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Poll #334 - The First DMDave Books and Games Store is Coming! How should we organize it? (Patreon)

Published:
2023-05-16 17:12:07
Imported:
2023-05

Content

Hey all!

If you didn't hear the news, I'm opening up a retail store to serve as my base of operations, fulfillment center, and retail store. This spot will be in my town of Norman, Oklahoma. It's relatively small to start—I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew with the first outing—but will focus almost exclusively on roleplaying games. 

Keeping that in mind, how would you like to see such a store organized? I've got a few ideas on how I want to do it, but I'm kinda interested in hearing about your dream store. 

Vote below on the organization method, and then leave a comment with anything else you'd like to see in a retail store.

Here is a description of each:

  1. By Game Type: This is the most straightforward method. Organize your inventory by the game type or system. For instance, Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars RPG, etc. This makes it easy for customers to find all the related products for a particular game in one place.
  2. By Product Type: Organize the store by the type of product, such as rulebooks, adventure modules, miniatures, dice, maps, game mats, and accessories. This could work well if customers tend to come in looking for a specific type of item, regardless of the game it's for.
  3. By Experience Level: Organize your store based on the complexity or experience level required for the games. This can be a good method for catering to beginners, intermediates, and experts separately. For instance, introductory sets and beginner-friendly games could be in one section, while more complex games could be in another.
  4. Thematic/Genre Organization: Organize your inventory based on the theme or genre of the game. This could be fantasy, science fiction, horror, historical, etc. This might help customers who are interested in a particular kind of story or setting, even if they're not sure which game system they want to use.
  5. By Popularity or New Arrivals: Keep a section for popular items and new arrivals. Regular customers who frequent your store will appreciate a section where they can quickly check out the latest games or the current best-sellers.

Comments

Anonymous

By game type, but with color coded title signage to indicate similar themed products, or products for younger clients, and a spot near the front for recent arrivals.

Malcolm Wolter

You should be able to do pretty much all of these with a decent e-comm platform. It needn't be an either/or proposition.

Anonymous

Thematic I think

Frank Moore

Hi Dave, the guys who owned my local gaming store have content, arranged by both product type as well as game type. They also have a new product area at the front of the store. It works out quite well. But it's worth mentioning since I can only select one answer in the poll.

Charles Martin

I prefer by game type. When I enter my local store, I know what I am looking for, where that gaming system sits on the shelf and can go directly to where I need. If you really want people browsing the shelves, you could put everything in randomly. That way people will spend hours looking for what they are after....

Anonymous

I've picked game type. But I think that you need either staff on hand who have an idea on some of the other versions, along with some means to be able to suggest alternatives for when people are looking to expand out. And a new arrivals section is always welcome!

Anonymous

Make sure to look at how book stores do end caps or tables with new stuff or best seller stuff. I say focus on separating by game, but highlight products similarly to what book stores do.

Anonymous

I'm not going to pick just one. Even as a small store, you can do it by several , if not all the above choices. You've made plenty of material over the past couple years that'll easily fill it! I only wish I lived closer as I would likely be a regular 😂😂😂

Anonymous

Game type. When I contemplate investing into a new setting or rpg, I look to see how many books there are. If there are lots I know there is commitment to the series of books. If just one or two I almost always immediately pass because I just don’t have the time to create everything I need for as a GM. Rules setting monsters/enemies adventures etc. it would be confusing to me if I had to jump around your site or if I was looking for an adventure and saw a Girl Scout adventure, then mork Bork, then 5ed. It be hesitant that I wasn’t about to buy the wrong thing. This would make it easier for people to decide if they want to pick up a series of your books. That said please taken the following as constructive because I really do love your stuff Dave. Please produce more books of fewer series. I get that you like to stay nimble and produce what sells. But it’s gotten to the point at least for me that I no longer look at your non 5ed lairs adventures. Your are obviously successful and again you make great stuff. Just my two cents.

dmdave
>>108676317

Interesting that you say that since I’ve suspected that for a while.

dmdave
>>108676317

As far as 5e goes, I have a writing staff to cover all that. So we will never stop there. 😅

Anonymous

I believe you should combine whatever the most voted for option is with having a section for New Arrivals as well. I hope you can expand enough that you can offer tables for people to play on weekends or/and weeknights . Good luck.

dmdave
>>108659615

Yeah, I've got a little nook right by the front door I think would work well as the "New Releases" section.

dmdave
>>108659686

Bah, that sounds like bad UX. I'm thinking Genre > Game Type > Product Type.

dmdave
>>108663425

Yeah, I love some end caps. I hopefully move in in a couple weeks so I'll get a chance to see what to put where

Charles Martin
>>108659686

The random suggestion was a joke. If I ever found myself in a store set up like that, it would be the last time. Your suggestion is a good one.

Anonymous

Game type needs to be the answer to this question, but we need filters for most of the others.

virtuadept

Let me know when you have the opening day for this joint and where. I'm going to take a trip to Norman to visit my old high school buddy and we'll swing by your store and maybe have a beer or something. I mean, it's Norman, they have beer on tap in all the stores still, right? They did in the 80's. As for the poll, yeesh, don't ask Internet People how to organize your brick and mortar store. That's like asking cat people how to care for your dog. The dog isn't going to like those funny shaped carpet sculptures. But yeah, keep all the D&D stuff in one spot, all the Pathfinder together, etc. Also great idea someone said above about having a "New Stuff" shelf just for a few copies of all the things released for any game system in the last month or two. Also be sure to have lots of math rocks available. I hear gamers like math rocks.

virtuadept

OH, yeah, have a print-your-own-mini 3D printer service, that'd be super swell.

dmdave
>>108997305

As far as organization goes, I'll probably look at what I've got once the store is open and figure it out from there. My goal is to cater to folks who are just getting started as well as experienced. So we'll see.