MrFilthyIke
First Post
johnsemlak said:
I would, I'm a junkie for marked-down books, and ESPECIALLY for used books as the real gems often spring up in that area.
What would you like to see in a new game store?
- Thread starter calimedic911
- Start date
I would, I'm a junkie for marked-down books, and ESPECIALLY for used books as the real gems often spring up in that area.
ThoughtBubble
First Post
I really like the ability to order stuff through the store, and people who are willing to help me out in making a selection.
I stopped going to one store after going in several times to check on an order and getting no response from the people (who weren't) manning the desk. Wasn't worth the trouble, unfortunately.
It's hard to really 'define' but friendlyness is what I crave.
I stopped going to one store after going in several times to check on an order and getting no response from the people (who weren't) manning the desk. Wasn't worth the trouble, unfortunately.
It's hard to really 'define' but friendlyness is what I crave.
IronWolf
blank
I like a friendly atmosphere and a clean store. I like gaming tables, but set them up so I don't have to push my way by them to get to the bookshelf I want to look at. Keep the game rooms/tables clean.
Have a used section or marked down section at the least (as others have suggested). I am always stopping by places that have a used section, always looking for that treasure at a good deal.
Now I am not sure how well this works for the LGS, but cut 10% off the price here and there on recent items here and there. I don't mind helping support the local gaming store, but at least make me feel like I am getting some sort of deal. 10% off or so helps with that. (Even with that being said I will still try to pick up something from a local store, box of minis, occasional source book, etc. It's just that I would buy even more at even just 10% off).
I have little retail experience and even less with knowing anything at all about what really does or does not work in a game store, but these are my 2 cents!
Have a used section or marked down section at the least (as others have suggested). I am always stopping by places that have a used section, always looking for that treasure at a good deal.
Now I am not sure how well this works for the LGS, but cut 10% off the price here and there on recent items here and there. I don't mind helping support the local gaming store, but at least make me feel like I am getting some sort of deal. 10% off or so helps with that. (Even with that being said I will still try to pick up something from a local store, box of minis, occasional source book, etc. It's just that I would buy even more at even just 10% off).
I have little retail experience and even less with knowing anything at all about what really does or does not work in a game store, but these are my 2 cents!
Ampolitor
Explorer
ok
1, BE ORGANIZED, it is very frustrating when i go to a store and it feels like im in a indoor flea market, be organized and have it make sense. Nobody wants to look through 500 books to find the one they want.
2, sell used older items,
3, have a person behind the counter that knows what they are talking about
4, have a corkboard and post a review, hand a bank out with an item and offer a small discount or something for doing it, have it poseted on a board for anyone to read the review, youll be amazed how it will help sell a product. its also good for other gamers to meet gamers.
5, tie in with a good website like this one!
just a few ideas,
1, BE ORGANIZED, it is very frustrating when i go to a store and it feels like im in a indoor flea market, be organized and have it make sense. Nobody wants to look through 500 books to find the one they want.
2, sell used older items,
3, have a person behind the counter that knows what they are talking about
4, have a corkboard and post a review, hand a bank out with an item and offer a small discount or something for doing it, have it poseted on a board for anyone to read the review, youll be amazed how it will help sell a product. its also good for other gamers to meet gamers.
5, tie in with a good website like this one!
just a few ideas,
Queen_Dopplepopolis
First Post
If you have game tables, snacks are nice: pop, candy, chips...
Also.. bathrooms.
It'd also be cool if you could have like a frequent buyers club... have a punch card... so, for every so many dollars you spend or for every book you buy you get a punch... and, after so many punches, you get a discount or a free item.
I second the "do not wrap your books" notion... there's a shop around here that does it and it drives me CRAZY!!!
Also.. bathrooms.
It'd also be cool if you could have like a frequent buyers club... have a punch card... so, for every so many dollars you spend or for every book you buy you get a punch... and, after so many punches, you get a discount or a free item.
I second the "do not wrap your books" notion... there's a shop around here that does it and it drives me CRAZY!!!
