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Hey everyone! I'm pondering pioneering into the small business market and opening a gaming store.
As such, I would love to get the community's input as to what's important.

What do you think is the most important aspect of a gaming store?
What makes you want to shop at one? Why do you prefer one over another?

If I don't have something listed below, let me know and I'll add it.

Thanks all!

I think having staff that make you feel welcomed and encourage a community atmosphere is very important. Its especially important for getting in new players as it can be often intimidating for people to enter a new social environment. It also helps build loyalty to the store which encourages making purchases in store instead of ordering from online retailers who generally have cheaper prices.

None of these are what really matters. The presence of a quality gaming crowd is the #1 thing and will make me stay regardless of the rest or make me leave regardless of the rest. The store is responsible for the quality of their gaming community IMO (not 100% but majorly)

Most important aspect:

Being able to play a game and enjoy it.
For this you will need:
At least decent tables ( it doesn't have to be top notch battle report quality), and enough of them. Room for those tables and nice people to play with. That last part might actually be harder then it seems especially if you do have some form of competition from other gaming area's.

Other things I do enjoy a lot. sorted in decendeng order of importance.

Not having anything that drives me away such as really unpleasant smells, loud bad music or annoying costumers who like to bother me while I am gaming or even worse like to pick up my models.

Having a way to communicate with the other players without using an open public facebook group. I want to be able to hide my gaming activities from future employees etc.

Decent prices especially for things like non GW hobby supplies. I don't like having to play big bucks for plasticard etc. I might be a minority buy I am one of those players who actually takes the effort to travel to an other store if they do have better and cheaper plastic card, brushes, glue or green-stuff equivalent available.

I don't want you to be overly friendly, I just want you to sell me the stuff I want to buy from and use your tables from time to time you without being being ignored or you being grumpy or rude. That is all I ask. We might become friends later on but you don't have to fake I find it really creepy and unpleasant when I notice shop owners faking it. I don't mind it if you are being nice in the same way as the grocery store employees are nice to customers just don't go all gw employee on me and never ever try the "Hi how is it going [comment on personal life here] have you tried this expensive but totally useless model it would fit your army perfectly" on me.

Having a decent range of things, but more importantly being able to supply deliver the stuff you have to order online on the day you promise it to be there.

Being able to use a toilet while gaming.

Decent quality snacks. I will pause the game to get some snacks in a nearby store if yours are not that good : P
( I realise that this might be a hard one to fix since you are planning to open a gaming store not an Italian restaurant )

Owner/manager personality/attitude. That alone can determine if I'll visit your store more than once.

For example, the local GW corporate store... yeah, the manager is a decent guy, but every time I walk in the door, I feel like I'm just a cash source. I've never played a game there, and only buy there when I've exhausted my other local sources.

Meanwhile, further away from me is a store that I'm in 3-4 times a month. The shop's in an old Victorian house converted to business space. Play space in the back is a cinderblock add-on from the 70s. Even with a window mounted AC unit, the play area can get a touch stifling during summer when there's more than 3 people in the room. But the shop owner is one of the most inviting people I know. No entry fee for 'tournaments', and always some prize for the winner. If there's something he doesn't have in stock, he'll order it.

Few blocks from there is a new shop. Nicely organized. Open floor space with product along the walls and a couple shelving units scattered around. Big, clean play space. Only been there once, no intention of going back - the owner just rubbed me the wrong way.

Some otherwise great shops don't get my business because the staff don't say a word to you until you're at the register. Other places that trigger my not-really-claustrophobia I'll visit frequently because the staff are helpful and pleasant to talk with.

Basically, don't treat your customers like customers, but rather like fellow hobbyists.

Being able to browse and purchase things without the staff trying to force every unit and accessory available to mankind on you.
My FLGS is annoying to visit due to this.

Hey guys. Thanks for all that great input.

I appreciate it, and am writing down as many notes as I can.

#1 The owner and staff
#2 The people who go there

My vote goes towards sufficient space to have gaming tables.

