Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Worglock wrote:Dearest OP,

You don't know what you're talking about. Here's why:

1) Yorkridge: It's lease is up, it's numbers have been terrible pretty much throughout it's existence. And to be blunt, it's been deemed redundant. There are something like 9 GW stores around Baltimore. That's just plain too many for this economy and a relic of when GW was still HQ'd here. You're going to see some more going away in all likelihood this coming year. White Marsh will move out of the Avenue. Towne Mall of Westminster will move out of the mall. St. Thomas will get shot in the head.

I state in my OP that a store is closing, and the title of the thread suggests that more are likely to close. You say that I do not know what I am talking about and then you confirm my statements.

Worglock wrote:
I ignored your last attempt at playing the part of Chicken Little, but not this one. Mostly because you're invoking names that you have no business invoking.

You are not the only person who went to these shops. I started going to Legends when they will still in Towson Commons, and played at both of Skips locations.

@KGatch113: Skip's shop was not the neatest place, but its decor was fitting. I do not remember him charging people play (except booster drafts and such.)

@Gymnogyps, thanks for the update on the Owings Mills store.

I too would like to hear about other gaming shops in the area. To my knowledge there are very few with more than 3 tables.

spaceelf wrote:I state in my OP that a store is closing, and the title of the thread suggests that more are likely to close. You say that I do not know what I am talking about and then you confirm my statements.

Oooh. This is officially a rumor thread now.

Step 1: Say something vague or inflamatory
Step 2: Wait a while
Step 3: Profit!

And anyways, I'm sure this is not the first time that a GW store has closed.

Worglock wrote:

1) Yorkridge: It's lease is up, it's numbers have been terrible pretty much throughout it's existence. And to be blunt, it's been deemed redundant. There are something like 9 GW stores around Baltimore. That's just plain too many for this economy and a relic of when GW was still HQ'd here. You're going to see some more going away in all likelihood this coming year. White Marsh will move out of the Avenue. Towne Mall of Westminster will move out of the mall. St. Thomas will get shot in the head.
...

...I ignored your last attempt at playing the part of Chicken Little, but not this one. Mostly because you're invoking names that you have no business invoking.

Maybe if Yorkridges community had supported the store better, it wouldn't be closing.

Worglock, dahling, you know you just supported the OPs assertion that "the GW store closures begin", right? Your point #1 describes how 4 stores are to be closed and some relocated. But, note, still 4 locations to be closed "in all likelihood".

BTW, you get on the case of the OP about Yorkridge's community not supporting their store, then you are so kind to undermine my attempts to support my local store by saying it "will get shot in the head'. Seriously uncool, dude. I'd appreciate it if you keep such unfounded speculations to yourself. Thanks.

The more I read this, the more it sounds like this areas dirty laundry list.

Seriously, OP.

The more this continues, the more your going to let your posts write checks your opinion can't cash.

YOUR AREA seems to have action going on. Between the number of other posters, and thier consistant opinions to the contrary-

Your area is fine. If you don't have one store to go to, you at least have people here FROM YOUR AREA to go to for some games.

Aside from the fact that in this particular case, I can honestly see your point of view, it is becoming more of a personal issue to YOU then it is any real issue in your gaming area.

The GW stores in that area are there, there are a few of them, and independents have been there for quite sometime, and will continue to be so, seeing the market in your area.

pretre wrote:

Tech Guard wrote:Scipio.au: I'd like not to say, even though they pissed me off it is really GW that is speaking. I really don't want to land any body in $hit. After all it is their job, they are just complying to a set of rules [even if these rules are a bit linient sometimes]. I recently found another GW that is much friendlier, Maybe that store was just a bad egg. But after my experiences I will be more hesitant to step into a GW.

If it is GW speaking, than how can it just be a bad egg and the other friendlier store isn't the problem. Either it is just the store being a bad egg or GW is at fault... I'm fairly certain corporate policy isn't to berate customers, so I'm going to go with Bad Egg.

Yes I would like to go with the bad Egg, but in my past experiences of GW australia they tend to act towards their customer base like this.

