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<blockquote data-quote="Philotomy Jurament" data-source="post: 4337223" data-attributes="member: 20854">The hard, cold, truth is that many gamers simply don't get much value of a brick-and-mortar game store.&nbsp; Books are cheaper online.&nbsp; In addition to the lower &quot;base price,&quot; you generally don't pay sales tax, online, and often don't have to pay shipping.&nbsp; You have a broader choice on what to buy.&nbsp; You can get recommendations and find similar products.&nbsp; You can read reviews.&nbsp; You can talk to a HUGE variety of other gamers online.&nbsp; You can find local gamers through forums, online meetups, et cetera.&nbsp; Heck, if you go in for such things, you can even game online.&nbsp; You can find out-of-print or used material easier online, too.One reason to buy at a FLGS is if you need the product in your hands right now, with no shipping delay.&nbsp; Another is the desire to browse through the physical product before buying (although some game stores discourage that).&nbsp; Those simply aren't enough.As a side comment, I don't agree that game stores are the cradle of gaming.&nbsp; I think new gamers tend to come from existing gamers introducing new people to the hobby, and you don't need a game store for that.&nbsp; I think if game store disappeared tomorrow, gaming would continue just fine.I think that, if game stores are going to survive, they need to reinvent themselves in a manner similar to the way retail bookstores like Borders did.&nbsp; A modern Borders is a nice play to go: there are comfortable chairs, a coffee bar, you can read the books and magazines, you can listen to the music, and it's a nice environment.&nbsp; The game store needs to do something similar; it needs to be a place that gamers want to go and hang out.&nbsp; Provide a clean and pleasant place for gamers to play, for example.&nbsp; Sell drinks and snacks.&nbsp; Have supplies like paper, pencils, graph paper, battlemats, markers, et cetera on hand and for sale.&nbsp; Maybe sell computer time for online gaming.&nbsp; Organize games and tournaments.&nbsp; Et cetera.&nbsp; Get people coming to the store to come to the store.&nbsp; Once they're in there, they're more likely to buy.I don't think gaming stores can compete, as purely &quot;a place to buy your game stuff.&quot;&nbsp; The deck is stacked against them, there.&nbsp; It's just economics.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Philotomy Jurament, post: 4337223, member: 20854"] The hard, cold, truth is that many gamers simply don't get much value of a brick-and-mortar game store. Books are cheaper online. In addition to the lower "base price," you generally don't pay sales tax, online, and often don't have to pay shipping. You have a broader choice on what to buy. You can get recommendations and find similar products. You can read reviews. You can talk to a HUGE variety of other gamers online. You can find local gamers through forums, online meetups, et cetera. Heck, if you go in for such things, you can even game online. You can find out-of-print or used material easier online, too. One reason to buy at a FLGS is if you need the product in your hands right now, with no shipping delay. Another is the desire to browse through the physical product before buying (although some game stores discourage that). Those simply aren't enough. As a side comment, I don't agree that game stores are the cradle of gaming. I think new gamers tend to come from existing gamers introducing new people to the hobby, and you don't need a game store for that. I think if game store disappeared tomorrow, gaming would continue just fine. I think that, if game stores are going to survive, they need to reinvent themselves in a manner similar to the way retail bookstores like Borders did. A modern Borders is a nice play to go: there are comfortable chairs, a coffee bar, you can read the books and magazines, you can listen to the music, and it's a nice environment. The game store needs to do something similar; it needs to be a place that gamers want to go and hang out. Provide a clean and pleasant place for gamers to play, for example. Sell drinks and snacks. Have supplies like paper, pencils, graph paper, battlemats, markers, et cetera on hand and for sale. Maybe sell computer time for online gaming. Organize games and tournaments. Et cetera. Get people coming to the store [i]to come to the store[/i]. Once they're in there, they're more likely to buy. I don't think gaming stores can compete, as purely "a place to buy your game stuff." The deck is stacked against them, there. It's just economics. [/QUOTE]

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