Yet another FLGS Thread

[Tinker Gnome]

Okay, so I know we have had a bagillion threads on FLGS's already, but I just wanted to put down my experiences.

The one in my hometown, last time I went was clean, and had a good stock of games. They also sold lots of comics, board games, and some action figures. They had a table in the store, which I assume was used for Gaming. The chairs were comfy too. The manager was nice, overall a nice store. I never bought anything there due to lack of money, but I could see myself buying something there.

The one near me has moved locations twice in the past year and a half. The first two locations were your typical "Hole in the wall" type place, but the people who worked there were nice. Selection on RPGs was okay. All I ever bought there was the Dragonlance Campaign Setting and two manga. Their most recent location is the most clean one. Only the first place they were had any play space, but it was a tiny table in the back.

Oh, there is another game store near me too! This other one was good, definitely focused more on selling comics than RPGs. They had quite a few tables for play. I talked to the guy who worked there and they said that they mostly used it to host CCG Tournaments. I noticed they did sell some Used RPG books. the people were nice. I felt guilty when I left without buying anything. I looked for something in the under $5 range, but could not find anything.

Overall, my experience with Gaming stores near me has been positive. All three places focused more on selling comics than on RPGs, but they were all cool places with nice people.

I am sorry I can not give a location on these. I do not want to give away where I am.

 

[kitsune9]

Okay, so I know we have had a bagillion threads on FLGS's already, but I just wanted to put down my experiences.

The one in my hometown, last time I went was clean, and had a good stock of games. They also sold lots of comics, board games, and some action figures. They had a table in the store, which I assume was used for Gaming. The chairs were comfy too. The manager was nice, overall a nice store. I never bought anything there due to lack of money, but I could see myself buying something there.

The one near me has moved locations twice in the past year and a half. The first two locations were your typical "Hole in the wall" type place, but the people who worked there were nice. Selection on RPGs was okay. All I ever bought there was the Dragonlance Campaign Setting and two manga. Their most recent location is the most clean one. Only the first place they were had any play space, but it was a tiny table in the back.

Oh, there is another game store near me too! This other one was good, definitely focused more on selling comics than RPGs. They had quite a few tables for play. I talked to the guy who worked there and they said that they mostly used it to host CCG Tournaments. I noticed they did sell some Used RPG books. the people were nice. I felt guilty when I left without buying anything. I looked for something in the under $5 range, but could not find anything.

Overall, my experience with Gaming stores near me has been positive. All three places focused more on selling comics than on RPGs, but they were all cool places with nice people.

I am sorry I can not give a location on these. I do not want to give away where I am.

I'm sure there are some really cool FLGS stores out there like the ones you described and I'm sure there are some really terrible ones like others have described. I'm more in the middle myself.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Nice places but nothing to buy. "I never bought anything "/" I felt guilty when I left without buying anything"

I guess there's room somewhere for a RPG museum?

 

[Aberzanzorax]

I left without buying anything as well.

There was a middle of the road FLGS near me, and rping was clearly not their priority (it was sports memorabilia).


They had a lot of the "standard" WotC stuff that I already owned (and that you can find in bookstores). They had a smattering of 3pp stuff.

I went there probably about 6 times over the course of the year. Three of those times were right before I had to spend a long time somewhere (once waiting for a haircut-hour wait; twice right before I was taking a flight). During those three times, I NEEEDED entertainment. I walked into the store ready to buy just about any product I didn't already own.

And only once did I leave with anything other than disappointment. I bought green ronin's "tales of freeport" for full price there while it was selling online for 1/5th of what I paid. The other two times they simply didn't have any 3pp stuff or WotC stuff that I didn't already own. (I ended up buying a blank notebook in the airport and filling it with campaign notes).


I think that if FLGS really want to be competitive, they need to allow people to buy things that they simply couldn't get at B&N or Borders. Heck, the piracy threads mention how people will pirate simply because they can't browse a book (and then they might or might not delete it).


