Thursday, July 21, 2011

Thursday tids.

When my nephews were visiting, I roughhoused a little with them in the backyard.

Next day, I woke up with a stiff knee. Huh. I didn't remember anything happening, but obviously....

But the knee has remained stiff, and if I turn a certain direction, I get a stab of pain.

That's what I get for getting off the couch. Couch potatoes are delicate, you know.

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When I was out in the Badlands, I started walking one of the trails, and I only got about 5 minutes in before my leg started to stiffen up, from the knee down to the shins.

That's it. I got to do something about that.

One of my longterm customers was asking to use the bathroom yesterday at the store. "You know how it is when you get older," he said.

"Tell me about it. I was out checking out all the trailheads of the Badlands the other day, and everytime I stopped I had to...well, uh....let's say, I had to Mark the trailhead.

"I OWN the Badlands, now...."

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I've been so used to sales being lower every month, that this month caught me offguard. In a good way. There is almost no doubt that I'll beat last July, and almost no doubt I'll beat last August. If I can keep that up in September, and onward, then I may believe the store has leveled off for the time being.

We had a year of drops with the great recession, then 7 months up, and then another 14 months down.

Checking the numbers, sales are almost exactly what they were the year before last.

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I'd been telling people over the last few years that I thought Magic had peaked out.

Well, maybe I was wrong.

Sales are really, really strong right now, despite have more competitors than ever. I've noticed that when I have one strong competitor, they tend to eat into my sales.

But now that I have about 4 competitors, sales are up.

Not sure what to think about that. I'd like the believe the pool of customers has gotten bigger, but it's more likely that tourists are spending more -- which means the overall pool in the country has gotten bigger.

7 comments:

Leitmotiv said...

Who are your 4 big competitors? Game Domain, The Hive.... and who are the other two?

Duncan McGeary said...

I'm not telling you.

......

O.K. There's a store that is out on 3rd St. behind the donuts shop, which I think of as "Chris's" and I'm ashamed to say I don't remember the name.

And there is a store in Prineville, and again, arrogant cuss that I am, I don't know the name.

Duncan McGeary said...

I didn't use the word "big."

H. Bruce Miller said...

That crazy "outdoor recreation" stuff can really mess ya up.

Leitmotiv said...

Don't worry Duncan... I'm not that big of a Magic player! It's the most unfair and unbalanced game out there for me to invest in.

It's a game of class. The more money you have, the more likely it is you will win. So unfair and unbalanced. The unfair comes from my stubbornness to spend as much as my friends. I have a kid and they don't!!

Duncan McGeary said...

"...a game of class..."

You really think so?

I've always thought it wasn't too bad, that you can realistically play with reasonable cards that won't cost an arm and a leg.

Just stay away from the "collecting" aspect.

Warhammer, on the other hand....I would indeed say it's a 'class' game -- or maybe just a game that has to become your total hobby -- a lifestyle game, if you will. Way too expensive for me.

Leitmotiv said...

yeah, I think so. I've played with too many people that spend all their money on it, and I can't compete with that. I love the concept and want to play the game, but I'm not going to constantly fork money over for the rare cards the give the better advantage, nor am I going to buy tons of duplicates to make my deck superior. So to that degree it is a game of class. Hell, some of the best Magic players are now Texas Hold'em Poker players!!

Magic in my eyes is fun, but fatally flawed. I will have to buy Dominion I suppose.