Why is WotC trying to kill my FLGS?

[Scribble]

I have suggested this before and here is the jist of what I was told....

Yeah but they're still thinking in the "I want to sell books to make money" mindset.

In what I was thinking, there would be books present but not for sale, just for use. Kind of like when you go to a gym, you don't buy the weights, you buy time to use someone else's weights. The idea isn't getting people into your store to buy your product, but instead to give them an easy way to use that product without 1 buying it all themselves, and 2 having a space/friends to use it.

Like a physical representation of the game table in a way.

 

[justanobody]

Yeah but they're still thinking in the "I want to sell books to make money" mindset.

In what I was thinking, there would be books present but not for sale, just for use. Kind of like when you go to a gym, you don't buy the weights, you buy time to use someone else's weights. The idea isn't getting people into your store to buy your product, but instead to give them an easy way to use that product without 1 buying it all themselves, and 2 having a space/friends to use it.

Like a physical representation of the game table in a way.

You just can't explain that to some though. They figure it is costing them $100 for the game books that they will have to make up over time.

But this way they get some money back from all that free table-space and light being used by people that may not otherwise buy anything, or a group of 6 people that just buy one copy of the newest book.

Heck my library was thinking about renting out the little rooms for conferences to make some extra money since the lights are always on anyway! They are also self-funded with little income save for late fees and computer printouts.

People have told the library they would pay for a "private" room to play in when they did too!

Private meaning big windows you could see through but still need to watch your volume.

How can a library get it and a LGS not? The library even has a copy of the dang D&D books too! Check 'em out, and rent the room and play for an hour for $10 per group.

The LGS can one-up the library idea by allowing food or drinks or even serving a gallon of tea or something. It would be like renting the PHB, DMG, MM etc and making more for a used copy than you could ever sell it for!

If I win the lottery I will open up a LGS that will do these things and COMPETE with online retailers, because I haven't found an LGS yet that understand what you or I are talking about. The idea to make more money for them is raise prices, but still allow free-play.

We need to start an internet wide movement to help these LGS get their acts together to not only stay in business, but to get them to understand what gamers want from an LGS.

#1 CCG and RPG play areas separate.

 

[malraux]

A reasonable approach might be rooms + equipment available, a high end blowout session with always correct minis, dwarven forge terrain, detailed props, etc run by a store employee for extra cost. Buying a book would get you say a month of game room membership and discounts for the fancy game. I don't know how the business model for this would work, but I think its likely that selling items at 50% more than amazon in dirty rooms isn't going to last.

 

[Filcher]

The "friendly" aspect is something that has been mentioned previously in the thread but should not be overlooked. Apart from coffee shops, there is nowhere for the under 21 set to hang out after dark. Keep your stores open late, keep them safe, keep them friendly, and kids will hang around all the time, and maybe even buy something from time to time.

 

[justanobody]

A reasonable approach might be rooms + equipment available, a high end blowout session with always correct minis, dwarven forge terrain, detailed props, etc run by a store employee for extra cost. Buying a book would get you say a month of game room membership and discounts for the fancy game. I don't know how the business model for this would work, but I think its likely that selling items at 50% more than amazon in dirty rooms isn't going to last.

It isn't stores really selling at 50% more than amazon (I hope). It is that amazon and other places can afford to sell at 30% less than LGS because they have so many other things to sell that a smaller profit margin on something might get you to buy other things while you are there. Amazon having such a larger product range means there is a greater chance you would find something than at a LGS.

No LGS would make money renting Master Maze pieces for use.

But charging for store run events outside of RPGA events is not a bad thing and people would likely play to know it was run with care, as well as other things.

Stores come up with all kinds of ideas for CCG customers, but why not RPG customer incentives?

 

[firesnakearies]

Businesses stay in place because they offer their clients some sort of service or product that they are willing to pay for.

I know a lot of people argue that the FLGS offers more to the hobby as a whole then just a place to get their gaming stuff, but they still rely on the basic idea (selling product) to remain in business.

Maybe they should take a look at ways of taking these "features that help the gaming comunity" and using them to make a profit.

Maybe instead of a game store, offer a game club? A place where either for a modest membership fee, or some sort of use fee, the place would offer tables, terrain, books, sound tracks... With maybe food of some sort?

Hell maybe with enough business you could start offering DMs on staff. Like a gym offering a personal trainer.

I don't know if any of that would work, but my point is simply if the store's main focus (making money selling books) isn't working, it's time to rethink your business model.

Thinking about it, offer another area for console games too. Have a bunch of networked consoles ready with the latest "hot" games...

Interesting! I was thinking heavily about this exact same idea, and almost posted something to this effect several times. This is just what the gaming stores need to move toward, in order to stay viable in the face of rapidly growing online commerce.

 

[firesnakearies]

I don't know how the business model for this would work, but I think its likely that selling items at 50% more than amazon in dirty rooms isn't going to last.

Heh. Exactly.



$

 

[Flobby]

Yeah, ultimately it is simply a matter of choice. Buy where you want to buy. Remember we are talking about a hobby not something like... food or health care. You don't HAVE to buy RPGs at all, and if you do you are responsible for who you support buying them.

Personally I try not to buy from Amazon. I like walking into a book/ hobby store and actually look at what I buy before I buy it. But where I live there is almost zero access to English books, so I buy from Amazon out of necessity and when I do get a chance to go to a book or hobby store I buy from them.

 

[malraux]

It isn't stores really selling at 50% more than amazon (I hope).

You're right, they end up selling for more than 50% greater than amazon. For example, martial power on amazon right now is 19.07. So a game store is selling it for ~57% more. But then factor in taxes (of say 6%) and the game store is selling for a 66% markup over amazon.

And note that once amazon figures out that you like gaming books, it'll often give you an extra 5% off in its deal of the day, which means that I would have paid 75% more to have purchased martial power from my LGS over amazon.

 

[frankthedm]

Stores come up with all kinds of ideas for CCG customers, but why not RPG customer incentives?

Because CCG players and their money are soon parted. Between games, CCG players are far more likely to pick up more CCG cards. Whether trying to get trade-bait, hoping to make their deck better after a crippling loss or just impulse buying, the CCG players swiftly fritter away the $5 per hit for their drug of choice.

RPG players probably already have their books. Impulse buys can happen, but those won't be generated by Competitiveness or Collectability. And that is ‘if’ the store has any of the books for that edition of the game in at the time. Also you may have RPG players looking up rules in the books rather than buying them to bring to a home game. And I’d suspect sometimes impulse buys are even averted by since the DM can give the Yes or No answer right there in the store before the book is bought.

Also CCG players drift from game to game, often with time to do some shopping between games or pop out to go for a burger. RPG players might take ‘a’ break, but generally will be at the table for hours, wanting to bring in food, wanting to befoul your bathroom and wanting you to stay open past closing.