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 JohnHwangDD wrote:

 Grot 6 wrote:
At the end of the day, AIDCC: Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction, Close.

You're making it too complicated. AIDA...
A - Attention
I - Interest
D - Decision
A - Action

Required watch if you want to sell. We used to know this movie by heart. New school sales think this one is outdated.... I disagree, and can't quote Baldwin enough. Great find, BTW.

And- Yes, be careful with GW. You start making a name for yourself, get a good run, and they will magically, delicious, come in and open one of their gak stores nearby, selling by name only...

That's why you need to branch out, cultivate YOUR business model, and sell the games that sell, while at the same time cultivating interest in your product/ business. Once again, You are running a business, not your personal man-cave. (Which, by the way is how a lot of player/ game store owners run their store.)

Odd ball Hours, Inconsistence, and sloth.... Three wisemen of failure.

It's old but the fundamental lesson is still true.

Maybe something to think about is charging to use tables. Heck I have to pay by the game for using a pool table. Why not just charge $5/hr to use a 40k table. 20 bucks for a game (which can be 10/person) seems pretty reasonable for a evening of fun. Lord knows my bar tabs make $20 seem pretty trivial.

AtomAnt wrote:
Maybe something to think about is charging to use tables. Heck I have to pay by the game for using a pool table. Why not just charge $5/hr to use a 40k table. 20 bucks for a game (which can be 10/person) seems pretty reasonable for a evening of fun. Lord knows my bar tabs make $20 seem pretty trivial.

Something just seem off when you have to pay to use a table. I may as well play at home for free. Of course, I buy where I play. But to pay to play as well? Instant turn off. Then I feel since I am paying for a table, I can go else where and buy the stuff cheaper else where then.

Give me a reason to come to your store. Don't give me a reason to shop else where.

Several things I feel are important.
Good lighting. Even if it is bright out, turn the lights on. A dark store seems cleaner.
Never put product on the floor. Never EVER!!!!!!!! why? Because it agains seems dirty. Unless it is discount, people seem to not care about that.
Dont guilt trip your customers, they should shop near you because they want to, not because you are yelling " I need to feed mah babies"
Have an "Adult gaming night" im 24 and I hate going into a store full of kids. I get they spend money. But once or twice a month, having an open play where adults can be adults, drink(not to heavily) and maybe curse, its fun. an arcade/bowling alley near us just did that, no one under 18 allowed pass 9, midnight 21 and olders can only stay

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Several things I feel are important.
Good lighting. Even if it is bright out, turn the lights on. A dark store seems cleaner.

Huh?

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

But once or twice a month, having an open play where adults can be adults, drink(not to heavily) and maybe curse, its fun. an arcade/bowling alley near us just did that, no one under 18 allowed pass 9, midnight 21 and olders can only stay

Not a bad idea, except for the part about drinking - I'd NEVER EVER let alcohol be a part of that - at all.

The F(ns)LGS I go to charges for tables - £3 per person for a day (which could be up to 8 hours, depending on the day of the week, but usually it's four or five for me). It also sells food - tea and coffee, toasties, panini, cakes, etc.

It works well enough to entice my friends and I to make the 45-minute drive to go there. No booze or swearing, though. I can get my fill of the latter at my local club anyway.

That bowling alley already had a liquor license, so doing the adult night isn't a big deal. Game store? If you're not going through kegs, don't bother.

OTOH, if you have a wargaming diner, with a beer license, and wanted to sell gaming stuff on the side, that could be a thing.

Or, if you had private BYOB parties by invitation only, with a registered guest list, that could also be a thing.

But selling alcohol, probably not a good thing.

The problem, ( At least here in the states) is that when you go in for an alcohol license, you go into ATF territory/ local statutes/ and State Liquor License.

Which in turn equate to increased Insurance, and overhead. Then you have to discuss liquor supply/ licensing agreements with a distributor.

