Retailer Panel: How do Retailers Choose What Hits the Shelves?
I was joking with Allan Reid, owner of Meta-Games Unlimited, that a new game shop seems to pop up every other week in Springfield, MO. Meta celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Thirty years in the retail space is an amazing achievement, especially in the gaming industry.
Both Allan and I agreed, we don’t fret too much when new stores enter the market. We aren’t being cocky about this (and if you’ve met Allan, he would never be cocky, even when he has every right to be). Each of the stores in our metropolis sells “board games and…” It might be board games and Magic, board games and Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPG), board games and a cafe, board games and comics, board games and Pokemon. There is space for all of us when serving our wonderfully nerdy and diverse clientele.
Even with the diversity, gaming stores seem to come and go all the time. So, how do we stay fresh and relevant? A place our customers can rely on and come back to again and again?
I asked around with other retailers around the country to see how they choose what they sell in their shops. While what they sell is different, our styles of choosing seem to be very similar.
Village Meeple is very similar to Hexagon Alley in Columbia, MO. We opened around the same time in 2023. “I’d still consider us new, so we have tried to just throw our names in for everything,” Colleen Rieman, co-founder of Hexagon Alley, said. “At this point, it is more what do we know will sell and is being requested by our customers as we try to refine or pull back on what categories we sell.”
As Village Meeple is a brain-child of one, I tend to gravitate towards what I know and what I find interesting. We have branched into other areas with mixed results. However, we will never have a trading card (Magic, Pokemon, etc) section because I don’t know that at all and there are so many stores in Springfield that do it better.
“I prefer to cover a wide range of things instead of focusing on a particular niche,” Elatia Webb, owner of Haven Games in Nixa, MO, said. Haven stocks trading card games (TCGs), board games, RPGs (role playing games), gaming supplies and accessories, and hobby supplies. “So, I go with whatever the current community is leaning towards.”
Similarly, Meta Games in Springfield, MO, looks to the community. “We look at what supports repeat visits, strong community engagement, and a healthy mix of casual, enthusiast, and competitive shoppers.”
There are WAY too many games that are released each year to know even a fraction of them. According to Board Game Geek, they add between 2,000-5,000 new titles every single year. That would mean, to hit the lower end of that, you would need to play around 6 games every single day to know them all. While, I’m sure that’s all of our dreams, it unfortunately isn’t a reality when you own a small business.
Research, leg work, and networking are usually the go-to move. “I work a variety of cons all over the country every year,” Taylor Herndon, owner of Board to Beers in Memphis, TN, said. “This allows me to see what ‘new and hot’ things are coming out. Based on people’s reactions at the shows and what I know my patrons will like, I try to stock based off of that.”
“For board games, I try to get my hands on as many demos as I can and see if people like it,” Webb said. “I rely on my distribution reps a lot on those to see what people are playing and what's selling. I also stock most indie publishers that reach out and send demo games, because I like helping the little guys if I'm able.”
Derek Madlem from The Game Preserve in Indianapolis, IN, goes with the tried and true publishers. “As far as new games go, I bring in a large percentage of games offered from known publishers with proven track records,” he said. “For example, I'll give every Stonemaier Games or AEG title a try because they’ve demonstrated a level of consistency.”
Margins and minimum order quantities will also keep a board game off the shelves if they don’t meet the business model. While no one ever went into board games to become rich, Friendly Local Game Stores do need to pay their rent. When publishers and distributors want us to buy 12+ of something, it tends to turn off retailers. There are very few copies of anything I order 12 of at Village Meeple — pretty much just Butts on Things and Flip 7.
I asked these retailers what was their favorite thing to sell, and the answers were wonderfully varied:
Elatia Webb, Haven Games – “I feel like this is going to be a surprising answer. It's actually my Army Painter line. They are super great to work with, I love their paints, their margins are great, the sell-through is a little slow, but not bad, and I secretly love stocking the racks.”
Colleen Rieman, Hexagon Alley – “Our community/atmosphere, cliche as it is. It really is about training our team and our community to be who we want them to be. It's priceless and the best thing, selling a safe and welcoming space. On a serious note - Flip 7 or our stickers. For Flip 7, I make every one on our team play it so they can sell it - and they do. We sell about 20 copies a month, no lie. I have had to move mountains to keep it in stock. Our stickers because we have all the different pride flags and everyone just loves the inclusivity of it. Adjacently, our pride dice.”
Travis Severence, Millennium Games – “Tiny plastic ducks, because they cost us $.01 and we sell them for $.25.”
Taylor Herndon, Board to Beers – “Local games! Selling Memphis-made games feels so special, especially when my patrons get to playtest them in the shop and then they are excited to buy the final version.”
Allan Reid, Meta-Games Unlimited – “My favorite category is tabletop games that create face-to-face experiences and bring people together. That is really the heart of what we do. I enjoy products that are not just something to sell, but something that helps build community, creates memories, and gives people a reason to come back into the store and connect with others.”
Jess Hamlet, Village Meeple – “One of my favorite things we sell is our dice selections. I LOVE watching people come in and get super excited about a new shipment. There are some truly amazing dice companies out there and we have had a ball trying them all!”
Conversely, not everything we bring into our shops will be a winner. I asked our merry band of retailers what is something that has crashed and burned in their shop:
Elatia Webb, Haven Games – “There were several specific sets from different TCGs (looking at you Magic & Yugioh) that I ended up having to dump because no one wanted it. Otherwise, most of the things I choose to stock move eventually.”
Colleen Rieman, Hexagon Alley – “Ha, Star Wars Unlimited is an easy one, but there are also so many others too.”
Travis Severence, Millennium Games – “Altered TCG, Flames of War, Vallejo Paint and Fidget Spinners.”
Taylor Herndon, Board to Beers – “Dog collars and leashes. The dog and cat toys from the same company absolutely killed it, but people don't seem to be as interested in the leashes and collars. They are difficult to display which could contribute to the issue.”
Allan Reid, Meta-Games Unlimited – “Like most retailers, we have had products that looked promising on paper but did not connect with our customers once they hit the shelf. Usually, those misses happen when a product has initial hype but lacks staying power, or when it does not match the tastes of our local customer base as well as expected. Those experiences are helpful because they reinforce the importance of knowing your customers and staying disciplined in your buying decisions. The item that hurt the most was an over order of Magic’s Portal 3 Kingdoms set and it didn’t sell well at all. I decided it was a good idea to dispose of dozens of cases of the product to the dumpster (six boxes per case). That was the WRONG move as it later exploded in value. Moral of the story – don’t ever throw away magic cards!
Jess Hamlet, Village Meeple – “As we are new, we definitely are still in the ‘throw mud at the wall and see what sticks’ phase of business. We’ve tried jewelry, candles, and also dog collars/leashes and those definitely aren’t the thing.”
The common theme is that while some things may catch our eye, it’s the community that votes for what we sell. What kinds of things does your FLGS stock that keep you coming back for more?
