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So there is a GW store within 100 metres of my home, making it the perfect place to get some games in. Do you think I should be supporting this store financially by buying product there?

I feel like I should - but the problem is being in Australia, our retail prices for GW product is RIDICULOUS. Almost double the price of international (US and UK) prices. As such I planned on buying everything (and have so far) online at a cool 40% discount. Shipping is the general excuse for our prices being so high - but that is bollocks as I can source product that is cheaper after shipping costs. Surely GW doesnt pay more for shipping (per item) in bulk than I pay for a single item.

So what does everyone else think? Should I just tear into the store with my army, get some games in and then run away - laughing maniacly in the process?
Or should I bite the bullet and pay full retail to support my local store? I want to do this, really I do - but I have not yet been able to bring myself to willingly submit myself to such financial rape.

Just don't buy too much.. Grab a blister, or a white dwarf, or some paints or something.

Use the store to buy the odd thing, paint, etc (assuming you use Citidel paint) and that should assuage your guilt at not being raped in your bank account while using your cheap(er) models on their gaming tables.

GW won't go out of business because you don't buy stuff at their shop.

They probably make the same margin if you buy a GW product online from a completely separate company.

As a fellow Aussie, I know how you feel about buyin from the local store, especially when you go in there from time to time for games, events or chatting with other players (friendly basis with manager, for example). However, I too cannot stand the financial rape us Aussies have to deal with, in this already expensive hobby. Whenever I buy a couple boxes of kit, or something, I almost always buy from online webstores to cut the costs of the hobby, and only go in to the hobby store to buy the occasional blister, or paint/paintbrush to assuage my guilt. That's the choice I've made, and me and my wallet couldnt be happier.

I usually buy stuff in the store. Just a models typically as I too feel a little guilty going in using the tables and talking to staff and never giving them a dime. If I need another set of kits I'll buy one from them and then go get the rest online.

Ronin wrote:As a fellow Aussie, I know how you feel about buyin from the local store, especially when you go in there from time to time for games, events or chatting with other players (friendly basis with manager, for example). However, I too cannot stand the financial rape us Aussies have to deal with, in this already expensive hobby. Whenever I buy a couple boxes of kit, or something, I almost always buy from online webstores to cut the costs of the hobby, and only go in to the hobby store to buy the occasional blister, or paint/paintbrush to assuage my guilt. That's the choice I've made, and me and my wallet couldnt be happier.

It's good to see I am not the only one


I suppose the primary concern would be that if people don't buy from the local store - the local store could go out of business. Of course GW themselves probably wont die but it would be interesting to know how GW views individual stores. Do they all need to be profitable on their own or does GW look at it as sort of a marketing cost/nurturing the community and thus getting repeat business from gamers - whether they be online or otherwise?

Perhaps I can rely on the new/young crowd buying starter boxes to keep the store going

Majesticgoat wrote:Just don't buy too much.. Grab a blister, or a white dwarf, or some paints or something.

I agree. You don't have to buy *everything* from there, but if you bring in an army that you "already had" and make a few token purchases like WDs, paint and blisters to show your support you'll do fine.

It sure is nice not to have that problem; if the store doesn't have a blister I want, I'll order it from them instead of GW direct to show my support. Same price, but no dealing with shipping.

Provided you are a nice person to be around, and a friendly gamer, they wont mind if you dont buy stuff there.

Do GW own their stores? If so I doubt they'll go out of buisness

Shop smart. Always.

Kilkrazy wrote:GW won't go out of business because you don't buy stuff at their shop.

They probably make the same margin if you buy a GW product online from a completely separate company.

How is that supposed to work?

Leasing a store, electricity, paying employees, etc. There are a lot of costs their own stores have that third party ones save them. I doubt it works (hey would surely set the RRP so that they make slightly more from their own stores), but it could.

As an Aussie, I have never bought anything from Australian Games Workshop. I find the stores to be a nightmare to visit (I hate the way the staff are trained), and they never have the things I want anyway ---serves me right for not playing Ultramarines. For smaller things, I go to the FLGS 100m away and get everything 15% cheaper, and have access to three times as much stock. Once in a while I find an OOP model on shelf! Large orders I get from Maelstrom Games, because it is less than half the cost of Games Workshop Australia. In the rare instances I have bought something GW-only that I could not find at the FLGS, I have ordered from Games Workshop US or UK, depending on the exchange rates. I generally make a 33% saving by doing this. There is no reason to ever contemplate buying anything from Games Workshop Australia: the already over-priced products have their prices jacked-up even higher!

