What do you look for in a Gaming Store?

[2WS-Steve]

Going on a run past my local gaming stores recently inspired this thread. I'm curious what other people look for in a gaming store. Here's my preferences roughly in order of importance.

Selection:
For me, the number one feature of a gaming store is selection, selection, selection. I go to a specialty store because it carries stuff that big generic stores don't. I like to be able to flip through a book that's on the shelf. I like to find books that might be a bit older or even out of print. I like just browsing and discovering books that I hadn't planned to buy when I walked into the store.

Organization:
Organization might be the next thing on the list but I'm awfully tolerant of sloppy organization. Perhaps if a found a store that had both a great selection and good organization I'd realise what I was missing.

Location:
Location is not so much a factor as a necessity; it needs to be within an hour's drive. However, I'm more than willing to drive 45 minutes to a store if it's really good.

Getting new stuff in fast:
This mattered a lot to me for computer games but not so much for RPGs. I usually wait a bit longer for an RPG book anyway and might look around at some reviews if I'm not familiar with the writer or material.

Discounting:
I've never gotten a discount from a gaming store. I'm a horrible negotiator and I'm usually just not willing to haggle over that sort of stuff. Moreover, I'm more than willing to pay full price if the store pleases me in other ways.

Community Support:
I don't game at shops so this isn't important to me but I see lots of other people gaming there and having a good time so I imagine others will rank this much higher than I do. On the other hand, I do find shops where people are having fun in the back area or around the tables more comfortable; perhaps they remind me why this hobby is so great.

That's about all I could think of, interested to hear what anyone else has to say.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

customer service - if i've been treated poorly, i won't spend my money there. period. i may pop in to look over some new releases, but that's about it.

(and this has happened in a couple of places in Columbus)

 

[Crothian]

The first thing is selction. If they don't have what I'm looking for, I'm not going to go there. Second is organization. If they have it, but I can't find it its like them not having it. Third is polite people. I'd like this to be polite knowledgible people, but there is too much stuff to know it all. However, just asking for politeness seems to be asking for too much. My local stores are hit and miss most of the time in this area. Only one store have I had great customer service every time I go there. The problem is they ave lousy selection. Fourth, would be used stuff. I like to peruse this sort of thing to get a steal. I've bought a few d20 products used that I never would have bought new.

 

[Maraxle]

Space. I like having space to move in the aisles and such. One near me does not have this at all, so I rarely go there. The D&D section is crammed in the back corner behind a wall. I'm not a big guy, but I'd like to be able to back up more than a step before knocking over a wall of miniatures.

Service. I don't want to be followed around the store, or completely ignored. Somewhere in between would be nice. Neither of my local ones have this figured out. The cramped one has a person who stands right next to you pretending to sort the comic books, while eyeing whatever you're picking up and looking at. Really annoying. The other one has this guy who just sits in the front of the store, paying attention to the CCG people. Even if you're the only one in there, he's still sitting there twiddling his thumbs.

Discount section. One place has this. It's a table with all kinds of stuff on it. I got the Sovereign Stone Campaign Setting for like $13, and a Penumbra book for $6ish. They also have a ton of 1st and 2nd edition stuff, mostly used some new, that maxes out at around $9 for hardcovers (1st edition core books, etc).

 

[TempesTMR]

My gming stores are limited to three places. Walden Books (which carries pretty much only WotC and S&S, Barnes and Noble, which carries only very limited choices of WotC (actually I have only seen the PHB and MM there) and a small comic shop who deals in mostly comics (duh), warhammer, and 2nd edition D&D. Once in a great while I might see a 3rd edition product on the shelf, but not likely. And not to mention that the space between walls here is only about 2 feet max . . .SO basically I'm stuck with ordering things from B&N and waiting a few weeks, since they are incredibaly slow around here, or hitting the net.

So in all, I must say I can't really answer this question, since I don't even have a hobby store. . . .maybe I should turn my garage into one, but then again that would mean I have to clean it, and god only knows what may be lurking in there .

TempesT

 

[Buttercup]

Sad but true, my first criteria is that I don't get treated like an interloper. There is a game store in my locale that has a great selection, but is run by a 600 pound, stinky, barefoot guy who asks women if they're looking for a gift for their boyfriend. I won't even go in there to look. Blech.

I guess it's also important to me that the employees bathe. (See above example.)

If those criteria are met, then I care about selection. Unfortunately, the only other gaming store around here doesn't have such a hot selection, and they don't seem to be able to get me stuff on special order, but they're very nice.

So I guess that as time goes by, ENWorld is becoming my local gaming store. I've always gotten prompt service, and I really like it that it helps support this site.

 

[2WS-Steve]

Oops, looks like I forgot Customer Service on my list. Generally I haven't had many problems with that, a few times waiting a bit long for someone to come to the register but nothing that bad. Also, I know what would count as bad customer service but I'm not sure what would count as good customer service. Perhaps just having service good enough that you don't notice that it could be an issue counts as good service.

 

[Crothian]

Oops, looks like I forgot Customer Service on my list. Generally I haven't had many problems with that, a few times waiting a bit long for someone to come to the register but nothing that bad. Also, I know what would count as bad customer service but I'm not sure what would count as good customer service. Perhaps just having service good enough that you don't notice that it could be an issue counts as good service.

Good Customer service: Saying hello when you walk in. Ask if you need any help finding things. Thanking you for stopping by. A Store not so near me that has good customer service even though it is really a comic/minature store that carries RPG stuff. However, the owner will stop talking with others to say hi to me. If I have any questions he'll answer them, or if he doesn't know the answer he finds out. When Chaos Magic by Mongoose was coming out, he didn't have it. He called his distributors and found out exactly when he would get the product. Then he discounted it 25% for me, because I had to stand around and wait while he did this. I didn't mind the waiting or ask for anything like that. Everytime I go in there, he is always polite and helpful.

 

[widderslainte]

Girls?

 

[Telgian]

Girls?
--widderslainte

Huh? What'cha askin', eh?