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Made in gb
Highlord with a Blackstone Fortress






Adrift within the vortex of my imagination.

 scuzz_bucket wrote:
 Orlanth wrote:
Another sign of the End Times?

As for the manager layoffs apparently it occurred this weekend This was sourced by someone who knew two of the manager concerned, but I haven't double sourced this yet..


Can we not include such gross assumptions in thread titles while basing the info off very questionable sources?


The source isn't 'very questionable' the guy I got this from is close friend of one of the managers concerned. He is a good source.
15 managers in one region is a rather a lot.

n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.

It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Louisiana

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
 Sigvatr wrote:
Won't happen. Webstore exclusive + no advertisement...how would GW persuade people to shop at them and not at an online retailer selling at -20% or more?


By not selling stock to the other webstore. The emphasis is on the exclusive part of "web exclusive".


Yea, because who needs distributors? Those fething middle men just want to scrape off their percentage, eating into your profit margin! And besides, when you work through those distributors, you have to sell to more customers to make as much revenue. It's a total racket. Cutting out the retailers and distributors really is the best way forward for GW.

I mean...I hate GW, so I really don't want GW to make the smart, business savvy move of cutting out all retailers and distributors. Because then GW would dominate the market...and...uh...GW's IP would be invincible!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/02/17 01:55:45


Kirasu: Have we fallen so far that we are excited that GW is giving us the opportunity to spend 58$ for JUST the rules? Surprised it's not "Dataslate: Assault Phase"

AlexHolker: "The power loader is a forklift. The public doesn't complain about a forklift not having frontal armour protecting the crew compartment because the only enemy it is designed to face is the OHSA violation."

AlexHolker: "Allow me to put it this way: Paramount is Skynet, reboots are termination attempts, and your childhood is John Connor."
 
   
Made in gb
The Daemon Possessing Fulgrim's Body





Devon, UK

 Orlanth wrote:
 scuzz_bucket wrote:
 Orlanth wrote:
Another sign of the End Times?

As for the manager layoffs apparently it occurred this weekend This was sourced by someone who knew two of the manager concerned, but I haven't double sourced this yet..


Can we not include such gross assumptions in thread titles while basing the info off very questionable sources?


The source isn't 'very questionable' the guy I got this from is close friend of one of the managers concerned. He is a good source.
15 managers in one region is a rather a lot.


Not to mention this is news and rumours not BBC News 24.

We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark

The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.

The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox

Ask me about
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Made in gb
Highlord with a Blackstone Fortress






Adrift within the vortex of my imagination.

Point.

n'oublie jamais - It appears I now have to highlight this again.

It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. By the juice of the brew my thoughts aquire speed, my mind becomes strained, the strain becomes a warning. It is by tea alone I set my mind in motion. 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

buckero0 wrote:




What movie is this from again? I swear I've seen this before


Automats were real things, no waiters you put coins in the slots and there were cooks and staff behind them putting food in the windows.

There was one in NYC called Horn and Hardarts till the 80s.

 
   
Made in us
Most Glorious Grey Seer





Everett, WA

buckero0 wrote:


What movie is this from again? I swear I've seen this before

You might be remembering Dark City.


 
   
Made in us
The New Miss Macross!





Deep Frier of Mount Doom

They're actually making a comeback with hipsters in urban areas... but we should probably discuss that in another subforum.
   
Made in us
Thinking of Joining a Davinite Loge




weeble1000 wrote:
 H.B.M.C. wrote:
 Sigvatr wrote:
Won't happen. Webstore exclusive + no advertisement...how would GW persuade people to shop at them and not at an online retailer selling at -20% or more?


By not selling stock to the other webstore. The emphasis is on the exclusive part of "web exclusive".


Yea, because who needs distributors? Those fething middle men just want to scrape off their percentage, eating into your profit margin! And besides, when you work through those distributors, you have to sell to more customers to make as much revenue. It's a total racket. Cutting out the retailers and distributors really is the best way forward for GW.

