Behind the Counter
Recently, I have been engaged in various conversations online about what I call the "E-Model" - which has nothing to do with email, but rather the Entertainment Model of a store. My shop, Titan Games & Music still has games in the title, but - maybe it shouldn't. So sparse is my game coverage over what it was 5 years ago. But, in MOST consumers minds, we are a good game store - cause most consumers want VIDEO games, and we have plenty those!
Anyway, part of promoting the "E-Model" has been teaching my fellow retailers about the ease of dealing in used entertainment merchandise. Video Games, DVDs, Music CDs and Records, even VHS Tapes, used novels and Comics.
Today, I was admonished by another retailer for sharing this information because it could be illegal to do so, under anti-trust laws, Leegin or some sort of price fixing violation. Wow. I can't say how disappointed I am in this. Has our government nothing better to do than scare independent retailers into silence on how to run their businesses? Or, have retailers just become so paranoid about, well, about EVERYthing that they can't take action for fear of making a mistake, violating a law, or running amuck of the legal system?
I dunno. But, I can say that unless or until a state or federal prosecutor tells me I can't share information - I plan to damn-well do so. I do not say that as a challenge, mind you - but as an American who has some freedom of speech left, and having served in the US Army for 12 years, active duty, as an Infantryman - I like to, you know, AVAIL myself of my rights. I figure I frakking earned them!
At the heart of this argument is simply me producing an email document, about 4 printed pages long, detailing how I DO BUSINESS. I think you can find books on that very topic. Imagine that! Books. Even price guides - published, and available for consumption by people like retailers.
This document I produce I update about 2 times a year, is simply called our Buy-List. In it I detail what we buy, what we pay, and how we price things. Which is fairly simple. I mean, if I told you I bought rare coins with a certain price strategy, and sold them using a specific price guide - would that be illegal? No, and no coin shop owner would ever think it was. So, why are game store retailers so skittish on this topic? I really don't know.
Retail Operations:
I have owned and operated Titan Games retail store now for 5 years, and the web operation about 5 years longer than that - though we sold the website last year. In that time we have changed a lot - though, we have changed mostly by what we carry, how we sell, our hours, our signage, etc. This past month, I decided to make a more significant change - we expanded our retail space to include 2/3rd of our former office area. We got in more than 20 new fixtures, from book cases to DVD browsers, to new display cases for our Video Games, to new comic racks. We have really Refixtured the store. A lot.
The result has been that we now display 50% more Video Games, 100% more CDs, 40% more records, and about twice as many DVD's as before! The store is a complete new layout - with our sections being "boutiqued" - meaning all the Video Games are in one area, all the movies (DVD and VHS) are in one area, and all the comics in one area, etc.
And, this has had a positive effect on our customers (more than a couple hundred have commented how they like the new look), and our sales (up on all categories over same month previous year). That's pretty nice, I must admit.
But, it is the way the store looks that I like the most. We also instituted a company uniform for our store. Blue embroidered shirts for all retail personnel, long sleeve button down company shirts for me - black or khaki slacks & dress shoes for all. We look good, and so does the store - and customers have been responding with increased purchasing.
Expansion:
Well, having just bought 70 skids of product from one manufacturer, I find myself in need of either a LOT more storage space, or another retail location. Not sure how to make this decision. I need room to store about 25 skids (pallets) of product - each one measuring about 4' by 4' by 6 feet tall.
On one hand - Battle Creek is a small town, and may not be able to support two retail stores of the same design - the entertainment model.
On the other, storage space for 25 skids would be expensive, not cheap. So, I could probably rent enough retail space just as cheaply as storage space in this town.
Anyway, if you have ideas on what I should do, email me - always looking for alternative ideas. And, you know, if you want to buy 35 skids of stuff from me, please let me know!!
Thanks
Marcus King
Titan Games & Music
637 Capital Ave SW
Battle Creek, MI 49015
titangamesinc at aol dot com
269-963-3773
