WotC Stores?

[Zenodotus of Ephesus]

So, what have been the longterm results of the closing of the WotC Stores?

 

[Zenodotus of Ephesus]

I seem to recall a lot of hubbub when they announced they were closing them. Has no one experienced a loss due to this? No one left without a store in their area? Does no one miss the chance to shop more locally than they do now? What alternatives have people had to use? Did anyone even use the WotC stores or did you have an alternate choice you were already using when the WotC store was available?

 

[Wystan]

I saw no big deal from their closing. All the other stores that sold the same items did so with a smaller mark up.
Examples:
Magic Cards
WOTC: $3.29
Comic Shop: $3.00

Role-Playing Books
WOTC: $29.99 (MSRP)
RPG Store: $25.00

Just basic examples.

 

[Allandaros]

I, for one, just found it simpler to go to my FLGS. They had everything the WotC store had - and more, so I didn't have to shop around other stores trying to get swag from multiple areas.

Oh, and it was more fun to watch the Warhammer games at the FLGS.

 

[Kanegrundar]

There wasn't ever a WotC store near me, but I did visit one in Seattle a few years ago. Based on what I saw, most people would be smart to get their game books from a different shop or from an online retailer. The RPG selection was pretty much only WotC products, and they were sold at the suggest retail price (which didn't surprise me being a WotC store after all). It was pretty much nothing but board games and Magic. Not that big of a loss, IMO. Although I still feel bad the some people had to find another job due to the closings.

Kane

 

[diaglo]

the Gamekeeper and WotC stores near me treated anything not Magic as red headed step children that they placed in some far off corner.

 

[Darrin Drader]

When they opened up, they had a great selection of RPG books. About a year before they closed, they dumped the entire D20 line. That killed me as a customer. I stopped in a couple times after that. They had only WotC D&D books on the shelves, and a good number of those were pretty outdated. By that point I had little reason to ever stop in there.

 

[TerraDave]

the Gamekeeper and WotC stores near me treated anything not Magic as red headed step children that they placed in some far off corner.

Long ago the local Gamekeeper was good, and then it became the WotC store, and that was also good. Then it became less good. And now it, and for that matter the original Gamekeeper are gone, and that is also not good.

In short: WotC store=not good.

 

[Bobitron]

I had no idea they existed!

 

[Yeoman]

Back when I lived on the east side of town, they were the only gaming store worth going to. The store I visited had a pretty expansive selection of d&d, d20, and other RPGs. After they closed all the local stores tried to pick up the slack, but since they didn't have the product selection, most of them eventually went under. In fact in that area, there is only 1 store left to my knowledge.

Oh, and the other wizards store I used to visit, well when it closed I had little to do on my lunch hours.