Randall Faw of Comics Express in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, saw John Riley's Sharpening the Sword column on the 80/20 rule (see 'Sharpening the Sword--The 80/20 Rule'), and says it's 'right on the money:'

John Riley is right on the money with the 80/20 rule.  In our store, we have about 70% of our space devoted to new comics, and the balance in graphic novels, supplies, and back issues.  We have the equivalent of 10 long boxes of back issues from the past 4 years and are working to move them out of the store daily.

While they represent the lost gem to collectors, they are stale bread to the store.  Fresh and new at one time but growing older with each new release Wednesday.  We take a beating from the occasional customer looking for Incredible Hulk #181 or Avengers #4, but we don't mind.  We are profitable and will be here several years down the road.

Can we do better?  Yes, we can.  Can we learn from other retailers not selling our product categories?  Yes, we can.  We just have to pay better attention to detail and to do it better than they do it.