This week’s article is about our favorite place to go: the local gaming store. The brick-and-mortar stores that hold your local tournaments are the backbone of this game (or any trading card game for that matter). If you don’t have a place to play, then the game can’t grow. Major tournaments like Regionals and Shonen Jump Championships aren’t enough on their own, and neither is playing at home with your buddies. The local stores are the roots of any fantastic TCG, and nearly all of us visit a local store regularly.
Sometimes you can get a little bored with your store. Maybe it just doesn’t "do it" for you anymore. What can you do? You’re not thrilled with your store, but you don’t want to leave either. This is where I come in. I’ll show you how you can get more value from your store. We’ll examine some commonly held beliefs about local stores . . . and smash them.
Myth #1: The Local Store Owner Is a Cheapskate
Most players who become dissatisfied with their local store accuse the owner of being a cheapskate who only cares about taking their money. 99 percent of the time this is not the case. The problem here is a lack of understanding of the owner’s position. First of all, your local store owner is a businessman. He or she is trying to earn a profit by providing you with products and services that you would be likely to pay for. You’re trading your money for something you value: tournaments, boosters, singles, sleeves, deck boxes, and all the rest. 
It’s a mutually beneficial exchange. Sometimes you’ll hear those players who want something for nothing. They want their local store to have everything they need, when they need it, but will never buy anything. They want to be rewarded with bigger prize pools for the same entry fee they always pay and don’t bother to bring friends to help grow the tournament scene (and the store’s business). They want discounts despite the fact that they’re not regulars. They want their team’s travel and lodging expenses funded, but refuse to advertise the store that gave them the cash to get where they needed to go (this happens a lot).
Do you see the pattern here? Contrary to popular belief, your local store owner is not there to serve your every whim. Business people want to trade with you: your money for their product or service. They don’t serve you because you insist that they do so. Business people respond to customer demand, not a customer’s random whims. The customer is not always right.
So what is customer demand? Here’s an example: when your store owner gets frequent requests from many customers regarding certain hard-to-find anime deck boxes, it might be in his or her financial interest to find that product and start to sell it at the store. Another example: what if you start bringing your friends to the store for the weekly tournament, and they bring their friends too? If the cycle continues week after week, the store owner will be inclined to offer more for prizes to keep you guys coming back.
Myth #2: You Are Not Valuable as a Customer
This is not true at all. Repeat customers are extremely valuable to any business. This is how businesses thrive. The number-one reason for any local store going out of business is simple: lack of business (e.g. lack of repeat customers). To fully understand how valuable you are as a customer you simply have to do the math. Let’s say you spend about 30 dollars per weekend at your local store. Now multiply that by 52 weeks. What do you get? A whopping 1560 dollars over the course of a year! Trust me when I say that store owners have a serious interest in your repeat business. Let’s say you bring three friends with you to the store every weekend. Let’s also assume that you each spend 30 dollars at the store. That’s 120 dollars per weekend from your group. In one year’s time your group is worth as much as 3600 dollars! That’s just four people! Imagine if the store had forty or more regular customers.
Now that you know how much you’re really worth to a store, it’s easier to understand how vital it is that you actually spend money there. I understand, you’re probably on a budget. However, the more often you spend money at your local store the more you’ll tend to get out of it. Store owners love regular customers because it means that they get a constant, reliable inflow of cash to finance their business. If they have cash then they can provide bigger and better services. Regular customers often get preferential treatment that big-box retailers like Wal-Mart or Target can’t give you. The huge retailers don’t care if you visit fifty times a year. You’re just another body moving around the store. They don’t have the capability to recognize you, let alone give you special treatment. The same goes for many online retailers that sell singles. When was the last time you were contacted by an online retailer asking for more of your business? I bet the owner of your local game store knows you by name. That counts for more than you think, for both parties.
