Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

In another thread, in another section, Kalamadea said something interesting:

... I actually think the idea of a locally crowdscourced store could be really cool. Something like a publicly owned corporation, but on a much smaller and much more local scale, where the shareholders are the regulars and everyone is essentially small investment partners. Like a local games club but turned all the way up to 11 to be an actual store.

I've always admired the club based model that many UK based gamers operate out of. They often rent premises (or temporary halls for events) and then buy directly from manufacturers (or online retailers). The discount this approach can generate (if it only comes from less cash intensive game and miniature choices) makes for the source of funds to pay the rent, buy terrain materials, administrate things, etc.,.

Locally I've been sort of pushing for that model, but one thing that keeps me from really going after it is that there is a particularly brilliant local gaming store. A buddy of mine works there, I've known the owners for a while and pretty much every horror story related to local stores has reminded me how good I have it.

But what if this all could be married? What if there could be some sort of gamer's co-op. What's a cooperative?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative - A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons who voluntarily cooperate for their mutual social, economic, and cultural benefit. Cooperatives include non-profit community organizations and businesses that are owned and managed by the people who use its services (a consumer cooperative) and/or by the people who work there (a worker cooperative).

So I'm thinking a consumer/worker cooperative that:

- Stocks products for retail sale
- Provides gaming space for both public and member events.
- Forms a buying group to lower the cost for members through the return of profits to members through discounts/credit.
- Organizes leagues, tournaments and official organized play events for products that have them.
- Provide some employment for interested members

What would you do if something like these opened up in your area? Or you heard about something like that happening. A local gaming club deciding to open a retail outlet on a coop basis? Would you get involved?

The Cooperative model works well here in Canada. I've encountered small local coops as well as national ones (Like Mec.ca and the Co-Op brand grocery stores and gas stations). I wonder if it has merit for hobby gaming.

If I were to start such a project, I think I'd start it out as a more unified gaming club and then get people onto the idea of forming a buying group. Though perhaps it'd be better just to go for the end goal of a co-op from day 1.


.

I've given this some more thought and the more I think about it, the retail aspect seems like it could really weigh the whole operation down. While it would certainly be cool to get a trade discount and pass the savings on the members as much as possible, I think it might be more efficient just to organize group buys with online discounters or negotiate volume discount with a local store.

I think I'm going to start with a simple website, a facebook group and start having a gaming day/tournament in a rented room every month or two. I think the first two or three I'll have a entrance fee and then figure out a membership rate to allow members to not have to pay at the door at all the events.

I've looked into renting some of the multi-purpose rooms at various apartment and condo developments and it looks like I can get this off the ground with 6 attendees for a Saturday 9 am to midnight game day.

I think I may also be able to negotiate some sort of discount on gift certificates for the local stores and have some door prize raffels.

After the membership thing is sorted, we can talk about group buys from online retailers to maximize savings and minimize shipping and customs charges. Or maybe group buys from the local retailers.

One thing I won't due is be a discount club where you join once and then get X percent off at a local store. That's been tried here before and people join for the discount and never come for events. And I'm far more likely to be able to negotiate a discount if I come in with a confirmed $1000 group order than with the promise of potential sales to members.

While I do have a really good local store (three actually), the city is mired in inter-store politics. There are some who won't game or visit a given store because of some perceived or rumoured slight that may or may not have ever happened. Tournament organizers of Warmachine/Hordes, for example, find it hard to get cross pollination going on between the three stores that carry those products.

If I can get them all meeting and gaming at neutral ground, then would could start having a lot more gaming going on. And if I can get all three stores in on a discount gift certificate door prize thing, maybe I can help the community be less factious. Somehow I think someone would put aside the story they heard about what some store employee did ten years ago if it means free stuff.

Good question.

The store owners may or may not consider us a faction as part of this project is divorcing gaming from the commercial interests of any one store.

I'm perfectly fine with being part of a fourth faction who is expressly about non-participation in inter-store political BS.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
So it looks like this is a go. We have our first planning meeting today and are going to be booking a multi-purpose room at one of the people's apartment buildings for our first club day. I'll probably start posting more info about when and where at different places on the net after the details get worked out.

We also have our first group order planned as well. Everyone has agreed to pledge the difference between full retail and what we pay towards terrain building and renting the multipurpose room. Whether that's negotiated with a local store or if we end up going online will be decided in the next week or so.