RE: [DL] Where to buy (was: deadlands-digest.20010417)

[Allan Seyberth <darious@darious.com>]

 >> Conversely, quite a few retailers resent direct sales from publishers,
 ><snip>
 >> may all bent out of shape and refuse to carry PEG products anymore.
 >>
 >Sounds to me like they take it personally instead of taking the long view,
 >a) it's only business, b) you're a gamer, you're going to be in their store
 >anyway, c) asking themselves why you did it and what they can offer you
 >instead and providing it.
 >
 >However gamers are an emotional lot ... although I don't know many game
 >store owners.

Not much different, actually.

But to go over things on a point by point basis. . .
Points A and B above there are related - The game store is providing gaming 
space - it's a business cost in their rent.  If you use that space without 
buying anything it's effectively a business loss for the retailer.

 From an etiquette point of view - think about it as a friend that keeps 
coming over to your place and drinking all of your beer (or eating your 
food or . . . ), but never brings a six-pack himself. It gets old fast.

C is the key point.  The reason that a lot of retailers really soured on 
internet sales is because of price undercutting.  Why should people buy a 
case of the latest MTG cards from their store when they can get them for 
60% online.  Yet these people still come to the store to play.  Some times 
this wasn't some other retailer who was cheating, but people further up the 
food chain who were able to buy product at a discount - and passing that 
discount on to their internet customer.  These folks's only costs were 
maybe rent (if they weren't working out of their house), an ISP connection, 
and maybe an online e-commerce site fee (If they weren't using eBay).
Compare this to the game store owner who has rent, insurance, employees, 
shrinkage, etc. to deal with financially.

Now - this isn't too bad of a problem nowdays, as manufacturers are almost 
all going with internet sales BUT they are not selling below suggested 
retail price.  Instead of undercutting the retailer, they are providing 
direct and fair competition to them.  Which of course means that location 
can no longer protect the retailer.

In Steve's case the only retailer nearby is "a pit".  Where before you 
still HAD to deal with that store, you now have an option.  The store is 
not losing business because it is being undercut - but because it is a 
sloppy operation.  In order to survive the store will have to improve 
itself.  As the commercial says - "competition makes all the runners faster."

He** - the internet has also given competition to the distribution tier  - 
forcing them to adopt a far more customer service oriented policy as they 
try to offer something more than access to product.

BUT

Think back to the first time you heard of Deadlands.  I would hazard a 
guess that 85-95% of you learned about the game from someone who picked up 
the book off of a retailer's shelf - if you weren't the ones who picked it 
up there first.  The retailers are the places were games get really noticed 
and grow.








-------------------
Allan Seyberth
darious@darious.com
Deadlands fan site - http://www.darious.com/

Thundrous echoes of deep thoughts without form.