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The_armyman Hot the nail on the head.

You're a gaming company. Why Ben have retail stores if you think they are so expensive when you have soooo many retailers that could sell your product betterz

This sucks, someone needs to open a flgs in annapolis!

BrassScorpion wrote:Meanwhile, I have tons of models on display at that store I'll have to pack up and take home because none of the current staff will be remaining after April 19 and I therefore will have no assurance after that of being able to reclaim my models in the future.

Get them now. Like immediately.

 frozenwastes wrote:

BrassScorpion wrote:Meanwhile, I have tons of models on display at that store I'll have to pack up and take home because none of the current staff will be remaining after April 19 and I therefore will have no assurance after that of being able to reclaim my models in the future.

Get them now. Like immediately.

I have lost models at multiple stores because people change and can't tell who painted them. So Get them quick!

Which each one of these types of threads that pop up from time to time, I'm really only left with one thought "Huh I didnt know GW still had non 1 man stores left"

Masterofmelee wrote:
The_armyman Hot the nail on the head.

You're a gaming company. Why Ben have retail stores if you think they are so expensive when you have soooo many retailers that could sell your product betterz

Thanks, Masterofmelee. Their retail operations must just squeak by and make them enough money to make sense. This can be the only reason for their continued existence.

As a kid geeked out on AD&D almost 25 years ago, I remember walking into the GW store in the Laurel Mall and asking the sales guy if they had any games other than the ones with the miniatures. He politely told me no, and I walked right out the door He didn't even try to sell me any Space Marines!

Huh, can't say I'm surprised. Too bad really, it's a fairly nice store. Anyone know how much longer their lease is?

I hated to do it, but I packed up most of my models that were at GW Bowie last weekend. I'll pick up the last remaining few this coming weekend.

It's my understanding that one of the justifications for the switch to a one-man shop was the extreme drop in sales over the past year. The store did a fraction of its 2012 business in 2013 and December was especially bad by comparison with the year before.

I really like the guys working at the store a the moment and I'm going to miss seeing them there. It will also surely damage an already fragile hobby community even further.

It will likely just push people to the already discussed excellent FLGS options in the area... I know there's not another actually in Bowie, but in some sense we're spoiled for choice in Maryland. It's a bummer, but in the end gaming at a non-GW store can be good for many reasons... not least of all, being able to use other miniatures / even other games!

 RiTides wrote:
It will likely just push people to the already discussed excellent FLGS options in the area... I know there's not another actually in Bowie, but in some sense we're spoiled for choice in Maryland. It's a bummer, but in the end gaming at a non-GW store can be good for many reasons... not least of all, being able to use other miniatures / even other games!

The problem for me is that none of the independent stores are really convenient. The GW Bowie store is about 7 miles away for me. Independent stores are about 19 to 25 miles depending on which one.

I have been spoiled for the 25 years I've been a GW customer. During that time there has always been a GW store within 20 minutes drive of home. If and when they eventually close GW Bowie entirely, perhaps when the lease is up in about 2 years, it will be the first time in my then nearly 30 years in the GW hobby that I don't have a store 20 minutes or less from home.

 BrassScorpion wrote:

It's my understanding that one of the justifications for the switch to a one-man shop was the extreme drop in sales over the past year. The store did a fraction of its 2012 business in 2013 and December was especially bad by comparison with the year before.

That's a pretty stunning statement. There's always been a general sense that GWs' sales are flagging, but if a Battle Bunker in what was once the same vicinity of GWUS HQ can't move product, Nottingham must be sweating boltshells.

I've been playing 40K for 14 years now, and the changes in the company and philosophy in that short time are disheartening.

I have made a practice to buy things from the Bowie Battle bunker, it sucks they are closing. Dwayne was a righteous dude.

 techsoldaten wrote:
I have made a practice to buy things from the Bowie Battle bunker, it sucks they are closing. Dwayne was a righteous dude.

Not closing just yet, thankfully, just going to a 35 hour/week 1-man store. Bad news, but not as bad as closing.

 BrassScorpion wrote:

 techsoldaten wrote:
I have made a practice to buy things from the Bowie Battle bunker, it sucks they are closing. Dwayne was a righteous dude.

Not closing just yet, thankfully, just going to a 35 hour/week 1-man store. Bad news, but not as bad as closing.