I mean...I hate GW, so I really don't want GW to make the smart, business savvy move of cutting out all retailers and distributors. Because then GW would dominate the market...and...uh...GW's IP would be invincible!


I thought GW distributed their own product. There was no middleman.

[/sarcasm] 
   
Made in us
Lieutenant General





Florence, KY

GW does sell direct, either to retailers of consumers. However there are also a number of distributors that also have GW product (Alliance Games, for an example).

'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents
cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable
defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'

- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty
Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
 
   
Made in us
Shade of Despair and Torment







Been a member of Dakka for 7 years....been hearing "It's the death of GW!" for seven years now.... Gonna hear "It's the death of GW!" for another 7 years.....

***** Space Hulk Necromunda Genestealer Patriarch Ripper Jacks Broodlord ALIENS THEME https://www.ebay.com/sch/carcharodons/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 
   
Made in gb
The Daemon Possessing Fulgrim's Body





Devon, UK

krazynadechukr wrote:
Been a member of Dakka for 7 years....been hearing "It's the death of GW!" for seven years now.... Gonna hear "It's the death of GW!" for another 7 years.....


Been a member of Dakka for 3 1/2 years, been hearing people decry the people who aren't predicting the demise of GW as predicting the demise of GW for 3 1/2 years, also been reading people who claim GW are going to go on forever despite all the evidence that they need to turn things around for just as long.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/02/18 03:59:17


We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark

The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.

The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox

Ask me about
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Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

krazynadechukr wrote:
Been a member of Dakka for 7 years....been hearing "It's the death of GW!" for seven years now.... Gonna hear "It's the death of GW!" for another 7 years.....


I've been hearing it since the days of usenet and something called Second Edition...

But, much like Battle Sister rumors, it's gonna be right someday.

 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





Steelcity

krazynadechukr wrote:
Been a member of Dakka for 7 years....been hearing "It's the death of GW!" for seven years now.... Gonna hear "It's the death of GW!" for another 7 years.....


You realize that corporations tend to degrade and lose value instead of outright failing? The world isn't so black and white.. especially in the world of finance.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/02/18 04:05:52


Keeper of the DomBox
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Made in mx
Steadfast Grey Hunter





Mexico

Spoiler:


How i love this kind of post´s
   
Made in gb
Hardened Veteran Guardsman




UK

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
buckero0 wrote:




What movie is this from again? I swear I've seen this before


Automats were real things, no waiters you put coins in the slots and there were cooks and staff behind them putting food in the windows.

There was one in NYC called Horn and Hardarts till the 80s.


Still goes on in the Netherlands pretty regularly (and HK).

: 1000+
: 1000+
1500+ (they didnt have one for Bretonnians)
Also + BFG Fleets
Oh and now


Wanna play BFG in London? Send me a PM.
 
   
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Longtime Dakkanaut




North Carolina

 Breotan wrote:
buckero0 wrote:


What movie is this from again? I swear I've seen this before

You might be remembering Dark City.



Nah, the whole point of Dark City was that nobody remembers.

Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur
 
   
Made in us
Boosting Black Templar Biker






Asheville, NC

 Grot 6 wrote:
... a real hobby center, with a couple of tables to model and paint on, a couple to play on.
Knowledgeable staff on the products. some specialized in fantasy, some in 40K, some in other types of gaming.
Rogue Trader events/ special guest stars.
Good locations, and encouraging people to come in the store, look around.
interaction with family oriented fun, talk to parents right there with the kiddies.
Of course LGS's work, but when your working with a one trick pony that has 3 broken legs, you do what you can, you don't just stab it in the neck and kill your golden goose.

I think back in fondness on the old store model. I can't tell you how much fun that stuff used to be.


