New game store RPG selection?

[WayneLigon]

But it seems to show that product selection kind of takes a back seat to a well run game store. It’s cool to know!

I thought about that later and wondered if it wasn't a kind of threadcrap. But having seen so many badly-run stores...

 

[bento]

Ditto to everything except this. Do NOT count on being able to "get it within a week" from your distributor if it turns out to be a really hot item (and sometimes normal items). Also don't count on your customer coming back if you have to order it. They can order it online just as easy as you can order it from your distributor, if they want it now you better have it now - especially if you are a new store and don't have a loyal customer base willing to wait.

I think most customers would be a little forgiving in the first few months of a store opening if something's not in stock IF service is great, the sales staff attentative, and there are other cool things on hand. You should have the core rulebooks for most popular systems, but skip the supplemental stuff until you know more about your customers. You should also have multiple distributors so if one is out of stock, you have alternatives.

You should also have a case or two of things like DDMs, Star Wars minis, and popular card games. Where you shouldn't have multiples are books from more than a year ago, as most people who wanted them have already bought them.

Your biggest concern for the first couple of years in managing cash flow, and the more money you have tied in with merchandise that's sitting, the less you have to work with to get new product in. I've seen too many bookstores that spent all their merchandising budget before they opened their doors and choked when there wasn't enough business to generate funds to continue buying new merchandise.

Also, even though "customers" say they like to browse old items, if something isn't selling - DUMP IT. Invest in stuff that sells and turn you money over, don't let it sit there in dead stock. You don't see big name stores letting their stock sit for years (or even months), but I'm amazed at the old stock of dead games that some game stores are still carrying (and still trying to get full MSRP for). Now, if the old stuff is selling that's another story, but those instances are few and far between.

QFT. Its not doing you any good sitting on merchandise that's not moving. There are message boards for comic retailers to swap merchandise, so you might see if there's something for game store owners.

You also might check out GAMA, the Game Manufacturers Association, which is a direct line between retails and game makers. They even have a mentor program, through which you can work with other successful owners on how best to set up your store. Here's the link.

 

[SiderisAnon]

The local gaming store changed owners at the beginning of the year. Under the new management, there have been several things that are now well stocked that were rarely found before. These are things which I, as a customer, appreciate.

Adventures for the games, including a variety of levels. This is especially important for me in D&D now as that's what I play, but when I was running Shadowrun I used to lament the lack of adventures. Back then, there were three gaming stores in Albuquerque and I would go to one specifically because it was the only one in town to stock any Shadowrun adventures. (But that was also back in the days of FASA...)

Gaming accessories like gaming mats you can write on. Sure, the WoTC tiles are pretty and all, but I really like being able to draw out maps on the fly. When the new management finally got some in stock, I bought two. (And they stocked various sizes. I bought two smaller ones. The really big ones can sometimes be too expensive.)

A variety of board and card games. I like having some options to look at. Having some less expensive ones available, like Cheapass games, is nice too.

Finally, have some DICE! That really should go without saying, but when there's only four sets of dice and they're all blue, it really keeps me from buying anything new.

 

[mcrow]

for a begining store , as much as it hurt to say, I would not devote more that 5-10% of your shelf space to RPGs. Cary the full lines of White-Wolf & WotC and pick a few lines from other publishers that may depend on your local gamers interest, but I'll suggest: Gurps,Mutants & Masterminds,Warhammer RPG, Piazo and other Green Ronin. In some areas Palladium & Hero do really well.

Stock a good assortment of Fantasy Flight Games board games, they seem to have a large following. Also carry all of the staple board games: Carcassone and the like.

Carry: Warhammer mins, Flames of War, Reaper, and maybe a couple other lines if you have the money to start.

and of course an assortment of dice and junk like that.

As has already been said, make sure you do your best to find out what the poeple in your area play.

 

[Cincinnatus]

* Single Dice at reasonable prices.

Many retailers forget the importance of dice. At a local (not so friendly game store), he has all of the minis, games, books, etc. in the world and only a handful of chessex dice sets. This is pretty backwards in my view. Sell single dice of all shapes and colors. The displays look nice anyway...

* Singles of D&D minis, magic cards, etc.

Many people don't like buying boosters and would like a selection of single minis/cards. This is something I look for in my game stores.

* A USED section of RPG books

Buying and selling used material at a reasonable price is a third thing I like to see. People don't always want to shell out $30-$35 for a new, mint book, or they might be looking for out of print stuff (D&D 1st and 2nd edition, for instance).

* Snacks and Drinks

This is another important one that many people overlook. I also wouldn't mind some stores selling deodorant alongside the snacks, but that is, of course, optional.

 

[mcrow]

I'm not sure a new store should worry about trying the used RPG thing. With it being so easy to sell them yourself on Ebay, it'll be hard to stock enough sellable used RPGs to make it worth your while. You'll just get stuck buying OOP stuff that no one will buy.

 

[Glyfair]

* Singles of D&D minis, magic cards, etc.

Many people don't like buying boosters and would like a selection of single minis/cards. This is something I look for in my game stores.

While this isn't the OPs problem, this can sound good to a retailer initially, but there are pitfalls,. My main FLGS has dealt with MtG singles from the beginning and a few other card sets (collectible miniatures were never micromanaged the few times they were dealt with). The amount of labor spent opening boosters, sorting cards, pricing cards, tracking needs and over stocks and buying cards is very significant.

I believe at the height of traffic they could have had a single person working full-time (40 hours per week) just on the maintenance issues. Assume minimum wage (practically about $7/hour here) and you are talking about almost $300 a week. That doesn't count the amount of distraction to the counter person because they had to watch those browsing the selection due to shoplifting concerns (a significant problem).

Clearly they felt it was worth it (even though stocking was at times far, far behind), but make sure you know you will have significant traffic to justify the expense. My FLGS clearly didn't feel there was enough of a market to do the same with D&D miniatures (admittedly, display space is also significantly higher for CMGs when compared to CCGs).