This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.– T.S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men” Today, Diamond Comic Distributors shutters its doors. Lance Woods retires today, and today is President Chuck Parker’s last day as well. LanceContinue reading “And So It Ends”
Category Archives: Work
Memories of Long Ago
From time to time I think about two customers from my long-ago EB Games days. There was a man named Malcolm who came in the store on the weekends with his son, aged around 10. (I cannot remember the son’s name, but it might’ve been David. That’s what I’ll use going forward, but it mightContinue reading “Memories of Long Ago”
Cleaning Out the Cubicle
At some point, I would have to go down to Hunt Valley to turn in my key card and parking pass, not to mention pick up the two boxes of personal effects I had in my cubicle. I’d moved from my office to a space in the old Diamond Select Toys offices in early JuneContinue reading “Cleaning Out the Cubicle”
The Last Day
Today was my last day with Diamond Comic Distributors. Eighteen years didn’t end the way I would have wanted, but when Chuck Parker started in on some prepared remarks I also wasn’t terribly surprised. The October PREVIEWS has 350 items in it, the products offered in New to Order are a trickle compared to whatContinue reading “The Last Day”
The 12K Sale
Today, Diamond launched a giant print sale — the 12K Print Sale, complete with a running theme. Shoutout to our designer Casey Dimoff for his graphic for the sale. That title was my pitch. The remit was to refresh the branding from our usual fall sale, the Blizzard, since it’s still August as I writeContinue reading “The 12K Sale”
A Little Ingenuity and a Bit of Code Make the World Go Round
Sometimes I surprise myself with my own cleverness and creativity. Case in point… At Diamond, we maintain two completely different SKU systems to refer to inventory. There’s a stock code system (prefixed STK or STL), and there’s an item code system (prefixed in a MMMYY system, such as SEP25). Occasionally over the years I’ve beenContinue reading “A Little Ingenuity and a Bit of Code Make the World Go Round”
See a Problem, Solve a Problem
At Diamond archiving files for the retailer website is often a convoluted and tedious manual process. For example, the order form files — my purview — go in these two directories here (depending on if they are text or PDF), then they are archived in directories here (again, text or PDF depending) under their “standard”Continue reading “See a Problem, Solve a Problem”
Seeing the Signs in Retrospect
One of the most frustrating things about Diamond’s bankruptcy is that I learn everything about the bankruptcy, Diamond’s financial situation, the future, etc., not through work but through the media. Case in point. Bleeding Cool: Diamond Comics Was Already Looking For A New Owner Back In 2023. And while learning that Diamond was looking forContinue reading “Seeing the Signs in Retrospect”
The First Week
On Tuesday, my employment with Diamond Comic Distributors came to an end. After the sale of the company’s assets to Universal and Ad Populum closed in May, those of us at Diamond who were not let go were employed by Diamond under a Transition Services Agreement (TSA) through June 30th. It was unclear whether ourContinue reading “The First Week”
Don’t Be a “Brand”
I have spent more time in the last two months on LinkedIn than the last ten years combined. I’ve come to the conclusion that my brain doesn’t work in the LinkedIn way–the relentless selling, the endless cheeriness, the buzzword-speak, the staccato writing style–and it never will. I saw this post this morning, and it wasContinue reading “Don’t Be a “Brand””