Why is WotC trying to kill my FLGS?

[Squizzle]

I buy local when it truly is local: farmers' markets, and other such local producers. I do not care especially about buying local when it's a local purveyor of a translocal product. I have no incentive at all to waste (an admittedly very small amount of) gas to travel to any of the several game stores in the local area when such a large fraction of the cover price goes to WotC, to a book distributor, or to other translocal entities. When most of my buying dollar is sent outside of my community, my reason to buy "local" goes away with it.

When the local support incentive disappears, I will shop on price and emotional valence. For an example of the latter, I will not shop at Wal*Mart, because I abhor their business practices. On the former, nearly all of my book purchases are through Amazon, especially now that I have Amazon Prime. The convenience of having nigh any book I want delivered to my door, guaranteed, within two days, and at brand new (that is, non-shelf-worn) quality? There is no conceivable way for a brick & mortar store in the area to compete, unless it's one of the used book stores that I'm frequently in anyway, and which discount books at 50% off cover.

 

[tenkar]

It is not that simple. Local as a parameter is something more than just the same capitalist profit measure.

Local means nothing without "friendly" preceding it. "Friendly" is the added value I would receive for paying full price at my FLGS. My LGSs, as I've stated, are not friendly, so there is no added value for my paying full price.

You seem to be putting the emphasis on "local", which holds little to no value to me as a consumer unless it is accompanied by "friendly". I care little for the capitalist profit measure... I am a civil servant and my employer is constantly in the red

 

[Fifth Element]

I buy local when it truly is local: farmers' markets, and other such local producers. I do not care especially about buying local when it's a local purveyor of a translocal product. I have no incentive at all to waste (an admittedly very small amount of) gas to travel to any of the several game stores in the local area when such a large fraction of the cover price goes to WotC, to a book distributor, or to other translocal entities. When most of my buying dollar is sent outside of my community, my reason to buy "local" goes away with it.

To be fair, the majority of what you pay to local farmers or what have you is actually paid to their suppliers (by the farmer), which may or may not be local. Often not.

 

[JeffB]

it seems to me that folks forget that Amazon can actually enable brick and mortar booksellers - look at the used book section, for example.

I spend as much if not MORE with the Amazon used booksellers than I do with Amazon proper.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Why is WotC trying to kill my FLGS?

...so.....so they can take it's stuff?

FLGS. Treasure type Q. That's loaded with magic items!

 

[Allister]

This thread is kind of funny.

On the MTG boards, there's ALWAYS griping about how WOTC favours the brick and mortar stores (from the cost of MTG:Online to the tournament structure, WOTC has tried to boost the FLGS).

Now here, we have a thread where people are moaning abot WOTC trying to kill off the FLGS through D&D.

As for WOTC's dislike of internet retailers, I thought it wasn't because of the price point (WOTC gets the same cut if they sell their boosters to either a brick & mortar or internet store). It's the belief that internet stores don't drive the business for future sales.

Such as providing environments for gamers to meet such as tournaments and even for a way to capture a gamer's attention (I've known a couple of people that got into MTG from going into a FLGS for another game and being intrigued by watching some guys play MTG)

 

[malraux]

This thread is kind of funny.

On the MTG boards, there's ALWAYS griping about how WOTC favours the brick and mortar stores (from the cost of MTG:Online to the tournament structure, WOTC has tried to boost the FLGS).

Now here, we have a thread where people are moaning abot WOTC trying to kill off the FLGS through D&D.

As for WOTC's dislike of internet retailers, I thought it wasn't because of the price point (WOTC gets the same cut if they sell their boosters to either a brick & mortar or internet store). It's the belief that internet stores don't drive the business for future sales.

Such as providing environments for gamers to meet such as tournaments and even for a way to capture a gamer's attention (I've known a couple of people that got into MTG from going into a FLGS for another game and being intrigued by watching some guys play MTG)

I suspect something like the flgs is better for quick pickups like MtG over an RPG. For an RPG, you need to find a group that has an opening or the DM in the store needs to be running an open table that anyone can sit down at. RPGs work best when you have a few people getting together regularly. CCGs work best for a lot of people getting together. The store is going to benefit a lot more from CCG games over DnD games.

 

[xechnao]

Local means nothing without "friendly" preceding it. "Friendly" is the added value I would receive for paying full price at my FLGS. My LGSs, as I've stated, are not friendly, so there is no added value for my paying full price.

You seem to be putting the emphasis on "local", which holds little to no value to me as a consumer unless it is accompanied by "friendly". I care little for the capitalist profit measure... I am a civil servant and my employer is constantly in the red

It is demography and demographics. Those two and economy are not independant. This is what I am trying to say. Everything has its specific roles and influence on the final demographic situation.

 

[jeffh]

If the shop discounts it, it will be willingly accepting that it lost money on d20 crap and opening up shelf space it might not have the cash to fill.

This (to put a point that's already been made a few times more simply) overlooks something very simple and obvious. Whatever the discount, which makes more money: selling it, or not selling it?

 

[jinnetics]

For what it's worth, MY "FLGS" isn't a traditional gaming store, but rather a used media exchange. So I buy most of my gaming books now on the aftermarket for half off the cover price. That's what I consider friendly, not hole-in-the-wall dirty shops with unknowledgable sales staff.