Last edited:
what I like
Here's what I like to see in a game store:
1. Cleanliness. I can't stress it enough. Get a clean space and keep it clean. Organize the product, too.
2. Game space. It can even be a separate suite so that the retail side can shut down while the gaming side stays open. I've never gamed in a game store, but it sure does seem to draw business. A spearate area allows more traditional shopperes the benefit of relative peace & quiet, too.
3. Variety. I want to see the new hotness but also the old, cool stuff. If I had to choose as a retialer, I'd go for the new hotness. I'm mostly into RPGs, but I'll pick up some mini games, card games and board games, too if they're there abd they look cool (especially if you can explain them to me--see below). Things that are tangential to gaming can sell to me too, like DVDs & CDs. Keep a stock of traditional games on-hand, too. People will probably call or come to your store to buy casino rugs, Texas hold 'em poker sets, chess sets, etc. I would keep various types of Monopoly around, too; especially Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. I even bought Battle Ball in a game store. I paid double the price at the local Toys R' Us or Wal-Mart, but then again I wouldn't have gone there to buy it.
4. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Friendliness can go a long way to offset lack of knowledge (but don't count on it). Special order fulfillment must be prompt.
Those are the high points from gaming stores throughout the Midwest and Southeast. Many game stores are really comic book shops that also sell games. My FLGS is of this variety. They seem to ride the trend of whatever is hot at the moment. Right now, that seems to be Star Wars Minis; but I see a lot of Magic games there, too. They also do a booming anime and manga business. You are in a larger market and can probably specialize in gaming, but I would definitely carry traditional games plus whatever is in fashion at the moment. Don't buck a trend, but stick to what you know & love as much as possible.
Here's what I like to see in a game store:
1. Cleanliness. I can't stress it enough. Get a clean space and keep it clean. Organize the product, too.
2. Game space. It can even be a separate suite so that the retail side can shut down while the gaming side stays open. I've never gamed in a game store, but it sure does seem to draw business. A spearate area allows more traditional shopperes the benefit of relative peace & quiet, too.
3. Variety. I want to see the new hotness but also the old, cool stuff. If I had to choose as a retialer, I'd go for the new hotness. I'm mostly into RPGs, but I'll pick up some mini games, card games and board games, too if they're there abd they look cool (especially if you can explain them to me--see below). Things that are tangential to gaming can sell to me too, like DVDs & CDs. Keep a stock of traditional games on-hand, too. People will probably call or come to your store to buy casino rugs, Texas hold 'em poker sets, chess sets, etc. I would keep various types of Monopoly around, too; especially Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. I even bought Battle Ball in a game store. I paid double the price at the local Toys R' Us or Wal-Mart, but then again I wouldn't have gone there to buy it.
4. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Friendliness can go a long way to offset lack of knowledge (but don't count on it). Special order fulfillment must be prompt.
Those are the high points from gaming stores throughout the Midwest and Southeast. Many game stores are really comic book shops that also sell games. My FLGS is of this variety. They seem to ride the trend of whatever is hot at the moment. Right now, that seems to be Star Wars Minis; but I see a lot of Magic games there, too. They also do a booming anime and manga business. You are in a larger market and can probably specialize in gaming, but I would definitely carry traditional games plus whatever is in fashion at the moment. Don't buck a trend, but stick to what you know & love as much as possible.
Build it in Ballard so I can walk to it.
No cats.
I'd strongly suggest stocking Warhammer, D&D Minis, and especially Confrontation, which is becoming more and more popular. As someone said, miniatures turn more frequently than RPG products, and the point should be to stay in business and make a little scratch for yourself.
Look for affordable retail space that will allow you to have 5 or 6 tables in addition to a healthy amount of display space. This will allow you to run card, miniatures, and RPG organized play events. Get in touch with the local RPGA club (in your case, the "Seattle Mob") and offer your space for their gamedays. Find out from Wizards of the Coast, Wiz Kids, and Upper Deck about their card and miniature organized play programs. These events _will_ get people into your store, and they will buy stuff while they are there (especially dice and candy and the game they came to play).
