Getting into the retail gaming business

tf360 · Feb 18, 2003

Actually, most theft results from "inside jobs" rather than non-employees. The old saying "when the cat's away, the mice will play" certainly rings very true in the business world.

d12 · Feb 18, 2003

4) Learn about customer service. One of the things that tends to kill a FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store) is that they're simply not F. Learning to love your customer... sounds silly but if you don't know your market and don't care for them, then I assure you that they won't care for or know about you.

Speaking as one of you future potential customers let me say that this is very very true. I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a game store and been ignored or worse, treated very rudely. You need to have a staff that can be friendly, talk shop and not bark at people. Have staff that understands that sometimes customers come in just to browse and that's okay because if they are treated well, they may come back in a week to buy.

I have a credit card and an internet connection so I can buy anything I want online. But I choose to go to the local game store for the same reason that people who love coffee go to coffee shops - ATMOSPHERE! You aren't selling dice and player's handbooks, you're selling your atmosphere. Build a store where lovers of CRPG's, Comic Books, card games, d20 and heck even 1st edition can all find something they want.

Geoffrey · Feb 18, 2003

Know your business. When Necromancer Games published Gary Gygax's Necromancer, I asked my FLGS if they had it. They had never heard of Necromancer Games (even though they had some Necromancer stuff on the shelf) and didn't know anything about the product. Anyone who was even passingly familiar with ENWorld knew it was upcoming. I don't even play 3E, yet I know what's being released.

tf360 · Feb 19, 2003

d12 said:
Speaking as one of you future potential customers let me say that this is very very true. I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a game store and been ignored or worse, treated very rudely. You need to have a staff that can be friendly, talk shop and not bark at people. Have staff that understands that sometimes customers come in just to browse and that's okay because if they are treated well, they may come back in a week to buy.

I have a credit card and an internet connection so I can buy anything I want online. But I choose to go to the local game store for the same reason that people who love coffee go to coffee shops - ATMOSPHERE! You aren't selling dice and player's handbooks, you're selling your atmosphere. Build a store where lovers of CRPG's, Comic Books, card games, d20 and heck even 1st edition can all find something they want.

Many of the points you make are accurate. Many years ago, we had a local FLGS owned and operated by a group of friends that were gamers. They held weekly gaming events in the store and were generally friendly. The store did fairly well.

Eventually they sold the store to a guy that basically sat at the counter and read fantasy books all day. When you walked in, the guy immediately asked if he could help you, not in a sincere manner but as if you were intruding on his time. Needless to say, I stopped going, my friends stopped going and the store went out of business no more than a couple of years later.

Atmosphere not only requires good personnel, it also requires events. Unfortunately in the NY/NJ metro area, space is very expensive. Few FLGS stores can afford to lease a shop with sufficient floor space to house its inventory and additional space to support gaming. Those stores that do have the space, thrive. Those that don't, with the exception of NY's Compleat Strategist, fail.

spacecrime.com · Feb 19, 2003

Oracular Vision said:
Prolonged recession = less discretionary cash

Lots of good thoughts in this thread. But I did want to point this item out as a reason why it's a great time to <b>start</b> a business.

The economy's running a little slow right now, and a lot of businesses that service businesses are hungry for cash. That means you can get some excellent deals on fixtures, equipment, advertising, and other necessaries. Even leasing space is pretty cheap, since a lot of areas have high vacancy rates due to business failures.

The consumer sales picture is also pretty good. The retail industry is a little bruised, but it's healthier than a lot of other industries. And it doesn't suck that games are high-value products that appeal to a fanatical customer base. The customers are there if you know where to look, and the customer base is only going to increase as the economy grows stronger.

I'm not saying a startup would be easy -- it never is. But it's usually easier to start at the bottom of a business cycle than the top.

cheers,

Drawmack · Feb 19, 2003

on the customer service note. I started shopping online when I went into my FLGS and asked to see a d20 and the pierced freak behind the counter didn't know what a d20 was.