Worglock wrote:


1) Yorkridge: It's lease is up, it's numbers have been terrible pretty much throughout it's existence. And to be blunt, it's been deemed redundant. There are something like 9 GW stores around Baltimore. That's just plain too many for this economy and a relic of when GW was still HQ'd here. You're going to see some more going away in all likelihood this coming year. White Marsh will move out of the Avenue. Towne Mall of Westminster will move out of the mall. St. Thomas will get shot in the head.
...

...I ignored your last attempt at playing the part of Chicken Little, but not this one. Mostly because you're invoking names that you have no business invoking.

Maybe if Yorkridges community had supported the store better, it wouldn't be closing.

Worglock, dahling, you know you just supported the OPs assertion that "the GW store closures begin", right? Your point #1 describes how 4 stores are to be closed and some relocated. But, note, still 4 locations to be closed "in all likelihood".

BTW, you get on the case of the OP about Yorkridge's community not supporting their store, then you are so kind to undermine my attempts to support my local store by saying it "will get shot in the head'. Seriously uncool, dude. I'd appreciate it if you keep such unfounded speculations to yourself. Thanks.

Agree Gymnogyps . I found this/his post to be somewhat... Dismissive and self aggrandizing. Also Oxymoronic. YMMV.

3) Legends: Legends stopped carrying miniatures because Randy is too lazy to do the work involved in keeping that community alive. It also doesn't help that you can't deal with the man with out immediately starting to feel like he's trying to put something over on you. Once Evan and Mark quit (and this was several years ago) the community dried up and blew away because no one wants to deal with Randy.

Mark hardly knew how to play and Evan was not as knowledgeable as he thought he was. Great guys, but the community was there before them and the community at Legends was still thriving after they left. John Mc,Fraser, Scottie D and a lot of other guys still came untll 2005, when they graduated from high school or moved away. I used to have to turn people away when I ran games there because of lack of space.Randy was not lazy, he just was not a Wargames guy and could not replace his miniatures people. I also know he got ripped off by sleazy GW trade reps who are no longer with the company, and I know the company no longer pulls the shenanigans that were pulled. So I don't blame him for not carrying the line anymore.

Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but a few weeks ago there was a thread about a GW store where the salt-of-the-earth manager was sacked marched off the premises in the middle of the day. Obviously their local community was upset, but what was the upshot of all that? Was the sacked guy okay?

mikhaila wrote: but I quit trying to wrap my mind around what the UK mandates the US market to do.

Explain please?

Howard A Treesong wrote:Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but a few weeks ago there was a thread about a GW store where the salt-of-the-earth manager was sacked marched off the premises in the middle of the day. Obviously their local community was upset, but what was the upshot of all that? Was the sacked guy okay?

All I've heard is mutterings that hundreds of good, veteran players have abandoned the store, and only the two trouble makers who complaints were what got the manager fired are the only ones who go to the store anymore.

So in other words, the next honest information I hear about what's going on will be the first.

pretre wrote:

Tech Guard wrote:Scipio.au: I'd like not to say, even though they pissed me off it is really GW that is speaking. I really don't want to land any body in $hit. After all it is their job, they are just complying to a set of rules [even if these rules are a bit linient sometimes]. I recently found another GW that is much friendlier, Maybe that store was just a bad egg. But after my experiences I will be more hesitant to step into a GW.

If it is GW speaking, than how can it just be a bad egg and the other friendlier store isn't the problem. Either it is just the store being a bad egg or GW is at fault... I'm fairly certain corporate policy isn't to berate customers, so I'm going to go with Bad Egg.

I agree. That's why I was suggesting "outing" them. My local GW know me to a degree and have never tried that sort of attitude on. I don't hang out or play there or anything, but I stop past for a chat when I buy my WD. They know I have, collect and paint a lot of the older models (RT, etc) and don't give me any grief about that or buying them over the new stuff when we talk about them and I say where I got/get this or that model (eBay). Then again, none of the Melbourne Stores from the first opening through Andrew Long's day to Melbourne Central's second store ever gave me any crap either back when I was a CBD regular. I don't get into town much anymore, but the two or three times I've been to the new store tucked away in a corner the guys there were very nice as well - without being pushy or rude.