Of course, you could just "Sell" beers out of a cooler, but then your going to be walking a fine line that could end up intersecting your bottom line with a lawyer retainer/ increased insurance/ and worries of more then just Business.

At that point- Its not worth it. Alternative is BYOB, and have adult swim games. "Under 18 over there, back room, adults." Depending on your local laws, Beer, Wine, and Liquor are differently covered and you have to get the specifics for your area.

I like the idea of the BBQ/ Beers once a month thing. You can charge a set fee per plate, maybe something for beers/ drinks/ snacks. The beer thing at that point would be team building event, and no charged for the beers, your charging for the plates. You get a couple of games in while the BBQ is going, and you can alternatively set up party and board games. It doesn't need to be said, but I'll say it anyway- Monitor your guests. Don't let them drive home drunk.
That's something to set up after you establish a community, though... Not a starter.

 Grot 6 wrote:
Of course, you could just "Sell" beers out of a cooler, but then your going to be walking a fine line that could end up intersecting your bottom line with a lawyer retainer/ increased insurance/ and worries of more then just Business.

I like the idea of the BBQ/ Beers once a month thing. You can charge a set fee per plate, maybe something for beers/ drinks/ snacks. The beer thing at that point would be team building event, and no charged for the beers, your charging for the plates. You get a couple of games in while the BBQ is going, and you can alternatively set up party and board games.

OMFG. "selling" beer out of a cooler? If anyone gets hurt and sues, you'll be fethed so hard. Not only are you likely to pay a fethton in damages and fees in the civil suit, you're very likely to go to jail from the criminal suit.

The BBQ party works because it's a private party (and be damn sure you have a registered guest list). But even then, providing alcohol is challenging. I think the only legally safe way to do that is to have it catered. Or BYOB.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
That bowling alley already had a liquor license, so doing the adult night isn't a big deal. Game store? If you're not going through kegs, don't bother.

Nope, it went into business planning on that. after 12;00, you aint allowed if you aint over 21.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Alpharius wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Several things I feel are important.
Good lighting. Even if it is bright out, turn the lights on. A dark store seems cleaner.

Huh?

Sorry, I mean
A dark store always looks dirtier.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

OMFG. "selling" beer out of a cooler? If anyone gets hurt and sues, you'll be fethed so hard. Not only are you likely to pay a fethton in damages and fees in the civil suit, you're very likely to go to jail from the criminal suit.

The BBQ party works because it's a private party (and be damn sure you have a registered guest list). But even then, providing alcohol is challenging. I think the only legally safe way to do that is to have it catered. Or BYOB.

Wow... it must me hard for a small business to handle the legal side of things in the USA?

Our Town Fests over here would probably be all shut down if our legal system had such a serious attitude towards alcohol.

The US still harbours a fairly... puritanical? ...attitude towards all intoxicants - even alcohol. 21yo to drink (and significant enforcement of that rule), you name it. Yeah. Alcohol is regulated much more strictly over there than it is this side of the Atlantic.


OTOH from what I've heard your idea of a town fest wouldn't exactly fly down here either, you Germans are off fairly far towards the other end of the scale.

 StygianBeach wrote:

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

OMFG. "selling" beer out of a cooler? If anyone gets hurt and sues, you'll be fethed so hard. Not only are you likely to pay a fethton in damages and fees in the civil suit, you're very likely to go to jail from the criminal suit.

The BBQ party works because it's a private party (and be damn sure you have a registered guest list). But even then, providing alcohol is challenging. I think the only legally safe way to do that is to have it catered. Or BYOB.

Wow... it must me hard for a small business to handle the legal side of things in the USA?

Our Town Fests over here would probably be all shut down if our legal system had such a serious attitude towards alcohol.

Sadly, yes . Though many of our tourneys/events have bars and often a waitress bartender to come around during rounds. Hotels usually learn after the first wargaming event that these gamers here, they will bring money into the hotel for food and booze (even though many players are bringing at least some of their own food and booze for party).

