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Post by urrutiap on Apr 27, 2016 9:44:53 GMT -5
One thing I still can't stand when I go to a comic book shop is that there's a row old old back issues high on the wall.
I'm 5'5 and I hate it when there's like a row of old back issues of old Uncanny X Men that's racked up really high on the damn wall.
Am I just supposed to go get powers and float in the air or something? Lol
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 10:06:08 GMT -5
urrutiap,
Good Subject Matter!
I worked at a Comic Book Store as a Volunteer from 2009 to 2014 for about 20 hours per week helping my good friend Jeff who ran the store until he close it for good in 2015. One of my biggest frustrations is that my friend Jeff and I worked at the store from 7am to 10am Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays spending time to re-shuffle the old comics in boxes and put them back in Alphabetical Order because his customers do not put them back in the right spot and I have to go through so many long-boxes to make sure everything is in the right order that accounts to 9 hours a week of my volunteer time.
The rest of my time is to go to the back room of where he keeps new comics ready to be sold and I keep track of new comics in racks and I constantly re-stock them to make sure that his customers gets a copy of the latest print copy of their favorite comics.
What's annoys me the most is spending 9 hours a week going thru hundreds and hundreds of old comics that needs to be put back in original alphabetical order and sometimes I see an old Batman Comics get mixed up with Aquaman's Comics because his customers are just too lazy to put back in the right spot in the long-boxes that he used to house them.
I spent 5 years of my life helping him and I get 20% off of all comics and I often get free comics and he uses Apple Mac Computers to maintain his inventory and for my reward he gave me an used Apple Mac Computer a 22 inch version so I can read my Online Comics on it. He and I share a Comixology account and I pay him on a monthly basis for my share of the comics that we purchase together. Why we share an account because I don't have a credit card.
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Post by urrutiap on Apr 27, 2016 10:19:03 GMT -5
What does that have to do with my height?
Why do workers even bother putting old back issues that damn high on the walls?
Comic book shop workers expect short people to try to tippy toe a little bit to try to reach up that high?
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 27, 2016 10:20:59 GMT -5
I hate that most comic shops are creepy towards women. I have a lot of female students who are comic fans, and of the three comic shops near me, there's only one they can go into where they don't get leered at and treated strangely. That really makes me angry. No public space should feel like that, and especially not one trading in a commodity that's traditionally been devoted to ideas of justice and heroism.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 27, 2016 10:47:12 GMT -5
What does that have to do with my height? Why do workers even bother putting old back issues that damn high on the walls? Because they're trying to utilize the available space. It's really not about you.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 27, 2016 10:56:35 GMT -5
What does that have to do with my height? Why do workers even bother putting old back issues that damn high on the walls? Because they're trying to utilize the available space. It's really not about you. I think urrutriap's point is that, as a paying customer, it should be about him. At least in the sense that he should be able to enjoy his browsing experience. If a comic shop isn't making it easy/comfortable for a consumer to browse, they're not only frustrating that customer; they are also costing themselves some good business. I understand the idea of keeping valuable comics out of reach, but you should at least be able to see them comfortably.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 27, 2016 11:09:44 GMT -5
Because they're trying to utilize the available space. It's really not about you. I think urrutriap's point is that, as a paying customer, it should be about him. At least in the sense that he should be able to enjoy his browsing experience. If a comic shop isn't making it easy/comfortable for a consumer to browse, they're not only frustrating that customer; they are also costing themselves some good business. I understand the idea of keeping valuable comics out of reach, but you should at least be able to see them comfortably. The average height of an American male is 5' 10". So it may be quite fine and comfortable for the average person to view them. Again, a business can't cater to everyone.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 27, 2016 11:12:21 GMT -5
I think urrutriap's point is that, as a paying customer, it should be about him. At least in the sense that he should be able to enjoy his browsing experience. If a comic shop isn't making it easy/comfortable for a consumer to browse, they're not only frustrating that customer; they are also costing themselves some good business. I understand the idea of keeping valuable comics out of reach, but you should at least be able to see them comfortably. The average height of an American male is 5' 10". So it may be quite fine and comfortable for the average person to view them. Again, a business can't cater to everyone. Well, the question was "what do you think is annoying about comic shops?" not "what do comic shops need to change right away," so unless you're suggesting the OP is not entitled to feel frustrated that he can't see the comics, I'm afraid I don't see your point. Also, see my post above about treatment of women in comic shops. Most of them are closer to the OP's height on average.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Apr 27, 2016 11:14:27 GMT -5
