As candid and straightforward as I try to be in this blog, there is one thing I do not do.
I do not point out problems with comics to customers. Or, more to the point, I let them tell me if it's a problem.
I constantly read of other retailers complaining that customers "hate" this or that; while in my store, I hear no such thing.
My guess is that the owners are talking about their own biases; "I hate what they've done to Superman." "Wonderwoman's new costume is ugly." "Oh, ANOTHER cross-over...."
That kind of thing.
And then they complain about their customers having the same feelings.
So, like I said, I prefer to let customers make up their own minds. I mean, I tell them when I think something is really good. I'll be honest if they ask my opinion, but I don't voluntarily subvert a title.
For one thing, tastes vary.
My biggest customer was drawn back into the comic industry by the Clone Sage in Spider-man (Peter Parker was a clone, and not the real Spidey). This series is one of those landmark failures in comics, and yet, here's Rick -- loving it, coming back and reading comics.
So, like I said, I let customers decide.
So when both DC and Marvel comics jumped the price on a lot of their comics from 2.99 to 3.99 a comic, I kept quiet.
Sure, I thought it was nuts to aggressively raise prices in the Great Recession, but I figured my customers would decide for themselves how to handle it. Loudly complaining in my store seemed like suicide.
Well, apparently, both DC and Marvel have decided to retreat from this price point. They are going back to 2.99 on "new" comics, whatever that means. Which I think is kind of amazing. And rare. I suspect the blow back was extreme.
I haven't noticed that comic sales have dropped that much, but then again with 1.00 more per comic, just staying even means I may have lost a hefty percentage of readers and unit numbers.
It remains to be seen how many titles will be affected, or how the consumer will react. But getting 4 comics at 10.80 (with the standard 10% discount) would seem a whole lot more promising for the longterm health of the industry than getting 3 comics at 10.80.
I do not point out problems with comics to customers. Or, more to the point, I let them tell me if it's a problem.
I constantly read of other retailers complaining that customers "hate" this or that; while in my store, I hear no such thing.
My guess is that the owners are talking about their own biases; "I hate what they've done to Superman." "Wonderwoman's new costume is ugly." "Oh, ANOTHER cross-over...."
That kind of thing.
And then they complain about their customers having the same feelings.
So, like I said, I prefer to let customers make up their own minds. I mean, I tell them when I think something is really good. I'll be honest if they ask my opinion, but I don't voluntarily subvert a title.
For one thing, tastes vary.
My biggest customer was drawn back into the comic industry by the Clone Sage in Spider-man (Peter Parker was a clone, and not the real Spidey). This series is one of those landmark failures in comics, and yet, here's Rick -- loving it, coming back and reading comics.
So, like I said, I let customers decide.
So when both DC and Marvel comics jumped the price on a lot of their comics from 2.99 to 3.99 a comic, I kept quiet.
Sure, I thought it was nuts to aggressively raise prices in the Great Recession, but I figured my customers would decide for themselves how to handle it. Loudly complaining in my store seemed like suicide.
Well, apparently, both DC and Marvel have decided to retreat from this price point. They are going back to 2.99 on "new" comics, whatever that means. Which I think is kind of amazing. And rare. I suspect the blow back was extreme.
I haven't noticed that comic sales have dropped that much, but then again with 1.00 more per comic, just staying even means I may have lost a hefty percentage of readers and unit numbers.
It remains to be seen how many titles will be affected, or how the consumer will react. But getting 4 comics at 10.80 (with the standard 10% discount) would seem a whole lot more promising for the longterm health of the industry than getting 3 comics at 10.80.