.... If I ran GW

[RuneBrush]

I don't see why larger scale must result in an impersonal relationship. I've known all the GW managers in my country for a long time and when you have that kind of stability in senior staffing you can have good personal relationships and see a genuine love for the hobby.

The manager in a store will have a completely different set of goals (including building customer relationships) in comparison to one of the directors (who as Chern says is duty bound to make a profit).

 

[paintbynumber]

So in the long run, will those at the helm of GW turn the company away from just being a hobby business and instead become a multimedia business much like Marvel? The hobby end of their business does need some kind of serious restructering before it hits the can. Personally I have been away from painting and mini gaming for along time (return is soon though), I look at GW product and prices and cringe. Especially with the amount high quality products out there now. GW may have helped build the industry to what it is today but I hope it doesnt go the way of the dinosaurs.

 

[RuneBrush]

Especially with the amount high quality products out there now. GW may have helped build the industry to what it is today but I hope it doesnt go the way of the dinosaurs.

I was talking with a few work colleagues this morning after I posted a WIP shot of my games day entry up on my Facebook page and they discovered that I do this as a hobby. One thing that GW does have is visibility - everybody involved in my conversation had heard about and vaguely knew what Warhammer is. Until such time that somebody else comes along with the same level of visibility in the UK I don't think GW are going anywhere soon.

 

[sm51498]

I don't know if anyone has said this but they really need to release all their codices and army books all at once so that everyone can play the game with current rules. If they still want staggered releases they can then release models in waves the way they do now. If anything its felt like their army releases have slowed down even more. It is not conducive to a good gaming environment which in the end sells the bulk of their models.

 

[mertaal]

GW will continue to dominate the market despite their unfriendly attitude towards their customers and higher and higher prices. This is for one simple reason.

Over the last 20 years or so, the most important thing they have developed and invested in is their intellectual property. It's the best. Both WFB and 40k have very rich, interesting universes, great storylines and much more depth than anything else out there. It's an amazing resource for them, and they've been very wise to cultivate it in the way they have.

People will continue to pay their prices because while there are plenty of other decent model companies out there, nobody makes games which are set in the universes which they own the copyright to.

 

[Pygmalion]

If I ran GW...

I would tell the instore salespeople not to constantly follow people (particularly those over 30) around the store asking stupid questions.

Also (apart from saying 'hello' or 'good morning / afternoon') I would tell them to only speak to people who speak to them and that if they have to say something, they could politely ask "can I help you?". I would then point out that a polite negative, is not an invitation to be followed around the store.

(It just kills the chance of any impulse purchases, from me at least)

I agree with this totally, sometimes you just want to browse but you are bombarded with questions! I carn't wait to get out.

Due what I did once after I stopped working there. I took a stripper in with me who was a friend....oddly enough not a single employee approached me or talked too me that day.

I don't know which is creepier, the way their store clerks constantly pester male customers, or the way they completely ignore female would-be customers.

I have witnessed both, and it would appear I am not the only one.

 

[siflrock]

Might as well. I've noticed a merging of the ip of gw, blizz and pp. probably reflecting the fact that each company recognizes the current cultural flavor for that sort of beefy, steampunkish imagery.