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I visited GW Amsterdam yesterday to get tickets for the Frenzy and while there I thought I'd browse for a bit and have a chat.

Only gak, the store has gotten bland and sterile over time. All the old staff that I knew has either been promoted (To the UK and one has become a production manager of sorts in Asia) or is gone. Only the manager is still around, whom I didn't bump into. But it really is a boring place these days, despite all the Winter Crusade activities they were holding. I tried browsing, but they had almost no blisters on sale, seeing as those are mostly Direct Only these days, and well, nothing new really, especially when you've got the internet with better discounts. The attending staff were really chasing the kids around for easy purchases, quickly ditching me in the middle of some chitchat for a potential sale and well, I had more fun browsing the nearby American Book Centre than I had while I was there.

Maybe I'm just too spoiled by my favourite FLGS in Utrecht that stocks stuff besides GW, but the store has gotten boring and very bland.

So, does anybody else have this problem or could it just be a local problem?

The one in Glendale, CA has gotten more stereotypically nerdy over the years. Maybe it's because they're desperate for hires.

What did you expect them to do? Sounds like they were doing their jobs.

If I want a chitchat at a local shop, I make sure to go when they're not busy. If they're
dealing with customers, I can't expect them to cater to my "particular" conversational
interests. If, however, the kiddie rush is down, then all bets are off.

Unfortunately, I think you hit the nail on the head early in your post. Good staff get
promoted out of your store. It happens.

Look at GW stores in old White Dwarf issues, wow them were the days, it takes me back I can tell you. A huge splash of colour, a veritable smorgasbord or materials; and the blisters had individual packets, the orks, chaos, space marines, there were Marauder Miniatures and different types of Warhammer stuff, books of all kinds, colourful box games like Kerrunch and Space Hulk and all those other goofy things. They were like the vistual feast you get when you go into what I would call a "proper" comic shop, you know the sort, posters on the walls and floor to ceiling boxes of comic and other goodies pinned up all over the place.

Now GW stores are all red, black and grey.

Yah, my favorite staff members are leaving or gone, and it sucks. I haven't really noticed a change at the Seattle store, but it got cleaner.

I know what you mean BrookM. Last summer me and the lady went to Amsterdam to see the sights. I insisted to visit the GW store. But i think we stayed in the store for 5min. I did not find the staff to pushy or anything. Just the shop lacked a certain kind of atmosphere. I much rather go to the flgs in Zwolle. By gamestore in Utrecht do you mean the Joker?

Grtz
L.D.

The GWS in Calgary is pretty crap too, but it's always been like that. Piss poor space management, limited model selection, empty, white space everywhere. Only a few good tables there. The GW redshirts don't help either.

I'm the opposite (or kinda) all the previous uni kids that were staff there (bar the manager) have gone and we've now got two 20 year vets, a dude from Amsterdam as it happens and a really nice dude. They brought in the youngings for the Christmas rush but I think it will be back to normal soon enough!

hmm..the Melbourne City store is actually really good. It has 3 gaming/painting tables, *mostly* friendly staff and lots of variety when it comes to blisters and old army sets like 3 Eldar Falcons in a box (?) so yeah, thats a really good store!

My local is the opposite. It's so tiny that I feel bad about going inside if I don't have a reason for being there- like I'm crowding out customers who do have a reason for being there. I've have bedrooms that are larger than the entire store. There is no space for posters, because literally every spot on the wall within the field of vision is take up by product displays. Their "large" table, what I used to think of as the smallest acceptable battlefield size, pretty much takes up the whole room, and often they split it in half and run two games simultaneously on it.

But that may be more because it's in Japan than because it's GW.

It depends.

From my small amount of time at the GW in Ontario, they've changed staff now and then, and I'm not sure who's there now, but it can get pretty interesting during big events.

Other than that, I hang out at the closer FLGS.

malfred wrote:What did you expect them to do? Sounds like they were doing their jobs.

If I want a chitchat at a local shop, I make sure to go when they're not busy. If they're
dealing with customers, I can't expect them to cater to my "particular" conversational
interests. If, however, the kiddie rush is down, then all bets are off.

