Comic Shop Dilemma...5872
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Zombiebigfoot private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I have a friend who just opened a new comic shop in town 2 weeks ago. Earlier this week he struck comic gold w/ an acquisition of some Bronze Age books that most collectors only dream of! Quick breakdown... An employee (lifelong friend of his really) works a 2nd job @ a local factory. He in turn has another buddy who works there with him @ said factory. He hears that this new shop is open and passes the news along to his mom. She’s held on to her brothers collection since his passing & didn’t know what to do with it, so they bring it in to the shop. Well, as the owner & his friend start looking through they’re coming across key books (#1 issues, 1st appearances, full series runs, etc.) that she had no idea were even in there! They work out a fair deal with her for this collection and as a thank you for bringing in these books, the owner gives his friend one of the books - the 1st appearance of The Punisher! He was literally brought to tears. The owner knew he’d been seeking out this issue for YEARS, so he felt it was only right to let him have this as payment for facilitating the move that brought in this awesome collection. Here’s where it takes a turn. As they’re (the owner of the collection & the shop owner) going through the books another serious collector I know walks in. He patiently waits until the deal is done before he starts checking out this collection. He sees the Spider-Man #129 and HAS to have it, but upon learning that it’s going to the guy who helped bring it in he loses his mind! He blows up, with other customers watching this all go down as well. He proceeds to say that the book should’ve been put up for sale first instead of just “given away”. He proceeds to storm out, in full-blown meltdown mode. Later that day he blasted the store on social media all because of a single book. |
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| Post 1 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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Zombiebigfoot private msg quote post Address this user | |
| The owner tells me the whole story later on & asks my opinion on the matter. Seeing as we’ve both known this other collector for years, who for the most part has always been cool & collected, he couldn’t figure out how to make this right. He doesn’t want to lose his friendship, and the money isn’t even a factor just as long as he could remain friends with this guy. He even explained the whole thing to him but he feels wronged somehow, saying he’s giving preferential treatment to friends over customers. The owner told him he was a friend also & would look online for another copy for him, but at that point the collector says “we’re not friends, I’m just a customer to you.” I told him that maybe there were other outside factors at play, and this was his breaking point. Who knows? But at the same time I told him it’s HIS business and he can sell or give books to anybody he chooses to. Plus the meltdown in front of the other customers was not only disrespectful to them but to him as well. I don’t see how he’s (the owner) in the wrong here, but that’s just my opinion. What do you all think? Was the owner at fault here? Or did the collector have a valid point in this manner? |
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Tdog13 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Mr. Meltdown needs to chill out. The owner owes him nothing. I think the owner did the right thing in "rewarding" his friend, who helped broker the deal. If the other guy doesn't understand that, then he should look for another LCS. | ||
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poka private msg quote post Address this user | |
| It is just a comic of which many copies are available. It is not like it is one of a kind. Maybe the owner let the collector know that if he brokers a similar collection then the ASM 129 in that collection is his (and cross fingers that it is not a NM).  Alternatively, tell the collector that he will have first right to buy the next ASM 129 which comes across the desk. |
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 COLLECTOR
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shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Tell mr meltdown to pound sand. 5 year olds do that stuff. | ||
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 Collector
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BrianGreensnips private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Yeah. Meltdown sounds like a big baby. Plus if the shop has been open only 2 weeks, the owner barely knows meltdown and owes him nothing. | ||
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Watcher private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Im not sure why anyone under any circumstance feels they are entitled to anything?! It doesn't matter if the shop owner hung on to it, sold it, gave it away or burned it....it's his and that should be the end of it. if the story went down like it was said, then the owner went above and beyond and showed some integrity to top it off. Mr. meltdown really needs some old school attention, because his being rewarded his entire life without ever earning it is an entirely different conversation. how old is mr. meltdown? and tell the shop owner to not feel obligated to make amends for poor behavior. There is zero justification (from the information in this story) that implies this jackass deserves anything but a kick in the ***. |
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QuaBrot private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Owner 1000% in the right. He did have an obligation to the guy who brought in the collection, and doing it in such a personally meaningful way was icing on the cake. Meltdown dude is a big baby who should be shunned until he knows how to act in public and publicly apologizes for his childish behavior. | ||
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Zombiebigfoot private msg quote post Address this user | |
| These are all great points which I brought up w/ the owner. He felt that he’d get a bad rep around town for this & I told him not to worry about it! People who know him know that he ALWAYS goes above and beyond to help in anyway he can. He’d previously worked @ the comic shop he owns now, so his rep is solid to his existing customers. As for ‘Mr. Meltdown’ (love that name btw; great name for a band!), he’s in his late 30’s! A grown man acting out like @shrewbeer said - pounding sand because he didn’t get his way. And as @QuaBrot points out also, he SHOULD be shunned for that kind of behavior. If, by now, he hasn’t learned how to distinguish between childish & adult behaviors then it’s his loss for showing his *** in public. Word gets around quick, so time will tell if he recognizes why no lcs will do any business w/ him. | ||
