Your FLGS and You - What's your take?

[Steel_Wind]

Amazon.ca carries all the mainstream WotC stuff. Many Pathfinder titles as well, for that matter as well as some other more hobby games trade oriented titles. Chapters has a somewhat smaller number of titles -- and if you are a member of their membership rewards program, Chapters is the same price as Amazon (otherwise, Chapters is 10% more expensive).

In terms of selction, Amazon.ca is smaller than Amazon.com - though still very good. Chapters.ca has a more limited selection than Amazon.ca.

For smaller publishers/small run titles, those products just don't always have access to these large book trade online sellers.

Another issue is that they only take credit cards. No Paypal or Canadian debit cards (though the debit situation is changing a lilttle), which limits the ability of both to sell to a third or so of potential customers.

There is a lot more to gaming stuff than is sold at either online book retailing giant, of course.

Amazon.ca is cheaper than my fave FLGS (401games.ca) by about 15% or so. Depends if it's a "free shipping" order or not. If shipping is not free, it's essentially the same price as my fave FLGS, if not a little buit more expensive. (I have a great FLGS which tickets at the US cover price, less 10%-20%).

So a $35.00 book will sell in the store for $31.50 (plus tax) and online at Amazon for about $28.00 or so (plus tax and shipping, if any).

 

[pogre]

3) Community
There is a FLGS where I live that has done a great job at building a community. People buy their products there because they want a local game store to be successful since it gives them a place to play and find other gamers. It also gives them a place to feel a part of the community. In our FLGS, it is hard to get space for an RPG now as there are games occupying most of the tables almost every night and weekend. At our local game con a few weeks ago, other vendors were commenting to the FLGS owner (who also had a booth) that they had noticed the community. At any given time in the main gaming hall, there were more than a dozen people wearing the t-shirt of the FLGS.

I'm not completely sure what the magic formula is for building that community, but I do think that building a community offers a FLGS a way to be successful.

I think it helps a lot that the owner has long term gaming ties to the community. Personally, I think owning a game store when you love to game is a little like owning a bait store when you love to fish, but I'm sure glad Dave opened Armored Gopher!

I only wish I had time to make it into the store more often. It truly does have a community feel these days. There seems to be something going on almost every time I go in there. That kind of store has value to me - I meet gamers, get introduced to new games, and even get to run a few games and events. It makes it worth it to forego internet bargains to support the store.

FREX: I'm running a wet palette painting seminar there later next month. That would never have happened without a store like this.

 

[Olive]

I expect many of you living in the USA are not aware that outside of the USA -- those same factors which give internet retailing an edge are simply not present. When buying over the internet from Canada, shipping costs are vastly higher. Sales taxes are never avoided.

That maybe the case in Canada but on the other side of the Pacific it's not. I've lived in Wellington, New Zealand, Melbourne, Australia and Singapore since I got back into gaming in the mid 90s. I've frequented gaming shops in each city and a bunch more in Australia and NZ as well. My experience has been that a) the shops are generally pretty good (ie. clean and not run by idiots) but dominated by something else - in Wellington it was comics, in Melbourne it was boardgames and wargames and here it's GW. b) they have a limited range, take a while to restock and most importantly c) the prices are higher than amazon.

C is because we don't pay 1) US sales tax on Amazon and we don't pay local sales tax either 2) we pay shipping but we can control that by choosing cheaper and slower options and 3) the US dollar is a fraction of what it once was but prices haven't fallen in the shops.

I used to use the FLGS in Melbourne because it was pretty good; because I like to support local retail outlets and because I liked the books to be in my hands now, not in 2 weeks time. Here in Singapore they won't have what I want, it's insanely expensive and most of the time I don't get a chance to read something for 2 weeks regardless of when I buy it.

 

[JediSoth]

Indianapolis has several game stores. Two are near me on the south side of town: The Game Preserve and Gamerz.

The Game Preserve is part of a chain; they've five locations throughout Indiana (two in Indianapolis, one in Brownsburg, one in Lafayette (home of Purdue) and one in Bloomington (home of Indiana U.). The store I go to is clean and well-stocked. About half the store is RPGs and miniatures, the other half board games and card games.

In the early part of the decade, most of the RPG section was D20 stuff, but in the last few years (esp. since 4E came out), games using other systems have been encroaching on D&D shelf space, though D&D still has a 4' section all to itself (with 8' dedicated to the other stuff).

Most of the staff seems more versed in miniature gaming (Warhammer and the like) and CCGs, than RPs, though they know what you're talking about when you talk about D&D. They've never been unfriendly towards me; I'm always greeted when I enter the store and am usually asked if I need help finding anything. They host games almost every day, but I know not to go there Friday night; it's Magic: TG night and the store gets too crowded and too many people use the front counter to sort through cards they might want to buy, or to just yack it up with the staff.

Still, The Game Preserve seems to be run like a business more than somebody's pet project dream-store, and that's probably why they have five locations.
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I've only been to Gamerz three times. The first time, the store was cramped and the gaming table they had set up took up too much of the floor, making it difficult to browse their selection. Plus, I was ignored by the staff and the only glances I got were annoyed glances from the people gaming 'cause I had the gall to want to look at stuff near the table they were gaming at.

Then they moved. The new store is more spacious with the gaming area separated from the main part of the store. The staff is more helpful now (there may have been a change in owners/management), though the store still seems to cater more to CCG players. They have pretty much all the 4E stuff, but as of the last time I visited, stocked hardly anything that wasn't WotC D&D 4E or Star Wars Saga. I was told they were planning to expand their selection and were in the process of doing so.

Gamerz does host games, mostly 4E stuff for the RPGA from what I can tell, though the schedule indicates they have more going on than just that.

The location isn't nearly as convenient as The Game Preserve, so I haven't been back lately, but it is a nice store.

Neither one of my game stores had a clue when I asked them about Free RPG day. Clearly, they don't soend as much time on RPG news sites as I do.


Having said all that, I will admit that probably 90% of my RPG purchases are done through Amazon.com. 15%-20% off hardcover books with the free shipping I get is too good to pass up. When I go to The Game Preserve intent on buying something, it's to purchase a book I know is around $20, a board game, miniatures, or dice. I will occasionally pre-order stuff from them (I threw them a bone with Pathfinder). Sometimes they have stuff on sale, though. Just yesterday I bought the five book in the Pathfinder AP Curse of the Crimson Throne I didn't already have for $11 each (MSRP $19.95); even Amazon couldn't touch that price. Plus, The Game Preserve has loyalty points. 1 pt. per $ spent, when you accumulate 100 points, you get $10 off your next purchase.

 

[strider1970]

I've seen many FLGS come and go save for one in my area (Chicago burbs): Games Plus in Mt. Prospect, IL. Its a top notch store. That being said, I would not miss the store so much as the crew that owns and operates it. They are stellar.

 

[darjr]

So there is a tentative start to running Shadowrun missions in the store. First event was run yesterday, and what do I see? Several copies of the 4th edition book brand new on the shelves. Nice touch. I do really like my FLGS.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As one of my marketing profs put it, a factory store is like having a license to print money.

And the nearest thing a retailer can get to a factory store is loading his shop with the product when you run a demo of the product. That should be an absolute no-brainer.

So it always amazes me when I find game stores that run ZERO demos or otherwise mess this up.

I mean, it doesn't even have to be a formal demo. Running tourneys or renting out space for gamers to run their own games is nearly as effective.