Many stores barely have room for one table.

 Carlson793 wrote:

Basically, don't treat your customers like customers, but rather like fellow hobbyists.

Lol this might be the very thing to scare me away. I want to be a treated as customer. I want you to be the expert of the stuff you sell being able to tell me how to use what brush cleaner with what brushes when I ask for it and selling me the best modelling putty for the job instead of suggesting me to try GW liquid greenstuff. But I don't want you to act like we know each other for years from the moment that I step into your store.

Building a community is really important, then you can have pretty consistent customers. Good hobby/gaming space is also important. If someone's not coming to your store to buy anything they're painting or gaming. Make sure all 3 of these are enjoyable for your guests, and like someone else said, sufficient table space.

The business part is very important too, keeping stocked, being a good store owner, etc.

Good luck man

I think the owner (or at least the staff working there) is most important. The GW I went to used to have a really bad manager filling in for the normal guy when he was sick and every time I saw him I considered leaving.

It surprises me how much stock I put into a quality table and mat. It was a big deciding factor between two stores I frequent. One has nicely built wood tables with a lip so models don't get knocked off the table easily and not only FAT mats but the hard plastic junk some people seem to like, and a Zone Mortalis board. The other store has folding tables and plywood 2x2 squares to put on top of two of them...

But, the people are what made me stay and what really gets me going with the hobbies. It's because of the people that I've now started Infinity, Magic and Star Wars alongside my 40k. No matter how nice the tables are, they just make me try the place. The people make me stay.

I don't want any unasked advise on things. I'm over 30 and it shows, you should know that I am probably a veteran of this hobby. Pls don't give any unasked advise on dry brushing army building, transporting my army or other basic stuff until I ask for it. I will kindly nod during your useless monologue but I will not enjoy it and try to avoid the situation in the future.

I voted for lighting and for social nights, but one thing missing was "Good employees". That will ALWAYS be the make or break for me. A game store here in my state has a great building, great location, PACKED shelves and is rarely ever CLOSE to being out of product...good lighting, plenty of play space, snacks and beverages (Also right next door to a Subway and lets outside food in on busy nights)...but the Staff

SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS

They are some of the most UNAPPROACHABLE people. They lack any real social skills. They ring you up and try to scuttle back to their corner. You can't strike up a conversation with them whatsoever, even if you just wanna lighten up the check out process. They barely make eye contact and barely acknowledge anyone who enters the store unless they happen to be a friend of theirs.

It makes purchasing there VERY difficult for me. They have the stuff I want, so I tend to buy IF I'm in town or I'm already there (My Smash 4 TO's host tournaments there, so I often graze their shelves since I'm already there) but I won't really go there to play tabletop or go out of my way to make a special trip. I'd rather go to the other store that's LESS stocked, has no snacks, no play space, but has a stellar group of people working (Which is WHY they are less stocked...people LIKE to buy from them and they can't keep stuff on the shelf).

Ow and one thing I would LOVE your store if you also had a decent Laser cutter service for wood and 3mm acrylics: P.
I might even just come in to cutt and buy some 40k if the rest of your store sucked. Just being able to cutt stuff for a decent price without having to pay and wait for transport is worth a lot for me.

Then again I might be the minority in this, and it does take up additional room that could probably be used more economical. But It would be gamer heaven if you managed to fit it in your perfect store.

Melevolence wrote:
I voted for lighting and for social nights, but one thing missing was "Good employees".

Thanks. I've added that to the list of traits.
That seems to be a major reoccurring theme.

IMHO humble is also a critical trait. I've seen far to many employees act like they were gods and I was going them a favor by buying from them.

#1 Parking. fething parking.

Don't put your fething store in a fething location with no fething parking.

I will drive to the store, yell obscenities in my car, then drive home and order on line. You'll never know I was there and that you lost my business.


#2 Owner and staff. Friendly, but not pushy on sales. The hard sell is a major turn off.

