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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Corjay" data-source="post: 4344088" data-attributes="member: 52839">I just realized another problem with with FLGS vs. Internet sales.Amazon and other online retailers offset their discounts with ads. Remember the thing after Amazon first came out about how Amazon, by normal standards was completely bankrupt, but how it makes its money back on ads? They're likely still doing that. By selling items at a loss, they bring in more visitors that click more ads and thus earn Amazon more money.Can an FLGS compete with that? Many here don't think so. But what if the FLGS rethinks its business in a similar way to online sales? By providing services (as mentioned), even such as advertising other products and businesses, they could perhaps earn some money from advertisers. Sure, it's not the same as online, but the more customers they bring in to these companies from their location, the more profit they can make. They can use the products and services in their stores to bring in the customers that can earn them money in a whole different way.So try this service model:Standard products and services (includes new suggestions)<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rule #1: Put the customer first.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Knowledgeable, attentive, well-kempt staff in clean polos (with store logo if possible) and khaki's. Hire women when possible.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Great customer service</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Service Subscriptions (dependent on customers buying products), including:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Use of game tables with comfortable chairs</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wireless Internet</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Store game reviews and carefully monitored and organized local gaming scene email updates with sneak peeks and insider information by email</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Service subscription applied to future products.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Piped music, especially if you can do it for each table. If you use a table jukebox system, GM's can customize music to the mood of the campaign while earning money for the store.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Small image projector(s) for game maps, game images, and seminars.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Affordable (or free) copier service (Have a copier on hand)</li> </ul> </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Computer locked to your website available for staff and customers to order products from your website for online prices.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Food & Drinks at reasonable prices, typically in the form of vending machines, but also flavored sodas and espresso/lattes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rotate merchandise monthly.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Online services including forum for local players.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Tournaments</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sign with 1 hour loitering limit at tables. Customers must play, buy, or leave.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Keep a binder up front and near the displays with a quick synopsis of what X or Y game is about.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Carefully monitored and organized local gaming scene in-store updates.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Free Demonstrations</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Cork Boards for local games kept clean and up to date</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The latest Gaming Posters (Both on the walls and for sale)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Good lighting</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Exciting, fun atmosphere</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gaming friendly interior (and if possible exterior) design</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Clean store</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Clean bathrooms</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lots of space for gaming smack dab in middle of the store with product on all sides, keeping the products pressed up against the walls as much as possible. Keep the shelving minimal, against and perpendicular to the wall. Example: _|_|_|_</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Diverse available products at competitive prices: art books, manga books, comics and graphic novels, board games of all kinds, huge variety of RPG's, huge variety of TCG's (local and imported), minis games, walls of peuter miniatures, t-shirts, figurines, RPG-related fantasy and sci-fi novels, a table of previously owned or outdated materials. Everything that appeals to the hobby gamer. Use the profits from all other services to bring down the costs of the products sold and to pay for the discounts. DO NOT SHRINKWRAP your products (Accept a certain amount of product damage).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Keep only 1 sample of each product on the floor and keep the rest in boxes. If you have to, display only the flaship product of a line, while compressing the rest to display their spines. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Also sell supplies like paper, dice, pencils, graph paper, battle mats, miniatures paints and glues, and markers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Discount Cards available with memberships in special store events. Total discounts should bring product prices down to competitive with online prices.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Offer family discounts on RPG products.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Set purchase amount bonuses (When you buy $100 of product, you get...)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hold RPG, actor, and novel signings.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hold celebrity games, where a famous RPG designer GM's or plays in a game.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Give one product away with another, such as a single miniature with an RPG book.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hold raffles for free product</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Family Friendly</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sidewalk gaming (particularly if you can do it inside a mall).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">T-shirt giveaways with the logo of the store.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Information on where to find the product if you don't have the product available and the customer needs it NOW.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gift cards for your store</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Credit accounts (Credit cards if you can. See a bank for small business needs.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Debit subscriptions (For no other service than the customer putting money in so that when they're ready they can just choose a product they want and it's theirs.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Special Events with giveaways.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Teaming up with other FLGS to hold public events and help mitigate the costs for the above-mentioned cards and deals.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Have a relay system and open communication with other FLGS</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Increase the speed by which you get products by knowing where local Amazon (and other distributors) wearhouses are.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Give sneak peaks and insider information to customers who buy similar products.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hold mini-cons.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Have flier campaigns distributed to middle income and upper middle income families.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Create ways for helping those in lower income brackets to maintain their hobby.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Make all in-store events known on your website.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Focus your sales attention. Do you see a mother coming in with her 10 year-old son browsing for any old game? Perfect opportunity to graduate him to roleplaying. Particularly give attention to mentioning that there are regular games in the store that last hours. Is there someone conversing about how he hasn't played RPG's in ages? Encourage him to get back into it and offer him a deal that makes it hard for him to refuse on a product of his choice. You might be taking it at a loss at that time, but if he buys it, you've just snagged a long time customer. Be a gentleman to women (Pretty. Ugly. Whatever). Compliment the ladies. No, don't flirt, just let them know they've been noticed. "Hey, great purse, where'd you get that? My wife likes that style." You can then talk to them about things like playing roleplaying games with their husbands/boyfriends/guy friends/children to get more face time with them.</li> </ul>Now for...Non-service, Non-sales Related Profits:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">External ads on website</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">External ads on drink cups (paid for by the external company, of course)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">External products offered with internal products (paid for by the external company, of course)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Offer to carry gaming company ads specific to the company, instead of their product (WOTC, Paizo, Topps, etc.; paid for by the company)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Keep meetup.com, yellowpages.com, and gaming companies updated with your business information so that they can update their "Local Stores" databases.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Associate program</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Have a discount card exchange with local vendors, costume and prop shops, and computer repair/sales shops where you give away discount cards for them with each purchase and they do the same for you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Participate in various volunteer activities, including charity drives and community service (helping with local improvements, etc.). Be sure to get the tax write-offs. Holding your own such drives is the best way to get your name out as the headlining company.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hold LARP events at parks with your banner ad in full view.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Advertise in nationwide gaming magazines and even the free PDF fanzines.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Become an online outlet (more than just a web presence, but becoming one of the retailers that sells at a discount. This can help you bring down in-store costs as well).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Optimize your website for search engines. Its not hard to find companies to optimize you for 50$ to 100$ rather then the 2 or 3 thousand others charge.</li> </ul>Get a small business loan to carry out any of these things on either list.</blockquote>

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