GW UK to close battle bunkers?

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**notprop**

Shouldn't you try getting electricity and clean running water in North Wales be a bigger priority than a GW?

I keed, I keed!

**Sidstyler**

Hermanesq wrote:
Just a pity there is no GW in north wales, 100 mile round trip to Chester is a PITA

I think my current round trip to get a game is about 110-120 miles, so I know how you feel. One hour drive there and back sucks.

**Yodhrin**

Lorizael wrote:
Yodhrin wrote:
Sorry, can we just clarify here; is this a case of the HUEG stores with a dedicated gaming area outwith the normal shop floor downsizing, or is it what was implied in the Canadian rumour that all stores are going to be cutting back to pretty much just demo games for newbies?

If it's the former, that sucks for some people, but it doesn't worry me since GW Edinburgh is a pokey wee shack with three tables as it is; if it's the latter then they've just ended any reason I had to visit and spend money in a GW store(and they managed to kill any reason I had to spend money on the GW website with their shambolic new release shipping policy).

It's just the big stores with extra gaming space- it's been happening store by store for a couple of years now (Newport, Exeter & Maidenhead spring to mind).

You mean the new release shipping policy that's been in place for over a year now?

Before Dark Vengeance, I'd never had any desire to Advance Order anything, and frankly if a policy is rubbish the amount of time it's been in place is immaterial. People who ordered DV from online discounters got their copy before I did, having ordered from the official GW website and paid for express shipping. In a world where I can order any PC or console game from any one of a dozen websites, in some cases not pay any postage at all, and still have that product arrive on day of release every single time(excepting the big postage strike a while back), there is no reason, no excuse, no justification for a company delivering a supposedly-express order in the middle of the week AFTER the release date. Especially since said company sent out explicitly-worded emails stating said product had been shipped prior to the release date, but had no intention at all of posting them.

And thank you for the clarification on the tables.

**Salostar**

As far as I understand it (having talked to the local store staff) theirs a nationwide (UK) change to store opening times that have more than one staff member. As I was told from the 24th of September, their opening times will be the following:

Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Fortunately this comes just as I've acquired my own board as the last time Camb GW had a major change (the closing of the gaming room) most people stopped going, and it only recently gained pre-game room numbers going tues!

**Riquende**

Salostar wrote:
As far as I understand it (having talked to the local store staff) theirs a nationwide (UK) change to store opening times that have more than one staff member. As I was told from the 24th of September, their opening times will be the following:

Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Fortunately this comes just as I've acquired my own board as the last time Camb GW had a major change (the closing of the gaming room) most people stopped going, and it only recently gained pre-game room numbers going tues!

Do the stores not open on Monday or Tuesday then?

Used to frequent the Cambridge store in my Uni days, playing LotR. Never saw anyone else in there ever!

**Salostar**

Riquende wrote:
Salostar wrote:
As far as I understand it (having talked to the local store staff) theirs a nationwide (UK) change to store opening times that have more than one staff member. As I was told from the 24th of September, their opening times will be the following:

Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Fortunately this comes just as I've acquired my own board as the last time Camb GW had a major change (the closing of the gaming room) most people stopped going, and it only recently gained pre-game room numbers going tues!

Do the stores not open on Monday or Tuesday then?

Used to frequent the Cambridge store in my Uni days, playing LotR. Never saw anyone else in there ever!

Currently they're open:

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 10pm (40k night)
Wednesday 10am - 10pm (fantasy night)
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

There was an exodus of players a couple of years ago when they closed the basement, however tues and wed are packed once again (still less people around however), with large games once a month which are player organised.

**Tommie Soule**

It seem like a blow to the hobby to me :(
Makes me happy to be setting up a gaming room and club at the studio in Manchester tho!

**Blood and Slaughter**

Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

GW Shrewsbury moved to the new opening times two months ago. It allows them to always have two members of staff on duty (barring holidays), but closing two days a week to achieve that seems a bit odd to me.

