Originally Posted by Firecracker
I could never accept the fact that a dedicated comic shop charged more for thier comics (bagged) than Empire (bagged and boarded). Also, the price stickers Quality used when I bought from them needed some form of magic to remove them.I'm also good friend with Kristina from the Empire. Back when they were running the Nexus Fair, I used to give them an extra hand setting up the tables on Friday night before each fair. Between 2000 and 2007 I bought most of my Japanese Transformers from them. I preferred being able to walk into a nice and friendly shop and just pick them up, hassle free. At the same time I relied on Hong Kong friends to help me get the more obscure and exclusive stuff. I started relying on my friends more and more last year, but I still pop into Empire or their sister shop Freaks and Geeks and buy Transformers if I see the ones I want on shelf.
To be fair, Quality does indeed have higher prices than Empire. But knowing their different shipping arrangements with Diamond I wasn't too surprised at the difference. To be fair, Empire is also not the cheapest for buying Transformers, if you have the option to buy online. But they helped me hunt down many Transformers I was after and often gave me discounts. They have also been a lot better in recent years and I consider their prices relatively reasonable compared to some other import stores in the country. One thing they do that is definitely better than Quality is their support and participation for Free Comic Book Day. But running *any* shop is always more difficult and expensive than most would think, so I could also understand Quality not participating. I'm still THANKFUL both Empire and Quality were there when I had no other avenue to obtain the toys and comics I wanted (and love now).
It used to be comics from Quality and toys from Empire for me. And I know some of you might think I'm a little dumb or silly for buying from them. But I was thankful that these shops existed in Perth at all and was happy to support them when I could. When Owen and Andrew started Comic Zone, I really wanted to support them too. At one point I was seriously thinking about beginning subscriptions of some new titles with them, and buying from both them and Quality every month. But budget was a big issue. And I felt crappy if I were to cancel some subscrptions with Quality.
Definitely the same feeling here STL. I hope the staff from Quality Comics can find good (and better) jobs.It does make me sad when a comic shop dies. Good or bad, there aren't many of them around any more. In Melbourne, we're still pretty lucky with about 5 outlets but it just means that the medium is quickly fading into irrelevance. In the US, a friend of mine in the industry has told me about a few failures too recently. And yes, it doesn't help those who have jobs there either.
And I know about your loyalty, Kyle. I feel that with a comic place that I try to visit once a month nowadays even though I barely buy old stuff anymore. His shop's in Coburg, no the greatest location but he was quite friendly and all. I should pop down before Christmas.
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