Borderlands Games

Above average card store, good selection of products. Fun store to look in! Pretty good size, much larger than many other card stores

So for the record I have had many of good experiences here. It was where I learned to play Magic the gathering and where I would often go after work to play. I have been a repeat customer for a while but the last time I was in I was shocked at the customer service. It was my birthday and I wanted to get myself a treat. I saw this amazing Star Trek bag and had to get it. So I did. It was like 50 or 60 dollars but hey it’s my birthday. So I got it ran as debit. Then on they way out for old times sake I got a booster pack, and the gentleman that assisted me told me «You know we are charged each time we run your card.» As he ran it. I was not pleased. I just spend money here and fine if you don’t want to be charged I won’t buy a second thing. I did not say anything. I left after that and have not been back since. It’s sad though because I really loved it there. I’ll try going back but I just want to say I am not impressed with the customer service.

I work with kids with special needs. One of them I work with is really into Pokemon but they have never played the actual game. Only collected the cards. So I looked around on the net and found out there is a Pokemon league that meets here. So the other night I decide to take him. We walk in and find the Pokemon tables. There are several groups already playing. But there is a guy sitting there teaching a 6 year old girl how to play. Since we have never played either we sat down and asked if we could listen in. The guy was extremely nice and knowledgeable. He took his gaming time that night to go through both of the kids Pokemon cards and build them decks to be able to play. Then he played against the little girl explaining to us exactly how to play and what was going on. He must work there or own the store or something because the kid I came with didn’t have enough cards to build a deck so he went over to the extras bin and grabbed about a dozen energy cards to fill out his deck. He also gave both of the kids a nice little plastic deck box to hold their decks in.
We definitely will be back and I plan on going in and getting the kid I work with a few packs of cards to help fill out his deck for Christmas.

When I walk into a game store I neither want, nor expect «customer service» of the variety to be found at, say, Nordstrom’s. That said, the dude who helped me was super nice, and I overheard him give excellent service to all the people ahead of me. I was also appreciative that nobody bothered me as I perused the store, because I hate it when people ask me «do you need any help finding anything» right when I happen to be flipping through the Broney shirts. So I’m glad they didn’t, since I was looking *for my girlfriend.*
At any rate even if they weren’t nice (which they were), it’s a nerdy game store and these kind of places are, lets face it, not likely to employ polished, professional customer service reps. Nah, it’s gonna be some D&D nerd type of dude, more often than not, but if you ask a product-​related question in here then you’ll get a damn good answer, and that *is* what I expect.
What I also expect is a good selection of nerdy gaming products, comic books, miniatures, cards, etc. And in this regard, Borderlands did not disappoint – in fact I’d say they have an excellent selection.
I don’t think it’s fair to review them based on if the «regulars» were «welcoming» to you at D&D night or whatever, and then blame it on you being a girl. When I went to Borderlands half the people inside were girls. Nobody seemed to be having a bad time. Either way just because a random lot of D&D nerds had bad social skills on a particular night is no reason to give Borderlands a low rating.
Now, I didn’t try their pisser, but given the amount of Mt. Dew they sell, it’s not a shocker that it might see heavy use during game nights. If I saw nasty in it, I’d freaking tell the manager, but I would not whine on Unilocal unless they didn’t clean it (I’m sure they would… give me a break).
Because while I expect the staff to know Magic cards, I don’t expect the staff to magically know when a customer pees on the floor. You have to let the staff know so they can fix it, not just assume they knowingly left it that way. Unless they did, in which case they should be fired, but anyway.
Four stars because I felt the pitch-​dark LAN room seemed unapproachably pitch-​dark, with no clearly listed game list, and weird non-​professional looking signs stapled up about buying and selling stuff through some site they have. I would’ve paid for an hour of time had there been any clear indication that there was somewhere to put my laptop. Yeah, I could’ve just asked, buy they were really busy and stuff.

I came in during the holidays looking for a gift for a friend and I have to tell you if you aren’t a 20 something guy they could care less about you. The guy behind the counter didn’t help me at all. You would think in a small store they would walk around and talk to ya. Nope. I only go here when I am looking for a specialty gaming item and I expect sub-​par customer service.

This is my second encounter with a game shop of this kind (the other is Mad Hatter’s House of Games in Lubbock, Texas. Go figure…)
The life-​size cardboard cut-​outs of the guys from «The Big Bang Theory» in the front window should tell you everything you need to know: this is a gaming/​comic book geek’s heaven. From the racks of t-​shirts, to shelves and shelves of RPGs, board games, D&D merchandise, and Doctor Who’s TARDIS as an ice bucket, alarm clock, and cookie jar… then to the dark side of the room full of arcade games and the city block-​sized «gaming area» — this is both the purveyor of, and hangout for games, gamers, and all things sci-​fi and fantasy.
And as luck would have it – it’s down the block from a university, and around the corner from a movie theater that serves food and drinks as you watch Star Trek in 3-​D.
What’s not to love?
World of Warcraft. Magic the Gathering. Last Night on Earth. AD&D. Plush adipose. If these ring any bells — this is your kind of place.

I love Borderlands.
They dabble in just about everything your modern nerd/​geek/​gamer would want.
Their store portion has a ton of board games, card games, even used video games, as well as comics and game systems, miniatures, dice, Warhammer and other mini-​games, etc. They have a computer room for LAN gaming and a huge area in the back with tables set up for tournaments of any kind of game you’d want to set up and play.
The store hosts events and has a side room that’s available for rent.
Their prices are exactly right, the staff knows everything there is to know about the culture, and they’ve always been quick to help me out. I’ve spent many hours here, and look forward to spending many more.

Borderlands Games is one of two game stores in Salem. It is by far the best! The staff is knowledgeable each with different areas of expertise. If you need to know something about RPGs or video games, Matt’s your guy. Table-​top war games? Ian is there to answer your question. The owner, Nate, is a great guy as well but is rarely seen. The store offers table-​top RPG (D&D, Pathfinder, World of Darkness) books at MSRP. Various collectible card games, comic books, board games, used video games, and modeling supplies.
They have a room that can be rented out in order to play games, however it is very difficult to get in the afternoons. The large play area in the back of the store can fit up to 120 people. I’ve played in a few State Championships for Magic: The Gathering at the store and there has always been plenty of room.
For pure geeky gaming goodness, you can’t go wrong with going to Borderlands Games.