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Made in gb
[SWAP SHOP MOD]
Killer Klaivex







 Vermis wrote:
Who goes to a restaurant because they happen to be passing and see a bunch of people inside...?


I do. Especially if they're old people. Old people are always local and know where the best quality joint is for best value.


 
   
Made in us
Inspiring Icon Bearer





Colorado Springs, CO

I don't think people are accurately thinking about the kind of environment online-only purchasers bring to a brick and mortar store. 9/10 people that buy stuff online LOVE to talk about why they bought online, how much money they saved, and why they are your messiah for sharing such information with you. In fact, you'd be stupid to ever pay retail for a product again! That kind of attitude is very, very bad for a brick and mortar establishment.

Most people that support mostly online sales or online only sales aren't accurately thinking about the future. Without a place to walk in and play with friendly strangers, meet new people or learn about the game, you don't get new players. Without new players, the game dies. Sorry, but no matter what you think about your gaming group, no one (in the US at least) will actively seek out you and your small group of nerdy friends to meet in someone's basement to watch the one game going on the one table and then decide to jump into a miniatures game. I'm not trying to be derisive here or mean or anything, but if you're honest with yourself about people and culture in America, you'll realize that most people aren't comfortable with the gaming club environment, at least not when it comes to starting a new game. Maybe saying 'no one' is a bit of a strong term, but certainly not enough to support the overhead that a game needs to develop. We enjoy the plethora of gaming options available to use now because of stores that offer playing space.

One of them filthy casuals... 
   
Made in us
Enigmatic Chaos Sorcerer




Tampa, FL

Sorry but when I'm paying $50 or so for a box of figures, discount > everything else. If I'm buying in bulk, it's better to buy at a discount because the money I save can often get me another item or two that I otherwise wouldn't be able to get.

I would be stupid to pay full retail just out of the kindness of my heart, doubly so if I have to put something on order and wait weeks for it to arrive, if it ever arrives. Impulse buys are one thing, where it's "Oooh shiny I must have at once". But for planned purchases? No way.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 13:32:06


- Wayne
Formerly WayneTheGame 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka






WayneTheGame wrote:
Sorry but when I'm paying $50 or so for a box of figures, discount > everything else. If I'm buying in bulk, it's better to buy at a discount because the money I save can often get me another item or two that I otherwise wouldn't be able to get.

I would be stupid to pay full retail just out of the kindness of my heart, doubly so if I have to put something on order and wait weeks for it to arrive, if it ever arrives.


Do you bring a bagged lunch to a restaurant?

Have you ever had a 30$ meal when you could have gone to the grocery store and cooked it yourself for 10$?

As long as you buy your food cheaper elsewhere, and make it at home, then there is no problem. The issue is when you want the service, ambiance and social access to other people that you can get at a restaurant but not to buy the food or pay for the service that there is a problem. You are basically showing up at Happy hour with your bagged lunch and beer and claiming the restaurant should let you stay because 'others' are paying customers.

The issue is when customers like you don't 'pay where you play', stores decide the 'real' customers, IE: MTG card game people deserve the gaming space and then no one gets to tabletop game, period. If you play at home, enjoy your deep discounts.

"If you gave us places to game, people will buy locally... not me of course, but I am sure someone else will! Here is 25cents profit on a snickers bar I bought, See? I support the store."

And for you guys not in the US, US gaming is store-centric, and so are clubs who usually have store affiliations. So often the members of the club and people playing are not usually the same thing. Members usually help the store run events and clean up when people trash the place, and often players come and go and have no club affiliation.

