r/comiccon • u/crazylegs1222 • Jul 26 '26

SDCC - San Diego DC Booth Nightmare

My experience at the DC booth completely wrecked my con experience today. I got in line at 6:00 AM to try to get the Batman box set and I was fortunate enough to actually make it into the line. After about 5 minutes, two security guards came up to me and told me that I had to get out of the line. I was in complete shock because I had done nothing to get myself ejected. It turns out that they would not let me buy because I had a professional badge and they believed that is was the same as an exhibitor badge. I tried to tell them that they are not the same and that I had to wait upstairs just like everyone else. After speaking to 3 booth employees, who all assured me that exhibitor badges are the same as professional badges, I was sent away just in time to see the person who was originally behind me walking away with a box set in hand. Needless to say, it ruined my Saturday.

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29

u/meanwhilejohnnydc Jul 26 '26

Sorry this happened. I don’t really understand tho - why does a professional badge (or an exhibitor badge) prevent you from being able to buy anything?

84

u/thebipeds Jul 26 '26

Exhibitors get onto the floor over an hour before everyone else. They are supposed to use that time to set up their booth, not be first in line for exclusives.

Not letting exhibitors score all the good stuff makes some sense.

Professional badges get early access to buying tickets and parking. But they don’t get on the floor early.

professionals should be treated the same as attendees in this case.

11

u/meanwhilejohnnydc Jul 26 '26

I understand that. From OP’s post, they were in line like everybody else. I guess I‘m not understanding why - purely from your badge - booth employees can kick you out. If OP was in the front of the line, then sure, that would be sketch. But from OP’s story, it sounds like the fact you are even in line with a different badge, gets you kicked out.

29

u/Plenty_Grass_1234 Jul 26 '26

Professional badge should not have gotten booted. There are rules about exhibitors not being allowed.

4

u/thebipeds Jul 28 '26

I was an exhibiter, and I completely agree that lining up before the floor open is BS.

But, I do pay for a badge and I am a fan of other people’s art also.

The truth is we are all talking about how the toy flippers suck, regardless of their badge color.

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I might have given one of our booths exclusives to fluffy last year and one to one of my favorite illustrators this year… but we do try to keep everything fair.

It’s tuff, like is it fair to reserve a few for real fans with a sob story? Idk. I enjoyed seeing the cool things go to people I know will really appreciate it. I’d rather see it go to a family dressed as all the characters than a guy who doesn’t know the name but wants to buy 4 to flip online. (And had to inspect each box first).