I want to own a gamestore, /tg/. Does anyone else have this dream? I feel like Ive watched so many fail though, lets start a thread about how to not fail as a gamestore
>Clean your bathrooms.
>Keep your inventory stocked.
>>45711194
Know the MTG fanbase like the back of your hand since they will be your bread and butter
Dont let GW dick you over
>pander to what is popular, not what is good
>hire staff based entirely on their sales training rather than knowledge of the products
>replace aging and toxic demographic with a younger, more casual demographic that you only target for their first 18 months in the hobby
>>45711194
be a million billionaire and run it as a hobby
>>45711369
What would happen if a gamestore targeted a female demographic?
>>45711542
Initial bubble of interest shortly bursting into bankruptcy.
>>45711194
look for franchises, they can help you with promotions, forniture, etc.
just be careful to pick one who is decent on the long run and don't tarpit your option of buying stuff(at least, not too much).
learn magic and make it a focal point. It will be 50% of your income.
Wh40k/aos will never make you rich, go for 20% discount and after the initail stock sell only by direct orders/preorders.
run the store with your mate/buddy/whatever, your income will be very thin initially and you cannot afford to pay another person.
Don't sell comics, you will barely make any money.
Forums and facebook are your best friends, but you should try to incentive social contact(in your shop). people should see your lgs as a place to hang out.
Take a can machine when you can, you wont make a lot of money but people will stay fresh and satisfied.
Be careful with board games, more than 3/4 of them will stay on your shelf and the amount of money from sells will be very thin, so focus on pre-orders and if you own any game make a lot of demoes. if anyone buys a new product offer them some cheap discount to make them demo the game as well in dedicated game nights.
Never-ever focus on what you like, but on what you sell. Be polite to everyone, wash often, be prepared to face toxic gamers BUT be kind and polite with them too-the last thing you want is bad feedback online.
>>45711542
Useless, if a female want to play tabletop she wouldnt care about "INCLUSIVE FMALE GAMER SHIT".
>>45711767
What if you did it softly, just kept things clean and put up some doctor who and harry potter stuff and kept it clean? Even getting a few women into a gamestore would certainly attract a lot of people.
Open a gaming club that sells stuff, not a gaming store. Scope out The Battlezone in Sebring.
It rocks, makes money, and has girls, too.
>>45711856
be ready to pander to the MAGYK side of things, and stock crystals, tarot, incense and corsets. Also a back room full of fucking black rubber dildos in various dragon shapes.
>>45711194
Cards behind the counter, or within easy sight to prevent shoplifting.
Encourage community - set up places to play, run regular events. Make the store a place to be. If you can, when setting up your business get licensed to serve snacks and drinks (depending on what the laws over business classes are like in your country) to incentivise people coming in, buying some drinks and spending time in the store - because that way they're more likely to buy product.
Accept that you're never going to be a mega-success, but treading water is pretty feasible. Cater to college students and high school age kids - and the nostalgia market of adults. If your local university has a gaming club, set up a deal with them where members get a discount at your store when they show their ID.
>>45711856
I wouldn't exactly describe that as targetting a female demographic, it has so much overlap.
>>45712268
Bitches love doctor who, anon.
>>45712268
You're right, that will also bring in homosexuals
>>45712300
Bitches love oxygen, but having a breatheable atmosphere in your store isn't "targetting a female demographic".
>>45712331
>keeping things clean is gay yo
Found the cheetobeard.
>>45712331
Homosexuals will make it a more female friendly place, right?
>>45712481
>you'll never have a gamestore with female and gay demographics
why live
Avoid making rape-jokes during interview sessions.
>>45712514
Furthermore, a gay demographic is less likely to be stinky, gross, or creepy.
Pick a location that doesn't have fast food in the immediate facility and sell snacks of all kinds.
>>45711856
yes
>>45711974
no, are you nuts? adult toys in a shop with minors?
>>45712023
yes
>>45712547
Confirmed for not having met gays.
>>45712547
You are being clueless about how many 300lb cheesebeard gamers do each other.
>>45712547
there are creepy, stinky gays as there are clean, normal boardgame enthusiasts. Its all a matter of individuals.
Dr who will attract both males and females, but it will make sense only if you're the only one selling that kinda stuff in your area(aka nerdy gadgets, etc)and there are people interested8aka, you are in the uk).