What's been said about the business side of the FLGS from various posters, is excellent, sound advice, so I have nothing to add to that.

I will, however, warn about the social side of the FLGS. Having been in various FLGS over the years, there are two types of customer you should be aware of.

1. The guy that never washes, who literally stinks the place up because his or her personal hygiene is so bad. Tempting as it is to keep a hose behind the counter, it's best to have a quiet word or drop a hint or two. And if nothing changes, ban them. It may seem harsh, but there is nothing worse than somebody stinking up your store - it is very off putting.

2. The leech. The leech or leeches are the kind of people who do ZERO for your store. They turn up, they sit there all day every day, and they contribute nothing. They don't buy anything, they pass judgement on everything, they insist on playing loud, gak music, and they literally suck the life out of a FLGS. They get into a clique and they create a frosty atmosphere.

If people start exhibiting these symptoms, turf them out.

Davor wrote:

AtomAnt wrote:
Maybe something to think about is charging to use tables. Heck I have to pay by the game for using a pool table. Why not just charge $5/hr to use a 40k table. 20 bucks for a game (which can be 10/person) seems pretty reasonable for a evening of fun. Lord knows my bar tabs make $20 seem pretty trivial.

Something just seem off when you have to pay to use a table. I may as well play at home for free. Of course, I buy where I play. But to pay to play as well? Instant turn off. Then I feel since I am paying for a table, I can go else where and buy the stuff cheaper else where then.

Give me a reason to come to your store. Don't give me a reason to shop else where.

I think it's a decent business model.

A local store charges a few bucks to use a table (less than Ant suggested) and I think it's fair. Sure you can play at home, but you're unlikely to have ONE table at home that is as large and looks as nice as any of the dozen or so the store has to choose from and your home is unlikely large enough to support an event with 5-10+ games running simultaneously.

It's probably going to put off little kids, but for most adults the cost of using a table is similar to a large coffee.

They also sell snacks, I don't know what the health and safety regulations are on food but I imagine if it's all prepackaged stuff it can't be too bad.

They do also have booze, but I believe it's limited to private events.

 Grot 6 wrote:
The problem, ( At least here in the states) is that when you go in for an alcohol license, you go into ATF territory/ local statutes/ and State Liquor License.

Which in turn equate to increased Insurance, and overhead. Then you have to discuss liquor supply/ licensing agreements with a distributor.

Selling booze in the store would also require the store to be absolutely a "nobody under 21 allowed" place in many areas, just from a socially/morally acceptable standpoint. Here in Texas, for example, once one parent gets a whiff that their little Johnny is playing in a store where people are also drinking beer, then you'll find yourself in front of the town council getting your liquor license revoked so fast your head will spin. After all, you're a game store, a place for kids, because grown ups don't play games, so how dare you corrupt our kids, won't someone think of the children?

Regardless of the licensing issues I don't necessarily think booze is a good idea for a games store. Even if you make sure you don't sell enough to get people wasted, tipsy people are soooo much more likely to break stuff, spill things, get stuff dirty and create problems. Whether it's the store owned stuff that you're going to have to spend money replacing/cleaning or things other customers own, it's bad either way.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Regardless of the licensing issues I don't necessarily think booze is a good idea for a games store. Even if you make sure you don't sell enough to get people wasted, tipsy people are soooo much more likely to break stuff, spill things, get stuff dirty and create problems. Whether it's the store owned stuff that you're going to have to spend money replacing/cleaning or things other customers own, it's bad either way.

Agreed and QFT. Hard enough to keep a game store running to even consider the idea, TBH. You are more served to work out how to be more inclusive, and generate more interest then to be indirectly divisive.

I feel I should add that it might be a good idea to consider selling comics and books (sci-fi and fantasy), in addition to the games, collectibles and so on. That's what the shops in Norway and Denmark commonly do, and they manage to stay afloat.

As a customer, I'll often walk in looking for a specific author, and then impulse buy game related products, like paint or stuff I don't need.

