Opinions on my store

[Drexel923]

Well my store will be open for a year next month (in my current location) but things aren't the best. Things have been slow since January...it picked up a little last month, but even now its mostly dead. I'm not really in trouble but I need help figuring out what to do next. I'm looking for opinions on ways to make the store better and hopefully draw more customers.

I know most of you haven't been to my store...so I'm looking for any ideas on what you would like to see in a perfect store. Hopefully this will help spark something that I haven't considered yet.

[Kejoriv]

how about use some free advertising (craigslist)

You could also sell some stuff on cragslist, which would then bring people to the store

offer a coupon in the local high school newspaper

it looks like you are in a strip mall, why dont you try to co-advertise somewhere where a lot of people see (say a little league ball park) with another store

have a customer loyalty card where if you buy a certain amount of games the next one is free under a certain price

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

here's the list of things i'd like to have in my dream store (or my own if i ever make one):


-make it a hangout, not just a store: make your store the barnes&noble for your local gamers; a place where they can hang out, talk and play games (not to mention buy overpriced snacks & energy drinks!). also, most gamers are night owls. don't close at 9pm like gamestop, at least on fri/sat.

-get the right atmosphere: ceiling tile and fluorescent lights don't spell fun to me. make the place intimate and relaxed. you want people to immediately see the difference between your store and say... gamestop. see if you can get an art student to get some vg art on the walls. old ads and posters would be good too.

-getting people in the store: have a street fighter tourney, or a raffle. anything to get people in the store and having a good time.

oh, and get a pretty girl to be your cashier. works every time:)

[Dangerboy]

Hey Drex,

I've never wanted to really own my own store, however, at least from a corporate store assistant manager, here's a few things that I both unintentionally discovered, and was told by customers of mine.

1. Have an annual sale
Now obviously the easiest sale would be a Buy 2 get 1 free or just offer some percentage off, but the important part is how often it happens. Truth be told, even *I* was jonesing for GS's B2G1F sale so much I actually e-mailed our DM wondering where it went. Maybe like 1 day a month, have that "special sale". That way you could have some people planning around their schedule when to show up and spend money. Always make it the same day (Like "4th Friday!") and you'll start to get a regular set coming in.

2. Banter is the best sales pitch.
A customer actually confessed this to me and a co-worker the other day. While my co-worker and I were discussing our usual bizarre topics, a customer was in the 360 section, but every time I looked over, they had this weird smile on their face. After the joking session subsided with my co-worker, the customer stood up and said, "You know, I had to admit this; I come in here sometimes just to listen to you guys banter. It's hysterical."

After hearing that, I usually now make it a hobby to make a funny fact about a game known to customers looking for something, and that allows for banter between customer and associate. I can't tell you how many Rayman Raving Rabbids for Wii I've sold simply by telling, and then miming, to a customer how you have to 'speed-milk' a cow.

My other other co-worker and I now usually make bizarre discussions a staple if we have customers in the store. After our rounds of checking on people, we'll just start going at it. We actually had a 3 customer / 2 employee discussion one day about how Mario will never ever truly be with Princess Peach...it ended up in a few sales an two pre-orders.

Sometimes it's the chatter more than the merchandise.

3. Have a random sale
This was something I always wanted to try. Once a month, on a random day, you just have a sale. It could be $5 off one specific game, it could be 30% off the Guide with a Game, it could be a free bonus $5 on any trade in of a game released that week.

That way you have those frequent shoppers coming in more often, and this gets around to other people. "Dude, you need to come to this store with me, I totally saved money out of nowhere..."

4. Birthday Bonuses
Would require an ID or a Birth Certificate for the kids (along with the parents proof), but when I used to work for the family run game store, they'd give out a free rental if it was your birthday. The software they used would display a small piece of cake on the customer's page when we brought up their file to remind us. People are always treating themselves on their birthday; make your store their location for it. Ideas would include the ones from the Random Sale Above.

5. Return Coupons
If you sell a used or new system, give them a coupon for a couple bucks off a used game later on. That allows them to come back, and maybe bring friends.

