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As soon as I step foot inside. They usually ask me what I'm after or what I've been painting. I usually just reply that I've been painting space marines and I know what I'm looking for. I haven't really been painting space marines I just tell them that to end the conversation as that's the expected response from somebody my age. SPEHCE MAHRINES R T3H BESTEST IN T3H UNIVERSE!

The folks over at Gamestop are the same:
"do you have a rewards card?"
"do you want to buy a rewards card?"
"do you want a Gameinformer subscription?"
"do you want these 3 used games?"
I just want to pick up what I came in for, hand you money and leave!!!

TheChaoticJournalist wrote:

J.Black wrote:In Manchester it is pretty much within the first 10 seconds: Gotta hand it to 'em, they are real efficient

I wasn't gonna mention the store, but, uncannily, I'm on about the same store! Tzeentch works in mysterious ways.....

Thinking of Tzeentch... My lovely wife bought the new Herald of Tzeentch model for me this Christmas; true to form she was offered pretty much everything else in the shop when all she wanted was to get that one thing. She doesn't really want to go back now

I don't really have a problem with the people doing the upselling; the Redshirts have a job to do and they have to do it in a specific way. Pointing out that my main army is SoB usually shuts them up as there is pretty much nothing in the shop for them to sell to me (and usually some mouthbreather hovering over the internet terminal)!

In the Square One store in Mississauga, they usually ask "what brings you in today?" within 30 seconds or less.

Went to the US GW HQ in Memphis a few weeks back, and my friend and I were greeted at the door in a very friendly manner, after taking pictures outside with the nice Space Marine standing guard. The guy working that day jokingly asked about us having trouble finding the place, as we had called twice and driven right past it (it is truly hard to find the first time) and we didn't start talking about minis for a couple of minutes. He was a very pleasant individual and we had a great time visiting. We actually spent a lot of time talking about things OTHER than Warhammer-living in Memphis, our jobs, would it be worth it for my friend to move there with his family, what the school systems are like, etc etc. We BS'd and had good discussions, got some modeling tips on things we saw in the display cases and we both want to go back for their birthday bash in April. Despite the horror stories I've heard of GW stores, I've only had great experiences (2 different stores). I'd be happy to give a +1 to the bunker in Memphis. We were also told the casting is usually done in the back at that building (at least for plastic) and if something was missing off the shelf during the regular work week, they could usually run back into the factory portion and cast it right up for you. I'm excited to go back. Was going to try to stop in today while on the road for work, but it was sadly many hours out of my way.

They can run fater than me when my arms are full of stolen vintage space hulk goodness.

As with all good Australians:
There is no point to enter a gw store in the last 15 years.

redshirts just too aggressive. Once I attempted a troll by saying explaining I was just starting the hobby and wanted to build a scout SM army: all scout troops, scout bikers.

They tried to sell me a bloodthirster.

However last time I loitered looking at the displays outside GW Woden for about 15min (store was empty) no one lifted a finger.




Having said all this; my favourite GW store front experience was Jimbocho (Tokyo), no redshirts to pounce; one customer asked me where i was from.


Worst experience: Brussels. Aggressive (seemed to be speeding) redshirt. Wanted to know how many hours of DOW2 I had played (On entering the door). Left after about 30 seconds of interrogation.

My local GW is also my store of choice. The redshirts are always quick with a " what brings you in today?" and usually more interested to hear about a painting project or an army build in progress than to make a fast upsale. Granted, it Is a Bunker, so most people coming in are there for a game or gaming event rather than just to shop or hobby.

Standard reply is a polite "Just browsing" which is enough to get folks to back off in all cases.

I really don't see what the issue is here. So, the employees ask you if there's anything you're after, and greet you when you walk in, and that annoys you?

This happens in pretty much every retail store. A lot of clothes shops, most technology stores.

Games Workshop is a wargaming store. Where you play in the store. It's a social hobby, requiring you to interact with other people. The people there are mainly trying to be friendly and engage with you, which is 90% of my experiences in GW. Yes, their ultimate goal is to sell you things. Games Workshop is a business and that's the only reason it exists - let's not fool ourselves here.

Yes, I've had one guy once try and sell me White Dwarf; but you really can't blame these guys for it. And I've had people suggest models for me to buy. They're told to get people to buy things - and from what I hear, how they treat stores and their staff members depends on how they treat the store and its staff members. When Games Workshop breeds that kind of atmospheres, you can't really blame the guys in the store for trying to keep their jobs. They're just humans, after all, like the rest of us.

I think the staff in my local Games Workshop (Portsmouth) are great. They have tried to get me to get a few things, sure, but that's just what you have to expect when their job is to sell things in a store. Once they've gotten to know me, I can just have a chat about tactics, conversions, cool minis and the lore / fluff.

