So I'm sure you're all aware that stay-at-home orders have been issued for all Local Game Stores (LGSs) due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. Unfortunately the LGS as we know it won't survive. You can't be shutdown for two months or even a year when your business is already weak and somehow expect to stay in business. As for the implications this will have on the Pokémon TCG it's going to be pretty severe. Players will be forced to play PTCGO, there will no longer be any Pre-Release events for new Standard sets, no more Pokémon League, Nationals, Regionals, Worlds, etc. as the Secondary Market for the TCG will completely collapse. The original Base Set, Jungle, and Fossil cards from Wizards of the Coast will probably still be worth more money especially 1st Edition Base Set Charizard.
I was hoping to get back into the Pokémon TCG after being on a long hiatus from being pre-occupied with Magic: the Gathering and Cardfight!! Vanguard. With all the LGSs in my vicinity being closed perhaps indefinitely due to the global pandemic there doesn't seem to be as much hope that they'll ever re-open their doors again after the quarantine ends. The risk of owning and operating these types of businesses to provide play space for players especially for VGC events which I was planning on getting back into as well with Pokémon Shield on the Nintendo Switch doesn't appear to be worth the reward. One of the LGSs I go to for Pokémon TCG has been having trouble firing Standard tournaments for so long that everyone else seems to be stuck playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch instead.
Another problem I've been noticing lately is that LGSs are already having difficulty competing against online retailers like Amazon where they don't have overhead. In other words Local Game Stores are still paying rent since they signed a contract with their landlord and that rent is still their overhead. Even If they laid off every employee you didn't buy anymore stuff since you'd be at a HUGE disadvantage. Even If you went online only because you're still gonna have to pay that rent on your store which is totally useless right now. It's sad since we've all grew up in Local Game Stores (LGS's). We could see 50-80% of all Local Game Stores go out of business permanently by May 10th and we don't even know If it could be longer. I just don't see how Paper TCG's / CCG's can survive without the LGS.
This truly is the end of an era.
I was hoping to get back into the Pokémon TCG after being on a long hiatus from being pre-occupied with Magic: the Gathering and Cardfight!! Vanguard. With all the LGSs in my vicinity being closed perhaps indefinitely due to the global pandemic there doesn't seem to be as much hope that they'll ever re-open their doors again after the quarantine ends. The risk of owning and operating these types of businesses to provide play space for players especially for VGC events which I was planning on getting back into as well with Pokémon Shield on the Nintendo Switch doesn't appear to be worth the reward. One of the LGSs I go to for Pokémon TCG has been having trouble firing Standard tournaments for so long that everyone else seems to be stuck playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch instead.
Another problem I've been noticing lately is that LGSs are already having difficulty competing against online retailers like Amazon where they don't have overhead. In other words Local Game Stores are still paying rent since they signed a contract with their landlord and that rent is still their overhead. Even If they laid off every employee you didn't buy anymore stuff since you'd be at a HUGE disadvantage. Even If you went online only because you're still gonna have to pay that rent on your store which is totally useless right now. It's sad since we've all grew up in Local Game Stores (LGS's). We could see 50-80% of all Local Game Stores go out of business permanently by May 10th and we don't even know If it could be longer. I just don't see how Paper TCG's / CCG's can survive without the LGS.
This truly is the end of an era.