Re: The Discount Wars

From: Kelvin <kx.henderson_at_...>
Date: Mon, 03 Jul 2000 14:19:51 +1000

At 04:31 PM 7/2/00 -0500, Peter wrote:
>Hi!
>
>If you're running a business, regardless or your background, you are in it
>for making money, once you lose money you will close. As they say even the
>best hobby in the world becomes boring if its work. The truth most
>successful big hobby shops treat it as a business first, this is not to say
>that they are boorish people, quite the contrary, most successful stores
>excel at customer service that's why the are on top. but it is still a
>business.

<Snip large but accurate argument>

Amen to that Peter. I can only heartily agree with you. Too many gaming
stores are opened by people only because they love the hobby and not
because they are going to treat it as a business as well. These tend to be
the stores that go down the tubes before the others. I've contemplated
opening a gaming store here in Brisbane for a while now and intend to run
my business exactly as you described.

Sure, I love gaming and sure, I'm pretty darned anti-GW but that wouldn't
stop me stocking their stuff and promoting it if it sells. If I ever got
around to it, I'd set up my store to MAKE MONEY, not just cause I love the
hobby. If GW junkies come into the store, I won't push them away and tell
them that GW sucks. If they like the game, I'll sell it to them. I'll
hold gaming and/or painting nights (like GW's gaming nights) and have demo
tables with various game systems ready to go at a moment's notice (space
permitting of course). I'd promote the games as they come in by running
demos once a week. Sure an on-line store can sell for less, but I'll make
up the short-fall by providing a place to play, painted miniatures to fawn
over and a face to talk to. In the end I'll play to the strengths of what
having a store-front means (as Peter pointed out).

I too have read the On-line vs Real Store argument and have gotten quite
sick of the knee-jerk reaction many of the store owners have against the
on-line stores. "I'm losing money therefore it must be the on-line stores"
is getting old. In some cases, yes, that might be happening. But if
you're losing money, look closer to home first. See if there's anything
you can change at your local level to improve sales before you go blaming
someone else. That's how the bigger stores operate (and how the bigger
stores got to be bigger stores in the first place).


-Kelvin....

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         "Of course I'm paranoid!
       Everyone's trying to kill me."
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Received on Mon Jul 03 2000 - 04:19:51 UTC