Not quite, but it also likely means that the Bunker's life span will be more or less indistinguishable from the time left remaining on whatever lease GW signed...

Valete,

JohnS

It is a shame, but such is their business practice. I watched what 1-Man Stores did to the poor managers during that downsizing, where they were still open the usual hours and ran those guys ragged.

You can't expect one man operations to run events and help people out and still make sales.

Though it is sad to see GW leave the MD area, the independent shops do their job better and are more comfortable. So I'm at least comfortable knowing the hobby isn't going anywhere.

 BrassScorpion wrote:
The GW Bowie store is about 7 miles away for me. Independent stores are about 19 to 25 miles depending on which one.

I have been spoiled for the 25 years I've been a GW customer. During that time there has always been a GW store within 20 minutes drive of home. If and when they eventually close GW Bowie entirely, perhaps when the lease is up in about 2 years, it will be the first time in my then nearly 30 years in the GW hobby that I don't have a store 20 minutes or less from home.

Get a faster car

Not quite, but it also likely means that the Bunker's life span will be more or less indistinguishable from the time left remaining on whatever lease GW signed...

Valete,

JohnS

Absolutely, I expect we will lose the store as soon as the lease is up. Again, it will be the first time in by then what will be about 27 years in the hobby for me when I suddenly won't have a GW store close to home. A sad day indeed.

I packed up the last of my models today that were on display at GW Bowie and brought them home. A friend of mine did the same. There are several empty display shelves in there now.

One current staff member is leaving after Sunday, March 30 is done. The rest of the staff will all be gone after April 19. When the store reopens a few days later there will be a single new store operator running the place and probably not anyone known to the community. The only current GW employee I know who wanted the job couldn't take it because he has to move away from Maryland.

GW's presence in Maryland has grown increasingly tenuous since the HQ moved away, but their connection to Memphis is also becoming quite tenuous. Manufacturing has been discontinued there and that part of the warehouse sits empty. GW US upper management has gotten very small and it reports directly to the UK now, so I'd expect the US executive will be out of a job soon. I would not be surprised if GW closed the entire US HQ in Memphis entirely and decided to run the whole thing directly from Nottingham, UK.

BrassScorpion,

Which were some of your models? I would stop in at the Bunker on occasion. I was there about two weeks ago. I will miss the place. It was convenient for me when I would pick up my nephew to bring him home. I'm thinking of going down there in a weekend or two to get a game in.

Once again GW continues with the only game plan they seem to be able to pull off nowadays. Cut, cut, cut. This is what happens when accountants in Nottingham call the shots. Their decisions look "brilliant" on paper and are Pyrrhic at best. One man stores just don't work at promoting and growing the hobby and they seem to have a very short shelf life as well.
One man stores do not inspire people. They do not grow or promote the hobby effectively. New gamers, the life blood of any hobby, do not buy premium priced LE Codexes or Forge World Horrus Heresy Legion Space Marine models. They buy starters sets, hobby supplies, core/troop boxes, etc. and they want somewhere to play and be mentored in their hobby journey while being inspired by watching other gamers and hobbyists do their thing. One man stores with their two tables and only one staffer available do not, IMHO, deliver that experience. Take a look at that disaster of a mid-year financial release by GW and the proof is in the pudding.
I just drove through Memphis and saw the recently downsized "World of Battle"...more like closet of despair.

"One man stores" are just codeword for "we're shutting down as soon as the lease is up."

Although the game stores in MD ( Titan, Dropzone) are excellent, most game stores are not run by people with any type of business sense. They don't recruit, do demos, stock properly, run a clean store, pay their bills on time etc etc. Hence why GW made its line of retail stores. The plan at one point was to do a super expansion of stores across America.

And then GW dropped the ball.

Titan and Dropzone being run by ex-GW managers definitely helps in terms of understanding the hobby and getting people involved.

I'll give GW credit there, the customer service training was pretty good. Running demos and events and helping people along when they saw something they thought was cool... it can be hard to rein in a newcomer's enthusiasm before they dive headfirst into bigass rulebooks and all sorts of confusion.

Yeah, exactly. I think taking a look at what GW did right, what FLGS do wrong, and using. that to make your own FLGS is the path to success.