6. Achievement of the Week
This would require a camera or an internet connection at your store, but you could have 360 owners show off their stuff buy having a random "achievement of the week" board. Basically you'd have it in a "first done, first posted" like board. Good example would be like, first customer to unlock the "Fly Under all Bridges" Achievement. You could even than attach the photo to the board. Good idea, could use some fleshing out.

7. Customer Picks Board
Game Informer does this; Have customers pick out their top 5 games (be it of all time, currently playing, etc) and toss it up on a board. That way you give customers that chance to see what others are playing. Maybe have like 3 or 4 at a time. That way you raise the chance of 15 to 20 games being sold based off of others liking it.

8. The Gumball Discount
This actually worked really, really well at the family shop. They had one of those giant gum ball machines, but mixed in with the candy were small 'toy prizes'. If a customer got a toy, they were either given a free rental or entered into a raffle for a small prize of some sort. You could so a bi-weekly drawing for a coupon or something.

Hell, I spent about $2 a day just on getting candy alone. I have a bad sweet tooth. >_>;;

Good luck!
Jason

[MrSparkle]

well for one you just got me interested, looks like a cool shop i'll have to try to check it out. ;)

[Coldguy]

To quote my friend

"There isn't enought stuff to look at"

Fill the walls with something game related where people can look at all the interesting things, make the store appear better, and stay longer/leave a better impression.

[Drexel923]

Thanks for the advice so far guys. There is already a few things mentioned that I will seriously take a look at doing soon.

[digitalpress]

I know most of you haven't been to my store...

Guilty as charged, but everyone I've talked to has good things to say.


how about use some free advertising (craigslist)

You could also sell some stuff on cragslist, which would then bring people to the store

offer a coupon in the local high school newspaper

it looks like you are in a strip mall, why dont you try to co-advertise somewhere where a lot of people see (say a little league ball park) with another store

These are the things I would do first. Getting word out about your store is probably all you need because you've got a very unique product. It's easy to team up with local high schools and colleges and your target audience is there waiting to find out about you!


have a customer loyalty card where if you buy a certain amount of games the next one is free under a certain price

I've got this but it doesn't really help my business at all. I don't plan on discontinuing it but as I see it, regulars are going to be regulars anyway, and everyone else isn't interested in buying into this kind of thing (those rare losers who come in to buy a game like GTA IV because GameStop doesn't have it, doesn't even look around).


-make it a hangout, not just a store: make your store the barnes&noble for your local gamers; a place where they can hang out, talk and play games (not to mention buy overpriced snacks & energy drinks!). also, most gamers are night owls. don't close at 9pm like gamestop, at least on fri/sat.

This might sound like a good idea as a customer looking for the perfect store but there is no way in HELL I'd ever do that. I have things set up in such a way where you pretty much won't have anything to do here unless you have money. Look around but don't hang around.

Except at NAVA, of course.


-getting people in the store: have a street fighter tourney, or a raffle. anything to get people in the store and having a good time.

Roger that. Tournaments take the "hang out" concept to a concentrated, focused event. A few hours a month of "hang out" gets everyone in the store but you won't have to deal with them for a whole day.


oh, and get a pretty girl to be your cashier. works every time:)

So true. This works best with trade-ins. If some random guy walks in with a bagful of trade-ins that he THINKS is worth $100 and I offer him $40, he's going to bellyache about it, haggle, etc. When one of the girls offers him $30 that same guy just grins and takes it. Is it because they don't want to seem like a cheap bastard in front of a lady? Perhaps, It works though.

I think I can come up with some more ideas but my break is over :)

[madman77]

So true. This works best with trade-ins. If some random guy walks in with a bagful of trade-ins that he THINKS is worth $100 and I offer him $40, he's going to bellyache about it, haggle, etc. When one of the girls offers him $30 that same guy just grins and takes it. Is it because they don't want to seem like a cheap bastard in front of a lady? Perhaps, It works though.
This is absolutely true in every line of business. When I go out drinking with buddies, they will tip a female waitress far better than they will tip a male waiter/bartender. In my field, a young, attractive female salesperson will generally do better than a male. I'm not trying to sound sexist, but most men (especially gamer nerds who rarely see a female whose last name isn't JPEG) act differently around women when it comes to money. My local Gamestop, which I rarely visit, has a female cashier and I'm sure she gets more trade-ins than the males :)

Good luck, if I was anywhere near your shop I'd definitely stop in. I prefer spending my money at locally owned businesses rather than chain stores, no matter what I'm buying.

