The Sentry Box — Local services in Calgary

While the store is definitely THE place to go for games, there are a couple of things new-comers should be aware of:

The parking is terrible. The front lot is tiny and fills up fast. Driving around to the back lot, you'll notice that you are actually forced to go all the way down the alley, back out onto the street, and around the block. And watch when you pull into this lot! The angle is so steep that only those with trucks will enter without scraping the underside of their vehicles. Oh, and don't be surprised if there's no parking here, either. Get ready to circle the maze of one-way streets in search of a place to leave your car.

The layout of the store, while I'm sure is quite familiar to regulars, can be down-right intimidating to a newbie. Sure, it's easy to tell where the D&D stuff is, where the card games are located, and the book section is pretty obvious... But, if you're new, you're probably looking for a board game, and that's where it gets tough. They are all laid out in aisles alphabetically, which you think would help, but it really doesn't. If you KNOW the game you're after, great. If you're browsing, be prepared to look at stacks of game boxes, trying to determine if one is worth pulling out based purely on what the side of the box looks like. They have so many games, it's impossible to "face" them all like you'd expect in any other retail environment. Needless to say, browsing for something new can be frustrating at best, and a lost afternoon at worst.

You could always ask the staff for help but, as has been pointed out by other reviewers, this can be a hit or miss experience. Many of them are so immersed in the game culture that they seem to have either forgotten not everybody is as invested in it, or they have genuine disdain for those who don't share their fervor. If you don't mind being made to feel small and insignificant, go ahead and ask for assistance.

Don't bother trying to find out if they have what you are looking for via the web. The website is INCREDIBLY out-dated and only uses a Google Site Search framework to (hopefully) guide you to what you are looking for. I guarantee they would do a LOT more business if they updated their site and made it the good first impression it should be... But that would just making the...

I adore this place! I love the selection of dnd items, games, hobby items and books that they have and the gorgeous scores of dice. I host some of my dnd sessions here and the atmosphere, the space and the staff are always top notch. Today I held a session and one of the staff very kindly helped us set up a little corner spot where we could be in our own zone since it was a slower RP/tabletop night and they had the space. The gorgesouly decorated walls really gave the dungeon feeling to the session and helped to create the perfect vibe. There are snacks available to buy in store and for all the Warhammer players, an entire terf and accessories room amd huge tables so all you need is your dice, your guys and your books. (unless you want to buy it all here) The staff are incredible and very helpful. I have never been disappointed and am always met with smiles. If you choose this gamestore as your gaming home base, please remember. The staff, other gamers and aficionados are all people too. Treat everyone with the upmost respect, because this is a safe place for a lot of people and it is paramount to keep it that way for everyone. The staff are deserving of kindness, and do their best to help where they can.

To address all the negative reviews I have seen, and to give an unbiased observation. If you seem confrontational, in this or ANY store, people will not always be willing to welcome you with open arms because they don't want to be on the recieving end of unwanted backlash for things they can't control. I have observed a number of times where a customer would misunderstand the intent of a sign, the price of a sale item, or even the reason for pins or rainbow dice. It has never been instigation from the staff, but a misinterpretation followed by immediately aggressive action or verbal assualt from the customer. The staff put up with a lot of unsavory treatment here, so if they are weary, I don't blame them. Kindness gets kindness back and it costs nothing. Please, again, remember that they are people just like you too, on their own journeys and have their own personalities that deserve just as much respect and validation as yours.

Hope to see everyone enjoy this place as much as I...

Update: I suppose I'm not surprised you're puzzled. You claim to desire a welcoming and friendly environment by greeting us customers with a confrontational and exclusionary sign at your front door. Is that what you do at home? Post passive aggressive signs around the house just in the off chance that someone might consider doing something you dislike?

Perhaps, if you want to be friendly and welcoming. Try a sign that thanks us for choosing your store to spend our hard earned money and precious time in, and welcome us in. Then, if one of us comes in with an article of clothing that displeases you, before bringing them up on charges of war crimes, you could talk to them about it. And maybe go from there? That seems like a course of action that a competent manager would take.

As of right now, it seems like out of all your customers, and all the other customers I see at every other store, you’re the only one being unfriendly, confrontational, and unnecessarily defensive. But hey, it’s your your store, keep your sign up if it makes you happy. :)

Original: Decent store with a big selection. However, I seem to find everything I want elsewhere cheaper.

Also, they seem to believe that we, their customers are KKK members or something. I find it a little insulting that they feel the need to post a message on their door instructing us not to wear "hate symbols".

None of the other stores that I frequent in this city feel the need to post things like that, and all us customers seem to be getting along just fine, and seem to be free of hatred or symbols expressing it. I'm not sure what makes the management of this business feel so threatened by its customers that this is the kind of welcome they have...