Sure, there’s some big national companies vying for your business, but don’t be suckered in with jazzy boxes and free mouse mats offof the 90s. Here's why should you choose to spend your money with us instead.
Because you play with us or People’s Meeples.
Or you know people who do. Or you used to, and want others to have that experience. Or you like the idea of supporting places people learn to game. Gamers@Hart sponsors People’s Meeples – People’s Meeples are a not-for-profit organisation that have been running mental health and education provision using games since the pandemic ended (and started in 2018 running autistic-friendly gaming events with Catcote Academy). They look after gaming rooms that people can access for a small voluntary donation. Should G@H ever cease to be, People’s Meeples would still be there running the gaming space, but the price wouldn’t be as accessible.
Because you want excellent value
It’s no secret we’re pretty cheap. Actually, more than that. Head over to boardgameprices.co.uk and you’ll see with nearly every game this little shop is Hartlepool for the same price as huge multi-million pound online businesses. In fact, with the latest hit game Hegemony, we’re the cheapest in the UK, even 37p cheaper than Kienda (Kienda are actually a European distributor in disguise that get their games significantly cheaper than we do). We were the second cheapest in Europe for boxes of MTG: Tales of Middle Earth draft boosters (by 1p), and currently the cheapest for LOTR Collectors Boosters.
Because you share our vision
We love all our existing gamers, but our mission is to use games for all their social and educational benefit amongst those who don’t yet know anything about games. Whether that’s giving away Mantic Armada starter sets, running excellent value intro leagues for popular games, working with the council to provide free activities for children, or working with schools and colleges to start clubs – we’re here to support gamers of all forms.
Because you care about the environment
We only buy compostable packaging for our parcels (including bubblewrap and paper tape) and we use Royal Mail so your parcels have the lowest carbon footprint. (We do sometimes recycle packaging we receive from suppliers too, if your box had plastic tape on that’s probably why).
You support innovation
Preorders without prepayment and automatically sent?
Subscriptions for card games without paying in advance?
Offering packaging-free options for some games to reduce postage costs?
Sure, others do that now, but we kinda got there first. I don’t know if we’d call this ‘industry leading’, but if you said ‘that little shop on the first floor of Bovis House, Victoria Road, Hartlepool is setting the standard’, we wouldn’t slap you with a fish and call you a liar.