GW does something really stupid....again....

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**Grot 6**

Anung Un Rama wrote:Hi guys,
I recently visited my local store when the manager was working on the wall with blister packs. Appearantly GW is cutting down their range of models once again and said manager was marking the models which won't be available anymore. This is nothing new, but I was surprised by what models they no longer plan to sell in a normal store. I just looked closer at the wall with 40k minis so I I'm not sure how hard fantasy and LotR will be hit by this.
So, blisters which are now appearantly out of production:
Chaos Terminators (no big surprise here, they have a plastic kit)
Chaos Terminator Lord (also has a plastic kit)
Chaos Obliterators (wait...what?)
Eldar special character Autarch, Yiriell or something like that.
All Harlequin blisters.
Several Sisters of Battle models (not mch of a surprise, considering that the WH Codex is now open for download)
Dark Angel special characters. Appearantly GW has no interest in selling DAs at all, so they cut their range down to a minimum. On a side note, the Ravenwing jetbike box is also oop

There were also some boxes which are now longer available. Old SM stuff mostly, but also the WHFB Chaos cannon and the Wood Elf Overlord what's-his-name.
Just thought you should know.
Thoughts?

GW is known for things like this.
It isn't stupid, its called business. Though it does suck, how do you think they will keep up with "New" if they don't cut slack on some of the old? I am finding it out the hard way with my Mordhiem efforts. I have found that cutting back is more of a deal for me as well. Seeing the way things are going, Plastics are the name of the game these days. At first I thought it blew chuncks, but in a way, it is in hindsite the only way that they are really going to stay relevent.

It isn't as stupid as you might think, though I really wish they would have kept the bits service, or at least had the cataloug that you could have specific parts cast.
as for the Spazz Marines, we can really afford to lose a couple here and there, seeing the new codex range, they arn't much of a loss.

**frgsinwntr**

WH codex is downloadable... in german.... for free...

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

It's a question of shelf space.

Obliterators etc don't sell in huge quantities. 1, the models are expensive in monetary tersm, and 2, you only need a few for any given army.

Thus, low quantity sellers are now going to Direct Sales only. This saves on packaging and shipping. All part of the company trying to slim down where it can. Hardly stupid at all really.

GW Stores are all getting an instore order point. Not on the shelf? Use their PC to order it from Mail Order, pay at the till, then pick it up from the Store for free. Much better supply and demand chain that. From my experience as a staffer, when it came to restocking blisters, you found yourself pegging out the same handful week on week, with a few 'special guest stars' turning up once in a while.

Sure, it was nice to walk into a GW store and be able to pick up whatever, but it's not all that practical when compared to other methods.

**Tacobake**

I did not really read, but it is possible they are being repackaged.

**General Hobbs**

Can you cite me the actual evidence that Sammael is OOP? I believe this is heresy.

**Anung Un Rama**

I never said they were all oop. It just strikes me as odd, that they pulled modells like Obliterators from the shelf.

And yes, the Witchhunter 'Dex is out of print in germany, that's why you can download it on the official german GW page.

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

Yes you did.

You said 'blisters which are now apparently out of production'

So you did indeed claim they were OOP.

**Anung Un Rama**

ups, sorry. Well at least some of those are oop, like the old terminators. I don't know about Yriell and the Obliterators.

**Mannahnin**

I bet oblits will get a boxed repackage.

**Ratbarf**

Eh, I wished Termis had a combined box. Would make things a lot easier.

**Ozymandias**

Er... what? I don't think you can get termies by the blister anymore. They are all plastic now.

Ozymandias, King of Kings

**H.B.M.C.**

I think he meant regular and decaff Termies in the same box, rather than one set for each.

BYE

**mikhaila**

Maybe different in the UK, but I ordered in Oblits this monday. Still in stock, still on the list, not going away. Checked on the rest of it, and it's all available through mailorder, or by stores placing a bitz order.

**Kilkrazy**

I went to The Plaza, Oxford Street W1 this lunchtime to get a Commander Shadowsun. They no longer stock Shadowsun or other character models (for Tau, anyway -- I didn't think to check the other factions.) I had to order the model on the new online system. This is a computer running Windows Explorer looking at the GW web site. If you have your own login you can order by yourself, or you can get a member of staff to log in and order it. Then you pay at the till.

It is very slow running -- I don't think they have good broadband.

The only good thing about this over the usual online ordering is that by having the item delivered to the shop you avoid the shipping fee. Each week, picking and packing starts on a Tuesday afternoon for the Friday delivery. If you want a model the same week, order by the Tuesday morning.

**jon23516**

Anung Un Rama wrote:
You can get it from GW mailorder, GW stores, or most independent stores.

That's just the problem. My independent store has the complete 40k and WHFB range. If they don't get it anymore, that means that it has become mail oder only at best.

Independents can do whatever they want. Independents are generally larger than the average GW store who have limited wall space and must keep a presence of the 3 main games.

@ Bignutter; did anyone say that inventory was being moved back to HQ? I would think that a store might be able to send stuff back if they knew it would never sell, but most likely they'd just take it off the wall and put it into their own storage to make room for something with better sales; i.e. new product.

If Sammeul on a jetbike is truly out of production, while sad, that's just the way things happen sometimes. While its a great model and fun and everything, GW also has to look at what it costs to continue producing it and balance that against the demand for it. It really has no converted/crossover value for any other model in the game.

