What's the best game store franchise?

[Sonnie]

I'm curious about what the best video game store franchise might be... other than Game Stop. We already have a Game Stop in our town, but it's location is somewhat inconvenient. We have a great location next to our office and are considering opening a video game store. We would obviously want to offer all the various consoles along with new and used games. We also wouldn't mind offering DVDs, so one that has DVDs and/or would allow DVDs would be mo betta I think.

I'm not sure if we could do this without a franchise or not, but I'm thinking buying a franchise might be the ticket.

[jvc]

We have one in our mall that is a franchise, I think, called EB Games.
They sell all the consoles, and games for them. They even sell computer games too. They also sell used games and used dvds. The store is pretty nice.

I've bought a couple of dvds in the past, but never bought a game. I only play a game occasionally on the computer. Every couple of years, I hookup the old Nintendo NES console, and play Super Mario Bros. for awhile.

Here's the web site for EB Games:
http://www.ebgames.com/Default.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1&
Good luck!

[bob1029]

Yeah EB Games is the other big one. I have found that the smaller "mom/pop" shops are much better for finding classic nes/snes/genesis/etc games though. EB Games and Gamestop have an almost non-existant selection of these games. I know of a store down in College Station, TX that has an almost complete legacy nintento collection of games, accessories, and guides. You will also find that the people running these stores are much more passionate about gaming and will know alot more about the subject than your standard Gamestop associate. Also with a franchise comes the need to conform. If you have a bunch of capital and dont have 24/7 to dedicate to the business, then Id probably go with the franchise. Otherwise it may be a good idea to contribute something special to the local gaming community and set up an independent shop. With the ability to do anything with the store, you can offer more than 360/ps3/wii/ds games. I think excellent margin is found in anime box sets, energy drinks, and trading card games such as Magic the Gathering. These 3 things will draw a much wider crowd, which tends to have deeper pockets than your standard halo fans. Also, depending on the location you may even be able to arrange tournaments for games (both electronic and card-based), which can create a regular weekly intake of customers. When you are basically a retail store, finding any method to collect 100% profit, such as tournament entry fees, can be very helpful. I know for a fact that these stores make 0$ on any new games or game consoles. All the money is in the accessories and services.

Just my 2c.

[Sonnie]

I have heard the money is not in the new stuff... that is what concerns me most with this being such a small town of 15,000. However, Game Stop seems to be doing pretty well.

[bob1029]

If there is already a game store in a town of 15000, then you are going to have some pretty strong competition.

[Sonnie]

Well... the guy running that store would likely run our store for us. Plus, I think we'll have a better location. But it is definitely something we have to consider either way.

[bob1029]

Yeah, if you could actually get it to "run itself", then it may be a serious consideration, especially if you think you have a superior location over the other store.

[Sonnie]

We're going to weigh it out slowly and see if it's feasible. Researching the various franchises has been a challenge in itself.

What would be nice is if we could make it a mom and pop store, but I think I'd have to know a whole lot more than I do right now. I think a franchise may be our only hope for success.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hey Sonnie,
As far as I know, EB Games and Game Stop is owned by the same company???

Here's my favorite place. They've got several franchises, but only in the St. Louis area. Lots and Lots of new and used games, cd's, dvd's, vinyl, vhs, cassettes,....etc... You name the format/media, they've got it.
If they won't "spread" to Alabama, check them out anyway.
If nothing else, they're a good business model:

http://slackers.com/

Bob

[Sonnie]

That's actually more like what I'm looking for... more than just games. Thanks, I'll definitely check them closer.