Quote from: Evansheer;717494No stink.
No creepers.
No stinky creepers.

No lecturers behind the counter.

YES.

Be polite. Don't argue with customers about what they want*. Don't let the store turn into a hang-out for sneering misanthropes, known and notorious molesters, vocal bigots, obnoxious bellowing loud guys, threatening creepazoids, and barely-functional mutards who think the place is a Pop Culture Debate Society and won't just leave customers the fuck alone. FOR THE LOVE OF FUCKING CHRIST DON'T ALLOW SMOKING IN THE STORE regardless of your personal habits or the air will turn bluer than a 90's L.A. cigar club's and any paper product that's been on the shelf more than a day will be ruined.

I would gladly spend time and money at games/comics stores if any more than a handful could meet the above meager criteria. I have very fond memories of stores from my youth but now all of the ones in driving distance are total dumps (Admittedly I live near near a city where the "Geek" scene is particularly toxic). Part of the reason I now use Amazon to get game stuff is price and convenience, but a bigger part is just wanting to avoid belligerent freaks.

*I have never had that problem at any other type of business except comics or games stores.

Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;717769Part of the reason I now use Amazon to get game stuff is price and convenience, but a bigger part is just wanting to avoid belligerent freaks.

This.

There are six game stores in my city. I will only go into one of them because it is the only one in which I have not had a negative experience. I will bend over backwards to help those guys in any way I can because they and the other customers who frequent there are not douchebags to customers.

huh, lots of crossposting these days...

Anyhow, I've got mine...well, the castle idea up thread would be nice.

I'm not making any money and I've kept my day job but I'm focusing on selling games I like and simply not carrying those I don't.  That's better than any sermon on how crap the top three or four games are don't you think?

When people ask I just say there's four or five places in town where you can get that stuff but only one place in town where you can get what I'm carrying.

Why should I race out and get in the Magic price wars around here and clutter up my shop and tables with people I don't want in my shop?  I've games a lot and promoted gaming a lot and built a lot of scenery and painted a lot of miniatures and had a lot of fun.

So you can shove your board games and Magic up your tail pipe for all I care.

Quote from: David Johansen;717780huh, lots of crossposting these days...

Anyhow, I've got mine...well, the castle idea up thread would be nice.

I'm not making any money and I've kept my day job but I'm focusing on selling games I like and simply not carrying those I don't.  That's better than any sermon on how crap the top three or four games are don't you think?

When people ask I just say there's four or five places in town where you can get that stuff but only one place in town where you can get what I'm carrying.

Why should I race out and get in the Magic price wars around here and clutter up my shop and tables with people I don't want in my shop?  I've games a lot and promoted gaming a lot and built a lot of scenery and painted a lot of miniatures and had a lot of fun.

So you can shove your board games and Magic up your tail pipe for all I care.

Calm down, Bernard Black.

Quote from: jeff37923;717772There are six game stores in my city. I will only go into one of them because it is the only one in which I have not had a negative experience.

Surely you mean it's the only one you haven't been permanently barred from for shrieking at customers that they should be interpreting Greyhawk through Traveller?

I've helped manage one and was a couple days away from signing on the dotted line to open one of my own.

FME, you need knowledgeable staff who aren't going to be shitting on a product they don't like.  It's not about what they like they are there to sell product for you.  

Have a staff that plays at the store. (Not during their hours of work).  People see staff members who also play on their off time at the store, will remember that.

Keep miniature tables separate and distinct from roleplaying/CCG tables.  I would do 4 x 6 mini tables, 5-6ft circular rpg tables, and 30" x 60" CCG tables.

Keep the game room separate from the store, so you are able to lock the store and keep the game room open.

I would have your own store cards, that get scanned at every purchase.  That does a couple things, monitors a customer's purchases, and allows for 'discount days' or other specials for card owners.  There is more you can do with it as well, depending on various things.

Keep an active calendar.
Don't let any one group dominate a particular table.  I would have a sign-up sheet that only goes 1 month out that players/groups have to signup on(I would do it on a website only usable at the store)

Have leagues, for miniature, card, boardgames  where participation is more important than winning.  Down here in Florida watching a league fall apart because people lose one game and quit because the stores haven't figured out that it's not about the winning as it's about the playing, drives me friggin nuts.



Cool Stuff opened up a satellite store in my area this past June.  It's currently nothing more than a M:tG spot and discount retailer, that 25-30 percent off 3day turn around is nice, but they lack any other comforts.  First month in they were averaging 140 Magic players per tournament though.

