Store Ideas
General forum
Posted on June 18, 2013, 5:15 p.m. by PureSteel
I'll begin with some back story.
Last semester I was sitting through Org. Chem. 1 and I thought to myself "man, this blows." After some thinking and support from my friends and family I decided to pursue a Business Management degree and I hope to one day open my own comic/hobby store (with sanctioned MtG of course). I have done tons of research and know what to expect financially, as well as all the work that goes into it. I've contacted distributors and store owners, but I want to know what you (the community) looks for in a store.
When visiting a store like this what appeals to you and what do you hate seeing and what, if any, tips would you give me. Thanks!
actiontech says... #3
I think it's mostly about the people that work there. We have two stores in my small-ish town and I only ever visit one of them because the guys working there are cool and laid back, and they all play Magic with anyone that wants to sit down for a game (assuming they aren't swamped anyway.) The other store is operated by a troll who grunts and growls at everyone and is generally just there to absorb your cash. Even though the troll has a bigger nicer place nobody I know goes there because he's so acidic.
Good luck!
June 18, 2013 6:03 p.m.
first i work as a designer in, in the oil and gas engineering field, i also weld, blacksmith, and work in visual arts, as well as a few other odds and sods.... visual presentation can turn me off as quick as a bad attitude.
what do i look for... how things are laid out, do they understand their products, and their consumer base. is their gaming area free of obstructions... or did they cram it full of stuff and additional seating they really have not right to have. use of space is important to me, and yes i understand a game store is going to cram as much as they can in... but do they keep it functional and visually apealing while doing this... or do they make a hash of it with product sitting about the floor. in random piles
the tables and chairs.... i cring when i walk into a store and run back out to the car to get additional playmats so that no one has to touch the table top... yes i have been in places that i wondered when the last time the tables saw a bucket of soap and water. plastic lawn chairs... as chairs... ya... seen this one way to many times.... i can understand it as extras, ie a really busy night or a pre release event... but every day.... ya... unless you are serving beer and have a sun roof... please no....
display cases and racks.... ugh... ya i understand over time they start to show their age... but my word... shut the store down for a weekend and clean them up... the rack falling apart come back a week later it is still there untouched, inquired about it, told it had been like that for a year or so... the case with the broken glass and duct tape keeping it together, the massive chip of paint missing from the side of the display case, ya... seen it all and worse
as SwiftDeath said atmosphere and staff attitude,
yes i spend a lot of money and my lgs know it, how ever if someone panders to me while ignoring the kid getting a single pack or a handful of commons out of the commons bin... ya i am walking out of there. and yes this one has happened before as well. i was waiting the D bag ignores the kid in front of me and asks me what i want, i said help him out first, got a cock eyed look from him before he helped the kid, while he was i walked out. i went to another store and picked up a case of cards for a dragons maze draft weekend with some friends that were coming into town.and yes that stores sales guys work on commission bonuses
staff... do they know what they are talking about? really do they know?... if they do wonderful, if they don't keep them away from the product until they get it...
game nights, are they listed as casual or competitive, does your area have enough people to support a healthy competitive sceen? casual is fine... but i want a challenge.. do you have enough floor space to run two or three games at once IE, magic and warhammer.... will you have casual open gaming or will it be assigned nights.
store advertising, on life counter sheets, playmats, ect... i love to collect them when i can. so i can see all the places i have played. ya i know geek moment.
all things i look for...
June 18, 2013 6:18 p.m.
In terms of magic, format variety. My local store that's 10 minutes away does drafts for FNM every week, which gets a bit boring and redundant after the first time. If they offered Standard, Modern, or Legacy sanctioned tournaments, then I would be interested, since I have a tier 1 modern deck, a tier 2 legacy deck, and a budget Standard deck. Pauper is another format that could be cool to get into. Talk to every player that comes into your store. Take a survey or run a vote for tournaments, but appeal to everyone if possible by helping people get into whatever format they want to by offering each format (even as a fun tournament) every month. Unsanctioned events like Pauper and EDH make good middle-of-the-week activities, while more official formats are good on weekends.
