game shop habits, a few q\'s

[ipaintminis]

well, sure im up for a survey!

q1) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?
i dont spend anything, usually, mom does

q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store?
depends on what everything is...

q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?
i like to try new places, but there arnt many around here, so the LGS is the one i end up in, if i end up in one at all

q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?
i dont know.

q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?
YES, the basis of gaming is being around other people, otherwise how do you play anything? definatly a hang out atomosphere, the one by my house is so small, theres never enough room you end up getting pushed out, when if there had been more room, ida spent more

q6) how old are you?
18, 19 in Feb.

q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?
....advertisement, word of mouth? ohhh, what thing in the STORE, um,...maybe this is obvious, miniatures?

q8) anyth other comments?
definatly be friendly but not im going to hit on you because your the only girl in here a month friendly. thats no fun,
read that article about gamers in the article section....dont do that.

 

[finn17]

Originally posted by doktorziplok
hey everyone, i\'m doing a bit of research and hope you can help me out here. if you have the time and can answer a few questions i would really appreciate it.


q1) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?
$10-$20

q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store?
30-50 miles

q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?
I would be loyal to a LOCAL store but not when I can buy stuff 50% cheaper from the net

q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?
$100-$500

q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?
Not really applicable but in my experience...probably not

q6) how old are you?
Too old...46

q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?
A sale!

q8) anyth other comments?
Happy New Year!!!

 

[striker8]

q1) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?

You really don\'t want to know but I\'ll tell you anyways. $100 to $200 a month but that does vary based on what\'s being released that month.

q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store? Most of the good shops are 30+ miles away and I do make the occasional 3hr trip to the GW store in MI.

q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?

I always shop local unless the shops just can\'t get what I want.

q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?

Zip, nada. nothing. I don\'t really like shoping online.

q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?

It\'s preferable since I have a decent drive just to get there.

q6) how old are you?

Mentaly 10, physical years 36

q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?

Stuff I actually want.

q8) anyth other comments?

 

[Itchy]

Originally posted by doktorziplok
hey everyone, i\'m doing a bit of research and hope you can help me out here. if you have the time and can answer a few questions i would really appreciate it.


q1) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?
normally 3 to 20 US (depends on how fast/how much i\'m painting at the time and which minis i get... picked up a nice giant for 20, but been painting it FOREVER!)
q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store?
??? never done it before
q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?
Pretty loyal... i live in a small town, nearest other comic shop is 65 miles away, so i tend to make do with what they got. Plus i learned to sculpt a bit, so that helps
q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?
ZERO
q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?
??? never been to one
q6) how old are you?
20 wanna make something of it?lol
q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?
THE MINIS... DUH!
q8) anyth other comments?
Sea Monkeys are the best pet ever... \'cause then you can label the tank C\'MONkeys

 

[ZeCorto]

q1) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?
Around 50 USD 3 months out of 4 (see q4 for the 4th month)

q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store?
I do not own a car

q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?
Loyal as long as the service is good

q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?
About 50 USD once every 4 months

q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?
No

q6) how old are you?
35

q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?
The smell of pewter in the morning ...

q8) anyth other comments?
No

 

[Joshua]

Originally posted by No Such Agency

A bunch of sweaty geeks playing Warhammer or even card games is expected (they\'re \"local colour\" and keep your staff company), but a bunch of sweaty creeps harassing the female clientele and loudly acting poorly-socialized will alienate all but the most hardcore gamers.

hm nah i guess thats neglectable.
i dont know many of such people who play tabletop games.
most gamers are very polite and talkative (sometimes the nice way and sometimes the \"bad\" way ) compared to other clusters and from my erperience the worst manners still belong to the shopkeepers themselfs!

 

[airhead]

I don\'t want to rain on your parade. But here are a few observations:

It take about a million people to support a fully stocked game/comic store here. Orlando greater is about 5 million. there are really only 4 good game/hoby/comic stores. Oklahoma City was about 2 million when I was there and had 3 good stores. The small town I grew up in was about 100k and could not support one - it was tried several times by different people - just not enough customers to keep the doors open - but that was before CCG\'s.