You're going to want to carry some embarrassing crap like Yu-Gi-Oh cards. It's smart to follow the tween trends, but don't get too caught up in it. Focus on developing your "hobbyist" clientele and they will stay with you through several trends, rather than abandoning you as soon as their kid finds some other shiny piece of crap to pester them about.
Please carry Dragon and Dungeon.
--Erik Mona
No cats.
I'd strongly suggest stocking Warhammer, D&D Minis, and especially Confrontation, which is becoming more and more popular. As someone said, miniatures turn more frequently than RPG products, and the point should be to stay in business and make a little scratch for yourself.
Look for affordable retail space that will allow you to have 5 or 6 tables in addition to a healthy amount of display space. This will allow you to run card, miniatures, and RPG organized play events. Get in touch with the local RPGA club (in your case, the "Seattle Mob") and offer your space for their gamedays. Find out from Wizards of the Coast, Wiz Kids, and Upper Deck about their card and miniature organized play programs. These events _will_ get people into your store, and they will buy stuff while they are there (especially dice and candy and the game they came to play).
You're going to want to carry some embarrassing crap like Yu-Gi-Oh cards. It's smart to follow the tween trends, but don't get too caught up in it. Focus on developing your "hobbyist" clientele and they will stay with you through several trends, rather than abandoning you as soon as their kid finds some other shiny piece of crap to pester them about.
Please carry Dragon and Dungeon.
--Erik Mona
Some of the things that I have seen work well in some of the gaming stores I have been to (and helped out at).
Build a loyal clientele base -the one big way I saw this happen was to have a 10% / 20% / 30% off members (we had cards and everything). This was done by having clients keep their reciepts and when they reached a certain benchmark number they turned in the reciepts and got the discount from then on. IIRC the benchmarks were pretty high too, at $100, $300, and $500 respectively. This also helped to woo people away from the online stores.
Post a schedule somewhere (big) as to what and when the new products are coming out....it helps to build anticipation for the product.
As said before a bullitin board is nice to have in the store.
One store I frequented sold new products (1 week old or less) with a big discount (25%) and then sold them at normal price. Said that it helped to generate large sales initially (away from the big chain stores like Borders).
Don't be afraid to leave out catalogs for the products that you don't choose to physically have on stock....that way your customers can order it in a week and get it, without you having to keep a very large inventory of stuff that will sit around on you.
Have a computer on hand for your employees (or you) to look up reviews, product release info, game design forums, etc. This way they will have the knowledge to talk to your customer base.
Keep your books in a very open and easily viewable place, in fact you may want some kind of help when you lay out your game store to make it easily visable from any point in the place. Shoplifting can eat up sales profits so quickly that it is scary and can send you packing quick. I talked to one Barnes & Nobles manager and she told me that during december alone they suffered about $50,000 in revenue loss from shoplifting. Know it yourself, and teach employees what to look for.
Versitility can be a valuable tool. Board games have been said before, and many are enjoyed by gamers and others alike (Risk, Settlers of Cataan, Axis & Allies, Rio Bravo Games, etc.) Also have small items (fake liscenses, credit cards, pencils, gag gifts, candy, posters, calanders, prop swords like LotR and lightsabers, whatever.) to help alleviate the slow product months. One other thing, comic books sell pretty well (at least monthly), and you can pick and choose with a few select books (KoDT, Noodwick, Dorktower, PS238, PvP, etc.)
As has been said in the past, Trading Cards and Colllectible Minitures! They sell well, and they come out often.....but don't end up getting 10 boxes of crap that won't move. Look around and see what kids are buying and stock that, just get it first and advertise on your window (we have Yugio or somesuch). One thing, some minitures are great to look at, but have such a vast collection that they are a real burden to stock (games workshop comes to mind, but there is others)....try keeping a catalog (with pics, maybe from the internet) for people to order from.
And perhaps the simplest advice is to have a reliable supplier who has a very large inventory and can get the items in a timely manner (especially on the release day...gawd knows you will loose sales when something comes out elsewhere and not at your store!!!)
