Finally made the big move to DCBS
Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 9:33 pm
So I have finally decided to make the jump to DCBS for all my comic needs. This week was finally the straw that broke the camels back. I have been going to my LCS for 10 years now. And honestly to this day I still receive awesome service. They have seen me grow up from 17 to 27 and know my likes and dislikes. They were pretty much an extended family. It's much like CrazyChris' shop. I never had a problem with my pull list, except for an occasional variant cover that didn't make it in. Since I had been going so long, it wasn't odd to see a random book or 2 put in my file each week that they would put in because they thought that I would like it. They respected my opinions on books too. They have a very large independent section of books. So because of this podcast I put The Foundation, Caliber, and Hercules on my pull list. (Caliber and Hercules are actually the top 2 employee picks this week for all the customers to see!) Because they know my likes/dislikes they would buy a couple more of each book knowing it would be a good book and sell well. I also would get phone calls Wednesday morning asking if I wanted any of the incentive or variant covers that came in that week. It is/was a really great experience.
The main problem is that the old store manager got a job with Diamond 5 years ago, and left the owner high and dry. There was one employee that basically took over the reigns and kept everything in line. Well now she is going to get her Master's in psychology at UD and will be leaving the store by the fall. She is the glue that holds that place together. The 4 or so other employees are older men who either collect pinup/monster stuff or Battlestar Galactica. They aren't as up to date on the current stuff. One week she was sick and had the other guys do the pull lists and put the new stuff on the wall, and JLA ended up on the Marvel wall.
The store owner has been in business for over 25 years and is pretty much set in his ways about things. Lately he's been swearing up and down that he is going to drop Diamond because they screw him around. He's also contemplated dropping new books all together and only being a collectible and back issue store.
So when she told me this week that she was accepted full time to UD and that she may not be around too much longer, I decided it was time to finally switch to DCBS. She's a very close friend of mine, and actually an ex girlfriend. So when I told her, she said that she wasn't surprised and is all for me saving money. I get on average 45-55 monthly books. These are my core titles and don't include mini's, magazines, figures, busts, etc. So I know the savings are going to be huge. If I want my next promotion at work, it will have to be somewhere I will have to travel too. So it will get progressively harder to make it to my LCS every week. I won't have to waste a quarter tank of gas now to go to my LCS. That in itself will be a big help.
I honestly don't feel that bad about it. Part of me does though because I have been there so long, but they just can't match the savings that I'll get. I'm also finishing up my run there in 3 months when the August books ship. I don't want to screw them over on the orders they have already made. And no need to miss out on the books I want between now and then. I have spent $1000's annually in that store and feel that really this is the next logical step.
The main problem is that the old store manager got a job with Diamond 5 years ago, and left the owner high and dry. There was one employee that basically took over the reigns and kept everything in line. Well now she is going to get her Master's in psychology at UD and will be leaving the store by the fall. She is the glue that holds that place together. The 4 or so other employees are older men who either collect pinup/monster stuff or Battlestar Galactica. They aren't as up to date on the current stuff. One week she was sick and had the other guys do the pull lists and put the new stuff on the wall, and JLA ended up on the Marvel wall.
The store owner has been in business for over 25 years and is pretty much set in his ways about things. Lately he's been swearing up and down that he is going to drop Diamond because they screw him around. He's also contemplated dropping new books all together and only being a collectible and back issue store.So when she told me this week that she was accepted full time to UD and that she may not be around too much longer, I decided it was time to finally switch to DCBS. She's a very close friend of mine, and actually an ex girlfriend. So when I told her, she said that she wasn't surprised and is all for me saving money. I get on average 45-55 monthly books. These are my core titles and don't include mini's, magazines, figures, busts, etc. So I know the savings are going to be huge. If I want my next promotion at work, it will have to be somewhere I will have to travel too. So it will get progressively harder to make it to my LCS every week. I won't have to waste a quarter tank of gas now to go to my LCS. That in itself will be a big help.
I honestly don't feel that bad about it. Part of me does though because I have been there so long, but they just can't match the savings that I'll get. I'm also finishing up my run there in 3 months when the August books ship. I don't want to screw them over on the orders they have already made. And no need to miss out on the books I want between now and then. I have spent $1000's annually in that store and feel that really this is the next logical step.