Stocking books is also a great way to draw people in, who wouldn't otherwise be interested in games, but who've taken an interest in fantasy literature, or are looking for suitable gifts.

dglad wrote:Here's my take on what it takes to run a successful FLGS:

1. Run it like a business.

2. Having a good and diverse selection of products.

3. Be a destination

So there you have it. Run it like a business, have a diverse selection of products you tailor (as much as you can) to demand, and be a destination around which a community of gamers can develop. Again, a TON of work, but really satisfying when it all comes together!

Yes. That. Absolutely. Exalted, Liked, etc etc. It's a business, make sure it actually is one.

Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:I will, however, warn about the social side of the FLGS. Having been in various FLGS over the years, there are two types of customer you should be aware of.

1. The guy that never washes

2. The leech.

If people start exhibiting these symptoms, turf them out.

Yep. It's also worth putting cheap deodorant in your toilet, or even selling it (!) if you have a particularly bad problem. As for the leech; a pay-to-use-the-table policy can dissuade 'em!

Zingraff wrote:I feel I should add that it might be a good idea to consider selling comics and books (sci-fi and fantasy), in addition to the games, collectibles and so on. That's what the shops in Norway and Denmark commonly do, and they manage to stay afloat.

Absolutely; diversify your stock whilst keeping it within a particular niche. Don't start selling, say, fishing gear - you're an FLGS. Sell geeky stuff, sell toys, sell games, sell figures, stuff that your customers will buy anyway - but now they'll buy from you.

Davor wrote:

AtomAnt wrote:
Maybe something to think about is charging to use tables. Heck I have to pay by the game for using a pool table. Why not just charge $5/hr to use a 40k table. 20 bucks for a game (which can be 10/person) seems pretty reasonable for a evening of fun. Lord knows my bar tabs make $20 seem pretty trivial.

Something just seem off when you have to pay to use a table. I may as well play at home for free. Of course, I buy where I play. But to pay to play as well? Instant turn off. Then I feel since I am paying for a table, I can go else where and buy the stuff cheaper else where then.

Give me a reason to come to your store. Don't give me a reason to shop else where.

Really really depends where you are. Suburban Virginia, yeah I'd think twice about paying for a table.

Manhattan? London? Hong Kong? You're probably living in a glorified closet or 2 hours outside the city. Totally fair to charge for space.

Davor wrote:

AtomAnt wrote:
Maybe something to think about is charging to use tables. Heck I have to pay by the game for using a pool table. Why not just charge $5/hr to use a 40k table. 20 bucks for a game (which can be 10/person) seems pretty reasonable for a evening of fun. Lord knows my bar tabs make $20 seem pretty trivial.

Something just seem off when you have to pay to use a table. I may as well play at home for free. Of course, I buy where I play. But to pay to play as well? Instant turn off. Then I feel since I am paying for a table, I can go else where and buy the stuff cheaper else where then.

Give me a reason to come to your store. Don't give me a reason to shop else where.

At home you might not have as good table and terrain though...Or ANY board.

Good luck fitting 6'x4' board at my home. No free space big enough for that. And my terrain isn't particularly stellar looking.

I would rather pay for actual usage than pay tax for supporting FLGS which might or might not actually offer something worth visiting. If it's just miniatures why would I pay more than elsewhere? I get same service from both stores.

tneva82 wrote:

Davor wrote:

AtomAnt wrote:
Maybe something to think about is charging to use tables. Heck I have to pay by the game for using a pool table. Why not just charge $5/hr to use a 40k table. 20 bucks for a game (which can be 10/person) seems pretty reasonable for a evening of fun. Lord knows my bar tabs make $20 seem pretty trivial.

Something just seem off when you have to pay to use a table. I may as well play at home for free. Of course, I buy where I play. But to pay to play as well? Instant turn off. Then I feel since I am paying for a table, I can go else where and buy the stuff cheaper else where then.