Female demographic usually doens't stay too much in flgs because lonely virginfags tend to creep on them so unlikeley they will stay in your store unless they have a bf or a group of friends. if your store is decvent, you shouldnt care anyway, keep it always clean regardless.
>>45712632
that's not a big problem, a fast food is actually useful when you organize long events or game nights, as your player will have a place where to go-just BE STRICT about food rules in the shop. A little snack from time to time is okay, trashing your store withhamburgers and fries is not.
>>45712686
I second this
>>45711194
OP listen to >>45711380
Games stores are not money makers. You have to understand what being a small business owner is going to be like. Do you like working 70-80 hours a week for what will probably amount to minimum wage?
> I feel like Ive watched so many fail though
Why do you think that is? Probably because most people have no idea what it takes to run a business.
I can't tell you how many games stores I've been in where the employees there have no basic knowledge of what they're carrying.
No you know what, I'm tired of these threads. If you think asking fucking /tg/ is going to help you be successful, then knock yourself out.
>>45712825
I know they arent money makers, Im not gonna be opening a gamestore anytime soon. I just wanted to discuss my dream!
>>45712825
its true. I saw idiots opening stores then having them open only 4 hours daily because they were too lazy.
Its a hard job, you will have to open on nights too and on sundays and holidays.
But if thats what you REALLY want you can make a living out of it. You will NEVER be rich but you will survive. You just need to plan it REALLY carefully. tabletop is-and has always been a niche sector so i think it will propser even with all those vidya around.
>>45712919
see this >>45711835 and you are halfway. the most important thing is the LOCATION. Look for a town that has NOT an lgs, or for a big city sector that lacks one. Check forums and make surveys to see how many people would be there for one. look for a CHEAP place-because it will be your main cost. Plan carefully-take your time and don't be afraid to move far away from home.
Don't do it alone, look for a business partner to cut the expenses in half and to have another person to divide the shifts-just go for someone competent and NOT someone you know/like/hobby enthusiast. this is important, because i saw stores ruined by an owner who focused only on the thing he liked and/or neglected work to play.
>>45711194
>cater to people who will play in the store and thus buy at the store
>realize you're still failing and go get swallowed by an online retailer instead
Small businesses have it harder than ever these days, small niche businesses have it even worse. The internet offers things at a price you can't possibly match so you're basically entirely dependent upon consumer goodwill. I don't know why you would willingly put yourself on the path to debt and failure instead of just working a normal job and having your hobbies be hobbies.
>>45711194
Alright guys, how do I justify financially a place to play TTRPG?
What kind of things can I sell/do as long as I have a place to play games?
>>45713204
You don't.
Never-EVER open store to have places to play.
It will fail, if you want to open a store most of the time you won't have time to play-because you will work.
never mix work with what you like-you can have and work at a lgs but your main concern is selling and checking everything and everyone is allright.
from time to time-expcecially at game nights you can have some fun too, but making playing your fisrt priority/motivation will make you fail so quick you even won't notice how it happened.
Dr Who is huge in the US, which brings up a big detail; Know your Demographics.
Also either have a bunch of money to start with
or put together a real business plan. Both, actually.
microwave, coffeemaker, fridge full of water, package food, and sodas
When I left my LGS earlier today, there were 15 guys and 5 girls. If it had been a Card night there would have been maybe 40 guys and 10 girls
Eject the smelly guys until they bathe.
>>45713204
Sell MEMBERSHIPS not Stuff!
>>45711907
This is the most successful store in a 500 mile radius. (maybe the 2nd most successful, I don;t get to look at everyone's books.)
>>45712686
I think he means pre-Tumblr gays. That said, you either get smelly manchild gays or nobody if you're running a game store.
also run an Ebay store while you are at work.
Don't open right next door to a little ceasar's.
Sell prepackaged snacks.
Don't become known for stalking female customers on facebook.
>>45711542
Um... >>45711835
There aren't usually enough women who will buy gaming shit who are also not comfortable going to a game store men also go to.
>>45711856
>>45711974
These also kind of apply, except the dragon dildos. Don't carry dragon dildos at the game store, it will scare off new players.
If you want female gamers to come to your store, just treat them like regular customers and fire anyone who sexually harasses them. And the superwholock shit is a good idea. Maybe life sized cutouts of Tom Hiddleston or some shit. But only if you are willing to not cringe when unwashed grognards also buy them for the same reason.