1) There is a store owner who published a column on RPG.net. Find that column and read everything. Twice. Then contact the dude and ask him questions.  this guy is from my area, not well liked around here by most of the older gamers(never met him, that's just the gossip)

Quote from: The Traveller;717793Surely you mean it's the only one you haven't been permanently barred from for shrieking at customers that they should be interpreting Greyhawk through Traveller?

Don't disrupt the thread, Butthurt One.

Quote from: jeff37923;717808Don't disrupt the thread, Butthurt One.

Thanks for that, jeffie protocol. Also not, in fact, disrupting the thread, I'm genuinely curious as to whether or not you're underpants-on-head insane enough to behave the same way in real life that you've behaved around here.

Quote from: The Traveller;717816Thanks for that, jeffie protocol. Also not, in fact, disrupting the thread, I'm genuinely curious as to whether or not you're underpants-on-head insane enough to behave the same way in real life that you've behaved around here.

That is, in fact, Thread-disruption.  Watch your step.

I've never run into belligerent freaks or catpissman or whatnot in a game store. I guess I'm just lucky? A few overly passionate guys or some players of this or that game that keep to themselves looking suspiciously at anyone not part of the clique (like Magic players exchanging cards like it's crack), sure, I've seen that, could do without it, though I just ignore people like this.

One of the greatest stores I've had the chance to visit is Drexoll Games in Vancouver. Nice selection of products, very nice people behind the counter, a few tables to play games, a good ambiance . . . it's a great place. My idea of a game store I would go to regularly to play games and buy stuff if I could.

Quote from: Benoist;718603I've never run into belligerent freaks or catpissman or whatnot in a game store. I guess I'm just lucky? A few overly passionate guys or some players of this or that game that keep to themselves looking suspiciously at anyone not part of the clique (like Magic players exchanging cards like it's crack), sure, I've seen that, could do without it, though I just ignore people like this.

You might be lucky.

There's a regular in one of my local gamestores who likes to hover near the roleplaying gamebooks and watch what you're looking at, and then lecture you on why you should be playing gurps instead.

You can tell him to fuck the fuck off, but he'll just do the same bullshit to you next time you come in. People complain, but he never seems to go away. I won't even bother trying to shop there if i see that guy.

So that's my one piece of advice for the op...make sure that your friendly and knowledgeable staff is the first point of contact that your customers have, and not some creep on a mission to convert people to the one true game.

Under-mentioned so far:

Brisk trade in and good stock of used products, all types.
Segregation from different types of games, half-walls if you can swing them.  Or maybe lattice.   Something you can see through that still gives a feeling of territory.
Hot food.  I know that's a whole other deal than your typical $3 bag of chips,  but I would personally pay more for something I thought someone put some effort into, even if it was just concessions.

Edit: two more...
Store copies of products you can check out and try, and...
Staff with the ability, knowledge, and people skills to demo it for/with you if you'd like.

Quote from: mcbobbo;718613Under-mentioned so far:

Brisk trade in and good stock of used products, all types.
Segregation from different types of games, half-walls if you can swing them.  Or maybe lattice.   Something you can see through that still gives a feeling of territory.
Hot food.  I know that's a whole other deal than your typical $3 bag of chips,  but I would personally pay more for something I thought someone put some effort into, even if it was just concessions.

Edit: two more...
Store copies of products you can check out and try, and...
Staff with the ability, knowledge, and people skills to demo it for/with you if you'd like.

I don't know about hot food...it seems like that would create a lot more licensing and upkeep issues. I don't think that vending machines or non perishable snack walls are subject to health inspection, and the vendors cycle your merchandise for you.

Good idea though, on having the staff demo products.

Quote from: Gizmoduck5000;718619I don't know about hot food...it seems like that would create a lot more licensing and upkeep issues. I don't think that vending machines or non perishable snack walls are subject to health inspection, and the vendors cycle your merchandise for you.

Yes, and I suspect it might need to be the main line of business to work, too.  But it's still a dream of mine...  A FLGS/Geek Pub mashup, if you will.

Plus we did hot food in High School for basketball games and the like that would be a fine start and not too tough to manage.  Popcorn popper, deep fryer, hot cheese, stuff like that.

Ooh! And ice cream.  Maybe snow cones.

I probably should have eaten lunch...

Quote from: mcbobbo;718629Yes, and I suspect it might need to be the main line of business to work, too.  But it's still a dream of mine...  A FLGS/Geek Pub mashup, if you will.

Plus we did hot food in High School for basketball games and the like that would be a fine start and not too tough to manage.  Popcorn popper, deep fryer, hot cheese, stuff like that.

Ooh! And ice cream.  Maybe snow cones.

I probably should have eaten lunch...

I can see it - but once you start thinking of a tapas bar, you've gone too far.