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Zombiebigfoot private msg quote post Address this user | |
Thanks for the feedback btw!   |
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BabaLament private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Zombiebigfoot Loyalty is for those who have earned it. The friend who identified the collection and brought it to the attention of his owner/friend deserved a tangible display of thanks; without him, the owner would never have known about the books. The customer, regardless of how well heeled, liked, or previously big-spending, did nothing more than come in looking for books to buy. That particular book was not for sale. It would be like me walking into Maximum Comics (Las Vegas), and demanding they sell me their life-size Hulk statue. First thing the staff would do is tell me its not for sale. If I were persistent, they would call the owner, who would quote me the value of his entire inventory. If I were willing to spend enough to buy everything, at all of his retail locations plus their warehouse, he might consider throwing in the statue...but I doubt it. If I went into "meltdown", they would probably laugh between asking me to leave and/or calling LVMPD. I would also end up on their shit-list for a very long time; which is never a good place to be at any respectable establishment, especially when LCS world appears to be a rather tight community. My two cents? If "Mr. Meltdown" comes back without a very impressive public apology, then he's PNG; no deals, no discounts, no special efforts...and just so he gets the idea, if he asks for anything special, tack on a 10% "putting up with your bullshit" fee.  My opinion, I could be wrong. |
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Zombiebigfoot private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @BabaLament NAILED IT!! LOL!!! |
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| Post 12 • IP flag post | ||
 I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for.
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drchaos private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Mr. Meltdown is 100%, totally wrong without any qualifications. The owner absolutely owes the book to the friend as promised for bringing in the awesome collection (Mr. Meltdown had no problem leafing through the fruits of this labor did he?). Even though Mr. Meltdown is 100% a dick (unlike Starlord) the owner should try to avoid burning bridges. Bad press not help a new store get off the ground. Also, Mr. Meltdown could potentially buy some books in the future. The owner should avoid the temptation to respond on social media (without really, really thinking things through first). He could also offer something else to Mr. Meltdown although he really deserves nothing. |
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 I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans.
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esaravo private msg quote post Address this user | |
| “You’ll get nothing, and LiKE IT!” | ||
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Mickcatron private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Not sure I totally agree Doc, I mean sure I agree not to go responding without thinking it through; but I sure as heck wouldn't go out of my way when I did zero wrong. I don't even know how Mr. Meltdown could possibly spin this story in his favor. |
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I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for.
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drchaos private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by esaravo   |
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Marximus private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I fail to see any dilemma here. | ||
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KYoung_1974 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Wow! Someone get Mr. Meltdown a copy of Hazlit's Economics in one easy lesson. At the point where the owner paid the family, the comics were his to do with as he pleased: keep it himself, set it on fire, give it away, etc. He was not obligated to do anything with it. It's not unusual for people to get finder's fees. Had the friend been given the equivalent cash value would MM have been pissed? But because he felt entitled, he wants to make a big deal. He's a special little snowflake isn't he? The social media thing is tricky. As a business owner, I wouldn't respond directly to MM's attacks. What I would do is write the story up on social media or maybe the local paper (similar to a story posted on here recently), list out a few of the key books and casually drop in that the ASM was included but given away as a finder's fee for the person that brokered the deal. Most of the public will not see anything wrong with that and it makes MM look like the petulant child he is. Also generates interest in his shop and the hobby in general. As for keeping that friendship with MM, not only would he not be my friend he would no longer be my customer. |
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 Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock
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Tedsaid private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Mickcatron I think I agree with Doc here. Definitely, the store owner did zero wrong, and the customer is out of line. But a customer who desperately wants to buy a thousand dollar book? It's smart to try to make him happy, if you can do so without rewarding his bad behavior. One thing to remember is, this guy doesn't realize he's being a dick. He thinks he's in the right. In his mind, some principle of behavior has been violated by the store owner. (This is what he thinks, probably, even if he selectively applies the principle only in his own favor.) That's why a different copy of ASM #129 doesn't help ... it's THIS copy that matters. It's the PRINCIPLE of the thing ... whatever that means to him. Some people have, hmm ... challenging personality traits. Often they can't help it - they just don't have those social skills and empathy most of us take for granted. Hell, we've seen it on these boards. And comic book collectors - people who have exacting standards, like to "own" rare and unique items, follow irrational trends (such as valuing a $.35 Star Wars #1 much more than a $.30 Star Wars #1), and have strong opinions - probably are more likely to encounter such people regularly. So, I agree ... try to be understanding of this guy. Don't let him be a bully or a baby, but understand, he's miserable already: angry, frustrated, isolated. And it's likely he doesn't realize his sense of entitlement is out of control. |
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 I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life.