Personality and openness is also pretty important, as mentioned above. Having more experienced players donate leftover draft stuff to a small box used to teach new players is a good idea also.
However, do not take advantage of players by advertising cards as good so you can sell them. I had someone running a store tell me that Render Silent was the next big thing against Naya Blitz, because, "it stops them from chaining BTEs." Anybody who actually bothers to read the card will find out that BTE triggers on entering the battlefield, and for three mana anyone would rather have Essence Scatter or Dissipate
June 18, 2013 6:29 p.m.
Thanks for all the feedback so far! This has given me a lot to think about! As several of you has mentioned the issues with the staff and atmosphere is big when it comes to returning customers. I plan on having a trusted friend or two work with me for the first year or so and one of my top priority's is customer service. As far as atmosphere goes i know i dont want to have a white-wall run of the mill store so I wonder if a theme would appeal to customers ie. magical forest, moon, anime, other cool themes. or perhaps just posters. This also depends on the size of the building i can get.
Also i should point out, I've only been to store on three different occasions, due to the fact that the closes one is 85 miles from my house and 70 from my college. Its not even that impressive of a store. i plan on spending the next year in Houston Texas and visiting all the stores i can.
Thanks again for all the feedback!
June 18, 2013 6:55 p.m.
Something that I find important is making sure the environment is welcoming to new players. I only just got onto magic seriously within the last few months, and even though I'd been going to the same store for 2 years I was intimidated going to my first FNM, because I'm 15 and assumed I'd mess up phase orders and such and get called out by the 30 year old dudes who win PTQs in the area. Try having events specifically to cater to new or younger audiences, and if somebody is being an asshole don't be afraid to call them out.
Oh, and have a good ref ;D
June 18, 2013 7:13 p.m.
Great idea, maybe have an intro to magic (and other games) event every so often?
June 18, 2013 7:34 p.m.
Yea, and even something like an 18-and-under tournament every so often so younger kids can approach better and get used to a tournament environment could help players who aren't necessarily new but still young. I know kids who aren't in high school that have impressive tier 2 decks and thorough understanding of magic even if they aren't Grand Prix material.
June 18, 2013 7:38 p.m.
yea, i also like the idea that DNSolver brought up with the box of cards for new players. maybe have a big box of select commons, uncommons, and maybe rares that senior player including myself would donate for new players to try out and the cards would be returned before they leave so the next individual can try their hand at deck building and perhaps play against other new players. i plan to donate my entire collection except for my favorite modern and edh deck.
And this is what im thinking for the floor:
June 18, 2013 8:16 p.m.
Location is very important for a tournament location, to be more specific you want to be right by many types of restaurants and food places and stay in good standing with those places, maybe even convince them of some discounts or (if they have it) free delivery to your store, if your shop becomes a good place for mtg you will be bringing many hungry customers to those restaurants at least once a week. Another route you could try would be discouraging outside food, but that's not the best idea if it's just to encourage the sales of your snacks as quite often mtg players will decide to wait after the tournament to eat or sometimes will walk up to your store with the food, see the sign, and eat all the food just outside. Now if the player base is childish with leaving trash around the play area banning food can make more sense.
Another thing is to ensure your store has extremely good AC, large tournaments brings in many large gamers which can make the environment almost unplayable, which can result in many people more willing to leave if their record is bad instead of staying for side events.
Another thing your store might want is to have a staff member who can start up sanctioned events on while the store is open and encourage casual tournaments/events with small entry fees and prizes (one example would be two man standard matches where the entry fee is half the price of a pack and the winner of that match gets a pack of cards), that way you can have playgroup that keep the store busy almost daily.
June 18, 2013 8:20 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #12
My friends often tell me I should have gone that route. Business is kind of instinctive to me.