Now partly that's because my potential for in-store gaming has been cut from 5 days to 3 (as weekends always see events on Saturdays and kids on Sundays, and fair enough. But it also mean the chance of an occasional impuse purchase by myself (and those like me) is reduced to 60% of what it was formerly.

That said, I could be seen as a kind of gaming parasite -- happy to play in GW (but also happy to buy the majority of my stuff in-store -- though in fairness I'm not a big spender), and given GW exist to make money, it;'s entirely possible that they've concluded someone whop maybe spends £40 a month on average but spends perhaps 30 hours a month in-store gaming on average, isn't actually contributing to their game-plan much; and I can see that's pretty valid. On th flip side, i'm now less likely to spend even the pittance i did before and more inclined to seek alternative venues.

I should add that the staff in GW Shrewsbury have always been welcoming and have tolerated my mainly gaming presence with amiable good humour. I'm just not convinced (from my brief four year astint in retail) that shutting two days a week is wise for any shop -- you still pay rent when you're closed.

K3

Blood and Slaughter wrote:
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

That said, I could be seen as a kind of gaming parasite -- happy to play in GW (but also happy to buy the majority of my stuff in-store -- though in fairness I'm not a big spender), and given GW exist to make money, it;'s entirely possible that they've concluded someone whop maybe spends £40 a month on average but spends perhaps 30 hours a month in-store gaming on average, isn't actually contributing to their game-plan much; and I can see that's pretty valid.

GW bournemouth went to those hours a couple of months ago on the same premise again.

Im waiting to see how long until they think 1 member of staff can handle the store, particularly if it is only going to be sales now, rather than all of the other parts they offer.

And dont worry -your not that bad, We've got a person near us who bought the army, paints and everything else off ebay, then uses the store as his 2nd home (5 days a week, 6 hours a day) Also borrowing store paints for the ones he doesnt own. And to top it all off when he finally finished painting it all, it wasnt even a "well, let's get a new army" it was "lets paint it again....."

**Blood and Slaughter**

It's fair to point out that alongside the new opening hours, painters now have more space and gamers have less (except on gaming night when they have the same as previously). ther eused to be a 6x4 and a 4x4 available for instore gaming Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri (Tue was gaming night), now only a 6x4 is available Wed and Fri (with Thursday as gaming night with 3 4x4s as previously).

Now here's a thing. In days before I rediscovered 40K GW Shrewsbury had the upstairs open for gaming with 3 6x4 tables, a painting area, a 6x4 downstairs and more painting area downstairs too. Old-timers who I play with frequently lament the closure of the upstares. But did GW Shrewsbury make more money in those halcyon days of yore? Not much, I suspect. It may well be that cutting back on open gaming is actually sensible policy if it's not actually driving sales in any meaningful way.

Just personally I'd happily pay a fiver for a 6x4 table for 2.5-3 hours. Maybe even a tenner (though £10 would be the upper limit). In many ways I'd rather pay £10-£15 for two people to rent tablespace for 3 hours than to have free gaming and feel rather guilty about not making purchases (that I frankly don't need). I suspect pay to play would be generally unpopular, but I'd actually quite like it.

I do agree though if 2 men opening 5 days generates little or no more revenue than 2 men working over 7 days with most days being 1 man opening, then the next logical step is one man operating the shop 5 days a week and bringing in a relief to cover holidays.

**Capt. Rex**

Salostar wrote:
As far as I understand it (having talked to the local store staff) theirs a nationwide (UK) change to store opening times that have more than one staff member. As I was told from the 24th of September, their opening times will be the following:

Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Just throwing my input in here...
I believe all of the Australian stores went through this change in late August.
At my local GW, the manager of the store was also asked to "let go" of the casual staff, and he was told that the store staff must all be permanent and full time. They went from 6 staff members down to 2.

Maybe it's a new business model on the way for GW?

