Why I refuse to support my FLGS

[Dristram]

-I'd have to disagree with you there. I'll be 32 next month and I am far more concerned about price now than when I was younger. I've found that as your financial obligations increase, you become more concerned with how you budget your money. <snip>

I'm 35 and when I was 32, I didn't own a game store and totally agree with you. But I still managed to support my game store. How? I'd buy one RPG book every two months instead of every month. There are different ways to budget money.

<snip> -My home town has two local shops, neither of which are friendly or competitive.

Well, then they don't sound like very nice game stores. It's unfortunate you don't have a quality game store in your area.

They never have sales or markdowns of any sort. While I do appreciate the hidden costs businesses face, I find that very few of these local shops care about the financial situation of their customers.

The good ones do, but unfortunately, there is not much a store can do.

They're entirely concerned with profit, and from a business standpoint that's good for them.

LOL oh my gawd! That is funny! The first thing I was told by veteran game store owners is if you want to get rich, don't open a game store. Most game stores are concerned with paying the bills, not profit. Profit is very rare in this business.

(-Brad
Owner, Gamer's Keepe

 

[Rykion]

I have always stressed service in my posts in this thread. I agree that stores that never run sales/discount items, are unfriendly, shrink wrap all the books, have no gaming space, or mark-up most of their items are not worth supporting.

I know of two local stores that have about a dozen gaming tables and take special orders. The one I frequent gives you a stamp every time you make a purchase of $20 or more and gives you $30 off after 10 stamps. Old or discontinued items are marked down, usually 50% off. They will buy back books and miniatures, and have an extensive used section in the store. You can organize in-store games that go past closing time if you let them know in advance. The staff doesn't know every game inside and out, but are good at making recommendations. There is a bulletin board at the front of the store to advertise for new players and start gaming leagues. I could order online and save a few bucks, but I know that no one online is giving me the same kind of service.

 

[Belen]

-My home town has two local shops, neither of which are friendly or competitive. They never have sales or markdowns of any sort. While I do appreciate the hidden costs businesses face, I find that very few of these local shops care about the financial situation of their customers. They're entirely concerned with profit, and from a business standpoint that's good for them. It does not, however, instill a sense of guilt in me for patronizing on-line merchants. As long as there is money to be made selling gaming material, some type of business will be around to sell it.

This is bull. Some shops cannot afford mark-downs or discounts and still survive. What you call profit, for some, is putting food on the table. Now, I know my FLGS does provide discounts and will place older RPGs on sale if they have been on the shelf for 12 months, but that is only so that they do not have to pay taxes on inventory.

And yes, the goverment looks at inventory every year. Stores get taxed based on the cover price of the inventory, so even if they cannot sell it for full price price because it is an ancient game, they still get taxed as if it was new.

 

[GlassJaw]

Even still, many local gamers would rather buy on-line and couldn't care less if I went under.

Brad, it sounds like you have a great store and are doing things to attract and keep your customer base. Kudos to you. Unfortunately, I think the large percentage of LGS aren't up to the level that yours sounds.

So if I'm ever in Vacaville, CA, I'll be sure to stop by.

 

[Dristram]

Brad: A lot of us are with you.

Those positive posts on supporting the good game stores has been very good to see. It shows me there is still hope for traditional game stores

(-Brad
Owner, Gamer's Keepe
Vacaville, CA

 

[was]

This is bull. Some shops cannot afford mark-downs or discounts and still survive. What you call profit, for some, is putting food on the table. Now, I know my FLGS does provide discounts and will place older RPGs on sale if they have been on the shelf for 12 months, but that is only so that they do not have to pay taxes on inventory.

And yes, the goverment looks at inventory every year. Stores get taxed based on the cover price of the inventory, so even if they cannot sell it for full price price because it is an ancient game, they still get taxed as if it was new.

1.) How is it bull? I made a simple statement of fact. These two stores don't offer any markdowns or discounts. Whether or not you agree with that practice, the simple fact that they don't is not a disputable fact.
2.) The owners of these stores are not the only ones that have to buy food and pay bills. $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.
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.
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.

 

[Dristram]

Brad, it sounds like you have a great store and are doing things to attract and keep your customer base. Kudos to you. Unfortunately, I think the large percentage of LGS aren't up to the level that yours sounds.

Now to that I will agree. I will tell you that there is a movement in the hobby game industry to create quality game stores. That is a good after-effect of the competition of on-line and "big-box" stores. One way game stores are adapting is they are offering more as a store. The typical game store is moving away from the dark, smelly, hole-in-the-wall way of old, and moving into a more mainstream look and service offered. It's a move that I hope gets rewarded and nurtured by gamers instead of ignored.

So if I'm ever in Vacaville, CA, I'll be sure to stop by.

Awesome. Do let me know who ya are if you do

(-Brad
Owner, Gamer's Keepe
Vacaville, CA

 

[Belen]

-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.

I do not ignore the fact. The thing that cheeses me off are the people who rant about game stores and how they do nothing to compete as if those game stores had the option of trying to compete on price. It is those people who only think about the discount and nothing else that really bother me.

I fully understand about being poor. I am just getting to a point in my life where I may not have to live paycheck to paycheck. However, if your at the point where buying a book online or from the store is the difference between eating and starving, then I do not understand why you're buying the book in the first place.

If you're buying so many books that shopping on Amazon lets you afford more books, then you're not really worried about money.

I am not saying that some people should not utilize the web to buy books. ENWorld has a great online store. I am not saying that people must shop at game stores. If they store sucks, then feel free to shop at Wal-Mart or Amazon.

I am only saying that people should give a store a chance.

 

[Dristram]

My simple thoughts on this

Here are just my simple thoughts on this whole thing.

If you have a friendly local game store you like and would miss if it were gone, then buy from them. Even a little. Like if you want two books this month, buy one from the local store, and if you can afford to...buy both. If you can't, then well, you can't. But at least you've supported the store as you are able.

If you have a local store that is not a good game store, then screw 'em. They don't deserve sympathy purchases. Let non-mainstream style game stores go the way of the dinosaur making room for quality game stores that care about and service gamers' gaming needs.

Also, I'm trying to figure out when the retail price for a book became a bash on the game store, and not a bash on the manufacturer. They set the retail price. If you think it's too high, then get mad at the manufacturer, not the game store.

(-Brad
Owner, Gamer's Keepe
Vacaville, CA

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

Those things i mentioned where right off the top of my head.
There are plenty of other examples, cable/sattelite dish, cell phones, car and food brands, energy companies, movies theaters or movie rentals, basically anything you purchase always has someone right around the corner (no matter if its a luxury or a need) ready to give you a better deal and the people that cant compete suffer...to bad not my problem, my dad lost his job because the place he worked for could not keep up and they went under, im not angry at the people who got there stuff cheaper some where else, heck we didnt even shop there because of the prices, we shop at aldi and save-alot, sorry looking little grocier chains but good deals and the same food for often half the price.

If some of you want to get down on those that dont support there game shops, you have to remember that in these times money is scarce and if one of your pleasures is buying a new game book every so often they should be able to without paying as much as a cable or cell phone bill.