Local Games Stores Are Dead!

[Cergorach]

More than 15 years ago, I heard about 'the paperless office'. It was 'just around the corner'. It still hasn't turned that corner yet, and barring a drastic breakthrough, might never save in certain specialty shops.

You know, except for the 'gigs' part, I heard that digital paper 'just around the corner' about five years ago. And about five years before that.

*shrugs*

There already <i>is</i> such a thing as a paperless office, until that is, it's used by an old generation that doesn't understand that you can read an e-mail on screen, instead of having to print each and every page you get.

Just around the corner in this case is for me 3-5 years, don't know what those other people thought when they said just around the corner...

 

[Mistwell]

Erm... I've never seen a non-gamer in a LGS, except when it was someone tagging along with a gamer, or someone buying something for a gamer.

By non-gamer, I mean pen and paper RPG gamer.

I've never seen a game store devoted exclusively to pen and paper RPGs. Have you? It might be interesting to see. Much in the way a few comic book stores are now devoted exclusively to graphic novels and trade paperbacks. However, I have yet to see such an exclusive game store.

Every game store I have ever been in (and that is a lot), even the most focused of them, carry board games and card games at an absolute minimum. I know a lot of people who are board game addicts and go to game stores on a regular basis to buy board games, and yet do not play pen and paper RPGs. I used to know a lot of card came addicts that also never touched RPGs or really knew what they were. Many of those people eventually got around to playing D&D, and it's pretty well known that Magic: The Gathering brought a lot of new players over to playing D&D.

And, as others mentioned, most game stores also carry non-game material these days, like comics, posters, anime DVDs, sports cards, computer software, etc... And the presence of pen and paper RPGs in such a cross-cultural atmosphere exposes those people to the covers, shelf space, store marketing efforts , gamer-seeking-gamer bulletin boards, demos, tournaments, and regular games of pen and pencil RPGs held at the store as well.

I am slowly trying to bring my board game addict friends into the fold...and every time I go to a game store with them, I try to show them some pen and paper RPG material that I think they might like. As soon as the StarGate SG-X d20 game comes out, I think I might hook them.

 

[Mistwell]

*shrugs*

There already <i>is</i> such a thing as a paperless office, until that is, it's used by an old generation that doesn't understand that you can read an e-mail on screen, instead of having to print each and every page you get.

Just around the corner in this case is for me 3-5 years, don't know what those other people thought when they said just around the corner...

I'm in the legal profession. Not only is there no such thing in this profession, there never will be such a thing. And yes, we still do require hand written documents sometimes. Heck, we still use latin sometimes.

But as others have mentioned, paper usage has INCREASED as computer usage in the office has increased. Electronic books have also not caught on, are not damaging the novel industry in any way, and are on the verge of collapse (and some electronic book publishers already went under). Meanwhile, novel purchases have increased as the economy has gotten worse, and the book business is booming.

Only in the insular community of high tech first-adapters is the paperless office even conceived of anymore as a possibility.

 

[TalonComics]

Wow, see what kind of threads pop up while you're gaming?
The FLGS is not dead. The problem being most prominent, in my opinion, is just competition from non-gaming stores that massively discount. Massive discounting takes business away from the LGS leaving the management of the LGS trying to figure out ways to fight back. Those who don't fight back and stay set in their ways are doomed to fail.

Here's a misnomer: FLGSs are going out of business because of internet gaming stores. The truth is, the FLGSs that don't set up an internet presence like myself and several other retailers that post here, are going to lose business because they're not evolving.
There's another gaming store in Denton going out of business this month just because the owner said and I quote, "Selling games online is a waste of time." All that says to me is he was too lazy to even bother. Don't get me wrong though, maintaining an online store is a lot of work and I'm constantly behind working on it and working in my store.

The bottom line is the FLGS that doesn't pay attention to their surroundings and trends is doomed to fail. It has nothing to do with pdfs and frankly I think pdfs hardly dent any of a FLGS's business.

~Derek

 

[ergeheilalt]

Re: Re: Local Games Stores Are Dead!

In thirty years, I could easily see books themselves become a "luxury" item. IE. most people getting their reading material in an electronic format.

Personally, I don't think FLGS are in trouble right now. Ten years from now, however, things could be quite different.

As much as I hate to admit it, you have hit it on the nose. I hated carrying my books to school and back in High School and Middle School - I wished for those "cool star-trek notepad/book" that they always flung around when making reports.

Now that book lugging is behind me, I dont think I'd ever want one of those pad things in the place of a book. There is a value to being able to leaf idling through a book, being able to grip the sides in anticipation of turning the next page, the silent calls that your favorite book sitting on your desk whispers.

Technology advances however, and as it sits now I find it hard to believe that books will be around much longer. Heck, a PDA can hold the SRD, a few OCR issues of dragon, and my notes for my campaign. With the size of computers shrinking dramatically in addition to their cost, the growing concern for trees and the environment, and the abhorrence of many of the chemicals used to make the paper products pretty and white, there is no way that books will become anything but luxury.

