anyone own or run a video games store ?
 

if so what are the pitfalls ?

I dont own one but I would think the pitfalls would be hiring people that are good and another issue would be shrinkage. Not to mention the competition. Gamefly.com is now doing trade-ins. Then there is Game Crazy and Game Stop already firmly entrenched.

Competition, Theft rates, Fraud (Returns mainly), High stock keeping cost

game crazy is owned by hollywood video i dont play much anymore they have the cheapest games pitfall is warez lol

pitfalls = kids have no money, systems change too often,

how many stores do you think they have ? I think Game stop is owned by EB games now.

Piracy comes to mind.

My guess would be a growing hatred of kids after dealing with them on regular basis. lol

Brick and mortar?

Seems like it could be a time sink with a relatively low profit potential if you survived. You probably can't beat the chains unless there are none in you're area, but if that's the case there is probably a reason.

A specialty store (Imports ETC) might be successful if its something you loved doing, but it still doesn't seem very lucrative.

piracy is hurting the industry as a whole but not really store specific, good point though for watching the business climate

oh and employee theft, they love to get their hands on those pre-release copies.

Gamestop over 5,000.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6181642.html

Gamecrazy probably as many as there are Hollywood Video.

Allow space for setting up a few of the top systems where kids can pay to play, like an internet cafe but for video games. I knew a store that used to do this when I was a teenager and it was a huge hit, they were always packed (and a packed store will ultimate rent/sell more stuff too naturally).

Eventually it got so hot they opened a larger one with a Subway in it :)

this thread may have caused a new GFY meme

your talking quarters?

Typically alligators and deadly scorpions.

http://www.atariage.com/2600/hacks/s...lus_Hack_2.png

ugh:helpme

outstanding post :thumbsup

One of the best games ever.

this is the best remaining model. but zoning can be especially tricky around schools.

but to answer the question, it's not theft/shrinkage, but damage/depreciation to the NR titles.

i've owned more than 1 video game brick and mortar stores.

Are you talking arcade sales or retail sales?
WG

I looked into selling video games online a while back. You would have to do bulk to actually make any money out of it. You buy games for 45 and sell them for 50 buy the system for 180 and sell for 200. You cant deal directly with the companies and have to go through a distributor middle man and when the company drops the price of a product you lose your ass off :(

i help run one with a friend of mine...we have internet cafe in the back as well...like 10 computers....he makes alot more with people buying time by the hour in the back than anything else...but other than that its a good investment IMO :thumbsup

you are kind of limited in income with that i would think. Unless you have a shitload of gamer friends. This blinking wildcamcash.com banner is killing me while i am typing this. this is work then the duke of new york,

i had to come back to finish what i was thinking because of that shitty banner.

It might be good if it in a shopping mall. The strip mall ones i have seen are always dead except for the day of releases

retail:thumbsup

I think owning a video game store is a great opportunity! You have a growing market (year after year), decent margins and a very rabid customer base of teens/young adults.

Piracy is one thing to take into consideration but piracy in video games have been around since conception. I would'nt focus alot of time worrying about that as many teens have alot of disposable income now. Plus the trend is to trade a game in after you are bored with it and use the money to buy a new one.

If you have a high traffic retail location in mind I think you can't go wrong :)

You are wasting your time. Theres a reason that you dont see many independent or small game shops. Everyone buys from circuit city, best buy, gamestop, toys r us or online.

i am not sure this would be a good idea.

well, we can offer competetive pricing to any of the majors and have a more personalized service. A store actually run by gamers:thumbsup

I do, but only online and eBay at this point. The real pitfall is that there's not really much mark up on games. A $60 games costs over $50 wholesale. Consoles like the Wii make a gameshop a few bucks...like under $20.

The "real" money is in buying and selling the used stuff. That's where the storefront would be most beneficial. There are always people looking to trade their stuff in. I've had really good luck buying used lots from Craigslist and used wholesale lots from eBay.

We'll definitely go brick and mortar at some point, hopefully around this time next year.

I totally agree, the money is in the pre owned games:thumbsup