I got to thinking about it after my last post, and I was wrong; I have seen other kids in the comic shops. But it took some thinking to remember them.
In one shop, two boys wandered around for a while as the shop owner tried to point them, and their mom, to something suitable. Finally, feeling bad I guess, she dug up a stack of Bronze Age Marvels someone had brought in as trades and gave them to the kids for free, with their mom's permission. I forget what she said exactly but it was something that acknowledged the last comic suitable for kids came out around the time of Ms. Pac-Man!
Another shop hosts weekend tournaments for Magic: The Gathering (or did, anyway...is that game still around?). I never saw the kids get up from a game to go look at comics, but that doesn't mean they didn't (clearly its what the owner was hoping for!).
Still another shop is careful to stay on top of the latest kid fad and stocks lots of toys, so there must be kids in there at some point and I just miss them. Whether they buy comics too I couldn't tell you.
Nightwing: those reject garbage bronze age books make up most of my collection! I don't think I own anything anywhere near "near mint" or even still in a comic book bag. I have bunches of those comics boxes, though.
Yes, but knowing they're dog-eared reading copies I'm sure you wouldn't poly-bag them and try to unload them at "Very Fine" prices, would you?
Funny, I always thought I was positively anal about my comics...I went to great pains to pick good-condition copies and read them very carefully before putting them away. But now when I look at them I realize most collectors would probably rate them VG at best, more likely just Good.
But they were loved, and that's what counts.