Over the weekend I’ve done my fair share of video game playing, the most fun of which was easily several hours of playing four player New Super Mario Bros. on the Wii. With the great selection of new games that have come out this Fall, it seems natural that Dave asked last week about which games all of you are playing. Dragon Age: Origins is clearly the most popular with 80% of you playing it, Assassin’s Creed 2 came in a distant second with 38%, and Borderlands in third with 29%. Left 4 Dead 2, New Super Mario Bros, and Modern Warfare 2 all came in around the 20% range, and several commentors mentioned Batman: Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2 as games they’re playing.
This week December is officially upon us, and with it comes the full force of the holiday season and all of the shopping that implies. I find it a shame that ordering RPG books online from places like Amazon is so much cheaper then it would be if I were to go to my local game store. That’s not the only problem though, unfortunately all of the stores around my area have one problem or another that makes them less than my ideal for a gaming store, if that weren’t the case I’d most likely patronize them more regularly. That being the case, I go to a game store in my area only several times in a year. I’m interested in seeing how often all of you go to your local game stores.
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Please share with us your thoughts on your local game store, what they do right or wrong, why you go there as often (or not) as you do, or even just share the name and location of the store with us and we’ll pay it a visit if we’re ever in town!
We host a game day three times per month, each at a different LGS (although two sites are under the same ownership). We’re treated well by all three sites, but because our group tend to buy their products online, we ultimately come second to the card floppers. Truthfully, that’s a smart business decision.
What I think our LGS does wrong is, in tough financial times, they don’t provide anything akin to “frequent flyer miles.” They used to, but discontinued them. Between the economy and online options, LGSs *must* find a way to compete, and right now, they aren’t. That makes it tough for the average gamer to do business there, especially considering how expensive the hobby is.
I admit that there’s a terrible lack of appreciation among gamers for their LGS — they seem to think they’re entitled to a place to game — but it’s not all their fault. The LGSs need to give an incentive. I’m sure some do, but not mine.
My FLGS is Cool Stuff in Orlando. They have great prices, a large game space, and good people. I feel lucky to have such a quality store to support.
http://www.coolstuffinc.com/
.-= countingku´s last blog ..Use Your Head: Weekend in the Realms =-.
I can tell you what, in the opinion of a gamer since the 70s is killing the FLGS. Unprofessionality. Out of the 9 Gaming stores I’ve been in in the NC/TN/GA in the past year I’ve seen the following:
1) No motivation to sell, or even recommended: In only 2 stores out of the 9, did anyone even bother to recommend something to me. This is appalling .
It takes two seconds to say “Hey… did you know about this?” or “Need some fresh dice with that”
2) Very little if any product knowledge (beyond their favorites): In over half of the stores I visited, now seemed to know anything outside of their comfort zone, and out of the other 4, only 2 even offered to look up things for me. 1 dismissed me complete with “Nobody plays that.” (the question was about Pathfinder, just so you know. Also… just to give you the image, the shop was very obviously stocked by the “give me the top ten releases and whatever bargain packs you have” method. He did however have two copies of the game in stock).
Yes, it might mean you spending time outside your comfort zone, but should should at least know a slight amount of functional information about the lines you carry.
3) Very Little if any customer service. Only 4 of the stores bothered to acknowledge my presence. in 3, the counter person continued their conversations with their buddies, 2 of which begrudgingly interrupted themselves to answer a question, and one didn’t even take a break when ringing me up. 2 in particular, both gave me a special “I’m just watching the store” and only one even mentioned I should talk to the owner who would be back in tomorrow.
It’s simple… it’s a store. If you are IN the store as an employee, it’s your job to get up off your arse and deal with customers…. above everything else from the great game of Magic to the phone call with your SO. That applies to friends “just helping out.”
4) Horrid Presentation: Ok… I don’t expect custom fixtures and artful lighting, but good gods… Learn the alphabet, ok?
At least have the courtesy to group items together and make a bit of effort at showcasing products. If I have to figure out your “special” shelving system before I can find out if you have the new Shadowrun supplement… I’m probably heading out the door without it.
Now… it may seem like I’m being a little harsh, but even with the economy and the state of the gaming community… but if your FLGS closed, there’s a very good chance it’s your FLGS’s fault.