Personally, I feel like Kickstarter has hurt more than anything. I used to buy locally and game wargaming at stores. Due to Kickstarters, I have been buying more board games with exclusives which is money denied to my store. It is flat out insulting to show up with a game the store can't even sell due to KS, and take up table space all day. I have been doing more meet-ups and private gaming due to the nature of what I have been buying from KS, and it really puts into perspective how hard it is to organize gaming opposed to mindlessly deciding to 'go play games today' and drive to a known location and find a dozen people to play with.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 13:41:38


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Enigmatic Chaos Sorcerer




Tampa, FL

Perhaps, but my local store also barely carries anything for the game I play (Warmachine) so I typically have to order it anyways. So I figure if I have to order it anyways, why order and pay full retail and wait 3+ weeks for it to arrive when I can order it online, get a 30% discount and on top of that have it all but guaranteed in stock and arrive in a week? No brainer for me. Sure if they have something I want immediately I might buy it, but ultimately paying more and having to wait is for suckers.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 13:49:16


- Wayne
Formerly WayneTheGame 
   
Made in gb
[SWAP SHOP MOD]
Killer Klaivex







nkelsch wrote:


Personally, I feel like Kickstarter has hurt more than anything. I used to buy locally and game wargaming at stores. Due to Kickstarters, I have been buying more board games with exclusives which is money denied to my store. It is flat out insulting to show up with a game the store can't even sell due to KS, and take up table space all day. I have been doing more meet-ups and private gaming due to the nature of what I have been buying from KS, and it really puts into perspective how hard it is to organize gaming opposed to mindlessly deciding to 'go play games today' and drive to a known location and find a dozen people to play with.


I'm not convinced that Kickstarter is such a big deal. I know a lot of people worry that it takes sales out of the gaming store, and I've seen more than one Game shop owner lamenting that everyone who wanted a specific board game bought it online in the original kickstarter, thus stopping them from selling any.

But the thing is, without those Kickstarter investments, the game very often wouldn't have happened anyway in which case the retailer would never have been able to sell it. It's a bit like second hand video games, the game studios lament that each one traded in/sold is taking a sale away from them, but in most cases, you quite possibly wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't been half the official price (due to being second hand).

The only way in which the Kickstarter could be feasibly denying your game store money, is when you spend your money there instead of at the game shop period. But that same reasoning could be applied every time you buy (to refer back again) a video game. Or a new car. Or a meal at a restaurant. Or any money spent anywhere that you could feasibly have spent at the game shop. I'm not sure it's something to feel apologetic about.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/09/11 13:55:08



 
   
Made in gb
Contagious Dreadnought of Nurgle





 Vermis wrote:
Who goes to a restaurant because they happen to be passing and see a bunch of people inside...?

Most gaming shops with table space, that I've seen, are way out of the way of idle window shoppers. And 'being quiet' sounds like a baffling reason to stay away, to my mind.


Lots of people. Thats why restaurants always fill the window seats first. Makes them look busy, therefor popular, therefor good.

WayneTheGame wrote:

I would be stupid to pay full retail just out of the kindness of my heart,


It's not about kindness, but supporting what else a B&M business brings. If we don't then they will go the way of the rest of the highstreet. You will end up like supermarkets where a few big players dominate the market and care only about profit. I try and buy as much of my food as I can from my local farm shop, as they produce most of the meat and veg, pay staff well, know their customers and care. Same for me goes for my gaming. I buy what I can from my FLGS as the manager talks to me, points me towards things I might like and will let me know if something I am after is coming in to stock. He has hunted down things I want from wholesalers before. I don't know any online stores that will do this.

People should buy what they want from where they want, but don't think its about being stupid or kindness. I have seen the local butcher, who would mince up some meat for me if he had run low and gave me old beef bones for the dog, and the local fishmonger, who would sell me a small bit of monkfish and prep and fillet salmon how I wanted, all go as people wanted to save a few pence at the supermarket, but now find they can only get the generic, pre-packaged service. So I will continue to support my local shops unless I really can't get what I want there.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/09/11 14:08:22


 insaniak wrote:
Sometimes, Exterminatus is the only option.
And sometimes, it's just a case of too much scotch combined with too many buttons...
 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka






WayneTheGame wrote:
Perhaps, but my local store also barely carries anything for the game I play (Warmachine) so I typically have to order it anyways. So I figure if I have to order it anyways, why order and pay full retail and wait 3+ weeks for it to arrive when I can order it online, get a 30% discount and on top of that have it all but guaranteed in stock and arrive in a week? No brainer for me. Sure if they have something I want immediately I might buy it, but ultimately paying more and having to wait is for suckers.


