Snobby Workers: Will you still buy?

I think it is fairly common knowledge that Volks only have Volks dolls in their shops, and at their cons. I think most doll companies would feel the same- the rudeness is more on your friend rather than the company. I don't really see how they could be considered snobby about it; I think they are within their own jurisdiction to say what they like on their own premises; all shops are like that. To reiterate- this has always been the case with Volks; that's why they have Dolpa's that are purely theirs. It might seem petty, but I don't consider it snobbish really.

It seems people are making a lot of comments about Volks at the moment; not sure what they're doing to make people feel this way- their rules haven't changed in anyway and neither have their standards.

 

This. What's up with this? And yes, it has always been Volks' policy that only Volks dolls are allowed in their show room. I think it was rude of your friend to bring another company's doll to a Volks store. Didn't Elfdoll have a store at one point? IIRC they did. I doubt they'd want me bringing any of my Volks dolls in.

I really don't think the employees at Volks were being rude, just enforcing a well known store policy.

 

This is really more a problem of cultural differences. To the Japanese, bringing another maker's doll into their store is the height of rudeness. To most americans, treating a potential customer poorly is the height of rudeness, regardless of the make of whatever they choose to bring with them. I think Volks is the only company that it's really obvious with because they're the only ones who have a US showroom and do dolpas and the like.

I think understanding those differences can make buying from international companies much more fulfilling. However, there's also the option of sticking with the US doll shops and vendors who take the cultural differences out of buying. That way americans can get the dolls they want and the service they're used to.

 

Volks has always been that way about their shops. I can't say I personally agree with it, but it's how they've done their business and that's not up to me. If I needed an item from their physical location and went to get it, I would just go sans doll. It's their chosen business practice, and nobody is forcing me to shop there. I don't equate the way they do things with snobbery, so much as brand loyalty though.

I somehow doubt they were rude to her about it, and that she might just be feeling like a victim because she didn't know they ran their stores that way. Now, if an employee was truly rude to me even without seeing my doll (aka. for no reason), I might think otherwise about shopping there, because that is unacceptable in retail.

 

I'm sure your other friend was indicating either verbally or through body language that they were unimpressed with Volks' justified denial, which earned this 'snobby' reaction.

 

Here's where I think the disconnect is: Volks is not running a doll store, they are running a Volks store. In Japan, brand loyalty and identification are huge, and it would be considered very rude to bring a competitor's merchandise into a branded store or event. While this may fly in the face of the American expectation of 'the customer is always right' (and therefore the customer can do whatever he/she wants ), it's their store and their rules. The same would apply for a Dolpa event (Volks dolls only, not even Volks hybrids are acceptable).

 

Obviously your friend didn't know she wasn't suppose to bring her doll to the store and I don't feel like she should necessarily feel bad for not knowing since at least in America(I can't speak for other countries and cultures) 9 times out of 10 we're never told we can't bring our non-whatever item into another persons store especially if our intention is shopping and we're not being rude and whatnot. And I shop and have been to a lot of brand specific stores. And new people come into this hobby all the time and we can't expect them to know every little intricacy of the doll hobby. I just happened to stumble upon an old thread very similar to this one that talked about Volks not allowing other dolls into their store. If not I probably would have also taken my doll to the Volks store, simple because it's a doll store wouldn't it be great for me and my doll to go there kind of mentality. And the Elfdoll store did allow you to bring in any kind of doll you owned, Elfdoll or otherwise. However with that said, telling someone they can't bring certain merchandise into a store is not rude, it's a business practice, one in which Volks has every right to make simple because it's their business or more aptly their house. Just like some businesses have signs that say "No shoes, no shirt, no service", or "No eating or drinking allowed", or any number of other things people don't want you to do on their premises. It would be a good idea if they'd actually put a sign on the door, if they haven't already.

 

"Tenshi-no-Sumika is not only a showroom, but it is also a special place for Dollfie lovers to spend time with their Dollfies, other owners, and fans. So, please understand that it is our policy that dolls from other companies not be brought with you to Tenshi-no-Sumika LA."

From the Volks website.

 

(All pronouns are generic.)

I don't know much about Volks, or how they do their business, or their dolls in general, yet I am fully aware of their store/Dollpa policies and I support their decisions about them 100%.

It's not just considered rude at Volks. Don't believe me? Try taking a soda from a fast food chain into a nice restaurant. Or asking for a table while your kids clutch their Happy Meal bag. I've seen plenty of "classy" restaurants and an increasing number of normal joints who will refuse to seat you until these items are disposed of (and who will ask you to wait outside until they are.) It's bad manners on your part, period. (And even if the restaurant doesn't say anything or have a notice posted it's still bad manners, but that's another debate entirely.)

If the Volks employees are grouchy while enforcing their policy, I don't really blame them. The people working at the store didn't make the policy, they just enforce it because it's part of their job to do so. Even though they're not to blame for wanting to keep their jobs and enforce company standards, they're probably going to get the whole of the annoyance of the disgruntled dolly owner who wants to take their non-Volks doll into the store.

You're not the first person they've had to explain their policy to. Or the second. Or the twenty-seventh. Or probably not even the two hundred and twelfth. When you're explaining the same policy over and over and over (and probably listening to folks trying to talk their dolls through the doors over and over and over), it's impossible to be perfectly nice to everyone. We're human. We get frustrated. Our nerves fray.

 

As it has been said before, Volks aren't running a doll store, it's a Volks store. They're selling entirely branded merchandise and to bring another brand into the store is rude by their standards - it's rude by mine as well, as it's extremely well known that Volks are quite protective of their brand and products and appreciate customer loyalty, whether this is in the LA Sumika or any of the stores in Japan.

There are very few one-brand online BJD stores, there's the Junky Spot and Denver Doll Emporium who sell a number of dolls from different companies...but when you think about physical doll shops for BJDs where you can actually go and see the dolls in person, there aren't very many of those. Volks has their Sumikas and Sato, Soom has a showroom in Japan, I'm not sure if Cerberus Project have a showroom rather than a store, but there aren't many places where you can go and buy a doll in person.

It is a shame that there have been so many posts recently reporting dissatisfactions of some kind with Volks. They've never been anything but perfect retailers whenever I've had the benefit of ordering from them and I'd love to visit one of their stores in person. I believe that their staff are only going to be standoffish with you if you approach them in the wrong manner, something I can completely understand because I work in a petrol station and in a library (both jobs where I serve the public) and I've had some obnoxious customers. I'm sorry that there is such a prevalent 'the customer is always right' culture in the west, because I've never experienced something so untrue in my life. Hats off to anyone in a job where they have to serve the general public, because it really is the front line.

 

I know this has been covered on DoA before, but I haven't got a clue where.

It's just common sense to not bring another company's doll into a Volks store. Volks stores aren't just about selling things, it's like a little club for Volks owners where they can photograph their doll, try new things on them, have repairs done, etc. Bringing in another doll seems kind of like you're walking into a gym without being a member, then being offended when they say you can't use their equipment. It's common sense to me that it's disrespectful to try and demand membership privledges when you're not a member.

 

This is a topic that comes up from time to time - usually by newcomers to the hobby who become outraged at perceptions and heresay. This is not really a "debate" topic - if one doesn't like the service that one is receiving one is free to make a personal decision about continuing to patronize that establishment.


Unable to take a non-Volks doll into a Volks store?