If FLGS had more diversity of selection, I think it would really help out people looking to support them.

-My two cents

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I am not quite sure why I posted this, lulz. Oh well, I just felt like sharing my experiences.

 

[ExploderWizard]

If FLGS had more diversity of selection, I think it would really help out people looking to support them.

-My two cents

This is a good point. If a game shop does not have product that you can't get at a big chain bookstore then there is less of a draw for the out of the way shop vs the (sometimes) more accessable bookstore.

There is a another point to consider, and thats one of the use of retail space vs product that doesn't move fast. If a game shop has most of its retail space devoted to niche product that doesn't sell well it becomes a lot harder to stay in business.

That rare supplement might be a great find for the browsing gamer but lets look at things from the FLGS perspective:

1) The product sits on shelf perhaps for years. The game its for may no longer be in print or supported. The product gathers dust and sits forgotten.
2) The product is kept in inventory WAY longer that it should be resulting in additional tax each year, display space that could be used for moving product wasted, ect.

3) After enough time goes by the inventory tax, and waste of display space mean that when Joe gamer does happen by and finally buys the product, there is little to no profit in the sale for the store. The distributor and game company made thier money long ago, leaving the retailer holding the bag.


Finding those hard to find items might be nice for the occasional customer but the cost of the experience can be bad for the shop owners.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Thinking some more, I think that maybe FLGS's need to have more "Impulse" buy items. Just little doohickies that are under $5. One of the ones I mentioned sold little Christmas statue type things. They also had comic themed Pez dispensers and little tissue packets that had funny prints on them. Things that someone might walk in and be like "Heh, that is cool. Hey, it is only $2? I am getting it!"

 

[Tinker Gnome]

This is a good point. If a game shop does not have product that you can't get at a big chain bookstore then there is less of a draw for the out of the way shop vs the (sometimes) more accessable bookstore.

I think this is very important. Most FLGS's I go into do not have anything I could not buy at any Chain Bookstore, or even the Used Bookstore across the street, and that would be for half-price! I half found that the Used RPG section there to be a great place to run into gamers.

All of the stores I mentioned mostly focus on comics and CCGs over games, and I can understand why. I do not really follow any comics that are not manga, and most FLGS's manga selection is poor.

 

[carmachu]

I think that if FLGS really want to be competitive, they need to allow people to buy things that they simply couldn't get at B&N or Borders. Heck, the piracy threads mention how people will pirate simply because they can't browse a book (and then they might or might not delete it).


If FLGS had more diversity of selection, I think it would really help out people looking to support them.

I disagree. I can shop for anything in my fuzzy slippers from the confort of my chair for a nice discount.

If I flags wants my business, they need to offer me something of an incentive-play area, convience, etc...

a decade ago my flags was owned by a nice older gentleman. He new me by sight-and would wave off his staff to leave me to browse in peace, throw me a discount now and again(or kill the tax), had decent playing times for folks.

But either either sold it, or passed away or such. Its gone downhill since then. Between that one, and 2 others "locally"....frankly I wouldnt cross the street to piss on their building if it was on fire.

I am not very supportive of FLAGS much anymore.

 

[possum]

Sadly, my best FLGS story also includes the line "but I didn't buy anything."

There's only one dedicated gaming store where I live, but it's quite spacious with a large stock of both PnP games and war gaming materials. I went in the other day, not a lot of money in my pocket, but I just wanted to browse around. The guy who worked there (who's about my age) was talking with another customer, but immediately called me buy name and handed me the Legacy Era Campaign Guide. I've been there many times and have bought Star Wars Saga products. Sadly, I didn't have the funds for it at the time.

When I first got into the Star Wars gaming, the WotC Revised rules had just come out. I went to the same store to buy it, only for them to not have it. I asked them to see if another shipment of the book had come in and the inventory said that they actually had the book. The clerk checked in the back for it, and all around the store only for it to not be found. I grabbed the Original Core Rulebook then, deciding that I'd settle for it. She gave me around a 20% discount on the book for all my troubles.