Shortpacked! (also known as Shortpacked! Toys and Games and Shortpacked: The Toys and Pop Culture Megastore) is a major toy store located in San Francisco, California, and serves as the primary setting for the webcomic of the same name. There is also a Shortpacked! store in Denver.
History[]
The opening of the original Shortpacked! in 1982.
Shortpacked! was founded by the sinister and somewhat unstable Galasso and his wife, Pamela, in 1982.
The store was initially a small operation, consisting of the Galassos and one other unnamed employee. By capitalizing on the then-current craze for Cabbage Patch Kids, Galasso was able to quickly expand, ultimately building the store into its present incarnation.
At the start of the series, Shortpacked! had a substantial full-time sales force, including Ethan Siegal, Robin DeSanto, Mike Warner, Amber O'Malley, Faz, and Ronald Reagan. In addition, the store regularly brought on seasonal hires, although many of them disappeared under mysterious (and presumably tragic) circumstances after the holiday rush was over.
However, stiff competition from big box stores had taken its toll on the store's profitability, leading Galasso to introduce the Consumer Protection Racket (CPR) as an additional source of income. In time, they'd become the store's only source of profit.
The "classic" Shortpacked! store, prior to its destruction.
Rebirth as The Toys and Pop Culture Megastore[]
Following the store's partial destruction in Ethan's failed coup d'etat, Galasso substantially renovated the storefront. At Leslie's suggestion, he also changed the store's focus towards a more general pop culture focus. At Faz's suggestion, he made Comic Sans the store's main font.
The store's redesign switched the checkout system to the more efficient "single-feeder" system favored by big box stores and added a partial second floor. Aisles were also widened to accommodate Ultra Car, although this ultimately turned out to be a bit unnecessary.
In the interests of keeping the business profitable, the one thing the new store doesn't have is a comic book section.
Denver Branch[]
The new Shortpacked!, complete with church newsletter font.
Most recently, Robin convinced entrepreneur and weapons-grade toy nerd Joe Rosenthal to invest a substantial amount of money into the franchise, allowing Galasso to open a second branch in Denver. The second store is currently being managed by Amber.
Trivia[]
- Located on the same street as McAwesome's Parasailing and Chocolate Bakery.