Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added line(s) 8 (click to see context) :
* FandomSpecificPlot: It's common to speculate what happened to the individual characters after the BittersweetEnding of the strip, especially the ones whose fates aren't resolved or hinted at. [[spoiler:While Marla, Cooper, and Val all have some form of closure and/or future, it's Stuart who tends to get the most speculation as to what happens to him. Common fates include a HeelRealization where Stuart figures out that all of his hard work was AllForNothing, that his bosses never cared about him, and that Marla and the other employees of Grumbel's were right the whole time about the corporate higher-ups.]]
Changed line(s) 8 (click to see context) from:
** Stuart, oh so much.
to:
** Stuart, oh so much. He's a PointyHairedBoss because he's LawfulStupid, committing to following every rule of what the corporate higher-ups want, even if it's impossible and/or self-contradictory. That he seems to have no sympathy for his employees and is a complete kiss-up to his own bosses only adds to how the audience is meant to dislike him.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* MisaimedFandom: This strip naturally had a great many current and former retail workers among its fans. Some retail employees, however, seemed to have difficulty distinguishing between their own work experiences and that of the strip's fictional world. For example, in one strip, Cooper enters the stockroom to learn that the day's shipment had never arrived, and Crystal (who was the manager on duty at the time) had done nothing to address the situation. When Cooper scolds Crystal for this, some readers insisted that it was actually Cooper who was at fault and he was bullying Crystal into taking the blame for his failure. Apparently, in the stores that these readers had worked in, stockroom supervisors were expected to call the store during the times that they weren't working, to verify that everything was running smoothly. These readers then imposed their own expectations onto Cooper, even though it was never stated in the strip that the Grumbel's stockroom supervisor is responsible for what happens in the stockroom when he is away from the store - and, in fact, in some real life stores, that responsibility would fall on the manager in charge of the store at the time - namely, Crystal, as the strip depicted.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Moved from the main page.
Added DiffLines:
* [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Precursor]]: The British TV series, ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', is in many ways the 1970s British precursor to this strip and the contrast of retail styles from the 1970s and now is quite striking. This similarity has been acknowledged by one or two {{Shout Out}}s to ''Are You Being Served?'', like Stuart spending his vacation at a "Power Management Retreat" run by a [[http://retailcomics.com/comic/april-27-2009/ Mr. Rumbold]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* FanNickname: The commenters tend to call Brice 'Brick' when they're criticizing him.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Misuse. Does not mention audience avoiding work.
Deleted line(s) 2 (click to see context) :
* EndingAversion: While some people liked the [[NoEnding lack of a true ending]] because of how [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome true to life it is for most retail stores and employees]], others were disappointed because they were hoping for a WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue to bring closure on the characters. Some of the comments on the final strip had people making up their own endings.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* {{Fanon}}: Everyone have varying opinions on what happened to most of the characters after Grumbel's closure, but almost everyone agreed that Lunker finally got his TARDIS to work and Crystal became his first companion.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 6 (click to see context) from:
* HateSink: Stuart, oh so much.
to:
* HateSink: HateSink:
** Stuart, oh somuch.much.
** Josh got a lot of it too thanks to being Stuart's [[TheRenfield lackey]].
** Stuart, oh so
** Josh got a lot of it too thanks to being Stuart's [[TheRenfield lackey]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 5 (click to see context) from:
** ''Retail'' actually ended up ending ''right at the beginning'' of the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, so Grumbel's would have likely been doomed anyway. This may cross over a bit with HilariousInHindsight, though, depending on which specific characters are involved: many of the comments for the later comics (particularly those involving Val deciding 2020 is when she'll write a book) note the irony of the situation.
to:
** ''Retail'' actually ended up ending its run ''right at the beginning'' of the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic, so Grumbel's would have likely been doomed anyway. This may cross over a bit with HilariousInHindsight, though, depending on which specific characters are involved: many of the comments for the later comics (particularly those involving Val deciding 2020 is when she'll write a book) note the irony of the situation.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Some Anvils Need To Be Dropped got cut.
Deleted line(s) 8 (click to see context) :
* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The health care plotline in 2008 depicted the fate of most US service workers by showing Cooper facing medical bankruptcy after a hospital trip due to the fact that most retail workers (as part-timers) do not qualify for and cannot afford health insurance.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 13 (click to see context) from:
** Cooper. His father ran out on the family when he was young, and when he was in high school his mother fell ill, forcing him to enter the workforce at a young age (and not go to college) just to provide. He spends a good portion of the series teetering on the edge of poverty, at one point having to work two jobs to make ends meet, and would have been forced to file for medical bankruptcy after contracting appendicitis had a DeusExMachina not intervened. Just when he decides he needs to improve his life and starts looking to go to community college, his [[TheAllegedCar car]] breaks down for good and his scooter gets stolen the same day. Things only really start looking up for him when he gets promoted to stockroom supervisor and moves in with Val. (Even his promotion contributes really, because he could have gotten promoted, with the benefits that came with it, much sooner but Stuart had no intention of letting Cooper be promoted ''or'' letting Marla know every store gets a stockroom supervisor until Cooper quit, and it only happened anyway cause Marla found out from another manager.) Notably, when he tells Lunker about the first sentence, Lunker tears up.
to:
** Cooper. His father ran out on the family when he was young, and when he was in high school his mother fell ill, forcing him to enter the workforce at a young age (and not go to college) just to provide. He spends a good portion of the series teetering on the edge of poverty, at one point having to work two jobs to make ends meet, and would have been forced to file for medical bankruptcy after contracting appendicitis had a DeusExMachina not intervened. Just when he decides he needs to improve his life and starts looking to go to community college, his [[TheAllegedCar car]] breaks down for good and his scooter gets stolen the same day. Things only really start looking up for him when he gets promoted to stockroom supervisor and moves in with Val. (Even his promotion contributes really, because he could have gotten promoted, with the benefits that came with it, much sooner but Stuart had no intention of letting Cooper be promoted ''or'' letting Marla know every her store gets a stockroom supervisor until Cooper quit, and it only happened anyway cause Marla found out from another manager.) Notably, when he tells Lunker about the first sentence, Lunker tears up.
