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October 14, 2005
Boredom and the Foreign Guy
To those who don’t know me well my lifestyle may seem rather idyllic. I don’t work, I pursue academics only part time and so am gifted with a great deal of free time. To this I say, “the grass is always greener on the other side”. I envy those who attend full time studies or hold down work. For all the down sides, a dependable income is nothing to scoff at.
Mostly, what I want to talk about is the idea of boredom in a foreign country. For all the sites and splendour, it happens, especially if mobility is a concern. I can think of a half dozen things I’d like to do in Edinburgh alone but none of them are really spur of the moment activities. Climbing Calton hill or taking a bus tour involve planning and a certain amount of preparation for me. Money, schedules, pain levels, weather and the like have to be considered. I love doing these sorts of afternoon trips or day trips to interesting Castles and Abbeys but they are not the answer to too many quiet afternoons.
The other facet of boredom in a foreign country is that linking up with friends, be it a regular get together or spontaneous doesn’t happen. Friends are in a different time zone of significant separation. Meeting new friends is great but takes time. Depending on how out going a person is it can take more or less time.
Boredom also carries another facet that many friends and I have talked about. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. At this moment I can think of a half dozen activities I could be doing. None of them are exceptionally inspiring but they would keep me busy. Instead my afternoon has been spent in front of the computer. Logical this may not be, but when you’re doing things and energised it becomes much easier to do those less inspiring tasks, like dishes.
Rereading this post, boredom really doesn’t change a lot even in a foreign country. The sites are less a cure than one might assume at first glance and isolation does play a factor. The rest is pretty much the same. Keeping active and doing things is really the best cure wherever you are. If in doubt there’s always a blog post to write and as some of my readers know I should probably do more of those.
cheers
Posted by Bluerevolutionist at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)
October 06, 2005
The Gaming Store
I can’t say precisely what has motivated me to write this particular post. I think it may simply have been observing the local gaming store. While it doesn’t have to deal with issues of competition, none the less it seems to avoid some of the pitfalls of gaming stores.
As some who read this are aware I’ve had my hand in a couple of gaming stores. One as a regular and part time employee, one as an owner/ operator. I have also as a gamer in Edmonton had the opportunity to observe the infamous chain of stores found there.
There are certain problems that seem inevitable with gaming stores. The owners will be surly, the employees disinterested and the inventory never quite satisfactory. I’m really not sure what the solution to these issues are. They may in fact be unavoidable.
I have yet to see a gaming store where the owner or owners are not to one degree or another surly or otherwise out of sorts. Gamers as a whole are a difficult lot. Combine with running a business, hopefully successfully, and its not really surprising. The best that I’ve seen is when the owner channelled that surliness into part of his persona. It becomes humorous rather than intimidating or stand-offish. I have great respect to anyone who can pull it off.
Unlike the owners, the staff at gaming stores tend to be indifferent to their surroundings. It might be an exaggeration to say that the store could be burning down around them and they wouldn’t notice but not much of one. As a whole they go in with the highest of hopes. Almost always gamers, they see a chance to earn money while pursuing their hobby. Invariably they are disillusioned. No gaming store I know of can afford to pay well. Gamers are hard to deal with on an extended basis and when there aren’t customers there’s very little to do. Gaming store staff tend to become disinterested all too quickly. The only aid I’ve seen to work is a staff member who was able to balance outside (school related) projects with activities in the store. Most staff are not so successful.
As far as inventory goes I have the deepest sympathy for owners and anyone responsible for stock. Dealing with suppliers is a nightmare. Problems are further enhanced as a lack of capital means that over stocking is not an option. Though not likely to happen I don’t think a gaming store owner can go in with too much capital. The trick is in reading the customers and knowing what they want. Far to many owners stock what they would want to buy without considering the larger customer base.
These are just a few random thoughts on operating a gaming store. While I may have a trove of stories and advice, copious drink is needed to get me going. I have great respect for the people who succeed at combining there hobby and business.
Posted by Bluerevolutionist at 10:36 PM | Comments (0)