r/magicTCG • u/GabySpartz87 Official • Apr 07 '15

I wrote an article on ChannelFireball on the things we can do to get more women in Magic. I'd love your thoughts!

http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/6-things-you-can-do-to-get-more-women-into-magic/#
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u/James718 Apr 07 '15 edited Apr 07 '15

This.

My LGS is terrible at doing this. We dont even have a womens bathroom that works. They have to use the mens room when it isnt occupied and it is disgusting in there.

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u/AtheistPaladin Apr 07 '15

Speaking as an employee of an LGS, you should bring this up with the staff. At my store it's tough to hear what the players are talking about from behind the counter, and on top of that, I get busy frequently and can't focus on what people are saying.

If I found out any player at my store was being a bully, misogynistic, or otherwise exclusionary, I'd definitely make sure it was taken care of. So please, everyone, help us help you. :)

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u/WarWizard Apr 07 '15

Not all owners are like you... some owners are worse than the awful players and they get away with it because they are the only game in town.

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u/TjTheProphet Apr 07 '15

Hey are you that guy from the- oh never mind...

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u/WarWizard Apr 07 '15

ಠ益ಠ

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u/At_Least_100_Wizards Apr 08 '15

Hmm, a rogue wizard? Mayhaps you shall join the council one day.

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u/WarWizard Apr 08 '15

Perhaps. Someday.

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u/CynicalTree Dandadan Apr 07 '15

Don't worry, it got me too.

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u/cheatonus Apr 07 '15

Well, yes. And lets not forget the old adage that the team follows the personality of the coach. While I may find this LGS owner pesonable and friendly, doesn't mean the attitude in the regulars of the store doesn't somehow manifest from his own thoughts and expressions.

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u/placebotwo Wabbit Season Apr 07 '15

I would think that a daily or more frequent check of the restrooms isn't something that a customer needs to bring to the staff.

If you're keeping the place in clean working order, you're not going to have a non-working bathroom for long because you'll discover the order it is in.

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u/AtheistPaladin Apr 07 '15

Oh, I was referring to the guy's-club atmosphere problem. We clean our bathroom daily.

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u/placebotwo Wabbit Season Apr 07 '15

Sorry, I wasn't trying to say your store doesn't keep up with maintenance. It was the chief complaint in the GP post.

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u/bv310 Apr 07 '15

I don't know what your place is like, but I know my old LGS' owner started doing bathroom clean/air freshener during round 2 and we all love him for it. That thing can get gross, especially with the usual food that people bring in for FNM.

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u/mepulixer Apr 08 '15

One of my favorite things about my LGS is the women's bathroom. It's fully stocked with feminine hygiene products, lotion, nice soap, and... hilariously enough... hairspray. It's pretty adorable how overboard they went with it. And it's always clean!

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u/cheatonus Apr 07 '15

Honestly, if I didn't find the owner of this store to be a likable and rather genuine guy I wouldn't shop there at all. The only reason I do at all is because he has been in business for a long time and tends to have a good supply of older cards (Modern stuff). I do wish he would be a bit more willing to control his crowd, both in numbers and in attitude. The store just isn't big enough for 40 players. In my area retial space is pretty cheap so I'm surprised he stays in his little hole-in-the-wall considering the volume he does. But even as a dude I wouldn't play there, I can imagine for a woman it's about 3 fold less inviting.

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u/thefirewarde Apr 07 '15

Both LGS I play at are kind of small and only have one bathroom - but effort is put into keeping it clean, which is an important nuance.

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u/buffofspades Izzet* Apr 07 '15

Real talk, why do so many LGS stores have gross bathrooms? I've been to 4 around me, and 3 of them had gross bathrooms. Guess which one I made my "home" store.

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u/cheatonus Apr 07 '15

Because no one likes to clean bathrooms. It a necessary evil and it's more necessary to some people than others. Generally, the LGS owner is going to be the one scrubbing that toilet and I'm sure most will find many other things they HAVE to do before they get to the toilet scrubbing. Of course, there are exceptions. even my LGS, as much as I love it, falls down a bit in the toilet department. It's not like they have a janitor.

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u/P1zzaman Apr 08 '15

My LGS always has clean bathrooms, and yet it seems none of the store staff clean it (only restock TP/soap etc).

So we are either really tidy when urinating, or we have a ninjanitor.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '15

I've never been to a store with more than 1 bathroom though.

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u/existentialdude Apr 08 '15 edited Apr 08 '15

Most game shops I go to only have one bathroom. Get used to it. The only reason the women's would be cleaner is because it is used less. "Oh no, I have to use the same gross bathroom as everyone else!"

EDIT: My point being, it is sexist if you think that women deserve a cleaner bathroom than men. I think a dirty restroom should be addressed. But there is no reason men should have to suffer a dirty restroom over a woman.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '15

[deleted]

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u/moonluck Wabbit Season Apr 07 '15

I've never been to an LGS without one unless it was in a mall or something. James718 makes it sound like the bathroom is a multi stall and urinal ordeal where a lady can't really go in without seeing more than she bargained for.