CCG\'s will pay the rent and the help. Just don\'t get burned with a shelf unit full of a game nobody wants. (Remember battletech CCG? or Star Wars CCG? or even the LOTR CCG?)

You have to be very aware of trends. MtG up, down, now back up. Pokeymon up, now down. Yu-Gi-Oh now the new MtG. DnD 3.0, 3.5. What modules/extras to stock?

Look at your stock as money laying on the shelves. If it is not turning over (being sold and restocked) it would be better off in a low interest savings account. This is true of any retail business with the possible exception of antiques.

Beat up your distributors and kiss their butts at the same time. You need the good discounts to compete and you need deliveries when the new hot game comes out - not a month later.

 

[imperial_guard_man]

Hmm some points I can tell you as I have now chosen not to go to my Local store no matter how good it is.

My local store had 40k and Fantasy very well stocked and all the CCG and had a good variety of stuff for sale. The problems are well these are the reasons I stopped going.

Smelling, sweety, stupid, abnoctious people who are constantly there. Literally you\'d get a headache ina few mins just staying there. The place smells like B.O. and other bad smell. The gaming are was crowded and well small and insificient. The workers would try and sell stupid over priced things to everyone, the manager is a tight wad. The tempurature in the place is horrible, hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. Some prices are marked up ect... The gaming tables sucked. Priority for table commonly was assignment to the newest fad ect...

Here is how you get good gaming store going. You have a nice clean well lit spacious gaming area with plenty of terrain and tables, comfy chairs and good air con and heaters. An air filtration system to get rid of the smelly stench that is enevitable from losers who will never get laid and dont brush thier teeth/wear deoderent. Have a nice clean, good smelling enviorment is good. Try and accomidate the players ect... Have drinks for sale cold pop, juices ect... Make sure you have a whole slew of stuff to drink not just pop. Make sure you are close to somewhere to grab a bite to eat. Run leagues and missions. Dont have lame ass staff shirts, hire some females, make your store female friedly cause the good gaming store respect the opposite sex ect...

Here are some ways to make an awsome gaming store: some of this stuff is jokes you figure it out. Pay very attractive females to walk in the store and browse, oh ya. Give away free stuff like CCG that have no hope in hell selling. Put recliners and big screen tvs in the gaming area.

Well thats all i have to say, make it the way you would want it to be for a gaming store. Also I find the smell and people are always the big problems fix that and you would have a bang on store in no time.

 

[mule]

Originally posted by Dragonsreach
q6) how old are you? 48 years 364 days, or 49 tomorrow.

Happy Birthday.

 

[ZeCorto]

Yes, happy birthday DR!

 

[No Such Agency]

Here is how you get good gaming store going. You have a nice clean well lit spacious gaming area with plenty of terrain and tables, comfy chairs and good air con and heaters. An air filtration system to get rid of the smelly stench that is enevitable from losers who will never get laid and dont brush thier teeth/wear deoderent. Have a nice clean, good smelling enviorment is good. Try and accomidate the players ect... Have drinks for sale cold pop, juices ect... Make sure you have a whole slew of stuff to drink not just pop. Make sure you are close to somewhere to grab a bite to eat. Run leagues and missions. Dont have lame ass staff shirts, hire some females, make your store female friedly cause the good gaming store respect the opposite sex ect...

I didn\'t mean to loose the floodgates fo this particular stereotype but it is definitely a major annoyance at some stores. Sometimes the store owner or an employee is one of the sweaty creeps too which is a deal-breaker for sure. I\'m sure nobody here would be that though (especially after reading that article about it from a while back). I like the reference to \"clean and well-lit\", and having munchies and drinks for sale to players (the store in my town has little problem with this, being between two good cafes). I guess it falls under \"good customer service\" - the same as a clothing store shouldn\'t have a bunch of fashion plate barbies and metro\'s standing around with the clerk and snickering at your purchases. The customer should feel *comfortable* in your store, and they will spend more

Promotions and contests help make a store part of the gaming community too. Miniature painting contests are cheap to run (crack open a box of plastic Fire Warriors, or Chaos Marauders, and give one to each entrant) and get people into your store. Maybe have a Warhammer/40k \"ladder\" or give small prizes to whoever wins an in-store game and you\'ll have gamers loving you.