**Salostar**

Capt. Rex wrote:
Salostar wrote:
As far as I understand it (having talked to the local store staff) theirs a nationwide (UK) change to store opening times that have more than one staff member. As I was told from the 24th of September, their opening times will be the following:

Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Just throwing my input in here...
I believe all of the Australian stores went through this change in late August.
At my local GW, the manager of the store was also asked to "let go" of the casual staff, and he was told that the store staff must all be permanent and full time. They went from 6 staff members down to 2.

Maybe it's a new business model on the way for GW?

I hope not, the new times are absolutely awful for both a number of people I play with regularly and myself. Working 9-5 doesn’t leave much time to get a game in before the shop closes.

Cambridge currently has 5 staff members, 1 is away half the time covering other stores, but there has rarely been a time where there was only 1 member working at a time. I know that it’s a fear among us who have seen similar work times/hours before (all catering amusingly enough).

**Synthetik**

As my local store is Covent Garden , there isnt much room for a Battle Bunker...

I am now investigating clubs in London and also venturing to Darkspheres shop at waterloo.

K3

Direct from GW Pooles Facebook

<PUBLIC BROADCAST SYSTEM ACTIVATED>INCOMING TRANSMISSION IN 5....4...3...2...1.....

Dear Games Workshop Poole faithful

Over the last few months we have been looking at how to bring you the best experience when you visit our hobby centre that helps you in your hobby.
As part of this we have decided to change the opening hours of the store as follows from October the 15th 2012 as follows:

Monday and Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 10 – 6
Thursday: 12 – 9
Friday: 10 – 6
Saturday: 10 – 6
Sunday: 11 – 5

This means that from Wednesday the 17th of October we will be bringing you a 5-day week!
This will enable us to have the maximum staff possible in every day and bring you more bookable activity that helps you progress your hobby skills.
We will also be focusing on some great activity that helps you grow your miniatures collection and interact with all the core aspects of the Games Workshop hobby. From monthly themes too dedicated hobby workshops and hobby help the new structure gives us more opportunity to provide the best-structured activity for your individual needs.

THE 5 DAY WEEK
· Wednesday – Our Hobby Wednesdays are the perfect chance to advance a project, start a new one our join in our ongoing in store activity including our ultimate hobbyist wall of fame! No more “it can’t be done, there’s too many of them!” Plan out, commit and get building & painting and then bask in the glory when you’re done!
· Thursday – Campaign day. Every six weeks we will be running activity from campaigns and leagues to mini tournaments and preparation for the next events. Whether it’s a glorious last stand against the great Devourer or building an Empire to destroy the lands of men this is the time for you to muster your forces!
· Friday – Gaming Tactica. Whether its planning a new unit for the collection or trying a different gaming system you can find the help here and check your potential firepower or monster stomping ability
· Saturday
Hobby events 10am – 2pm. Each week we will have hobby workshops, gaming activity and more!
Grey Hunters 2pm – 5.45pm. Saturday afternoons are the new home for our post beginners club. As with the Thursday campaign day it will feature alternating campaigns and plenty of help for progressing your hobby skills!
· Sundays – Beginners. For those starting on their hobby journey today is focused on you. From the basics of assembly, learning the Citadel Painting System or simply taking to the field of battle we have activity especially for you.
LOTR 11am – 1pm. 40k 1pm – 3pm. WFB 3pm – 5pm.

CAN’T MAKE A SPECIFIC DAY? SEE STAFF TOO BOOK IN THE ACTIVITY ON A DAY YOU CAN MAKE IT!

THE FANG
For the last 10 years we have been lucky enough to have the extra gaming room facility. Today we are one of only two such facilities outside of Warhammer World! That is something of an expectation and so we have looked at how to use it to bring you the best experience in using your model collection across the 3 core Games Workshop systems. We have therefore decided to give it a make over and make it more of a part of our 5-day week.
· In order to prepare this the gaming room will be closed from Monday the 24th of September until Wednesday the 17th of October. Our current games night will continue on Thursday’s during this period with 4 4x4 tables available for use on the shop floor, which can be booked in advance.