The first thing I must stress is customer relations. Find out where you want to put your shop. Do research and figure out all of the competition in the area. Are there local players who are unhappy with their other options? Are the majority of players already established regulars at other stores? What do these players look for in a store, and what isn't already being provided by existing stores?
The second thing. Give the players a clean environment. My university town's LGS is a shithole. The front of house is dirty and cramped, and the back of house is unbelievably disgusting, hot, and decrepit. Players are kind of forced to go, though, because it's the only LGS reachable without a car. The one up the highway is nice, open, and air conditioned. The playing facility has great tables with real chairs and playmats on every spot. And the bathroom is clean. I cannot stress how important that is.
Third, know your prices. You aren't Star City. Give the players lower prices (even if it's TCG market or a dollar or two under SCG). It sends the message that you've done your research and are willing to reward customers with some savings in exchange for their patronage. Be smart about buying collections and opening/offering product. Don't shaft people on preorders or availability if you promise them. If an issue arises, let them know that you're working on their side and doing what you can to get more of what they want. Think about offering a membership or "regulars" bonus. The nicer of my two stores offers reasonably discounted product, snacks, fees, etc. to those with annual memberships.
Fourth, hire competent staff. Cheap labor is good for the bottom line, but good labor is great for the prime time. Knowledgeable and friendly staff will generate important impressions and handle themselves without much (if any) micromanagement. Don't be the owner who has never played any of the board games in the shop or who doesn't follow trends in the table gaming community. You don't need to be an expert, but you need to be able to explain your products and make recommendations to walk-ins. Having laid-back employees who are enthusiastic about the products and the environment of your store is key. Make friends with the regulars, and let everyone know it's great to see them in the shop.
Fifth, keep your prices updated. My university LGS has massive binders with pre-priced tags on the binder pages. All the tags are out-of-date. Some days I'm looking at $15 Green Sun's Zenith s and other days I'm buying 20 copies of Umezawa's Jitte for 10 each. It's a nightmare to update anything in such a system, and your customers will lose faith in your pricing system. Instead, think about keeping dynamic prices (for singles) on a computer.
Seventh, get a judge or take the L1 exam yourself. An in-house judge is an invaluable asset to any store that wants to run smooth and organized events. Someone needs to be available to make an appropriate call, even if it means searching the CR and Oracle rulings for a player. Also, take a look at the meta that forms in your shop.
Remember that your store is a statement of your ambition and ideas, but it's also a reflection of how you feel about the customer. If your floor layout is unthoughtful and claustrophobic, nobody will bother to stroll around the shop. If your play area is dirty and humid, nobody will be patient enough to play in events.
When it comes to actually setting everything up, invest early in good quality furniture and utilities so they cost less to maintain and give off a welcoming vibe. Peruse the other shops in the area and get a feel for what people might want beyond just Magic cards. Think about starting with a sampler of popular games and then putting up a sign at the register that reads "we take requests." Let your customers tell you what they like to play and you'll always have a market. Let them know you're willing to listen to requests, comments, criticisms, and suggestions and act on them to better their experience.
June 18, 2013 8:40 p.m.
Bobgalarneau says... #13
A good thing is also to have other products, sports cards, comics, other card games, board games are all good markets. Just make sure to know what you are selling.
Open late on week ends!! Some store close at 6 pm... It's a shame. As a magic player i just find it awsome to see some kids in pokemon jumpsuit getting in for a night event after we just finished our tournament.
Make sure the store is big enough so when you host a big event, everyone have some room and it does not get too hot inside the store, nothing smells worst than 50-100 mtg gamer in a hot box
June 18, 2013 8:55 p.m.
What I think would be cool, although this is mostly just related to Bobgalarneau's post, is to have a store with Comics, Figures, Cards (Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh included), and Records all in one place. Have people on staff who can value things and people can sell collections, catch FNM, or play the D&D Encounters on a Wednesday afternoon.
Again, not related, just my dreams haha
June 18, 2013 8:59 p.m.
