As you might be able to tell, I don't mind complainin'. Especially if I think it might actually have an effect.

One thing I rarely complain about, is corporate behavior. Like complaining about a scorpion stinging you.

Oh, I have general complaints about the "industry" and how short sighted some of the decisions are, but I don't point out any particular company. The differences are pretty subtle, and usually depend on how much the company thinks it needs you, or whether it gives the slightest damn what you think.

In sports cards for instance, Topps has always had an Olympian approach to card shops. Sort of like barely acknowledging our existence. Which was fine with me, because at least it's the same all the time and easy to predict. Upper Deck, on the other hand, would tell you anything you wanted to hear, and then do what it wanted anyway. There was even a book written about the company, detailing it's underhanded ways. So you can always count on Upper Deck screwing you, after reassuring you.

What brought this to mind was a complaint by another retailer about yet another Yugi Oh 'exclusive' for Walmart.

Upper Deck has always been this way, from their inception in 1991. Stinkers.

They've chosen the path of screwing everyone, and simply finding the next thing to promote. Run out of victims in sports cards? Move over the card games and get lucky with the Yugi-oh license. Someday they'll run out of product lines to bilk, or make a bad decision, and there will be a zero reservoir of good will, but until then, you can count on them screwing you.

I took the emotion out of this years ago. If Upper Deck has product you want to sell, go ahead an buy it. Just don't expect them to do you any favors.

It looked for a while as though Upper Deck was going to buy Topps. If they had, I think I probably would've thrown in the towel on all sports cards. But Micheal Eisner of Disney fame (another notorious bastard) bought Topps instead, so I'll wait to see. Maybe he's the promotional genius he thinks he is.

But I'm always surprised when customers act as though the big boys care about them. They buy into the happy face, the customer is always right, advertising. Whereas, I tend to believe that if Walmart or Target could create a machine that turned you upside down at the entrance and shook all the money out of your pocket, they'd do it. And maybe have the old guy at the door to pat you on the back as you leave.