Unfortunately, I think you hit the nail on the head early in your post. Good staff get
promoted out of your store. It happens.

I should've probably added that it is hobby-related chatter, but yes, customers before old farts who just want to talk.

Lord Demon wrote:I know what you mean BrookM. Last summer me and the lady went to Amsterdam to see the sights. I insisted to visit the GW store. But i think we stayed in the store for 5min. I did not find the staff to pushy or anything. Just the shop lacked a certain kind of atmosphere. I much rather go to the flgs in Zwolle. By gamestore in Utrecht do you mean the Joker?

Grtz
L.D.

No, I frequent SubCultures for the most part, which can be found in the cellar along the canal not far from the other gaming stores. Ever since I found this store I've been spending more time in Utrecht and away from Amsterdam.

My local store is pretty much amazing IMO. I feel Johira on the size deal, more than 3 people and it's cramped. Gotta drive to the next town for a store big enough to have events, but I do all my shopping at the tiny one.

The owner is awesome. He used to own 5 or 6 stores in LA, and after however many years got tired of all his time being spent on numbers instead of hobby, sold 'em all, and opened a single shop in my po-dunk hometown. Awesome for us. He looks like a dwarf (not the medical kind, the fantasy kind). And he teaches a fencing class at the local YMCA.

Not to mention he has the best stock I've seen anywhere. Always has what I'm looking for, blisters galore (lots of OOPs), and some of the greatest obscure off-brand sci fi stuff I've ever seen. His passion is Napoleonic so there's plenty of cool historical stuff too.

By the way, I would advise anyone, despite the discounts you can get online, to shop local. Yeah, you miss out on the ten percent discounts, but you make up for it when you mention to a guy you've built a relationship with that you have a conversion idea and he hooks you up with 20 plastic brettonian knights for $16, or hunts down a sprue of marine legs for you so that you can effectively get an extra 5 assault marines out of GW's box. ; )

my store (brighton,uk) recently had a re-orginisation because they though the standard column table(s) thats in most store was really bland, my stores really good and even promotes my local other system store (wargames heaven)

Store atmosphere and communities run in cycles. What was my favorite store for about 4 years with the greatest staff and a constantly growing community now has a stagnant community largely taken over these days by people I'd rather not see too often while many of my favorite folks have stopped coming with much regularity. On the other hand another local store which had a stagnant community for several years is now suddenly on the upswing thanks to great new staff there in 2009. Nothing lasts forever, good or bad, you just have to ride out the ups and downs of the cycle.

My FLGS to many kids its wall to wall years ago my local GW was amazing with great staff and a really good enjoyable atmosphere.Now its all kid orientated you dont see one adult at Cribbs.

However my second store in Bristol centre is another affair entirely its where all the veterans have gone and I never get the chance to because of silly work comittments and that when its my three off I sit down and dont bloody move from home.

My visits to GW nowadays consist of a flying visit and a nod to the staffers the longest I spent the other week was selecting a army to play in WHFB other than that I picked up my batallion and was gone.

WEll i'm lucky. My staff has all left. And now the only left had a stroke. of course the store is only 6 years old. Alot of old players go there. I beat almost every single one of them with my infantry list.
But now the damn new guy wave comes just in for the holidays. They don't know the rules and the staff of 2 The Manager and the Red shirt are busy as hell.

The Red shirt has a basic understanding of 40k lore.

The Manager understands everything in lore.

But i still know more than they do about the Star Child and stuff like that.

But it is getting annoying now that we have so MANY NEW PLAYERS! ugh i hate being an adult one thing that happens is that you can't have conversions with people who sell stuff to kids.......... DAMN!

Charlatan wrote:My local store is pretty much amazing IMO. I feel Johira on the size deal, more than 3 people and it's cramped. Gotta drive to the next town for a store big enough to have events, but I do all my shopping at the tiny one.

The owner is awesome. He used to own 5 or 6 stores in LA, and after however many years got tired of all his time being spent on numbers instead of hobby, sold 'em all, and opened a single shop in my po-dunk hometown. Awesome for us. He looks like a dwarf (not the medical kind, the fantasy kind). And he teaches a fencing class at the local YMCA.

