"you still have not answered the question without putting some stupid spin on it and you expect anyone to listen? " Yah I expect some to listen and even understand my answer. Maybe not you.... =p "The only point you have made is" I think you know that is not true and that I am arguing in good faith. "How old are you? Seriously I'd like to know if I am even speaking to someone who has life experience. Becuase you don't sound like you've work a real job in your life from the way you talk down about Shop owners and their staff." On the internet know one knows you are a dog so how could you trust me anyway? Still if you must know. I am 33 years old and have worked in retail sense November 2008, before that I was the assistant manager of a small motel that was part of Choice Hotels International. My position had me attend workshops on sales and customer service. As far as LGS go, I have had something of a history with them over my life and am familiar with the inner working. I highly doubt any of this really means anything to you however. "So I am done with this topic.... By the way," Can't stick the flounce? Anyway all my point is. If you are a FLGS, your reasoning for charging $30+ more then amazon is probably going to eventually put you out of business. I strongly recommend nothing greater then a 50% markup with a MAX of $20 over amazon. If you can't meet those numbers you should really consider if stocking the item is the right call at all. Amazons business model is designed to crush people that trust the MSRP.

"But you're not and do not know what happens behind the counter." Be careful with assumptions. "No one said that, you just assume that's what we are saying." you say tomato "realize that their tables being open for free games is not a Right, it is them being kind in hopes you will make some purchases there without asking you to. Yah we call that marketing. As with all marketing you will want a return on investment to be sure, If your marketing is not working, expecting your customers to pay for your marketing, even if some are willing is a bad idea. "he is doing you a Favor" It is not a favor if you have to pay for it. "Also leave out words like..." I understand why you don't like it, but no... "Do you play at your LGS's without supporting them?" That really depends on what you mean by supporting them? Would someone who only buys an item for what they consider it worth count as supporting the store? Let me put it this way, I am assuming you purchased your armada set from a LGS for about $100 correct? What if your LGS charged $120 for it? Would you still have paid for it or gone without? What about $150? $200? At what point is the LGS just ripping you off because you feel you have to buy from them?

AT he risk of starting this up all over. If I was running a Game store I would not want my business model to rely on my customers only being my costumers out of a sense of loyalty or feeling bad for me. If they have the choice of getting 4 ships at amazon or only 3 ships at my store, I don't want them picking my store just because they feel sorry for me and want to "reward" me for my "hard work". I want them to pick my 3 ships because they are still a better deal.

The play mats are a pretty interesting example. They are not that cheap and and we only make something like 5 bucks off the things when we sell them. It is hard to justify the lost shelve space in stocking them. Selling X-wing is pretty easy as people are more then willing to pay the mark up on a Y-wing vs ordering online most of the time. Things like the Falcon or Slave one are a bit more tricky but they are selling even if we lose some to amazon so I don't intend to worry about that yet. How much of a markup do you think is fair for a FLGS to charge. Lets say Amazon charges base price(BP) + 15% mark up(MU), What do you think is a fair markup for the additional services you offer? Also lets say I can buy a game from amazon for $70 bucks, or from my FLGS for $100. Would i be ok for me to buy the game from amazon and just give my FLGS 20 bucks. I save 10 bucks by not buying from my FLGS and my FLGS makes $20 without even having to restock?

