Pat Fuge of Gnome Games in Green Bay, Wisconsin feels that the new dates for the Chicago International Toy and Game event, along with a new focus, put the show into direct competition with brick and mortar retailers.

 

We just received notice that CHITAG has moved the dates of the Chicago International Toy and Game to the start of the holiday shopping season.  Per their announcement CHITAG will be held '. . . November 17th - 19th to capitalize on pre-holiday spending.' 

 

While we greatly appreciate the efforts that CHITAG has done in promoting the industry, they have now entered into direct competition with brick and mortar stores at the most important time of the year for sales.  For that we say  - Thanks but no thanks.  We are better off without you.

 

Our store had promoted CHITAG in the past as a great family weekend, and had even gone as far as booking a bus trips for our customers. This year none of their flyers or promotion information will grace our website or walls.  We will also create special events to actively discourage our customers from going to CHITAG. 

 

Additionally, we had used this show to make final decisions about what games to carry for the holiday season.  Now it is too late in the year to order them for Christmas, and the show is pretty meaningless for us as retailers other than to see what we might have missed.  It's become a pre-holiday sale that will directly affect how we do business during the 2006 holiday season.  I'm just glad I'm not located in Chicago!

 

The only positive aspect of the entire announcement for us as a regional retailer is to make our decision to attend the New York Toy Fair a more solid business decision.  For that we thank CHITAG.