Rethinking Gamestop’s place in the Hobby
Growing up, my hometown of Hattiesburg, MS, had a population of 40,000 and supported not one, not two, but three local card stores. That’s not even accounting for the fact that cards were sold at practically every single store a kid might walk into.
The retail side of things is beginning to look like the 1980s with cards returning to a lot of different stores. Want some cards with your pancakes? Cracker Barrel has you covered. Need a blaster to go with a new grill? Try Ace. Every week, it seems there is another retailer jumping into the card game.
The local card store scene, though, is still rough, and with Fanatics at the helm, it seems unlikely that smaller stores that might serve a city the size of the one I live in will appear.
None of my local stores survived the great wave of doom for local card stores that swept the nation in the early 2000s. I’ve seen estimates that 90% of card stores at the peak of the card store boom closed by this time, and I believe it. I’ve been without a local store since.
While I doubt Fanatics will suddenly start supporting small stores, there is one potential replacement for the local store experience that I had completely overlooked: GameStop.
From Stonks to LCS?
GameStop has been circling the hobby for a couple of years now. From greatly expanding their card offerings, to becoming a PSA submitter, to even buying cards, GameStop clearly sees cards as a large part of their future.
I had kind of assumed they’d just do a bad job of it, and nothing would come from it beyond GameStop spending some of their mountains of cash. That changed this week.
I seldom go into my local GameStop, but I popped in the other day when I had 15 minutes to kill in that area of town. The first thing I saw when I walked in was a group of people (multiple ages) opening packs of cards in the store. “I hit a Reggie Wayne auto” was not a phrase I expected to hear shouted excitedly at GameStop, but here we are.
Upon closer inspection, there were multiple groups of collectors at GameStop buying and opening cards, discussing them, and having a great time doing so. If there wasn’t a wall of Amiibos behind them, the collectors could’ve been at any local card store in America. It was awesome.
Now, my strong guess is I could go back into the same GameStop a hundred times, and I’d never see such a wonderful hobby tableau again. I don’t think GameStop has become a de facto local card store yet, but what I saw was clear proof of concept.
The Future
For the first time, I can see a future where GameStop plays a central role in the hobby. I’m not sure they’ll get there, but there is definitely a path for them.
So, what will they need to ultimately become America’s card store? That’s the goal after all. One thing I think they need is space for ripping packs. I think that the rip fest at my store occurred primarily because there were two almost empty sale tables just asking for someone to linger and rip packs. Empty space is anathema to retailers, but I think it’s a requirement for cultivating the card store experience.
Another thing they need is organization/predictability. Collectors need to learn to expect that their store gets the bulk of major releases. Currently, what products appear at each GameStop is a mystery to even GameStop managers.
Lastly, the best stores work because of their awesome employees. Now, that doesn’t mean that every GameStop employee needs to be a card expert. It would certainly be beneficial to have one on staff at each location. Employees don’t have to be card experts, but they do need to be able to facilitate the feeling of community. With GameStop’s ability to retain employees, I think this is an area they can succeed.
Wrap Up
I thought the idea of GameStop getting into the card market was goofy. I’m willing to admit I was wrong. They may not end up succeeding, but it won’t be because it’s a horrible idea. For one brief summer evening, I had a local card store (or close enough) in little old Hattiesburg, MS. I haven’t been able to say that since the early 00s. Maybe, just maybe, GameStop can wind up being a boon to the hobby. I find myself cheering for them, which is something I didn’t see happening.