Yah those are some real overhead costs, sounds like those FLGS need to grow with the times and stop exploiting there customers sense of loyalty. To further your example that restaurant should maybe not think having a jukebox means they can charge 50% more for nachos and not go out of business. Lets take armada for example. If amazon offers the game for $69 bucks and my FLGS is offering it for $99 then few people are going to buy it from them. A small hot gaming room, the chance to look before you purchase, costumer service, the getting it now factor, those are all things that would gladly make me shell out more then 69 bucks. If my FLGS sold it for 79 bucks Amazon would be wondering how the hell it was going to compete with brick and mortar stores. Also I am sorry you are offended by my use of the word charity, would me using the word donation make it better for you? What do you call it when you give someone more money then has been earned because you want to help them out? If you think selling a product at retail price is exploiting then I have nothing more to say. That is a very bad way to view small business owners when almost all of them struggle to make ends meet just like the rest of us. They are not large corporate executives rolling around in expensive cars, they trying to pay their mortgage on their house and have birthday presents for their kids.Have you Ever talked to a small business owner, because from the way you talk in your posts you sound like your in your 20's at the most and do not understand Margins, Overhead, how to upkeep a business as a whole. They do not run themselves just for you to take advantage of. I would highly suggest never expressing you thoughts on this matter in front of a small business owner, you will get owned logically and you will be not making friends at all. I think you need to let go of some of your angst and realize the small business is trying to provide you a service, not extort you. Larger Companies are known for gouging, not so much the small ones. Yah..... I would be more then happy to compare what I know vs what you know. So lets talk business. 1: "They struggle to make ends meet" So are the customers, dwelling on that is not helping you make the needed money to put you in the black. The first question to ask is why? Is the market bad? Or are you bad at your job? What steps can you take to fix that? Also expecting costumers to put you in the black just because your are struggling to make ends meet is exploting your costumers.... don't be surprised when they start having trouble making ends meet and they start shopping for value and not guilt. How would you handle this? Star Wars Armada just came out and a new costumer has come to game night to see a demo, He is interested in the game but money is tight. He really wants the starter set and debates getting it now but it is so much cheaper on amazon. A friend of his offers to let him use his amazon prime account in exchange for a few bucks. As the shop owner what do you do? A) Get annoyed but do nothing. B) Blame him for not supporting your shop and hope his guilt will = money C) Be a better business manager then then that Bob guy with the amazon prime account. D) Sell your business and use that money to get a amazon prime account because right now that Bob guy is in the black and you are not.

Yah those are some real overhead costs, sounds like those FLGS need to grow with the times and stop exploiting there customers sense of loyalty. To further your example that restaurant should maybe not think having a jukebox means they can charge 50% more for nachos and not go out of business. Lets take armada for example. If amazon offers the game for $69 bucks and my FLGS is offering it for $99 then few people are going to buy it from them. A small hot gaming room, the chance to look before you purchase, costumer service, the getting it now factor, those are all things that would gladly make me shell out more then 69 bucks. If my FLGS sold it for 79 bucks Amazon would be wondering how the hell it was going to compete with brick and mortar stores. Also I am sorry you are offended by my use of the word charity, would me using the word donation make it better for you? What do you call it when you give someone more money then has been earned because you want to help them out?

Personally, if the LGS close, knowing how ressourceful our community is, we would find another place to play. There is a tons of public places to play in Quebec City, the first one that come up to my mind being the university. For the amount of money we would save we could rent a room and still save money. FLGS CAN compete without needing charity and yah it kinda is charity. If someguy with a Amazon Prime account can make a sale in your own store, the issue is not loyality, the real issue is the store not wanting that money very much.

I like my local store, but my store needs to grow with the times. I can not justify 20-30 bucks of charity when I want something like armada. For example I wanted Robotech Tactics. That is something like $99 bucks at my FLGS or $69 from amazon. I wan't to give them my money...but I can't justify that. Local stores have a few things going for them that amazon can't do. foot traffic, community, the power to give it to me now. That is pretty big but FLGS need to work it a bit. To give another painful example One player kinda exited about armada was debating getting it from the store but could not justify the price. Another guy at the store offered to let him use his amazon prime account in exchange for a few bucks... The owner could have kicked them out but this really helps no one, The owner probably just got upset at those ungratful people not willing to pay big sums of money for the privlage of paying big sums of money. I have to ask however... why did the owner not step in and take this customers money then and there? Did the owner not want that money? Did the owner forget what his job was? was the owner to dumbstruck at somerandom guy being a better FLGS right in front of him who's only resorse was amazon prime? Lat example. Some kids playing magic and talking about buying a full box to split and draft. Store worker listening in waits tell they figure out the price, then walks over with the box of cards in hand, drops it on the table offering the box here and now for ten bucks more.