Open Letter To Local Game Stores

[Dannyalcatraz]

I went to the store, made a few purchases, and attempted to strike up a conversation with the employee, who not only wanted nothing to do with me (I interrupted a computer game he was playing,) but also gave me no information about the events. Not only that, when I offered to leave my email address to give to someone who would help me, he simply shrugged and returned to his game.

Egads...

In every one of the quality game stores I've been in, that would be a fireable offense. You simply don't play games during business hours unless you are running one for the purposes of a demo or other similar in-store event.

If, somehow, that employee were running a computer game demo, he shouldn't have been at the register.

 

[Starfox]

Looking at my experience of game stores in Sweden, they are a lot more professional than this. The English stores I've been to (quite a few years ago now) were more cramped, but still had a pretty professional attitude.

 

[Lanefan]

In the cases of shops that I found disappointing, I found the scenario to be the opposite of the above - folks who are running the store strictly from a business standpoint rather than a gaming standpoint. The shops that treat this solely as an inventory stocking and distribution racket, rather than encouraging gameplay, demoing games, etc., are the ones I've found to be a little more problematic.

We've got very good LGS's here in town for the most part - there's only one I generally avoid and that's because the few times I've been there I've been subjected to the "hard sell", and I've no use for that.

In other words, like tylerthehobo said.

Lanefan

 

[Raven Crowking]

A LOT of gamestore owners and employees, in my experience, have no business being in that business. And this is usually borne out when they go out of business a year later....

Agreed.

A lot of times, when people go the business route, they fail to take into account how different it is from the hobby route.

When going the business route, it is best to treat it like a business. Do what you say you will do, put the needs of customers (when possible) over your (current, not long-term) personal needs (really, you can pause that game!), follow the rules you set (store hours, etc.), and take a real (not feigned) interest in the people who come through your door.

Too many hobbyists think "I own the place!" is a good excuse for not following through on the terms and conditions they set. And, when a customer expects service, expecting you to come to the cash register is not a cardinal sin.

That's one of the reasons why RCFG is a hobby -- I don't have the time or inclination to make it a business.

Pegasus Games in Madison, WI gets my dollars.

I haven't been in Madison in years. But if this is the store I think it is, Pegasus Games has been a quality joint for a long, long time.




RC

 

[doctorhook]

Please .pdf-format this, print it, and then deliver it to every game shop owner everywhere ever. And then arrange with the authorities to revoke the business licenses of the noncompliant.

Every time a store owner creeps-/alienates a customer (or allows a customer to be creeped-out/alienated in the store), it's another poisoned-arrow into the heart of hobby gaming.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Overall I agree with the OP. Game stores need to be run as a business, preferrably by somebody who is knowledgeable and passionate about gaming, but cares first about customer service. Without the customers, there is no business.

I saw one store where they handled open gaming right on the floor, and managed it well. They didn't charge for tables, but the "cost" was an expectation of controlled behavior. If you could not control youself (usually after a warning or two), the owner would ask you to stop playing. It worked out well in that people would sometimes come and watch the game being played and get intrigued.

 

[HailToTheThief]

I am incredibly pleased at the response this has gotten, a lot of great and intelligent replies. Wish I could respond individually, but in general:

I'm not trying to throw every game store under the bus, but in my experience (which I, at least, feel has been fairly vast) these are all common issues. There are certainly exceptions, and if you have seen more good stores than bad I am very jealous. But even some good stores, as I mentioned in my original post, suffer from one or two of these issues and it holds them back from being great, or maybe becoming more mainstream.

It seems, however, that most agree with me, so hopefully those of you that run a store or know someone that does can think about what you can do to make your store more friendly and approachable to outsiders.

Or maybe I just have to suck it up and open a game store

 

[jdrakeh]

I'd like to add this maxim: "Building your inventory based solely on personal likes and dislikes is a bad, bad, bad, idea." — I have seen sooooo many game stores make this blunder, always to their detriment. Frex, I recall a game store that, for a long time, refused to stock any d20 products as a matter of course because the owner disliked the system. This was at a time when the d20 system was the best selling thing on the market. The owner eventually relented, but not until his store was nearly bankrupt. I can also think of other stores that stock a ridiculous number of small press games because an employee has a real hard on for them, but since customers couldn't care less, they end up doing nothing but collecting dust. Point is, as a business owner, you should be stocking things that your customers like, not what you like (unless they happen to be the same thing, but I think this is usually not the case).

 

[tylerthehobo]

Before the FLGS are lumped up on anymore (and I know that's not the overall intent here, but it seems to be what this smells like), I'd point to the font of knowledge on things gaming, John Kovalic.

These are our options - This...
Archived Comic #10 | Dork Tower

or

This:
Archived Comic #77 | Dork Tower

 

[Blastin]

heh....yeah, I was spoiled by a great FLGS when I lived in Milwaukee, adventure Games Plus. Did just about everything the OP described as the right way. Then I moved...and ran into bad game store after bad game store. the local one has the problem sited by jdrakeh: he mostly stocks what he likes, refuses to stock what he doesn't like (refused to stock D&D minis even when they were big) and will gladly tell you why the game you are purchasing sucks and how you should be playing >blagh, blagh, blagh<...I have found a better gaming experience in the local Barnes and Noble....