>>45713536
This is a good idea. Like a gym. Rent places to game... with like good large sized tables, loaner dice and other needful things, snacks, etc. Like if you charge $10 an hour to rent a table, and 5 people per table, that's reasonable for the gamers but also means you're getting paid to have real estate and a few sharp pencils around.
>>45711194
Treat it like a business and not some hobby if you want to make a living and aren't simply looking for something to pump money into.
Congratulation, you are now a businessperson. The road to success is simple but you will now be working your ass off.
-Cheap location, and most importantly in a spot that serves the community; open too close to an existing shop and your will ruin yourself and most likely others. Fucking demographics.
-Modest stock, you’re not that smart (game shop man WTF), not that good of salesperson, and you customer base is not huge. Work to foster good will and be ready with a fantastic POS and ordering system. You’re customer need to trust you.
-The shop needs to be nice right? Fuck you, the shop needs to be FUCKING IMACULATE.
-Food, drinks, place to shit, trashcans.
-Cameras to detect shoplifters and employee behavior,
-maintenance and clean every night and by every night I mean every night.
>>45714128
offer reservations for a given table with a 5-10$ food voucher depending on the location (cost of living wise).
Have lockers in a desecrate location and offer lock rentals, as well as smaller lockers the ppl can lock themselves.
>>45714128
>>45714707
>>45713536
This sounds like a good idea to me.
Main problem is, in my experience and generally what I see online is that 75% or more of the /tg/ crowd are too entitled and too dickish and Jewlike to pay even a small piss worthy $5 monthly fee for a quality meeting grounds and playing area. They'd rather play for free at other shops, at eating areas, at school, at playgrounds, even in a fucking alleyway.
Perhaps uncoincidentally, they're also mostly skinny manlets or obese spermwhale fucks with shitty hygiene who wouldn't be caught dead in a gym to begin with.
The first thing I notice about game shops I've been to is the smell. Don't let the place start smelling like a hobo's armpit.
>>45714829
no, membership IS bad idea. No one wants to pay for simply having a table in a lgs.
Its terrible.
One store tried in my area and they failed-tehy failed BAD. You need to pay 5 bucks for our? How about at my home for free? Or in another lgs.
Its bad.
>>45714829
My LGS says you have to let anyone who shows up play if you want to use their space. If I could actually refuse entry to that guy, I'd pay for a table, but probably not a monthly membership fee even if I wasn't gaming. Free use of pencils, tv trays for people's books/pcs and like a table made of whiteboard so you can draw maps and shit on it. In 5 years, maybe a projector you can hook the GM's PC up to for visual aids.
>>45714870
You'd have to read your area well. Wouldn't work for casual pickup play, it would need to be for people looking to play games that require a lot of setup space or are enhanced by a lot of setup space. None of my friends really have great setups for gaming- we have the physical room but not the table of the right size and other things are missing. It would need to work like freemium software, basically.
>>45714870
And yet gyms flourish. You can have a home gym too. Finding the space and equipment for a home gym or a nice wargaming area is no different from each other.
The problem is the clientele being worthless manchildren, as stated.
Have ample space dedicated to playing tables, optimally in a visible yet off to the side area, keeping buyers from having to weave through tables but also showing them you have an active community and potentially getting little magic card billy to want to start buying warhammer when he sees the game from some distance.
You essentially have three markets. RPGers, Wargamers, and MTG players.
The most important products you sell will be magic the gathering cards, and it's 100% necessary that you or an employee can run drafts and fnms. MTG players will be your bread and butter. Learn the game, keep up with the meta, if possible sell and buy singleton and run events. Unfortunately the fattest sweatiest degenerates tend to be from here, due to the vast numbers and high visibility of the hobby as well as comparatively low barrier to entry. Replace "magic" with "yugioh" if you're in a poor area.
Your next most important market are wargamers. Asses the local market to know which war games and other table tops are popular. You don't want to order 100 boxes of warmachine crap to find out people play exclusively warhammer and flames of war. Often they will just show up to play, but many of them will pick up a couple of paints, a thing of green stuff, or some new dice every time they visit, being a somewhat steady stream of income. Having areas to play or practice the hobby side of things will establish customer loyalty and make them ore likely to buy paints and such from you. Usually a slightly more hermetic and slightly older crowd. Less likely to cause a literal or physical stink at events.