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kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I was with a local comic shop owner for 5 years. Spent thousands, and thousands over the years. Always bought expensive variants without fussing over the prices.... Social media can make or break a customer. I once said "Anybody going to go see the new Scrawny Woman?" on facebook, cleverly hinting at how skinny the new Wonder Woman is by comparison to Lynda Carter....This is what happened with a comic book store employee who said the following words to me on facebook: I wrote this email to the local comic book shop store owner: Quote: Originally Posted by kaptainmyke    To which I emailed the local comic store owner and showed her the screenshots. This was her response: Quote: Originally Posted by KaptainMyke's Former LCS spot, Comic Book Store owner I have never been back since. I order everything online now via Jetpack Comics or the usual online exclusive comic shops now. She lost a lot of money from me that day, and thousands of dollars of income from here forward... You may ask, "why not ever return Mike? So what's the big deal? " Well, regardless if he's on medication or not, how do I not know they talk about me when I leave the store? What if they actually do think I have this "holier than thou" attitude? Do they actually really think I have "self entitled bs" ? It effected me too, you know. I was more worried now if I ever saw him in person again at the store I'd have to perform a public beatdown and end up getting arrested. Sorry, I'm an adult now with adult problems in life. Sorry for my rant and hijack. |
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 I’m Kinda Married To A Celebrity.
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00slim private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I'll say this, the owner responded appropriately & professionally in your situation @kaptainmyke. Not returning to that shop is 100% your call. Personally, if I got that kind of response, I'd give them a second chance but they would be on thin ice for the foreseeable future. |
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poka private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @kaptainmyke I feel sorry for all parties involved. I do think though that the shop owner did what she could, and if was me I would probably have accepted the apology, but then again - might be different if I was party | ||
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life.
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kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Honestly, it really changed me and my outlook on what I share on social media myself. I just post photos of my collectibles or share photos of my son to family members now for the most part. I try not to give any opinions, whether it be political, religious, or extemporaneously. She charged way too much for VF copies of variants anyways. I was on my way out the door. I think I was looking for a reason, too if I'm being honest. |
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I’m Kinda Married To A Celebrity.
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00slim private msg quote post Address this user | |
| As far as the original post, I'd say: The owner did nothing wrong and Mr. Meltdown acted like an impetuous child. The owner should try to smooth things over with the crybaby, though. Not because the owner did anything wrong, but because bad blood can make for an unhealthy environment. Mr. Meltdown might come to his senses and apologize. As was mentioned, this may have been a "last straw" situation. But if the owner extends an olive branch & it's rejected yet again, it's on Mr. Meltdown. |
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Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock
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Tedsaid private msg quote post Address this user | |
| That was a really great letter she wrote. Just goes to show you, when someone is a dick on social media, they are often dealing with 10 times the pain they cause. Something to try to keep in mind, I think. What store was this, Mike? |
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doog private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Zombiebigfoot |
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VCBE private msg quote post Address this user | |
| He doesn't have to sell any of the books if he doesn't want to... | ||
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life.
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kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Tedsaid Just a local shop up north of me. No need to name the store. |
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BabaLament private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @kaptainmyke I believe you conducted yourself in an appropriate manner; for it is entirely your prerogative as to where you spend your money. I also appreciate that the owner offered you an apology. However I seriously disapprove of her disclosing employee information. Aside from the apology, and a commitment to reprimand and/or discipline the out-of-line employee, the owner should not have anything else to say. That an employer would disclose personal medical information to a customer is unnecessary, a huge breach of the employees trust, and potentially legally actionable at both the civil (Holtrey v. Collier County Bd. of Commissioners) and criminal (HIPAA or ADA) level should the employee become aware of it. | ||
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VCBE private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Skinny Wonder Woman? WHAT? Lynda Carter is much more Skinnier and out of proportion than the new one. She just had huge boobs... | ||
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