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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 958998" data-attributes="member: 2012">First, let me say that this thread has been a great read.Second, I'm a gamer living in a city where one major game store has at least two (maybe three) locations in town and it is impossible for new game companies to compete with that group of stores.Third, I have always bought my gaming material from a LGS, whether it be the store mentioned above or anther local gaming store that is now out of business.Now for the crunchy part of my response. That top dog game store just recently had to scale back its store front presence because less and less gamers here in Edmonton shop there.Why?Because those gamers are now buying their gaming books over the Internet. And now Wal-mart is getting into the picture and it's going to be harder and harder for my LGS to stay in business.Now, I personally know the guy who runs the place and I can honestly say I find him to be a good guy. However, his business decisions regarding ordering and pricing does leave a lot to be desired.You can't order non-mainstream products from him unless he's seen a promotional copy of the companies work first. He won't take the risk because so many gamers have backed out of special orders in the past that he gets stuck with the product and often has trouble selling it.And his prices are quite high. In fact, unless you have an account with his store you pay more for the products you buy. (Normal Price = Suggested Retail Price + Markup + Sales Tax; Price with Membership = Suggested Retail Price + Markup.) Note that the markup works out to be roughly the exact same as paying sales tax based on the Suggested Retail Price.Now, you're probably asking 'why the hell would you pay that much?'Answer: Choice.In the past, I have chosen to pay his prices because I believe that it is important that he stay in business. Because if he goes under there are no really good places to buy RPG products in Edmonton. The few places that do stock gaming material are either poorly informed, poorly staffed, or have VERY limited selection.Now I've come to a point in my life where my choice might need to change becuase of economics. In the last few months I've been going through a downcycle physically, emotionally, and financially. I just don't have the resources to have money for extra things. (I must thank my sister more often for paying for the ADSL connection so I don't lose my Internet contacts.)I can guarantee that I won't have money for the new core rulebooks and that I'll have to live with using the new SRD.As for my point! This difficult time period and the fact that it might be months (or longer) before I can afford RPG books again means that when I get back to where I'm doing more than surviving, it might be time for me to change my choice for purchasing RPG products.A lot of RPG products (most notably WotC) are becoming more and more expensive as the difference between the US dollar and Canadian dollar becomes less stable. RPG products are WAY more now than say five years ago and not just because they have become fancier with more color and artwork.And D20 products are even moreso for less content because they can't put out a book for the same price as WotC can.Thus, I will most likely have to forgo buying the books from my LGS and buy them at Wal-Mart or anywhere else in town I can get them cheap (evven used if I have to).And buying them online isn't an option since I don't have a credit card, or any chance of getting one, and I am not comfortable with sending a check or money order to a LGS, with an online presence, that I've never visted and don't know anything about.Anyway, just my .02, which I'll need back BTW.Cheers!Robert Blezard, a.k.a. Knightfall1972Edmonton, AlbertaCanada</blockquote>

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