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I was in GW the other day and i had just come from wargames heavan were i had bought a Warmachine model, as i arrived a friend painting in the shop asked me what i had bought, so i told him and we got into a discussion about other wargames with a few others.
Then one of the employees procede to tell us that this was no place for a conversation about non GW products and if we wanted to talk about that we could leave.

Am i over reacting, was this so wrong or am i right to be a little shocked in Gw
ps. i left with my faith shaken as that was my favrouite Gw.

That's their global store policy. Obviously they're there to sell GW products and your "heretical lies" could corrupt otherwise devout followers of the Emperor.

I supose but i am a loyal, and have been for many years, gw customer. surrley a convosation could not do that much damage.

Gw basically market themselves as the entire "Wargaming Hobby", any mention of any other manufacturer or wargame makes that more and more incorrect, hence the shut down.

Do what all young people do. Apologise (but don't mean it) so they trust you again.

And you thought they just made this stuff up?

Now you know why they write such good stories - they believe it's real...

It isn't?

It's there store, they can do what they want, even if it isnt nessacarily good for buisness.

I can see them having concerns with people bringing other models into their shop to paint and play, but telling people they can not converse with friends about certain topics while on the premises is too far.

The only reason I can see for asking someone to leave a shop is if their conversations cause disruption to other customers. Having conversations that turn into shouting or excessive use of profane language would be unacceptable because you have children and families in the shops and some people don't appreciate others loudly f-ing and blinding when they are trying to browse.

Where do they draw the line? Are you allowed to walk into a shop with a Warmachine model in your bag as long as you don't tell anyone? Normal conversations drift between topics, you could start on GW and mention that Tamyia kit you just bought and those Reaper minis you got through the post yesterday. That would be a normal hobby conversation. If you are expected to stay away from other things then it's a GW conversation. Don't call yourself a hobby shop and tell people they can't discuss the hobby.

GW should stop pretending to be a hobby shop because they aren't interested in the hobby. I don't mind them telling people that only their models can come into their shops, but their attempts to maintain a monopoly through this pretence that they are, in fact, the "wargaming hobby" bugs the hell out of me.

Yeah, if you're using their glue and their paint to make someone else's model, then that's like walking into a McDonald's carrying a bucket of KFC, sitting down, and then eating it. Not cool.

But the example given is like walking into a McDonald's, sitting down and then mentioning KFC and having the manager go apeshit on you. That is also not cool, but not cool by the store in question.

Well to be fair you went into GW and starting talking about the competitors.

Its like going to McDonalds with a bag full of burger king and talking about how awesome it is. Its GWs space that they pay for and you talking about other games could "potentially" hurt their sales.

With regard to Ravenous, Muppet Slayer didn't do that. He wasn't telling everyone how great another system is and for goodness sake why are you playing GW games you crazies!

He obviously gives monies to, and plays GW as well.

Dude if that had happened to me I would definately have been super off
I would have basically been put off buying any other GW products and def wouldnt go back to that store

I understand their side but its not like you were trying to convert everyone in the store to not buy GW products
They are trying to monopolise the wargaming hobby and are getting too big for their boots im afraid

I would also have written to them stating what happened and how unacceptable it is (not that it would make too much good)

I don't really see a problem here. It's a store policy, one in which I understand and find reasonable from a business standpoint, but most importantly it doesn't seem as though the employee over reacted. He made his point and left it at that.

A GW hobby center is not, nor can it be compared to other gaming stores so don't try and treat it as such. Would you walk into Yankee Stadium and start telling everyone how great the Red Sox's are?

Its been a policy of theirs for years - I remember being politely asked in the original Bath store back in the mid 90's to not talk about how I was going to use their models for my D&D campaign.

I have no real problem with this - its a GW store, and it only sells GW product. They are there to make money, and they do that by selling their products, not by letting their customers find out that other, cheaper (and often better) minis and games are out there.

I respect this - its like going into a Christian Church and espousing the merits of Taoism - fine on one level, but not cool!

That said, if I'm getting hassled by the sales staff, I tell them what I'm painting - and this list is all non GW at the moment. That usually gets one of two responses - either 'You no play GW that not cool' or 'sweet, I've got an (INSERT ARMY HERE) too'.

Ultimately though, the company took a concious decision back in the late 80s and early 90s to only market its own stuff. That is their policy, it is their property and if they want to do that, then thats entirely their call.

Still though, its the principle behind it.

Plus its store policy, back when I worked for the great enemy we werent suppose to talk about video games either. Its strange but it makes sense since the whole point of the store being their is to sell GW stuff, anything that gets in the way of that need not be there.

Its about money, you mess with that in any which way or form then you screw with that money.

oni wrote:Would you walk into Yankee Stadium and start telling everyone how great the Red Sox's are?

If you walked into Yankee Stadium and just mentioned the Red Sox they wouldn't kick you out.

Really, I don't see what's wrong with that. If I walked into a Mercedes dealership and struck up a conversation with several people there about how awesome my BMW is, the managers would go apeshit just the same.

The only way I would see a problem with that conversation is if it was directed at someone who was about to buy a GW Models and you were effectively talking them out of it. Attempting to undermine any business's profit line is badjojo. Especially a game store. There is one thing to Ebay your Minatures and say you did. The store can do little about it, but if you are telling another not to buy this model from the store but instead from Ebay cause its cheaper. That is bad manners and anything along those lines I would ask you to leave/stop talking about it.

