Why I refuse to support my FLGS

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I choose to support my FLGS for the shelfish reason...

Most people support them for the halibut.

 

[jgbrowning]

Most people support them for the halibut.

You haddock go there, you just haddock.

joe b.

 

[buzz]

See, my friends have a coffee pot and will brew stuff for their gamers. I keep trying to get them to invest in a SBA loan, move to a larger location and sell PC games, have a lan/console room, large gameroom, and a reading room.

Plus coffee.

They should listen to you. Games Plus is wise enough to have soda vending machines and lots of candy/snacks for sale.

I keep thinking it would also be a good idea to set up the shelves as more of a library, with 1-2 display-only copies of each product you carry. The product the customer buys is then one "untouched by human hands" from the storeroom. Also, even if a product is not in stock, there's a copy for someone to look at that may prompt them to order it from the store. Every once in a while you can then sell the display copies at a discount, or even hold an auction, which gets bodies into the store.

 

[Belen]

They should listen to you. Games Plus is wise enough to have soda vending machines and lots of candy/snacks for sale.

I keep thinking it would also be a good idea to set up the shelves as more of a library, with 1-2 display-only copies of each product you carry. The product the customer buys is then one "untouched by human hands" from the storeroom. Also, even if a product is not in stock, there's a copy for someone to look at that may prompt them to order it from the store. Every once in a while you can then sell the display copies at a discount, or even hold an auction, which gets bodies into the store.

They sell soda and snacks too. All of their store copies are slipped inside if giant ziplock bags.

 

[PJ-Mason]

I'm not sure if PDFs conquer the "fast" problem, seeing as you lose some "good", either due to not getting a printed product, or due to the PDF market not yet having the same consistent quality as the print market.)

Well the PDFs has LGS beat on fast for getting the supplement. You can go To Rpgnow and buy a file and be reading it before the other gamer gets to the LGS to buy that print book. As for print speed of Rpgnow's (and others) print service vs the LGS...no contest. LGS wins. IF your LGS has the game. If it doesn't, then the print/pdf service wins again.

PDF's generally win on Cheap and the only times they don't is when the company worries that the pdfs will undermine their print sales. Which only reinforces the superiority of pdfs in that respect, IMO. Even the cost for printing out a pdf in your paper is usually cheaper than buying full price print books. Or even using the print service that most pdf publishers are using (or dabbling in) is cheaper. Frankly being able to print things yourself is an advantage that most gamers hesitant about pdf industry don't acknowledge yet. But many eventually will and all the little kiddies growing up on computers from a young age won't think twice about it.

Good is relative, but i have more crappy books in my "to sell" box next to me as i type this post than i do crappy pdfs in the game folder on my laptop.

Btw, The whole thing about being able to browse at stores is a no sell for me. Most PDFs have demos and its not all that hard to find reviews on even obscure games. In fact its much easier to find out about obscure games online than going to the LGS who might not have any idea who or what you are talking about. Outside of WOTC or White Wolf. Frankly its big rpg companies that profits from LGS's. I can't see how people can detest Amazon and such companies and support/vindicate/work for WOTC.

Frankly, i don't think the LGS's going out of business will kill the hobby OR industry. The industry will change (already is changing). Its the grognards who can't deal with change who will die off. The new generations will have no problem with the switch, they are already being prepped by life itself to fit the new age.

 

[buzz]

Even the cost for printing out a pdf in your paper is usually cheaper than buying full price print books. Or even using the print service that most pdf publishers are using (or dabbling in) is cheaper. Frankly being able to print things yourself is an advantage that most gamers hesitant about pdf industry don't acknowledge yet. But many eventually will and all the little kiddies growing up on computers from a young age won't think twice about it.

Still, you have to go somewhere and have it printed, and the binding will likely not be up the quality of a good book. For me, that's a little less "good" than a traditional book.

Of course, I can't cut-and-paste into my GM ntoes from a book...

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Still, you have to go somewhere and have it printed, and the binding will likely not be up the quality of a good book. For me, that's a little less "good" than a traditional book.

Of course, I can't cut-and-paste into my GM ntoes from a book...