[MachineGex]

If your landlord allows it, drag out the A-frame to the sidewalk/street and attach balloons to it once in awhile. It reminds people who drive by to stop at your store. This is one of the best advertising you can do and it is free(minus cost of A-frame).

Also, put flyers on cars. A lot of people hate getting flyers, but it really works well and is very cheap. Have a coupon/discount in the flyer. Hit the malls/walmarts/sporting events and tag every car with a flyer. Print up a few thousand flyers and put them on cars every night after work until they are gone. It is work, but it is definately worth it. You might not want to pay someone to put flyers on cars. They usually figure out (after the first ten cars)that they get paid if they go on the cars or go into the garbage.

One of the best raffle/contests:
At Chrismas, we got a huge jar and stuffed in a bunch of different bows(like bows on a present). We printed up a bunch of entry forms and people got to guess how many bows where in the jar with every purchase they made. The person who guessed the closest won a $50 gift certificate at the end of the contest. We had a few families who came in every other day to guess. People go nuts for these types of fun contests.

Hire good looking chicks with loose morals.

[8bitgamer]

Sell some select items on ebay, with links to your store. Join myspace, facebook, and various forums to advertise your store. Buy huge lots of cheap, classic gaming items on ebay to make your store a mile wide and an inch thick. Make the store look fuller and more robust than it really is. It already looks pretty cool--good luck, I hope things pick up!

[Kejoriv]

Hire good looking chicks with loose morals.

haha. sounds good to me

[DKTheArcadeRat]

Make people on DP come to the store. XD

YOU SHOULD ALL COME AND SUPPORT ONE OF YOUR OWN IN AN ENDEAVOR AS LARGE AS THIS. Drex's store is awesome, and you can find almost anything you are looking for in there, save some really rare stuff. But its still awesome.

[Coldguy]

Make people on DP come to the store. XD

YOU SHOULD ALL COME AND SUPPORT ONE OF YOUR OWN IN AN ENDEAVOR AS LARGE AS THIS. Drex's store is awesome, and you can find almost anything you are looking for in there, save some really rare stuff. But its still awesome.

I did...also make your entry in the retro store map stand out.

[The 1 2 P]

Sell some select items on ebay, with links to your store.

This would have been one of my ideas too. I know you said you aren't doing bad right now(just slow) but ebay is a great way to subsidize your income during slow periods of work. It's helped me out for years.

[Garry Silljo]

Move the store near me, then you'll have a me as a customer... other than that I can't really help.

[67dash]

Tournaments. You can't go wrong with them. I can't tell you how much I would love to find a Guitar Hero tournament around here. Or Call of Duty. Or whatever. Take advantage of people's need to compete with each other. A weekly or monthly tournament that is well advertised would be alot for your business I believe.

And by well advertised, that doesn't necessarily mean spending lots of dough. There were alot of good marketing ideas already thrown at you in this thread, and if you implement them I think you will be fine.

[playgeneration]

I've looked on your website, so I'll try and make a few suggestions based on the photos you've taken of the shop shown on there.

Your shop really doesn't look that inviting from the outside, infact the neon light 'Buy, Sell, Trade' make it look like a sleazy pawn shop, rather than the nice game shop that it really is. I bet most kids or parents wouldn't even think to go in your shop. Put posters in your windows, personally I would ditch the trade in neon light to make room for other things, it says trade in on your main sign anyway. You want posters, stands, logos for stuff thats popular right now - Wii for instance, Mario, Sonic. If you can, use the blank brick wall either side of the enterance/window, put up those large weather-proof poster holders. Frequently change the posters for the latest games. See if you can get your local xbox, sony and nintendo reps to visit your shop, they should be able to give you posters and things.

