Bionic Lester
Cheng's Errand Boy
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2002
- Posts
- 115
Advanced warning, this post has jack shit to do with videogames.
I've recently (Feb 1st) started working at my local games (as in boardgames and warhammer stuff) store of choice. Its a great job, and since I work nights I'm basically getting paid to paint and surf the net most of the time. However I experienced something that bothered me today.
On Sundays I run the store alone and we hold a tournament for the card game Magic. A guy by the name of Mike (who is not an employee) supervises it. Towards the end of today's tourny, from what I understand (I was on the other side of the store telling a new 40K player the pros and cons of Imperial Guard during the beginning of this story), one of the older players (14-15 at least) more or less browbeat a younger player (probably 6 or 7) into a trade he didn't want to do. The kid is fucking crying in front of his mother and all the other kids are yelling at the older kid for it, but he tries to save face by saying "I've gotten screwed in trades before and I wanted to teach him a lession so it doesn't happen to him again" (Bullshit, you manipulated a little kid and are trying to save face).
At this point I don't really feel its my place to interject, but I go up to the kid. I basically point out that if the younger kid had been 12 or 14 then yeah, he could be like "I got screwed. That sucked, oh well" but this is a 6 year old who doesn't know any better. Older kid keeps interrupting me until I snap at him "Stop talking" very sternly. (apparently Mike heard and was like "I can't believe he said that!"). I tell the kid "Look, I'm not speaking as a member of the store staff. I'm speaking as me. Stop being a dick". I think I scared him a bit because he's finally like "Fine! I'll give it back", but just then as luck would have it, the kid who won the tourny gets the same card this dispute is over in one of his prize booster packs and gives it to the young kid.
Before the winner stepped in and graciously gave away that card I was VERY tempted to tell the older kid to either do the trade back, or leave the store and not come back. First of all, the entire point of these tournies is to promote a friendly playing environment. This older kid ruined that today. Secondly, the little kid was crying in front of his *mother* for fuck's sake!. I'm betting that kid has friends who play, both in attendence today and not. Those friends have mothers and mothers talk. This could make the store look bad.
Thing is, I don't want to overstep my bounds so soon after I've started working there. I did talk to Mike later on, and told him that I didn't want to tell how to run his tournament, but if I was in charge, I wouldn't let that problem player back next week. Mike nodded and said he thought I might be right and that he'd think about it.
I'm going to have to talk to the owner of the store tomorrow and get his opinion on this.
Thoughts?
I've recently (Feb 1st) started working at my local games (as in boardgames and warhammer stuff) store of choice. Its a great job, and since I work nights I'm basically getting paid to paint and surf the net most of the time. However I experienced something that bothered me today.
On Sundays I run the store alone and we hold a tournament for the card game Magic. A guy by the name of Mike (who is not an employee) supervises it. Towards the end of today's tourny, from what I understand (I was on the other side of the store telling a new 40K player the pros and cons of Imperial Guard during the beginning of this story), one of the older players (14-15 at least) more or less browbeat a younger player (probably 6 or 7) into a trade he didn't want to do. The kid is fucking crying in front of his mother and all the other kids are yelling at the older kid for it, but he tries to save face by saying "I've gotten screwed in trades before and I wanted to teach him a lession so it doesn't happen to him again" (Bullshit, you manipulated a little kid and are trying to save face).
At this point I don't really feel its my place to interject, but I go up to the kid. I basically point out that if the younger kid had been 12 or 14 then yeah, he could be like "I got screwed. That sucked, oh well" but this is a 6 year old who doesn't know any better. Older kid keeps interrupting me until I snap at him "Stop talking" very sternly. (apparently Mike heard and was like "I can't believe he said that!"). I tell the kid "Look, I'm not speaking as a member of the store staff. I'm speaking as me. Stop being a dick". I think I scared him a bit because he's finally like "Fine! I'll give it back", but just then as luck would have it, the kid who won the tourny gets the same card this dispute is over in one of his prize booster packs and gives it to the young kid.
Before the winner stepped in and graciously gave away that card I was VERY tempted to tell the older kid to either do the trade back, or leave the store and not come back. First of all, the entire point of these tournies is to promote a friendly playing environment. This older kid ruined that today. Secondly, the little kid was crying in front of his *mother* for fuck's sake!. I'm betting that kid has friends who play, both in attendence today and not. Those friends have mothers and mothers talk. This could make the store look bad.
Thing is, I don't want to overstep my bounds so soon after I've started working there. I did talk to Mike later on, and told him that I didn't want to tell how to run his tournament, but if I was in charge, I wouldn't let that problem player back next week. Mike nodded and said he thought I might be right and that he'd think about it.
I'm going to have to talk to the owner of the store tomorrow and get his opinion on this.
Thoughts?