As long as you don't game there... then there is no problem. If you want a place to game without having to organize people and the gaming space is nice and useful, then the 'sucker' is the person who pays elsewhere then complains when that space is not available for him to use, either due to it being given to better quality customers like MTG people or the store goes under.

Also, Fulfillment issues with warmahordes is usually PPs fault. So write PP and tell them to get their gak together.

May also be if more people bought in-store, your owner could place bigger and more regular orders and have a more stocked inventory?

Pay where you play... I hope online discounters provide gaming space for you when your local store is gone. If you already game at home, then no worries right?

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Biloxi, MS USA

 Ketara wrote:
but in most cases, you quite possibly wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't been half the official price (due to being second hand).


I'm the outlier in this case. I refuse to buy pre-owned games that are still available new because I know it isn't supporting the creators and because of how places like EBGames work with regards to pre-owned.

Of course, I'm the sort that doesn't need the newest game immediately and plays vidja games so rarely these days that I can buy 1-2 games a year and still be playing the same 3-4 2 years later.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/09/11 13:56:10


You know you're really doing something when you can make strangers hate you over the Internet. - Mauleed
Just remember folks. Panic. Panic all the time. It's the only way to survive, other than just being mindful, of course-but geez, that's so friggin' boring. - Aegis Grimm
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Made in gb
[SWAP SHOP MOD]
Killer Klaivex







 Platuan4th wrote:
 Ketara wrote:
but in most cases, you quite possibly wouldn't have bought it if it hadn't been half the official price (due to being second hand).


I'm the outlier in this case. I refuse to buy pre-owned games that are still available new because I know it isn't supporting the creators and because of how places like EBGames work with regards to pre-owned.

Of course, I'm the sort that doesn't need the newest game immediately and plays vidja games so rarely these days that I can buy 1-2 games a year and still be playing the same 3-4 2 years later.


I'm curious. Would you refuse to buy a five year old second hand book at a bootfair for 99p because you can still buy it new in a bookshop for a tenner?


 
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

 Ketara wrote:
I'm curious. Would you refuse to buy a five year old second hand book at a bootfair for 99p because you can still buy it new in a bookshop for a tenner?

Digital goods are different to physical goods and should be treated as such. That means both no concept of them being stolen via piracy, but likewise their 2nd hand status being up for debate. Normal physical goods degrade over time and do not cost the company resources. Digital goods do not degrade over time and can cost the company resources by playing multiplayer on their servers for example.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/09/11 14:08:16


 
   
Made in gb
[SWAP SHOP MOD]
Killer Klaivex







 Yonan wrote:
 Ketara wrote:
I'm curious. Would you refuse to buy a five year old second hand book at a bootfair for 99p because you can still buy it new in a bookshop for a tenner?

Digital goods are different to physical goods and should be treated as such. That means both no concept of them being stolen via piracy, but likewise their 2nd hand status being up for debate. Normal physical goods degrade over time and do not cost the company resources. Digital goods do not degrade over time and can cost the company resources by playing multiplayer on their servers for example.


In my initial example, I was referring to hard disc copies from a video games shop. Those can be bandied around, and degrade over time from scratches and suchlike.


 
   
Made in us
Cosmic Joe





nkelsch wrote:
WayneTheGame wrote:
Perhaps, but my local store also barely carries anything for the game I play (Warmachine) so I typically have to order it anyways. So I figure if I have to order it anyways, why order and pay full retail and wait 3+ weeks for it to arrive when I can order it online, get a 30% discount and on top of that have it all but guaranteed in stock and arrive in a week? No brainer for me. Sure if they have something I want immediately I might buy it, but ultimately paying more and having to wait is for suckers.