Yeah I mostly go to realm of legends now, Really nice guys and are always happy to help. The only problem is they are way to far away for just a quick visit.

I've had the same experience in the Wollongong, Campbelltown and Miranda stores in NSW. The staff have never been campany hardliners, and have always been friendly and usually enquire about what army I play, how scheme I use, how long I've been playing, etc.

I have the odd time when they're recommended me something new that I really don't want or need (like recommending me their overpriced emery boards), but I ignore it because it's what they're paid to do. I've never had someone be outright rude to me.

Though I haven't been to the Miranda or Wollongong stores in years, and the Campbelltown store just got a new manager.

Howard A Treesong wrote:Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but a few weeks ago there was a thread about a GW store where the salt-of-the-earth manager was sacked marched off the premises in the middle of the day. Obviously their local community was upset, but what was the upshot of all that? Was the sacked guy okay?

I tried to wheedle more info from some of my GW contacts, but all I got was that 40% of the managers have been replaced, including many long time managers and former managers of the year.

Howard A Treesong wrote:Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but a few weeks ago there was a thread about a GW store where the salt-of-the-earth manager was sacked marched off the premises in the middle of the day. Obviously their local community was upset, but what was the upshot of all that? Was the sacked guy okay?

If you're talking about the South Jersey affair, dakka's own mikhaila seems to have either hired or abducted the former manager in question for use at his shops. I'm not totally certain because the only local GW drama gossip I hear is from my idiot brother-in-law who cares about these things but is generally wrong.

I've also heard that some of the store's biggest adult players and organizers of activities have moved to other independently owned stores in the area. The scene at the South Jersey GW store has always been tons and tons of children so I don't know what kind of impact this has had on the player base (probably none if I had to guess).

Grot 6 wrote:The more I read this, the more it sounds like this areas dirty laundry list.

Seriously, OP.

The more this continues, the more your going to let your posts write checks your opinion can't cash.

YOUR AREA seems to have action going on. Between the number of other posters, and thier consistant opinions to the contrary-

Your area is fine. If you don't have one store to go to, you at least have people here FROM YOUR AREA to go to for some games.

Aside from the fact that in this particular case, I can honestly see your point of view, it is becoming more of a personal issue to YOU then it is any real issue in your gaming area.

The GW stores in that area are there, there are a few of them, and independents have been there for quite sometime, and will continue to be so, seeing the market in your area.

Fortunately, at present there is still a big gaming community in Bmore. This is not surprising as it was, until recently, the home of the US HQ of GW, and before that the base of Avalon Hill. Maybe it is just that we are spoiled with riches here. However, I do not think that is the case. Another astute poster noted that it is essential to recruit to keep stores and communities alive. My fear is that with store closures the community will dry up as people go to college, and move because of work, etc.

I think that GW will find that moving the store out of The Avenue is a big mistake. If they go with a low rent store they have the problems of lack of foot traffic and an abundance of hookahs. This is compounded by the fact that they do not advertise.

@marielle: I think Mikhaila was just commenting on GWs corporate policies from the UK being applied to businesses in the US.

I sympathise with the folks from Australia. Given the prices of GW stuff there, I am surprised that anyone is going to GW shops down under. In terms of outing the manager, I would be a nice guy and let it slide. It is a rough economy. GW is likely to sack him anyway. They turn over employees in the US at a staggering rate.

NELS1031 wrote:

mikhaila wrote:Considering how many different people have talked to me in the last two weeks about opening stores in Baltimore, I don't think the area will be hurting for long. May get substantially better for gaming in fact.

Can you elaborate on that? Like solid plans for some stores? Or is it just people putting out hypothetical feelers and asking for what it takes to start it up?

I ask because any hobby shop opening in my backyard would be awesome.

