Another game store gone
Except this time not by fire. Cex in the Federal Way Mall is gone. No idea when they closed. I tried going there today and it looks like some black light thing has moved into their space. They no longer have that store listed on their website as well so it's gone for good.
I'm less sad about this one but kinda still bummed. This was the last game store close to me...now I'll have to go out to Seattle or Tacoma for game stores.
I'm less sad about this one but kinda still bummed. This was the last game store close to me...now I'll have to go out to Seattle or Tacoma for game stores.
Comments
So what do we do here? Have a candle light vigil for every game store that goes under?
Maybe we can track this kind of thing for proof that the retro gaming bubble has started to burst. Hopefully in a year or two we'll be finding more games and for cheaper prices. Hate to see these stores close at the same time. Catch 22.
I'm not just talking about overhead, I seriously blame the internet for the reason why most physical stores don't do good on their own. Nobody wants to go out and support local business because it's much simpler to just stay home and buy things online. Not only that, for game store owners, they have to deal with the impending doom that is "digital distribution". Without physical media, there'd be no need for brick and mortar stores, warehouses, storage... game companies don't have to deal with dropping any cash for creating tangible items, and they don't have to worry about people just buying pre-owned games were they believe that they're loosing out on the money made on new games because people are buying used instead of new.
Ways to help support your favorite game store:
* Spread the word. Ask for business cards, pass 'em out. Make sure to share, fave and rate their Facebook (If they have one) or where ever ratings are applicable.
* Try to trade for credit rather than cash. Trust me, it's hard to stay in business when all a store does is GIVE AWAY money. They could make it back on the resells, but that's IF it sells. Plus, credit is usually a lot more than cash, so you'd be getting more stuff in the long run.
* Don't try and trade stuff that doesn't seem to move. Depending on area, sports games and shovelware are the worst sellers. If they give you a .50 cent credit for each game and you trade 120 Maddens for one awesome game that gets sold out in every store, then... well, you're just a doo-doo head. lol You would be literally leaving a bunch of games they can't move, thus can't get the profit they need to buy games that can move.
* If you can, try to buy new instead of used for games that JUST hit the market. "Well won't used games yield more profit for the businesses?" Let me explain. This helps both game companies and businesses. Companies will get off businesses backs because they're making dough, and businesses can make back their originally perceived profit. A game bought by a business that was like $57.00 wholesale, and they sold it for $59.99 for a few bucks profit, what will happen when it inevitably drops down in price in a month? If it's something like $45.00, they've already lost money. If a game's been out for a while, don't worry about it too much, but the sooner the better.
* Buy accessories! A lot more wiggle room in profit for a business in accessories than in software.
* Visit and buy often, but don't take too much of their time. It's a place of work and business, not a best friend's hangout. Of course, this depends on the person, and on slow days, long chats are fine... however, if they're shooting the breeze with you and not helping any other customer, that could be a problem.
As someone who's worked at a game store for under 2 decades, I can only imagine what it'd take to upkeep these mom n' pop shops and keep them open, especially in today's time. I'm surprised that we're still around at least.
I'm not just talking about overhead, I seriously blame the internet for the reason why most physical stores don't do good on their own. Nobody wants to go out and support local business because it's much simpler to just stay home and buy things online. Not only that, for game store owners, they have to deal with the impending doom that is "digital distribution". Without physical media, there'd be no need for brick and mortar stores, warehouses, storage... game companies don't have to deal with dropping any cash for creating tangible items, and they don't have to worry about people just buying pre-owned games were they believe that they're loosing out on the money made on new games because people are buying used instead of new.
Ways to help support your favorite game store:
* Spread the word. Ask for business cards, pass 'em out. Make sure to share, fave and rate their Facebook (If they have one) or where ever ratings are applicable.
* Try to trade for credit rather than cash. Trust me, it's hard to stay in business when all a store does is GIVE AWAY money. They could make it back on the resells, but that's IF it sells. Plus, credit is usually a lot more than cash, so you'd be getting more stuff in the long run.
* Don't try and trade stuff that doesn't seem to move. Depending on area, sports games and shovelware are the worst sellers. If they give you a .50 cent credit for each game and you trade 120 Maddens for one awesome game that gets sold out in every store, then... well, you're just a doo-doo head. lol You would be literally leaving a bunch of games they can't move, thus can't get the profit they need to buy games that can move.
