However, I don't see any discussion on why customers (other than a select few in here) feel that buying online and saving some money is worth more than paying full retail at a LGS.
GOOD LGS advantages over online (any of the below may not apply to a bad LGS):
1) When I need something NOW- I know I can call and have it within an hour.
2) Sales staff who know me personally will approach me with news of changes in the landscape- a certain product about to hit, another about to be discontinued, a limited edition _______ available only to 50 people in a city or state or country...
3) Face-to-face interaction with gamers in my area that allows me to find new players and new games...or avoid bad ones.
4) Improved awareness of the local legal environment re: RPGs. That is- who in your area is maligning gamers based on misinformation or stereotypes? Its a topic that shows up on the boards occasionally, but in the game stores, you know QUICKLY when a gamer has been accused of "corrupting the youth with their satanic hobby."
5) Gamer Oasis. The one place you can GUARANTEE not being judged for participating in the hobby is the place that supports the hobby.
$35-$40 dollars is very costly for a single book. I'd rather not be faced with the choice of buying either groceries or a game book.
1) Complain to the publisher, not the retailer. They set the price, and they also grant the discounted prices to places like Wal-Mart. The LGS can't compete with Wal-Mart if their cost is higher than Wal-Mart's price.
2) If your budget is so tight that a $5-15 price differential is the difference between games and groceries, you need to stop buying the books altogether until you get a better job.
3.) Although I don't know how the taxes argument arose since it wasn't in my post, I've never disputed the hidden costs of running a business. However, hardworking consumers also pay taxes. I lose over 28% of my income in taxes every year, further limiting my purchasing power. Hence, I am not very sympathetic towards this point in your argument.
Actually, I'll somewhat side with you here. Ad valorem taxes (year-end taxes on inventory) occur in almost every retail industry. The solution is to
SELL OFF OLD INVENTORY (unless its a hot collectible)-
even if you take a short-term loss on it. This is done in 2 industries I'm very familiar with (car sales and gems/jewelry). First- it limits the number of times a product is taxed to once- additional taxation of inventory just adds to its cost to the retailer and cuts into the profits anyway. Second, product that doesn't sell takes away from space that could be used to stock product that WILL sell.
Old inventory is a HUGE opportunity cost, and is one of the ones most controllable by the retailer.
One of my LGSs- Lone Star Comics (LSC)- routinely uses discount bins and warehouse sales to clear old stock. Because of that, I was able to buy 3 2Ed PHBs for $5 each...and this was before 3Ed was even on the horizon! They did it to avoid inventory taxes. To keep those books and sell them at full price would have cost them additional taxes (raising the effective cost the retailer paid for it) and cost LSC the opportunity to sell other, hotter game product. LSC also discounted Chainmail 50% when it was discontinued in favor of the D&D Miniatures game...MINE! ALL MINE!
Is it cool to be able to walk into a store and find OOP games? Yes...you never know what you're going to find or what you'll need to replace. But each old game product that sits on the shelves isn't contributing to the store's bottom line.
4.) I've easily spent thousands of dollars at local shops in the past because I believe in supporting the local economy. I just cannot afford to do it anymore. I don't make a lot of money and I simply have too much debt to shop at a non-competitive, not to mention unfriendly, shop. My budget is simply too tight. When I can afford to be more free with my income, I will.
-The fact that you and others here, want gaming consumers to recognize the plight of
struggling small businesses is laudable. Just don't forget the fact that many of the people you are trying to convice are struggling to make ends meet as well.
The best way I've found to save money
AND support LGS's (only the
good ones!) is not to have the LGS's form co-ops- even then, they can't compete with the big retailers- but to have GAMERS form co-ops. Instead of EVERYONE buying their own Core books to every game system the group plays, everyone in the group pitches in to buy a set (possibly with an extra PHB or 2). Deserving LGS's keep their doors open, and gamers without money still have access to everything they need.
