Bookstores
Silver Snail
Silver Snail is one of Toronto's most loved comic book stores. In addition to comics, Silver Snail stocks action figures, manga, models, role playing games, trading cards and DVDs.
OCAD in black and white.
By Miriam Olszewski.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
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definitely not worth of first place.
I went in looking for a back issue of The Simpsons and, after searching their pull out cabinets, decided to ask the staff for help. I figured maybe they had kids' comics somewhere else, not among the 'real' comics. The staff member then, in a snarky tone, explained that the comics were in the pull out bins in alphabetical order. He walked me over to the S drawer that I had gone through already. He flipped through a few and then, a touch sheepishly, explained that apparently they did not have any Simpsons comics in the drawer. I have not returned since.
If you want overcrowding, snark and high prices, then I recommend the Snail 100% as they deliver!
Anyway, next time I'm just walking in with my knapsack.
On the plus side, they had a fantastic selection of action figures, though a bit pricey. But hey at least everything is under one roof. However, don't bother with the staff for help.
If something is out of reach don't bother asking for help. They won't. Your better off climbing up or knocking things down to get it ;). Then they're more keen to assist.
But first I must say that during the years that I have been a customer at the Silver Snail I never had a problem with any staff member, always seemed polite and friendly.
I was purchasing an At-At walker Master Replicas $1949 CAD that was just in, and at that time the store owner mentioned to me that Master replicas was making a 32 inch Falcon and that he was getting one in. I replied well lets have a look at it once in and the price tag of course, which was $2600 US I think at that time. (Hard to remember exact $$ figures after years). Any ways the Falcon came in. Price was a little bit high. As a customer who spends a lot of dough, I asked for a little attention, (rebate), few hundred, $300?.
No positive result, so I passed on it. As time went on, and nobody would buy it, I insisted, but no luck. The last time I asked, thats year and a half of that Falcon being dead sitting inventory, I got the following reply:
No we can't give you any discount, you know the owner is pissed off at you, cause he ordered it for you and here you are asking for a discount, and there it is sitting there all this time.
Oh boy if I got pissed. LETS GET THE STORY CLEAR. I NEVER ORDERED IT, OTHERWISE YOU WOULD HAVE CHARGED ME A DEPOSIT, MAKES SENSE?
Anyways, that pushed me to the online ordering, which I was not a fan before. Now I get all my high end statues from the USA, and some cool from OXMOX STUDIOS.
Oh and by the way I got the Falcon when Master was getting Rid of their last inventory due to license expiry with good George Lucas, and payed $1495 US with Ship included. Just had to pay a little of brokerage Fee with DHL ($175) I think it was.
Well anyways you, (the Silver Snail store Owner) might say to me: I could'nt afford $300 rebate for you on the Falcon, well, I would reply with the following question: Can you afford the few thousands $$$ profits a year you just lost from me?
Cheers
Anyhoo, they've lost me as a customer. I used to buy all my monthly comic books and the odd toys from them but not anymore. Years of going in there and leaving the store disgruntled most of the time, it takes a toll. Terrible, like extremely horrible customer service aside, they do have an organized layout of the store...But hell to the no, I'm not coming back! They can go fornicate themselves with their overpriced toys!XP
Pretty Cure(ANIME)
Sailor Moon(ANIME)
Sonic the Hedgehog(ANIME/COMIC)
Shugo Chara!(ANIME/MANGA)
Cybersix(ANIME/COMIC)
Cadcaptor Sakura(ANIME/MANGA)
Let me know, thanks.
http://www.animextreme.ca/
The Staff. Oh man, I have TRIED to give them the benefit of the doubt, but more often than not in my experience there they have been the opposite of helpful when asked simple questions, and at various times downright rude and pretentious as if being able to work at the comic store allows you some sort of permission to be a dick to people.
The bag check thing. I can't count on my hands how many people this pisses off (including myself). Rule #1 of Customer Service: You do NOT treat your customers like they are pre-emtive thieves. I get that you can't merch tag the comics. I get that, but you kno what you do in that situation? Fix the damned layout of the store, and staff it at intervals so that customers can be watched and not steal. It's pretty simple, but nine times out of ten when I went into the snail and they asked for my bag, I walked right back out. I'm not a thief, so don't treat me like one. It takes PAYING ATTENTION to run a store like that. If you want to be lazy, fine, but don't ask me to relinquish my property because your staff is too lazy to watch what is happening.
Front staff / cash person: Small talk is okay...LONG small talk is NOT okay. If people have to stand in line for a half hour so you can chat away, then you are not doing your job.