Because they're trying to utilize the available space. It's really not about you. I think urrutriap's point is that, as a paying customer, it should be about him. At least in the sense that he should be able to enjoy his browsing experience. If a comic shop isn't making it easy/comfortable for a consumer to browse, they're not only frustrating that customer; they are also costing themselves some good business. I understand the idea of keeping valuable comics out of reach, but you should at least be able to see them comfortably. Absolutely! As a customer, the store -- especially in a struggling industry like comic book sales -- should be doing everything possible to make it easy for you to see what they've got for sale, regardless of it's price point. This annoys me a bit too, urrutriap, and I'm 6'1". I understand that the really expensive and sort after back issues shouldn't just be stuffed into short boxes with the regular back issues, but I want to be able to get up close to them and see what sort of condition they're in without having to alert a member of staff, who then has to go out the back and get a step-ladder, climb up, unpin the comic from right up the wall next to the damn ceiling, and then hand it down to me. For one thing, going through all that palaver puts unwelcome pressure on me as a customer to then follow through and buy the book, which I may not want to do, having looked at it up close. And I bet I'm not the only potential customer who feels that way. It just makes the whole business of buying those more expensive back issues more difficult and uncomfortable. I buy lots of used vinyl records and in the record stores that I frequent, the expensive collectibles and rarities are either on the walls at a sensible height -- i.e. my head height -- or they are in lockable glass cabinets that I can put my nose up against to get a really good look at the items on sale. But curiously, with comic ships you usually need stilts to get a proper gander at the really collectible stuff. That seems really silly for a business that is ultimately trying to get you to buy them. The average height of an American male is 5' 10". So it may be quite fine and comfortable for the average person to view them. Again, a business can't cater to everyone. Well, as noted above, I'm 6'1" and I've had the same experience as the OP in a number of the big comic shops here in London. The rare and pricey books are normally so far out of reach that it prevents me from even entertaining the idea of buying those books. It's just too much hassle.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 27, 2016 12:34:47 GMT -5
I've always been of the opinion that if you want to buy an expensive book you're going to ask to see it. The fact that it's "up high" shouldn't make a difference.
But apparently it's an issue that I would have never in my wildest dreams have considered.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 27, 2016 12:40:17 GMT -5
I've always been of the opinion that if you want to buy an expensive book you're going to ask to see it. The fact that it's "up high" shouldn't make a difference. I think the OP's point isn't that he can't reach it; it's that he can't even see it. I've seen numerous stores do this. It doesn't frustrate me, personally. I just decide that I'll go to ebay instead. Their loss. But I do get urrutiap's point.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 27, 2016 12:59:06 GMT -5
Okay. I surrender. I absolutely don't get the point. But apparently it bugs you, Confessor and Urrutiap. I'll chalk it up to everyone being different.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 27, 2016 13:01:33 GMT -5
Okay. I surrender. I absolutely don't get the point. I don't get what you don't get, but no worries.
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Post by urrutiap on Apr 27, 2016 13:10:52 GMT -5
Well, Slam Bradley I take it you're not 5'5. You don't know what it's like fir us short people whenever I or other shorties go to a comic shop and we see the dreaded wall of overpriced back issues that are on that wall.
The same wall where those back issues they're hung up or taped up on the wall really high.
Even if I tried to stretch my arms to try to get at Those comics on the damn wall it's not enough.
My height 5'5 plus arms stretched out at the limit where my reach would be about 5'7 I still couldn't reach the darn back issues on the wall when those back issues are on the wall they're up to at least 6 feet or God almighty at 7 feet.
I'd love to be 6 foot something but do comic book shop workers have to be that cruel thing to just put up 30-40 year old "expensive" comics on the DNA wall right up the ceiling?
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 27, 2016 13:13:29 GMT -5
Okay. I surrender. I absolutely don't get the point. I don't get what you don't get, but no worries. They're putting reasonably expensive items up where they are visible and can be seen, but are not readily accessible to be stolen or manhandled. To me it makes perfect sense. I can't imagine buying a moderate to high ticket item without actually looking it over. I just don't see what is so hard about saying, "Hey...I might want to buy that books. Lemme see it." Now if they aren't willing to get it down then that's a separate and actual issue. Horses for courses, I guess. But I'd do the same thing the shop owners are doing. Or have them in a locked display...which is essentially the same thing.
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