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Steve's Comic Relief goes under the microscope

As a fan of comics I need a place to look 'em over and purchase 'em. To this point, that place has been Steve's Comic Relief, located at Mercer Mall in nearby Lawrenceville, NJ. I spend a couple hundred dollars or so per year on titles like these:

Planetary mystery	Astro City super-heroes	Sandman fantasy/horror

Steve's is highly thought of by some folks in the industry. Owner Steve Gursky has six stores, all in the region where I live, and they are considered to be "friendly" to independent publishers (which basically means those other than Marvel and DC, the Big Two). Steve was also once interviewed by Inc. magazine for his thoughts on a growing comic retail chain.

But all may not be perfect at Steve's Comic Relief. I've talked to AN OWNER before (was it Gursky? or was it Ed Iannone? the local media seems to differ with the information online as to the owner's actual identity...), and he seems to have a certain amount of disdain for the industry, except as it exists to make him a profit. That's no problem for me: I have seen well-meaning comic book fans try to run comic retail businesses and fail because they just don't have the know-how to succeed.

But [the owner] (whichever guy it really is) also has disdain for some of his customers, it seems. I was in line at his store today, and heard him say to a fellow in front of me -- one who was buying 30 comics -- that "business has been like this [very busy] all day. The freaks are out of school today." If I heard him right, he is calling his school-age customers (two of whom would be my own children) "freaks." Or maybe he is referring to college kids (like my own students). And saying this to a grown man buying a pile of comic books nearly eight inches high. In front of a long line of customers.

When I got to the front of the line, I tried to get his attention: "do you think it's wise to call some of your customers 'freaks?'" I got no intelligible response as [the owner] took a phone call. And I try not to make innocent customers wait while I complain. A young guy working the cash register suggested that [the owner's] remark might be a term of endearment. As for me, I doubt it. But because of the reputation of Steve's Comic Relief, I will give [the owner] the benefit of the doubt. For now. Next time I talk to him, I'd better get a better answer, or two things will happen: (1) he'll lose my business -- which he'll never miss because I only buy a book or two a week, and I can get those easily from publishers through mail-order, as with any magazine; (2) I will report his transgression to several hundred people in the area within 24 hours.

I did the same thing when employees at the Ewing AutoZone sexually harassed four of my students. (The full report there was on an older version of my blog. I will repost it if this thing with Steve's Comic Relief continues.) I don't shop at AutoZone, and I discourage everyone who will listen to me from shopping with them as well. The only way to get a point across to a bad business person is to vote with your feet.

If treating your customers with courtesy doesn't contribute to your bottom line, [owner of Steve's Comic Relief at Mercer Mall], then tell me: exactly what does?

Labels: diversions

posted by Ron @ 10:28 PM