State of the store.

I know that my store can look chaotic to some, but every element I've added has increased the bottom line. In the last year, we've jumped to an entire new level. Managing an increase in games, books, game cards, puzzles, and toys without neglecting what we were already carrying has been challenging, but I think we've done it. 

We're in really good shape. (It only took 40 years to finally have year with a cash surplus instead of lingering debt.)

I don't think it would be a terrible thing to take a step back. Not try to be on top of everything all the time. Let the store coast for a few months. 

I probably won't slack off completely. I want more smaller piece puzzles, more Pokemon, definitely more Magic boxes. 

I guess I'm really talking about books. I went for bestsellers and it wasn't a disaster, but they are starting to accumulate a little too much. So instead of ordering five or six new "bestseller" titles each week, I probably should cut back to one or two. (Unless I plan to change strategies and send books back. I still have that option with Ingram.)

I still want to keep my eyes open for quirky or cool books--but let them come to my attention rather than hunt them down. The budget for books is more or less taking care of itself--less sales, less back ordering. We've kind of reached a threshold on some categories--games are proliferating beyond measure and so are young adult graphic novels. It's gotten to the point where I can't order every new game or GN, even if I limit myself to the bestsellers.

It's been a little over a year since I got really serious about ordering books. I can't tell if the lessons I've learned are normal or are unusual, since things have been anything but normal.

Were sales given a boost by Covid? Or were they perhaps not as good as they could have been?

Are the constant stock shortages of bestselling books normal?  Or is it because of Covid?

Have the sales of bestsellers been better than normal, or worse?

How can I know until things become "normal?" (Will things ever become normal?)

Pretty much the same questions with puzzles and games.

Comics are still having a rough patch, but graphic novels are doing extremely well, evening everything out. 

I'm asking my landlord for a long-term lease extension and feeling very optimistic about the future. It's been fun to have a fully operational store; though the disaster surrounding it has been scary.