New Store, New Direction
Economics forum
Posted on June 11, 2014, 12:49 p.m. by kungfuturtle
Myself and a friend are soon to be opening the doors of our own magic store. I would like to ask everyone on here for some suggestions on what they would like to see in a store. REAL suggestions, not giveaway free Jace, the Mindsculptors and stuff like that
The first major thing we are going to do that most stores don't. 15 percent military discount.
also a loyalty program, for every 5 straight FNMs you attend the 6th is on us
Third, 10 percent discount when you buy a playset.
The last of our original ideas is, on your birthday, you get 10 dollars in store credit and a pack of sleeves.
What would you like to see
kungfuturtle says... #3
So sell snacks at a reasonable price? maybe buckfiddy for drinks and a dollar for chips/candy?
June 11, 2014 12:54 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #4
I like it all, especially the military discount. Would that be for both current soldiers and vets, or just one?
June 11, 2014 12:54 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #5
I am a military brat and my buddy is an army vet so we can tell what military id looks like so I'd give it to active duty, retired and dependents.
June 11, 2014 12:55 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #7
Awesome! Is the store going to be soley Magic, or are you going to have some other things you'll sell?
June 11, 2014 12:59 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #8
I personally plan to have seven different formats, one for each night of the week,
Modern, Pauper, Standard, Legacy, Draft, EDH, and constructed multiplayer.
Another suggestion I have gotten is, put a giant chalkboard up, to allow players to write the cards they are looking for on.
and solely magic in the beginning but branching out as we get our legs under us.
June 11, 2014 1:01 p.m.
umlweatherman says... #9
kungfuturtle I'd sell them at vending machine prices .. $1.25 for a 16oz bottle of something and $1.00 for chips or w/e. I would stick with bottles with caps.. dont want spillage...
I know stores allow the "store credit" they win or get to pay for those too.
Personally, it keeps me in/around the store if I had a quick round and maybe I see a single or something that I need that I may not have had time to look at if I needed to run out to get food/drink in between rounds.
June 11, 2014 1:04 p.m.
Not paying GST on snacks is always an awesome token of appreciation.
Another neat idea would be to assist people in ordering cards. Alot of kids don't have access to credit cards or paypal.
So having the option to order the the cards and maybe add in a surcharge for delivery and stuff would be awesome to those kids that want to order cards they can't get at any of their local metas.
June 11, 2014 1:06 p.m.
I would suggest offering more than just FNM for pre-set play times.
My LGS does an EDH league. It runs an ongoing tournament with a score system. 2 games every Saturday for 6 weeks (12 round tournament - $15 entry for the entire tournament)... then takes a few weeks off.
It's going to be switched to Sundays, simply so that the store can use it as a means of advertising its new Sunday hours.
The LGS doesn't actually run the tournament a volunteer does... but they user the $15 to offer store credit as a prize (everyone gets a minimum $5 credit) - They only break even, but they get customers coming in.
June 11, 2014 1:06 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #12
So allow players to order cards we do not have? I like that a lot. what is GST?
Store Credit will be able to purchase anything within the store.
Capped sodas are required.
I am liking all of this and writing all of this down, so please keep the ideas flowing gents
June 11, 2014 1:09 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #13
I very highly approve of the free FNM deal. Rewarding Loyalty is a great way to build a good group of people.
One thing that my LGS does is holds a Raffle. Every week we get a little ticket and the one that gets drawn gets 3 free packs. We can also use the ticket to get a discount at the various stores around us, Subway, chinese place, the like. Working with the businesses around you is also a great way to keep people coming, as you can generate business for each other and can end up with some mad discounts.
Finally, I'd say that you try your best to stick to MSRP. I know on some things, it's just unreasonable, like Modern Masters packs can't be sold for $5, but $100 boxes is always a deal-maker. Mark things up only by availability, like a box of innistrad you can sell for $180 because it is harder for you to find. But i'd say that keeping in-print boxes at $100 is a great way to generate business and beat out competition.
June 11, 2014 1:13 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #14
I have always detested jacking prices. I understand and appreciate open market economics. However selling things high will only appeal to those who can afford it.
A thing a LGS used to do was for the first week a product, such as FTV, Commander, Planechase or all of that jazz, they would sell it for MSRP. after that week they would go up to market price.
June 11, 2014 1:18 p.m.
I'd tie the loyalty program more to sales than events. I spent way more on cards than I ever did playing events. One store in my area does spend at least $10 get a stamp. Fill a card get 25% off one item. The other one did for every $10 you spend you get a stamp and the card could be used to get 10% off the entire purchase. Granted the 2nd store did a lot of miniatures sales so they frequently had massive orders. But thats my recommendation at least.