Enjoy,
Jon

**Anung Un Rama**

Independents can do whatever they want. Independents are generally larger than the average GW store who have limited wall space and must keep a presence of the 3 main games.

The thing is, this way they lose money because the customers have to go to GW directly. That's not so bad if you work in a GW store, but the independants get hurt in the process.

**SterlingSylver**

My local independent store is able to get in supposedly "mail order only" stuff on request. You mileage may vary.

**Mick A**

Two independant stockists I go to were told well over 2 months ago that they will not be able to order any blisters from their pre-xmas order onwards...
Mick

**Aduro**

You know, I didn't mind thing being direct only. I thought yeah, it saves space on the shelves. Then I tried to get a Shadowsun, and found out I can't get it on store cred because of the mail order only thing. Spend real money on GW stuff?! BOO!

**penek**

erm. its kinda sad. due to lots of errors at GW side.
we here in russia made 5-6 orders from GW site in last 3-4 months, and just one has all ordered stuff. Other orders came without few positions in them - more over there was one order that come without 60-70% of ordered stuff.
and it take a looot of time to order, to arrive.
so it is not best way to sell things (i mean this direct only stuff)

**mikhaila**

Anung Un Rama wrote:
Independents can do whatever they want. Independents are generally larger than the average GW store who have limited wall space and must keep a presence of the 3 main games.

The thing is, this way they lose money because the customers have to go to GW directly. That's not so bad if you work in a GW store, but the independants get hurt in the process.

I own a store, and can orde anything that a GW store can order. I can order anything that is on the website. They've gone out of their way to make available every deal they have offered on their website, in their own stores, or in White Dwarf.

As an Independent, I'm not getting hurt at all. GW is working hard to make it possible for my store to compete on an even basis with GW stores, and GW mailorder.

These items aren't going away. They are moving out of the main range, and into mailorder. I can get them anytime I want, by fax, email, or phone. No shipping charge. Gets to me in about a week, pretty comparable with my regular GW orders.

**Kilkrazy**

GW tried the strategy of blanketing the USA with official shops and found it couldn't work because the whole country is just too large. They need independent stores to fill in the many gaps.

The new GW strategy is to concentrate on flagship stores in key malls and city centre locations. The priority is for these act as waving banners for the company rather than major selling locations, though obviously what they sell is useful.

Independents take a slice off the GW margin but if they are treated well they can sell a lot and don't take expensive maintenance.

**Bignutter**

Kilkrazy wrote:I went to The Plaza, Oxford Street W1 this lunchtime to get a Commander Shadowsun. They no longer stock Shadowsun or other character models (for Tau, anyway -- I didn't think to check the other factions.) I had to order the model on the new online system. This is a computer running Windows Explorer looking at the GW web site. If you have your own login you can order by yourself, or you can get a member of staff to log in and order it. Then you pay at the till.

It is very slow running -- I don't think they have good broadband.

The only good thing about this over the usual online ordering is that by having the item delivered to the shop you avoid the shipping fee. Each week, picking and packing starts on a Tuesday afternoon for the Friday delivery. If you want a model the same week, order by the Tuesday morning.

Alot of character models and such will eventually cross a point where it isn't profitable to be kept in stock in store- thats when they get put in a box in the back and not re-stocked with the store orders. Then occasionally they'll all get sent back to head office to be avalible again from direct sales. This keeps the shelf space for the things that are constantly getting sold, thus meaning there aren't large racks of dusty all stock that one person might buy something from once every year.
Shadowsun is one just like that

And the instore terminals do have broadband.... the computers are just due an upgrade (which is meant to happen soon)

**Kilkrazy**

I don't know if it had broadband -- it probably did, since most shops in the UK use bank card chip terminals for making sales. It ran very slowly. This might have been the computer or the site or contention. Everyone who works in IT knows there are all sorts of reasons why things run slowly.

**wuestenfux**

Well, this is nothing new. A few years ago they took out the DE Wyches and other DE metal minatures from the shelves.
But I'm surprised to see that Obliterators fall into this category.

**ironicsilence**

i was told by one of the red shirts at my local battle bunker that the normal GW stores will no longer be carrying special characters however the battle bunker stores will continue to carry all of the special characters

**Mad Doc Grotsnik**

Kilkrazy wrote:GW tried the strategy of blanketing the USA with official shops and found it couldn't work because the whole country is just too large. They need independent stores to fill in the many gaps.

The new GW strategy is to concentrate on flagship stores in key malls and city centre locations. The priority is for these act as waving banners for the company rather than major selling locations, though obviously what they sell is useful.

Independents take a slice off the GW margin but if they are treated well they can sell a lot and don't take expensive maintenance.

Actually, Indie Sellers net GW the most profit, as it removes the costs assosciated with selling direct. Otherwise, what you said chimes with what I've read on the Interwebs.

**Kilkrazy**

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:GW tried the strategy of blanketing the USA with official shops and found it couldn't work because the whole country is just too large. They need independent stores to fill in the many gaps.

The new GW strategy is to concentrate on flagship stores in key malls and city centre locations. The priority is for these act as waving banners for the company rather than major selling locations, though obviously what they sell is useful.

Independents take a slice off the GW margin but if they are treated well they can sell a lot and don't take expensive maintenance.

Actually, Indie Sellers net GW the most profit, as it removes the costs assosciated with selling direct. Otherwise, what you said chimes with what I've read on the Interwebs.

That's what I meant but did not manage to explain it clearly.