Your website address isn't displayed on your shops sign. The website has room for improvment too, state exactly which formats you cater for (or have stock for) so people will have an idea what to expect before visiting. If you have a large amount of stock for a particular system, they advertise your shop on fan sites for that system. I see you have a lot of Master System games in one photo, well tell people on http://www.sega8bit.com/ , if it wont take too long, post a list of the titles you have, and perhaps you can do some mail order too to get funds in.

I see you have an Xbox pod, and some arcade cabs, but do you have any retro systems set up? If classic is a large amount of your business, you'll want to be showing it to people who may not be familair with it, or haven't played them since being a kid. They don't have to be playable, but have a TV set up with a console demo playing classic games (prefferably ones you have lots of copies of in stock), like the old nes and snes mario games, alex kidd, Ghouls and Ghosts, that sort of thing.

[Drexel923]

I've looked on your website, so I'll try and make a few suggestions based on the photos you've taken of the shop shown on there.

Your shop really doesn't look that inviting from the outside, infact the neon light 'Buy, Sell, Trade' make it look like a sleazy pawn shop, rather than the nice game shop that it really is. I bet most kids or parents wouldn't even think to go in your shop. Put posters in your windows, personally I would ditch the trade in neon light to make room for other things, it says trade in on your main sign anyway. You want posters, stands, logos for stuff thats popular right now - Wii for instance, Mario, Sonic. If you can, use the blank brick wall either side of the enterance/window, put up those large weather-proof poster holders. Frequently change the posters for the latest games. See if you can get your local xbox, sony and nintendo reps to visit your shop, they should be able to give you posters and things.

Your website address isn't displayed on your shops sign. The website has room for improvment too, state exactly which formats you cater for (or have stock for) so people will have an idea what to expect before visiting. If you have a large amount of stock for a particular system, they advertise your shop on fan sites for that system. I see you have a lot of Master System games in one photo, well tell people on http://www.sega8bit.com/ , if it wont take too long, post a list of the titles you have, and perhaps you can do some mail order too to get funds in.

I see you have an Xbox pod, and some arcade cabs, but do you have any retro systems set up? If classic is a large amount of your business, you'll want to be showing it to people who may not be familair with it, or haven't played them since being a kid. They don't have to be playable, but have a TV set up with a console demo playing classic games (prefferably ones you have lots of copies of in stock), like the old nes and snes mario games, alex kidd, Ghouls and Ghosts, that sort of thing.

Some good ideas. The website is in progress of an overhaul...when its done I think it will look much better.

Its kind of funny you should mention the Buy, Sell, Trade sign...even with it in the window I get 90% of the people come in asking if we buy games LOL

I guess it's not serving its purpose then ;)

Thanks for the tips.

[MrSparkle]

One of my fondest memories of the now defunct funcoland was being able to go up to the clerk and say pop this game into a system so i can give it a test. This does several things it goes kinda towards the hangout idea without going too far i mean this is a business and not a social club, but it breeds a community atmosphere that is definatly lacking in the big chain stores. It lets people verify that your cart/disk is actually in good working condition (1 out of 10 disks i get from gamestops are unplayably scratched, thats one thing i love about digital press they resurface all those disks to beautiful quality) and for people who don't yet own a system and may never have played it, it lets them see what the system is all about (only way i played a jaguar before recently buying one was in a funcoland when i was a kid and it left a lasting impression).

Id have to agree with the idea to spruce up the store front. Location doesn't do all that much if people drive by and don't know what the store is all about. The buy sell trade sign isn't that bad but i'd definatly put more attention grabbing stuff in the windows such as a mix of current and old game posters, maybe some obscure consoles like vectrex, and some more main stream ones (everyone can identify the atari 2600 regardless of if they grew up with an Atari or a ps2) so collectors and old school games can see that your shop does indeed cater to their wants/needs.

While you have a decent amount of inventory those pictures do kind of convey an empty feel to the store. Another comparison to digital press, they have several floor stands out, setup in a manner where you kind of weave in and out wander around. Gives you the feel that your hunting for that next great find. If everything is on the walls you tend to just kind of walk by and quickly scan them. Don't make the store an unnavigable maze but mix it up a little bit.

