Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="evilbob" data-source="post: 6179668" data-attributes="member: 9789">Sorry I couldn't think of a better category for this one.  This is an honest question.  I live in a small city and over the last decade I've seen several shops open and close within a year or two.  The majority of places that come and go tend to sell these broad categories:- board games- role playing books- magic cards- typically some game-specific minis, like warhammer(Also:  some junk food)You'll notice that every single one of these items can be bought on amazon or ebay for way cheaper than a brick-and-mortar would ever be able to sell them.They also tend to have tons of floorspace dedicated to tables for people to game.  This is really cool - in theory.  But they're also paying rent each month on a large amount of square footage that is dedicated to something that isn't stock.  It's great for hosting tournaments, but it's difficult to really demo a game - especially something as huge and complex as warhammer - even with a table set up.  And I don't know about you, but 99% of the time, when I visit a gaming store and people are playing, they don't spontaneously encourage others to participate in any way, or even typically acknowledge strangers - so it's not like the tables are drawing in new customers.  And here's the real key:  the people who play there don't typically buy things, either.  Once or twice I've seen it happen - especially with magic cards - but for the most part, people already have their stuff and bring it with them.  It's not like most games are consumable products, or that most gamers diversify that widely.These stores also tend to do extremely little advertising, have one helpful employee at most (typically the owner - because someone who knows gaming AND is friendly is apparently REALLY hard to find), and don't even come close to being an environment that would encourage women to come into the store.  (More like:  openly hostile.)  These things obviously hurt them as well.  In fact, let's be honest:  GAMERS can be bad for game store businesses, as far as encouraging new business is concerned.  Many gamers can be abrasive, territorial, and easily offended.  They can sit around, using up your floorspace without purchasing anything, and actively chase other customers away.  But you kick out the wrong one and BAM - your online rep gets trashed, or you start a bunch of drama with opposing groups, and either way your business is hurt.So how do any local gaming stores make money?  There are two places locally that have been open for decades, and they've diversified into either comics and wargame minis/paints, or more casual boardgames and traditional games (puzzles, etc.).  They also have big sales, better staff, and a more open environment.  And the store that sells casual games is great about doing small demos of pick-up games for groups, and they are very child- and women-friendly.  All of that helps.  But 75% or more of the stuff they sell can be bought online at about a 1/3rd discount.  They're also paying rent on extremely large areas that do not contain stock.  And I often get the feeling that they are just barely making ends meet.  So how in the world do these places make money?  Are there even places out there that do anymore?  If so:  what is their secret?Do any FLGS vets have any advice?  There's a new place that just opened nearby and it's doing exactly everything that I described above.  I wish they would succeed but I do not have high hopes, currently.  Is there anything I could tell the owner that might help, or will he just have to learn the hard way?</blockquote>

Verification