Define "Best."

Sad news that a major comic chain, Atomic Comics, in Phoenix is closing.

This was a four store chain that was a major player in the comic world, hosting myriad signings and events. In fact, if you watched the movie KickAss, you saw one of his stores.

So I don't really know what might have caused this demise, but I'm always somewhat bemused by how many people pop up to eulogize some stores. (The best thing they could've done would have been to buy from his stores instead of crying crocodile tears....)

Anyway, you read comments like this was the "best" store, or the "best" retailer around.

Well, define "best." Because if he was the best retailer, he wouldn't be going bankrupt. And if his stores were the best, then they would have kept enough business to keep going, right?

I'm just saying. What the customer sees and what the retailer needs to do to survive can be two different things.

Yes, there are outward forces that can cause a store to close, but ultimately it is up the retailer to negotiate those forces. Its a fine line between doing so much for the customer -- spending so much money on services, lowering margins so much that you gain the customer but lose the profit, and so on -- and doing what you need to do to stay in business. In the best of all worlds, you can try to do both; but a store that can't turn a profit isn't doing the customer any favors in the long run.

I've always tried to tell my customers. I want a profitable store so's I can make it a better store -- not so's I can get rich.

By the way, this was another heavily promoted store -- with huge loyalty from the comic creators -- but it wasn't enough. Tons of publicity and renown and awards and such. I'll say it again and again: no amount of publicity and promotion will make up for basic business weaknesses. To me, it can't be a coincidence that so many high profile stores fold up. (Then again, maybe those are the ones we hear about; less prominent stores fold without notice...)

My guess is such stores are top heavy with employees, (the better to host events), and laden with promotion expenses.

I guess what I'm trying to say about promotion is -- fine, if you can do it.

But you have to be aware that every hour, every foot of space, every dollar you spend, every employee you assign to the schedule, every extra hour you stay open, every "guerilla" marketing campaign, is a focus AWAY from the basics -- inventory, especially.

If you are sitting in your store and business is slow, you might think --"ah, hah! I need to have an ad campaign, or I need to have a comic creator come by!"

Or you could look around your store and thing: "Maybe I need to change what I'm carrying. Maybe I need to change my pricing policies, or my hours..."

Or any other number of things...

I'm guessing here, from other people's comments and from visiting his website, that Atomic Comics was designed to sell mainstream comics and paraphernalia -- which have been hit pretty hard in the last few years.

I've got another post following this, which is a response to another "expert" that comic retailers should be doubling down on what they do "best", which is comics.

You can add this news from Phoenix as more evidence for my side of the argument which is -- diversify, diversify, diversify. (Or inventory, inventory, inventory, if you will.)