Gamers N Geeks — Local services in Mobile

Me and my husband used to love coming here every Wednesday to play magic casually, and had a great experience for the past two years as the store had a really great community had built up. However, in the past 3-4 months things have declined severely. We started a DnD campaign in about August and met on Tuesdays here to play, then would go again on Wednesday to play magic like usual. Then, with a weeks notice we were informed that the store would no longer operate on Tuesdays as it wasn't profitable, which is fine and understandable but meant my group had to move our campaign to Wendesdays. We come every week, buy snacks and drinks, and leave a clean space when we leave. However, the staff has grown increasingly impatient and unwelcoming to customers, especially those that play in the D&D rooms it seems. The store closes at 10 and we are almost always out within 5 minutes of closing time (games dont always wrap up on time when you're in the moment), but several times they have resorted to harassment and yelling at customers to get out right as the clock hits 10. Tonight they flashed the lights on and off several times at 9:59 indicating that we needed to get out immediately which makes all of us feel unwelcome. Additionally, the store was recently rearranged in a way that is highly unfunctional and quite frankly a fire hazard by funneling all customers who wish to use the play area past the register line and down a single figurine aisle (which in my opinion is in poor taste as so many of those figures are sexualized anime characters and it is the only way to get to the back of the store now. Kids come in here). When we first visited the rearranged store, rather than guiding us in the right direction, the staff made fun of us for not "reading the big sign" they had put up that is blocked by the counter when you first walk in. Obviously this had been an ongoing issue before us and they were growing tired of it, but of course we were confused as we have been coming here for 2 years and before this, each aisle led to the back. The whole situation is horribly awkward and cramped and honestly makes no functional sense, and feels like they are blocking people from trying to use their space. All of this to say, it feels like the warm, welcoming GnG that we used to love coming to has left. The place feels like it's trying to shut its customers out and doesn't care as much about the people that come here as it used to. And I understand that it's a big space and has a lot of overhead so the prices are more expensive, so I don't take issue with that at all. It's the environment that makes me feel like I am no longer welcome that really has left me disappointed in the way GnG is going. They make us feel like they don't want us...

I hate to leave such a bad review on a small business but hopefully it will be seen and changes will be made.

My friends and I spent every Monday here for about a year. We used one of their dedicated rooms. Several of the rooms are unfinished and we wouldn’t set our bags on the floor because of how filthy the place was. This place used to be a grocery store and there’s a reason they have machines for cleaning floors in a place as big as this - the staff obviously doesn’t take cleaning seriously.

The bathrooms are decrepit, soap dispensers don’t work, trash overflows onto the floor, it is a gas station bathroom of a game store.

On top of the filth, our final straw was the odd behavior of the staff. You must reserve a spot for the rooms to avoid conflicts with other groups. Many times it’s just fine, you say hello, you walk on in because it’s a Monday. We always reserved. This time, a group took our room. We reserved it because it was one of the finished ones without sticky walmart foldable tables and food on the floor. We told the staff and they said “sorry but we won’t make them move.” We said we reserved it. “Sorry, we don’t really use reservations too much.”

We said okay no problem can we get the other finished room? They said “Sorry, another group comes to use that one usually.” Okay so it’s reserved then? “No..” So why do they get it if they aren’t here and it isn’t reserved? “Oh they usually come here.”

You mean like we have for the past 6 months? Every Monday?

Long story short, weird staff, filthy surroundings. Hopefully this changes, customer service matters. I enjoyed them for a long time but no one went out of their way to remember any of our faces nor make it right with us so we...

Good inventory but the space is almost too gigantic with several sections for more private playgroups.

There’s not necessarily a welcoming environment and the vibe is more like visiting a cyber cafe where everyone is doing their own thing without really expanding beyond whoever they showed up with.

Also it’s confusing as hell when the staff refers to each other by name without also providing a direction or time that whoever the expert they use for X Y Z collectible is. If I’m asking I probably don’t know who the person is. I’d suggest saying:

“oh you’ll need to talk to (insert person here):

they’re usually over in that area, or will be here in a few minutes, or let me go get them for you, or I’ll let them know you’re interested and they’ll need to reach you. Can I have your contact info? or they look like this or have this shirt on.”

You know, something that is helpful would be nice. I’ve been here three times and this hasn’t changed in a few years so I figured I’d just put my two cents in.

Otherwise this shop has cornered the hobby market in the entirety of south Alabama. I can’t think of a shop larger or with more inventory. The only comparisons would be JC’s House of Cards in Madison. Pinnacle or Card Addicts in Birmingham. These four stores are as good as you’ll get...