So this is the post I've been hinting at since Wednesday. Hopefully you won't be too disappointed. I'm going to start by outlining the situation as I understand it, then give my thoughts, and then hopefully you'll chime in as well.
The Situation: This past Wednesday (Sept. 19), I was in the comics store I shop at, looking through my copy of Annihilation: Conquest - Quasar #3, when a customer steps in. The store's owner was quite eager to see this customer, because they needed to discuss something. This customer had set up a pull list in early August, and purchased the comics on the list that had been released that week. The customer had not been in the 5 or 6 weeks since then, until the previous day (Tuesday the 18th). The customer had appeared and purchased some of the titles that had been set aside for them, and had returned on this day to purchase any new comics that had come out this week, but not those titles they had left behind the day before. The retailer wanted to know why the customer had only purchased some of the issues waiting for them.
The customer's response was that they are a traveling salesperson, that they are on the road for 5 or 6 weeks at a time, and as they travel, if they happen across a store that sells comics, they stop in and purchase the titles that came out that week from that store. I'm not sure as to the size of the customer's pull list, though I think it's about equal to mine (10-15 titles), nor do I know whether they have pulls at these stores they see along the road. I think it's just random as to where they were stopping. The customer didn't show any interest in having two copies of the titles they had purchased elsewhere, so the retailer was left with the comics.
The store owner said they weren't really comfortable with this situation, while the customer explained that every other store they had done business with had been fine with it, including the other comics store in town. The owner stated that they would love to have the customer's business, but they just were not comfortable with holding titles for someone, for weeks at a time, when the customer might simultaneously be buying those titles elsewhere, and so would not ultimately buy the comics at this store. At that point, both sides concluded they were at an impasse, the customer left, the owner tossed the pull list (not the comics, just the paper the list was written on).
Statement of Bias: The use of neutral pronouns and no names was intentional. See, I don't know anything about the customer other than what I heard in the conversation, but I do know the owner of the store, and consider him to be a friend (I swing by the store most every Friday just to talk), so I wanted to try and be neutral in describing the scenario, then give my totally biased opinion. Also, I know nothing about business or economics other than that you want to make more than you spend, and so this is me talking from a personal standpoint, rather than from any kind of business perspective.
Totally Biased Opinion: Right up front, I'm on Ken (the owner's) side. I think when you set up a pull at a store, there's an agreement between the customer and retailer. The retailer agrees to do everything in their power to make sure you get the comics on your list when they come out, or as close to it as possible. So it isn't their fault if Jim Lee or Frank Quitely can't meet deadlines, or that the publisher canceled the book, or that Diamond didn't ship all the copies they ordered. But if the book came in, and there are enough copies, then there should be one waiting for you when you show up (since I think pull-listers should probably have priority over random walk-in customers that might otherwise take all the issues. Yeah, I'm a bad person, perpetuating the exclusivity of the comic shop environment, sue me).
At the same time, I think the customer, by making a pull list - thus getting the retailer to agree to get them the titles they want - is agreeing to buy those titles from that retailer. If you're just as likely to buy the comics in East Lansing, Michigan as you are in Casper, Wyoming, then why bother setting up a pull list in Cape Girardeau? This doesn't mean you can't drop titles if you aren't enjoying them, but if you do still enjoy the title, then I think you ought to buy the new issues from the place that is setting aside a copy especially for you.
And honestly, I don't know that I buy that every other store the customer had used was cool with him setting up a pull-list, with the understanding he might show after a month and not buy half the comics they'd set aside for him, because he purchased them elsewhere. Maybe that is common, I don't know, this is the first time I've heard of such a situation. An employee at the store I used for about six months in Columbia, was pretty annoyed with me because I abruptly canceled my pull (because I was leaving town to begin grad school down here), and they wanted two weeks notice on something when you did that. Which I can understand, I just wish someone had mentioned that when I started the list (if they did, I totally forgot, and that's all on me, but I really don't recall being told that rule). Conversely, the first time I canceled my pull with Ken (which is why I started the pull in Columbia), he didn't seem all that bothered when I informed him I'd have to end my pull (as I was moving 250 miles away). He was sad to lose my business, but he wasn't annoyed or anything, so maybe what stores consider unacceptable just varies from place to place, and person to person, I really don't know.
