"My FLGS's are imploding... I.E. change is bad..." Topic

I am in a semi panic as it seems all my FLGS's are having drama issues.

Four months ago, one of my FLGS's changed hands. The "new" owner was one of the managers who made a good offer to the old owners so that they could retire. Good for them. The new owner did a redesign of the store and is focusing mainly on card games and got rid of all his miniature games, except GW and Warmachine. He also got rid of the 10% discount for recurring customers. Sad.

Nearby is a GW Warhammer store. It seems to change managers every time I go there. I honestly hate the place because every time I am there they do not have the item I want and have me use their stupid oversized tablet to place a delivery order to the store. Not the storeowner placing the order for me. I have to place the order. And I can never remember my password, so I usually say F-it and leave and go somewhere else or order it from home.

Two months ago, there was some kinda blow up at another older FLGS/comic store where the two managers and the owner had a disagreement of some kind. The owner wants to move the store across town and change the store to a boardgame cafe, start a subscription fee which gives you a store discount that is less than you get now, and reduce some of the footprint of certain items. Basically, "I need to cut things to actually make money, because I am not making money" speech.

The two managers quit and took their playthings (painted miniatures, terrain, etc…) and are now opening their own gamestores (plural!!) within 7 miles of each other!

One is already up and running, I think the manager was slowly building this one up on the side as a gaming club. From what I know of this guy, he will over invest in small games and kill himself in unsold stock.

I am not sure what is happening with the second one, but he is opening closer to the GW store and in a town that already has two other comic book stores (instead of joining forces with them).

So in the next couple of months there is going to be a saturation of new gamestores in my area. And to me this sucks because they are going to eat up the community, not have any good stock because they are new, and die out in quick succession.

That trend is not a local phenomenon, I'm afraid.

Then again, after a few failed attempts to order figures through a store, we end up bypassing them altogether and doing everything online.

That just gives the new uninformed business owners the false idea that no one games with non-GW figures.

Dan

You have local game stores???

My town of 250,000 has 4 game stores and a good to honest hobby shop with airfix kits, model trains, etc. Somehow they all survive, though I wonder how.

I just hate the influx of GW/Warmachine/Magic only stores.

These stores that are really club houses for their friends and they wonder how they do not make money because they sell the same stuff everyone else does and that people have already bought and do not buy more.

Then other games are forgotten and frowned upon because "you did not buy it in their store" and the store will not support it because too much of their space has to be GW/Warmachine/Magic. So this pushes you to online stores and then the store owners complain no one buys at their store.

MA seems to go through this every 5 years or so. It is very Darwinian.

Sorry about your pain Haywire. Fortunately, my FLGS owner is a real class act and has run his business for over twenty years. He is welcoming to all provided of course that they are respectful of him and his store. The vast majority of gamers are WH40K and now 'Kill Team' players but there are some other games from time to time. He doesn't mind if you bring in a game that his shop doesn't sell. Having said that, I host games there most every other Friday and I try to only run games where you can order some of it through him if not the entire game. Occasionally I will host a game that he isn't able to order via his wholesaler and in those cases I am sure to make a decent purchase on those evenings. Tonight, I am hosting a Gladiator game using Habeet, Hoc Habet rules and mostly Foundry figures so that means I will be stocking up on paint, brushes, and glue this evening. Before I order anything online, I see if I can get it through him first and if I can, he gets my business even it that means I have to pay more. I feel it is very important to do everything I can to support my FLGS.

If you are ever in Jacksonville, North Carolina please stop in at Hobby Chest on Western Blvd and say 'hi' to Mr Dan. He runs a good shop.

I just hate the influx of GW/Warmachine/Magic only stores.

Hate is a little strong but that wouldn't be a store I would set foot in because that is not where my interest lies.

Then again, the owners are trying to make a living and will carry what they think they can sell, play, know about, or some combination thereof.

Can't fault a man for trying to make a profit.

"So in the next couple of months there is going to be a saturation of new gamestores in my area. And to me this sucks because they are going to eat up the community, not have any good stock because they are new, and die out in quick succession."

On the other hand there should be plenty of discounted stuff as they prepare to fold.

So, basically, you're complaining because you have five options ..?

I am complaining that my options are ONLY GW and Warmachine and MTG.

No Flames of War or Team Yankee
No Bolt Action
No Heavy Gear
No Infinity
No Malifaux
No X-Wing or Armada or Legion
No Guild Wars
etc…

Because new stores only stock the main three lines because that is all they can afford the risk. They will not bstock anything older or not a fad game.

And then they get mad at you for bringing in a game that they do not sell because you did not buy the miniatures from them. Even though more than likely any GW or PP miniature was more than likely bought somewhere else too.

Profit margins are think with brick and mortar stores, have to stock with what sells. Then they can take a gamble on other items or not…

Not to mention local sources for other historicals;getting scarcer than hen's teeth.

We were about to get a new store, but when it came to sign the lease, they noticed that the rent was double of what they had agreed upon with the landlord saying that he had increased it because they had been interviewed on local TV about their ambitious plans to cooperate with a local cafe and comics shop.

I just went to another GS that is about an hour drive from me. They got out of EVERYTHING!? They have Reaper and DnD miniatures and some SW Legion. That was it. They used to have FoW, Warmachine, GW, Mantic, some historicals… it was all gone. Just boardgames, puzzles, and RPG books. I was too shocked to even ask what happened.

That's what sells.

My town, if you count the suburbs has 600,000 or so. We have two game stores. I consider ourselves lucky to have them, even if they don't carry everything I would like to purchase.

I buy 98% of my hobby stuff online. However one store does stock some FOW and BA products. I just purchased a BA Soviet book there.

I don't want either store to start stocking a bunch of historical product because we can't buy enough to justify it. I want them to be fiscally sound so we don't lose them.

My old Game store was 10 minutes away. lots of figure games…. Mostly 40k and others but the owner sold out to a Card player who now runs Magic/Card games. They barely tolerate mini games and while they do sell cards and trendy board games and GW minis the figure gaamers really do not stop by any more because one would set up a table then the card players all come in and start moving them out or adjusting the tables saying they need and then get the "support" of the ownwer.

I now go to a place about 40 minutes North now. They play many games they have at least 10 tables in the back they encourage all types of gaming from Sci Fi, Fantasy to Historical. They play Card games they have tables in the front of the store for them. The Staff encourage all types of games weather you spent your money in their store to buy them or not. This kind of attitude has led others to strat spending their money at this store.

I also have another place that is 30 minutes south of me, while it is really a historical book store we play minis and x wing and some other games.

I feel bad for the first store i no longer go to they pretty much just wrote off anyone that was not a card player they sell but do not support the GW stuff so the new peple buy and get no help or a place to place……