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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Boojum" data-source="post: 2403466" data-attributes="member: 21028">This thread has gotten me thinking about and trying to analyze my own buying habits.  The way that I look at it (subconsciously until just now) is that each purchase I make (not limited to gaming) is made because the value or utility to me of making that purchase exceeds the utility that I get from the money in my pocket.  The product itself is the biggest contributor to the value that I get from the purchase, but other factors like comfort, convenience, speed, and so on also play a part, as does my own knowledge of who is getting my money.  As several other people have said, a game store that offers other intangible benefits makes up for spending a few extra dollars.  However, a bad store is not worth supporting simply because it is a game store.  This isn't limited to game stores either, as other places that display trends that I want to reward are more likely to get my money.  I was at a Barnes and Noble the other day, and bought a couple packs of D&D miniatures and the new Warhammer FRP.  One of the main reasons for this is that someone at this particular location has obviously put some thought, effort, and research into this section of the store, as it is well-stocked, with wide aisles, very accessible (right next to the cafe section) rather than tucked away in a corner somewhere, and has a couple of shelves and a spinning rack displaying books from the front rather than just packing them on the shelves with only the spine visible.  Also, the fact that they went beyond just WotC and WW by offering stuff by GR and some other publishers was impressive.  All of this is behavior that I would like to see be profitable and so be sustained and spread to other stores, so I rewarded it by spending money there.  I think that this sort of section has every chance of helping grow the hobby.  Someone noted above that the FLGS can nurture new gamers, but can't create them.  I agree, since if you take a potential gamer who would be receptive to the game but is not actively pursuing it, they are unlikely to ever step into a game store.  However, it seems much more likely to me that such a person could be in a B&N, walk by a display and be intrigued by a cover or title, and take a closer look.   By contrast, when I am at another location that has the bare minimum (1/2 shelf of WotC releases in a corner of the sci-fi section), I wouldn't buy a book there even if they had one that I wanted.  Admittedly, part of the reason that I am so willing to do that is because I haven't found a FLGS that I like since moving to Orange County.  Even if I had, though, I think that increasing availability and visibility in traditional retail outlets is at least as worth supporting as the FLGS.  As a number of people have noted, the FLGS does offer knowledgeable staff, gaming space, and so on, and are very helpful in bringing someone further into the hobby once their interest is piqued.  In an ideal world, we'd have both of these, but I think that the initial exposure may well be more important to the growth of the hobby as a whole, since finding other players, product advice, and so on, is pretty easily done on the internet once you decide to look for it.All things considered, I probably spend the biggest chunk of my gaming budget at Legends, the FLGS that I grew up with in San Jose, but it's not very often that I get up there anymore.  The next biggest chunk goes to the ENworld online store, followed by everything else.  By all means think about where your money is going, but there are valid reasons for supporting institutions other than FLGSs.</blockquote>

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