Not to mention he has the best stock I've seen anywhere. Always has what I'm looking for, blisters galore (lots of OOPs), and some of the greatest obscure off-brand sci fi stuff I've ever seen. His passion is Napoleonic so there's plenty of cool historical stuff too.

By the way, I would advise anyone, despite the discounts you can get online, to shop local. Yeah, you miss out on the ten percent discounts, but you make up for it when you mention to a guy you've built a relationship with that you have a conversion idea and he hooks you up with 20 plastic brettonian knights for $16, or hunts down a sprue of marine legs for you so that you can effectively get an extra 5 assault marines out of GW's box. ; )

So what is your local store? Enquiring LA minds want to know!

I often find that the stores are becoming more... professional, and have come a long way in the past decade, which is inevitable as stores move from pure smalltime geek hobby to more corporate in nature. At least, the better ones are.

There is a store in Sydney - the Hurstville store. Went there twice, never again - surly, uninterested staff, pocket sized store, PITA guys there. Unprofessional, and unwelcoming.

But then I go to Hornsby or Miranda stores, or indeed the Sydney Central Bunker, and they are all well done, well staffed, with a better range and better atmosphere, and if I have a chat with most of the guys, they will know the range as well as I do, and have some nice ideas for the various conversions and bits that I do.

In the end, some will lose that small time feel, but the benefits will come from it as well in terms of (hopefully) better and more rounded service - and that should hopefully attract a wider range of customers.

Yeah honestly I think if I go out to a Brick and Mortar store, the only choice is to find an FLGS.

I went out to Phoenix Games down here in GA and was immediately greeted by one of the owners who asked me if I needed help or anything. I told him I was just starting out with 40K after a long hiatus and we got to doing a decent bit of chit chat about the products they have and the minis.

All in all it was a great experience and I ended up buying 50 dollars more than I had wanted to spend just to support my new FLGS

I'm fine with how my local GW is. I get value from it. I like the staff and the manager is pretty cool.

gw in general has been bland since 40k 2nd Edition.

JOHIRA wrote:My local is the opposite. It's so tiny that I feel bad about going inside if I don't have a reason for being there- like I'm crowding out customers who do have a reason for being there. I've have bedrooms that are larger than the entire store. There is no space for posters, because literally every spot on the wall within the field of vision is take up by product displays. Their "large" table, what I used to think of as the smallest acceptable battlefield size, pretty much takes up the whole room, and often they split it in half and run two games simultaneously on it.

But that may be more because it's in Japan than because it's GW.

Japan GW store is small indeed.
Its because in japan.
If Warhammer get more more and more populer,it will expand little more......or maybe another shop open.

Cryonicleech wrote:From my small amount of time at the GW in Ontario, they've changed staff now and then, and I'm not sure who's there now

I have been to 2 GW stores, when I was in the area, one in Mississauga, Square One, the other in Burlington, and I was shocked, everyone was new. WTF? Did they fire everyone, or they quit? I guess some could have moved higher up if that is possible. But if they keep changing people I can't make a connection with the store anymore. Like in Burlington, I was getting use to the people, they were use to me and my son, but know it's like starting all over again. Yes they are polite and proffesional, until a paying customer came along lol but we chatted abit. I just hope they stick along more this time. Just feels better when you know the people there.

The GW in Chiba is a fair size. They have 2 large tables and a demo table with all the Black Reach stuff on it. They actually have another table in the back corner with a lot of primed scenery on it. There is even a toilet so you don't have to run out to the conbini or mitsukoshi. It is one of the larger GWs in Nippon, with the other one in Jimbocho. The one in Ikebukuro is soooo wee. The staff guy at Ikebukuro is aces. He'll let you speak in Japanese and then he'll use his English which is pretty good.

I do remember the early 90s glory days for GW stores with all the different games, blisters, T-shirts, Banner making competitions, Bloodbowl leagues, bulletin boards for pick up games, etc. Now, at least the last time I was in one in Canada, they seem more like gaming McDonald's than anything else. But I hardly ever bought any stuff there as the LGS usually gave a 10% discount, sold sprues out of the box (great for conversions) and was just a bit more comfortable. In Japan, with the exception of one or two shops GW is the ONLY place you can buy Warhammer stuff.