 

[Orchid_Noir]

Originally posted by doktorziplok
hey everyone, i\'m doing a bit of research and hope you can help me out here. if you have the time and can answer a few questions i would really appreciate it.


q1) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?

$80 to $240 (more if an excellent trove of ancient goodies is found, but hey.)

q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store?

130 miles is not un-common (Texas ya\' know)

q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?

Loyal to the stores with the informed, courteous, helpful (but not pushy) staff, price helps but is secondary to the above with us.

q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?

$20 or so

q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?

Definitely ....... clean, well lit, catalogs available for perusal, a place to sit down (an area for non-interested s/o\'s and/or parents of older young shoppers is also great, kind of like a break room)

q6) how old are you?

33

q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?

Word of mouth reputation

q8) anyth other comments?

Good luck to you if you do go through with it, and remember the weekly $20 customer is just as (if not more) important than the one time big spender.

 

[dave3555]

q1) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?

£50

q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store?

50 miles ( both ways - 50 there 50 back)

q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?

Loyal to a certain extent though if somewhere is way different in price I would buy from a different retailer.

q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?

Varys greatly depening on if I can get what I want localy or not.

q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?

Yes

q6) how old are you?

22

q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?

Friendly helpful staff.

q8) anyth other comments?

The staff and service when you walk into a store makes or breaks the reputaion of that particular store. The staff need to remember that you may not be making a major purchase on that particular day but theres always tommorow - respect and offer advice and help to ALL customers.

 

[DarkSoldier]

how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?

Being unemployed, I find I can spend very little. I\'m hoping to start selling my painting and make some money off that.

q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store?

The closest \"has everything\" store I know of is Imperial Hobbies, which is only two buses (and about an hour\'s ride) away.

q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?

I have a number of gaming stores that I frequent, and I always make sure to spend some money at each store.

q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?

Very little, as before, due to lack of finances.

q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?

Quite. At my favourite stores, Triple Play Collectibles and Chaos Books & Games, we know each other by name. I even hang out at Chaos before my Star Wars and D&D games and tell Pam how the last game went, which has often consisted of \"I died again.\"

q6) how old are you?

Do you want it in Terran years? If so, 20.

q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?

Selection, affordability, accessibility, and being able to get to know the proprietors.

q8) anyth other comments?

Not really.

 

[kittykat23uk]

Originally posted by doktorziplok
hey everyone, i\'m doing a bit of research and hope you can help me out here. if you have the time and can answer a few questions i would really appreciate it.


q1) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials in a brick and mortar shop?

It varies a lot, depending on what they\'ve got in and what I want to buy. This is because the sort of models I buy from my local games store usually tend to be reaper miniatures (dragons and a few other models), so I can go months without buying anything, then spend £50 to £60 on one model. On average I\'d say £10 to £20 per month. We also tend to buy RPG books from the same store

q2) how far are you willing to drive to a \"has everything\" gaming store?

I don\'t have a car so I\'d have to say walking distance, everything I can\'t get locally, I buy online.

q3) are you loyal to your gaming store or do you always go where the deals are the best?

Yes I guess you could say I am loyal to my gaming store. I always get reaper minis from the same place, and I have selected other online stores for other ranges such as Confrontation. I guess I am less loyal with regards to online purchases, where there is more choice of outlets. I go to the place with the best prices and service.

q4) how much money do you spend monthly on gaming materials from online distributors?

Again, it varies, I probably only make a purchase from online stores on a quarterly basis and then I spend around £30 ish.

q5) do you prefer a gaming store that has a \"hang out here\" atmosphere?