Talks are serious enough that I can't say much more until the people involved make announcements. And also multiple groups. One was a discussion of feasability and location. On the other end of the spectrum is a store that is absolutely going to open from what I can tell, and will make many people quite happy.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

spaceelf wrote:

mikhaila wrote:
There's a lot of reasons why they might be closing the store. Foremost is that the lease is up. It may not be a good place to keep a GW store, especially if there are a lot of empty shops in the center, especially a dead Borders. Rent is negotiable in this economy. GW may just be closing that store, re-evaluting the Baltimore area and deciding if they want another store nearby, or it they are good with the stores they have.

Considering how many different people have talked to me in the last two weeks about opening stores in Baltimore, I don't think the area will be hurting for long. May get substantially better for gaming in fact.

The shopping center is not ideal in certain respects. It is not right off of 695, and foot traffic is not good. However, it is fuller than it has been in decades. I think there are two empty slots, Borders being one of them. It has a Kohls, a Michaels, and a new grocery. However, as you stated rent
is negotiable, so the lease being up could work in their favor.

I think that this is a case of GW just soaking the local economy for what it is worth and then moving on.

It would be great if a new gaming store opened in Bmore. Most stores around here lack gaming space. White Marsh is tiny and only has a couple of tables. The same is true for Collectors Corner. One of the problems is the oppressive business laws in Maryland. Businesses pay tax on their inventory and on their property. Thus, even gaming tables are taxed, ... every year. Big companies like GW can get around this by shifting stuff around, but little guys stuck with the bill. The price of rent also makes it hard to justify devoting space to gaming. It is quite sad.

I put emphasis on the statement of GW soaking the economy and moving on. Most of your statements are pretty biased against GW, but this one makes no sense. GW doesn't put a gun to peoples head and make them buy stuff. Having a LGS or GW store in the area is a benefit to the gamers in the area, IMHO. You obviously don't think so. And besides, If a store is getting good sales, theirs no reason to move on. I myself plan to soak...I mean, service my area for years to come. If i can sell them games one year, I can do it the next year.

As to Maryland Business Property tax affecting game tables, that's a far stretch. The highest tax on Business Personal Property is in downtown Baltimore at a little under 6%. A gaming table, even a nice one, can be built for less than 200.00, lets add in chairs and scenery and make it 300.00, and lets go with 20 gaming tables.

-Tax Year one on 20 really spiffy gaming tables, folding tables, 2 chairs per table, plus scenery = 20x300x.06 = 360 dollars. This assumes it's the first year before you depreciate the hell out of the stuff, and that you bought everything new. 360.00 dollars is next to nothing compared to other business costs. I pay that in rent for one day in my main store.

-As to the price of rent making it hard to justify gaming space - That assumes the store owner isn't making the gaming space profitable. If gaming space for organized play is done correctly, the store makes money from having it, not losing money. I know the gaming space in my stores absolutely pays for itself and then some.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Howard A Treesong wrote:Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but a few weeks ago there was a thread about a GW store where the salt-of-the-earth manager was sacked marched off the premises in the middle of the day. Obviously their local community was upset, but what was the upshot of all that? Was the sacked guy okay?

Sacked manager has rebounded and started up a painting business, and is running events at other stores. The guys he gamed with at the GW store want to throw him a 'birthday bash tournament' at my shop next month. Should be a fun time. The community is a bit splintered, but a new store just opened and some are playing there, some roaming as gypsies, but over all they're still gaming and they all keep in touch through a couple of facebook pages. The new GW manager has to do some rebuilding. But overall things are settling down. Gamers will find ways to game.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

marielle wrote:

mikhaila wrote: but I quit trying to wrap my mind around what the UK mandates the US market to do.

Explain please?

GW US is moving to one man stores, based on what the head guys in the UK have decided worked well in a couple of stores and will work well in the rest of the world. UK says one man stores, US has to move to that. UK has never quite understood that the rest of the world doesn't necessarily work the way the UK does.

