue but I'm pretty sure I started when I was 8, or at least, not much older.

**AgnosticGod**

I don't see any problem with it, as with any store it is always first come first serve. The store should have, as many have already pointed out, done a better job of forecasting sales and order accordingly, set limits, or other preparation to prevent this.

I will say this though, in the future if you know you are going to be buying a large quantity of new release things up front, you might consider pre-ordering, or discussing it with the LGS so that they can have yours ordered separately from the general store stock. Then your own sense of guilt will be non-existent whether they stock correctly or not.

Just my .02 cents. Though sucks for the birthday kid.

**asimo77**

There aren't that many duties or obligations between a customer and a vendor besides don't steal and pay the right price really. A store has some products and if you have the money you buy it, it's that simple.

You don't have to pre-order or any nonsense like that, it's the vendors job to make sure his supply meets the demand. If they're selling it you can buy it and if they are selling lots of it you can buy it in bulk too.

There's nothing absurd about buying things from a store whether you let them know in advance or not especially when it isn't a policy of the store to make you check in beforehand or something like that.

Also the guy pointing you out doesn't seem to get customer service. Customer service is essentially making your customers feel good, so they come back and buy more stuff, pointing you out isn't going to help there.