Back on topic, if his horrible event comes true, I do not see LGS surviving. It you establish a presence online, you do have a higher possibility of surviving. Some where down the road, when you have to download your books, you may be able to get a piece of the market.

Erge

 

[Celtavian]

re

Honestly, it really depends on your goal. I think you could run a hobby shop and derive a reasonable living income if you manage your inventory and cash well, just like with any retail business. If you wanted to become moderately wealthy, you would have to do alot more and definitely use online sources to increase your sales.

I think you might have quite a few dry periods for sales. Alot of people are price conscious and it is extremely difficult for a single store to compete with a huge online operation like Amazon or a chain of stores like Barnes and Noble for price. The majority of your customers will probably be people who want things immediately requiring you to be well-stocked on popular product and those who are loyal to the small gaming store because they like you. That is how it seems for my local gaming store.

Many people get pissed off when a product is continuously not stocked. Most folks, myself included, don't mind waiting a few days or even up to a week, but if that product isn't there in that frame of time I definitely start looking elsewhere. Online is usually a good place to find what you want.

My advice to you if you start a gaming store is:
1. Stock popular product as in product you know is being well-publicized and will fly off the shelves.

2. Do not stock bad product. If it doesn't sell, don't stock it. Allow people to order it through you as a specialty item.

3. Keep your prices set. People expect to pay a certain price for the books. Keep your prices consistent don't offer discounts because you are desparate or have some kind of idealized notion that the books are too expensive. You're running a business.

4. Manage your cash well. Keep a money reserve for times when sales are slow or when a big product is going to hit that you know will require a large purchase to keep up with demand. Don't get caught with your pants down when something like 3.5 hits the market. These types of well-publicized product releases are going to generate a nice chunk of your yearly revenues.

5. Manage your cash well. Don't let your taxes get out of hand. Keep emergency cash reserves always. It may take time to get the cash management down, but that is really the most important part of running a successful business.

6. Cultivate a customer base. Alot of folks like having a local gaming store with a knowledgable owner who can lay their hands on hard to find product and sometimes provide a place for them to game. That loyal customer base will carry you through the year when big operations are undercutting your prices by 10% or more.

Good luck. You can make it happen, just be smart about it.

 

[Mistwell]

Thank you for the advice.

While it is appreciated, I'm not actually looking for advice on running a game store, right now. It's still just a possibility. I am an attorney, and frankly that income will always bring in decent money, even if it becomes only a part time portion of my income. Running a game store would be for pleasure, and because it is desperately needed in my area (if I decide to do it). I merely wanted to get response on this (crazy) idea that books are an archaic medium of communication.

The issue of large warehouse suppliers like Amazon is really a different issue, appropriate for another thread. However, in short, this problem CAN be solved by retailers, in the same manner every other industry with small retailers solves that problem. You just need a large alliance of stores capable of taking advantage of the bulk discounts. Distributors have you over a barrel when all you want is 6 copies of a book. However, when you are negotiating on behalf of the entire west coast of stores and need tens of thousands of copies, you have the distributor over a barrel.

That will likely happen, eventually. I suppose that is a direction I could go in myself, since I have some knowledge of that field from other industries. However the startup costs are so high that the financing would have to be very hardcore (though not impossible to obtain, given current interest rates).

But then, that isn't the business I had envisioned opening.

Anyway, thanks for the thoughts.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I'm not holding my breath for the "Paperless office" i've worked in an office for 8 years and as we have gotten more computerized our printing and paper use has increased as well. Statements to mail to customers, prints to send to manufacturing, orders that have to be written down then entered into the computer, etc. We are mailed tons of prints and other documents for custom orders and all those are saved in original form in files.

P.S. A PDA is a poor substitute for a nice hardcover novel IMO.

 

[Celtavian]

re

Thank you for the advice.

While it is appreciated, I'm not actually looking for advice on running a game store, right now. It's still just a possibility. I am an attorney, and frankly that income will always bring in decent money, even if it becomes only a part time portion of my income. Running a game store would be for pleasure, and because it is desperately needed in my area (if I decide to do it). I merely wanted to get response on this (crazy) idea that books are an archaic medium of communication.

If its any assurance, my gaming group prefers books. Its nice to have an easy reference handy for use by multiple people. Gathering around a computer or setting up a network in my home or my friend's home for roleplaying isn't very appealing.

I think PDF's are good for DM's mostly since you can use a PDF while designing an adventure, they don't make good general reference books in my opinion. The efficiency of the search function on a PDF isn't that much more difficult than simply looking it up in a book given the size of most alternative reference books.

Notice that WotC, the biggest company in the business, mostly uses its website to supplement its printed material. I think the web is best used as a supplment, but print is still preferred by the majority of gamers including myself.

I'm involved in busines. Sorry for the lengthy diatribe on how to run a gaming business. I'm a wordy person.

 

[Mistwell]

Re: re

I'm involved in busines. Sorry for the lengthy diatribe on how to run a gaming business. I'm a wordy person.

Oh, hey, no apology necessary. If I do decide to go further with the gaming store idea, rest assured I will be coming to you, and everyone, for as much advice as you are willing to provide.