>>45715089
well, no. At gym you have trainers, and a LOT of machine equipments-every machine range from 500 to 1500 dollars or even more. you can use all of them as much as you want for 50-100 dollars a month. While for tabletop you need 2-4 chairs and a table.
people tried in my area, it didn't work.
game tables are a way to make people play games and buy them-with the income of simply the game table you wont make enough to pay fro even the rent.
>>45715134
RPG players are basically a non entity. Give them a room or two and they will show up to play their game and then leave. They rarely buy anything save a book or reaper mini here and there or interact with people other than their group, however many are also card gamers or war gamers so catering to their RPG side will increase store loyalty.
Boardgames take up shelf space and hardly ever move, usually being impulse buys but the margin or profit is fairly large. Have some of the popular ones but don't worry about them much. A good way to buy them is 100% on coolness of the box art as that is what 80% of sales will be based on.
Obviously it's also important to understand the basics of business. You need to know what is popular, learn about that popular thing and sell that, not sell a lot of dystopian legions because you like it. Visit every single game store in town before even thinking of opening your own. Open in an affluent area if possible. Open as far from other stores as possible. A rich under serviced area being best with a largely white or Asian demographic of adults with later teenage children. Employ nerds and ensure they have a passing understanding of your product, they should have a decent understanding of magic, a familiarity with wargames, and can know jack fuck all about rpgs. Learn each employee's field of expertise and have them run events relating to it. Buy some mighty empires maps, paint them, and have your warhammer loving emplyee run a campaign. Have your magic player run drafts. Have your DND grognard run demo games. That sort of thing.
>>45711194
sell food, seriously, gamers spend as much money in the pub next door to our LGS as in LGS itself
>>45715138
Gym trainers cost even more money.
If you make a cheap, ugly game table at home, you can make a cheap, ugly weight rack at home too. Nice setups cost a lot, for both gaming tables with full painted terrain and nice gym setups at home.
What, you've never seen a $2,000 bespoke rosewood /tg/ table or one of the integrated laser/hologram setups?
I've always thought that a combination hole in the wall restaurant/pizza place would do well but I'm not familiar with game store managing so I dunno.
>>45715138
>At gym you have trainers
You know, having experienced GMs to run games as employees might be interesting. Not sure how easy it would be to find good ones that also wouldn't mind running a few games at a time, but to me that still seems kind of cool, especially if people wanted help getting into tabletop gaming or just having a good GM.
>>45715193
Also this. Selling non messy food (because many mtg players are fucking slobs) and drinks can be a constant and MAJOR source of income
>>45715138
home gyms cost money, kitchen tables are already owned. Sick gains can only be won at the temple of iron, plastic crack can be bought from the comfort of a nerd den.
What if...what if you opened up your own brewery-hobby store hybrid.
>>45715266
You losethe 17-20 mtg market and dad's money warhammer players. Also drunk nerds are horrible, and alcohol licencing is a pain in the ass.
>>45713104
>its true. I saw idiots opening stores then having them open only 4 hours daily because they were too lazy.
This right here is the most important thing, especially if you want to cater to the PnP crowd.
>Nicest, cleanest store that just opened up in the entire city
>Guy is nice, friendly, knows his shit, has run a business before
>Doesn't understand his customer base at all though
>Store is tiny, tablespace is even tinier
>Closes at 9pm
Most of the gaming nerds I know in the High-school/College age wake UP at 9pm. And most of the working folks can't make it to the table until 6pm on most days. Said "Okay, fuck it", went to the other gaming store that stays open until way later, and now I run their adventure league table and I'm getting so many players that I'm having to split up everyone into 2, 3 groups.
Your crowd stays up late. Don't go to bed at normal business hours. Eat the fucking bill yourself to stay open that extra 2-3 hours.
>>45715295
or, considering this is your job, just shift your sleep schedule a tad later. No one comes into a LGS before 2. Work 3-12
>>45715285
>assuming murrica
hey, there's countries where it's easier to get license for selling booze than license for selling hot-dogs
>>45715212
Well, no, in a lot of gym you can get basic exercise routine for free and the staff explains you how to use the machines if asked.