Sadly, I think the key to a FLGS is having a large Magic community, maybe even carrying comic books. Those bring in enough income to sustain and support the store. Just relying on miniature figures won't.

 the_Armyman wrote:

 BrassScorpion wrote:

It's my understanding that one of the justifications for the switch to a one-man shop was the extreme drop in sales over the past year. The store did a fraction of its 2012 business in 2013 and December was especially bad by comparison with the year before.

That's a pretty stunning statement. There's always been a general sense that GWs' sales are flagging, but if a Battle Bunker in what was once the same vicinity of GWUS HQ can't move product, Nottingham must be sweating boltshells.

I've been playing 40K for 14 years now, and the changes in the company and philosophy in that short time are disheartening.

I've been in it for 22 years this September, and the last few years have been really bad, people are leaving 40K in droves because they cant deal with the bull gak that you see. I said allies was stupid, broken and would probably ruin the game, and turned out I was right, again.

@Ravenous D - I just can't afford it. Its either yet another rulebook or a new release that looks cool and socks you in the gut. I love the lore and the look of the models, but I checked out from the GW Train a while ago. Packed my bags and went to check out other games.

Don't blame you, if 7th edition is truly coming I think its time for many of us to check out.

Unfortunately there will be a lot of people staying using the sunk in fallacy.

 HungryTaz wrote:
BrassScorpion,

Which were some of your models? I would stop in at the Bunker on occasion. I was there about two weeks ago. I will miss the place. It was convenient for me when I would pick up my nephew to bring him home. I'm thinking of going down there in a weekend or two to get a game in.

Well, luckily the store will still be there for a while longer. I'll still be hanging out there as long as it's open. I usually visit on Saturday or Sunday nearly every weekend.

Here's a list of some of my models that were on display at GW Bowie until this past week. Thanks for your interest.


The Space Marine Diorama was mine.
http://www.spikeybitsblog.com/2014/03/space-marine-diorama-raise-aquila-high.html




The Daemon Prince Of Slaanesh.
http://www.spikeybitsblog.com/2013/03/slithering-slaanesh-daemon-prince.html



The entire Dark Angels army on the top shelf of the cabinet closest to the exit was mine.




The Khorne Helbrute conversion with the buzz saws.
http://www.spikeybitsblog.com/2014/03/jugger-brute-of-khorne-army-of-one.html



The Ork Bommers.
http://www.spikeybitsblog.com/2012/10/more-dakka-converting-da-ork-fighta.html



The Chaos Dragon conversions.
http://www.spikeybitsblog.com/2013/01/chaos-dragon-conversion-two-heads-are.html



Blue Scribes Of Tzeentch conversion.
http://www.spikeybitsblog.com/2013/08/blue-scribes-of-tzeentch-all-plastic.html



Chaos Stormblade and Stormlord conversions.
http://www.spikeybitsblog.com/2013/07/preparing-for-apocalypse-renegade.html



Plaguebearers (there were also Nurglings, Flamers and a Chariot of Tzeentch).
http://www.spikeybitsblog.com/2013/03/how-to-batch-painting-plaguebearers.html

 Chemical Cutthroat wrote:
"One man stores" are just codeword for "we're shutting down as soon as the lease is up."

They sorta have to. There is no way for that store to justify the rent for space it isn't using. It's what happened out here when they converted then shuttered the Seattle Bunker.

It's really not a matter of whether they should maintain an underutilized store footprint or not, it's the fact that their business model GW is failing and accordingly, they are in full retreat. I remember when the GW Bunkers were rocking places. The Chicago Bunker used to be so busy on weekends, they would put tables on saw horses outside because the 30 tables inside were full!! Now, that location is closed and a one man has opened nearby. I give it 2 years or when the lease is up, whichever comes first, IMHO.
Failed policies. Failed practices. I think somebody should take GW private, sack those responsible for the current debacle and relaunch before it's too late.

 Breotan wrote:

 Chemical Cutthroat wrote:
"One man stores" are just codeword for "we're shutting down as soon as the lease is up."

They sorta have to. There is no way for that store to justify the rent for space it isn't using. It's what happened out here when they converted then shuttered the Seattle Bunker.

I am still upset about that. I grew up playing in the Bunker and was really sad to see it go. Lots of good memories there.