Closing for a lunchbreak and coming back an hour later is unknown in the US, for instance.

mikhaila wrote:
I put emphasis on the statement of GW soaking the economy and moving on. Most of your statements are pretty biased against GW, but this one makes no sense. GW doesn't put a gun to peoples head and make them buy stuff. Having a LGS or GW store in the area is a benefit to the gamers in the area, IMHO. You obviously don't think so. And besides, If a store is getting good sales, theirs no reason to move on. I myself plan to soak...I mean, service my area for years to come. If i can sell them games one year, I can do it the next year.

As to Maryland Business Property tax affecting game tables, that's a far stretch. The highest tax on Business Personal Property is in downtown Baltimore at a little under 6%. A gaming table, even a nice one, can be built for less than 200.00, lets add in chairs and scenery and make it 300.00, and lets go with 20 gaming tables.

-Tax Year one on 20 really spiffy gaming tables, folding tables, 2 chairs per table, plus scenery = 20x300x.06 = 360 dollars. This assumes it's the first year before you depreciate the hell out of the stuff, and that you bought everything new. 360.00 dollars is next to nothing compared to other business costs. I pay that in rent for one day in my main store.

-As to the price of rent making it hard to justify gaming space - That assumes the store owner isn't making the gaming space profitable. If gaming space for organized play is done correctly, the store makes money from having it, not losing money. I know the gaming space in my stores absolutely pays for itself and then some.

Running the risk of Navarro spotting this post and blabbing about it to "my" FLGS manager: I would love to have a LGS run by someone like you over here on PIIG country! Despite the fact that you're a GW lapboy!

mikhaila wrote:Talks are serious enough that I can't say much more until the people involved make announcements. And also multiple groups. One was a discussion of feasability and location. On the other end of the spectrum is a store that is absolutely going to open from what I can tell, and will make many people quite happy.

Argh, I must know!! Time to dredge through your posts and look for dropped hints.

mikhaila wrote:Closing for a lunchbreak and coming back an hour later is unknown in the US, for instance.

Our local GW does this, and I find it... yeah. No One does this. Well, I take it back. A local shop near my work apparently did it, but I didn't know... a very small operation. Went to pick up something I'd paid for and worked out a time to pick it up on my lunch break, and no one was there! Neither store is getting a lot of my business at the moment... as there are many options in this area.

Zarren Wevon wrote:

Howard A Treesong wrote:Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but a few weeks ago there was a thread about a GW store where the salt-of-the-earth manager was sacked marched off the premises in the middle of the day. Obviously their local community was upset, but what was the upshot of all that? Was the sacked guy okay?

If you're talking about the South Jersey affair, dakka's own mikhaila seems to have either hired or abducted the former manager in question for use at his shops. I'm not totally certain because the only local GW drama gossip I hear is from my idiot brother-in-law who cares about these things but is generally wrong.

I've also heard that some of the store's biggest adult players and organizers of activities have moved to other independently owned stores in the area. The scene at the South Jersey GW store has always been tons and tons of children so I don't know what kind of impact this has had on the player base (probably none if I had to guess).

It's had quite an impact on the stores sales. They'll rebuild eventually, and in the short term, those veterans have moved around to several different stores. All Things Fun now carries GW and has some veterans running demos and campaigns. Top Deck Games just opened, put in gaming tables and got in GW to sell, they have their first 40k event this weekend (free in fact!.) My 40k tournament Saturday was in overflow tables, with about 6 of the Voorhees community coming over for it, and lots of talk about the jersey guys hitting up tournaments like Colonial, Conflict, and the new GT down at Jesters Playhouse. So while there's some splintering of the community, theres also still a lot of energy. It will sort itself out.

I haven't gotten an answer at all from GW on why he was let go, when for all intents and purposes he was doing a great job. I've known Mike Diccico for 20 years since he started gaming her when he was about 10. He worked hard at that store, even to working on his days off, bringing players over to my store to make scenery out of his own pocket. (It all left with him, so he has a lot of stuff in his apartment now. ) I've got him coming by my shop now and then, and we run events and work to keep the community over in south NJ that used to shop at the GW store together.

mikhaila wrote:GW US is moving to one man stores, based on what the head guys in the UK have decided worked well in a couple of stores and will work well in the rest of the world. UK says one man stores, US has to move to that. UK has never quite understood that the rest of the world doesn't necessarily work the way the UK does.

