I know many small retailers feel threatened by the big box discount stores, but I feel that fear is unfounded.  I remember when Spawn toys were first introduced, and when they were available at the big box stores.  I was nervous that my stock wouldn't sell, or that I would have to drop the price to match their prices (making very little or no profit).  Instead, I found that many customers would go to Wal-Mart and find only three or four of the toys that they wanted, and then come to me to fill the remainder of their collection.  It also seems that the more exposure Spawn received in the marketplace, the more Spawn comics I would sell.

Now this is a difficult comparison to make, as Spawn comics were one of our best sellers 10 years ago - and it's hard to judge how much impact the toys really had on comic sales.  But I know that Spawn sales have been down at all three of our stores over the last few years - so more toy exposure can't hurt.

In reality, this is probably a good thing.  It really isn't any different than looking at comic sales from years ago when newsstands had spinner racks full of books everywhere.  The more kids had access to comics, the more likely they would grow up wanting to read and collect other comics.

I will be displaying my Spawn toys along with the comics/tpb's, and will continue to focus on customer service with a smile.  And I'll also be keeping my eye on Spawn comic sales over the next few months.