GW- Darkelves

[mcfonz]

I like everything. Its just a shame the prices arent remotely reasonable.

I mean, for the price of those with elves I bought 30 perry samurai. I also picked up a set of WGF zombie hunters for 14 quid... I dont see how or why GW charge as much as they do.

Perry miniatures doesn't have to rent top locations for a gazillion stores and pay people to populate them with.

True. Although 'top' locations is only true in very few cases - most tend to be just off the beaten track and cheaper. And as for staff, they pay them a pittance. Not to mention that they play around with store opening hours quite a bit. My local GW is shut two days a week.

[---]

I like everything. Its just a shame the prices arent remotely reasonable.

I mean, for the price of those with elves I bought 30 perry samurai. I also picked up a set of WGF zombie hunters for 14 quid... I dont see how or why GW charge as much as they do.

Perry miniatures doesn't have to rent top locations for a gazillion stores and pay people to populate them with.

True. Although 'top' locations is only true in very few cases - most tend to be just off the beaten track and cheaper. And as for staff, they pay them a pittance. Not to mention that they play around with store opening hours quite a bit. My local GW is shut two days a week.

Just done a very quick add up - there are 74 GW stores within a 100 mile radius, say 2 staff per store on 40 hour week at minimum wage.... £185,000 wage bill; certainly not a trivial amount

[mcfonz]

Sure - didn't say it wouldn't be an insignificant amount - was just pointing out it wasn't 'top location' money either.

And to be honest I think they are realising it too. They certainly did in the States.

[wait, what?]

Prob is Jez Goodwin never did dark elves until those dino-riders the last time (and bloody marvellous they are).
Dark Elves have always been an interesting concept with crap miniatures. Apart maybe from the 1980's Mengil's Manhides some of which I cut in pieces in my adolescent ignorance.

Generally true, but I personally (and judging my how they go on ebay and round here I'm not alone) have a bit of a fetish for the Marauder guys - most of em anyway, some of those scouts and welves are rough as shit.

[Archie]

The arguement that the prices must be high to cover their costs is ridiculous. Thats asking the customer to subsidiase a bad business model.

The stores should be a benefit to the customer and profit making for the company. If they are not then they need to be run differently.

The customer should not be charged more to compensate for bad business plans!

[maxxev]

Just done a very quick add up - there are 74 GW stores within a 100 mile radius, say 2 staff per store on 40 hour week at minimum wage.... £185,000 wage bill; certainly not a trivial amount

Now half that as 90% of the stores now only have 1 staff member, some of them also have a part-timer (under 21 as the minimum wage is cheaper) working 4 hours a week.

Rent will be way more than staff.

[Skipp]

The customer should not be charged more to compensate for bad business plans!

Whether it's a bad business model is subjective.

They'd change it I expect if, in their, opinion it was a bad model..

Dags has it right, they have significant overheads, but that investment does give them reach...

Good luck running your games empire Archie!

[---]

Just done a very quick add up - there are 74 GW stores within a 100 mile radius, say 2 staff per store on 40 hour week at minimum wage.... £185,000 wage bill; certainly not a trivial amount

Now half that as 90% of the stores now only have 1 staff member, some of them also have a part-timer (under 21 as the minimum wage is cheaper) working 4 hours a week.

Rent will be way more than staff.

Almost certainly - my 'calculation' was the back of a fag packet variety - of course it doesn't take into account distribution staff, packaging et cetera, et cetera.... in short, GW have vast overheads; almost certainly more than all the other UK games companies put together. Those bills need to be paid.

[YAAF]

Now we know why they are so expensive - they hire people to write words for their we site which they no longer want pilfered.

https://www.facebook.com/wargamestore/p ... 3576320592

Games Workshop have decided to ask retailers politely not to use anything that closely resembles the description from their website. It goes sumat like this, "Da boss sez we will sell you da plastik but even though you buyz loadsa our stuff you can't tell da punters wotz in da box uzing any of our wordz from uz website. If you duz we'll biff you on da chin and keep us toys to uzselves. We might even throw teddy outa da pram."

So in order to comply with this retailer friendly directive this the new description for the new Dark Elf Warriors:

This box (can I use the word box?) contains:

9 torsos (don't think I can use the word bodies...oh poo I just did, with heads attached (not sure about heads or attached) plus one torso headless. Fortunately Games Workshop have thoughtfully provided 3 heads for this model, but he only gets to use one at a time. He can choose to have a helmet if he wants. Usually this Dark Elf (not sure about this) would be the boss of the unit. GW call him a Lordling but I can't. Approximately somewhere between 11 and 13 crests are provided to add to the helmets (12 being GW Intellectual Property, hereinafter known as GWIP) and you also get a banner and a bit less than 4 and a bit more than 2 tops for the banner what are different from each uvver.

This box set includes 10 long pointy things wat is bigger than swords and smaller than pikes, 11 arms wiv things on the end wat is bigger than daggers but smaller than spears (not sure wever I shoulda called em spearz) and 11 bows what is upset (think about it) . Ya also get 11 different bin lids to protect from the bad guys, sorry the good guyz, we da DARK Elves after all not like those wussy boys in da white and they have different pictures on da front.

This plastic (GWIP?) kit (GWIP?) contains almost 90 components, actually 90 -1 with which to make a 10 man Dreadspear regiment, Bleakswords regiment, or Darkshards regiment. Also included is 1 Dark Elves transfer sheet with which to add a variety of shield and banner designs.

This kit comes supplied unpainted and requires assembly - we recommend using Games Workshop Plastic Glue and Games Workshop Paints.

Phew dat woz ard. I wunder wen we'll be told to delete the title of the product from the website then you just have to decide whether you want £18 Dark Elves or £40 Dark Elves, assuming that is that we are allowed to quote prices at all and the words Dark Elves or Dark Elf don't become protected.

Am I tring to make a point? You could say so. Have GW got a sense of humour?...watch this space

[Archie]

The customer should not be charged more to compensate for bad business plans!

Whether it's a bad business model is subjective.

They'd change it I expect if, in their, opinion it was a bad model..

Dags has it right, they have significant overheads, but that investment does give them reach...

Good luck running your games empire Archie!

Or they could try marketing?.

I'm not saying their business plan is bad (because I don't know if they make a profit or not) but if their shops are costing them money i.e. not making them a profit; then that shouldn't be made up for by charging more. That would be a shortsighted approach that would finish them off ultimately. I'm self employed and when I need more money I get some more clients. I don't just raise my prices!

A retail business needs to make a profit, like any other company, if it is to survive. I assume that their locations, short opening hours and minimal staffing levels are all steps they have taken to get / keep being profitable.