Yeah but not for nothing there are books that I've bought from my LGS in the past where the binding was pretty weak. I know that that's not true in MOST cases but I dont mind the printing and coil binding of PDF books. I have a printed and coil version of Green Ronin's Advanced Beastiary, Advanced Gamemaster's Guide and Advanced Player's Manual and they've done me better than if I'd shelled out for the hardbacks. I like being able to lay those books down flat not to mention I can write in them without worrying about devaluing them. And In case something happens to them (like them getting destroyed or lost) I can always siply reprint them as opposed to having to buy new copies.
And before anyoone brings this up, yes, my PDF's are backed up several times over on about 3 different HD's and 2 DVD's so I'm not really worried about losing my data...

 

[HinterWelt]

Let me tell you a story.

There once was a game store owner. he ran two stores in very different locations. He made his living selling WOD, DND and other RPGs along with Miniatures games (mostly Battletech). All was going well and he went to a trade show called the GAMA Trade Show in New Orleans. He saw a new thing called a Collectable Card Game.

"Wow," he exclaimed, "This is going to be big". He had just had a demo and one of his elder peers leaned close.

"Don't worry kid, " he confided, " its just like POGS. Here today, gone tomorrow." Unconvinced, the young retailer went to the retailer one-on-one where the heads of the Company were talking with the Retailers.

The President of the corporation stated, "Don't worry, there will always be enough product since we will never sell to the Big Chains." They were not convinced.

Within six months, the Company was selling to major chains and shortages were rampant. Small shops that had built their fan base could no longer get product. The Big Chains were selling to the small stores' customer base. Then the Internet was born! Discounters roamed cyber space stealing customers. The end was near, hell, the apocalypse was apon us!

You know what, those who could not adapt died off.

Th moral to the slightly toungue in cheek story above, change is inevitable. RPGs may be a part of that change or they may not. A lot f what we are seeing has happened before. CCG take off actually killed a few stores but the Pokemon crash killed far more. You know what, stores rose to take their place. I am not trying to say this will be an easy time but things are changing and changing in ways that a lot of very experienced people in the Industry seem to be blind to. PDFs, CCGs, Collectible minis, the nature of the internet and a dozen other things I am sure I am missing.


An aside to the Minnesota gamers. Some have mentioned the Source and Phoenix. Has anyone checked out Phantasy in Shakopee, Village Games in Anoka or Unicorn Games in Woodbury? I am a big fan of Village Games. I have noticed some of the problems mentioned in this thread with the Source. I am mostly indifferent to them I have tried to run demos there but to no avail as they are crowded.

Bill

 

[Mark Chance]

Then a bunch of people who buy online defend online sales, as if they felt guilty about it and needed to justify it to themselves.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Huh, that's funny ...

I wonder if the staff at my FLGS have been reading this thread.

For the record, I live in Northern Virginia - my FLGS is the Game Parlor in Woodbridge, VA, which is the second store opened by the owner of the original in ... somewhere around Herndon, I think.

Anyway, I'd been there several times in the past, mostly to pick up things like dice, or a particular miniature, or something else small, specific, and needed-now.

The other day, with my normally 3.5 group, we played a little Pirates of the _____*, a collectible card game in which you actually build 3D models of your ships from the plastic cards. I had a blast.

So, yesterday, I went in to the Game Parlor and asked about buying some ship cards of my own. The gentleman at the counter - name of Chris, whom I'd dealt with before - welcomed my wife and me into the store, asked if we had any questions, pointed us to their collection of Pot__ cards, and then greeted the next group coming in.

The store's soundtrack consisted of classical music, sci-fi / fantasy soundtracks, and the excited buzz of the miniatures games and RPG players in the well-lit, clean back.

When we'd decided on what we wanted, he brought them over to the register so we could continue shopping, pointed out the Card Coffins designed by a local group (Cheese Weasel Logistics) for carrying Pirates and Magic cards around, told us about the new Wednesday night Pirates gaming, and invited us to join the store's "Frequent Buyer" reward program.

For only the price of my immortal soul - and some contact info - I gain 5% store credit on every (pre-tax) dollar I spend, which can be applied to any future purchase I make.

We discussed the game - and how his girlfriend coopted all his British ships, making him switch nationalities, the exorbitant rates of MMORPGs, and other trivia, I paid for my purchases, and I left.

It was one of the friendliest, most professional, encounters I've ever had in an LGS - F or otherwise.

It's good to see that some GSs are doing their part to keep their industry alive.

* There are three sets in current circulation: Pirates of the Spanish Main, Pirates of the Crimson Coast, and Pirates of the Revolution.

EDIT: Grammar.

EDIT: Darnit! 50 / 50 shot on Shore vs. Coast. I couldn't remember which!