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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cbas10" data-source="post: 1327128" data-attributes="member: 6459">Another thing to consider is the possibility of other game stores in the area.  Too many such stores in an area is no good for anyone involved on the business side.  However, if there are other stores in the area, check them out.  Some stores are in business only because there is no competition; others are there because they really are top-notch places.  There is a huge difference, and sometimes it can be easier to get a store off the ground by taking customers from a crappy store than it is to start from a non-existent customer base.As has been mentioned, online discount retailers are beginning to kill the local hobby stores.  When running a game store, you really need to find an edge over buying products online; you certainly cannot compete when many online retailers are selling products for LESS than a store owner can buy the same products from their distributors.  Find some way to really go out of your way to say "thank you" to the customers who buy from you.  As has been stated, listening to the customers and doing what they want you to do is essential.  For example, order products more often than once every week or two; ESPECIALLY if you have someone special-ordering something or if there are multiple people wnating a new product you ran out of.  So what if you have to eat an extra 30 bucks for shipping; you WILL lose MORE than that if you keep telling people that it'll be in "next Friday" or "next time I make an order."Pay attention to local trends more than the national trade magazines.  People talk so much about certain d20 publishers around here on these boards.  In some regions, certain d20 publishers do marvelously.  At our shop, the VAST majority of non-WotC products rarely move off the shelf.  Similarly, AEG's Warlord CCG never really gave Magic anything to worry about if you only look at the national publications and sales.  However, at our place, Warlord was the number one brand of any type of game/product throughout the ENTIRE store for a year straight; even now, Magic:the Gathering is struggling to sell again.Finally, be absolutely vigilant against theft.  More than many other types of businesses, your customers are prone to steal from you.  It only takes a couple of hits a month to really dent your bottom line; especially if you sell metal minis or are foolish enough to not keep card games within glass cabinets/counters.  Award store credit to some of your regular customers who discover people stealing.  When people see you cracking down on the freakin morons and turning around to buy a couple of pizzas for one of the groups that plays and buys at your shop, they'll realize that you mean business AND appreciate them for being there.</blockquote>

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