#3 People. Friendly people that don't say the F-Word. fething donkey-caves.

 kronk wrote:
#1 Parking. fething parking.

Don't put your fething store in a fething location with no fething parking.

I will drive to the store, yell obscenities in my car, then drive home and order on line. You'll never know I was there and that you lost my business.


#2 Owner and staff. Friendly, but not pushy on sales. The hard sell is a major turn off.

#3 People. Friendly people that don't say the F-Word. fething donkey-caves.

Agreed on #1.

Agreed on #2.... my local shop, the manager will ask everyone who walks through the door how they are, and what brings them into the shop (not like a pushy kind of way, but honestly more of an open and inviting "I'm curious what brings you in so that I can better assist you" kind of things) He also regularly points out better deals for people, if they are thinking about particular kits. We had a guy a couple months ago asking about a carnosaur and why they weren't on the shelf... manager points out the getting started box, and explains that they are the same price. So, you're getting a bunch of free stuff for the cost of a carnosaur, plus the carnosaur


Agreed on #3... but which F-word? Feminazi? Fumigate? Fun? Forging the narrative?

I'll echo the community and good employees piece. I've been to my fair share of hobby/comic/game stores and snobby employees or a difficult community really makes or breaks you. My local GW has probably one of the nicest/best hobby communities I've ever encountered. Many of the community offered to run introduction games and are patient with you, even when you ask the same question 10 times. In one of my intro games, the guy I was playing did a "Hold the Line" narrative game with my orks and kept letting me reinforce/bring in reserves to simulate my endless horde even though I only had a few models. Really helpful and a load of fun.

On the flip side, I've been to stores that are really nasty to newcomers. My wife and I went into a comic shop to grab some comics for my nephew and when she went to ask the employee for the book, she didn't know the whole title and the employee very rudely corrected her (in that stereotypical comic book guy way) and then went and got it for her. Really soured me on going back.

Generally,
-friendly staff. Nothing turns me off a store more than people who either pressure me to buy stuff or absolutely insufferable gakheads

-tables. I go there to play, have fun with friends, and hang out. Not having tables will make me go elsewhere or play at home

-terrain. Not even super fancy stuff, but some terrain. Playing 40k on a barren field sucks.

-this is just a preference but if possible, A/C or doors you can open for a breeze. 10+ people all playing 40k in a backroom will get warm really quickly

 MrMattamus wrote:
My wife and I went into a comic shop to grab some comics for my nephew and when she went to ask the employee for the book, she didn't know the whole title and the employee very rudely corrected her (in that stereotypical comic book guy way) and then went and got it for her. Really soured me on going back.

Yep. There is no call for that attitude. You're job is to sell stuff and listen patiently to customers when they are obviously trying to buy something but aren't sure about something in our strange little world of geek-dom. Don't be a jerk.

My wife was looking for something for me for my birthday. The local GW employee was dismissive, the FLGS was helpful. Guess who gets our considerable gaming budget?

1- Once again, friendly and approachable staff (which is a must in any store wargaming or otherwise)
2- Regular Tournaments/ Leuges/ Hobby Nights/ Beginers Day etc. All of which would personnely entice me to visit one store over another.
3- Detailed gaming boards and painting stations are always nice though this will really depend on the size of the unit.
Good luck with your store!

