I can sympathize with that. It has taken me years to find a reliable, wholly honest/on task LCS.
Even now, that guy is being sketchy, and I’ve been going more frequently to the more expensive shop that is also reliable. These are the only two shops I trust, out of 7-8, that will honour every pre-order.
It’s a shame, but your assessment seems all too common.
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Does that mean your LCS marks up pre-orders? Or do you have an online shop that gives you 50% off pre-orders, and free shipping?
While I can appreciate that. I’m not sure how pre-ordering at an LCS would cause you to catch the virus. (I understand you would have to pick them up, but that would be extremely low risk, imo). I usually call my LCS for any pre-orders.
Does that mean you pre-ordered at your LCS before the pandemic, and that you’ll be doing that once again once the pandemic is under control?
Lmao. Too funny. Love it.
Gotta go pick it up when they arrive… 
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Yeah. Understood. Imo, that’s a bit dramatic. You could literally pick them up with zero contact. Extremely minimal risk, imo.
But I digress, this is off topic.
True but here in America, we still have a lot of deniers of reality who don’t wear masks, wash hands, etc. One slip up and boom, you got it. If I can order online and have delivered to my house, I have no reason to leave right now.
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I support my local stores and dabble online too. The hybrid model of buying stuff!
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In regards to LCS preorders, when I can get a 35% discount online, why wouldn’t I just go that route?
Granted, LCS is great for being able to pick out what I believe to be a good copy of a book but lately, I just don’t want to have to deal with the petty stuff that comes with this territory.
Sometimes I think I’d like to help support my local shop but every now and then I have negative experiences at these shops that reinforce why I shouldn’t… so if they die, they die.
Also, I know this isn’t floppy related, but imagine paying $125 + tax for an Omnibus at an LCS when you can find it brand new online for about $70-80 shipped? Especially when this same LCS pulls shenanigans on NCBD with books that are in high demand… lol, nope.
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Total Drago phrase…
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I can appreciate that. 
A variety of reasons, some of which Devildog and Drunk Wooky mentioned. My LCS is run by enthusiastic readers but they are not at all geared toward collectors who care about minty books or specific covers.
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My LCS. Great shop for reading but collecting is a whole separate ballgame.
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I have 1 small LCS in my area and the reasons I don’t go there have already been mentioned by other people. My main issue with them is that they seem to get upset because I expect my books to be in good condition. They keep all new books behind the counter and have 1 displayed on a wall behind plastic coverings. They just grab the book you ask for and don’t expect you to be able to have your choice. I read my comics but I’m also a collector so I do prefer my books to be in a certain condition.
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That’s just a strange way of selling comics, requiring more work on the part of the shop owner to grab each and every individual comic you’re asking for. Yikes.
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If you are confident in a spec play, like this book, then ask your LCS if they will match the 35% on a bulk order (say 20+ copies). I know of three that will, and they get the majority of local speculators buying in bulk as a result. It enables them to qualify for higher discount levels so it is a win-win for everyone.
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I once brought this idea up to the owner of a smaller LCS (ie - how about preorders for a slightly lower rate … I believe the context was trades and omnis though, not comics)… got a response along the lines of “I’m a retail business that needs to make money - I don’t do preorders”…
Cool story bro but why would I pay almost double at your store when I can get the same product delivered to my home within a couple weeks? Like ok, maybe you can’t match the price of some of the online retailers but give me something to work with at least - maybe 20% - 25% off… if not then as long as there are online retailers selling for almost 50% your price your model won’t last and is destined to go under.
I doubt this guy would budge if the context was comic books either…
No lol That part of the comment was about outside of comics. Local businesses are just more expensive than large chains. There isn’t really a discount for pre-orders with them. You just get a pull list and I think you get 10% off. Not worth it. They also price their variants above ratio like Midtown. Other than short boxes and checking the dollar bin once in a while I don’t have a reason to go to the LCS.
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Wow. That LCS owner is a bad one then. My file LCS will go a bit better than 35% if I make it worthwhile for him (e.g. 50+ of a book), and one other does that as well. He understands that the more the big speculators order, the better his discount on everything is.
Let’s just say that between the couple of us that ordered HR 1s through them, they will likely double the amount that all the other stores did combined in the city.
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It’s a tough position on either side. As a consumer, I hardly buy the idea that it’s our burden to keep businesses afloat and why wouldn’t we seek out a price that is in our best interest? As a student of history and a guy who worked in anti-trust enforcement (see non-existent in this day and age), I also see the dilemma of consolidating more and more business in one or two big comic shops (at least two of which have actually become distributors competing directly with Diamond). So, yes those big shops can offer those deep discounts because they’re operating at lower margins on higher scale. The slippery slope, parade of horribles argument is that a large company with no competition can ask whatever price they want once the competition have all shuttered, but I think comic retail is a long ways off from that. Ever-closer, but still long off.
Local shops often don’t have any margin to offer those types of discounts at the scale they’re selling at. If they do, they’re selling the book as an accommodation and service to you. Sort of a loss leader in hopes you buy more when you come pick it up. So, as I said, it’s a tough position for all involved when assessing the economic incentives.
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