They're the front line guys who have no say in anything to do with Finecast, on how the upper management tell them to run the store, they don't get paid very much and just have a job like most of the rest of us do, and do it the best they can. In my opinion, they don't deserve to be ragged on for asking people who come in the store "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" or at the till when you're paying: "Need any modelling supplies?"

I think the stores around me hate me

To them I'm that weirdo who says very little and stares nonchalantly on the product wall. They might ask me if I'm in need of anything and I'll mumble something about browsing. There would be a brief moment of silence and then they'll go find another customer

Can't remeber who asked it but the reason some people might be in the store that aren't there to buy would be to window shop. I'm married and have kids all I'm surrounded by women at home and unfortunately I wasn't able to turn my daughters into nerds. Ah well what can you do. So I like to visit with like minded people and check out new stuff and see if anyone is playing/painting anything. You know just mingle.

As far as topic goes I haven't been to a GW store yet. The nearest one is like 4 hours away. With the price of gas that's not happening lol. I don't mind being greeted when I enter but I don't like it when it feels like their drooling for the sell like my dogs do waiting for their food in the morning. It feels more oppressive then friendly and ruins the mood. I understand how they feel, I worked retail many years ago. It's boring. Your in uncomfortable cloths and chances are they probably don't want to be pestering you either. I know I hated it working in electronics in sears. I don't like to annoy people. Golden rule and all that.

Ps if any GW guys are reading this. Sacromento could use a GW store. Most of the time when I want to make an order from indy store the answer I get is no unless I'm spending 400 plus at a time. Wouldn't mind some GW love up this way

our ones in norwich are very very good, however the quality of the gaming nights fell quite rapidly which led our group to form its own club, i have not been recently, but i have been told they are getting alot better (gw i mean)

The ones in Stockholm weren very friendly, they let me look at everything in peace and only came to me after about 4 minutes.

In Wiesbaden (germany) it took the guy less than ten seconds to greet me and shake hands, but he only started trying to sell stuff when I took the boxes from the shelves and looked at them.
But of course he wanted to sell me a stompa for 100€....

Voodoo Boyz wrote:One thing I can say about the Echelon Village store is that the person who runs it is an absolutely nice guy and isn't pushy at all, at least not with the regulars. If you have any questions, you'll definitely get a ton of info on what product would work for what you're looking to do for a conversion or something. As a result, I make a point to make some of my purchases there.

Honestly, I can't bag on the GW employee's too much. This poor guy has to do the "One Man Store" thing, which IMO is absolutely terrible, and makes things incredibly hard on him.

The amount that he has to put up with, and the way the store has to be run just isn't an easy job - so I say cut these guys some slack.

Similiar experiences from the same store. I have nothing bad to say about the new manager there. I only show my face once in a while there, as I'm a little out of area now. He smiles, is polite, and likes to engage folks in conversation when its slow / medium busy. I don't find him, pushy, more reasonible. During purchases he makes the standard, paints, glue, brushes offer which should be standard.

He's asked a couple times about my army unit choices as they are not considered "standard" for his shop. I've explained, I play mainly at tourneys, but I'm not going to shove that in peoples faces, and that I tone my list down dramatically for 1 off play. He's appreciated that in the past as nothing makes locals disgruntled like having the "fresh face" stomp their Space Marines into the ground. He has used me stopping by in the past as an opportunity to talk to gamers about my painting techniques as no one there plays fully painted armies, along with pointing out conversations, and creativity with list design. I want them to do well because I like their hobby. But given opportunity I still prefer my LFGS.

BrookM wrote:Standard reply is a polite "Just browsing" which is enough to get folks to back off in all cases.

I also use "I'm fine" or "I'm alright" sometimes like that. Hasn't failed to work yet, even in places like Gamespot where it has actually gotten me to completely avoid the member card speech thing.

My two local stores are decent - Nottingham Central and Warhammer World. They are not really pushy and normally say the usual stuff. I work in retail too and I do the usual greeting, ask how they are today and if they need any help don't hesitate to ask. Normally works great for me.