Anyway, I'm going to stop there, because all I've got left at this point would just be me talking up how good of a store I think Ken runs, and that's not terribly pertinent to this, is it? So, I know there are bloggers who work in comics stores, and I love to hear from them about whether they've had similar situations, or what their store's rule is on pulls, but I'd also like to hear from the folks who are just customers like me, whether those of you with pulls yourself think there are any sorts of rules/agreements between the customers and the retailers, or any similar situations you've seen.
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When I had a pull list with Comics & Comix in SF, I considered myself obligated to purchase the comics I had reserved.
Which is why I currently don't use one. These days I only pick up books that look interesting, which means I may buy two issues of Avengers here or three issues of Brave & The Bold there.
Plus, it costs $20 to start a subscription. Rather spend my money on a trade, to be honest.
See, at my shop, the only requirement to have a pull list is that you have at least 7 titles on it. Considering that Astonishing X-Men and the Ultimates are two of my seven, this is not a very big hurdle. With the list, I get a 10% discount on everything in the store, so it's an excellent trade.
Now, I believe a pull-list is a promise between you and the store owner to buy those titles that are on your list. The Store Owner then promises to hold those issues for you and (perhaps) give you a discount. That means if Cap is on your list, and you waited a week to pick up #25, it would still be waiting for you, despite it's value and popularity. My Store Manager also gives subscribers in good standing (meaning there's not a pile of books in their box) first crack at variants at face value.
Plus, a lot of shops use their subscriber base as a way to measure how much of each title they should order each month and count on their subscribers purchases much more than the average off-the-street customer. They plan on that income being there, so by not buying those (non-returnable) books, you're leaving them in the hole.
So, short answer, I agree with you, have the ABP give the customer a bonk.
Do you call up and order a pizza at three different places, but only pick up one? Do you order a custom countertop or something, and then buy something different elsewhere?
I think not!
I have been very fortunate in my comic book store owners. I too had to cancel once, when I moved, but I was sure to tell them several weeks ahead of time. I don't always buy everything that Matt puts in my box, but since I am in the store EVERY Wednesday, it has never been a problem, since he sometimes just adds books that I haven't ordered, but he thinks that I may like.
Really, do some stores CHARGE you to have a subscription? I am shocked! I also get a 10% deduction on my books, which is very nice, and first crack at variant covers.
Of course, the fact that I bake brownies for Matt probably doesn't hurt.
I did it once, but only once, for one comic. And that comic was purchased at Atlantis Fantasy World (best comic store on earth), where everything else I bought was awesome old comics (including SUICIDE SQUAD #1) for 40 cents apeice, so I had to get something newthere. The store I'd pulled the book at was understanding of doing it that one time, but making a habit of it does kinda make you look like a jerk. You kinda have a obligation to get it, barring special circumstances
I had a pull-list once upon a time. I would have never even thought to not purchase what had been reserved for me. I viewed it as a contract between myself and my store manager. By signing up for the list, by reserving material, I agreed that if the store manager would set aside stuff for me, I would buy it; to renege on that agreement, to simply not purchase what was on my list, would be a breaking of the contract.
And when you break the stipulations of a contract, you reap the associated sanctions. Now the sanctions for breaking the contract will differ from place to place, but at the very least, the breaker-of-contract comes off as highly inconsiderate. It's also fairly likely that he may be disqualified from further participation in the pull-list deal. That's the way it goes with social contracts.
Huh. Your post has me wondering if I've been ticking off my LCS lately.
See, my LCS offers a pull service and rebate. Basically, each month the owner gives us Pull Listers a form listing all the titles coming out in a few months and has us check whatever we want pulled (it makes it easy to drop titles-just don’t check it off next month). The store also gives an end of the month credit in the amount of 10% of the previous month's purchase (so, I spend 100 bucks in the store, I get a ten dollar credit the next month). So essentially, I get 10% off whatever I buy in the end.