Todosi wrote:

Charlatan wrote:...He used to own 5 or 6 stores in LA...

So what is your local store? Enquiring LA minds want to know!

"The Toy Soldier Gallery" in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Owner's name is Norm and I wish I knew his last name now... I'm sure I've heard it at some point. *shrug*

He also makes me cry when I watch him paint. He'll paint a model that takes me hours in about fifteen minutes and his will put mine to shame. XP

The two GW stores in Bristol manage to keep the balance pretty well, one is in the middle of Bristol and quite large, the staff are great and there is a good mix of vets and beginers, the other store is at an out of town shopping centre, imaginatively call "The Mall" it is the size of a shoe box, but again, the stafff are great and it is dead easy to get hold of new releases. The gaming tables at both stores are always impressive and the miniatures in the cabinets painted to a decent standard.

There is only one FLGS in Bristol that I can thing of, which stocks GW product, whilst a lot of people love the place, to me it is a disorganised hole.

Despite the hobby aspect, GW stores are there to sell products and sales have to come before socializing. The stores have become "blander" because they have to appeal not only to seasoned gamers but to those who don't know about the hobby. Most new customers are children, so it is the parents the store needs to entice in. This means they can't afford to be the dark grotty little holes full of unwashed nerds and heavy metal playing at full volume that GW store used to be back in the day, the parents would simply not want their kids going in there.

Davor wrote:

Cryonicleech wrote:From my small amount of time at the GW in Ontario, they've changed staff now and then, and I'm not sure who's there now

I have been to 2 GW stores, when I was in the area, one in Mississauga, Square One, the other in Burlington, and I was shocked, everyone was new. WTF? Did they fire everyone, or they quit? I guess some could have moved higher up if that is possible. But if they keep changing people I can't make a connection with the store anymore. Like in Burlington, I was getting use to the people, they were use to me and my son, but know it's like starting all over again. Yes they are polite and proffesional, until a paying customer came along lol but we chatted abit. I just hope they stick along more this time. Just feels better when you know the people there.

Retail is a high turnover business. Most "Red Shirts" do not last long.

Especially since a lot of states are now "Right to Work" which really means "Your employer can feth you anyway they see fit and there is nothing you can do about it."

they also shuffle people around a lot. When my local GW needed a new manager, they brought a guy down from Philadelphia for 5 months. My local store is 3 hours away from Philadelphia. They put him up in the corporate apartments they hold in downtown baltimore, but that's still an hour commute to our store.

The dude is back in Philly full time and we have a new manager fresh out of the training program until sometime this summer when he gets his store in texas.

It's be nice if we got our own manager, I think they're trying to groom one of our redshirts into taking it. Me and some of the other guys give the DM a hard time about it whenever we see him (among other things)


Automatically Appended Next Post:

squilverine wrote:The two GW stores in Bristol manage to keep the balance pretty well, one is in the middle of Bristol and quite large, the staff are great and there is a good mix of vets and beginers, the other store is at an out of town shopping centre, imaginatively call "The Mall" it is the size of a shoe box, but again, the stafff are great and it is dead easy to get hold of new releases. The gaming tables at both stores are always impressive and the miniatures in the cabinets painted to a decent standard.

There is only one FLGS in Bristol that I can thing of, which stocks GW product, whilst a lot of people love the place, to me it is a disorganised hole.

Despite the hobby aspect, GW stores are there to sell products and sales have to come before socializing. The stores have become "blander" because they have to appeal not only to seasoned gamers but to those who don't know about the hobby. Most new customers are children, so it is the parents the store needs to entice in. This means they can't afford to be the dark grotty little holes full of unwashed nerds and heavy metal playing at full volume that GW store used to be back in the day, the parents would simply not want their kids going in there.

which is why I always where shirts from bands like Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Satyricon and Vader when I spend the day at my local GW.

Somebody has to keep the little brats out.