Give me a reason to come to your store. Don't give me a reason to shop else where.

At home you might not have as good table and terrain though...Or ANY board.

Good luck fitting 6'x4' board at my home. No free space big enough for that. And my terrain isn't particularly stellar looking.

I would rather pay for actual usage than pay tax for supporting FLGS which might or might not actually offer something worth visiting. If it's just miniatures why would I pay more than elsewhere? I get same service from both stores.

This is where games that use smaller tables shine. A 6x4 is hard to fit. A 4x4 is more manageable. A 3x3 can fit on a small dining table.

 -Loki- wrote:
This is where games that use smaller tables shine. A 6x4 is hard to fit. A 4x4 is more manageable. A 3x3 can fit on a small dining table.

Why you think legends of old west is my current favourite?-)

But that's why I wouldn't mind paying for playing room. It offers me something I DON'T have. It's new service that's actually worth paying for.

But simply having game store with miniatures available...Eeeh. That ain't worth paying. I would be paying more for the benefit of having to deliberately go long way off rather than order them via internet with no quarantee they have more in stock than online store(even worse find out stock level by going there and then have to wait for store to get ANYWAY) and quite possibly worse selection(good luck finding store with vallejo air here...).

So in short: FLGS's provide worse service in terms of buying miniatures than online stores yet demand more price. Something ain't making sense here...

Now have good playing area and I'll pay from that no problemo. Have in stuff that's not too expensive for impulse purchaces or what are more likely to be more pressing in terms of needs(especially paints) and I'll also be bringing in buying items from there.

But expecting me to buy 150€ items without offering anything beyond shop ain't going to fly. That's worse service than online stores for higher price. Basic marketing tells that ain't going to fly well.

All this stuff keeps reinforcing to me why in the USA I think people need to go back to gaming clubs that meet in rented facilities (church halls or lodges or the like) and move away from shops. No more having to feel like a heel because you don't buy everything from the shop, no getting dirty looks if you want to play something the shop doesn't/can't/won't stock, no being told there's no room to play because there's some MtG pre-release going on and there's a hundred folks there tonight, no having to set up specific days to reserve space at limited tables. A gaming club broadens one's horizons because there's always that chance someone will be interested in something new or buy it, and then they can bring it to the club to share with everyone else.

It's just a shame that US gamers are so ingrained in the idea that you go to a game shop, you buy from the game shop, you play at the game shop. A game club becomes much more like a social private event. I've seen way too often people at a game shop get very territorial and extremely clique-ish. Mention another game store? You get dirty looks as though you're trying to "steal" business. Order online because the store has very little stock and takes weeks to order anything? You're a donkey-cave for not supporting the store. Want to play a game that the store doesn't have with your buddies? Can't have that, they don't sell it the store can't profit from it. Want a game on Friday? Sucks to be you, Friday Night Magic the place will be booked solid.

In a club nobody will complain if you order stuff off eBay or from discounters. Nobody will give you dirty looks if you want to inquire about people interested in some "fringe" game that isn't widely known, in fact chances are someone else there might be interested in it too. Hell, it can even be like a combination game day and like a tailgate party; everyone brings some sort of snack food (and then it can turn into almost a potluck), everyone has fun. I have dreams about this kind of thing sometimes, and they are beautiful, I regret I'm not wealthy enough to have a big house with dedicated space or I swear I would have a large game room with several tables available and then a "lounge" room with comfy chairs and couches and bookcases with magazine subscriptions and relevant novels on hand for club members (e.g. for 40k there'd be a club subscription to White Dwarf always available, or Black Library novels or even Codexes. For historical gaming there would period books and the like).

WayneTheGame wrote:

Spoiler:

All this stuff keeps reinforcing to me why in the USA I think people need to go back to gaming clubs that meet in rented facilities (church halls or lodges or the like) and move away from shops. No more having to feel like a heel because you don't buy everything from the shop, no getting dirty looks if you want to play something the shop doesn't/can't/won't stock, no being told there's no room to play because there's some MtG pre-release going on and there's a hundred folks there tonight, no having to set up specific days to reserve space at limited tables. A gaming club broadens one's horizons because there's always that chance someone will be interested in something new or buy it, and then they can bring it to the club to share with everyone else.