This is just a brief overview of what we have planned. Over the next few weeks we will be announcing our first block of activities and preparing new scenery and boards as we move to this exciting new system. In the meantime if you have any questions regarding the change or have any activity you would like to book in for see a member of staff who will be happy to help or visit the store Facebook page where you can post questions etc.
We hope you will be as excited as we are by the change and look forward to seeing you in store soon.
Yours truly THE POOLE TEAM

**Blood and Slaughter**

One thing my local GW have said (and bear in mind that my feeling is it's their shop so they say what goes) is that when they have 'themed gaming nights' (ie Thursday 'veterans' night from 12-8) then you must bring an appropriate army and play the 'themed' missions.

Now in fairness they ran a pretty inspired 40K campaign for the first 6 weeks. But presumably next up is Fantasy (which I have little interest in starting) and then LotR based gaming to coincide with The Hobbit (which I have limited interest in).

I can quite see why they'd want to tie into themes and releases, but given Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays are all either shop closed or see some kind of limitation on play, open gaming is now restricted to Wednesday and Friday.

This is unfortunate for me, but I suspect is a reflection of the fact that open gaming brings in very little hard cash.

**Kevv6**

Nuts, you beat me to it K3! Haha

**Pacific**

K3 wrote:
Direct from GW Pooles Facebook

<PUBLIC BROADCAST SYSTEM ACTIVATED>INCOMING TRANSMISSION IN 5....4...3...2...1.....

This means that from Wednesday the 17th of October we will be bringing you a 5-day week!

And the award for the most unwarranted use of an exclamation mark goes to...

So now we're bringing you what you had before, but now not as good! Let's celebrate that fact!

**UNCLEBADTOUCH**

Let's be fair if Owen the manager wrote it be glad it's not in crayon and riddled with spelling mistakes.

K3

Hes not that bad. Im wondering how the 3 staff will do 5 days - Would have thought 7 days a week was possible on 3 staff.

**UNCLEBADTOUCH**

Probably fire one ;-)

**Kevv6**

Owens an ok bloke, so I think maybe we should keep this on topic and not make it about store staff members?! ;-) As to opening times, to be honest these are fine by me, just glad upstairs gets to stay.

**UNCLEBADTOUCH**

Where did I say he wasn't I'm just aware of his literary skills and he would agree with me.

**Breotan**

Capt. Rex wrote:
Salostar wrote:
As far as I understand it (having talked to the local store staff) theirs a nationwide (UK) change to store opening times that have more than one staff member. As I was told from the 24th of September, their opening times will be the following:

Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Just throwing my input in here...
I believe all of the Australian stores went through this change in late August.
At my local GW, the manager of the store was also asked to "let go" of the casual staff, and he was told that the store staff must all be permanent and full time. They went from 6 staff members down to 2.

Maybe it's a new business model on the way for GW?

Sadly, I think we in the USA are to blame for this. The model you guys in the UK are switching to has been in place here for several years now and GW seems happy with the results. We haven't had part-timers (casual workers) for quite some time now and most stores are one man operations anyway.

Themed gaming is also in place but the more tables a store has, the more relaxed they are willing to be. They want themed days to encourage people who are new, yet interested in something specific or a specific system to be able to come in and play but in the end, it's usually better to see people playing something than to have a table sitting empty. Imagine how let down you'd feel if you just spent $200 on 40k/Fantasy and you couldn't play because everyone came in looking to play the game you didn't buy into.

Fortunately, I game at the Seattle Battle Bunker an that place has so many tables that open gaming happens alongside themed events all the time. I guess it sucks if you're not ready for the change but look at the bright side. This will be incentive to visit your favorite NON-GW store and game there.

**MetalOxide**

To the OP: Thanks for the heads up!

At my local GW they stopped gaming evenings on a tuesday and have announced that they will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays now.