As long as you don't game there... then there is no problem. If you want a place to game without having to organize people and the gaming space is nice and useful, then the 'sucker' is the person who pays elsewhere then complains when that space is not available for him to use, either due to it being given to better quality customers like MTG people or the store goes under.

Also, Fulfillment issues with warmahordes is usually PPs fault. So write PP and tell them to get their gak together.

May also be if more people bought in-store, your owner could place bigger and more regular orders and have a more stocked inventory?

Pay where you play... I hope online discounters provide gaming space for you when your local store is gone. If you already game at home, then no worries right?

That's exactly how I feel. If you want a cool place to hang out and game you have to realize that it isn't free.
Being left without a local gaming store is for suckers.



Also, check out my history blog: Minimum Wage Historian, a fun place to check out history that often falls between the couch cushions. 
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

Physical discs are still digital products. I'm sure it's possible that they can be damaged but you have to actively mistreat them for that to happen and it's basically a binary working / not-working as opposed to a constant degradation with each use.

It's worth watching Totalbiscuits video on used games for a very good overview of the topic.

 MWHistorian wrote:
Being left without a local gaming store is for suckers.

If your nation for some reason spurns the far superior gaming group model with the best of both worlds ; p

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 14:11:00


 
   
Made in us
Hunter with Harpoon Laucher




Castle Clarkenstein

 Yonan wrote:
 mikhaila wrote:
Wont work. Period.

Worked for some stores mentioned by Ye Olde Grump mentioned above. Period.


By 'working' you mean 'no longer in business'?

What charging does is get people out of your store. If that was your goal, it works. I know of a few stores that have done that to control CCG crowds, especially yu-gi-oh, and in extreme cases where they were being used as babysitters.

If you mean 'work = brings in profit", then no, you are incorrect.


The general attitude of players who are asked to pay for table space is "I'll get together with the guys at my house". And I can't really blame them for that.

-----------------------------------------------------------
But at this point I'm out of the discussion. I only posted after a friend asked me to. If i want to discuss business, i can argue business methods with many people who are actually in my business.. Here on Dakka, it's too much like YMDC discussions, and go on forever, with nothing accomplished. If you open your own store, use your methods and best of luck to you.

....and lo!.....The Age of Sigmar came to an end when Saint Veetock and his hamster legions smote the false Sigmar and destroyed the bubbleverse and lead the true believers back to the Old World.
 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





Biloxi, MS USA

 Ketara wrote:
Would you refuse to buy a five year old second hand book at a bootfair for 99p because you can still buy it new in a bookshop for a tenner?


Yes, but for entirely different reasons. Mostly because I HATE that people don't know how to properly open/hold books and thus tend to break the spine. The only books I own with broken spines are ones that I've had for over 15 years and have read 10+ times OR are antiques. I'm a bit snobbish with how I treat books(and thus won't buy them unless they're in a certain condition) and having worked in a book store didn't help that attitude.

Yes, this means that I have even passed on used university text books for 1/3-1/2 the price to purchase new copies for full.

THAT SAID, when given the chance, I try to purchase new product direct from the author or music group when they're local or someone I know(I know way too many published authors these days) rather than through retail chains so as they get a bigger cut.

This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 2014/09/11 14:37:03


You know you're really doing something when you can make strangers hate you over the Internet. - Mauleed
Just remember folks. Panic. Panic all the time. It's the only way to survive, other than just being mindful, of course-but geez, that's so friggin' boring. - Aegis Grimm
Hallowed is the All Pie
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Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

Edited by Manchu

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2014/09/11 14:53:41


 
   
Made in us
Strider




Arizona

I don't mean this as an attack, as I also do buy online regularly while buying locally occasionally.

The simple truth is that this applies to people who have local gaming stores and use them. It is a business, not an entitlement. While I do agree that you shouldn't feel guilted into buying a $50 box everytime you step into the shop to play a casual game, to say that you have no ethical responsibility to support said shop is just a sign of selfishness and entitlement. I could use phrases like "this country" or "that country," but the truth is that people are people and we are all guilty of that self-entitled attitude that some dude (who does NOT get rich running a game store) OWES you that game space.

