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Part of my local GW store's success can probably be attributed to the lack of a prominent FLGS in my area. Either way, I'll take what I can get.

 Ailaros wrote:
GW has been intelligently scaling down their retail operation for some time now.

No, they really haven't been. They're opening more retail stores, the only thing they're doing is scaling down the quality of those stores. And I don't think there's anything intelligent about adding more retail stores while simultaneously doing their best to make sure that nobody ever wants to go to them.

 Peregrine wrote:

 Ailaros wrote:
GW has been intelligently scaling down their retail operation for some time now.

No, they really haven't been. They're opening more retail stores, the only thing they're doing is scaling down the quality of those stores. And I don't think there's anything intelligent about adding more retail stores while simultaneously doing their best to make sure that nobody ever wants to go to them.

I really need to check out a GW store in another state. I seem to be the only person who hasn't had a negative experience at one.

*edit becuz wordz is hard

 Random Dude wrote:
I really need to check out a GW store in another state. I seem to be the only person who hasn't had a negative experience at one.

I haven't had any negative experiences, I just haven't had any positive experiences either. A GW store doesn't offer anything I can't get from an independent store, and has less gaming space, fewer products to choose from, etc. So why go to a store that, while it might be adequate, is still second-best?

My local GW is amazing. I've never experienced the hard sell tactics other people complain about. We have 2 full size tables. The manager just bought the new realm of battle board for the store and we're all painting it together. We just finished an escalation league that was tons of fun and had 20 people participate. Once the table is done were doing an 1850 tournament. Once that's over, the fantasy league starts along with a 40k narrative campaign. The manager is great about letting people hang out, paint, etc and his numbers show what that can do for a business. I think they need to ask every store manager that's shown a sales increase over the last year what they feel like they've done right and have other stores implement those policies. Less hard selling, more gaming tables, more reasons to get people to play there. If you play there, you're more likely to spend your money there to support the store.

Toofast wrote:
We have 2 full size tables.
...
20 people

Are you sure this is an amazing store? Every independent store I've seen has had at least 5-10 tables, and that's just counting the wargaming area, not the MTG/RPGs/etc.

 Peregrine wrote:

Toofast wrote:
We have 2 full size tables.
...
20 people

Are you sure this is an amazing store?

It is , if 5-10 tables are 500 miles away / might as well be on the moon , and you are fortunate to have ANY store catering to such an obscure, boutique, and pricey subculture.

 KesaAnna wrote:
It is , if 5-10 tables are 500 miles away / might as well be on the moon , and you are fortunate to have ANY store catering to such an obscure, boutique, and pricey subculture.

But how many cities are there that are large enough to attract a GW store but don't have any independent stores? There's a GW store in the city where I live, and there's at least 3-4 independent stores within a similar distance.

yeah but the question is are those other stores any good? the city I live in has 3 gaming stories, a local GW store, and two other gaming stores. of the two other gaming stories neither sells GW products anyone, as one is almost exclusivly intreasted in selling to the CCG kiddy market, and the other just doesn't bother as they're right across the street from GW. all three stores have 3-4 gaming tables.

Of the 4 GW stores near me, 2 are 1-man, and the other 2 are 2-man city stores.
I don't spend long in any of them, gaming at a local club, but I do buy from them all, months between visits.
I've had the hard-sell in all of them, but not for long. The staff there have been helpful on every visit, having to dash over as soon as anyone else walks in. I'm sure the corporate brainwashing GW staff undergo is American. Without wanting to stereotype too far, there's far more "Hi there" and "Have a nice day" from GW staff than anywhere else here.

But, even though only 1 store usually has games going on, the smallest one has had the most people in at once. It got a bit squashed, and when you have easily-pocketed items on the shelves, it's not a good situation.

As for the broader range of goods, I've seen Forgeworld books on the shelf of only 1, and that was the larger 1-man store.
If the UK GW stores are the template for elsewhere, the small footprint of UK stores in general might be a major reason why the range is limited. There's 1 table showcasing product, usually the Hobbit set and a load of 40k, maybe with some WHFB in 1 corner. Add in some painting space at the end of a gaming table and that's the biggest layout we get here.

Every LGS in the area sells GW, with 2 stores in the only large town without a GW.
One store that didn't stock GW didn't last long. FoW wasn't enough on its own.
The only other is an established RPG store that sells other model ranges, and doesn't need GW, and I'm sure they prefer it that way.

The reason I will never ever step foot in a GW store is simple.
I'm not all that long into this (not even a year) but the first time I placed a foot in my local GW Store with a single marine in hand (with litterally NO clue at all) I was ASSAULTED by the store manager.
There I was, just wanting to check things out, MAYBE get the starterbox and this guy was shoving the old All-Citadel-Colour-Set in my face. Old range, that is, for something like 350€.
Yes, exactly, that's what you sell a brand new customer that's interested in STARTING the hobby. A 350€ set he can't do jack with. I told him several times I didn't even have a single figure and wanted to take it slow, yet he insisted on pushing stuff in my face with triple-digit pricetags.

Long story short, I am now a weekly customer at my FLGS which gives me basically an 8% discount on anything where one of the employees now plays a Guardsman in my Dark Heresy Group.

sand.zzz wrote:
Their strategy revolves around greed, and its driving them out of business.

What an absurd statement.

All businesses operate of "greed." Claiming GW is somehow in an exclusive club fueled on greed and it is destroying them is ridiculous.

There's greed and there's GREED.
GW Stores operate by GREED, as the multiple negative experiences show, which is bad for business.