Imperial Hobbies Ltd — Local services in Richmond

They basically implied that I was there to steal. I had just come from school so I had my backpack with me. A minute after I walked into their store, one of the staff asked me if I could leave my backpack behind the counter.

ONE) That is incredibly rude, assuming and unprofessional. I felt like I was being treated as a criminal, rather than a customer. Obviously the only reason they would ask is because they thought I was gonna sneak a few things into my bag. I don't steal and I've never stolen anything in my life. I also work in retail, so I know that they shouldn't ask that because...

TWO) If they lose my bag or anything in my bag they are held accountable for that loss. Also if there were any damage done to my belongings, they'd be responsible for that as well. Even though I felt insulted and discriminated against, I obliged because I didn't wanna argue. However...

THREE) I could've easily lied and accused them for causing damage or losing my stuff. For example, when I had gone back to the counter to reclaim my backpack, I could've lied and said that my $2000 rent money which I keep in an envelope of cash in my bag had gone missing and since they were holding my bag, they were liable for that loss. Anyone could sue them and they willingly put themselves in that position to be vulnerable.

In all of my professionally trained years of experience in customer service and loss prevention, I feel that what they did was wrong and that I was treated unfairly. If they ever assume that a person is there to steal, it is their job to deter that theft by providing that person with really good customer service. That way they can actually help that customer, whilst monitoring that customer without being so blatantly rude...

I have also been a customer of Imperial Hobbies for over 15 years now..also going back to when they were in Landsdown Mall.

I used to love going here and the store has in fact changed many times since then, and now especially, for the worse.

Staff is rude, they really know nothing about what is in their own store or otherwise, and they have so much apathy and lack of drive it is astounding. A staff member actually came up to my friend and I (both of us have spent an insane amount of money there over the yrs), and said " We need to close up soon, so if you could wrap up we would like to get home".. This was 23mins before closing.. We mentioned that , and he said " some of us need time off too".. wow dude..must be a hard 6hrs that week. I guess my 40hrs overtime does not give me the right to shop until closing. The lame duck staff, combined with the insanely high prices ($20+ more than other shops in some cases.), the owner's "I own the best shop in the city" attitude, lack of effort to bring in what you need in a timely manor, etc, etc, just means we haven't been back since. Good luck with all the people who used to care about your store no longer making that trek. 2 stars for a large store with a good amount of product, but..nothing to brag about. Go to Magic Box, Ages 3 and Up, or anywhere else really.. even just to save money, time,...

Massive selection for any hobby you're into. Tons of painting supplies and accessories as well. I gave it 4 stars because of the location and sheer volume of product. It was a bit difficult to find what I was looking for.

Edit:

I've been shopping here fairly regularly for around 3 years, mostly for wizkids minis and more recently warhammer minis. There is no denying this place has insane selection for everything they carry.

The reason I've changed my review from 4 stars to 2 stars is strictly because of my experiences with employees.

Some of the employees have been great, particularly a young Asian fellow who helped me out today. He was polite and helpful. However, he needed assistance from a manager(a fellow named alex) who was visibily perturbed that his coworker needed his assistance. I was uncomfortable just observing their interaction.

This is just one example of many times I've experienced disconnected, grumpy or outright salty interactions from the staff at an otherwise fantastic store.

I remained a loyal customer, despite living in Vancouver and a plethora of options that are closer.. but for future purchases I will be taking my business elsewhere. The interaction I witnessed today was the straw that broke the...