Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comic shop, comic store in your future
Comic Store In Your Future With Free Advice For Fellow Comic Shops
Comic Store In Your Future offers some free advice for fellow comic shops. Take it or leave it, no refunds…
Article Summary
- Comic Store In Your Future shares hard-earned lessons on outages, provider failures, and other retail problems beyond control.
- Open a comic shop where demand is unmet, not beside a rival, and give customers a clear reason to choose you.
- Comic Store In Your Future stresses standout services like free bags and boards to build loyalty and save time.
- Buying collections can boost profits, but stolen goods, bad hires, and hype mean comic stores must stay sharp and adapt.
I started writing these articles because there is little practical material available for people who want to open a new comic store. There is no simple formula for running a successful business. As I have said before, you can do everything “right” when opening a store and still be forced to close. This year alone, the store’s phone, internet, and card readers were shut off. Nothing quite matches the feeling of customers calling and hearing the message that the number is no longer in service. That immediately started rumors that Rodman Comics had closed. Why was the service shut off? I switched providers, and the old one never bothered to tell me that, after 6 p.m. on a Wednesday, they would cut off the store’s internet and landline. Of course, 6 o’clock is also when their customer service line closes. Today’s surprise? The power is out, along with the other businesses in the strip mall. I received an email stating that 1,228 people had lost power, and that we were among them. It was a zero-sales day. It is hard to use a card reader or run the registers with no electricity.
These are things beyond my control. But if you are thinking of opening a comic store, here is some advice. Do not open right next to an existing store. It is a form of cannibalism. I have seen new stores open, “win,” and outlast nearby competitors, but the amount of money spent to do so often seems like a waste. Sometimes the new store did not survive because it was better; it simply outlasted the previous owner. If I were to open another location, it would be in nearby Waukee. It is a lot like Ankeny, Iowa, but it does not have a single comic or gaming store and is close to West Des Moines. Why don’t I open another location? A lack of good employees. We have had great employees, of course, but bad ones can cost a retail business more money than good ones can bring in.
Instead, open a new store to fill a previously unserved area. Why open a new McDonald’s if there is already one across the street? Even though Rodman Comics is in Ankeny, Iowa, people travel from Des Moines to shop with us, and people from Ankeny travel to Des Moines for their comics. Not everyone will love or hate a particular store. Even if you are not next to another store, you may still pull customers from other locations, depending on how many comic stores are in your area.
Ask what your new comic store will provide that is not already available. Years ago, Dragonfire Comics pulled me in as a regular customer by offering free bags and boards with every new comic purchase. It sounds simple, but it saved me time; I did not have to buy bags and boards separately and bag and board my comics later.
That is what Rodman Comics provides, and some people love it while others do not. The bags and boards are free with each new comic purchase. People are increasingly impatient in this era of instant gratification. They may have nothing to do after waiting a few minutes in line, yet some people lose their minds over it. It is free. No matter what you do, some people will love it, some will hate it, and some will complain just to complain. You are never going to make everyone happy. Some people could win a hundred dollars or more and still find something to complain about.
What choices will you make that will determine how your store does business? I try to avoid buying from people I have never seen before. Items are often stolen. Comics and cards are easy to steal and resell. Another store once bought Magic cards that had been stolen from mine. A customer who shopped at both stores noticed and, after the seller left, told the other store. I was called and went over. The buyer told me there were red flags: he had never seen the person before, and the cards included prize support that is only supposed to be given out at gaming events. He offered to sell the stolen product back to me. Luckily, I said no. The police officer assigned to the case later told me that a person who has been robbed does not buy back their own stolen property.
I have also been ripped off by people I know. It sucks. I do not want to waste the Ankeny Police Department’s time, nor do I want to support the sale of stolen material. We have been open sixteen years, so I am sure we have bought stolen items during that time. Just because someone is a customer does not mean they did not acquire something that was stolen. They might not have known it was stolen before they received it. That said, buying directly from people is an excellent way to make money. If you open a store and become known for buying a lot of material from the public, more people will come in. There is no truly right or wrong answer.
Do not be exactly the same as the nearest store. I have seen that happen. When I travel, I like to stop in comic stores. Often I will visit one after another in the same area and wonder what makes this one different from the one I just left. Give people a reason to come to your store.
Try. It sounds easy, but some people think that simply opening a store means customers will come pouring in and everything will be great. Over sixteen years in business, I have seen the various hobbies ebb and flow. I have been around long enough to watch Pokémon act like a roller coaster—it seems to be dying, then it comes roaring back. I remember Dragonfire Comics carrying it nearly two decades ago and then stopping. When I went to Best Buy recently, they had a sign on the door saying they were out of Pokémon.
As I asked before, how does a store owner know if something is working? If it is making money, then it is working. The customer is not always right. People mocked Absolute Batman and other comics, treating them with disdain. Magic players often do the same thing before a new set comes out. Absolute Batman has, of course, been an outstanding success for DC. Various Magic sets have been dismissed by customers, only for those same people to love them once everyone else does. What people say and what they do are often two different things. The people a store owner pays to do the bills do not care how well-liked the owner is or how many online “likes” the business has. They only care about receiving their payments.
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