June 11, 2014 1:20 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #16
Getting into league with local businesses and colleges are a major objective for me.
Would you people be interested in having student discount? I understand, as a college student myself, that sometimes you gotta pay in pennies and quarters cause that is all you got.
June 11, 2014 1:21 p.m.
Im just going to tell you from my (people I know) experience that to run a successful card/comic shop you have to run it well, hire employees that arnt toxic or anything of the sort . Also, Im kinda sad to say but DO NOT give out welfare packs, I had a shop go out of business because they had to give away so many welfare packs. If you don't listen to my last suggestion than at least make FNMs and other events with welfare $7-$8 or more for things like Draft($15 and PTQ/IQs(Depends Usually $25-$30). Another thing is to keep the place clean and respect the players, at the aforementioned shop some of the employees turned off the lights during competitive REL and we didnt enjoy that. Also DO NOT and I mean NOT map packs, Wizards will find out and revoke your license and yes you do have to get one to run things like Game Day and PTQs. One last thing is make sure to have a judges number or be a judge cause people need rulings, and WOTC requires it. I know this may seem like a little much but trust me, my family has owned one of the most successful businesses in the state for over 20 years so I know a bit about this kind of thing. Oh and one last thing, have fun ;-)
June 11, 2014 1:22 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #19
Sales based incentives are in the works but I have not hammered out all the details in my books yet
June 11, 2014 1:22 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #20
I know I would. Not that I'd be at your store, but student discounts will definitely appeal to such students. Maybe include high school students as well?
June 11, 2014 1:24 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #21
@IzexD, thank you so much for the advice. if you have anymore I'd love to hear all of it.
So far our employees are just us, I am studying to become a judge.
I guess I do not fully understand what you are saying about "welfare packs" if you could clarify
What is pack mapping? I have heard some hearsay about it but it seems mostly like witchcraft to me. could you also explain more about that?
June 11, 2014 1:26 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #22
Any school, you got valid ID we count it. And you might be at more store, You from Southwest Missouri?
June 11, 2014 1:27 p.m.
kungfuturtle By GST i mean taxes. Its stupid having to fork out an extra 14 cents or something just to get a can of pop that costs a 1.14 or something silly like that.
fluffybunnypants YES. I couldn't agree more. You can get some pretty grimey people in playing MTG (sad to say) but seriously.
June 11, 2014 1:28 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #24
I see, embed the taxes in the prices of things, I can see doing that. Statistically people spend more money when round numbers are involved.
How would you even enforce a hygiene policy?
June 11, 2014 1:29 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #25
I've been researching some shops in the area in the hopes of writing a guide to shopkeeping as part of my Pandora's Deckbox series, but I'll summarize for you.
- Invest in good hardware. Don't go for those cheapo plastic folding chairs and IKEA card tables. There's a store near me with hardwood tables (not high-end ones, but definitely sturdy) and comfortable chairs to go with them. Every spot has a playmat on it (although players can roll their own over their spot if they like). By contrast, there's another store near me with an unswept, oil-stained floor, no AC, and crusted, broken tables.
- Take care of the shop. Put an air freshener in your bathroom and in the game room. Regularly wipe everything down before closing up and before the FNM crowd arrives. Take care of it like you would a rental car.
- Interact with your players. The good shop in my area has a sales counter that stretches between the storefront and the gaming area, so they can always interact with the players. The employees are friendly and know all of their regulars by name. Customers pick up on the relaxed atmosphere and help perpetuate it.
- Stock the right product. Keep a couple of high-end things around. Commander's Arsenals, hard-to-find singles, etc. You don't have to hand them out (although they make great prizes for a more sophisticated event), but make sure your customers know that your selection is legit. Carry a range of sleeves (Ultra-Pro, Dragon Shield, KMC), and make sure your single collection is on display. Some stores use a glass counter/case, others have binders. I'd rather see Standard/Modern singles in a glass case and older stuff in binders. Additionally, refreshments are a very welcome thing. Nothing horribly messy (you'll probably end up cleaning chip crumbs off your furniture and floor), but definitely something. The standby is water, Coke, Monster, and maybe some of those snack-pack Oreos or Chips Ahoy cookies.
- Support the formats. Definitely spring for the trinity: Limited, Standard, and Modern. Those formats cover the vast majority of players. See if you can encourage Commander players to hold some casual games while they're there as well.
Another thing I like about my "regular" LGS is that, well, it's my "regular." I don't play super often (hence the quotation marks), but this place is definitely my favorite. They offer a "member's club" for a yearly fee, and the fee gets you reduced price on snacks and packs (I'm sure they caught onto the rhyme). I'm sure there's an entry incentive for events as well (e.g. members eligible to receive a random promo or free FNM once in a while).
