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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 2393949" data-attributes="member: 19675">So much to respond to...1977.Back then, to get to a game store, we kids had to hypnotize our parents to drive across town in the daily blizzard, up into the Rockies past the dreaded Flying SpiderGators to get to a game store....and we LIKED it that way!Actually, yes.  First, it is a product that sells- that pays bills.  There are stores where CCG's account for 60%+ of annual gross income.  Second, the longer a person stays in the store, the more they tend to buy.  (Read Why We Buy, by Paco Underhill.) GW, at least in Dallas/Fort Worth, cut its own throat.  They raised prices to LGS's, then opened a store in the less-than conveniently located Grapevine Mills Mall that undercut those prices.  Many LGS's in the region responded by discounting GW and ceasing re-orders.  That GW store is now gone, and GW product is slowly filtering back into the other LGS's.It could be worse than that.  Wal-Mart and other discounters often invoke "morality clauses" on products they sell (take a look at their music section- you'll find a lot of edited CDs and others they simply won't sell).  As a result, if Wal-Mart or its counterpart drives your LGS out of business, you might not have a choice in whether to shop online.  And how many big box stores sell game support products (minis, paints, mats, RPG-specific software)?And if the big boys are the ONLY players in the game (and here I include the online stores like Amazon), you may find that the only way to find unedited gaming material is to purchase directly from the publishers and manufacturers.I don't remember who said it, but it is unlikely that game companies get paid the same amount of money per unit sold regardless of retailer.  Simply put, the big guys can negotiate prices that little guys can't.Recently, a news expose report revealed that Wal-Mart paid a particular 3rd world clothing manufacturer a price of about 5¢ above costs.  In order to maintain compliance with Western workplace rules, the manufacturer asked for a 1¢/unit increase from Wal-Mart...and was rewarded with a 2¢/unit decrease.Furthermore, some sales contracts (especially with the big retailers) are structured so that how much manufacturers get paid depends on what % of full price the product sells for or through which distribution channel the product is sold (online vs in-store).  So, if the big store discounts the RPG product to predatory levels (let's say, 20% below their cost) while cross-subsidizing it with slightly increased prices on their tires, the retailer will still keep its full profit margin, but the RPG's producer may get only 70-80% of their costs.  The retailer loses NOTHING while the RPG producer gets exposure around the world...and loses money per unit.  For the short run, that's OK- that can come out of the advertising budget- but long run...Dragon's Lair was a personal favorite of mine when I was in Austin- a truly great shop.  And, while I'm not positive, despite its being in a converted house (like all the other businesses in the area), I doubt that the owner actually owns it.</blockquote>

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