Mercule
Adventurer
I buy from BN.com, almost exclusively. Why? Plain and simple, I can very nearly get two books for every one I could get at the LGS or the brick-and-mortar BN. Shipping costs me nothing on most books, I just have to wait two days. Even the books that BN has at less than the $25 break point, I just buy a $3 easy reader for my 4-year-old.
There has been an apparent trend, lately, for WotC to delay releasing their books to "the big guys" for almost a month after the LGS release date. Well, as their pre-3E study showed, most of the sales happen in those first 30 days. By the time Heros of Battle rolled into bn.com, I just plain didn't care anymore. I was all hot-and-bothered by the time of publication, but sometime before it made bn.com, I just emotionally gave up on it. Too bad, too, since it was one of the two or three WotC releases I was most hyped about. Oh, well.
To get me to support my LGS, they would have to approach (not match) the prices I could get at bn.com. Take DMG2. I never viewed it as a $40 book. BN.com had it at $27, so that's what it was, in my mind. I'd have paid $32, maybe $35, for the convenience of picking it up "on-demand" and the intangibles I could get from the LGS. But I won't pay $40. That's above the value I place on having the LGS. Two days isn't a big deal to wait. Heck, considering I just received my DMG2 on Tuesday, apparently almost a month isn't worth the $13.
The store personel would also have to shape up a bit. It's mostly staffed by high-school/college-age boys. They stand behind the counter, wearing ratty t-shirts and hats, with their pants low enough to show their underwear and chat with their pals. When I try to get their attension to buy something or ask a question, it takes ten minutes to get their attension -- I was actually psyched enough about the DMG2 that I was going to buy it there, but was short enough on time that I couldn't wait for their attension. And when I do get the chance to talk to them, they treat me like some complete tyro instead of someone who has been gaming since before they were born (I usually go in after work, on over lunch, so I'm wearing a dress shirt and slacks, but that's no excuse). I've met the owner, and he's nice enough. He could stand to wear a clean shirt and decide whether he's going to grow a beard or shave regularly, though. And most of the people who are sitting at tables gaming are either emitting a strange odor, are visibly unclean, or are audibly pontificating about how much some system sucks. The store itself has an excellent selection and is well-maintained, though.
There has been an apparent trend, lately, for WotC to delay releasing their books to "the big guys" for almost a month after the LGS release date. Well, as their pre-3E study showed, most of the sales happen in those first 30 days. By the time Heros of Battle rolled into bn.com, I just plain didn't care anymore. I was all hot-and-bothered by the time of publication, but sometime before it made bn.com, I just emotionally gave up on it. Too bad, too, since it was one of the two or three WotC releases I was most hyped about. Oh, well.
To get me to support my LGS, they would have to approach (not match) the prices I could get at bn.com. Take DMG2. I never viewed it as a $40 book. BN.com had it at $27, so that's what it was, in my mind. I'd have paid $32, maybe $35, for the convenience of picking it up "on-demand" and the intangibles I could get from the LGS. But I won't pay $40. That's above the value I place on having the LGS. Two days isn't a big deal to wait. Heck, considering I just received my DMG2 on Tuesday, apparently almost a month isn't worth the $13.
The store personel would also have to shape up a bit. It's mostly staffed by high-school/college-age boys. They stand behind the counter, wearing ratty t-shirts and hats, with their pants low enough to show their underwear and chat with their pals. When I try to get their attension to buy something or ask a question, it takes ten minutes to get their attension -- I was actually psyched enough about the DMG2 that I was going to buy it there, but was short enough on time that I couldn't wait for their attension. And when I do get the chance to talk to them, they treat me like some complete tyro instead of someone who has been gaming since before they were born (I usually go in after work, on over lunch, so I'm wearing a dress shirt and slacks, but that's no excuse). I've met the owner, and he's nice enough. He could stand to wear a clean shirt and decide whether he's going to grow a beard or shave regularly, though. And most of the people who are sitting at tables gaming are either emitting a strange odor, are visibly unclean, or are audibly pontificating about how much some system sucks. The store itself has an excellent selection and is well-maintained, though.