Closing for a lunchbreak and coming back an hour later is unknown in the US, for instance.

The shops I know of in the UK don't operate like this. They are not one man operations and they don't shut for dinner.

Perhaps someone is in GW US is pulling a fast one.

PhantomViper wrote:
Running the risk of Navarro spotting this post and blabbing about it to "my" FLGS manager: I would love to have a LGS run by someone like you over here on PIIG country! Despite the fact that you're a GW lapboy!

Too big for a lapdog anymore.) I'm more 'tame wolf' that bites them in the ass a lot, and occaisonally eats a sales rep whole.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

marielle wrote:

mikhaila wrote:GW US is moving to one man stores, based on what the head guys in the UK have decided worked well in a couple of stores and will work well in the rest of the world. UK says one man stores, US has to move to that. UK has never quite understood that the rest of the world doesn't necessarily work the way the UK does.

Closing for a lunchbreak and coming back an hour later is unknown in the US, for instance.

The shops I know of in the UK don't operate like this. They are not one man operations and they don't shut for dinner.

Perhaps someone is in GW US is pulling a fast one.

Nope. It's the direction GW is going in, been many threads and discussions on the change. Not all UK, US, or ROW shops have changed over. But it's the direction Mr. Kirby wants to go, and was based on models they set up in the UK

mikhaila wrote:Nope. It's the direction GW is going in, been many threads and discussions on the change. Not all UK, US, or ROW shops have changed over. But it's the direction Mr. Kirby wants to go, and was based on models they set up in the UK

I wasn't aware of any one-man GW stores in the UK, certainly no trend. Maybe Covent Garden in London, that's pretty tiny (one small table) and there was one guy when I went in. But most GW UK stores are of a reasonable size and staffed by a couple of people at all times.

Used to be that way here- unfortunately, not the case anymore! As many have noted, though, it's opened the door to more independent stores opening to fill the gaming void, and so may not necessarily be a bad thing in the long run.

mikhaila wrote:
It's had quite an impact on the stores sales. They'll rebuild eventually, and in the short term, those veterans have moved around to several different stores. All Things Fun now carries GW and has some veterans running demos and campaigns. Top Deck Games just opened, put in gaming tables and got in GW to sell, they have their first 40k event this weekend (free in fact!.) My 40k tournament Saturday was in overflow tables, with about 6 of the Voorhees community coming over for it, and lots of talk about the jersey guys hitting up tournaments like Colonial, Conflict, and the new GT down at Jesters Playhouse. So while there's some splintering of the community, theres also still a lot of energy. It will sort itself out.

I haven't gotten an answer at all from GW on why he was let go, when for all intents and purposes he was doing a great job. I've known Mike Diccico for 20 years since he started gaming her when he was about 10. He worked hard at that store, even to working on his days off, bringing players over to my store to make scenery out of his own pocket. (It all left with him, so he has a lot of stuff in his apartment now. ) I've got him coming by my shop now and then, and we run events and work to keep the community over in south NJ that used to shop at the GW store together.

I've heard some truly ridiculous rumors from my brother-in-law regarding why Mike was let go - far too absurd to even bother repeating on the internet until I hear it from someone else. Let's just say it goes far beyond the rumors of being let go because of customer complaints.

I know the legendary Mr. Miles is out at ATF now trying to build a community. He'll likely succeed - I've seen him work before and he knows what he's doing. Hell, he even had people playing at the horribly mismanaged Ye Olde Hobby Gamestore. If he can make it work there, he can make it work anywhere. The guy who runs ATF is extremely receptive to community building efforts and appears to be a pretty smart business man as well. ATF has a very large customer base and playing area, so I'm certain good things will come of that location. I only make my way out there to purchase my Malifaux stuff and check out their Magic events (super well attended).

