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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wil Harvey" data-source="post: 1906173" data-attributes="member: 26349">I should be able to give you a slightly different opinion from what you've probably been getting. I *only* play D&D. I have absolutely no knowledge of other games, products, etc. I've never gamed at a gaming store, nor do I tend to spend more than five minutes in one.That being said, here's the things that I've noticed in gaming stores that I've liked.1.) When Unearthed Arcana came out, I went to my FLGS to go buy it. Unfortunately, I came before their shipments for the day came in. The employee surprised me, though, when he asked for my name and phone number and told me he'd call me when it came in. I mean, wow. So instead of having to hassle the store who knows how many times or just guessing when to go back looking for the game, I had a guy call me when it came in, and when I went in they had the book waiting for me behind the desk. Fantastic service. I've never bought another gaming book from a different store since then.2.) Member discounts. I've gotten up to 20% off on books I've bought at my local store because I've bought so many. It's one of those things that not only keep me coming back, but it keeps me recommending that store as the place to buy books. It's probably best to do some formalized way of doing this, and I'm sure you could think of a million ways to do it, some already mentioned in this thread.3.) Seperate gaming space. I don't game in stores, and I don't really want to be bothered by those that do. Some other things I'd like to see my local store do or have:1.) An area to sit and read. I can't explain how much of a huge attraction this is to a store. Sometimes you go to a store just to browse, kind of hoping you'll find a gem to buy. You don't want to be standing around trying to figure out if a book looks like a good purchase. It's not comfortable, and often times you get in the way of other customers. Even if the person doesn't buy anything that they were looking at, they're still probably going to buy some items like sodas and snacks and they'll develop a more favorable attitude towards the store, which will help that person come back more often and help them recommend the store to others.2.) In each area there should be a binder of some sort with reviews of various products in it. They don't have to be incredibly long, just something to familiarize myself with the product. If I go in and see there's a new book out, especially third party ones, it'd be nice to get a general idea of if it's any good or not.You could probably do this pretty easy by partnering with some online sites.3.) Offer people something to drink. This is something so small, but people will love it. If you see someone in the store for a while, offer them a soda. You'll take a hit of about 75 cents on the soda, but you've just created a lasting impression in that persons mind. Little things like that are going to keep people coming back.4.) Music. Some good music playing in the background would be nice. If you feel limited in what you've got, sign up for Rhapsody. (<a href="http://www.listen.com" target="_blank">www.listen.com</a>) It's a great way to get a lot of music, and it's legal to boot.The biggest thing for me is taking care of the customers. I mean, let's face it, I could buy the books I buy at a dozen places within ten miles of me. But not all of those dozen places make a real effort to make me feel like I'm more than just a customer to them. When a store does something like offering to call me and tell me at the exact moment a book I've been looking for has come in, I'm not only going to buy that book from them, I'm going to buy all my books from them, and I'm going to tell my gaming buddies to buy their books from them.</blockquote>

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