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Review content:
So I have been going to this Great Escape store for decades. Heck, I remember when they moved it from beside Burger King to where it is now. Back in the day this store was a great place to shop and a great childhood memory of mine (my first experience was probably in 1982 or so).
Lately however, I have been very disappointed with my shopping experiences there, to the point that it is no longer a ""destination"" store for me, but more of an afterthought if I happen to be in the area or have nothing else to do (unlike the far superior McKay's which IS a must). Sad really when I think about what once was :(
First off, this store is always overstaffed with people who either don't want to help or think that their commentary behind the counter amongst themselves actually has some sort of value to the customers who can easily overhear their every negative word, usually revolving around such hot topics as ""this movie sucks"", ""I thought the original comic book edition was better"" or ""customers are so stupid"" all ironically while the AM hits of yesteryear are oozing out of the speakers with Bee Gees or Little River Band classics. While in one sense this makes for a hilarious backdrop, it really is unprofessional (and uncomfortable) to hear such negative talk in earshot of the people who pay their paychecks and bills! Last time I was there, I heard people in the parking lot talking about how bad the staff is. They were referring to one employee as the ""rock-n-roll Bozo"", apparently because of his long, clownish curly hair and another employee as ""Long Duck Dong"", I'm guessing because of his Asian heritage. I say this not to embarrass anyone, but to paint the realistic picture of how they are viewed by the public at large.
So think of the Jack Black character in the movie High Fidelity which isn't unusual in this type of setting, and that's basically what you are dealing with. So even with this type of attitude, I could deal with it if they were at least accomodating when you need something. They are not. If anything is behind the counter, out of arms reach, or not priced yet, forget getting help! What you get is ""check back in a few days""or ""uh, it doesn't have a price on it"". We are in a recession, money is hard to come by, yet a willing, paying customer is standing in their face and they are basically turned away. Turning down money in a recession is not only ignorant, it's mind boggling!
My advice is get off your ass, put out the stock you haven't yet (God knows there's enough people there working at any given time to do it), pull the discs and comics from behind the counter to the edge of the counter if someone asks to see them and get your price gun ready to roll if something doesn't have a price tag on it! You may actually sell something! How hard is it? Well apparently at the Great Escape Madison, it's very difficult.
I also want to take this time to praise the folks at the Charlotte location of Great Escape. Tammy is amazingly
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