FLGS- Old Inventory and Organization UPDATE!!

[Django]

I don't really like shringwrapping, but I am an advocate of putting stuff into some kind of plastic slip wrap. My FLGS uses appropriately sized comic book sleeves that are then taped shut. They are pretty cool about letting people taking the books out of the sleeves to page through something interesting as long as it gets put back in.

It's nice because I can look at old stock and know that its not going to be all trashed from just the general wear and tear of shelf life.

 

[Belen]

Thank for all the great replies! Keep them coming.

We did think about Ebay, but I figured that we may use the ENWorld forum first. We hope to complile an excel file of the products.

One aspect about this store is that it is not entirely an RPG store. In fact, that only takes up about 20% of the space. They get most of their profit from puzzles and board games. They also just built a game room and have started to attract a regular following, although no RPG people yet.

It's a great store, clean, and well-managed. There are several competing stores in the area, and one that is within a mile. The one closest to them focuses entirely on RPGs and CCGs and they have lost a lot of RPG business, even though that guy's store is poorly managed, smelly and without discount. I am hoping to get the RPG people back to my friend's store.

I mean, it is owned and run by two attractive women! That is already a bonus.

 

[schporto]

Well my somewhat oddball suggestion would be to leave the shrinkwrap on all but one. Leave that as the store copy. Then you end up with protected stock and a browseable book. Besides, the owners need to have read the book too so they can recommend it (or not).
As for the discounts you could always try the tricks other book shops use. Bag o' Books 5 books in a bag buy them unseen. Steep discounts. Or, grab 1 book from box 1 at full price, get a book from box 2 at 1/2 price, and a book from box 3 at 1/3 price (this might work better with the good books in the discount bins).
-cpd

 

[Bagpuss]

If I buy online I know what I want. If I go into my FLGS I more often than not impulse buy something, even when I go in for a specific product.

If she can afford it have one marked display copy and shink wrap the rest for major releases, like WotC stuff.

 

[Belen]

If I buy online I know what I want. If I go into my FLGS I more often than not impulse buy something, even when I go in for a specific product.

If she can afford it have one marked display copy and shink wrap the rest for major releases, like WotC stuff.

I am the same way, if I go to a store, then it is always an impulse buy. The books I want ahead of time I order on Amazon.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Add me to the "buy online if I already know what I want" crowd. I go to my FLGS for the sole purpose of browsing around and seeing if there's anything I want that I might have missed. Shrink-wrap would completely ruin the experience for me.

 

[Vanuslux]

A shrink-wrapped RPG book tells me one thing...that whoever shrinkwrapped it thought that me looking inside the book would make me less likely to buy it.

 

[Umbran]

Basically, her co-owner, who owns a majority believes that RPG people know what they want, so there is no need to update the section. I need to convince her that a lot of gamers do not know ahead of time and that sales can be generated if the store has a great selection.

Many gamers may know what they want to look at when they enter the store. But gaming books are not like paperback novels that people will buy without ever looking inside. Gamers may have an idea, but they want to confirm their suspiscions in the store. If the product does not have loose parts, don't shrink wrap it. Give them a chance to see the goodies. In theory they may damage the books, but in practice gamers are generaly very respectful of them.

Also, even if gamers do know what they want to buy, your section needs to be updated. Your stock hasn't been moving! If the gamers know what they want, whatever you've got isn't it! So, the section needs to be updated.

 

[cybertalus]

I lived in the Raleigh area for about a year and a half in 2000 and 2001. Based on your description I'm fairly certain I know the store you're talking about. I will tell you bluntly that because of the shrinkwrap policy I *never* bought a single book there, even if I knew for 100% certain that I wanted it. I bought a few dice there, I bought a mini or two there, I even bought my battlemat there, but when I wanted books I either went to Border's or Hobby Masters. This despite the fact that the store in question was less than a 10 minute drive from my apartment, whereas Hobby Masters was close to 30 minutes away.

So yeah, I'd definitely advise dumping the shrinkwrap policy. To me it just screams "I don't want your business".

I don't have any particular advice for clearing out old merchandise, but if they do decide to have a sale, please pass the word on in this thread. I'm still in contact with some members of my old group, so I'd be happy to let them know. They still play 3.0, so if it's older d20 material your friend is trying to clear out, it might be more useful to them than to others who've switched to 3.5.

As far as getting new stock in goes.... I'm not a business person, but I've often wondered why gaming stores haven't tried out something similar to what I've seen done for new releases on movies and video games. Basically before a new release comes out a customer can put $5 down and be guaranteed a copy on the release date. For customers very eager to get a new product this would usually be faster than pre-ordering online, and it would give the game store a good idea of how many copies of a particular product to order.

One oher semi-related piece of advice. If they do special orders, they need to be good about following up with the customer, whether or not they're able to successfully order the product. If special ordering becomes much of a hassle at all, customers will use the Internet instead.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Hmmm, there seems to be a concensus of opinion in regards to shrink wrap. I agree, but do understand why it is done, having seen a kid with icecream covered fingers pawing through the gaming stuff at Waldenbooks.

If they feel the need to protect the books with shrink wrap have them put up signs telling customers that the store is more than willing to open the books so that they can look at the material, but that the wrap is there to prevent 'shop wear'.

The Auld Grump, too cheap to impulse buy much. (Impulse buys for me are in the less than 5 dollar range, pretty much miniatures these days.)