"Games Workshop visit" Topic

Today I ventured into the local Games Workshop store out of curiosity – I don't play Warhammer and I haven't been in this store in at least ten years. Just wanted to check it out.
Lots of strange and a couple dirty looks from the staff and clientele. What's this grey haired dude doing in here? I'm not that old but my hair and beard are in fact grey.
Annoyed looks from the clerk when I replied that I was just browsing after being asked if I needed help.
More annoyed looks when my wife suggested that when I finish my Waterloo diorama ( which I keep telling her is too big for me to even contemplate at this point but..) that she'll buy some Space Orks to drop in and stir things up a bit for me.
Started to feel out of place so checked out the painted minis on display – very nice paintwork, quite impressive.
One more offer of help from the increasingly annoyed clerk.
My wife mentions that it smells funky in here so on that note we're off!
Good for another decade.

I've been in one store one time; it was small but very clean. The clerk asked me what I played and I told him that I was a historical gamer taking a look around. And that was that. It's a niche store and if you don't speak GW or want to speak GW, apparently they don't have much to say. I do prefer silence over a strong sales pitch.

I've always had good experiences in their stores for the most part.

I just think it was because I'm not a regular. I wasn't offended in the slightest – more bemused than anything.
I told my wife on the way home that if Warhammer had come out while I was in high school I would probably have been right into it because I was into D&D and other fantasy/sci fi games at the time.
Just seeing all the product on display one would go broke several times trying to collect it all.
It's the only gaming type store in my city unfortunately..

At least the staff ask if they can be of help. More than I can say for many of FLGS or hobby store I've wandered in to.

I have to agree with McWong there have been some gaming stores I have entered that are a) foul looking and a mess, and b) zero customer service. If I do not get at least a hello and is there anything I can help you with the store does not get my custom. Fortunately the games stores around Charlotte are quite nice and have great staff and are clean.

An important thing to remember about GW stores is that they have switched over to a model where if the guy there doesn't hit his sales targets, he loses his job. In a lot of places that's created a "if you're not going to be helping me keep my job right now, I have no use for you" attitude.

GW staff are salesmen. If a salesman can't sell then he does lose his job, its the reality of the job. As mentioned, I much prefer overly interested staff to those who don't even realise you are in the store. At least you have the option of telling them to leave you alone!
My experience of independent game stores is much like mcwongs, sadly.

GW recently opened a store here in Austin. It is the new-model, one-man store.

I've been in a couple times. The guy running the store was pleasant and enthusiastic, even after I explained I only play the now defunct Specialist Games (I ordered a set of BFG ships, and had them shipped to the store). He even offered to set a side a table if we ever want to play BFG there. I also bought one of the Horus Heresy audio books.

Overall though, the place made me sad, because what GW offers now is so limited compared to what it used to be.

Though I still play and buy some GW stuff, I rarely go into their stores. I find the employees very overbearing. Usually I just want to quietly browse.

Its funny because I also understand going into an independant store and the clerk is busy organizing something or chatting with someone else and just trying to ask a question is like pulling teeth.

The staff seem to have become cooler since transitioning to a one-man model. Certainly the guy who runs Atlanta's local store is well-regarded.

Previously, the GW clerks were simply awful. I don't totally blame them. The sales training they were given emphasized a pushy, hard-sell approach (which, btw, has long been known to be much LESS effective than a soft sell). Presumably it was enforced by the usual secret shoppers checking off whether you greeted them, offered them the list of products they were supposed to promote, and tried to push them into a painting demo or something.

My expertise is teaching business, so I'm quite familiar with the literature. Though macho retail tactics seem more effective, research has shown again and again that you're working much harder to REDUCE your revenue.

GW's adventures in retail have been a disaster for both the hobby in general and GW in particular. The one-man stores seem like the least awful incarnation so far.

Looking at the prices of GW today it's a wonder to me that they aren't displaying their stock in locked glass cabinets like a jeweller's store.

The one in orlando is run by a friendly enough fellow. It's on the way to work, so i swing by occasionally to grab a pot of paint or a brush and look at the space-themed stuff.

Never get dirty looks, polite conversation on topics NOT gw. .He recognizes me and realizes that I'm not going to be a "big spender" but will always acknowledge and greet me, even making small talk if he's not busy with other customers… Nothing out of the normal, just a nice experience.

Maybe it's the exception that proves the rule?