So a few years back I switched to ONE MILLION COMIX (on Yonge) as the staff is always helpful, the layout is perfect (with new releases and recent releases mixed along a whole long wall spread out and preventing traffic jams) with wide open space between it and the back issue drawers. They give you free bags and boards for every issue you buy (this is a little perk, but a nice one). Lastly, they always have 4 or 5 people working, one person at front cash, one in the middle by the toys, one in or around the back issue drawers and one right at the very back. Hey Silver Snail owners/Staff: You know what such staffing position prevents? Theft. They don't ask for your bags (because that's assinine), but instead they staff the store properly and they PAY ATTENTION to what is happening there. They have loyal customers and we patronize their store over over-rated places like the Snail because the customer service is great, the selection is damn fine and the experience is always pleasant.
I have heard that the Snail is moving from Queen. Good. It's time that it is recognized as the over-priced, elitist-staffed, ill-treatment of customers, waste of space it is.
Now I stay away from the Silver Snail. I am into collecting statues, so all my orders go to (Gentle Giant, Weta Collectibles, Sideshow Collectibles, Master Replicas all in the US and some in Australia such as Studio Oxmox).
And guess what? They end up costing a bit less than the way over inflated prices from the Silver Snail, even after adding the brokerage and shipping fees.
I regret spending so many thousands before at the Silver Snail and never seeing a single penny discount!
The more people become aware, the less people will shop there and the sooner they will close their doors. I tell all my buddies about my experience with the Silver Snail and to read these reviews before considering buying at the Silver Snail!
So glad they will be gone from Queen soon. I live in that area a few blocks from the Eaton Centre and often I pass by the store, makes me sick.
Each time it reminds me of the stupidity going on at that store!
Fuck it then, no bags and boards for me. I decided to go the bins and look up a few relatively unpopular titles from the 70s, of which I've previously bought for less than $5 each. Not a single issue I looked up was under $30.
I live within 10 minutes of Silver Snail, but I'll never go back as this isn't the first time the staff were less than minimal.
bad things go on in the back room often young mothers have complained of unkempt smells coming from the building..
I just received my Hot Toys “Iron Man 2 Suit-Up Gantry Mark-IV” from SS.
1) Price at Silver Snail $599 plus tax
2) Price from Side Show Collectible (USA) $499 US dollars
1) Final price at Silver Snail $599 + 13% HST = $676.87
2) Final price if ordered from SS in USA = $499 + $24.95 ship converted to CAD dollars is $542.28 CAD plus FEDEX bill $75 CAD= $617.28
Price difference is $59.59 more expensive buying it from the Silver Snail, plus we don’t get $20-$40 free rewards points like with SS.
Oh yeah, but to be fair, I must mention that we do get as a free bonus at the Silver Snail the rude attitude behavior from staff.
Does it make any $$$ sense?
Buyer, beware, shop around before getting ripped off in TORONTO at the Silver Snail.
Which is why I have already ordered my Hulk Maquette from SS for $649 US plus I get $32.50 in rewards points.
Waiting for Feb 2013! Go-Go Side Show Collectibles!
Don't get me wrong... I love comics. I do, but the Snail helped take all the fun out of it and now I've beat my addiction.
Thank you Silver Snail for stupid prices, No bags and Boards policy, the sometimes imposed bag check policy, the terrible New Arrivals section and last but not least and the reason I was able to kick my addiction... The worst ever staff at any place on earth. Period. (and I have traveled a lot... even Parisian cafes have staff that fake manners!)
Silver Snail... you make my tummy turn. (in a Van Wilder eclair kinda way.)
The worst part of all these negative reviews is that the staff are wackin off to them.
I can deal with bad service if the rest of the experience is good, but of course, it's not, as is well-documented. The comics are well organized, but WAY overpriced. I mentioned Batwoman; I couldn't believe that recent issues that could still be easily found were marked up to $5-10. Don't buy anything dating before 1975 here; anything old, regardless of the quality and rarity of the issue, is priced like it's 1990 and the market for comics is hot. You can find it all for much cheaper online. Back issues that can be found for a couple bucks elsewhere are marked waaaay up, presumably because unsuspecting buyers who don't do their research will buy them anyway and think they're getting something really rare. Also, even recent back issues that presumably have only been sitting in their bins for a few months have cover damage, a problem I haven't encountered at places like Comic Warehouse in Brampton, but which isn't surprising given how tightly the books are jammed into the drawers at Silver Snail. The hardcover and trade paperback collections, as they were at the old location, are scattered fairly randomly around the store and of course, like the individual comics, are marked above retail price.
As I said, there's no reason at all to come here. The experience is bad and you'll be wasting your money.