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Bookshops and RPG's
- Thread starter Carnifex
- Start date
VorpalBunny
Explorer
Carnifex said:
My local Waldenbooks has a better selection of RPGs then my FLGS.
Djeta Thernadier
First Post
Carnifex said:
Not in any of the bigger stores but I used to work in a bookstore in suburban, southern MA and most of the employees were into gaming. So they kept the game shelves well stocked. But since the gamers have all left the store, and moved on since my last visit back there, I noticed there were next to no RPG books and the few they had were thrown in randomly in the also shrunken fantasy / sci fi section.
I think a lot of it has to do with if there are gamers working there.
Last edited:
Davelozzi said:
If you look at them, though, there's more difference between them just being "mall sized". They have different policies on stocking and presenting books.
Waldenbooks and B. Dalton are, for the most part, targetted at people who are going through the mall, and happen to need a book. Not so much mall-sized as mall-styled, they tend to target the general mass market. Borders and B&N are targetted at people who are going out of their way to seek out books - actual bibliophiles.
grodog
Hero
The http://www.gama.org/ web site Games in Education section has some useful intro pamphlets available.
Magestrike
First Post
Well....
Since I am a store manager at a B. Dalton store, I think I can chime in on this topic and actually have knowledge to base my opinions on. B. Dalton is owned by Barnes and Noble first off. Waldens is owned by Borders.
When people ask us, we usually say "B. Dalton is the mall division of Barnes and Noble", which we are. Most B. Daltons are fairly small, although my particular one is the biggest in my district at nearly 4000 sq ft. I agree that the people that B&N tend to favor are those that are book lovers or need a wider selection to choose from immediately. We have the same database, so pretty much anything you see in a B&N, a B. Dalton can order if they dont have it in stock.
As for merchandise focus in B. Daltons, each one is different. A lot do focus on the "mall shopper" looking for a magazine or a bestseller, but we do have a little more leeway as to what we can do merchandise-wise than a B&N. Since I came to work at my store 2 1/2 years ago, the RPG section has expanded from 1 four foot shelf (4 linear feet) to 2 3 foot bays (21 linear feet). Thats quite an expansion compared to the B&N that just recently opened that has 2 linear feet and will always have 2 linear feet.
At B. Dalton, we focus more on what we can sell. The B&N has 40 linear feet of "The Arts" (music, dance, entertainment, etc) and we have no chance to compete with that. So we shrunk ours down to 4 linear feet and used the extra space to expand something else. I guess we have the flexibility that B&N doesnt have, so we can carry more "specialized" items like RPGs etc.
I have thought about the flyer idea before. Keep something in the section to help newbies learn and such. However, I still have to follow B&N policies, so I cant actually put anything like that up in the store. Not that I havent tried mind you...lol.
Anyway, Im not exactly sure if I have a point in there or not...lol. I guess I saw my store posted and wanted to chime in some of what I know from personal experience. If I have shed the light on something for just one person, I have done my job. Thanks.
Good gaming.
Warren
Since I am a store manager at a B. Dalton store, I think I can chime in on this topic and actually have knowledge to base my opinions on. B. Dalton is owned by Barnes and Noble first off. Waldens is owned by Borders.
When people ask us, we usually say "B. Dalton is the mall division of Barnes and Noble", which we are. Most B. Daltons are fairly small, although my particular one is the biggest in my district at nearly 4000 sq ft. I agree that the people that B&N tend to favor are those that are book lovers or need a wider selection to choose from immediately. We have the same database, so pretty much anything you see in a B&N, a B. Dalton can order if they dont have it in stock.
As for merchandise focus in B. Daltons, each one is different. A lot do focus on the "mall shopper" looking for a magazine or a bestseller, but we do have a little more leeway as to what we can do merchandise-wise than a B&N. Since I came to work at my store 2 1/2 years ago, the RPG section has expanded from 1 four foot shelf (4 linear feet) to 2 3 foot bays (21 linear feet). Thats quite an expansion compared to the B&N that just recently opened that has 2 linear feet and will always have 2 linear feet.
At B. Dalton, we focus more on what we can sell. The B&N has 40 linear feet of "The Arts" (music, dance, entertainment, etc) and we have no chance to compete with that. So we shrunk ours down to 4 linear feet and used the extra space to expand something else. I guess we have the flexibility that B&N doesnt have, so we can carry more "specialized" items like RPGs etc.
I have thought about the flyer idea before. Keep something in the section to help newbies learn and such. However, I still have to follow B&N policies, so I cant actually put anything like that up in the store. Not that I havent tried mind you...lol.
Anyway, Im not exactly sure if I have a point in there or not...lol. I guess I saw my store posted and wanted to chime in some of what I know from personal experience. If I have shed the light on something for just one person, I have done my job. Thanks.
Good gaming.
Warren
