Ghostwind
First Post
Something to remember about gaming stores is that over 90% of all stores are run by hobbyists/enthusiasts who opened the store so they could get the retailer discount for themselves and their buddies. Very few run it like a business with a plan and a model in place. As a result, those stores tend to cater to what they know and want to carry.
A good example of this is a store I know in Michigan. Now this store is doing a great overall business in terms of sales, but the owner's primary focus is on cards and clix because that's what makes him money, is easiest to sell and is what he plays. The last time I stopped in, I saw gaming books with dust on them, issues of Dragon magazine that went back over 2 years, and a 30% off section that had RPGs from 2001. He doesn't practice good inventory control and turnover management because he doesn't carry about that for the RPGS. When I asked him about the RPGs, he said he only orders a few in anymore because they wouldn't sell. When asked if they played RPGs at the store, his reply was "No, I make more money on cards."
Retailers don't support RPGS because they require a greater investment of time and money in order to be successful. This is something that a lot of retailers simply do not want to do. They want to sit behind the counter and wait for the customer to walk in, grab a book, buy it and leave.
Now move to the store where I work. This is an excellent example of opposite paradigms at work. On one hand, we have the store owner and the store manager, neither of whom are gamers. They are content to focus on selling comics and deflect all gaming questions to a single source, me. Before I was hired 2 years ago, the game ordering was out of control. They ordered what the distributors told them to order and what they felt was popular. I've finally got that mess mostly under control know. The only gaming that went on in the store was Warhammer on Saturdays and Yu-Gi-Oh on Sundays. No RPG support at all.
Now enter myself into the equation. Shortly after getting there, I established 3 different beginning D&D leagues designed to teach people who haven't played D&D or haven't played since 1st/2nd edition the rules. It was a phenomenal success. Sales of Player's Handbooks went from one a month to 6 a week within 3 months and stayed that way for nearly a year. Suddenly I was running 4 different D&D campaigns, a Spycraft campaign, and a Mutants & Masterminds one. The store was running 4 different beginner's D&D groups at one point with no less than 8 players at each table. RPG sales were strong because the hobby was being actively supported. Now it was time to get others to take the DM reins and move to developing other games at the store.
Through a lot of hard work, I've managed to establish Warmachine, Warhammer 40k, Pirates of the Spanish Main, Heroclix, Star Wars Miniatures, D&D miniatures, Zombies!, and D&D as staples of play on alternating Saturdays at the store. We still have a long way to go because the owners insist on closing at 6pm Mon-Thur. because they aren't willing to work over 40 hours a week. The only reason the store is open til 10pm on Fridays is because I agreed to work it (on top of working 10-10 on Saturdays).
Because of the work I've put into promoting gaming, out game sales increased about 35% the first year I was there. We don't stock every RPG, but do special order anything we don't carry and usually have it within a week if it in stock with the distributor. We have solid repeat business with several customers dropping $100 or more every week on gaming books and supplies.
It all boils down to a commitment to work and most gaming stores in the nation do not want to work at it. It's that simple.
A good example of this is a store I know in Michigan. Now this store is doing a great overall business in terms of sales, but the owner's primary focus is on cards and clix because that's what makes him money, is easiest to sell and is what he plays. The last time I stopped in, I saw gaming books with dust on them, issues of Dragon magazine that went back over 2 years, and a 30% off section that had RPGs from 2001. He doesn't practice good inventory control and turnover management because he doesn't carry about that for the RPGS. When I asked him about the RPGs, he said he only orders a few in anymore because they wouldn't sell. When asked if they played RPGs at the store, his reply was "No, I make more money on cards."
Retailers don't support RPGS because they require a greater investment of time and money in order to be successful. This is something that a lot of retailers simply do not want to do. They want to sit behind the counter and wait for the customer to walk in, grab a book, buy it and leave.
Now move to the store where I work. This is an excellent example of opposite paradigms at work. On one hand, we have the store owner and the store manager, neither of whom are gamers. They are content to focus on selling comics and deflect all gaming questions to a single source, me. Before I was hired 2 years ago, the game ordering was out of control. They ordered what the distributors told them to order and what they felt was popular. I've finally got that mess mostly under control know. The only gaming that went on in the store was Warhammer on Saturdays and Yu-Gi-Oh on Sundays. No RPG support at all.
Now enter myself into the equation. Shortly after getting there, I established 3 different beginning D&D leagues designed to teach people who haven't played D&D or haven't played since 1st/2nd edition the rules. It was a phenomenal success. Sales of Player's Handbooks went from one a month to 6 a week within 3 months and stayed that way for nearly a year. Suddenly I was running 4 different D&D campaigns, a Spycraft campaign, and a Mutants & Masterminds one. The store was running 4 different beginner's D&D groups at one point with no less than 8 players at each table. RPG sales were strong because the hobby was being actively supported. Now it was time to get others to take the DM reins and move to developing other games at the store.
Through a lot of hard work, I've managed to establish Warmachine, Warhammer 40k, Pirates of the Spanish Main, Heroclix, Star Wars Miniatures, D&D miniatures, Zombies!, and D&D as staples of play on alternating Saturdays at the store. We still have a long way to go because the owners insist on closing at 6pm Mon-Thur. because they aren't willing to work over 40 hours a week. The only reason the store is open til 10pm on Fridays is because I agreed to work it (on top of working 10-10 on Saturdays).
Because of the work I've put into promoting gaming, out game sales increased about 35% the first year I was there. We don't stock every RPG, but do special order anything we don't carry and usually have it within a week if it in stock with the distributor. We have solid repeat business with several customers dropping $100 or more every week on gaming books and supplies.
It all boils down to a commitment to work and most gaming stores in the nation do not want to work at it. It's that simple.