Quality Gaming Tables: A very big must - if the table looks bad and I can do better at home, why would I visit?
Quality Terrain Pieces : A very big must - if the table looks bad and I can do better at home, why would I visit?
F.A.T. Mats: Useful if space is at a premium, but many people will have these at home. High quality, sculpted 3D tables that would make a model train enthusiast weep would draw more people
Snacks and Drinks: Eating area is nice, but not at the tables as crumbs and food on tables is horrid. In addition, people may be allergic to some foods and if people are leaving bits of nut etc on terrain pieces / greasy fingers from salted nuts - you'll likely get a medical emergency. Maybe drinks only and have flip-down drink holders attached to the tables (my FLGS has this)
Good lighting: Helpful - but feel free to also have some tables in a dimly lit area for those of us who are troll-like and enjoy mood lighting in space.
Music: Can be hit and miss. I'm really put off visiting some stores that have thrash metal and other loud, aggressive and completely mashed up music that's so fast paced it's like ADHD on acid.
Tournaments: Always good to have
Leagues: Always good to have
Social Nights: Even better if you have board gamers night and Magic the Gathering Night as separate nights
Painting Stations: Meh, I paint at home but some people are into this so why not?
Pricing: Either RRP of offer a discount. Most common I've seen range between 10% and 25% depending on line and store.
Professional Appearance: Helps and so is always good to have
Well Stocked: Goes without saying. Many purchases are 'add-ons' and impulse buys. If you don't see it, you can't go 'Ooo that's pretty sweet, I'll be naughty and buy it'
Painting Classes: Maybe, but again most people tend to do it at home and learn themselves through trying stuff out.
Friendly, helpful, humble employees:

several things to consider before opening your store, is there a need for it? is there competition in your town? too many people open gaming stores just to have them close down shortly after, not because the store did anything wrong, but because a bulk of people buy their product online and only use stores mostly for gaming, if you do go into gaming a big need is Magic: the Gathering it draws in crowds who actually spend money in the store. owning a gaming store is not a money maker and if you break even you are doing good.

For what my opinion is worth I'll try to relate the pros and cons of the 3 stores that I have/are going to. The poll really doesn't do you any good since being a great store owner is more complex than a poll can relate. As someone else said local gaming attitude is important as well. Store 1 and 3 has a very poor attitude gaming crowd, store 2 has the best attitude but power gaming/WAAC is frowned on heavily. I'll try to be as objective as possible, but thinking about store 1 really makes me angry.

Store 1 (don't go there anymore EVER!)

Pros

-Large gaming and hobby space
-Kept gaming and hobby spaces clean ....actively had customer who used it clean their stuff up. (soda/food/etc)
-Plenty of product (maybe not everything but real solid selection)


Cons

-Loud annoying heavy/death/alternative metal types of music playing really loudly.
-Product space was in poor condition all the time. Store owner was really bad at putting product on the shelves, Shipping boxes always littered the store and counter area, 3 times I asked about ordering something each time he had to dumpster dive into boxes to find it.
-poor weekend hours Monday - Saturday open from 1pm to 9 pm....assuming he showed up on time, he was in many cases an hour or more late. Friday and Saturday he could easily double sales if he stayed open instead we got "I need to go out with my friends and have a few beers".... and no city ordinance wasn't preventing him from being opened late.
-Had a poor attitude towards customers, condescending and treacherous personality if he didn't like you.
-No upfront prices and never gave itemized receipts....after a while several of us noticed things were not kosher, his claim was always 'simple mistake' after awhile that excuse wore out. I started calculating my purchases before hand and corrected him constantly. This lead to me leaving permanently, I felt he was trying to squeeze extra money from me.
-Wanted upfront money for pre-orders and lost tract of said orders...several people basically had their money stolen.
-Tried to make you feel guilty for his poor sales, and never saw the causality effect of his poor customer service.


Store 2

Cons

-no open game or hobby space

Pros

-Friendly service, generally makes you feel comfortable at store, doesn't hound you or act like a weirdo or overly friendly.
-Also a very pleasant person to get to know.
-Hosts bi-monthly gatherings at local library for friendly gaming and painting demos.
-Plenty of product (not everything but enough and will order anything you want)
-Ordered product comes in on time with no issues and no upfront money needed.
-Old product is placed on sale if its not selling, sometimes you can get great deals. he has a great attitude about it too 'I can't predict what will be hot for my customers, so instead of it laying around here collecting dust for full price, I make up my cost and reinvest in the next thing GW offers'