Top Deck I've heard nothing about besides it's the successor to Natural 20, which could be good or bad. Hopefully they have someone with half a brain in charge of the operation this time around.

I've been out to both Showcase locations and I know them to be major hubs of the gaming community, but beyond that I hear very little gossip about what goes on out there. There was one shop owner in South Jersey who would constantly ponder aloud where the GW players were hiding and we all told him repeatedly they were at Showcase. (this was a few years back before any of the other stores in the South Jersey area carried GW).

I personally shop at Redcap's, but I haven't been out there in a while and I believe that they're relocating. The original space was very cool and the crowd out there is completely fitting for the area (ie massive nerd hipsters). A lot of Magic and PP, though they carry GW and at least one of the guys on staff plays 40k. Haven't seen too much GW gaming going on there outside of a few random games here and there.

tldr: the south jersey area community is awesome/probably never gonna die

I'm still seeing multi-staff closets in Australia, though admitedly I only live near 3, and they're busy stores, so not likely the sort of small stores they'll change to single staff.

marielle wrote:

mikhaila wrote:GW US is moving to one man stores, based on what the head guys in the UK have decided worked well in a couple of stores and will work well in the rest of the world. UK says one man stores, US has to move to that. UK has never quite understood that the rest of the world doesn't necessarily work the way the UK does.

Closing for a lunchbreak and coming back an hour later is unknown in the US, for instance.

The shops I know of in the UK don't operate like this. They are not one man operations and they don't shut for dinner.

Perhaps someone is in GW US is pulling a fast one.

We have strict labor laws here in the US regarding meal breaks. In California it is illegal to work more than 5 hours before a meal break IF you are scheduled to work 6 or more hours in that day.

So if they open at noon, at some point before 5pm they MUST be closed for at least 30 minutes if they have only one employee running things.

Aerethan wrote:We have strict labor laws here in the US regarding meal breaks. In California it is illegal to work more than 5 hours before a meal break IF you are scheduled to work 6 or more hours in that day.

So if they open at noon, at some point before 5pm they MUST be closed for at least 30 minutes if they have only one employee running things.

Theoretically, that's how it works here as well. In practice, in smaller stores the employees just take their breaks as they can in between customers. If the store's trade is quiet enough for them to only need a single staff member, that's not usually too difficult.

Howard A Treesong wrote:

mikhaila wrote:Nope. It's the direction GW is going in, been many threads and discussions on the change. Not all UK, US, or ROW shops have changed over. But it's the direction Mr. Kirby wants to go, and was based on models they set up in the UK

I wasn't aware of any one-man GW stores in the UK, certainly no trend. Maybe Covent Garden in London, that's pretty tiny (one small table) and there was one guy when I went in. But most GW UK stores are of a reasonable size and staffed by a couple of people at all times.

There are a couple of one-mans in the South West that I know of. Kind of puzzling as there isn't a single Independent in the Gloucestershire area, so you would think they would have enough turnover to warrant more than one member of staff. Unless however it is a reflection on the terrible level of literacy in this part of the world.

Personally, I think they are a terrible idea, and have the potential to cause a major problem. Not because of sales (although that is undoubtedly as issue) or not having the models in the window painted, but more because having just a single adult working in a store populated by children opens the door for a major 'issue'. If a single child made an accusation against a staff member, whether it was true or not, it could be extremely damaging to the company. Having even two members of staff would stop that kind of issue from occurring.

The GW in Newbury where I work is one-man. I don't go there but I do know from having walked by there on my way to get a sandwich that they do indeed close over lunch hours.

Edit: Having said that, looking at the GW website opening hours for that store, seems to suggest on the days it is open, it opens from midday to seven PM so maybe they have taken the decision to have odd opening hours rather than having to close over lunch. Not sure how they handle staff breaks though; if it's a one man store, UK working hour directives state that the chap needs to have a certain amount of break every few hours so maybe he has to hang a 'back in 15 minutes' sign on the door and turf people out?