* If you can, try to buy new instead of used for games that JUST hit the market. "Well won't used games yield more profit for the businesses?" Let me explain. This helps both game companies and businesses. Companies will get off businesses backs because they're making dough, and businesses can make back their originally perceived profit. A game bought by a business that was like $57.00 wholesale, and they sold it for $59.99 for a few bucks profit, what will happen when it inevitably drops down in price in a month? If it's something like $45.00, they've already lost money. If a game's been out for a while, don't worry about it too much, but the sooner the better.
* Buy accessories! A lot more wiggle room in profit for a business in accessories than in software.
* Visit and buy often, but don't take too much of their time. It's a place of work and business, not a best friend's hangout. Of course, this depends on the person, and on slow days, long chats are fine... however, if they're shooting the breeze with you and not helping any other customer, that could be a problem.
Good advice there. I want to see my local Game Xchange stay in business. I actually don't trade in anything since I only buy things I plan on keeping. I've even not returned dead carts because 1) The few I've bought that don't work, they don't exactly have others laying around and I have hope that when I get around to more intensive cleaning maybe I can make them work. 2) I bought a Galaga Atari 7800 that won't work and they didn't have any others. Didn't want to see it get thrown in the trash and atleast it looks nice with my other 7800 carts so I took the hit on the $5. Plus that's not that much money anyway. I do feel a little sick when I go in to Game Xchange and see a 50yo person with 80 or so DVDs on the counter. Just several large stacks. They're not looking around the store. Just standing there finding out how much they can get. It seems to work out that there is only one person working when this happens and they are spending tons of time checking and looking up each movie and breaking away to help customers in between. I know the person is just trying to get cash for old DVDs and the store is just going to be stuck with that much more. It feels like they will have so much cash tied up in DVDs that nobody wants that it will eventually run the store into the ground. I do buy DVDs here and there, but the 4 or 5 I buy a year is little help when people bring in stacks often. I really hope I'm not watching my game store die a slow death.
Yeah and what Bounce said he just nailed that sucker home.
So what do we do here? Have a candle light vigil for every game store that goes under?
Maybe we can track this kind of thing for proof that the retro gaming bubble has started to burst. Hopefully in a year or two we'll be finding more games and for cheaper prices. Hate to see these stores close at the same time. Catch 22.
Not a sign of anything. Any store that focuses on retro games are hard to keep open, and plenty have closed over the years.
So what do we do here? Have a candle light vigil for every game store that goes under?
Maybe we can track this kind of thing for proof that the retro gaming bubble has started to burst. Hopefully in a year or two we'll be finding more games and for cheaper prices. Hate to see these stores close at the same time. Catch 22.
Not a sign of anything. Any store that focuses on retro games are hard to keep open, and plenty have closed over the years.
It's true, it's damn true.
I've seen aboot a dozen open and close over the years in my area.
you also have to have the right area and demand for it. Not everywhere can have a game store and be successfull.
you also need other avenues(i.e. Online) to sell on for the harder to sell stuff locally. Cant be sitting on 20,000 duplicate dvds and sports games, and crates full of old skylander figures. Successful stores will adapt and shift.
So, yeah, dabbling in other things probably helps.
Board games are another hot item, and I feel like there is a big opportunity to sell them used, especially since high shipping costs and fragile boxes make online shopping less ideal, and most sellers seem to sell them new at 100% MSRP. $20 copies of Catan would sell right and left.
Of course you'd have to go through the game piece by piece to see if anything is missing, so perhaps that is where it becomes more trouble than its worth
Originally posted by: quest4nes
You cant just sell games. You have to appeal to more people and you cant have a boring store.
you also have to have the right area and demand for it. Not everywhere can have a game store and be successfull.
you also need other avenues(i.e. Online) to sell on for the harder to sell stuff locally. Cant be sitting on 20,000 duplicate dvds and sports games, and crates full of old skylander figures. Successful stores will adapt and shift.
Can't you just let the bubble bursting doomsayers have their 4 minutes in the light, without using logic? Yeesh
You cant just sell games. You have to appeal to more people and you cant have a boring store.
you also have to have the right area and demand for it. Not everywhere can have a game store and be successfull.
you also need other avenues(i.e. Online) to sell on for the harder to sell stuff locally. Cant be sitting on 20,000 duplicate dvds and sports games, and crates full of old skylander figures. Successful stores will adapt and shift.
Can't you just let the bubble bursting doomsayers have their 4 minutes in the light, without using logic? Yeesh
LOL! It's very much true though.
I agree that you have to be in the right area for it. Just because an area is cheap, doen't mean you'll have good business there. Population, income, foot traffic, demand, interest... all that and more goes into play when opening up a game store (or any store for that matter)
Pretty much one of the reasons why some personally owned franchises still are around is probably due to the demographic surrounding it.
