So I've sort of seen this coming for a while, but every time I branch out to a new store I notice it more and more...our comic stores are fading! Now for the sake of privacy and not blowing up anyone's spot, I am not going to mention any names, but I will tell you that I live in Northern New Jersey and if you know the places then that's not my fault!
Let me start by saying that my LCS, A & S Comics, is perfection! They always have what I want, and if they don't then they order it for me and their 50 cent bins are always home to gems and treasure you would never suspect. So with all this world class service, I got a bit spoiled and just assumed that all comic stores were as full service as this one. Unfortunately I was wrong... The first crack in this perfect image when I went to another large size store in the area and from the get go it seemed more like a business then a friendly place to get my comics. OK no problem, everyone runs their store differently and they DID have what I wanted so fine.
Then more recently I went to another large sized store in nearby Manhattan (which i have been to in the past and was very pleased) and found that it had much changed since last I was there. The entire first floor was just new issues (understandable) and then row after row of just trades. Now I do not knock trades, I think they are great for people who are just passive fans and want to read specific storylines. BUT. I don't know a single serious collector who collects trades over single issues. This is not to say that collectors don't buy trades, but the majority of their purchases are collectable single issue. The second floor of the store had rows and rows of back issue thankfully so all was not lost! WRONG! These many many boxes were filled with only more recent back issues (2 years or less with a few older issues thrown in) and many were grossly overpriced (especially if you take into acocunt the number of $1 eBay stores now). Unlike the first store I went to this one did NOT have what I was looking for and, sadly, I left this store disappointed and emptyhanded.
Another grievance, a bit less serious but symptomatic of the larger problem, was when I walked into a store, that I had never heard of and came upon by chance, labeled "Blah Blah Blah's Comics and Toys" (insert real name where the blah blah blah is). I walked in and of course I saw a bunch of toys but I asked where the comics were. I was directed to a single table in the back jammed full with 8 or 10 boxed of comics. Now in the essence of fairness, the comic in these boxes were true treasures! Several old old back issues of high importance, in good condition, and for very reasonable prices. But still it was just the one table in a store where "Comics" is half of the name!
The last straw, however, was just today! I went to yet another, supposedly, large big name store (whose name ends in "Comics and Games")which, again, I had been to in the past and was fully satisfied. This was simply too much. I walked in and at first I just saw a crowded messy store and gleefully thought, "Oh yes! Now I to really search and work for my comics!" Which I meant in all sincerity as I actually get a thrill out of digging through the piles and boxes of a store to find your favorite needed issues (yes I am a massive geek). However, I quickly learned that the comics in this store weren't just hidden and tucked away...they were nonexistant! I asked the clerk (over a dull roaring sound from the rear of the store) where I could find the back issues and he pointed me to the side wall. Now everyone knows that the wall is where new comics are kept (or really really old back issues, but those are usually behind the counter) so I double checked if he heard me. He very clearly told me that those the only comics they had in-store: Issues released in the last 120 days! A little shocked I made my way through the store, taking the scenic route to the "comic wall", and discovered many terrible things. First of all, the entire store was filled now with only anime, regular trades (ugh), RPG/TCG supplies, and, worst of all, A Magic the Gathering Tournament! This was the end of it! I asked the clerk what happened to all the other comics in the store and he said they just decided to phase that part out. Didn't I walk into a store called "Comics and Games"? Not "Games With a Few Comics on the Side"!? Don't get me wrong, everyone should let their geek flag fly in whatever way they so choose, and Magic is no more or less cool or uncool then comics. I just don't see how THAT makes a business so much more money then comics that they need to axe comics from their Comic Store
So what happened to the LCS of the world? What about my back issues? Where are the cheap slightly damaged issues? What, even, of the grossly over priced issues on the wall behind the counter?? I am sorry, but when I walk into a "Comic Store" I expect to see predominantly COMIC BOOKS! Trading card, card games, games supplies and toys are an amazing money maker and obviously these stores are a business with a bottom line, but this new trend in the LCS to no longer cater towards actually comic collectors (much like my gripies with reboots and renumbering) leaves an incredibly bad taste in my mouth. Maybe I am just completely spoiled by my own LCS and their unbelievable customer service and attention, but I feel like comic stores a (much like the comic companies) are gearing more towards the mighty dollar and the bottom line rather then their customers. I am not saying they shouldn't worry about the money side, everyone has to make a buck somehow, but I know that I am more likely to stay and spend more in a comic store where I am having fun and get personalized attention as opposed to one where they just wait behind the counter to take my money or just don't have anything I want. It could be a matter of preference, but I suspect that many hardcore true collectors feel the same way about these issues as I do
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