Literally, in the gym there are dozend of 1k+ machines and weights, and for a good workout you may need most of them. that means at least 400 m2 of space and at least 100k of machines.
for a good gaming table you need, well, a table and like 200 $ of scenery. Done.
it has been done in my area and it failed HARD.
Trust me on this, i worked in 2 lgs and i basically opened another one(helped a clueless friend). And he is succesful now(well, kinda, but thats his fault)
>>45713150
A local store offers something the Internet can't; a place to play.
Get Sanctioned by Wizards so you can arrange FNM's and GPQ's. Have tables in the back that people can play at, either for free or for a small payment. Etc etc.
If you're going to charge people to play RPGs, give them something worth paying for.
Say, any slob off the street can plonk his ass down and run a game, no charge, but if there's something already planned for that day and the store needs the space, then sucks to suck but you gotta move. $20 a month (and even that might be pushing it) for a group of no more than 6 people can get you a standing reservation of a table on a particular day, for a table in the main room. You still gotta share your space with other greasy neckbeards, and all the autism that may occur.
However, if the group really wants to step up, have a VIP room off to the side. Soundproof, but with a big-ass window so passersby can see inside. Store books of the more popular systems, though more obscure stuff can be added to the shelves for a small fee. Fridge, fully stocked with drinks, cold cuts, and other table-friendly food. Perhaps even a small counter, coffeemaker and microwave, in case someone wants a hot turkey sandwich or something. Swank table, maybe even something from Geek Chic (or a home-built knockoff), maybe even a projector. Charge $50 for that shit (for 6 people max, though a group can upsize for additional fees), which may seem like a lot, but damn if it isn't worth it. Get people hooked on that VIP treatment, and they'll eat out of your hand.
I mean fuck, now I kinda want somewhere around my area to have that. I have like, 9-10 shops within an hour's drive, and not a one of them comes close to that kind of swagger.
>>45711194
I used to have the dream but realized that if I wanted to throw money away I could do it in vegas and it would be more fun.
My dream is to be a sculptor and sell miniatures
>>45717161
Classic sculpting or CAD?
>>45717179
It's good to be good at both, but cad for fleshy infantry ought to be avoided I find. It works okay for more sci fiish stuff and big monsters but it goes full fyreslayer for man sized infantry.
I'd like to run a small publishing business translating, promoting and selling cool (mostly indie) tabletop stuff into my native language though it probably never happenAnd if i were to contact Greg Stafford himself to negotiate terms of license i would probably piss myself
On the other hand, history of pnp rpgs in my country shows that it seems not so hard to promote things that aren't exactly popular in english language zone here. Like WFRP being most popular RPG until recent times and D&D being hardly known until mid 2000s, when 3rd edition finally got its translation.
>>45711194
Game stores fail so much because they can't compete with online stores for prices, so you have a customer base who comes in to play their games, leaf through some magazine and then go back home and order new stuff online, while actively discouraging casual passer by's and people on the fence by sitting there in your store being aggressively socially retarded in a big, weirdly dressed pack.
You need to capitalize on the game store as a watering hole for nerds, not just the place that tries to sell space marines to the already converted.
Oh, and give some rough love to the subhuman nerds, so many game stores would be 100% better if the owner would just go
>Jimmy, you know we appreciate that you come here and buy magic cards every week, but if you'd stop using the word H-Game in sentences and started showering and wiping your ass properly, that would be great, otherwise we'll have to ask you to leave, ok?
Run it with the minimum amount of staff.
Offer good tables and let people pay to book table time, both wargaming table and felt tables for card games or other boardgames.
Sell coffee and sandwiches or some shit, it's going to be a nerd hangout space anyway so you might as well cash in on it.
Don't let anyone bring their own food and drinks into the store.
Put in lockers, like a gym, where people can put their boardgames or painting shit that they only use at the store anyway so they can go there, know in advance that a table will be free for them and their buddies, and sit down to play and paint without having to realize that every spot is taken up by a sweaty pokemon player who comes in every day and hasn't bought anything in a physical store since 2012.
The most succesful game store I know does a few things to remain succesful.
>also a comic store
>has adjoining rooms for wargames and rpgs, card tables in the primary room.
