[Frank Richards]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cidman911

Something happened to me today that really pissed me off.

Its Free Comic Book Day today.

I went to a local comic shop, that I haven't gone to in a while because I bought a Minimate set and one was damaged from the factory, but they wouldn't let me exchange it for another set because they said it wasn't their fault I didn't notice it was damaged in the store, fair enough. That made me mad but Diamond Select was nice enough to mail me the piece that was damaged.

Today I went to a Comics N Stuff since that incident because it was Free Comic Book Day. I'm thinking...let bygones be bygones. I went in to buy some comics and maybe get a few Free Comic Book Day Comics...wrong.

They told me I could only have ONE single free comic from the whole table they had. I only wanted 2...just 2 (Guardians Of The Galaxy & Rocket Raccoon...1 of each...that's it.) but they said no. That I had to buy a store membership card in order to get 2 comics. The store member ship costs $10 annually. I said no and left. I called the main store manager and he said that's the rules.

Oh well...they're never getting my business again. The store in question in Comics N Stuff on 555 Broadway in Chula Vista, California. They have more stores that have just as shady business tactics but that was the one that soured me for the last time.

It sucks Free Comic Book Day was ruined for me but that's how it goes sometimes. I'm gonna write a complaint to Free Comic Book Day site itself and see what they say because I think people are getting cheated.

That's terrible Not only is the mandatory membership completely absurd, the 2 comic limit comes across as very stingy.

A few years ago, when FCBD was in its infancy, most shops never seemed to have a limit on the number of comics that a customer could pick up. Granted, if someone were to snag a copy of EVERY book available, I'm sure the owner/employees would say something, but grabbing 7 or 8 books was never an issue. Now, most shops have firm rules about taking no more than 3. The shop where I celebrate FCBD had a limit of 5 a couple of years ago, but now they've reduced their number to 3 as well.
Personally, I'm largely unaffected by this, as I typically only read Dark Horse, IDW, the occasional Image book, and a couple of Marvel titles, so there are usually maybe 2 or 3 comics, at most, that I really want each year. This year there was only 1. However, my friends who have LONG subscription lists, and pick up on average about a dozen comics a week, are frequently frustrated by the limitations. For instance, how is a devoted reader, who reads numerous titles, and has a completist mindset supposed to pick only 3 books? The ones who are big Marvel fans were angry this year, because after grabbing their GotG and Rocket Raccoon books, they could pick only one book out the many others being offered. And, these guys were in NO way going to pass on those two books. Not only are they huge fans of GotG, they, as I mentioned earlier, are all completists. Furthermore, if I were dropping $70 + a week for comics (must be nice, lol...) like these guys, I would feel entirely unappreciated and a little insulted.

I sincerely apologize if I'm coming across as if I possess a sense of entitlement, because at the end of the day, I realize that these shops truly don't have to give us anything for free if they don't want to, but it just seems as if a celebration intended to show appreciation to the customers is slowly becoming tainted.

EDIT: Lol, I know my location says Savannah, GA, and I don't want to give anyone the impression that I am criticizing my local shop in Savannah, lol! For the past couple of years, I've driven a few hours to a nearby town where I used to live, to celebrate FCBD with friends at the LCS in that town.
I won't give the location, because a) it's typically a great shop, b) they have some excellent FCBD sales, and c) the limit does not affect me personally. I just wanted to rant on behalf of my friends who were a little frustrated this year.