Sometimes shops run by gamers just boggle my mind...

[Vladimir Raukov]

Wow, I must be lucky. Sure, my local GW store has had its share of PLZBEMYFRIENDANDBUYSTUFFYOUDON'TNEED type of managers, but the one we have now is pretty chill. Well, that or he's straight up given up trying to sell me stuff I'm not interested in.

There's a small board game/miniature/card game/miscellanious nerd emporium called good games next door though. Nice bunch, but the store's often filled with card tourneys. It's still a nice place to snag board games, though.

Then there's this place: http://thecombatcompany.com/. It's a bit of a drive from my house, but the prices, variety and generally chill employees have ensured my business for years to come.  

[Momotaro]

Unfortunately, the staff are a selection of dyed-in-the-wool miserablists. Every time I go in there, I get scowled at, then either pointedly ignored, or watched very ostentatiously as a deterrence to shoplifting. Never a smile, or a hello or goodbye - nothing. Just bad vibes and negative waves. I do occasionally buy things, which doesn't seem to make much difference to the all-pervasive chilliness. If only they were nice, friendly people, I'd almost certainly buy a lot more. But they're not. So I think - 'why should I bother?'

They're always nice and friendly to me...

My local games shops in Lincoln are great - the chaps in Titan Games are knowledgeable and friendly, Audrey in The Games Store/Comic Colture is ace, and even the local GW folks are chilled.

Access Models and Wild Ways in Newark are good too, and Foundry is definitely worth a daytrip for some gaming and shopping.

I hear Nottingham has a couple of games companies as well...

[Cubs]

We've had a few small hobby shops in Cardiff sprout up then disappear. What they seem to have in common is socially-awkward staff more interested in playing some card game or other than serving people. And chronic body odour.

Firestorm Games has a very different feel to it and it's no surprise to me that they seem to be slowly taking over the world. Their new premises are massive.

[black hat miniatures]

Ian who runs the new(ish) Woking store I Buy Wargames (terrible name, but...) is friendly, chatty and seems to be doing very well at the moment.  he has taken on a new member of staff so they can open on Sundays.  He mostly stocks boutique style games and a lot of things I am not interested in, but I have made an effort to order a few things through him just to give him some custom...

Mike

[Vermis]

crivens, at least they didn't tell you you were an absolute idiot for liking old school RPG's and how stupid you were for not buying the latest version of the game. Even after being told to back off he continued in that vein..............

I knew a guy like that. In a GW store no less! Told me off for trying to buy a space marine with a multi melta, even though I was doing Salamanders. But then he was practically the model for Viz's War Workshop Assistant. (Even looks like him!) And this was before that 'dynasty' of staff got canned and replaced. (Although these days I'm more likely to chew my own hand off than start a new army bought from a GW store, I can't fault the current manager of that branch. He's great.)

There's a small board game/miniature/card game/miscellanious nerd emporium called good games next door though. Nice bunch, but the store's often filled with card tourneys. It's still a nice place to snag board games, though.

We've had a few small hobby shops in Cardiff sprout up then disappear. What they seem to have in common is socially-awkward staff more interested in playing some card game or other than serving people. And chronic body odour.

Used to be a shop like that, that opened near the GW. Stocked games like Starship Troopers, which was great; but the shop was the size of a broom cupboard (seriously, the owner looked like he should have had Gordon the Gopher beside him, perched behind that tiny counter), constantly full of kids on some constant (chronic...) Yu-Gi-Oh or Magic tourney, and the owner would much rather pay attention to them anyway.

The shop didn't last long. The story I heard was that the owner cheated some big guy who wanted him to sell a GW army for him, got badly beaten for it, and was threatened with worse if he was ever seen again. Sounds a bit apocryphal, but in the middle of Belfast, not entirely far-fetched.

