Death of the black box.

[daboarder]

Hey didn't see it posted here.

Apparently GW has decided that they want to get people more "excited" for their upcoming releases.
In order to do this a number of LGS staff are claiming that they will no longer be a) able to obtain black boxes b) be told what is being released and when before everybody else.

Is it just me or is this another move by GW to destroy LGS stockists and drive people into their own stores? Afterall stockists aren't going to be ordering large volumes if it could be invalidated by the release of a new codex in a week.

I don't know is this is means that GW will be releasing "incoming"
articles later but some people I've read have mentioned that as well.

[eldargal]

Not quite true but equally stupid:

GW not be sending Incoming! email until a week before launch as opposed to a month, stores will be getting black boxes but can't open them until release day. Apparently they had a mjor hissy fit about some Tomb King pictures being leaked early and later the Razorwing being leaked by GW staff on their stores facebook page.

[DrLove42]

My manager told me about the incoming articles change a few weeks ago.

He pointed out its hard for a store to get people excited for a release, when they're juggling multiple new things.

Take last few months for example. He had to get people excited for the GK, then Tomb Kings, and just after they both got sorted it was DE time! One release at a time is better for the sellers view, as he can focus on one release at a time.

Also youl get more than a weeks notice, WD will carry the release previews earlier than the incomings do

[isotope99]

I can see the logic in moving the incoming emails back a bit so they don't overlap as much.

Something like: Release weekend, Advance orders the next week, Incoming the week after that.

The black boxes are good and I think should be delivered when the advance orders go up so there is time for them to be assembled so people can see what they're getting. What's the point in having a black box if they can't be opened until release day?

I guess we'll see over the next week or two how they are going to be handling this from now on. :confused:

[daboarder]

I honestly don't get the logic. Yeah I understand the overlap but in a hobby like this one most people only collect a few armies, that means that unless their army is being released they're not really likely to buy stock on impulse. And if they have less time to save up they are less likely to buy stock on release.

[AngelsofDeath]

So what..... Who cares.....

Blaa Blaa Blaa Complain Complain Complain

Post like these sound like they are written by middle age house wives who can no longer watch their favorite day time soap/drama show and there for have to find some other mystery drama to write about.

People just complain and gripe about GW and everything....prices....finecast....no black box...leaked photos....leaked releases.... I hate this hobby.... I hate this company....(sigh) As you look over all the models you already have in your inventory, with all the time you spent putting them together and painting. Then the countless hours you played with them with your friends. And all the good times and memories you have with you. Thats what the hobby is about....and what should be remebered regardless of what GW does.

[daboarder]

So what..... Who cares.....

Blaa Blaa Blaa Complain Complain Complain

Post like these sound like they are written by middle age house wives who can no longer watch their favorite day time soap/drama show and there for have to find some other mystery drama to write about.

People just complain and gripe about GW and everything....prices....finecast....no black box...leaked photos....leaked releases.... I hate this hobby.... I hate this company....(sigh) As you look over all the models you already have in your inventory, with all the time you spent putting them together and painting. Then the countless hours you played with them with your friends. And all the good times and memories you have with you. Thats what the hobby is about....and what should be remebered regardless of what GW does.

JESUS CHRIST MATE!!

there is no complaining here only discussion of a rumor concerning marketing policy. pull that pole out and actually read.

[StraightSilver]

There is also the fact that GW have recently been granted the Hobbit License to consider.

They will have had to sign a very specific agreement that nothing relating the movie is leaked, and if it does it would be very bad news for GW.

Security at Nottingham was majorly tightened up when they were granted the LOTR license and they also had a massive rumour clampdown.

I don't blame them for this though, that license will have cost them a fortune and they really won't want to lose it.

In terms of White Dwarf giving you an idea of what's coming out don't expect this to be much help.

All New Releases will now come out on the first Saturday of every month, which is the week after White Dwarf which now comes out on the last Saturday of the month.

Bizarrely White Dwarf subscribers will now no longer get their magazine earlier than everybody else, but will be allowed to browse through the store copy a few days early if they like!

However i must admit that I am in favour of keeping rumours under control, as I rarely get excited about new releases these days as I have already seen them months before on the internet.

I know not everyone else will agree, but I say it's fair enough.

[Bda_Gamer]

So what..... Who cares.....

Blaa Blaa Blaa Complain Complain Complain

Post like these sound like they are written by middle age house wives who can no longer watch their favorite day time soap/drama show and there for have to find some other mystery drama to write about.

People just complain and gripe about GW and everything....prices....finecast....no black box...leaked photos....leaked releases.... I hate this hobby.... I hate this company....(sigh) As you look over all the models you already have in your inventory, with all the time you spent putting them together and painting. Then the countless hours you played with them with your friends. And all the good times and memories you have with you. Thats what the hobby is about....and what should be remebered regardless of what GW does.
Agreed, but this "hate" is the new FOTM

[eldargal]

Actually this is a legitimate concern, a lot of people look forward to Incoming emails and use them to plan out their saving/purchases for the next month or two. Cutting it down to a week means they can't do that. It may mean they spend less on new releases than they otherwise ought. On the other hand they may spend that money in the meantime, that is what GW hopes it seems. But this is a big change in the way GW communicate with their customers so you can't blame people for being grumpy.