The only strange incident I had was at Nottingham Central - I picked up 3 pots of paints and was asked what I was painting and I told him - a unit from Flames of War. Didn't look too impressed but quickly told him I have Tau to paint as well ;-)

Seeing as I tend to go in on weekdays when no one else is around I normally get one of the redshirts starting a conversation within about 20 seconds of crossing the threshold. And if I'm honest, I think I'd be more put off if they didn't start asking me 'what do you collect' or 'what are you looking for' than I am if they try pushing sales. If they just sat there unmoving while I got what I came for, only speaking to ask for my money at the til I'd probably only shop online. Instead its nice for someone to take an interest (even if its a fake interest) in what projects I'm working on

I may just be crazy, but I like the 'personal touch' feeling to it. Maybe the staff are just good here, but they tend to be able to talk about the army I'm interested in and give painting advice rather than try overly hard to sell me things I don't want. They may mention in passing models or paints that I might be interested in or that they've just been working on, but not to the extent of offering me a Baneblade for my necrons. Maybe I've been lucky, but I quite like staff interacting as long as they respect what I'm there to buy

Think i may have the record,
Every time and I do mean EVERY time I walk in the store i get the following from the manager
"hey Ross, what are you going to buy today then?"

azazel the cat wrote:Around my area, there are only two GW store, and they're pretty small. You'll get greeted by the staff the instant you cross the threshold, and they'll always immediately ask you if you're looking for something in particular.

And this is not aggressive or predatory, or whatever other negative connotation someone might infer. This is excellent customer service.

In another life, I spent a lot of time working in retail, and this is exactly how I'd train my employees. The greeting at the door is just friendly, and it alerts the staff to every person entering the location (and both elements help reduce theft). And asking someone immediately if they're looking for something specific is just good customer service. The last time I went in (it's been a while because I try to avoid paying Canadian prices) I answered "yes..." and rattled off a grocery list. Within minutes, I had a pile of stuff waiting for me at the counter, and my entire trip took me less than five minutes.

This, greeting a customer as they walk in the shop is good practice, a smile and a hi there lets them know that you are aware they are there and have been noticed, especially useful if you are busy at the time.

Its when they immediately follow up with sales patter that I lose patience, I have over 10 years of experience in sales, I know the tricks, but I like to be given time to draw breath and get my bearings before engaging in conversation. Others may be happy to start chatting about purchases right away and will become irritated if you leave them alone too long, and it is being able to read each person and make that call that makes a good salesperson, something I seldom encounter in any GW.

dwfait wrote:I really don't see what the issue is here. So, the employees ask you if there's anything you're after, and greet you when you walk in, and that annoys you?

This happens in pretty much every retail store. A lot of clothes shops, most technology stores.

Games Workshop is a wargaming store. Where you play in the store. It's a social hobby, requiring you to interact with other people. The people there are mainly trying to be friendly and engage with you, which is 90% of my experiences in GW. Yes, their ultimate goal is to sell you things. Games Workshop is a business and that's the only reason it exists - let's not fool ourselves here.

Yes, I've had one guy once try and sell me White Dwarf; but you really can't blame these guys for it. And I've had people suggest models for me to buy. They're told to get people to buy things - and from what I hear, how they treat stores and their staff members depends on how they treat the store and its staff members. When Games Workshop breeds that kind of atmospheres, you can't really blame the guys in the store for trying to keep their jobs. They're just humans, after all, like the rest of us.

I think the staff in my local Games Workshop (Portsmouth) are great. They have tried to get me to get a few things, sure, but that's just what you have to expect when their job is to sell things in a store. Once they've gotten to know me, I can just have a chat about tactics, conversions, cool minis and the lore / fluff.

They're the front line guys who have no say in anything to do with Finecast, on how the upper management tell them to run the store, they don't get paid very much and just have a job like most of the rest of us do, and do it the best they can. In my opinion, they don't deserve to be ragged on for asking people who come in the store "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" or at the till when you're paying: "Need any modelling supplies?"

Sorry dude, but that is very naive of you. They are not mainly trying to be friendly and engage with you, they are mainly trying to sell you things, and engaging with you and being friendly are a means to that end. You are right, it IS a business, and nobody should forget that, but I have seldom seen more obvious and "by rote" sales techniques than those used by GW employees. Nothing wtong with trying to upsell either, but any half decent salesperson will tell you that you don't sell a product, you sell the products benefits to the consumer, so the product ultimately sells itself, as you have justified the reasons that the customer needs to have to put their hand in their pocket. Just going "would you like a copy of White Dwarf?" at point of sale is not upselling, its playing percentages.

timetowaste85 wrote:Went to the US GW HQ in Memphis a few weeks back, and my friend and I were greeted at the door in a very friendly manner, after taking pictures outside with the nice Space Marine standing guard. The guy working that day jokingly asked about us having trouble finding the place, as we had called twice and driven right past it (it is truly hard to find the first time) and we didn't start talking about minis for a couple of minutes. He was a very pleasant individual and we had a great time visiting. We actually spent a lot of time talking about things OTHER than Warhammer-living in Memphis, our jobs, would it be worth it for my friend to move there with his family, what the school systems are like, etc etc. We BS'd and had good discussions, got some modeling tips on things we saw in the display cases and we both want to go back for their birthday bash in April.