He or she does NOT owe the customer anything outside of an exchange of money for goods. The tables serve a purpose, but that purpose is to drive sales. I have a home game board, as do a few of my local friends. Sometimes we hold games at the house, but often we play at the store. As someone said above, good luck drawing the strangers and new players in at someone's house... I don't want random unknown people going to my house! But I surely do like to play and meet new people!

I would say that there is an ethical responsibility for a person who uses a service to support that service. I would never fault anyone for running home games while buying online, but the fact is that if you use your local shop and don't support it, then you are a contributor to the "problem."
   
Made in us
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If my store charged for gaming space, I simply wouldn't go there.



Also, check out my history blog: Minimum Wage Historian, a fun place to check out history that often falls between the couch cushions. 
   
Made in us
Strider




Arizona

Mikhaila has an investment in this discussion. I won't say whether the arguments are insulting, per se, but Mikhaila is coming from the perspective that game store = food on the table.

Most of use simply can't make that connection. I have a secure job, as I KNOW I won't run out of bad guys to deal with. Mikhaila has to deal with the online sellers and keep the business running.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 14:53:58


 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





Biloxi, MS USA

 Moktor wrote:
I would say that there is an ethical responsibility for a person who uses a service to support that service.


Oh man, the things I can make you say with this sentence out of context.


But that wouldn't be ethical of me.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 14:44:40


You know you're really doing something when you can make strangers hate you over the Internet. - Mauleed
Just remember folks. Panic. Panic all the time. It's the only way to survive, other than just being mindful, of course-but geez, that's so friggin' boring. - Aegis Grimm
Hallowed is the All Pie
The Before Times: A Place That Celebrates The World That Was 
   
Made in us
Strider




Arizona

 Platuan4th wrote:
 Moktor wrote:
I would say that there is an ethical responsibility for a person who uses a service to support that service.


Oh man, the things I can make you say with this sentence out of context.


But that wouldn't be ethical of me.


It's the internet, I expect nothing :p
   
Made in us
Ultramarine Librarian with Freaky Familiar





Southern California, USA

 mikhaila wrote:


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 TheCustomLime wrote:
Davor wrote:
I still say it's low of a person who buys else where and then play at a store and not buy anything there.

The way I see it, want to buy else where, play else where. Other wise why are you at the store in the first place?


I strongly disagree. If you are a gaming store owner you should want as many players as you can get so long as their attitude is decent. Even if they don't directly help your bottom line just being there so that paying customers can get a game will.


If these hypothetical non-customers could add benefit to a shop, most shop owners wouldn't mind the table space. But in reality, most of these guys don't want to play new players, don't teach people to play, and are fairly competitive. Many only play within their little cliques, arriving and leaving together. Not all, but by and large the majority. They quickly disprove the idea that the store gets value from just having people in the store. As you said "if their attitude is decent", but often it isn't.

And if a store doesn't have enough table space for paying customers, they are immediately a detriment.


I think this may be a case on confirmation bias but I could be wrong. I doubt that customers who don't buy at their FLGS are all like that. I doubt that the majority I like that. It's also possible that cliquish, competitive jerks are also the type to not pay rather than the other way around.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 14:49:54


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Pittsburgh, PA, USA

 MWHistorian wrote:
If my store charged for gaming space, I simply wouldn't go there.


It just reeks of tax collecting, IMO. And we all know how popular that line of work is The only example I've ever heard of a successful gaming store that charged for tables, he refunded the fee in store credit. However, I'm not familiar with the mechanics of the transaction.

I do find it humorous how some people seem intent on telling a guy how to conduct his business, though.

   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Louisiana

 fullheadofhair wrote:
Davor wrote:
I still say it's low of a person who buys else where and then play at a store and not buy anything there.

The way I see it, want to buy else where, play else where. Other wise why are you at the store in the first place?


I cannot agree with this more.

