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Discount on Pull lists? Pro or Con (Comic Book Forums)

  • Discount on Pull lists? Pro or Con

Author Discussion
  • Posted: November 23, 2017 7:25:11 pm
  • In a couple years I will be opening a comic book retail store. During my research in what customers want out of their LCS, more often than not I see a lot of people assuming a discount with a pull list as a factor in their patronage,10% most of the time, and If they didn't it was like some kind slight against them. Now I understand that its to encourage repeat business. My question is, is it wise to do that to lose money especially when you are just starting out and you have no data whether or not you can even afford to give discounts. Now my LCS didn't give discounts for a pull list because he was a small store but I didn't mind. What I did mind that I got my books before anyone else and in pristine condition on which he delivered without fail.

    Last edited November 23, 2017 7:38:49 pm
  • Posted: November 23, 2017 7:40:54 pm
  • Unless you plan on having the lowest price as the main reason for people to come to your shop, discounting is not for you. They will always expect you to be the cheapest with everything or they will leave. You will also need to compete with the internet discounters to keep these customers.

    You should build a shop that people come to based on excellent customer service and having what they want in stock.

    Assuming that you get a 50% discount, and you should do a little better, a 10% discount is 20% of your profit. If a comic has a retail price of $4.00 and you want to make $100 profit, you need to sell 50 copies at retail price. If you give a discount of 10%, you would need to sell 62.5 copies. That isn't easy to make up that difference.

    Do yourself a favor and join a Comic Book Retailer forum for help in what to do when opening a store.
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  • Posted: November 23, 2017 8:07:55 pm
  • Joe
    Thanks for the response. I've actually been looking for a retailers forum, but google hasn't been much help. Could you recommend any to me? I would greatly appreciate it. I totally agree with your second point. Part of my mission statement is to be steward of the profession and promote the industry. I have two years before I retire and by then my business plan should be airtight. During my travels I visit the LCS and try to pick the brains of the owners and see how they do business.
  • Posted: November 23, 2017 8:26:24 pm
  • Contact ComicPro and they can direct you to the current comic forums. I was a member on the comic forums about 10 years ago but haven't kept up with it.

    http://www.comicspro.org/
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  • Posted: November 24, 2017 3:58:08 am
  • Don't know if this is relevant, but I appreciate my LCS having a veteran's discount. They don't do a general discount for subscribers, but getting 20% off (50% on Veteran's Day) my pull because of my service makes this old Marine feel like a valued customer for sure!

    Last edited November 24, 2017 3:59:05 am
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: November 24, 2017 2:05:56 pm
  • Tecliran. I think you should offer a discount for your Pull-and-Hold customers in your new store. They are the people who will keep you in business and will help immensely with your pre-ordering two months ahead of time. It will help you out with trying to figure out what your local comic book lovers want to read. I've never had a store, just my two cents.
  • Posted: November 24, 2017 2:16:37 pm
  • I also think that you should offer a discount for your customers that have a pull list. You can start with the basic 10% and increase the discount based on a purchase tier level. I've been with my LCS for over 20yrs now, and have spent over $100/week, every week. If it wasn't for the discount they gave me, I'd have gone on-line ordering with Midtown or one of the other sites that offer discounts.
  • Posted: November 24, 2017 10:07:57 pm
  • As a general rule, running a comic shop is tough due to the low profit margins and high risk of getting stuck with dead inventory. Most comic shops are struggling month to month. Discounts can be a slippery slope. The store needs the money to maintain good cash flow. Unfortunately, the product costs too much and many of the customers are struggling to afford their addiction. You need some kind of bait to lure subscribers into starting a pull list. I would suggest that you avoid giving a discount if at all possible. Once you give it, you can't go back and your customer is going to assume that you are charging them too much already. I would try to find any other way to avoid it. Maybe a 20% discount on any backstock over 2 months old or free bags & boards. Whatever it takes to avoid losing that mark-up. If all else fails, give a modest discount. In a customer's mind, the discount means that you were overpricing it all along. If you pay $2 wholesale for a comic and sell it for $4, they don't know where that $2 goes. They don't know it goes to pay rent and employee salaries. When your competitor down the road over-orders and has to flush out $4 comics at a $1 a piece, they don't know he's selling them for a loss. They think that you've been overcharging them $3. I know you'll do whatever it takes to stay afloat, but avoid devaluing the worth of your inventory.
  • Posted: November 25, 2017 11:14:09 am
  • There are three comic shops on one block downtown. When I moved here I asked what the shop could do for me as I would be spending hundreds of dollars a month there. The one that offered a discount (and free bags and boards thrown in) got my business.
12 posts • Page 1 of 2
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