Bobgalarneau says... #15
My LGS have all that, but they are only learning about pokemon and yu-gi-oh. They host event for magic, pokemon, yu-gi-oh. There is a warhammer league and some other board games. They have comics and manga too.
Also some flatscreen to display the matchup and scores is way better than having to yell at your customers...
I just forgot something, i got chron disease and stoped going at events of a store because of their creapy disgusting bathroom. Have a clean bathroom in your store.
June 18, 2013 9:07 p.m.
As expected, great post Epochalyptik! You make several invaluable points in your post. I'm constantly hearing about issues players have at stores and I've always wondered how owners could be so ignorant to the customers wants. I plan on running the store like I do my house (It will be my home away from home) with the utmost care. I have given a lot of thought in to taking the test to be a judge. in high school I always played the part of resident rule book. The problem with that is I don't have a judge to shadow, at least not at the moment. I cant think of a good system of keeping the prices up dated on singles except for a barcode system that updated with some sort of program but I have little coding experience. As far as other products, I've looked into board game distributors as i plan on including them, as far as yu-gi-oh and pokemon go I will expand into them as time goes on (I play both and would like to see them included, Constellars FTW!) Im going to have to write some of this down, thanks!
I also want to say thank you so much to every one for this support, this is by far the best online community that I've had the honor of being a part of. I took this idea to other websites but the people weren't near as encouraging, sometimes even discouraging.
I hope that in a couple of years I can post a successful story of a dream turned reality. and your help in this is making it that much more possible. so thank you tappedout community
June 18, 2013 9:07 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #17
Honestly, the way singles tend to be sold, you could just look them up at point-of-sale. Let customers flip through binders and have an employee price check anything the customer wants.
As for judges, ask around the area or even check with the DCI itself.
Remember, business don't always succeed. If things aren't looking up, ask your customers for ideas and think carefully about what's best for the store. Your customers are everything to you - they are your lifeblood in times of success and your crutch in times of hardship. Build a relationship with them and be happy to see each other.
June 18, 2013 9:25 p.m.
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #18
I've been to a few stores where the pricing is all done point-of-sale. It's really convenient because you know you'll be getting a fair price.
My local shop just writes prices on card sleeves, and updates them rarely, if ever. Before the ban I picked up a Second Sunrise for $2 and turned it that day in a trade. I've also seen Bonfire of the Damned in his case, still for $50.
Don't be that shop owner.
June 18, 2013 11:11 p.m.
A shop is all about communication with it's customers and players. Be open to suggestions from the players about including more formats in tournaments. Be open to critcisizm about shop layout, atmosphere, events, etc.
A shop should be able to adapt to it's customer's wants and needs, but still be diverse enough to attract all kinds of gamers.
My LGS obviously focuses on Magic and Warhammer, but has a huge variety of board games, D&D product, etc., that the staff of the shop are all knowledgable about. It is fine to specialize into one or two games, but always stay informed and well stocked in other games.
I could go on, but a bunch of the things I have to say have been repeated in earlier posts.
Hope I helped!
June 19, 2013 12:42 a.m.
KrazyCaley says... #20
Atmosphere is really king. Check out interior pictures of Pasadena's Game Empire - it's spacious, clean, plenty of tables, place is buzzing with players, they have AWESOME wall art, etc.
SwiftDeath says... #2
Any store i go to it is always the atmosphere. It is a game that is supposed to be fun and enjoyable for all and when you go to a store the workers and community make it or break it. An example of a bad atmosphere in my local area is Fun For All aka Fun For None. the people are to competitive to have fun and the workers only help those who are considered regulars or big spenders. Another great thing to have is Variety. There are many different types of hobbies and interests the more you cater to the better your store will be and it gets you a more diverse range of costumers.
I thought about taking Business as a secondary to 3D animation and I have taken several business classes myself. Good luck with everything and hope this helps.
June 18, 2013 5:29 p.m.