MVP071: Round Table – Distribution… It’s Not Just The Games That Are Analog, It’s The Industry

John Coviello (Little Shop of Magic) and Gary Sproul (The Haunted Game Cafe) join me to discuss every retailer’s favorite topic: dealing with distributors and figuring out your supply chain. 

If you want to run a game store, you need to have games to sell and the only viable way to get those games is by dealing with distributors. In this episode, we explore how the supply side of the industry works and why it is the way it is. We end up coming up with some possible solutions and suggestions that could improve the situation.

Topics Covered:

• Amazon has taken action against shady dealers when it comes to Asmodee product.
• Why distributors are a necessary link in the supply chain between retailers and publishers.
• The most frustrating thing about working with distributors.
• The issue with exclusives and the problem with allocation.
• The information lag that causes issues with supply and demand and what we can do about it.
• Common misconceptions of how distribution works.
• Looking at distributors from the publishing side of the industry.
• Why you shouldn’t be afraid to fire your rep if they aren’t helping your business.
• Why communication is the most important aspect of the issue and why the industry is still in the stone age.