D&D General The Disappearance of D&D from Mainstream Retailers

[GreyLord]

In my area 3rd edition was NEVER in the big box stores or even retail stores for the most part. Even AD&D was in more retail stores than 3e was in my area of the world and where I visited.

Retailers that had held the late AD&D 2e stuff (such as the now extinct Mediaplay or other locales) carried it, but none of the big retailers.

I only started to see D&D in the big retailers over the past 10 years with 5e stuff. Even then, they normally will only carry the Starter sets (essentials as well at Target), and perhaps the core books in general (though, the PHB is more often seen than the others). I have seen some of the more diverse stuff (Planescape for example) at Walmart and other retailers a few weeks after general release.

In that light I'd say it's bigger these days and a better seller, putting it on the retailers target lists.

It fell off in the mid to late 90s due to lagging sales. If it won't sell well enough, than it won't make the big retailers shelves.

 

[Stormonu]

I don't ever remember seeing D&D products in Sears, but they were certainly in the local toy stores and book stores. Kay-bee, Toys-R-Us, Waldenbooks, Books-a-Million, Barnes & Noble are the ones I remember. Strangely, in both California and Mississippi - though in the latter you didn't admit you bought it to anyone and there were certain evangelists that would purposely hang around that section to harangue anyone picking up a book in that section (I remember bringing it to the attention of the store staff one time after a particularly unpleasant interaction).

Spoiler

The jerk actually pulled the book out of my hand and put it back on the shelf.

As I said before, it was a real shock to see D&D books at Walmart and Target down here in the Deep South. I've not seen them in the local Walmart of late, and only non-WotC 5E books/items in Target lately (Just picked up The Gamemaster's Book of Villians this weekend, in fact). I don't know if it had anything to do with them dropping Penguin Publishing or not, but it was around the time that partnership ended was when I last saw those books in the two.

 

[aramis erak]

I don't ever remember seeing D&D products in Sears, but they were certainly in the local toy stores and book stores.

Because the D&D boxed sets for BECMI were special order only in most cases. A buddy's mom got him the BX boxes via Sears... saved about $4. He picked them up after church.

Kay-bee, Toys-R-Us, Waldenbooks, Books-a-Million, Barnes & Noble are the ones I remember.

In Anchorage, Kay-Bee (BECMI), Waldenbooks (AD&D 2 and BECMI), B&N (D&D 3E/4E/5E, and FFG's WFRP/40K games), Borders (D&D 3E). The Book Cache (BX/BECMI, TFT).

Strangely, in both California and Mississippi - though in the latter you didn't admit you bought it to anyone and there were certain evangelists that would purposely hang around that section to harangue anyone picking up a book in that section (I remember bringing it to the attention of the store staff one time after a particularly unpleasant interaction).

Spoiler

The jerk actually pulled the book out of my hand and put it back on the shelf.

There were folks like that in Anchorage, too. And store managers willing to order them out, and if they didn't leave, to have them arrested. Folk like that as recently as 2013...

 

[Arnie_Wan_Kenobi]

In my area 3rd edition was NEVER in the big box stores or even retail stores for the most part. Even AD&D was in more retail stores than 3e was in my area of the world and where I visited.

I remember the 3rd starters (both of them, I think; the ones with the set of painted minis) at TRU, but nothing else during the 3rd-3.5 Era. 4th edition I remember exclusively at Borders and Barnes & Noble, nothing in at general retail. (This is in addition to FLGS/FLCS/FLHS, obviously).

 

[ValamirCleaver]

I was one of those ones that found out about D&D due to the Satanic Panic (namely, a blurb on the nightly news when that guy vanished into the pipes under a College - I've forgotten the name).

James Dallas Egbert III