Why do local stores keep clashing their event dates?! We are too small for this!

[luffy]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. I’ve been getting back into the local TCG scene (mostly Pokémon and a bit of One Piece), and I wanted to bring up something that has been seriously frustrating me lately.

Why do our local game stores insist on hosting their biggest tournaments on the exact same days and times?

We all know that the TCG community in Trinidad is passionate, but let's be real—our player pool is limited. We aren't Miami or New York. We don't have thousands of players to go around.

When Store A and Store B both decide to host a "Monthly Championship" or a "Box Tournament" on the same Saturday afternoon, nobody wins.

• The Community Splits: Instead of having one massive, hype event with 40-50 players, we end up with two watered-down events with 20 people each.
• The Prize Support Suffers: Fewer players usually means smaller prize pools.
• The Players Lose: It puts us in an awkward position. I have friends at different shops, and I hate having to "choose sides" or miss out on playing with half my friend group just because the scheduling wasn't coordinated.

I feel like if the store owners just had a group chat or a shared calendar to coordinate major events, the scene would grow so much faster. If Store A takes the first weekend, let Store B take the second. We would support both!

Am I tripping, or does this annoy you guys too? Is it just stubbornness between the shops, or is there a reason they do this?

Let me know what you think. I just want to play with a full house!