Then there's the other model shop, also nearby those previous two. Almost a Belfast institution, the owner had a bit of a reputation for mucking people about with orders, prices, the authenticity of his products, etc. I never saw much of that, but popped in occassionally for the odd wargaming or modelling bit. (It's more a scale model shop, with 28mm wargaming stuff down one end behind all the 1/35 tanks and 'orrible 1/72 vinyl) The shop changed hands a couple of years ago, and the new owner started stocking PSC stuff when I thought I was getting into WWII gaming. Brilliant, I thought! I'll support that.
I had to place orders for a few things, though. He mostly stocked 15mm for the FoW crowd, and I needed 1/72, among other general things. But then the orders took their time. I'd turn up every week or every other week to see if things had turned up, but his distributors never seemed to be able to provide him with the stuff; even things like simple dice, that I could've bought from EM4 - and did, because I ended up cancelling some orders.
I gave up when I was waiting ages on some 1/72 Panzer IIIs and IVs. Turned up one day and saw a box of 1/72 Pz IIIs nestled among all the 15mms on the shelf. I'm almost sure those were 'my' tanks, and that the IVs were already gone. (Not the first time an in-store order had ended up for grabs on the shelf, which is partly why I don't shop at Waterstones anymore) I bought them, didn't say anything, and didn't go back.
Well, once, not so long ago, looking for basic green static grass. I knew he had a wall full of different types, but when I checked, it was almost empty. I have a feeling that old shop won't be a Belfast landmark for much longer...

I don't know what was going on. I don't know if I bothered him too often, because I always picked up any orders that came in, and tried to buy some wee thing when they didn't. (Heck, I ordered and bought an airbrush compressor from him, even after he told me it was a Badger and it ended up being off-brand) I've heard people say that shop owners don't like having orders lying around, and it's your own fault for not being there the moment they arrive, but that sounds bogus. I don't think two small boxes is an unreasonable burden, and as mentioned, you could've set your watch by me. He knew I'd be in to get them before too long.

And then there was this shop. Blimey, we have no luck for gaming shops over here. I've heard rumours that 'War Workshop' guy was involved with that mess, too.

[tin shed gamer]

 I think you can't go far wrong with the Simpsons stereotype.It seem to be the world standard for the shortsighted gamer retailer,It does apply to a lot of GW staff the indignant look they get on there faces when they realise there trying to teach granny how to suck eggs,especially when your just trying to pick up the odd pot of paint,Sometimes it feels your talking to the toy soldier moonies.
But the business is full of bizarre stories ,Here one poor sod (retailer of 20 years the quietest and unassuming person I'd ever met) was assassinated I kid you not ,What was even worse for his family was that it was a case of mistaken identity( ran over him multiple times in a lorry .)It spelt the end for the only model shop in the city of any worth,and has been replaced by an endless stream of the types of short lived shops you've mentioned.
These days I tend to avoid stores and those who dwell with in,it's still amuses me how nothing has changed in nearly thirty years and how you can spot gamers from a mile off,especially the younger ones (and think oh lad just one night a week put down the dice discover alcohol and breasts .combined there far more exciting than a +2 armour save.Try waking up on Darlington train station fully dressed with no socks or underpants when you just popped out for one in Bulford ! you might just find your a better gamer for it!)
That may be just be a Hull and khaki way of gaming .

[nic-e]

I think you can't go far wrong with the Simpsons stereotype.It seem to be the world standard for the shortsighted gamer retailer,It does apply to a lot of GW staff the indignant look they get on there faces when they realise there trying to teach granny how to suck eggs,especially when your just trying to pick up the odd pot of paint,Sometimes it feels your talking to the toy soldier moonies.
But the business is full of bizarre stories ,Here one poor sod (retailer of 20 years the quietest and unassuming person I'd ever met) was assassinated I kid you not ,What was even worse for his family was that it was a case of mistaken identity( ran over him multiple times in a lorry .)It spelt the end for the only model shop in the city of any worth,and has been replaced by an endless stream of the types of short lived shops you've mentioned.
These days I tend to avoid stores and those who dwell with in,it's still amuses me how nothing has changed in nearly thirty years and how you can spot gamers from a mile off,especially the younger ones (and think oh lad just one night a week put down the dice discover alcohol and breasts .combined there far more exciting than a +2 armour save.Try waking up on Darlington train station fully dressed with no socks or underpants when you just popped out for one in Bulford ! you might just find your a better gamer for it!)
That may be just be a Hull and khaki way of gaming .

I found that it went games,girls, booze, booze and girls, girlfriend, games and girlfriend and booze, waking up at peckham train station with a bag full of dice cus you decided to play d&d in a club with shots for hp.

[tin shed gamer]

Sounds reasonable .

[grant]