I used to get bummed when that happened but honestly, these days brick and mortar shops are no better then the trash you find on the bay. Hell, just a few weeks ago I was so excited that I found a Snow Brothers in the wild, only to find out that it was a reproduction. Now the shop owner was cool enough to let me know it was a repro (as he should when it comes to anyone selling them) but the fact he was charging 90$ for them had be floored. Just because the real game is rare doesn't make the fake one any more rare... ugh, I couldn't even.
anything over 30-35 for a repro of a normal game is a joke. Why do shop owners charge like this. I personally would never sell it in my store. Or even take it in for any money. But I see these overpriced repros all the time popping up at shops people post about. I get cool stuff that wasnt a retail release, but snow bros for 90 bucks? ugh, did you question the price? what did the person tell you?
One place I go to locally also sells Magic The Gathering stuff and holds tournaments. Half the store is actually like dedicated with tables and stuff for people to come in and play casually. The other store close to me also serves as a certified or licensed (some word to make them official) Apple dealer and repair shop.
So, yeah, dabbling in other things probably helps.
Ugh that place. Wasn't a huge fan of the owner...seemed to have more pressing matters on his mind then helping me (like talking to his friends who were playing Magic that day...) find stuff. Last time I went in there it was super unorganized and nothing was priced. I asked him what prices were and he made a show of sighing heavily, rolling his eyes and finally taking the games back to his computer and looking up prices...
The weird thing about Cex is they have other stores...they're not as big as Gamestop but they have multiple stores. They also don't just sell video games...so they fit into that "doing something other then selling games" thing. They sold DVDs/Blu Rays/Phones/Laptops/MP3 players and just about any other hand held portable electronic device (the occassional PSP/Vita popped up there...but not GBA or older). All used of course. And every time I went in people were in there...trading in or buying so it just seems...weird that they'd close. I think they were doing ok from what I saw...as ok as one can be hidden away in the mall.
One place I go to locally also sells Magic The Gathering stuff and holds tournaments. Half the store is actually like dedicated with tables and stuff for people to come in and play casually. The other store close to me also serves as a certified or licensed (some word to make them official) Apple dealer and repair shop.
So, yeah, dabbling in other things probably helps.
Ugh that place. Wasn't a huge fan of the owner...seemed to have more pressing matters on his mind then helping me (like talking to his friends who were playing Magic that day...) find stuff. Last time I went in there it was super unorganized and nothing was priced. I asked him what prices were and he made a show of sighing heavily, rolling his eyes and finally taking the games back to his computer and looking up prices...
The weird thing about Cex is they have other stores...they're not as big as Gamestop but they have multiple stores. They also don't just sell video games...so they fit into that "doing something other then selling games" thing. They sold DVDs/Blu Rays/Phones/Laptops/MP3 players and just about any other hand held portable electronic device (the occassional PSP/Vita popped up there...but not GBA or older). All used of course. And every time I went in people were in there...trading in or buying so it just seems...weird that they'd close. I think they were doing ok from what I saw...as ok as one can be hidden away in the mall.
People trading and/or buying $1 dvds isn't going to make the business money. If that's all they had (retro games and dvds), it's no wonder they closed shop. As stated several times, you have to offer something that's actually popular that makes money. TCC games, board games, tabletops, etc., are all needed if dealing with old games.
I've noticed that myself that shops that are holding card tournaments in the back, the owner and employees are often too engorged in the card game to even tend the register. I've definitely walked out of places without buying anything before because a card game was being treated as too important to handle my purchase.
Witnessed this first-hand in a store with quite a B.O. smell outside of Livermore CA. The guy seemed genuinely irritated to have to help me with my purchase. I'm a stubborn asshole though so there was no way I was leaving without him getting his lazy ass up.
I've noticed that myself that shops that are holding card tournaments in the back, the owner and employees are often too engorged in the card game to even tend the register. I've definitely walked out of places without buying anything before because a card game was being treated as too important to handle my purchase.
Witnessed this first-hand in a store with quite a B.O. smell outside of Livermore CA. The guy seemed genuinely irritated to have to help me with my purchase. I'm a stubborn asshole though so there was no way I was leaving without him getting his lazy ass up.
Amen. I'm stubborn as a mule when it comes to games. Not an asshole though, but I will stand there and keep standing there, giving the guy working there dirty looks until he helps me. Of course I also ask them for help, but not everyone responds to that...shouldn't be working there if they're not going to help. I have to assume they're the owners or someone near the top of the food chain if they act like that.