If you regularly use a store to met with friends, chin wag and play games and then buy else where you are nothing more than a parasite. You are contributing nothing to that store and, although impossible to do, you should pay to play at that store. Nothing in life is free - why should you get free use of tables etc - it isnt a club house.

How the heck do you expect a store to survive and provide those facilities -oh yes, I see, by other people paying.

Yes, parasite describes it perfectly.


No, parasite does not describe it perfectly. What if customer A comes to the store to play because customer B plays at the store? If customer A buys at the store and customer B buys online, but customer A wouldn't be at the store but for the presence of customer B...

Mik seems to be talking about, now and previously, building a community centered around the FLGS. I agree that it isn't great to buy online when you are a regular fixture of a store, and I agree that talking about buying at online discounts while in a FLGS is disrespectful, but my understanding is that if you can bring people into the store, you can more easily get people to buy from the store. That's naturally going to involve bringing in people who don't buy at the store. If you treat those potential customers as parasites, it does not make for a healthy environment.

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weeble1000 wrote:

No, parasite does not describe it perfectly. What if customer A comes to the store to play because customer B plays at the store? If customer A buys at the store and customer B buys online, but customer A wouldn't be at the store but for the presence of customer B...

Mik seems to be talking about, now and previously, building a community centered around the FLGS. I agree that it isn't great to buy online when you are a regular fixture of a store, and I agree that talking about buying at online discounts while in a FLGS is disrespectful, but my understanding is that if you can bring people into the store, you can more easily get people to buy from the store. That's naturally going to involve bringing in people who don't buy at the store. If you treat those potential customers as parasites, it does not make for a healthy environment.


That assumes that Customer C doesn't exist, and that If Customer C was a paying customer, that Customer A would still be there to play with Customer C. Basically this is another example of Customer B telling people why he is required even though he contributes nothing.

This also assumes that there is infinite space and Customer B is never preventing Customer C from accessing table space by his presence, so while supposedly being the sole reason Customer A exists by his mere presence, he has now caused a loss of sale from customer C.

Will there be shades of grey where a person who has little money never buys anything but does a lot of hard work to promote store gaming and generate customers? Sure! but often that is not the case, and for those who it is the case, they are 'paying' via service to the store and community.

I think people who intentionally don't buy in the store but consume the gaming space overestimate their self worth and come up with fantastical fictional scenarios to show their justification when they know none of those scenarios actually apply to them. And we all know that cheapskates can't keep their damn mouths shut... Every single person who needs to justify why they don't buy locally in store is first to make excuses and brag about online discounters... I am sure those people keep their lipped buttoned when gaming out of respect for the store right?

This never happens:
"Hey Kid, what you bought a PP boxed set? You are a sucker, you could have gotten that 30% off online, now get out of the way, I want to play a game on this table. "

Fantastical hypotheticals swing both ways. There is a difference between being oblivious to economics, being a contributing member of a community via service, being a lazy mooch and being a cancerous parasite. Often it is the cancerous parasites trying to explain how they are something other than they really are while in turn being destructive, often with thier community damaging attitudes, anti-social behavior and actively trying to deter purchases from the local store while monopolizing space from paying customers.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 16:18:40


My Models: Ork Army: Waaagh 'Az-ard - Chibi Dungeon RPG Models! - My Workblog!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
RULE OF COOL: When converting models, there is only one rule: "The better your model looks, the less people will complain about it."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MODELING FOR ADVANTAGE TEST: rigeld2: "Easy test - are you willing to play the model as a stock one? No? MFA." 
   
Made in us
Strider




Arizona

The term leech is reserved for people who regularly attend the store, not just some dude who visits to play a game once with a friend. Or even twice, for that matter. Regulars KNOW who regulars are. Even in larger stores with loads of players in different games, you know who the people are who are in there all the time. I don't touch card games, but I know most of the regular card players. I don't do RPG's or board games either, but I know the players that are there regularly playing those games exclusively.

We can sit here and split hairs all day so that certain posters can proclaim "He ain't talkin' bout me!" But the fact is, if you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, the one who yelps is the one who got hit.

