D&D and D20 at Walmart?!?

[scarymonkey]

Perhaps even more surprising than the fact that Walmart online is selling D&D stuff is that they are actually paying for placement on search engines for the term Dungeons and Dragons. If you do a search on Overture.com's View Bid tool for Dungeons and Dragons, you will see that Walmart is paying $.05 a click for a high listing. For those who don't know, Overture.com (used to be Go.com) is the main pay for placement search engine. Their results are used by a lot of other search engines like Excite, Lycos, etc.

http://uv.bidtool.overture.com/d/search/tools/bidtool/

Dungeons and Dragons - Wal-Mart
Visit Wal-Mart online for every day low prices on a wide assortment of toys, video games, jewelry, books, electronics, home furnishings and more. www.walmart.com
(Advertiser's Max Bid: $0.05)

 

[Leopold]

This is terrible! Walmart is going to hurt sells to all the small hobby shops I buy from. Walmart is a Lawful evil Collosal Corporation!

god bless 'em every step of the way...

 

[mmadsen]

I have no doubt whatsoever that if Wal*Mart stocked the core 3E books, the intro adventure game and maybe the first two Adventue Path adventures, they'd find that the line generated more dollars per linear inch than any other book product in the store except >maybe< certain major hardcover bestsellers.

The chain bookstores were blown away when we did that analysis for them on how much money they were making even using the crappy, low-value shelf space they allocated to the WotC RPGs.

I love it when RyanD posts here.

Speaking of selling the intro game at non-specialty stores, would WotC consider beefing up the Adventure Game to a true Basic Set? One with rules for creating your own characters and playing up to third level?

 

[Zappo]

WayneLigon expressed my feelings exactly. RPGs selling as well as "commercial" books? If anyone except Ryan said that, I wouldn't believe it.

 

[der_kluge]

I would be VERY surprised if Wal-Mart sold any D&D books in any store. They are a completely uptight, conservative corporation that avoids controversy like the plague. I mean, we're talking about a company that sells guns and ammunition, and viagra, but doesn't sell birth control pills. If any store did sell D20 books, it would probably be non-WoTC stuff, and a fluke, since they'd probably try to avoid the words 'Dungeons and Dragons'.

 

[Sir Edgar]

Has anyone seen that episode of the big chain store taking over the propane gas business in "King of the Hill" on Fox?

It is a cartoon show about a family living in a small town in Texas and all the stupid things that happen to them. A lot of the characters are pretty moronic and yet complex. I never thought I'd really enjoy it at all, but it is well-written and pretty funny at times.

Anyhow, the father of the family, Hank Hill, is a manager at a propane gas business called Strickland Propane. He is proud of offering good service to his customers and working for a small business. Then, a big chain store called Megamart opens up selling everything from groceries to furniture to even propane gas!

Their prices are so low that Strickland Propane goes out of business and Hank Hill is out of a job. He protests in front of Megamart, but it does no good. He later ends up working at the Propane section of Megamart for minimum wage under a teenage manager who knows nothing about propane. That's how many of these companies keep prices low: hiring poorly trained staff and paying them low wages.

Well, the manager ends up mishandling one of the propane tanks and it blows up the whole Megamart store and everyone is happy again. End of story.

So, you can buy wherever you want. But remember that big chainstores can take away business from smaller stores that provide good service and a wider range of stock. They can also take away jobs and a decent standard of living for a lot of people.

Sure, I buy stuff at big online stores and such and I'm not advocating not patronizing big discount businesses like this. But you should never forget your local gaming stores. This is because if they go out of business, don't expect to find everything they carried at the big chainstore.

Just a thought.

 

[Ranger REG]

If there is a nearby Wal-Mart in my area, I'd shop there for D&D books.

 

[Sir Edgar]

I would also like to add, however, that big chainstores can bring in new customers that otherwise wouldn't have known about the products. For example, I think I bought my first copy of the Monster Manual at a store like this when I was very young, which I am very grateful for. I had no idea what D&D was at the time but I saw it and liked it.

Anyhow, I think their selling D&D and other RPG materials is intended for the mainstream audience as most of the dedicated fans don't find their selection worth a visit. So, these big chainstores do serve a good purpose. It's good for newer fans, but I just don't advocate dedicated fans to patronize them over the local gaming stores.

 

[Ranger REG]

Unless a dedicated fan happens to be shopping at Wal-Mart for other things. In fact, according to the business news, retail department stores have stronger sales over specialty stores last year. It appears that consumers prefer the "one-stop shopping" approach, whether it is Wal-Mart or Costco (of course, I don't think you can buy D&D in bulk).

 

[Xarlen]

Would ordering anything off of them be worth it? I mean, when you look at the cost, plus shipping and handling?

I'm considering Beyond the Walls. I wish they carried the Quint. Series.