Taken from GW Southend's Facebook page:

URGENT AND IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
commencing Monday 10th of September GW SOUTHEND will be CLOSED on MONDAYS and TUESDAYS. Never fear, this initiative allows us to give even better customer service when we're open! (no more kicking you out for lunch breaks!)

**Wolfstan**

Bournemouth store is already on part-time hours and is a very small store. Walked up on a Monday to get some paint and found it closed. It does make a mockery of their old indie stance, that you had to be a bricks & mortar store so you could provide the full gaming experience.

Perhaps GW should downsize all stores and then provide a gaming club once a week at a local venue?

**spaceelf**

Breotan wrote:

Sadly, I think we in the USA are to blame for this. The model you guys in the UK are switching to has been in place here for several years now and GW seems happy with the results. We haven't had part-timers (casual workers) for quite some time now and most stores are one man operations anyway.

When the changes hit in the U.S., I was told that certain aspects of the new model came from GW Japan. They stated that some of the shops there were just kiosks, and were more profitable due to their lower cost.

We ended up with stores that were open five days a week. They had to close the shop mid-day for a break. After a few years of this, and dwindling sales, they have started to close these shops. Some new shops have been opened in areas in which they have not yet slashed and burned.

I think that GW will find that if they remove gaming from their stores, their sales will tank.

**Adam LongWalker**

spaceelf wrote:
Breotan wrote:

Sadly, I think we in the USA are to blame for this. The model you guys in the UK are switching to has been in place here for several years now and GW seems happy with the results. We haven't had part-timers (casual workers) for quite some time now and most stores are one man operations anyway.

When the changes hit in the U.S., I was told that certain aspects of the new model came from GW Japan. They stated that some of the shops there were just kiosks, and were more profitable due to their lower cost.

We ended up with stores that were open five days a week. They had to close the shop mid-day for a break. After a few years of this, and dwindling sales, they have started to close these shops. Some new shops have been opened in areas in which they have not yet slashed and burned.

I think that GW will find that if they remove gaming from their stores, their sales will tank.

I like the UK style of gaming when I was there a several years ago but unfortunately I was expecting this to happen. To me this is the continuing process of GW's revenue streaming. To have the UK, which has close to 1/3 of the total stores in their company, to have a reduction of hours, which will in time lead to a reduction of their current work force (just like in the US in '10), just tells the people that already know that this company is not as healthy as it portrays itself to be.

**Blood and Slaughter**

just tells the people that already know that this company is not as healthy as it portrays itself to be

Perhaps. Or perhaps it's in fact the case that providing open gaming 7 days a week on multiple tables brings in staggeringly little revenue compared to the cost involved.

Personally I'm sceptical about the wisdom of any retail outlet shifting from 7 day opening to 5 days, even if that allows them to avoid closing for lunch. But while I can see one table for open gaming as being something GW might want to maintain (so that customers can see the game being played 'for real'), having more than one table - especially if extra tables are hidden away upstairs or in a basement and possibly requiring staff supervision too is unlikely to bring in enough revenue to do more than cover costs (if a member of staff plus insurance etc is, say, £50 per day, it's pretty unlikely that those who come into game are going to be spending over and above what they might have done anyway unless perhaps you pay to play).

Regardless of the overall health of the company and whether shifting to a 5 day week is wise, cutting back on open gaming is probably just sensible.

**Wolfstan**

Just a crazy idea, but could GW just close it's stores and go into partnership with the FLG's? Either give them better support / discount or pay for an official GW member of staff? Keeps their overheads done whilst still able to have face to face contact with the public.

**Sigvatr**

Wolfstan wrote:
Just a crazy idea, but could GW just close it's stores and go into partnership with the FLG's? Either give them better support / discount or pay for an official GW member of staff? Keeps their overheads done whilst still able to have face to face contact with the public.

GW cutting their own profit for the sake of their customers?

Right after democrats and sensible politics....

I'd appreciate such a change but it's not going to happen :(