But I also work part time at a Barnes & Noble, and within the last six months, we've began to consistently get in some comics. Mainly mainstream stuff: X-books, Spidey, Batman, the Archie/Simpsons all ages stuff, some Marvel Adventures and Star Wars books. And I get a 30% employee discount there. At this point in my financial life, that increased discount trumps my loyalty to the wonderful LCS I shop at, so I've begun picking up certain titles at B&N.
However, I more or less still have those titles pulled for me, on the off chance that Barnes and Noble doesn't get a particular issue of that title (it happens). Because of the 1-2 week lag between comic shop release and newsstand release, those titles usually hang out in my box until I’ve picked them up at Barnes and Noble and confirmed I don’t need them from the LCS. At which point, I put the pulled title back on the shelf of the LCS.
Now, in my defense, the only titles I’m doing this for are, like I said, mainstream, top selling stuff. It isn’t like I’m stiffing the LCS on that obscure indie book they only ordered for me. Also, I don’t know how it is with some of the other shops, but mine keeps 6+ months of back issues on the racks for cover price. So if I have them pull Ultimate Spider-Man for me and I buy it elsewhere a week later, when I put it on the shelf it usually is in the company of at least 12 more copies.
I’m pretty sure the owner knows I do this, to some extent. I know he’s seen me put stuff held in my box back on the shelf. But now I wonder if this doesn’t secretly piss him off. I’d hope if it did, he’d say something. I’ve shopped there for years, since they first opened, and he and the staff have been nothing but nice and friendly to me, the kind of guys you can BS with about comics when you’re in the store. But maybe I need to start revising my pull list, and keep off the titles I’m more likely to buy elsewhere.
Well, it might not be that bad for your comics shop owner since the titles that B&N gets are bound to be the most popular, thus easily sellable. You may want to ask.
One thing I did forget was that the pull list form for my shop states that you promise that you will buy everything pulled for you and you have to sign it, so it is an actual contract (in theory).
Mind you, I've put back things in the past because I stopped liking the series and they were cool with it.
I only make it into my LCS every two weeks, and sometimes I've picked up an issue at another store (closer to my home) forgetting that I've got one set aside for me at my regular place. It doesn't happen very often but when it does I still buy the second copy. It's a little annoying ending up with a duplicate, but that's my fault not my LCS's.
They have ordered that copy of whatever specifically for me, on the understanding that I’ll purchase it. So if I don’t, then I’m causing them a direct expense that they needn’t have incurred. It’s just rude really.
I do leave books which I haven't specifically asked for though. My LCS has a habit of putting issues in my pull box which are tangentially related to ones which I have requested -probably on the basis that if I want A then maybe I'll want B as well (e.g. I added World War Hulk to my list, and he puts aside Gamma Corps, or Wonder Girl because I'm down for Wonder Woman). In those cases, yeah sure I don't feel an obligation to buy them since I didn't ask for them in the first place.
BTW, is putting books back when there's already a few on the shelf worse than if there's none? If the LCS still has a number of them, aren't you just increasing the chances that they're going to have excess stock?
I have a pull list at Jeffery's Toys in San Francisco. You need to have at least 17 titles (I think) to have a pull list, but you get a 20% discount on all comics and trades you buy, plus free copies of Previews and free bags and boards so it's a great deal. My problem is that that the employees constantly add books to my list per my request, but are very bad at REMOVING books from my list. So I don't feel bad when I put back those titles. But if I actively pre-ordered it, then I'm generally gonna buy it. I do occasionally put back stuff that I've ordered, but I figure that by picking up stuff off the rack that I didn't pre-order, on a net basis I'm square.
Comic book shops are typically running pretty close to the bone financially, and anyone who won't just commit to spend three crummy dollars here and there for a title they specifically requested but for some reason no longer need or want is a complete failure as a human being. If I wanted to keep every possible penny in my own greedy hands, I'd just use DCBS. But I appreciate having a few actual comic shops around.
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