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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celtavian" data-source="post: 1060261" data-attributes="member: 5834">reHonestly, 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.</blockquote>

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