It's just a shame that US gamers are so ingrained in the idea that you go to a game shop, you buy from the game shop, you play at the game shop. A game club becomes much more like a social private event. I've seen way too often people at a game shop get very territorial and extremely clique-ish. Mention another game store? You get dirty looks as though you're trying to "steal" business. Order online because the store has very little stock and takes weeks to order anything? You're a donkey-cave for not supporting the store. Want to play a game that the store doesn't have with your buddies? Can't have that, they don't sell it the store can't profit from it. Want a game on Friday? Sucks to be you, Friday Night Magic the place will be booked solid.

In a club nobody will complain if you order stuff off eBay or from discounters. Nobody will give you dirty looks if you want to inquire about people interested in some "fringe" game that isn't widely known, in fact chances are someone else there might be interested in it too. Hell, it can even be like a combination game day and like a tailgate party; everyone brings some sort of snack food (and then it can turn into almost a potluck), everyone has fun. I have dreams about this kind of thing sometimes, and they are beautiful, I regret I'm not wealthy enough to have a big house with dedicated space or I swear I would have a large game room with several tables available and then a "lounge" room with comfy chairs and couches and bookcases with magazine subscriptions and relevant novels on hand for club members (e.g. for 40k there'd be a club subscription to White Dwarf always available, or Black Library novels or even Codexes. For historical gaming there would period books and the like).

That's why I like stores that just charge a few bucks for using the tables. No dirty looks or feeling guilty for playing with models I didn't buy in the store because the tables themselves are a service I'm renting.

The idea of having to buy from a store to feel welcome enough to play there is rather unappealing, I often go months or even years without buying any models, am I going to be made to feel unwelcome because my last purchase was 6 months ago?

I've also never really been a huge clubber, I prefer just having a group of gaming friends and organising gaming days off the cuff rather than trying to organise an event big enough to rent a whole hall.

So a store that charges a small fee for their tables is perfect for me.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

WayneTheGame wrote:

Spoiler:

All this stuff keeps reinforcing to me why in the USA I think people need to go back to gaming clubs that meet in rented facilities (church halls or lodges or the like) and move away from shops. No more having to feel like a heel because you don't buy everything from the shop, no getting dirty looks if you want to play something the shop doesn't/can't/won't stock, no being told there's no room to play because there's some MtG pre-release going on and there's a hundred folks there tonight, no having to set up specific days to reserve space at limited tables. A gaming club broadens one's horizons because there's always that chance someone will be interested in something new or buy it, and then they can bring it to the club to share with everyone else.

It's just a shame that US gamers are so ingrained in the idea that you go to a game shop, you buy from the game shop, you play at the game shop. A game club becomes much more like a social private event. I've seen way too often people at a game shop get very territorial and extremely clique-ish. Mention another game store? You get dirty looks as though you're trying to "steal" business. Order online because the store has very little stock and takes weeks to order anything? You're a donkey-cave for not supporting the store. Want to play a game that the store doesn't have with your buddies? Can't have that, they don't sell it the store can't profit from it. Want a game on Friday? Sucks to be you, Friday Night Magic the place will be booked solid.

In a club nobody will complain if you order stuff off eBay or from discounters. Nobody will give you dirty looks if you want to inquire about people interested in some "fringe" game that isn't widely known, in fact chances are someone else there might be interested in it too. Hell, it can even be like a combination game day and like a tailgate party; everyone brings some sort of snack food (and then it can turn into almost a potluck), everyone has fun. I have dreams about this kind of thing sometimes, and they are beautiful, I regret I'm not wealthy enough to have a big house with dedicated space or I swear I would have a large game room with several tables available and then a "lounge" room with comfy chairs and couches and bookcases with magazine subscriptions and relevant novels on hand for club members (e.g. for 40k there'd be a club subscription to White Dwarf always available, or Black Library novels or even Codexes. For historical gaming there would period books and the like).

