I visited this card shop yesterday for the Mega Evolutions pre-release and was very excited to find a local card shop to frequent close to home. I arrived at the store and walked in with a couple gentlemen who had arrived at the same time as me for the pre-release. While we were waiting in line I was chatting with the gentleman in front of me about the products available, our favorite chase cards in the new set, etc. After the gentleman in front of me finished purchasing his booster box, I proceeded to the register and the employee asked me if I lived with/was married to the man in front of me. I promptly said no, as he was a stranger I was just conversing with in line, and was told that if I was "gaming the system" I would not be permitted to buy product in the future. I kindly explained to the employee that this was not my intention and I was there to purchase cards for my personal collection. He denied me a booster box and told me I was only able to purchase 6 individual booster sleeves because the limit is "one per household". While I certainly understand the policy and the reason it is in place, it is difficult for me to believe I was denied product when I simply walked in and was kindly conversing with the stranger in line in front of me. If the policy is one per household, then the employee should have been checking IDs and would have seen that the individual in front of me and I did not reside in the same household. It's extremely frustrating to be denied product on an accusation that I am married to/in a relationship with the other people in line simply because I am a woman. I very much enjoy collecting cards and maintaining my own personal collection, participating in leagues, and frequenting local card shows. I waited in the store for the other patrons behind me to check out and none of the men behind me in line were asked if they had any relationship to the others in line. What I was hoping would be a great experience at Great Escape Gaming was a significant let down. I unfortunately will not be returning and would strongly suggest other patrons (especially females) to be wary of this establishment and how they implement and maintain their internal policies.
706 West Court Street
Flint, MI 48503
United States
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Checked out this store for the first time to find new spots to buy and trade in MTG and Pokémon cards. It was just me and my partner in there, and right away it felt like the staff didn’t want us there. They were rushing us, and none of the cards had prices—either on the counter or in the binders. They used TCGplayer to price everything, which is fine, but they insisted on charging the Near Mint price no matter what condition the cards were in. I bought a Pikachu card that was crammed into a binder slot with five others, no sleeves or anything. It was clearly dinged up, but the guy still charged me full price like it was in perfect shape. He was also rude to my partner any time she asked about card prices—like we were annoying him just by being there. The final straw was when he tried to sell me a full-art card that was super bent and looked like it had been chewed on—for $35. That card sells for around $13 in damaged condition on TCGplayer, but he still wanted full Near Mint price. It's a decent place visually but other than that it was not a nice time.
I started coming here last August and have had nothing but positive experiences. The store is always clean and well stocked with product and the staff are super friendly and knowledgeable. I primarily play Magic the Gathering and Pokémon TCG and the other people at these events have been very welcoming. If you're on the fence about coming in and playing or are new and wanting to learn, you couldn't find a better place!
