Why I refuse to support my FLGS

[fredramsey]

I've put a poll up on the Game Industry Network. There are over 100 store owners there and I'll see if any of them own the building their store is in.

joe b.

A hundred. And those are all on a particular website.

Ok.

 

[jgbrowning]

A hundred. And those are all on a particular website.

Ok.

I'm not sure I understand your post.

joe b.

 

[fredramsey]

I'm not sure I understand your post.

joe b.

It means that because of those two very limiting factors, a negative will not be statistically significant. Which is fine, unless proving that no one owns their own building is the goal. It doesn't even really qualify to say it's rare, even. Not a big enough nor varied enough sample, that's all.

And if there is a positive, or even 50, that won't prove that it is common, or even a significant portion of stores. It will only prove that it can happen.

:\

 

[Quasqueton]

I sure thought he was.

I thought it was a poorly researched lie in an embarrassingly weak attempt to impress. If he doesn't understand the not-really-subtle difference in "owning" and *owning*, I doubt he has a home worth even 800K.

Quasqueton

 

[jgbrowning]

It means that because of those two very limiting factors, a negative will not be statistically significant. Which is fine, unless proving that no one owns their own building is the goal. It doesn't even really qualify to say it's rare, even. Not a big enough nor varied enough sample, that's all.

And if there is a positive, or even 50, that won't prove that it is common, or even a significant portion of stores. It will only prove that it can happen.

:\

Why didn't you just say that then? As far as I know, most business don't own the structure that houses their buiness. I don't expect FLGS to be any different.

I'm asking the GIN because it's the best place to ask about FLGS in particular. Although it's not rigorous polling, I didn't think we needed rigorous polling to come to a consensus here. If we do, we should all just shut up because we ain't gonna get it.

So far it's 1 owner to 5 non-owners.

joe b.

 

[Some guy from Ohio]

I just don't think Wal-Mart is going to carry Burning Wheel, or CoC, for that matter.

I agree with that, but Amazon probably does (I have not looked). I was trying to state that if the "little guy" cannot keep up and loses all of their customers, then that's the way business works.

 

[billd91]

So what is being said here? We should keep the small “mom and pop” store in business, be it a gaming store, book store, coffee shop, retail store, whatever? Is this just out of spite towards the huge chain store that everybody hates, but everyone still frequents? If there is a cheaper priced book at some giant store than give me the cheap book. If you own a business, then you should know the business rules and that is how it works. Business is not about counting on sympathy from your customer.

It's definitely not merely out of spite of the larger conglomerate big-box whatever stores. Some of us think there's some good in working against certain economic trends. And big box stores that drive under the mom and pop operation are shifting the economy away from small business ownership with local ties (whether the space is rented or not, the business is generally owned) in favor of retail wage earning within larger corporations. I'm not at all certain that's a good thing.

 

[Jarrod]

I shouldn't...

A quick note about rent. Everyone has monthly costs. Even if you flat-out own the space, there's utility taxes, property taxes, inventory taxes, salaries (about 2x what the person gets in cash after all of the federal and state stuff), your food...

Nobody can afford to lose money for long.

 

[GMSkarka]

It means that because of those two very limiting factors, a negative will not be statistically significant.

Do you realize how few dedicated stores there are in this industry?

According to the most recent figures, it's hovering somewhere less than 2000. 100 out of 2000 isn't "insignificant", especially given the fact those on the GIN are representatives of the top retailers in the country.

 

[billd91]

Do you realize how few dedicated stores there are in this industry?

According to the most recent figures, it's hovering somewhere less than 2000. 100 out of 2000 isn't "insignificant", especially given the fact those on the GIN are representatives of the top retailers in the country.

The sticky bit here is the lack of random sampling. With good random sampling, a survey population of 100 is much more powerful than without. And based on your description of the GIN as representing the top retailers, that suggests significant bias in the sample population.
It is, however, the best we can do given the circumstances.