www.ComicBookPage.com

Well I pulled the trigger and made the switch to DCBS. I had asked my LCS who I am good friends with if he could give me a better discount based on the amount of books I am buying these days and he said he couldn't (I was getting the standard 10%). But with the price of gas and this year seems to be the year my family keeps getting hit with a monthly car breaks down/house appliance breaks down bill I need to save money some place.

While I would not expect an LCS to be able to match the discount levels of an on-line retailer, I would think that a tiered discount system with maybe 20% or so for longer term customers who spend a decent amount per month is generally something that should be considered.

I can appreciate that some LCS owners would feel they cannot afford to do this, but then they should not be surprised to see some amount of business flowing to on-line retailers, in these days of tight budgets and rising expenses for consumers.

In fact, the attractiveness (is that a word?) of on-line retailers can be enhanced based on your proximity/distance from the LCS. With gas prices coming close to $4/gal in SoCal, it makes a HUGE difference if I have to drive 40 miles round trip to the shop vs. someone who lives a mile from a great shop.

While I don't have a 40 mile round trip (13 miles for me) it still has an impact. I had asked if he was willing to do a tiered discount for me but his counter agruement was he wasn't making much money on comic sales as it was and he had to be able to pay his employess. I privately thought to myself, if I take my business online that less money your going to be paying them anyway.

Oh well, I can see his point, I just wish we could of come to some sort of agreement on it.

Well, you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

Don't feel bad about it. It's not your responsibility to pay extra to keep a local guy in business.......

I's nice if you are getting value out of the relationship (books come faster/on Wed, comic shop experience, etc.) but at some point you need to place a $ value of what that stuff is worth to you, and when the extra $ you pay become significantly more than your perceived $ value, then you are completely justified in exploring other (on-line) options.

Skyhawke wrote:While I don't have a 40 mile round trip (13 miles for me) it still has an impact. I had asked if he was willing to do a tiered discount for me but his counter agruement was he wasn't making much money on comic sales as it was and he had to be able to pay his employess. I privately thought to myself, if I take my business online that less money your going to be paying them anyway.

Oh well, I can see his point, I just wish we could of come to some sort of agreement on it.

You gave him a chance to keep your business. What more can you or should you do?

While I support the store owner's desire to pay his employees, I also agree that losing your core comic book buying business isn't helping him met that goal.

The bottom line is you have to do what is right for you. If saving an additional 25% or so on comics helps your budget, or is simply more convenient then do so.

I'm sure you'll probably still buy a few things at that store anyway. I know that I routinely buy things locally in addition to what I get from DCBS.

Oh definately, it is one of those stores that is a comic shop and a game shop. And since I still game with my friends it is a place to pick up the new sourcebooks. And of course the occasional comic book issue that slip past your attention.

Welcome to the clan Skyhawke!!

Frank Castle wrote:Welcome to the clan Skyhawke!!

Hey Jason, welcome aboard