I'm torn on the issue. I can appreciate the whole local business aspect and keeping the money in the town's economy, but I've also come to realize that my wallet isn't a charity meant to keep somebody else's dream alive.

I ended up compromising. If I use the store for gaming, i make some token purchases here and there. Otherwise I stick to E-bay and other online sources. If nothing else, I figure I gave 70% of my wages while a teenager to local shops so I've paid my pennance.

I dunno if this would work with a GW since they're under corporate control, but my solution to this problem with my FLGS was to talk to the owner about matching online prices. We came to a deal where she matches the common web prices for larger orders (say US$250 and up) of 20% of retail and that lets me support a local business while not paying for the privilege.

Jack

It's a hard call with a GW store. I've seen many come and go over the years, but really don't know if it's because it was/was not profitable. But, I'd imagine if very few people purchase anything at this store and it's not profitable, I wouldn't expect it to stay in the long term.

If it were an indy shop and you game there, I'd recommend purchasing from the shop. If folks don't pay where they play, the shop goes away. I still will buy an occasional item online (mainly bits or stuff I can't get locally), but I definitely make the effort to keep the money going to the local shop.

maxinstuff wrote:So there is a GW store within 100 metres of my home, making it the perfect place to get some games in. Do you think I should be supporting this store financially by buying product there?

I feel like I should - but the problem is being in Australia, our retail prices for GW product is RIDICULOUS. Almost double the price of international (US and UK) prices. As such I planned on buying everything (and have so far) online at a cool 40% discount. Shipping is the general excuse for our prices being so high - but that is bollocks as I can source product that is cheaper after shipping costs. Surely GW doesnt pay more for shipping (per item) in bulk than I pay for a single item.

I am in the exact same situation as you, with a Games Workshop one block away from where I live, but I don't feel a shred of guilt for not supporting my local GW.

Why? Well you said it - our prices are stupidcrazyhigh. We pay 40% more than the rest of the world for no good reason and for no benefit, and we can get them at UK prices with free shipping.

The only things I ever buy there are super glue, green stuff and the odd paint. Everything else, from the smallest blister to the largest army box, comes from over seas. GW is a rip-off in the UK and US, so why get sucker punched with even higher prices here?

One question - Which GW store is the one near you?

I buy from GW on impluse buys and trades only. (When trading for cash in a GW store, I always trade in gift cards, so as not to pee in the staff's cheerios).

I was at my game store today( they had 20 percent off everything) and i just end up picking up some foam, and a predator( which im give away the turret and the chaos bitz to a freind of mind).

I usually buy all my models from ebay( i know of a few ebay stores that have models at 30 to 40 percent off).
But i support them in all the touries and other events they put on. But im not a impulse buyer.

A Canadian dollar is worth .95 American dollars, yet a Land Raider cost 69.75$ in Canada and $57.75 In the USA, when they set their prices according to exchange rate with some logic I might end up buying my stuff at their shop. ATM I buy my stuff from wayland games and get it about 30% cheaper (shipping price included) than buying it at my local GW store (and that's not even counting the 13% sales tax).

They end up making money anyway If you buy their products, so shop wisely and buy at GW store only when in a real hurry to get your stuff.

Depends on the store, I think. If it's just a GW store, then I'd personally just skip it - one person is not going to make the difference between the store going out of business or not, and I agree that it's well worth just going online to get the discounts.

On the other hand, if the store is an all-around hobby shop, I would definitely spend some money there. It's much harder for a small hobby shop to stay in business compared to any given GW shop out there - the small store has nothing to fall back on (Most of the time, that is) whereas a GW store has the entire GW empire to keep it in business. If you want to keep the small guy in business, go ahead and buy the occasional thing from the place, even if it is just some modeling/painting supplies. Plus, if you shop at the store for your supplies, you might be able to get some helpful advice from the people who run it.