Store 3

Pros

-Very large gaming area, large hobby room and 2 dedicated rooms for role playing.
-Members fee is optional but gets you benefits which includes 20% discount and a key to the gaming area for 24-7 gaming access.
-Hosts tournaments and other social events like Halloween party etc. for members
-Friendly service, generally makes you feel comfortable at store, doesn't hound you or act like a weirdo or overly friendly
-Plenty of product (not everything but enough and will order anything you want)

-Cons (most of these are the local gamer attitude rather than the store)

-Hobby and gaming space is at many times a disaster, many customers leave soda bottles and fast food bags laying around. Terrain is damaged or destroyed buy careless customers.
-Large TV in gaming area tends to be a loud distraction (video games and movies...basically customers who don't give a feth about disturbing others) I don't care if they watch movies or play games just keep the volume at a reasonable level.
-Owners tend to be flakey on rules of the store/gaming area...they don't want to offend customers but really customers who clutter up the place, curse and swear, and generally feel they don't give a feth ruin the over all atmosphere. I basically can't bring my kids here, a lot of inappropriate talk in public areas.
-Tournaments are held at very poor times...starting at noon to accommodate 2 people (out of 12-16) is not helping the community when the majority want to start earlier. i.e. caves in to a small portion when the majority consensus wants something different.

I tend to buy from my FLGS because I play there. The tables and terrain are not particularly good, but the club is cool (because of the members and the general attitude).
In short I would say fostering a good group of regular players that host events from time to time would be an important consideration.

If not for the club I would buy based on location, convenience and price.

Asterios wrote:
several things to consider before opening your store, is there a need for it? is there competition in your town? too many people open gaming stores just to have them close down shortly after, not because the store did anything wrong, but because a bulk of people buy their product online and only use stores mostly for gaming, if you do go into gaming a big need is Magic: the Gathering it draws in crowds who actually spend money in the store. owning a gaming store is not a money maker and if you break even you are doing good.

Those are great points! I've put a lot of thought into them, and addressed in a business plan.
I'm not rushing into this venture. My goal is to launch before the holidays and make sure I measure thrice and cut once.
All this great input is helping me to properly build a plan to address the need/wants of customers.

Community>Gaming area quality>Stock. These are the big 3 for me.

I'll go ahead and throw this out there as my number one priority:

The store must make business sense, and operate in a manner which allows it to continue to exist.

I think any gamer can tell you of a half dozen stores they've seen open and shut down. In many cases these are stores opened by geeky gamers with zero business sense. You'll quickly see the store become dirty, profits drop and it becomes a creepy hidey hole for fellas who don't bathe and want you to know it.

Next thing you know, it folds.

Another consideration: hold customers accountable. If you have store rules, policies (bathe, pick up after yourself, no cursing etc.) - enforce them politely and strictly. Maintain control of the store atmosphere ---- without being a dill weed.

Quality table space is excellent, and the more modular the better. 3D sculpted beautiful tables are neat, but unless you're supporting yourself with 75% GW product etc. don't narrow your tables too much.

Definitely consider some kind of little rewards program or card, or raffle entry for purchases, blah blah blah. Some kind of minor incentive to purchase at the store.

I'd suggest allowing outside food with a stipulation that people clean up after themselves. In addition to this a simple way to get some additional income is candy bars and cans of soda (buy for cheap in bulk, charge a $1 a piece, yada yada).

A quality white board or peg-board for people to place adverts for gaming groups, campaigns etc. A little simple way of leaving messages for others - posting up flyers or announcements for events/tournaments etc.

Consistent clean signage - make sure it's accurate and timely. It's not encouraging when I find a new gamestore and they have a sun-faded five year old advert in the front window for an old game system.

When you're first open, find a way to bring in customer feedback - suggestion box, a list where people scribble down what they'd like to purchase - lines they're interested in. Have a sign up "Looking for something we don't stock? Ask us!" etc.

Good luck, it's a tough business. Just remember, a clean, inviting store is huge. Hole-in-the-walls may be neat for stumbling on some 1980's nostalgia stuff, but for a modern business....clean, well-lit, inviting.