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.

Hi all

I usually post on thewaaagh but i didnt really see a good place to post this there.

I went to my local GW yesterday and found out that the store manager and one of the other epmloyies had been let go earlier that week due to 'economic reasons'. I may not be getting the whole story, but it makes a lot of sense since there's only one person running the whole store, and he probably had the lowest salary of the three. The employie also said that this was being done nationwide (in the US).

I can't really find any info about it online (searched google and forums etc). Has this happened at anyone elses GW, or is this just an elaborate instore scandle being covered up?
IMO the whole thing sucks because the two that were laid off were really nice and hard working, but now there's just a shmuck running the store. Good job GW. Sigh Economy.

Yes there are other post on this topic during the last month or so.

Its sad but normal to compensate for the bad economy.

So much for the theory that hobby companies like GW aren't affected by recessions. Yes, there was a recent thread about the Memphis battle bunker closing, etc.

More in-depth discussion here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/233711.page

(Yeah, it's kind of hard to find).

Tazok wrote:So much for the theory that hobby companies like GW aren't affected by recessions. Yes, there was a recent thread about the Memphis battle bunker closing, etc.

That or they know most people buy online for discount instead of shopping in store. So same amount sold, but less in store employees.

Tazok wrote:So much for the theory that hobby companies like GW aren't affected by recessions. Yes, there was a recent thread about the Memphis battle bunker closing, etc.

Or GW finally realized how much of a money sink some of the shops were...

Nah, it's GW.

Apparently GW are opening new 'one man' stores in the UK. They're looking for staff IIRC.

Iorek wrote:More in-depth discussion here:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/233711.page

(Yeah, it's kind of hard to find).

thanks...i appreciate the search-fu

George Spiggott wrote:Apparently GW are opening new 'one man' stores in the UK. They're looking for staff IIRC.

Booths that only stock the main system starter sets?

And here's my friend's take on it:

http://plasticlegions.blogspot.com/2009/03/games-workshop-meet-recession.html

Ugh. Shooting themselves in the foot it seems.

One staff person in the store means no demo games to introduce new players - he or she can't do that and mind the till and watch for shoplifters and answer questions all at the same time.

No demo games means a lot less people getting hooked.

When I first heard the the phrase "One Man Stores", I pictured GW employees with big backpacks full of starter sets going around door to door offering housewives a free demonstration.

Asmodai wrote:

When I first heard the the phrase "One Man Stores", I pictured GW employees with big backpacks full of starter sets going around door to door offering housewives a free demonstration.

Sounds like a movie I saw once for, umm, educational purposes.

actually the one man stores are like a normal store in every regard.. just open 5 days a week though

A friend of mine runs one of them here in the UK, they are positioned so they can grow the hobby, and if they do well enough grow into "normal" multi-staff stores...

as it stands he has enough time to serve customers, run demo games, paint the store projects and keep the place going-

and the stores aren't necissarily smaller than any other GW store... in fact his store is significantly bigger than the 5 staff member store down the road

The downsizeing was inevitable, I guess, but I read in another thread that they had closed the Memphis HQ. I think some other larger scale closeures in North America have happened recently as well. I happen to live down the street from the only GW store in Georgia, and all I notice is that the staff seem to "turn over" with some regularity. One of the newer guys, (not a red shirt but a black shirt....)told me that GW is actually expanding, by closeing the big,bulky sites in favor of smaller, decentralised ones... All I could do was wonder if the black shirt means he's a "veteran sergeant" or a "conscript"...

Sounds like a movie I saw once for, umm, educational purposes.

"ma'am I am here to clean your pool..."
(In my best feminine voice)"But we dont have a pool..."

Music starts...

As a side note the Memphis HQ closed a few years ago, its the Bunker that recently closed but it is my understanding that the manufacturing center will still be there.

The store in GA had an incredible staff at one point but GW kept telling everyone they were closing the store so everyone took care of themselves...then GW kept it open heheh. I dont see how the store in GA could become a single man store due to the mall traffic and shoplifiting but it will be interesting to keep an eye on it. The key is GW in most cases is trying to get away from malls and move into shopping centers. I think this is a bad move as you dont get the foot traffic you need.

Yeah, I think the mall may have some rule against one person running a store by himself,anyway. Unless you move to one of those kiosks. I agree, getting out of the malls is a bad idea, that store seems to do pretty well. I occaisionally do a bit of shopping there myself. On the otherhand, I bet mall rent is crazy- high!

Yep, my local stores have also been downsizing. They are not being cut down to 1 man stores but they were cutting people based on seniority. Most of the stores are being reduced down to 2(including manager) or 3 employee's max

gil gerard wrote:Yeah, I think the mall may have some rule against one person running a store by himself,anyway. Unless you move to one of those kiosks. I agree, getting out of the malls is a bad idea, that store seems to do pretty well. I occaisionally do a bit of shopping there myself. On the otherhand, I bet mall rent is crazy- high!

I used to run a Kiosk in the Volusia Mall (Daytona Beach), it was a crappy little booth about 6'x3'. Everything had to be contained on the cart (They used to allow a register stand separate from the booth, but they deemed that to be taking up too much floor space). For Jan - October rent was $1,300 a month; For Nov-Dec it was $5,000 a month. We ended up moving out of the mall and to a strip mall, paid $1200 for ~1300 Square Feet.

So yeah, Malls are fething expensive.

GREAT-SCOTT!!! Its hard to believe you could sell enough "crocs" or cheesy calanders or hair extensions to justify paying that kind of rent! Moveing out of the malls might not be such a bad idea after all.

The Kiosks at the Discover Mills store in GA cost more than a 1300 SQ foot space at Mall of Ga....DOH!!! Also some malls require you use their staff at the kiosks not yours.

M_r_ _p_c f_ _l fr_m GW

Would you like to buy a vowel?

Oddly though, we're getting -increasing- stock of Black Library stuff at the B&N where I work, got over a dozen of the new HH story collection, and it's moving pretty well...

As to GW moving out of the Mills malls, Word I got was that GWs contract was up with this particular mall chain and that the Mills organization wanted to double GWs rent in the new agreement.

Under these circumstance I don't blame GW one bit for pulling out of the malls. The Mills organization is upping rent during a softening real-estate market.

Give them a couple of years with a third to one-half of their available space not being rented and they'll come to their senses. Especially when the remaining stores start to threaten to pull out because half empty malls are poor sales enviroments.

Fishboy wrote:The Kiosks at the Discover Mills store in GA cost more than a 1300 SQ foot space at Mall of Ga....DOH!!! Also some malls require you use their staff at the kiosks not yours.

In our area, all the kiosk workers are imigrants and many times, I wonder if they are legal immigrants or not..

focusedfire wrote:As to GW moving out of the Mills malls, Word I got was that GWs contract was up with this particular mall chain and that the Mills organization wanted to double GWs rent in the new agreement.

Not sure about doubling the rent, but I do know they wanted to increase it. The Mills malls also tried to squeeze Gw by stating if they didn't resign, they'd not allow them to reapply in any of their malls, Gw said, fine and decided it would be cheaper/better in another environment.

I too think under those circumstances most of us, if not all of us would have done the same thing.

Some companies are using the recession as an excuse to do the sacking they wanted to do anyway.

Cyporiean, I hope your Dalek-loli isn't going to try to attack my TARDIS.