Granted, this is going off of my own experience - my own FLGS also has a nifty $30 membership that gives 10% off everything in the store, with the exception of food. If you're into any game whatsoever, that pays for itself real quick.

I always try to support local independent gaming stores, but not GW chain shops, especially if the prices are marked up so much as they appear to be in Australia. I don't really understand why they are so much more expensive in Oz, it's ridiculous. Perhaps if more people voted with their feet and shop elsewhere they will get the message.

It's a GW store. They're not there to benefit your local economy. At best, they'll provide some low paying jobs and pay some taxes, but their goal is to suck money out of your local economy and send it overseas. We're not talking about a locally owned shop or a franchise. You owe them nothing.

1. If a GW store is not profitable, it will close.

2. GW products are not overpriced, compared to the general sci-fi fantasy and model kit market. Expensive yes, but generally not overpriced, except for character models.

3. Doesn't Australia have weird VAT taxes that causes the price of imported entertainment type items to go up?

4. All stores that sell GW will send the money out of the local economy and send it overseas.

5. When you buy from places like Maelstrom games or the Warstore, you end up hurting FLGS who can't sell at a discount.

Buying the odd thing or two at a GW store is typically polite, but GW prices are usually outrageous, and more so in Australia from what I hear.

I don't know how a GW store works, I have only been to an official one once, in New York city, for giggles. But it would not be a bad idea for GW to operate them at a loss just to get their name out and people buying their products online (which is why GW shops don't allow other games to be used in their stores).

HOWEVER! Your FLGS, which are different, in my view, from GW stores, need all the business they can get! So always try to buy from them instead of online and what not, and never show up at one without buying something (to be polite, not as a rule). Even if it is just a soda or a snack, you don't have to buy a new blister, set, or paints every time you pass by, but buying something is usually polite.

I have become good friends with my local store owner, and we do business a lot (mostly bartering or consignment), and he typically gives me a discount. So become good friends with your local store owners, and they will stay open and treat you well!

It's business and your money.

Waste your money if you want.

If they want their business to succeed, they will change.

Don't see the problem here.

imweasel wrote:It's business and your money.

Waste your money if you want.

If they want their business to succeed, they will change.

Don't see the problem here.

Touche pure Capitalist. Unfortunately, retailers with no store have no commercial overhead. So the counterpart issue is that if everyone shifts to online stores, there will be no open gaming stores to play at, which would subsequently crash gaming sales, which would cause online retailers to lose tons of business. With neither places to play nor places to buy, the hobby would die! So some sort of balance needs to be found that pure Capitalism can't come up with.

Well if you ant the store owner and his employees to go bust and be unable to feed their families buy online. Just thibk about poor tiny tim at christmas when you have all your online purchase whilst he is out in the cold/heat. It could have been prevented if you kept his father in a job

beef wrote:Well if you ant the store owner and his employees to go bust and be unable to feed their families buy online. Just thibk about poor tiny tim at christmas when you have all your online purchase whilst he is out in the cold/heat. It could have been prevented if you kept his father in a job

Why do I care about other people being employed? Does that mean I should start buying things at stores that sell stupid or over priced items? No! If I can go to Walmart to get something cheaper than I would get at a specialty shop, why not go to Walmart? If I want the exact same products, but to feel snootier and pay slightly more, I'll go to Target. If I want high quality items, similar to what Walmart and Target has, I'll go to a specialty store. But if I want model stuff, and that's all I'm interested in, I'll go to the cheapest place I can get it. But if I want to play 40k somewhere besides my own home, I'll have to support a shop. But I don't particularly care about tiny Tim.

Skinnattittar wrote:Touche pure Capitalist. Unfortunately, retailers with no store have no commercial overhead. So the counterpart issue is that if everyone shifts to online stores, there will be no open gaming stores to play at, which would subsequently crash gaming sales, which would cause online retailers to lose tons of business. With neither places to play nor places to buy, the hobby would die! So some sort of balance needs to be found that pure Capitalism can't come up with.

Or the store could change it's pricing to be more inline with what people will pay.

They don't have to match online prices. They just have to be competitive.

Our lfgs went to 20% discounts for pre-paid orders. Solved that problem easy.

You don't always have to 'sacrifice' for the 'greater good'.

Most things work themselves out. You don't have to force it.