# Is my friend nuts for wanting to open a game store? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 23, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311 "2013-07-23T18:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/21 "2013-07-23T23:09:21Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > In other words, he’s going to have to peddle the cheesiest adolescent crap out there in volume, and the games that he love will sit on the shelf costing him money. Too true. There’s a game shop right around the corner from me. My family was recently in town and wanted to do some shopping, and this place was one of the places we visited. There was a ton of games. Very impressive displays showcasing them and everything. But the only things that any of us plunked down cash for were some silly $1.99 gag gifts (fake poop for everyone!) There was a small space devoted to candy and chips. And the display case full of wind-up toys that chirp and bark, much to the cashier’s delight. The place was officially a game store, but it sure seemed like like a sundry shop to me. Running my own teeny-tiny, non-profit-driven business has made me appreciate how hard it is. And it’s taught me how much I never want to try to make this a full-time gig. Selling things as a hobby is fun. If I don’t get customers, oh well. There’s always next Saturday. I don’t have to pressure anyone into buying anything. I don’t have to play the perky salesperson. I don’t have to sell stuff I don’t want to. I don’t have to go home and account for my failures–because there is no failure when you’re just having fun. I can stop at anytime I want to, without having to repay debts. It’s totally great doing what you want to do when you don’t HAVE to do it. But once it becomes a serious “our lives depend on this” kind of situation, then the fun stops and it becomes a chore. Even when times are good it’s this way. I can’t imagine how hard it is when times are bad. Also, I don’t think friends should go in business with each other. That is a great way to kill a friendship. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/22 "2013-07-23T23:13:49Z")
Game store I play at on a regular basis is owned by a guy who is extremely knowledgeable about a large number of games, especially Warhammer and Magic, which take up most of his sales space. If you’re not as knowledgeable about those games and aren’t passionate about gaming, you’re fucking doomed. Don’t even start a store. He’s in a mall with a lot of open space, which helps come rent negotiation time (other game store I played in before this was in a mall that was basically dead and @25% occupied for more than 20 years before a developer bought the land). He hosts regular LFR and Encounters (D&D) games, Magic tournaments and drafts, and Warhammer days, which bring in and keep regular customers coming back over and over. No, he can’t compete with on-line prices most of the time. But there is a certain value in being able to look at games in person before deciding to buy them and having them constantly in front of your loyal customers. Hell, I bought Arkham Horror because I kept looking at it on the shelf and finally had to have it. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/23 "2013-07-23T23:20:16Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Nor will he be doing what he loves, unless he loves haggling with suppliers, filling out forms, and dealing with a bunch of bullshit. It’s not like he’s going to be playing games all day-- it’s ultimately about moving boxes, which might as well be anything. This. On [ravelry.com](http://ravelry.com), which is a huge site for knitters/crocheters, this comes up a lot. “I always wanted to own a yarn store! I have no business experience, knowledge of the market, capitol, or patience for idiots!” They are invariably gently (or not so gently) informed that they should open a retail business if what interests them is running a retail business. it is usually pointed out that running a retail hobby business is an exhausting pain in the ass with tons of competition and very little renumeration most of the time, if it can succeed at all. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/24 "2013-07-24T00:01:57Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Recently my friend “Max” told me him and another friend “Terrence” wanted to open a game store. He’s getting sick of his current job in IT. Terrence worked at Games Workshop for a time, and I guess they have a pie in the sky idea of doing what they love for a living instead of working at jobs they don’t. Good for them. > > I’m just a little :dubious: because **neither of them have any experience running a business, lack savings, and are the sole breadwinners in their families**. I’m not sure how successful game stores are, but I always thought running a storefront business was a big investment in time and money, and even those people with the motivation and funds to get it going have businesses that flop. I know restaurants have a high failure rate for the first two years. > > I rarely make purchases at hobby stores anymore because the internet offers a better selection and cheaper prices for hobbies I indulge in. I feel like they would have a hard time competing against that and maintaining a customer base that actually BUYS stuff and doesnt just function as a free babysitter for parents or pokemon CCG tourney site. That it’s a game store is not what makes it nuts. It’s the “all eggs in one basket” approach that you’ve described. What happens to their relationships when there’s no money coming in? What happens to their standard of living? Are they expecting a game store to replace their current incomes? If they have a business plan, and funding, and savings that will support their families it’s less nuts. If they have done extensive demographic research and understand when the lulls will be and can manage the finances to cover those gaps then they should go for it. I opened a store nine years ago, in an industry I’d worked in for over twenty years before that. Ten of those years I spent explaining why I didn’t want to open my own place. I don’t want to read a lease or an insurance policy. I just want to sell the stuff I make, and then make it. I opened the business with a partner for that reason. If either Max or Terrence loves accounting, and reads leagalese flawlessly that moves the needle further from nuts. Would their families have health insurance? Do they have kids who might want to go to college someday, or need braces, or want to go on a $300 school trip to Boston? I’m all for following your bliss, but if you’re supporting other people they have to be on board, and that is not always easy. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/25 "2013-07-24T00:08:52Z")
