So I have the Martial Powers book.

[GMforPowergamers]

I game at my local store every week, sometimes twice a week, so it is a no brainer for me...saving a few bucks isn't worth losseing a cool place to play...

 

[Fifth Element]

I have no idea how gaming stores are even going to stay in business now that the Internet is such an easy, cheap means of getting books and other supplies.

Eh, you can get pretty much anything online these days, and there is still an abundance of brick & mortar stores of all kinds. Obviously certain products and sectors don't fit well with an online model, but many people obviously still prefer to shop in a physical location. Even people our age.

It's an easy choice for me. The manager at my FLGS (and it is very F, and L) plays in one of my D&D groups. So while you might think I would feel pressure to buy there even if it costs more, I actually prefer it. He can do things like reserve a copy for me, to make sure it's there when I'm in to buy it. And I can know precisely when something has arrived. And we can have a nice chat while I'm there, something my computer is still pretty bad at.

 

[Cadfan]

Now, my FLGS wants me to pay them $29.95 for Martial Power (for example), plus the $10 or so in gasoline to drive there and back, and the hour of my time to run the errand.

Buy.com will ship the book right to my door, and all I pay is $17.79, with shipping for free.

$10??? If my gaming store was a 150 mile round trip, I wouldn't go there either.

 

[Badwe]

the 10$ quote is going to depend on his vehicle and what kind of gas costs at the time. back in the summer gas was 4$ a gallon, and old beater can get 15mpg if it's not exactly brand new. At 37.5 miles, depending on how much freeway time we're talking, it could concievably take about an hour. Of course, any improvement in gas price or mpg would inflate the distance traveled, but if it's an hour total to visit, if it was all freeway at 60mph, he couldn't have traveled more than 30 miles each way.

Then again, maybe he was just using a "Big Round Number (TM)"

 

[Victim]

Maybe the traffic just sucks.

 

[JeffB]

And a hopeful suggestion to the folks out there who have LGSes near them: support your FLGS, please, and pick up the book there.

No thanks. My former LGS = I'm charged full price to wait around until the "staff" are done playing warhammer with their buddies to help me. That store went out of business, thankfully.

people who actually care about supporting the hobby.

My concern is supporting my family, but thanks for the lame attempt at a guilt trip

 

[WalterKovacs]

In general, I support my FLGS becaue it is my gaming shop ... not just where I pick up supplies, but where I actually play games twice a week. Providing the venue/neutral ground to meet up and play with people is really the biggest selling feature. Of course the person that works there being pretty cool helps as well.

 

[Bagpuss]

Just a friendly thank you to Bagpuss. As a retail store owner, I am often frustrated by people who get their books early online and post the details leading my customers to order online, believing (mostly falsely) that they'll get the book early if they order from someone other than me.

From experience online ordering always seems to take longer for me than going to a store. In the UK Amazon is often weeks behind on release dates. If I wanted it early I'd go to a store.

Still with the price of parking (£4), and tunnel fees (£2.80), not even looking at fuel it costs me easily $10+ just to visit a store. Then stores always sell at RRP, where as Amazon passes on the saving from the weak dollar (not so weak anymore). Retails stores in the UK get screwed because they are tied to the RRP, and the UK hates the car.

 

[Cadfan]

Getting to my local gaming store costs me 80 cents, tops.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

When is Primal Power coming out!!! I need more options for my Shaman!!!