It’s no longer the late 80s and early 90s, and the days of letting the product speak for itself are over. FLGS are going to have to work for it again… find ways to get people into the stores, start learning about the products they have and not just the ones they like, expand their products outside what can be had cheaper through the BABS (big-ass bookstore), advertise, utilize the resources you have, figure out the internet, and most of all pander to your customer base a bit.
In the age of the PDF and Discount Shopping, complacency is death.
My favorite local comic/gaming book shop is Brainstorm Comics in Frederick, MD. I’ve been going to that store since ’92 and reading this blog since March, so imagine my surprise when I see a photo of Brainstorm on this post!
I live in the middle of Wyoming, so I really don’t have a FLGS. When I travel, I try to find a store that’s local to the place I’m visiting. If I find that the staff is friendly, I usually try to buy at least something. Kenn above has some very excellent points. I do end up getting most of my books on Amazon just because it’s so much cheaper and easier.
It helps alot when the LGS works to take an interest in me in my hobbies. There are several LGS in Toronto, but since one started hosting our LFR group I have made an effort to make it worth their while by buying stuff there. Now that 4th Ed is moving online I am buying less books, but the ones I do buy I make sure to buy from the store as well as purchasing minis etc. If LGS are going to survive it is going to be through quid pro quo. As they serve us we need to go out of our way to buy from them, even if it does cost us a couple extra bucks. Considering I get to play there for free every week it is SO worth the money.
I haven’t been a “regular” at a FLGS since the early 90s, and Kenn’s analysis is a major reason why. The only store I visit with any sort of frequency now is the host for RPG events when I volunteer as a DM, such as O.R.C. (Oregon Roleplayers for Charity), which is having its second annual event on Dec 12. If you’re in Portland, OR, be sure to stop by Guardian Games and help support SMART.
.-= Kameron´s last blog ..Challenging Sir Keegan =-.
When I was a youngun I had a great FLGS, the kind of place where you could spend some serious time. The walls were covered in merchandise and posters and paraphernalia, there was a wide range of hobbies represented (including an in-house net cafe / LAN gaming room, which could even be rented overnight), and they threw out annoying or disruptive people regularly.
At my current location, however, all the local ones are so pathetic and bare (and their clientele so grognardy) that I’d much rather do my nerd socializing in a quiet corner of a pub, or someone’s house. In the past four years, I’ve totaled three visits to any of the local FLGSs.
I find it hard to call mine friendly. They carry limited stock, always order late (meaning our Borders has the books at least a week earlier), have a price markup of about $1.50 on most everything, and have little to no experience/knowledge with D&D.
Basically, they do nothing to keep most gamers from going to Borders. They almost always have the latest items on the shelf by noon on release day and provide me with 25-40% coupons regularly.
I would love to have an FLGS like the one’s I’ve seen in Seattle and Moscow. Unfortunately, ours is just a cash-grab for a hobby shop that caters more to paintball and used dvd sales.
The Games Keep LLC in West Chester, PA (Philly suburbs) is awesome. The owner just expanded his store and is very good at helping newbies and experienced alike in finding games that match your desire. Friday night open gaming is typically full.
.-= Kevin E. Schlabach´s last blog ..seizeyourturn: Boardgame Impressions – 11 games including Ad Astra, Endeavor, Gambit 7, Starcraft, & Tobago [BGNews] http://ow.ly/HdFv =-.
We’re boycotting our local store for gouging us by charging $150 for Space Hulk. If they’re trying to hose me, I might as well go get 35% off all my RPG products at Amazon. Their loss, not mine.
.-= thegonk´s last blog ..Piquet move by move =-.
Frylock: I agree that the concept of “frequent customer rewards” would be huge for most local game stores.
Kenn: As others have agreed, pretty much a spot on analysis of the many common problems FLGS have, it’s unfortunate that these things are so prolific.
Peter: When searching for an image of a FLGS, I just decided to go with something I’m familiar with since I go to Brainstorm once every few months. It was either that or Dream Wizards, so that decision for me was pretty easy. 😀
My game store is fantastic. They let us game for free in a big room with lots of space (you can have 2 DnD games and a small Magic tourney going at the same time), have reasonably priced snacks so you don’t have to bring your own stuff or leave to get things, and are always friendly and easy to talk with. The 2 guys that run it are gamers themselves and they have opinions on all the games and comics in the store and they are always to talk and visit with everyone that stops by.