There’s a game store I’ve visited periodically over the last 10 years, which in itself is kind of remarkable for its longevity. They specialize in Magic: The Gathering and Online Gaming. For the former, they have a large stock of singles and sealed product for sale, and they host tournaments every day of the week. For the latter, they have about 20 computers that are available for hourly rental and LAN parties. They do also sell board games, miniatures, etc. but those are a fringe business for them. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/26 "2013-07-24T00:15:16Z")
That’s the thing- both these guys have wives that are housewives. Which, if you can afford it, and everybody is fine with it, more power to you, but starting a business is really risky and when you factor kids (Max has one and Terrance has _three_ I kind of wonder how seriously they are taking this idea. From what Max has told me, it seems like its mostly Terrance’s idea. For starters, neither contacted me and asked “how would you like being partners in owning a game store business?”. This is probably because I’m pretty skeptical about their schemes and would be assumed to say no (which is correct). The other thing is neither of them have any experience owning a business. The closest I’ve come to running a business was freelance piano lessons, and even something as simple has only having a few students at a schedule convenient for me where I got to list my own price for services was too much (how much do I charge? How comitted to this am I? What if I want to just quit?). It was easier working under a Master Teacher that did all the referrals/scheduling, told me who my students were/hours, and paid me based on hours worked. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/27 "2013-07-24T00:18:12Z")
Ultimately it seems like they are just gamers that want to hang out with other gamers, and I’m planning on telling Max next time I talk to him to just start a facebook group for a ‘game night’, inviting people outside their own circle of friends, just for the sake of being able to find other people to play warhammer 40k or Magic the Gathering. Max has a great gaming table (I mentioned some time ago, he spent something like 5 or 10 thousand dollars on some gaming table that converts into an ordinary dining room table. I thought it was way overpriced for what he intended on using it for, but if he had people at his house every sunday playing (even just for fun) or organizing tournaments, he’d get his money’s worth. As his friend I’d hate to see him learn this the hard way but I’m hoping he comes to his senses before he spends any money. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/28 "2013-07-24T00:27:50Z")
Frankly, it doesn’t sound like they are that serious, and you are wasting a lot of emotional energy worrying about someone else’s pipe dream. Some people have to act like their day dream is real: it’s part of the fun. I’ve finally learned you just let them. They aren’t serious-serious, even if they won’t admit it to themselves. That said, if you want a game store, I suspect your best bet it to go find one and offer to buy it. If they are really as big a disaster as everyone says (And I suspect that’s true), you’d at least benefit from some other guy’s desperate attempt to get out. Let him take the first round of horrible losses, and tell yourself you can learn from his mistakes and turn it around. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/29 "2013-07-24T00:31:43Z")
I don’t see these guys making it. I do have a friend who opened a game shop last year, and so far he seems to be doing well and making all the right moves: keeping a big online presence, hosting as many events as he can, offering regular sales and promotions, and working to minimize the creepers. He works like crazy and seems to have a pretty good business sense, and although there are two other game shops within ten miles, one of them is way out of town and has no gaming space, and the other seems to be run by psychos and has a terrible reputation. But game-shop is absolutely not something that can be run in a pie-in-the-sky way. You gotta be pretty clear-eyed in order to make it work. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/30 "2013-07-24T00:35:47Z")
Yeah, I was going to post what **Manda JO** said. They are just kicking an idea around for fun. _You’ll_ never really have to intervene and save them from themselves–if they ever show any signs of actually doing this, their _wives_ will talk some sense into them. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/31 "2013-07-24T01:02:18Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Ultimately it seems like they are just gamers that want to hang out with other gamers, and I’m planning on telling Max next time I talk to him to just start a facebook group for a ‘game night’, inviting people outside their own circle of friends, just for the sake of being able to find other people to play warhammer 40k or Magic the Gathering. [Meetups.com](http://Meetups.com) is another way of bringing people together. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/32 "2013-07-24T02:19:26Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > This. > > On [ravelry.com](http://ravelry.com), which is a huge site for knitters/crocheters, this comes up a lot. “I always wanted to own a yarn store! I have no business experience, knowledge of the market, capitol, or patience for idiots!” > > They are invariably gently (or not so gently) informed that they should open a retail business if what interests them is running a retail business. it is usually pointed out that running a retail hobby business is an exhausting pain in the ass with tons of competition and very little renumeration most of the time, if it can succeed at all. Are you a Raveler too? I have been for quite a while. You are correct, BTW. You have to know your product inside and out, and while the store may be open, say 10-5, you won’t be working 10-5, and you need backups to run the store if you get sick, want a day off, or have a family emergency. ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311/33 "2013-07-24T02:30:40Z")
Are they into trading card games? Yu-Gi-Oh! has gotten to be an extremely expensive game and they could make a lot of money off of them, considering how some of the cards that are key for top tier decks in the current format are almost $100 a piece on average. Your friends could maybe start a card shop local. People spend a LOT of money on this shit and if local card shops in their area are very scarce anyway, it could attract a lot of people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-friend-nuts-for-wanting-to-open-a-game-store/664311.md?page=1)