No, not really, not in the sense of the GW style stores, because I don\'t play. It is good to talk with the guy in my local reaper outlet though and I might be tempted to hang out in a store that promotes confrontation minis but there isn\'t one in Norwich.

q6) how old are you?

27

q7) what is the one thing that draws you to a gaming store the most?

Cool miniature lines, with up-to-date stock, competitively priced (Reaper and Rackham mainly) and good service (ok theres a few things there as there is not one thing I can single out!).

q8) anyth other comments?

Hope this is useful!

 

[Infidel Castro]

I\'ll be fair, I fecking hate Games stores. Imperial Guard Man made me wet myself with his post lol.

I used to hang around Games Workshop when it first opened, but mostly to paint as the guy in Cardiff at the beginning was shit-hot. There was a kid from Barry (down the coast) who was a excellent as well, and these are the good things I remember. Flipside of that was the gaming. Grown men looking like boobies, kids jumping around tables and all that jazz (where\'s my gun, boy?).

On the other hand, the shop that ws forced to close as a result of GW stepping in was called Encounter Games and was heavy on roleplay and painting matter. There was a huge display at the back of the shop, and I often wonder where the people who painted those bits and pieces are these days. I remember this huge (6-8\") figure painted up in Vietnam gear. It was a female piece. She had no top on. The flesh work was fantastic, and I was hooked because of the painting, not the hooters. That was a proper shop, selling all sorts. I\'m a roleplayer at heart, not a wargamer, but I also fell into playing boardgames. God I loved the original HeroQuest!

But I\'m off on a tangent now. The answer to all the questions is this: You\'ll find me in the pub with a pint of Bitter, reading an intelligent newspaper and maybe a book or two. After a few bevvies I\'ll go into a shop and be as sarcastic to the staff as they are to me.

God, you know what? The last time I went in GW I was accosted in the usual manner by the spotty salesman, who asked me if I gamed. I said no. He looked at me and asked what I did. I replied I was a painter (more through intent these days than by results ). He looked at me blankly and asked: Painter?

I had to explain that I just paint minis (though my gallery suggests no painting of note in a long time). I said that I tend to graze e-bay and pick up Rogue Trader Space Marines and old Dwarfs from the time when Citadel made many figures in many different poses, each with character in those beardy faces. His response? TIMES HAVE MOVED ON. What a tit! I looked at him and almost laughed. I had to explain that I was au fait with modern miniatures and was indeed in the store to buy some undead pieces. He left me alone after that. I then went and looked in the revolving cabinet and rued the day that people at the store stopped caring about proper painting. There\'s nothing worse than rank upon rank of crap. People on this site start at their level and improve.

Anyhows, I\'ll be in the pub.

I spend a lot of money in the pub and would happily walk half hour to any pub worth the effort.

You can\'t buy a pint on-line

 

[donga666]

I cant believe I have read all the post in this thread (very bored at work).

BUT I used to hang around GW\'s alot, Im an Ex-redshirt. And i dont do it very often, but I do know all the staff at my local store. And it is great fun winding them up to the stage that they will send me out or are forced into being un-professional (once got the manager to tell me to \'F*** off\', a great triumph!).

But the answer to the \'how much to you spend\' question (i can answer now, single again!). Varies between 0.00 GBP and 150.00 GBP, it just depends on what I buy.......??? (or if Forgeworld have tempted me TOO much!!)

And NO I dont \'hang out\' with the sweaty gits that inhabit most games stores!!!

What a pointless post, in a \'market research\' thread!! I am bored, roll on 5pm!!

 

[Infidel Castro]

What\'s your job Donga, and where in Yorkshire are you living?

I want to send some of my exorcists to turn you to the way of light lol.

 

[green stuff]

Message original : reverend
You can\'t buy a pint on-line

Yes you can :

http://www.olddominion.com/inner_pages/06_od_store.html
http://www.northernbrewer.com/

But don\'t ask me what it tastes like .

 

[Infidel Castro]

My God....let\'s hope they don\'t spill it in transit!