As far as product go, they have things everywhere on the wall and can get you anything you need. They even have a huge selection of DnD minis that you can pick up for a good price if you need a mini for a character in-game. And while I wish they had more 4E DnD stuff, they are always willing to get stuff if you ask. They also have a deal where you pay $5 a month and get 10% off all your purchases. Most of us buy so many books that it pays itself off rather quickly.
I ran across this discussion of how bookstores might compete with online sources that could be relevant to this discussion: http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2009/11/local-bookstores-social-hubs-and-mutualization/
The key point is that bookstores (and arguably FLGSs) provide a lot of ‘side-effect’ value as social and physical ‘third places’ aside from home and work, but they don’t get paid for it. This social value is subsidized by book sales, which can no longer compete with online sources on the terms of simple book-for-money transactions. The author speculates about a shift away from competing on sales, and towards a system of promoting that social value itself through paid memberships, endowments, patronage, etc., similar to what NPR or PBS does in broadcasting.
Would a ‘friendly local gaming parlour,’ which orders games for customers but carries no inventory and pays its expenses through game room hourly rentals and a membership program, survive as a business model? Are there existing examples in other industries to work from (conference centers, perhaps)?
For my bit, the only games accessible to me in central London offer no gaming space. Our group plays at a pub.
I voted that I don’t have a LGS as the closest is 40 miles and it certainly isn’t a Friendly one. My experiences there and other stores match up with Kenn for the most part. The one that is closest also has no real selection either, certainly nothing you couldn’t find at a book store/wal-mart, which to me said they are not serious. Great if you want one of 10 versions of Monopoly, but good luck getting a Settlers there. So they provide nothing of value to the customer.
I gave them a chance when D&D 4e came out going to the release. They supposedly had this set up for weeks, but not one DM showed up, waited for hours in basically a closet for someone to bother to start a game, then didn’t know the rules, which I had to correct. I had some nice conversations with the others there, but with that kind of disrespect for customers and unprofessional behavior I won’t give them any money.
I suppose part of it is I have gotten older and unlike when I was in high school I don’t stand for poor store management any more.
Now all that said, I have been thinking about perhaps opening my own store in the future, I certainly have no real competition, but thinking about an approach more like Bif was saying with the parlour idea, creating an environment and community to support a variety of hobbies. So putting thought into how that might work, so if anyone does have examples I would love to hear them.
Well, I’d go to my FLGS more often if I had the budget, but recently this hasn’t been the case.
However, reading Kenn’s commentary really made me think about my FLGS, and I’m really glad it’s not that bad here.
The Fou du Roi’s got prices that are often with a 10% included discount, and the taxes are already amounted for in that price, which sorts of correspond to a 17% discount. Taking into account that they get their release in time and sometimes throw in special promotions (like betting on a d20 to win the purchases you were about to pay), this is really what makes me come back for more: not so much the price, but the feeling that they’re sincerely working for the sake of the hobby.
Sure, most cashiers are mostly Magic Players, and it’s sometimes long to wait in line when there’s a chatter at the counter, but you know… it’s not like they can afford to alienate customers who’re just trying to be friendly. However, most of the times when I go there, it’s the owner who answers me, and he’s an active DnD player.
He’s no DM, though, so half of the books are out of his reading list, and since he’s still playing 3.5, let’s say he doesn’t know the 4e products by heart. However, he does not shun the system per se, and usually likes getting customer insight on the products so he can better advise interested players and DMs.
So, as I said, if I had the budget (and shelf space for more DnD books) I’d run there more often to get my tabletop fix. They’re an overall genuinely good store, so I usually stop by once a month either to pick up cheap supplies (second-hand minis, dungeon tiles, dices) or to buy one of the three core books’ sequels when they come out.
Brainstorm! I know I’m a little late to this thread but I had to say something once I realized the pic was of Brainstorm Comics. I used to go there with Frederick County friends back in Middle School. I was so in love with that place as a kid. They carried all the obscure stuff you couldn’t find back in my hometown. Does anybody remember that guy, “Thunder,” that worked there? He was super cool with kids and definitely wanted to see folks get into the hobby. It was a great place to visit as a kid.