You know if you're a leech, and you know if you are supporting a store. It really is simple, and if a person with very little money comes in and plays occasionally with friends, no one is going to say squat. If some dude is constantly coming in and showing off all his 30% off gear while being able to legally use the store as a home address you have a different issue.

We all know where we stand on this spectrum, and it IS a spectrum as things are seldom black and white.

weeble1000 wrote:
 fullheadofhair wrote:
Davor wrote:
I still say it's low of a person who buys else where and then play at a store and not buy anything there.

The way I see it, want to buy else where, play else where. Other wise why are you at the store in the first place?


I cannot agree with this more.

If you regularly use a store to met with friends, chin wag and play games and then buy else where you are nothing more than a parasite. You are contributing nothing to that store and, although impossible to do, you should pay to play at that store. Nothing in life is free - why should you get free use of tables etc - it isnt a club house.

How the heck do you expect a store to survive and provide those facilities -oh yes, I see, by other people paying.

Yes, parasite describes it perfectly.


No, parasite does not describe it perfectly. What if customer A comes to the store to play because customer B plays at the store? If customer A buys at the store and customer B buys online, but customer A wouldn't be at the store but for the presence of customer B...

Mik seems to be talking about, now and previously, building a community centered around the FLGS. I agree that it isn't great to buy online when you are a regular fixture of a store, and I agree that talking about buying at online discounts while in a FLGS is disrespectful, but my understanding is that if you can bring people into the store, you can more easily get people to buy from the store. That's naturally going to involve bringing in people who don't buy at the store. If you treat those potential customers as parasites, it does not make for a healthy environment.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/09/11 16:39:27


 
   
Made in us
Trigger-Happy Baal Predator Pilot




SoCal

This thread has gotten more and more interesting... I have four local(ish) stores and one operates this way:

Sells hobby stuff, GW, roleplaying, etc. Everything but R/C. Next door is a bingo hall owned by the local SPCA. Every Saturday, gamers donate $2 per for a stamp to play whatever they'd like all day. The store sells at GW retail, and I respect this. They host a small tourney every month or so; the entry fee goes to prize support while its ran partially by the store and partially by a local gamer. The store provides terrain and felt; the owners often bake a huge batch of cookies and swing by frequently to say hello and see how things are going.


Personally, I buy and sell 40k online to support my hobby; mostly used and OOP items; I don't want to compete with the local shops. However, if I'm buying anything new for myself; I will go local first. This goes for codices, minis, all my paints, brushes, etc. I spend about $1k locally for myself between minis and supplies every year, and tend to spread it between the local shops, the place I play at most gets the most money; even though two of the other stores offer discounts. If I travel to the most distant of the four to play in a tourney; I'll buy drinks and something hobby related there each time; just to support a great store.

I'm fortunate enough to have several friends that play 40k, Fantasy and W/H regularly; and I also have a large; climate controlled room dedicated to my hobbies in which I can drink home brew; but there is a lot to be said for a local store. Its like being a regular at the local bar; you can always swing by and friends are there.

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Made in gb
Posts with Authority






Norn Iron

Well, in answer to earlier responses, I think game shops round here tend to work the same way as the better restaurants round here - on reputation and service rather than bypassers and big windows.

I'm sooo, sooo sorry.

Plog - Random sculpts and OW Helves 9/3/23 
   
Made in us
Sybarite Swinging an Agonizer





Leavenworth, KS

At the end of the day, all you can do is control your own habits. I, personally, buy from a FLGS near my current job every once and a while because I like to support that store as a hub for the community, and by the off chance that I can actually get a game in it will probably be there and I won't feel like a leech for doing so. I'm by no means a regular at that store, but pop in and buy something every once and a while to give them some business. Am I a sucker for paying full retail (besides GW which is 10% off)? Maybe, but my own conscience is clear based on what my father taught me to be right. Right can be all about perspective, indeed, but it's what is right to me.

"Death is my meat, terror my wine." - Unknown Dark Eldar Archon 
   
 
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