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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 5982482" data-attributes="member: 19675">Don't try to compete with Amazon on price- it's a losing battle.&nbsp; I've heard enough game store owners- here and in person- complain about Amazon selling RPG material at prices lower than the game store pay to acquire it.&nbsp; This is because Amazon can buy in such bulk AND cross-subsidize, making for ultra-low prices at any time they choose.The only ways I've seen successful game stores compete on price is with loyalty programs (buy $X of merch, get some kind of additional discount on next purchase or all future purchases that year, etc.), and with discounts on pre-orders for new releases.As others have said, compete with knowledge, service and environment.On environment: an excellent read would be Paco Underhill's Why We Buy- it contains a wealth of info on how a store's internal structure affects sales.&nbsp; He reveals how lighting, lines of sight, depth vs breadth of products available, overstocking vs understocking, space between tables &amp; width of aisles- even the arrangement of aisles- can affect your bottom line.I tell you what- if I were opening a game store today, I'd invest in a computer near the main counter that let customers in the store place orders through the store's website.&nbsp; I've seen how kiosks like that work in a variety of retailers- grocery stores, department stores, etc.&nbsp; They work- they generate sales from motivated customers already in your store, usually without involving sales staff.&nbsp; It's like having an employee you pay in electricity.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 5982482, member: 19675"] Don't try to compete with Amazon on price- it's a losing battle. I've heard enough game store owners- here and in person- complain about Amazon selling RPG material at prices lower than the game store pay to acquire it. This is because Amazon can buy in such bulk AND cross-subsidize, making for ultra-low prices at any time they choose. The only ways I've seen successful game stores compete on price is with loyalty programs (buy $X of merch, get some kind of additional discount on next purchase or all future purchases that year, etc.), and with discounts on pre-orders for new releases. As others have said, compete with knowledge, service and environment. On environment: an excellent read would be Paco Underhill's [I]Why We Buy[/I]- it contains a wealth of info on how a store's internal structure affects sales. He reveals how lighting, lines of sight, depth vs breadth of products available, overstocking vs understocking, space between tables & width of aisles- even the [I]arrangement[/I] of aisles- can affect your bottom line. I tell you what- if I were opening a game store today, I'd invest in a computer near the main counter that let customers in the store place orders through the store's website. I've seen how kiosks like that work in a variety of retailers- grocery stores, department stores, etc. They work- they generate sales from motivated customers already in your store, usually without involving sales staff. It's like having an employee you pay in electricity. [/QUOTE]

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