>has specific days for each game
>sells drinks and just about every miniature or card game with any level of popularity
>has about 4 total employees
>gives minor discounts to the big dick plastic crack players who buy all sorts of shit so they feel inclined to buy it there and not online
>>45717457
>>45717620
This.
Give customers reasons to buy stuff at the store, not online.
Sell other stuff than cards or miniatures or boardgames, like comics or snacks and drinks.
Give customers a way of knowing in advance that they'll be able to play their game, be it by reserving tables for a fee or by having special nights for different kinds of games.
Use the days for specific games to promote those games and make more people try it. If you have X Wing night or whatever, run a demo table so people feel inclined to show up even if they don't play the game already.
Make as much money as you can off the big spenders by making them feel extra welcome and like valued customers.
Please don't be one of those store owners that let the whale customers behave like retards or stink up the store though, those guys are dicks.
>>45711194
>I feel like Ive watched so many fail though, lets start a thread about how to not fail as a gamestore
Diversify your stocks, but pander to the holy trinity.
M:TG.
40k
and Warmahordes.
Having lots of crafts supplies and a wide range of paints would also be a plus (not just citadel).
>>45711194
Sell a monthly/annual membership that gives members a discount small enough that you're still making a profit off all their purchases, but substantial enough that they can potentially save money overtime.
>>45717787
Give people a card and let them collect stamps or whatever that can be traded in for stuff like reserving a table for an evening or getting to vote on what game will be the next one to focus on for game night (but not any of the ones that already gets played constantly)
Little things that make people feel invested in the store or the store crowd.
Give new customers a fucking level sheet where they unlock new discounts or bonuses based on what they've purchased or what store activities they've taken part in, nerds fucking love that stuff.
>>45717833
Gamification is good and all, but don't go too heavy on it.
Store credit is always an excellent idea, and giving discounts to products or services purchased with store credit is an even better one.
Like, for a shitty example; you get 10 cents in store credit for every dollar your spend. Anything you buy entirely with store credit is 10% off.
This encourages people to continue to make purchases with money, rather than using store credit as they get it, meaning more sales overtime as they save up for that big doohicky they otherwise wouldn't have bothered with.
If you want to be extra autistic, have purchases made solely with store credit give super-store credit, with an even bigger discount for purchases made solely with that; the idea is still to get them to keep purchasing over time as they build up their credit, giving them an investment in the store, rather than constantly blowing their credit and being able to pull out whenever at no loss.
I've always had a little dream of owning a book store. But with amazon I'd be out of business within a year. And that's if I'm lucky.
>>45717974
Focus on what the online stores can't provide.
If you run a bookstore, have a cosy corner where people can sit and drink tea and look smart with the books they bought and feel like "reading" is actually a lifestyle.
Coffee shops do it.
>>45718002
that's what I've been told, issue being
(WARNING, MINOR BLOG POST)
I live in a bed room village in the ass end western NY. Not a whole lot of people here are into book stores. Mostly drugs.
The only place in a 20 mile radius that sells anything table top related is a shitty little store the next town over that's barely opened.
But hey, maybe some day I'll find the perfect place.
Never moving to the big city though. fuuuuuck that.
>>45713888
>Don't open right next door to a little ceasar's.
What if he doesn't want to sell food? That's literally the perfect spot for a game store.
>>45718069
It'll also get grease all over your tables and merchandise
>>45715285
There's a store in Portland, OR that has a warehouse-sized space and a separate 21+ area for boozing and gaming. I would like it more, but they're charging ridiculous prices for bottled IPAs and the like. I could buy my own six-pack for the price of 1-2 beers there.
Of course, the novelty factor sells a ton of overpriced shit.
Open a board game bar instead. They are mighty popular, attract far more casual crowd and you can organize RPG/magic/whatever you like nights with the money you earn on casuals. I believe selling food for those nerds every night they play might be more profitable than selling them a rulebook or a couple of minis once in a year.
>>45711369
>>hire staff based entirely on their sales training rather than knowledge of the products
you need both
without product knowledge your staff won't be able to take advantage of good deals or push product. If you know how to build a proper mana curve, you can sell noobs on cards they need for their decks.
BUT without sales training you aren't selling anything and that's the name of the game.
THAT SAID. It's easier to teach a familiarity with the product you are selling than it is to teach sales. Charisma and people skills are largely something you either have or you don't. So put a focus on hiring charismatic people interested in the game (or with a passing knowledge of the game) and teach them the game.