Myth #3: Local Stores Only Run Tournaments on Weekend Afternoons
A lot of players think that there isn’t any difference between one store and the next. Any store that falls into this category should be ashamed for disappointing its customers and not differentiating. One of the best things about my old store in South Florida was the late-night and overnight tournaments. How many of you actually hold part-time or full-time jobs that have you getting home at 5:00 or 6:00 PM? I bet a lot of you do. The late-night tournaments that start at 6:00 or 7:00 PM are the best! You wouldn’t believe the amount of players who come out of nowhere for night tournaments. Every Friday, my store was packed. Sometimes we even had overnight events on the weekends. The attendance was enormous!
Are you convinced that your store won’t do this? Think again. I suggest that you ask if it could be done. I bet you have buddies who work during the day and would love a Friday night tournament. I bet you also have buddies who work on weekends and can never make it to the early tournaments. If you can show your local store owner that customers will show up if the owner stays open after hours, then you might have this offered on a regular basis. If you’re going to propose this, ask if the owner can try it just once or twice to see how it works out. He or she can always go back to regular hours. If the store owner says "yes" make sure everyone you know who plays the game shows up for the party. Order pizza, get snacks and soda, and play through the night. The additional clientele will do a wonderful job of convincing the store owner to open late more often.
Myth #4: Local Stores Are Price Gougers
This is another myth that’s far from the truth. Price gouging involves pricing items dramatically higher than market prices can afford regardless of level of demand, especially during high demand. Brick-and-mortar stores often have very high leasing fees—a disadvantage versus internet stores in that respect. 
Have you ever wondered why their singles are priced so high? There’s your answer. However, there’s hope. It’s possible to get discounts. For example, if you’re a regular customer and you’re going to buy two or three boxes, ask if the price you’re getting is the best price you can get. See if you can get ten dollars or more off the total price.
Also, there are some stores out there that offer membership clubs for an annual fee. Let’s say that you pay 50 dollars per year as a member to get five to ten percent off everything in the store. One store owner I knew had a much simpler system. Each and every customer had his or her own hole-punch card with the customer’s name on it. Every time he or she bought booster packs, he or she got a hole-punch for each booster. When he or she hit twenty boosters he or she got three for free! Needless to say, this system was extremely popular for many years. You can ask for services like these. It doesn’t cost much to make membership cards (the store owner in the example above used index cards at times), and a customer database is very simple to set up on Microsoft Excel. Be reasonable and offer to help if necessary. You can also be business-like by enumerating the benefits.
Myth #5: The Big Retailers Always Have What You Want
Some players believe that they can’t rely on their local stores to have the newest product when they need it. Again, not true. There are many stores out there that either buy direct from Upper Deck or buy from distributors who do the same. You can pre-order from your local store and have them call you when the product gets in. My local store owner in South Florida used to provide this service for his customers who pre-ordered product. The great thing was that I was guaranteed to have the product I wanted and I was even notified the moment it arrived at the store! If your local store doesn’t do this, then I suggest you ask if they can. Nothing’s more frustrating than going to Wal-Mart or Target and not finding what you want when it’s supposed to be on the shelves. Either it’s sold out or it’s simply not there. If you live in Florida, like me, it’s often not there until three weeks after it’s officially released, which can be very frustrating. This is an easy problem your local store can solve if they’re diligent enough and receptive to your suggestions.
Another plus that local stores have over your average retailer is the exclusive Hobby League goodies. These days you can get playmats and exclusive parallel ultra rares each month. For me, it’s always worth it. Those cards and mats are pretty valuable. Who doesn’t like to "bling" out his or her deck with parallel rares of cards that you never thought would get the foil treatment?
Final Thoughts
Your local store can be the most valuable place for your Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG needs. The concept is simple: you get the products you want in exchange for your business (money). If your store isn’t as fantastic as you’d like it to be, then it’s up to you to help change that. Understand that business people need to know that there is a market for new services before they offer them. If it pans out well for them, then they will keep offering the services their customers want. If they don’t, then they risk losing your business to a competitor.
Local stores rely on you, the customer, for their livelihood. It’s a win-win situation that can go on for years. There’s no greater satisfaction as a local player than doing business with a store that actually cares.
Until next time, remember to stay focused and have fun!
—Bryan Camareno