Atomic Empire: A Hobby Store with its own Snack Bar

http://mlwodementia.blogspot.com/2013/10/atomic-empire-game-and-comic-store-in.html

Atomic Empire wasn’t always the same store, it used to be run in a different building, under a different name, and with smaller space. Having moved in 2012, the store is currently located in Durham, NC; the store is well-received by customers. The store, despite its size, does not have a decompression zone at the entrance. Related and key products are not spread around the store to extend the time that a customer spends in the store. The packaging of a majority of the products does not allow for “petting.” Atomic Empire does not employ any of the techniques talked about by Malcolm Gladwell in his article.

Paco Underhill calls the front area of a store the decompression zone and that there shouldn’t be anything of importance in that zone. Customers pay less attention to products in that area. While superstores have the entrance sectioned off to allow customers to decompress, Atomic Empire’s counter is where the card games are sold, along with small knickknacks and figures on display. It could be that most customers enter the store knowing what they are going to buy or look at, and a decompression zone is not needed for that. The shelves that contain product that customers might browse at are far enough away for customers to decompress. Atomic Empire does not use a compression zone, far from it, they have a dice display right at the entrance.

“The chances that shoppers will buy something are directly related to how long they spend shopping, and how long they spend shopping is directly related to how deep they get pulled into the store.” -Gladwell (Signs of Life in the USA, 2011). Atomic Empire has the card games and board games at the front, tabletop rpg’s on the left, comics and books on the right, and a tournament area in the back. The only thing that takes customers to the back of the store is something that customers would already be in the store for. The store hosts tournaments and events in the back area, so everything they sell is in the front. Unless customers get hungry while shopping, and want something from the snack bar, they usually stay in the front half of the store. Customers are not forced to stay in the store for any longer than they choose to.

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/atomic-empire-durham#aYK4kAMoeFH1pZwetg7JIw

“But then I went to the Gap and to Banana Republic and saw people touching, and fondling and, one after another, buying shirts and sweaters laid out on big wooden tables, and what Paco told me.” -Gladwell (Signs of Life in the USA, 2011). Atomic Empire counts shirts and jackets among its merchandise, but sells them on hangers. They sell books, but the majority are on shelves; the only items that encourage petting are the plushies. It’s common for cards and comic books to become worth more than the price they are sold for; the same thing can happen with figures. Board games are sold in boxes and the card games at the counter. There’s not a whole lot in the store that people can pet; they can inspect the product, but petting is not as easy. Many of the products sold in the store drop in value when tampered with in any way.

Aside from invariable right, potentially, Atomic Empire fails to follow the practices talked about by Gladwell and Underhill. There’s no decompression zone in the store and products are shown near the entrance. Customers do not have a reason to go to the back of the store unless they plan on staying for a tournament being held. Many of the products sold do not encourage petting due to the potential value of them. It does not appear as though they need to use the practices, the had enough business to expand and it didn’t appear as though they were having trouble.

References

Maasik, Sonia; Solomon, Jack (2011-11-21). Signs of Life in the USA (Pages 97-103). Bedford/St. Martin’s. Kindle Edition.