Never having been there i don't know your employee situation but having a knowledgeable staff is always a good thing. When you walk into a gamestop and ask the difference between the 3 models of xbox 360 they have and all they can tell you is "i think they have different hard drives" it tends to turn some customers away. Customers like the feeling they get when they ask a question and the person behind the counter is confident about their answer. You are the experts on your products!

Last but not least use the Homer Simpson strategy that he used to promote the bowling alley. Walk outside and fire a shotgun wildly in the air because it'll grab peoples attention. (joking of course)

[Coleman]

Ive actualy put a lot of thought into this as i would like to one day be able to facilitate a public game related enviroment. My main thoughts on what would make a great place to buy video games is to absoloutly make it a hang out place. No if people are going to come here just to hang out there should be plenty of ways to make it available to profit off of this but the first thing you should look into doing is segregating the play area from the store area - putting a bunch of people in a room with merchandise is just begging for a shop lifting problem!!! Next thing is definitly run tournaments - hi score on geometry wars gets a $25 credit for the store but if you want to play the 360 its going to cost you $3 / hour. Sell food and drink or hook up with a local pizza shop to get you 10% off the menu price and charge your customers full price - things like that.
Also have some unique things - since this is in the classic section put up some classic cabinets - like Ms pacman - defender maybe some pinball tables - all with 25 cent coin boxes so you have to pay to play - and just set up a running offer that any time a hi score is beat winner gets 'X'. Bring back the classic gamer mentality and advertise it to the high school crowd!

Female employe is a great idea - it works...

Your location also has to be accessable - right next to a middle / high school would be pretty good idea - and if you want to get the school to support you offer things like free game play credits for good grades!!! - Nothing wrong with a little bribary - get the comunity behind you and you should be good to go.

Bottom line is i really like a store that i can hang out in - Set up an NES top loader behind lock and key and let me grab what ever game i want to play off the shelves for $3 / hour and let me have fun with it!!! - You will need a lot of space though!!! - but just about every kid can come by and give you his allowance to play games - good grade incentives and tournement prizes will keep them coming back!!! Make it unique and give people a reason to come back for more!!!

[sirhansirhan]

here's the list of things i'd like to have in my dream store (or my own if i ever make one):


-make it a hangout, not just a store: make your store the barnes&noble for your local gamers; a place where they can hang out, talk and play games (not to mention buy overpriced snacks & energy drinks!). also, most gamers are night owls. don't close at 9pm like gamestop, at least on fri/sat.

-get the right atmosphere: ceiling tile and fluorescent lights don't spell fun to me. make the place intimate and relaxed. you want people to immediately see the difference between your store and say... gamestop. see if you can get an art student to get some vg art on the walls. old ads and posters would be good too.

-getting people in the store: have a street fighter tourney, or a raffle. anything to get people in the store and having a good time.

oh, and get a pretty girl to be your cashier. works every time:)

I like every idea posed in this post.

[Lord of the Files]

Get that Donkey Kong kid to stand on the corner in a Sonic costume. Seriously.

[Volcanon]

Get some MAME boxes playing random arcade games.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Get some MAME boxes playing random arcade games.
Ooooooh, this is probably a bad idea for a variety of reasons. It might create the illusion that these games are available or for sale, when there's no way they can be unless they're among the lucky few available on a compilation (in which case, why not just show off the compilation itself?). Also, if you're talking about putting these in upright arcade cabinets, it might open Nick up to a tax on amusement machines, something that quite a few states have, regardless of what's in the "guts" of the machine.

This is aside from the fact that technically he'd have no right to be offering said games for public play. At home, or in a home arcade, sure, but in a public setting, very bad idea.