They do this at my local supermarket, not sure if it would work for tabletop:
Thete are items sold at a discount, say 50% off, but only if you buy with their card. Any % you save stays on the card and can be used on your next purchase.
Basically gives them a system that incentives you to buy shit they are trying to get rid of.
>>45711194
>free tables
>free snacks
>free coffee
>free boosters/minis
>free tournament
>50% discount on all items
>>45718815
Is this a how to in bankruptcy at record speed?
>>45711194
What country are you in OP?
>>45718815
>>free snacks
Ahahaha what a fucking moron you can actually make mad money just from SELLING snacks. Give them away? HAHAHA
YOU are the reasons stores fail everywhere. You probably steal cards and pirate books and buy recast miniatures too
My city has quite a few FLGSs, with new ones opening and closing every few years. Based on casual observations of their business practices, here are my suggestions:
>Start small (Don't buy too much merchandise, because you won't sell it all fast enough when you're first starting out)
>Know your clientele (Make sure you carry things that people in your area actually want to buy. Don't stock Warhammer if people only play Warmachine in your area)
>Don't deny customers basic services if they're willing to pay for them (i.e. special-ordering)
>Have regular events in the store (e.g. Magic Mondays)
>Be nice to customers and allow them to make deals with you when appropriate
>>45718823
>>45718870
Do we still have archives? You two should browse old open a gamestore threads. What i post there isn't even half of ridiculous free stuff that was posted back then.
Free GM, free electric plugs, free rulebooks, have to stock 100 obscure board games that no one will buy, etc etc etc
Bottom point is this, game stores fails because neckbeards seems to have a fucking phobia about a gamestore making money off them.
>>45711194
Heres one thing i haven't seen so far that MURDERS businesses left and right.
>have enough money RIGHT NOW to float that bitch for at least 2 years of no profit
Seriously. This shit here. Everybody who's dream is to own a business thinks all they need is that bank loan and they're set. As if the fucking money will pour in the second those doors open day1. The first 5 years are the most dangerous as you're getting full established as a community piece. The first 2 years are the years where most businesses fail and leave a broken debt riddled shell of a human behind but 5 is the general area to worry about.
I live in a big city and i can't tell you how many people come in thinking "this is it. My dreams finally happening." Knowing i'll be seeing them within the next few years about massive debt.
Niche shit is the worst since you're already dealing with reduced customer base who will most likely have high standards due to having only experienced successful stores that lived.
A good example is restaurants like authentic asian or "exotic" food like actual croatiab or greek food. They think its a unique idea and that would mean people will flock to it but all you're going to get is people who are deeply into that and if the food is subpar to their tastes they'll tell everyone within earshot about it.
>>45718976
Its some oddly widespread "they're taking advantage of ME!!!!REEEE" even thought thats literally every business ever.
>>45715138
Commercial gym trainers fucking suck, they're all weak-ass DYEL faggots with shit form.
>>45715415
>Well, no, in a lot of gym you can get basic exercise routine for free and the staff explains you how to use the machines if asked.
>using the abysmally retarded routines that staff gives
>using machines
>needing advice for machines whose operation is fucking stamped on all of them
>Literally, in the gym there are dozend of 1k+ machines and weights, and for a good workout you may need most of them. that means at least 400 m2 of space and at least 100k of machines.
This is how I know you're a retard and a weakass faggot.
You need a power cage and a barbell, and you're basically set for the next 5 years of heavy lifting you fucking ignoramus
I bet you can't even squat your bodyweight
>>45711194
Advertisement. Lots and lots of advertisement, the best you can find.
That's everything you need, really. Even if you sell shit in a box, make a good advertisement campaign and you will find people who buy that crap.
The most important thing is appearance, sustance does not matter. If you manage to attract 1000 potential customers, there is a good chance that 100 of them will like what they see and become regulars. Then rinse and repeat. Add some new feature and there you go.
Also never focus on one thing. Your customers like vidyas, sell vidyas. Your customers like FATAL, sell FATAL. Your customers like to hav a snack while browsing, put a vending machine in that fucking corner.
