The Vault 2019 Store Update - A message from the Vault Team

2018 has come and gone and what a year it was. We never expected it to be the resounding success that it was and hope that 2019 will continue to be. We are also very grateful to you, our community of supporters, for making it possible. Not only did we see a massive bump in the store’s stock levels, but we also hired our first team member, Josh.

So, now that 2018 is in the rear-view mirror, and 2019 is upon us, we need to update a few things around the store as we plan to forge ahead this year.

Shipping Rates

After assessing our shipping rates, we’ve come to the conclusion that nothing will change for the foreseeable future. Shipping will still be a $12 flat rate with free shipping on orders over $120 and, if you’re a Brissy local, you can always elect to pick it up from the store as well.

Preorder Pricing

We understand that our pricing is not that comparable to the bargain online stores popping up around the interwebs, but we still want you to get a good deal while enjoying our premium service. So, this year, we will be trialing a stronger Preorder Pricing program. You may have seen this popping up at various points last year as we tested out what you would respond to so we’ve decided to move ahead with a Preorder Pricing Program on all games and products. 

How will it work? We will be working to get games up on our system as soon as local distributors provide us the necessary information we need to do so (price, expected delivery period, expected allocations) and we will run a Preorder Pricing Program below our regular price until the last possible moment we have. This may be until the day before the product’s release, this may be to a few days before the release, each pricing window will be set based on the product and the supplier (I’m looking at you Games Workshop…).

Move to Purchase-to-Play

Since we’ve opened, we’ve wanted to be THE place to play games in Brisbane. It seems now that we clearly are, as the store is frequently full, our events sell out, and table bookings are fast-becoming a requirement. The only issue we’re facing though, is many of the tables are being taken by people not interested in contributing to the vibrant community of gamers that call Vault home, and many of these community members are now missing out.

To rectify this, from February 1, the store will be switching to a Purchase-to-Play model. We still don’t want to force a table charge on you (as that just goes against our idea that there shouldn’t be a price on fun) so, instead, we’ll be requiring that anyone coming in to play a game or two in-store buy at least a drink or a snack when they do. 

The best bit of this policy? It won’t affect you if you’re a Vault Games regular. We know you ALREADY support the store through the purchase of food, drinks, event bookings, and games. You are the reason we’re putting this policy into place. We want you to enjoy Vault Games. 

We’ll be folding this policy into a new Conditions of Entry we’ll be putting up in-store as a poster to remind people that this community can only exist if everyone helps.

Increased Table Booking Price

To coincide with the demand for table-space, on February 1, we’ll be increasing our booking fee to $10 so that those that book will be exempt from the Purchase-to-play requirement of the store. (This includes any bookings placed in January for dates in February).

We’re also working to find a booking app that will give you more freedom to book table, knowing what is and isn’t available immediately when you go to book.

This is only a small piece of the Vault Games pie that we will reveal further throughout the year. We can’t wait to show you what we have brewing behind the scenes.

- Dylan, Jennah, Pedro, and Cassie.