This sounds like my kind of guy, he's built up a rapport with you, developed a relationship, and that has resulted in you being a happy customer. I bet he has a lot more fun at work than these scripted, by-the-book robot GW employees too.

To be honest, I have no problem with any of the blackshirts I have encountered at the Houston area GW brick-and-mortars (and I've been to a fair few of them). Typically I am greeted at the door, which is nice.

Then comes the "What are you looking for today?" speech, which again, is nice. If I'm just swinging by to pick up a pot of paint or whatever, I can get in, get it rang up, pay, and leave in under a minute. What's not to like there?

Keep in mind, I tend to go in, make my purchase, and get the heck out, so having sales-minded individuals are quite nice. And yes, I get "upsold" on paint, brushes, glue, etc.--but sometimes I genuinely have forgotten that my glue's gotten all unsticky or my brush is down to the last few stubborn bristles and while I could go to the local hobby store and save a few bucks, sometimes the sheer convenience will have me pick up GW's equivalents.

Coming in to get a game is a whole other subject, but I tend to play at a non-GW store that's a bit further away (and has major issues with stock, mind you). So the GWs that are right by my home, work, my wife's work, my parents' home, etc., get my convenience dollars.

crazyrossboy wrote:Think i may have the record,
Every time and I do mean EVERY time I walk in the store i get the following from the manager
"hey Ross, what are you going to buy today then?"

It does seem you have the record

How many others get near immediate service?

(either good or bad, we're not here to discuss the quality )

TheChaoticJournalist wrote:I've seen a lot of people discussing their experiences with GW's occassionaly pushy sales tactics their staff enforces. I'm not saying all do, and there are a number of great members of staff I am sure, but I was curious how bad it has been?

My example was that, in a West Yorkshire GW (no specifics) I was literally quized upon being there for a few seconds, and immediately asked 'hey, how are you? Looking for something in particular?' Me and the girlfriend had actually betted on how quick this would happen, but even I had given them 15 seconds to do that Thanksfully after that, we were only asked once more, but by a different guy, so perhaps that doesn't count

So how fast are GW boys where you are in acting out their pre-programmed astarte sales training?

Note: This is not intended to be a GW bashing thread, just one where we can discuss such occurrences in a humorous manner

When I worked there I was told to greet people apon entering the store, and don't leave them alone for more then 30 seconds. Say I was talking to a regular and some noobie walked in, I was supposted to drop the reg and get the kid into a intro game then push AOBR, BfSP or Mines of Moria on them depending on which intro game they did.

I was also told to push the foundation paint set on them, brushes, tool kit, and anything else I could think of at the time....oh ya and a WD subscription....always the WD sub. =o[

Well, I sometimes get greeted before I actually enter the store. It is in a shopping centre and has no door, so if a staff member is on the till they will usually see you coming with and give you a wave and a hello. So, I would say about -5 seconds.

I think some people are confusing greeting with sales pitch.

Being greeted isn't a bad thing, and more likely should be expected in a retail store.

The sales pitch part is what usually gets annoying, especially if you already know what you're going in there for.

For me personally, (unless I'm buying a grocery list worth of stuff) I'm play it coy and ask questions and make them feel like they're being helpful/useful (this is of course if there isn't a mob of others in the store who might actually need their help). But generally speaking, saying "I'm just looking/browsing." Is more then enough to get them to back off and move on. Maybe I've just been lucky, or the big, charcoal grey, pull-over hoody I wear marked with what "looks" like gang writing makes them uncomfortable...*shrug* I'll never know, but I do know I've never received bad service (yet).

Its rather quick in my local GW too.

There is this guy who has an awesomely huge ginger beard, and everytime i go into the store, from across the room he'll yell 'Hey there!' and give a wave. Its quite awesome

I find that asking them for something that you KNOW isn't in their store (i.e. Tau Broadsides usually) tends to shut them down pretty quickly at my personal GW store. But then again, I live in the US so things might be just a little bit different here.

I once saw a redshirt make the Kessel run in under 12 parsecs.

Has it occured to anyone that a games workshop store can actually be quite an intimidating place to anyone that isn't a regular/ simply curious/ or maybe a little insecure about their hobby?

Having someone who is willing to chat to you and find out about you is what alot of casual collectors respond too.

Kozuka wrote:Has it occured to anyone that a games workshop store can actually be quite an intimidating place to anyone that isn't a regular/ simply curious/ or maybe a little insecure about their hobby?

Having someone who is willing to chat to you and find out about you is what alot of casual collectors respond too.

On the other hand, a 'hard sell' scares a lot of people, and this is definitely hard-sell behavior. Some people want to just browse quietly until they need assistance.