Dark Side Games — Local services in Duarte

I recently visited Darkside games shop that left me with an overwhelmingly negative experience, and I feel compelled to share my disappointment. The Darkside games shop, located in target store plaza, seemed promising from the outside, but the reality inside was far from expectations.

From the moment I stepped in, an unwelcoming atmosphere engulfed the store. The staff appeared disinterested and unwilling to assist customers. When I inquired about the available inventory, I was met with vague responses and a dismissive attitude. It was clear that they had no intention of sharing information about their stock with the public. I was mainly interested in the Lorcana trading game for my son, and I asked numerous times if they had it in stock, but they said it was unavailable. Two days later, I saw their instagram stating they sold out of their recent inventory.

This lack of transparency was not only frustrating but also left me wondering about the quality and variety of the cards they had to offer. A good card shop should be proud of its collection and eager to share it with customers, fostering a sense of excitement and anticipation. Unfortunately, Darkside games Card Shop fell short on this front.

The shop seemed to prioritize a select group of customers, leaving others feeling like outsiders. There was a noticeable sense of gatekeeping, with certain information being withheld and an overall unwillingness to engage with visitors. This elitist approach creates a toxic environment that discourages new customers from exploring the world of cards and collectibles.

Moreover, the stench within the shop was unbearable. It was a peculiar combination of mustiness and neglect, suggesting a lack of cleanliness and proper maintenance. A well-maintained store is essential for creating a positive shopping experience, but Darkside games card shop failed miserably in this regard.

In conclusion, my visit to the Darkside games shop was nothing short of disappointing. The lack of transparency, unfriendly staff, and unpleasant ambiance left me with a negative impression. I would caution any potential customers to think twice before entering this establishment, as there are undoubtedly better options available for those seeking a positive and enjoyable...

Well-run prerelease events. Devotes a ton of retail area to play space. Very capable staff with good MTG judging knowledge.

Very good quality chairs and tables.

Areas for improvement: events do not start on time, even though latecomers could easily get a more abbreviated deck construction time. As a result, events run long. Could use table numbers, and use assigned seating to accommodate those with special needs. Could use the big TV to post round pairings and round timers instead showing movies or music videos.

As they can invest more, a sound system and quality microphone would be a huge win.

No match slips, so results must be reported in person. Staff should probably wear store apparel or name tags. I had no idea one guy was staff and judging until I made a judge call.

I suggest checking out an event at Next Gen Games in mid-wilshire to see how they can up the professionalism of their events. Jago Goddard developed a bunch of these improvements to help them run like clockwork.

Commander and D&D players dominate 2-4 tables, which is understandable-- they are customers, too. But during tournaments, Dark Side did a nice job of ensuring we had exactly enough seating. (Which was challenging because at least one special needs player needed an extra seat for his brother) These other customers were pretty outburst-prone, but that's part and parcel of almost any game store. Space is tight. Breaking down or moving one of those tables would make the bathroom more accessible and transit from the seating easier.

They also leave a lot of fairly valuable singles on the counters, even next to the land station. I'm used to seeing that stuff in glass cases, so I take it as a good signal that this is a store with good culture and free they problems.

I observed one female player and one female customer, and they were both treated respectfully. Would love to see more...

I went to a Magic Prerelease event here. Before i went to the location, i gave Dark Side Games a call to see if there were still open slots available for me and my friends to join and play. The staff are nice and answered my questions. When we arrived there to play, they greeted us. My group and i felt very at ease going into the store. The environment is friendly. I had a very great experience along with my group of friends. I would recommend anyone who is interested in card games. They cater to most card game players with their variety of TCG and Accessories (Magic, Yugioh, Pokemon, Weiss, etc). They also cater to anyone who is interested in board games and miniatures. They have a lot of Dungeons and Dragons & Warhammer supplies here from miniatures to books and paints. When my group first came here to this shop years ago, we met the owner. He's a nice guy. He asked what we were playing at the time because we were playing Vanguard and weiss. The store didn't have those products. The next time we came we saw the products that we mentioned. My group of friends and i am glad to call Dark Side Games our best game store out of all the stores we have been to around the area. The play area is huge. And enough for friends to come and hang out and play. I brought my Dragon sleeves here, not knowing the actual physical color look like. Thankfully, one of the staff that helped me said they have a sample for me to see the actual color of the sleeves. Im happy with the sleeves and the color preference they...