June 11, 2014 1:34 p.m.
strateupjee says... #26
So I just want to point out that a very good friend of mine has opened his doors fairly recently as well. He started in a stall in a flea market, and as he grew through making friends with me and my friends as well as maintaining a serious professionalism and passion for what he is doing, he has moved from the stall, to a fairly small space, to his new space with a lot of room, all in about a year and a half. I remember walking down the road with tables and chairs from his house to seat everyone who came to FNM one night. We had to sit people outside for god's sakes! The thing is though, no one minded, and we had so much fun that night because he tries VERY hard to maintain a positive, we are all bros (and friends and family) type of attitude that makes it the place to be. We have people coming from all over around here who had no idea that the owner of the store could play with you and joke and have fun.
Mainly what I'm trying to get at is, dont be one of those elitist shops. You will accrue a following by being cool guys way faster than by being "god of the nerds." (and no that isnt a stab at magic players, as I am one, it's a stab at the manager of a TBS Comics near me who is always looking at you like you are wasting his time. It is really off-putting lol)
I also really like the ideas you threw out and I may bring them up to my shop-owner friend if you dont mind xD
June 11, 2014 1:35 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #27
I agree with the hygiene policy, too. Post the sign, and ask players who smell offensive to leave the store for the night. The sign should theoretically be enough.
June 11, 2014 1:35 p.m.
An yeah, kungfuturtle I was thinking you'd be able to place bulk orders for people who need cards but don't have access to online shopping.
Ask people to make a list and tell people your ordering on the Fridays or 2nd Friday.
If my local meta did that, I bet they would be doing some solid sales through that.
June 11, 2014 1:36 p.m.
Well Welfare packs are packs you give out to everyone who signed up to FNM or whatever, meaning everyone gets packs and even though people like it, its quite bad for business, personally at my LCS the Standard people get welfare while my group which plays Legacy or Modern just play for a box which is better. But playing for a box is about $7 a person, which is a small group of about 8-16 players while standard FNMs are usually 30-50 players so they play for packs based on number of players. Each player adds a pack to the prize pool. They play $7 anyway because they get a "Welfare" pack even if they 0-3 drop. I liked it better personally when I didnt have to play so much for FNM, we used to play $4 a person with no "Welfare." As for mapping packs, its basically opening a giant math problem that can end up with all the good packs with money in them being placed off to the side while everyone else gets crap. It can also be opening of packs, replacing rares, and resealing them(a long drawn out process). I had a guy close another shop because of it after WOTC took his license and he found out 99% of his customers were Magic players.
June 11, 2014 1:39 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #30
By all means share my ideas. and I very much appreciate the don't be that guy kinda of attitude. We are just dudes doing what we love, not some bafoon with inflated egos.
June 11, 2014 1:40 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #31
That is downright criminal! (pack mapping that is) I wish I could do it for my own cards, it sure would make buying packs easier. However there will be absolutely no shenanigans like that for store stock and I swear it.
The ordering thing is quite interesting.
June 11, 2014 1:43 p.m.
Epochalyptik Nailed it there
Quality and Condition. It'll say alot about you and your shop if everything's clean and tidy and smelling great, Just makes for a much more memorable atmosphere.
There's actually a Head shop (Pot store) that holds Sunday tournaments and the store owner get's alot of people entering just due to his shop being so nice! (It's called The Quantum Leaf here in Edmonton) and he's got a couple nice little couches set up with a TV, some gaming consoles (PS3, N64, SNES even an old Arcade cabinet) on and running during tourneys for the people that finish their rounds or get eliminated, This helps just keep the crowds around for the whole tournament and helps kill time!
He also sells baked goods and whatnot that are usually made in house (which really.. everyone loves baked goods) :P
June 11, 2014 1:45 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #33
Ha, I got excited for a moment because I thought you said Michigan instead of Missouri... but no, I'm not anywhere near there.
June 11, 2014 1:46 p.m.
mathimus55 says... #34
kungfuturtle Where in SW Missouri is this shop going to be? I live in Joplin
June 11, 2014 1:47 p.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #35
Wat. I want to go to that store Caligula, if just to get my ass kicked in Smash Bros or something after I'm eliminated.
June 11, 2014 1:48 p.m.
derKochXXL says... #36
Maybe I'm to european for this conversation, but my LGS also sells coffee and water for players who dislike pops.
June 11, 2014 1:51 p.m.
A couple other things that I might add, once you get settled get a feature match area, they are cool and you can stream. Also if you want you can get a tv or something of the sort to stream the pro tour and SCG opens, in between rounds something to watch is awesome and why not make it magic. One last thing for once you get settled make a website, register the domain now so no one else takes it, but after a bit you can get a web designer to make a cool website with an online shop and a calendar, one of my favorite shops has one sparadisela.com and its great.