As for talking about other Wargames...I dont see the problem. I wasnt like the dude was sitting their painting an entirely different product line and then extolling on how this game was better then warmachine yadda yadda yadda. Besides, if you have bought the GW mini, then the store got its blood for the day from you. Wtf should it care then?

Why do you have faith in GW? They are a business and put sales first not customers.

What if your conversation causes more people to by competitions products?

You potentially showed GW you lack faith in them. Tsk tsk.

H.B.M.C. wrote:

oni wrote:Would you walk into Yankee Stadium and start telling everyone how great the Red Sox's are?

If you walked into Yankee Stadium and just mentioned the Red Sox they wouldn't kick you out.

You'll wish you had been kicked out. Unless its some sort of hardcore therapy to help you cure agoraphobia and/or demophobia.






On topic- their store their rules. Respect them while you are on their premises like the good upstanding scholarly citizen that you are. If you didn't know the rules, now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

I actually had an identical situation happen to me at a local GW store in NJ. This was about 2 years ago, shop currently has a new manager.

Myself and my roommate at the time recently started warmachine. We were regulars in the shop as lived pretty much around the corner. I was asked to render my opinion on Warmachine product vs GW product by a guy sitting around and painting. His reason for asking was as he was considering buying models for enjoyment of painting.

I rendered my still to this day, opinion on warmachine/ hordes: that both GW/privateer press have their goods and bad. GW has a large range of plastic models, PP was all metal. I feel PP has more dynamic poses, but as a result their modeling ranging doesn't quite go together well. I suggested purchasing a solo and painting it, but also pointed out the painter could do the same thing with GW product and as they were a fantasy player, suggested starting with a 40K special character who have more dynamic poses.

I got boot from the shop that day, along with my roommate, and another shop goer who also was in the habit of painting PP models. The manager said something I still find funny "you are taking money out of my pocket and taking food out of my daughters mouth, leave my shop today, you are welcome to return tomorrow."

I left, didn't make a scene. Realistically what he missed was my suggestion ended with the hobbyiest trying a 40K model in the end. The manager missed I rendered my opinion, but also wanted to make sure the hobbyest made an educated decision. I have no issues in PP vs GW, I understand the manager felt I could hinder sales, I have no problem with the please don't use their models here. But seriously? I've been in GW listening to some down right obscene discussession that range from music, to painting, to tv, to some topics that should not be typed. Boot me because I render my opinion in 2 minutes or less? come on, seriously...

muppet slayer wrote:I supose but i am a loyal, and have been for many years, gw customer. surrley a convosation could not do that much damage.

Would you think it is ok to walk into a bookstore and start talking about how awesome another bookstore is down the street? Would you do that in a restaurant? Now I don't think what you did was wrong or even rude but talking about someone another competing product in a store does seem like a reasonable reason for an employee of the company to discreetly and respectfully ask you to either stop or leave.

NELS1031 wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:

oni wrote:Would you walk into Yankee Stadium and start telling everyone how great the Red Sox's are?

If you walked into Yankee Stadium and just mentioned the Red Sox they wouldn't kick you out.

You'll wish you had been kicked out. Unless its some sort of hardcore therapy to help you cure agoraphobia and/or demophobia.

I've seen it, dude. It's ugly. Actually, I think it would be funny if everyone in the GW store starting booing and pointing at you for talking about Warmachine!

Something tells me there's a bit more to this story, though. I've heard enough "innocent conversations" concerning GW vs Warmachine that I think I can see the storekeeper's position rather clearly.

I'm not sure what things are like in England, but here between independent retailers and the internet, nobody goes to GW stores because it's where to buy product. You go because you can get in a game, paint, bs about the hobby, etc. In short, I at least use GW stores as club houses. And like any clubhouse, there are rules.

Add unto that the typical layer of just complete social malfunction many GW employees posses and these threads are in no way surprising.

Polonius wrote:I'm not sure what things are like in England, but here between independent retailers and the internet, nobody goes to GW stores because it's where to buy product. You go because you can get in a game, paint, bs about the hobby, etc. In short, I at least use GW stores as club houses. And like any clubhouse, there are rules.

Add unto that the typical layer of just complete social malfunction many GW customers posses and these threads are in no way surprising.

Fixed that for you.

Honestly though, regardless of what people go there for, they are entitled to run their store the way that they want. I'm sure if we heard the story from the GW employee there would be a little more blame on the OP than there seems to be here.

If I went to go eat and started talking about another good place to eat and the chef through me out I would never go back.

Luckly I have never had to go to a GW store and I play at my LGS which has 20% off or better on all GW products. Thus I tend to ignore GW's self serving policies and enjoy their game. I love the company as they produce a great game and great models but sometimes they shoot themselves in the foot.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Wouldn't a better policy be to explain why their game is superior to others?

Here's a good one, I was a lowly redshirt at the time. Dawn of War had just come out, and the Manager had rec'd a free copy from GW Coporate and let me have it since he already had one. So the next day we're goobing about the game and then a customer got in on the conversation.

The Area Manager (before Metros) was in the shop and busted into our conversation stating that we should be talking about 40K mininiatures and not the 40K computer game. That guys was, and always will be; a tool.

hyperviper6 wrote:
Wouldn't a better policy be to explain why their game is superior to others?

If they're doing it by direct comparison then that would be a terrible idea. You don't generally win customers by talking negatively about your competitors.

This is another reason I go to my FLGS.

Really, though, it is not a good idea to discuss a competitors products in a GW store, or any other store for that matter. Just step outside to discuss such things if you wish to avoid such customer policies.