Yet another FLGS Thread

[kitsune9]

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.

I agree. RPGs can take up a lot of real estate in a game store to create that true gamestore feel that in the long run, it becomes an inventory nightmare come tax time. Moving from less rpgs and moving table space to charge for $5 per kid to play 30-40 minutes of Yu-Gi-Oh on a Saturday brings more money than five guys holding up a table for eight hours playing Whatever the RPG. I'm disappointed like anyone else to see RPGs either lose a lot of space or completely disappear in some stores, but that's the way it is.

I know that some of you, this was your only outlet for being able to game, so I can understand your frustration. When I used to run at a game store and they gave us our eviction notice, it was the death knell for two of my players, because they couldn't go anywhere else to game, but what can I say--people got to eat and pay the bills and pay the salaries of their employees.

I stated earlier I'm more of being in the middle of the road about FLGS. I'll go there to shop their bargin bins if they got one, but that's about it.

 

[Festivus]

My FLGS has game tables... lots of them. And they have events for Warhammer, D&D, M:tG, etc to get people to come into the store and stay there for a bit. The owner once told me "A gamer can't be in a game store for 6 hours and not buy something".

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

In general, I try and pick up *something* when I go to my FLGS, because I'm there relatively rarely and because I want to support them.

Of course, some random store that I don't have a connection to, I don't feel that obligation. But when I go to Dream Wizards in Rockville, MD, or to Comic Quest in Evansville, IN, I like those stores and want to have access to them in the future.

(Plus, Barnes & Noble doesn't carry Exalted or Shadowrun stuff reliably)

Brad

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Mmmm. I dunno of any FLGSes around here. Everyone in the area seems to be card games and only card games, and that's not really my thing.

I once, some time ago, lived next to the best FLGS of all time. The best. No it's not my opinion, it's a fact. All-Star Games in Diamond Bar, California. It closed three or so years after the incredibly tragic death of the owners, but while it was up, it wasn't just the best store ever, it was, for much of SoCal, the best place to order from, bar none. It deserved the capital F in FLGS, and the owners were a major part of every gaming event in...well, just about all of southern California. It's somewhat hard for me to go to other FLGSes nowadays, imply because I always end up comparing them to All-Star Game...and they never compare better, for more then just nostalgia reasons.

 

[Imperialus]

I love my FLGS.

A couple of it's features.

Almost every gaming book that saw mass distribution and has been in print within the past ten years (and more than a few that didn't) sitting on the shelf.

Case in point: We decided we were going to run the old Shadowrun Adventure DNA/DOA as a tribute to Dave Arneson (he wrote it). It was published in 1990... They had 3 copies, one new.

They have at least 3 massive folding buffet tables for wargames, cunningly segragated from smaller tables for playing RPG's or Card Games.

There is *something* going on every weekend.

They base their prices off the US conversion rate rather than the Canadian Suggested Retail (if you buy books in Canada you'll know why this is a good thing).

They have a monthly newsletter, which until the economy got kicked in the teeth had a full page of coupons every month.

They have a huge selection of wargames, honest to goodness hex and counter wargames.

So yeah... Nine times out of ten I spend my money at my FLGS even if it does cost more.

 

[Gort]

I started D&D back in about 1995, playing 2e at a friend's house. When 3e came out, I bought the core rulebooks and started my own game. I bought a couple of supplemental books along the way. When 4e came out, I got the core rulebooks and started my own game.

In fourteen years of gaming, the only thing I've ever bought from an actual shop was some dice. Buying from a shop gets you ripped off.

They're obsolete, and they're going to die out as people get more Internet-savvy and realise they're paying through the nose when they don't need to, and as people stop doing their game stores favours.

 

[DreadPirateMurphy]

When I lived in Northern Virginia, I had not one but three different FLGS from which to choose. Game Parlor in Chantilly was closest, was clean, had friendly staff and had a fairly good selection. Dream Wizards had an ever so slightly better inventory, but was in Rockville so I only stopped by if I happened to be up Maryland way. Compleat Strategist in Falls Church came under new management and cleaned up significantly. I frequented all three, depending upon where I happened to be at the time, and spent a fair amount of money when I was feeling flush. All 3 had game space.

Now that I'm in Cleveland, I've been to both Gamer's Haven and Warzone Matrix. The former just had to downsize to a new location during the recession, but they still have an OK selection -- just not the same as the gamer's paradise that was No. VA. Warzone has a big selection, but it's piled seemingly at random, so it is more of an "ask" place than a "browse" place. The market here doesn't seem as strong for gaming stuff. (There are a couple of other stores carrying gaming supplies, but nothing I would go out of my way to visit.)

The wife and I are getting ready to move to the SF Bay area, and I'm wondering how gamer-friendly the market is. I'm hopeful, given the relative wealth and tech-savvy nature of the area, but we'll see...