That's why I like stores that just charge a few bucks for using the tables. No dirty looks or feeling guilty for playing with models I didn't buy in the store because the tables themselves are a service I'm renting.

The idea of having to buy from a store to feel welcome enough to play there is rather unappealing, I often go months or even years without buying any models, am I going to be made to feel unwelcome because my last purchase was 6 months ago?

I've also never really been a huge clubber, I prefer just having a group of gaming friends and organising gaming days off the cuff rather than trying to organise an event big enough to rent a whole hall.

So a store that charges a small fee for their tables is perfect for me.

I wouldn't mind that if there was like a "game store" that had a lot (and i do mean a LOT) of table space, then it basically fills the role of the gaming club anyways where you're renting the space. Too often though I see stores with not a lot of room, so it's cramped at best. Of course part of that is also rent factors and the like; I recall a game store near me that moved to a very large space, but then put like geeky clothing and those bobblehead-looking toys that you see (the ones that have all sorts of different characters from different movies and shows) such in about half of it, so it still felt cramped even though they had a good number of tables, and it didn't work out so they closed shop a few months later. But it was a good idea at the time, to have a lot of space for gaming and they even had like a small area with soft chairs where you could sit and read. That's the sort of thing I think more shops need to move to, but the issue is how you make money again. You'd have to focus IMHO on your card games and such, and charge for tables (maybe offer a discount to "clubs" or the like who do it often?) but that way you don't throw people out when you have your Magic events because ideally you have enough room to accommodate both.

The problem I see is that too many game stores focus on how to get sales, when they know they can't really compete with online anyways (although there are exceptions. Like one store by me has a 20% discount on everything, including Warmachine stuff so they can offer a better discount now than online since PP curbed that, and that works for them as I buy/order Warmachine stuff from them), but they still try to sell product instead of offer space, if that makes sense. I still do feel there are a lot of clique-like mentalities though in shops, even if not from the shop themselves but from the patrons who seem to consider it a gang/turf thing and resent "others" from showing up especially from like other game stores or showing up to try and advertise a different game than the store's "pet" game. That's a people problem, but it's one I see a lot and I think that only exists in an environment when you feel like you're a customer and not a member, if that makes sense. Like I can't imagine that happening in a game club (someone showing up with a new game and basically being told to feth off nobody wants to play that gak here) but I've seen it happen (not quite as rude) in a game store environment.

Yeah I think a store renting tables is a completely different business model. The stores I've seen do it manage it because they are in low rent locations which allow them to have a large space with a lot of tables and they help spread the word by offering the space to clubs, while also renting individual tables if there's just a couple of people who want to play a game.

But it sort of goes against the common thought of trying to get in a prime location, rather you have to accept what is likely a less favourable location and bring the gamers to you.

One local store seemed to be doing it successfully for a while but shut down I THINK because the landlord significantly raised the rent when the lease came up for renewal and the store could no longer remain profitable. Another was in the US and it was out of the way, down a back road off a major highway, and they had a huge amount of space for all sorts of things including model train displays, scalextric tracks and RC car tracks. But they had heaps of people coming through (though i think a large portion were there for the RC cars).

I actually used to like playing at GW stores when they had 3 or 4 guys running it because I could buy the models elsewhere and play in the GW store, these days with it being a 1 man store I feel a bit guilty doing that (though the manager is a pretty cool guy and is typically happy to let you play with stuff you got elsewhere and encourages FW even though he makes no money off it himself).

Or you could sell food and drinks on the side. The people who use the tables for gaming, might feel better about it, if they buy their coffee from you, while they're there.

My local board games club meets in a coffee shop down town, and while we're there, most of us buy coffee, pastries and so on.