This post hits home for me too. I really feel bad for the guys that are relatively new to the game. They enjoy it, but have the impression that GW is nothing but the corporate machine. Makes me feel like an old geezer when I describe the way things used to be:
People going to the store to paint and hang out just to be around other people that play the game.
Getting tips on how to paint and play from knowledgeable employees (note the plural).
Employees not shoving the newest product down your throat when you walk through the door.
Oh man, the old campaigns where you submitted results and affected the fluff, that was EPIC. Coolest idea ever...

I was lucky enough to "grow up" with 40k in a GW store during the good times. I do miss it. But I make due with a good FLGS now and am working on getting a tight knit group together with leagues and tournaments. Here's hoping the game doesn't tank and feth us all thanks to their poor business (not caring for existing customers) decisions.

I tip my glass to the old days...

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Made in ca
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Canada

Ah, fine, the GW is going down sing along I will bite:

If true: It makes sense to change the title to justify a cost cut. They are now store "minders" it is little more than a kiosk, what do they pay those people in the halls of the mall?

If false: I figure store closures at least are a real possibility just as a means of controlling overhead cost to get those profits for dividends. More GW fat to trim for money.

With the way their reports look it would be the next logical step if they think their website is pulling in money more effectively than their shops.

A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.
Napoleon Bonaparte 
   
Made in gb
The Daemon Possessing Fulgrim's Body





Devon, UK

Two points:

Who in this thread has said they're going down? It's just another round of cuts to keep treading water.

I don't know how they would think the website is pulling in more money, as mail order generates half what the stores do, and that includes FW and BL.

We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark

The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.

The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox

Ask me about
Barnstaple Slayers Club 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut





Germany

 Azreal13 wrote:
Who in this thread has said they're going down? It's just another round of cuts to keep treading water.


I think that's the whole point... if you get rid of employees/shops it's usually not a sign of a good state of buisness. They will keep afloat for a while through cutting costs, but that will most likely lead to a slow death rather than an improved buisness model. It's not impossible. Other companies managed to trim a lot of fat, change their setup and continue in a different fashion, but my gut feeling says GW will rather go belly-up at some point or other.

The shops as they are seem to be less and less profitable. Yet, those are the places where Little Timmy comes into contact with GW in the first place (no, telling them that there's a tabletop-boardgame-thingie for Dawn of War won't do the trick). So once they close the shops, the ammount of little timmies will drop. And if people are going to buy online, they are bound to find out about other sites like waylandgames or freaking amazon (had space hulk 30$ cheaper than GW at some point, lol). Not to mention other sources overseas.

Waaagh an' a 'alf
1500 Pts WIP 
   
Made in gb
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Ramsden Heath, Essex

Hardly, a good business will always look to reduce costs.

How do you promote your Hobby? - Legoburner "I run some crappy wargaming website " 
   
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Posts with Authority






Norn Iron

notprop wrote:Hardly, a good business will always look to reduce costs.


And so will Games Workshop.

Bah-dum, tshh!

I'm sooo, sooo sorry.

Plog - Random sculpts and OW Helves 9/3/23 
   
Made in us
Douglas Bader






 Kosake wrote:
I think that's the whole point... if you get rid of employees/shops it's usually not a sign of a good state of buisness.


Depends on the reason for the cuts. Is GW cutting redundant employees/stores that don't fit its business model? Is it closing stores that aren't meeting performance standards because the region they're in doesn't have enough customers? Is it a concession that the business model needs to change? Even in that last scenario admitting defeat and getting rid of a broken business model is a sign of a healthier business than if they just kept going as usual because they were too stubborn to accept the inevitable. And IMO that's quite possibly where GW is: in a lot of places (the US especially) their retail chain is not a good strategy. I'd consider it a favorable sign if GW decided to get rid of all of their US stores because that's what they need to do.

So once they close the shops, the ammount of little timmies will drop.