The real earning will not be made by selling things, but by all the small shit your customers will pay while there. You can't expect everyone to buy a 40€ box of miniatures, but sure as shit everyone in there will spend 50 cents for a coke or a bag of chips at least twice a day, maybe even three times
Get in your car and go to the top gaming shops within a few hundred miles. Spend a few hours in the best ones. Try to figure out why they are succeeding. If you don't have the time and money to do basic research, you might want to reconsider the project.
If you just want a place to set up a couple of tables, find a small warehouse that a struggling local band rents to practice in and cut a deal for a couple of nights a week.
>>45711194
Cater to anime and Magic. Stock overpriced Weeaboo snacks and drinks. My LGS does this and is so successful that their storefront is larger than most restaurants.
It helps that it's the only gaming store for 50-75 miles but it's still great.
Also don't ever try to start a gaming store within 50 miles of another. That distance is increased for poor population density areas and decreased for high population density areas.
Average distance for more of american would be 50 though.
Every time I've seen a little lgs store open up near to another they go under in a years or less.
>>45720894
There's one store in my city that does almost exclusively Magic and they've got a pretty loyal market.
There's another on the other side of the city that does mainly Weiss Schwarz and they seem to have a pretty loyal bunch of weebs too.
>>45712442
Would totally go to a store that has a breathable atmosphere, though.
>>45720960
I dunno man. Oxygen is expensive right now and i can splice in like 80% nitrogen and they won't even notice the difference.
>Put an A frame outside with posters in
>Make sure it says that people are welcome to sit down and play games for free
>Make sure people see the word free
And done. Getting people in through the door is the hard part; beyond that they'll advertise your products to themselves by seeing them and asking questions.
>>45717755
>Warmahordes
>40k
>Holy Trinity
G-Dubs is losing more and more money every quarter. If I had to pick an actual trinity It'd be more like
>Magic
>YGO
>DnD
And I think this goes to the biggest advice: That finger better be pressed down on the pulse of the industry.When the Next Big Thing hits, you'd better already have it in stock.
My parents used to run a game store when I was a small child, and their main method of success was to stock a bit of everything. We had action figures (including the largest Star Wars figure selection in the state), comics, cards, miniatures, roleplaying games, board games, you name it. We were always willing to give new products at least a chance, especially if they came from local sources. You know that game that hit shelves fairly recently, Trailer Park Wars? Well back in about 2004 we had a few copies on our shelves, because we bought a bunch from the guy who made them at a convention while he was still shopping the game around and selling at cons. With the strategy we used, no matter what the current Big Thing was, chances are we were already carrying it, or at least knew someone who could get it for us right quick.
>>45721296
An addendum: if you get known for always having the Big Thing in, you actually start having a bit of sway as to what the Next Big Thing in your area will be is. Once you get established as a local player, getting something sold will be as simple as pumping up the advertising for it in-store, and people will check it out. Since you're already a place where people go, those people's word will spread and you'll find at least a small core audience for the thing you want to sell. This works way better with new stuff than old, but I'm sure you could brute-force a revival of something unpopular but still in print.
>>45715735
You're completely clueless. Please don't ever open a game shop.
>>45720894
We have like 7 or 8 stores in the Milwaukee metropolitan area that all do decently well. You're overstating the distance needed.
I see a lot of people calling for special orders, but make sure you can actually get the shit quickly. 2 weeks is tolerable, 2 months is bullshit.
Store hours should be based on when your customers are in, but if your game night is hopping and running late, stay open. Think of your hours as Open By X, Open Until At Least X.
IF you're going to charge for a gaming space, make it flat rate for the day and make it nice. And make it by reservation for pay, drop in otherwise. And only do it if you have space to kill.
Have space to play. Actual space. And make people feel welcome in your shop. You can't compete with online prices, but you can't sell community online.
If you sell snacks, sell some mints too.
Be welcoming to the neckbeards, but if they are difficult, take them aside and talk to them privately. But also talk to them on other occasions about their games. Makes them understand that their ok, but that thing they do is not cool. [ex-gw slave here. I've done this, it works.]
Be respectfull to everyone at all times. Even when you have to ban someone from the store. [done this, it works]
Return/exchange policy: If you can't fit it on a 8.5x11 sheet in HUGE font, its too complicated.
You are not the customers friend. You are their enabler and you want them to be happy with their drug of choice.
>>45711194
Just fucking make sure you are within a population of at least a million people...any less and its not worth it