June 11, 2014 1:52 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #38
mathimus55 We are looking to move into either Joplin or Neosho, go to our facebook page, actually all of you go to this page and like us, we are going to start a giveaway once we hit one hundred likes and we are selling cards like crazy. So ask us for something, we probably have it.
https://www.facebook.com/thedragonscovegamesandcollectibles?ref_type=bookmark
June 11, 2014 1:53 p.m.
billmartin98 says... #39
A couple things my LGS does or did to really bring in customers was there first few fnm's were free entry for everyone, with packs as the prize support. And all there current standard packs they sell 3 for 10 dollars. Dont expect to make money your first year, if you can break even on your expenditures to what you bring in for your first year, you made it.
June 11, 2014 1:54 p.m.
brandontraps says... #41
I go to two game stores. One I like way better than the other but its a lot further. I drive an extra 30 minutes because:
The bathrooms are clean.
The staff is friendly and so are the players. (This is the main reason, you can tell they all have fun together)
They don't price gouge and buy at a higher price.
The table tops are matted in case you dont have or forgot your playmat.
They have modern events.
Check out your competition and see how you can be a point of difference from the local stores already there.
June 11, 2014 1:55 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #42
Depending on the locale of the store, you may want to designate a place for smokers somewhere around your building, if you're alright with that sort of thing. One shop that some friends go to disapproves of legitimate smoking, but there is a vapor store right next door that everyone goes to and they are very open about the e-cigarettes. I'd say that you definitely need to choose your stance on that as it can be a major turn on or turn off to a lot of players.
June 11, 2014 1:56 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #43
I say no smoking in shop, obviously, of any kind. and none on the store front, to nonsmokers it kinda sucks walking through a haze of tobacco or worse. I'd put the smoking section off to the side of the shop. but I'd be gracious enough to put a rain guard up.
June 11, 2014 1:58 p.m.
Yeah GoldGhost012 it's an amazing shop. They do all sorts of console tourneys too (GoldenEye, SF4, Mario Kart etc.)
Just a beautiful shop all around.
https://www.facebook.com/QuantumLeafYEG
Shop link if you wanna look at some photos of what it looks like
June 11, 2014 2:03 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #45
The rain guard is a thoughtful touch.
A note about decor: tasteful, but interesting. My favorite LGS has some prints of alters a regular did, and they're really nice. The Liliana of the Veil alter is a little on the 18+ side, but it's good. They also have hanging frames with card collections in them. One is a collection of Rats (because the gaming area is called the Rat's Nest), and I think the other is a collection of Angels (it's been a while since I've been there). They also have a wall with event winners' pictures. The room has hardwood floors, finished walls, etc.
See if you can arrange some friendly inter-store tournaments as well. There's a league around here where one store hosts a tournament in which each regional store enters representatives. The winning store gets a placard with the names of the winners, and that store hosts the next event. It's a nice way to draw attention within the region, and it helps expand all the stores' player bases.
June 11, 2014 2:08 p.m.
Make as many purchase combinations go to even dollar or quarter increments (including tax) as possible.
In ye olde days before the economy went belly up the drug store across the street from my high school sold ice cream for $0.25 a cup, including tax. VERY popular date location. That won't fly these days--I did the math after he closed down--BUT my cursory math says you could do $0.50 a cup including tax and get just less than 30% markup. (I assumed my local wholesale prices and taxes). Free cup to quarterfinalists or higher in FNM?
June 11, 2014 2:13 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #47
City Championship!!!! and I love the idea of honoring winners of tournaments
June 11, 2014 2:14 p.m.
Gator_Is+Beast says... #48
A store in my area does free fnm and they have a rewards program for every 100 u spend at the store you get 10 bucks in store credit. I buy stuff there just because of there reward program.
June 11, 2014 2:14 p.m.
kungfuturtle says... #49
I cannot condone free FNM, If i am going to be giving stuff away for prizes, you gotta pay me
June 11, 2014 2:16 p.m.
Rasta_Viking29 says... #50
My LGS invested in a projector a few months ago and it is great. Rather than printing out pairings and everyone having to gather around they just project it onto the wall which can be seen from anywhere in the shop. They also use it to during rounds to display the round timer and upcoming events. On the weekend they stream the big Magic tourneys and also the NFL on Sundays when it's in season. I'm pretty sure they get out of it every penny they paid for it and it's much more versatile than a TV.
umlweatherman says... #2
One thing that I enjoyed at some stores' FNMs is not-so-price-gouged drinks and snacks. Obviously you cant sell them at cost but don't put it so high that it isn't worth it.
June 11, 2014 12:52 p.m.