Not necessarily. In the US there would be very little, if any, drop because the few GW stores are vastly outnumbered by the independent stores selling GW products. Most GW customers in the US have never been to a GW store, and most of the ones that do shop there regularly would move to an independent store with minimal disruption. It might have been different years ago when GW had stores in high-traffic malls where lots of customers could walk in without looking for a GW store, but now they're all in random strip malls where you'll never find them unless you've already decided to buy something from GW.

There is no such thing as a hobby without politics. "Leave politics at the door" is itself a political statement, an endorsement of the status quo and an attempt to silence dissenting voices. 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut





Germany

Don't know about the US but here in Germany I've literally never seen a GW product outside a GW store.

Waaagh an' a 'alf
1500 Pts WIP 
   
Made in ie
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Frostgrave

Even in gaming stores?

I haven't seen GW outside of gaming/toy/craft stores in about 20 years in the UK, but they usually have reasonable coverage in the places that do stock them.
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut





Germany

Gaming stores? I've learned about the concept from dakkadakka. We have some stores that specialize in geeky stuff - D&D, Shadowrun, MTG, Munchkin, some other Tabletop like Warmachine. But the ones I've been to don't have a table you could play on and as I said, they usually don't sell GW stuff.

As for the model shops, they sell trains, cars, planes, tanks etc, but they usually don't have any "playable" miniatues at all.

Waaagh an' a 'alf
1500 Pts WIP 
   
Made in ie
Veteran Wolf Guard Squad Leader





Dublin

I'd well believe it. This came up a few months ago in a thread and someone pointed out that it would make more sense for them to close down 90% of their stores (or all but the most central ones) and run their products almost entirely via FLGSs. While such a move means loss of control for GW (and we all know how much they hate that!) it makes perfect economic sense, as their store and retail staff is undoubtedly one of their biggest overheads (if not their biggest). God forbid the saving they'd make might even allow them to drop their prices a little, which would be nice.

I let the dogs out 
   
Made in de
Joined the Military for Authentic Experience






Nuremberg

I reckon we should all keep in mind that the US, UK and Continental European markets are all pretty different to each other.

The UK is heavily saturated with GW stores and there are only a few (but growing) FLGS, usually with limited table space because of high retail rent. GW tends to be in fairly decent "high street" locations.

The US has few (and shrinking) GW stores but many FLGS with a lot of space. GW store location seems to be somewhat more dubious here. Is there such thing as a "High Street" (ie. the main shopping street of a town) in most US towns and cities?

Continental Europe has a similar set up to the UK, but with far fewer GW stores (limited to the main cities usually). Games stores generally do not have much playing space and are really just places to go and buy things. There are also model shops and so on that might stock some GW stuff but not a wide range.

So in the US, GW could probably close all their stores with minimal impact. In the UK it would be a big risk, because they'd lose their presence and the main thing that makes the game attractive over competition. On the continent it might also be a bit of a disaster.

   
Made in gb
The Daemon Possessing Fulgrim's Body





Devon, UK

 notprop wrote:
Hardly, a good business will always look to reduce costs.


Yes, and a poorly run one will make false economies for short term gain, to it's med-long term detriment.

We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. - Frank Howard Clark

The wise man doubts often, and changes his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubts not; he knows all things but his own ignorance.

The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!” Professor Brian Cox

Ask me about
Barnstaple Slayers Club 
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut





Germany

 Da Boss wrote:
Continental Europe has a similar set up to the UK, but with far fewer GW stores (limited to the main cities usually). Games stores generally do not have much playing space and are really just places to go and buy things. There are also model shops and so on that might stock some GW stuff but not a wide range.


Well, there's kind of a "hobby inn" or pub or whatever you want to call it that I know off. They don't sell any games but play host to local clubs for wargaming, LARP, p&p and suchlike. It's a great place to meet with some friends for a nice game (they even have a nice big battlefield terrain) but it's the only one I know in a 200 km radius and it's not a retail store...

Waaagh an' a 'alf
1500 Pts WIP 
   
 
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