Stuff to think about:

I think Joe's said he had a video loop of classic commercials running - get that going somewhere in the store and that'll stop people in their tracks, either out of nostalgia...or out of sheer incredulity if they're under the age of 25. Maybe even get some kind of video loop advertising what the heck the store's about - kind of like having a TV ad where it's only playing on a couple of TVs in the store. About half of the video production business I do right now, in fact, is in-store loops like that - it seems to work pretty well for my clients. (And I'm not necessarily pimping my services here - if you can hook up with someone local to do that, trust me when I say that the local guy can use the money.) Even do a video piece that combines the old ads and the store-related stuff, break things up a bit.

Start a Myspace page or a Facebook profile or somesuch; offer occasional one-time discounts as friends-only blog posts or something like that. You wind up on their friend lists, other people see you there and wonder what the heck you're about, there you go. Video game stores are, on average, selling to a younger demographic group than you and me. Use the media outlets that you know they're already immersed in.

[Drexel923]

As far as videos go...has anyone made a video montage of old games...gameplay not commercials? I'd much rather have something like that looping rather than having to always put a new game in a machine.

[GrandAmChandler]

Get that Donkey Kong kid to stand on the corner in a Sonic costume. Seriously.

I back this Idea. He could run up and down the street really fast. People would love it.

[GrandAmChandler]

As far as videos go...has anyone made a video montage of old games...gameplay not commercials? I'd much rather have something like that looping rather than having to always put a new game in a machine.

http://www.thelogbook.com/phosphor/pdf-dvd/

[Drexel923]

http://www.thelogbook.com/phosphor/pdf-dvd/

Heh...I guess I should have knew that answer.

PDF...I'm going to place and order for a dvd now :D

[Cornelius]

I back this Idea. He could run up and down the street really fast. People would love it.

I was going to post a similar idea, but w/ Pac-Man instead... universally recognized and more eye-catching. It would be some work, but you could make it yourself. I'd do a '2-d' costume if it were me.

[Fuyukaze]

As far as videos go...has anyone made a video montage of old games...gameplay not commercials? I'd much rather have something like that looping rather than having to always put a new game in a machine.

I've been working on something simular to this but so far no luck. I've yet to figure out how to edit info into the videos aside from doing it frame by frame. Also the videos end up being increadbly huge due to the encoding I use. I'd like to do it if only to showcase all the imports most people never see.

[Drexel923]

Alrighty...the first steps to making the store better have begun.

We rearranged the store a little bit and once PDFs DVD gets here it will be playing on loop for a while.

Also, starting now there will be new store promotions.

1) Buy a USED system and get a coupon for 10% off USED games at your next visit.

2) Spend $50 or more and get $5 off your next purchase of $50 or more (new or used merchandise)

3) Come in on you Birthday and get 10% off USED games and 5% off USED systems.

I will have a sign up at the store displaying these deals and will also post them on my Myspace page.

Thanks again to all for the help and this is just the beginning of new things for the store.

[modest9797]

I live in south east Pennsylvania. I will have to stop by sometime.

Cool shop.

[Coldguy]

I live in south east Pennsylvania. I will have to stop by sometime.

Cool shop.

Where abouts?

[Press_Start]

Personally, I rather test the game then watching it, gives me better feel if its what I want.

Is it (legally) possible to setup a station that emulates the variety of systems and titles and have customers try them out. If that's not possible, then do what my local play n' trade store does have a set of stations (a current-gen or retro-gen console for each, whatever you choose) with master control behind the counter. When a customer asks to try a game out, pop the game in and let have a go. With a master control, you can turn the stations off for those people that constantly come in play the game and don't buy a dam thing.

[GrandAmChandler]

Alrighty...the first steps to making the store better have begun.

We rearranged the store a little bit and once PDFs DVD gets here it will be playing on loop for a while.

Also, starting now there will be new store promotions.

1) Buy a USED system and get a coupon for 10% off USED games at your next visit.

2) Spend $50 or more and get $5 off your next purchase of $50 or more (new or used merchandise)

3) Come in on you Birthday and get 10% off USED games and 5% off USED systems.

I will have a sign up at the store displaying these deals and will also post them on my Myspace page.

Thanks again to all for the help and this is just the beginning of new things for the store.

Sweeeeeet. Time to make some fake IDs, 365 to be exact.

[modest9797]

Where abouts?

About an hour away from Philidelphia.