I don't know if you have already chosen the location of your store, but when you look for a place if you can get a lot of foot traffic (movie theaters seem to be ideal as people are waiting for something and have money to spend) or by a supermarket (people drive by shopping and happen to see your store, etc.)
One last thing, out of curiosity just where are you locating your store? I ask because I live in Seattle (Federal Way actually) and would be interested in at least stopping by and checking the place out.
Good Luck
Xyth
Build a loyal clientele base -the one big way I saw this happen was to have a 10% / 20% / 30% off members (we had cards and everything). This was done by having clients keep their reciepts and when they reached a certain benchmark number they turned in the reciepts and got the discount from then on. IIRC the benchmarks were pretty high too, at $100, $300, and $500 respectively. This also helped to woo people away from the online stores.
Post a schedule somewhere (big) as to what and when the new products are coming out....it helps to build anticipation for the product.
As said before a bullitin board is nice to have in the store.
One store I frequented sold new products (1 week old or less) with a big discount (25%) and then sold them at normal price. Said that it helped to generate large sales initially (away from the big chain stores like Borders).
Don't be afraid to leave out catalogs for the products that you don't choose to physically have on stock....that way your customers can order it in a week and get it, without you having to keep a very large inventory of stuff that will sit around on you.
Have a computer on hand for your employees (or you) to look up reviews, product release info, game design forums, etc. This way they will have the knowledge to talk to your customer base.
Keep your books in a very open and easily viewable place, in fact you may want some kind of help when you lay out your game store to make it easily visable from any point in the place. Shoplifting can eat up sales profits so quickly that it is scary and can send you packing quick. I talked to one Barnes & Nobles manager and she told me that during december alone they suffered about $50,000 in revenue loss from shoplifting. Know it yourself, and teach employees what to look for.
Versitility can be a valuable tool. Board games have been said before, and many are enjoyed by gamers and others alike (Risk, Settlers of Cataan, Axis & Allies, Rio Bravo Games, etc.) Also have small items (fake liscenses, credit cards, pencils, gag gifts, candy, posters, calanders, prop swords like LotR and lightsabers, whatever.) to help alleviate the slow product months. One other thing, comic books sell pretty well (at least monthly), and you can pick and choose with a few select books (KoDT, Noodwick, Dorktower, PS238, PvP, etc.)
As has been said in the past, Trading Cards and Colllectible Minitures! They sell well, and they come out often.....but don't end up getting 10 boxes of crap that won't move. Look around and see what kids are buying and stock that, just get it first and advertise on your window (we have Yugio or somesuch). One thing, some minitures are great to look at, but have such a vast collection that they are a real burden to stock (games workshop comes to mind, but there is others)....try keeping a catalog (with pics, maybe from the internet) for people to order from.
And perhaps the simplest advice is to have a reliable supplier who has a very large inventory and can get the items in a timely manner (especially on the release day...gawd knows you will loose sales when something comes out elsewhere and not at your store!!!)
I don't know if you have already chosen the location of your store, but when you look for a place if you can get a lot of foot traffic (movie theaters seem to be ideal as people are waiting for something and have money to spend) or by a supermarket (people drive by shopping and happen to see your store, etc.)
One last thing, out of curiosity just where are you locating your store? I ask because I live in Seattle (Federal Way actually) and would be interested in at least stopping by and checking the place out.
Good Luck
Xyth
der_kluge
Adventurer
Break the minis out of the box, and sell them individually priced accordingly by rare, common, etc.
I've seen a lot of stores sell non-fantasy board games, and other types of card games, etc. I don't how successful they are with those lines, but it certainly adds variety to see other kinds of board games being sold. Heck, if you sell things like Monopoly and Shutes and Ladders you might get all kinds of people coming in that might not otherwise would.
I've seen a lot of stores sell non-fantasy board games, and other types of card games, etc. I don't how successful they are with those lines, but it certainly adds variety to see other kinds of board games being sold. Heck, if you sell things like Monopoly and Shutes and Ladders you might get all kinds of people coming in that might not otherwise would.
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