[Skragger]

I'm seeing a trend like that as well (the pushing people out of FLGS and into Gestapo-Workshop stores, that is). Its started with a price bump, making it more expensive for stores to purchase the initial product, and now they don't get any prior knowledge as to.. well.. much of anything really now. Its not the coming of some great apocalypse, but its definitly not a good sign either.

[BuFFo]

So what..... Who cares.....

Blaa Blaa Blaa Complain Complain Complain

Post like these sound like they are written by middle age house wives who can no longer watch their favorite day time soap/drama show and there for have to find some other mystery drama to write about.

People just complain and gripe about GW and everything....prices....finecast....no black box...leaked photos....leaked releases.... I hate this hobby.... I hate this company....(sigh) As you look over all the models you already have in your inventory, with all the time you spent putting them together and painting. Then the countless hours you played with them with your friends. And all the good times and memories you have with you. Thats what the hobby is about....and what should be remebered regardless of what GW does.

Go back to Dakka Dakka.

Come back when you are able to take part in an adult conversation that may contain opinions contrary to those of your own, and add something positive to the dialogue.

I like poop. <-------- See? It is easy to add something positive to 40k online conversations.

[Lexington]

To recap for our Australian readers, this means that retailers won't be able to tell you anything about the items you can't order because of the prices that are too high, which you can't do anything about because of the embargo against overseas sales.

Guess someone pretty high up the chain at GW has a real grudge against Yahoo Serious.

[Revarien]

There is also the fact that GW have recently been granted the Hobbit License to consider.

They will have had to sign a very specific agreement that nothing relating the movie is leaked, and if it does it would be very bad news for GW.

GW will be very dismayed to learn then that I've read the book! :P

[MarneusCalgar]

I agree both with Eldargal and with AngelsofDeath:

- With her, Eldargal, because she´s right: it seems to be another stupid movement on these Internet times, when information moves from and to like speed of light... So their tries to "hide" the new incoming monthly issues will be useless...

- With him, because he´s right: Last months, the news´ thread, not only on this forum, in almost everyone, have become "Whines, moans and massacration of GW whatever they do"...

[Wildeybeast]

In terms of White Dwarf giving you an idea of what's coming out don't expect this to be much help.

All New Releases will now come out on the first Saturday of every month, which is the week after White Dwarf which now comes out on the last Saturday of the month.

Bizarrely White Dwarf subscribers will now no longer get their magazine earlier than everybody else, but will be allowed to browse through the store copy a few days early if they like!

Where have you got this from? This sounds like utter nonsense to me. I get my copy a few days before release because GW posts it out to me to ensure that I have by release day, in exactly the same way as they do with advance orders. Because of the stupid postal system, that means they have to allow for several days postage, menaing I get it sometime the week before. This is exactly the same way as video game preorders work. Unless GW is going to start paying for couriers to deliver it on release day, we will stil end up getting it early.

As to the rumours thing in general, they may tighten it up a bit, but they are still going to let stuff out early to build up anticpation. The guy in my local store told me last week that GW deliberatley leaks tiny tidbits to certain interent forums in order to generate hype and speculation, so I don't think we need to worry too much about a sudden information crisis. They keep some stuff under their hat to sneak on us from leftfield (summer of magic) and some stuff they let out well in advance to build up anticpation (GK & TK). I don't see this changing.

[AngelsofDeath]

I have to applogise to the original poster, my original post might have been a bit harsh.

But like others have said, I am just tired of hearing the rumors of speculations of price increasing of quality control of cant get my models of no black box of no email of no what ever else GW can do to me as a consumer to make me unsatisfied with them. I do not think people at GW are sitting around thinking of ways to make its customers unhappy. But this is what seems to be the hot topic as of late.

[Hive Mind]

GW will be very dismayed to learn then that I've read the book! :P

Probably not as dismayed as I was after I'd finished reading the book. Eight hours of my life that I could have spent reading a good book instead.

The Soddit went some way to softening the blow but still....

[Lockark]

Blah. This news is terrible.=/

I hope GW reconsiders it, I enjoyed seeing the hype and speculation of upcoming armies.

[thecactusman17]

OP, does this mean that stores will no longer be getting approx. 90 days advance notice of new product like they always have? At least around here, GW and the suppliers make sure that stores have time to get shipment orders in time.

[daboarder]

OP, does this mean that stores will no longer be getting approx. 90 days advance notice of new product like they always have? At least around here, GW and the suppliers make sure that stores have time to get shipment orders in time.

I don't know specifics and eldargirl probably has more information than me and can correct me if I'm wrong. But yeah that seems to be the case from what was suggested to me, whether or not that is the case, well if you are a LGS owner I recommend contacting you rep, of course I would have said the same thing about the resin swap....

[lobster-overlord]

Honestly, I think this will help the LGS stores. There won't be the internet hype extending to people's mail boxes online and so they wont' be as inclined to do online pre-orders, and when they are surprised to see it in their local store before they might have even heard about it online, they will be more inclined to buy it onsite rather than online that very day.

Personally, I don't like it, and I will only believe it when I hear it from my store's rep at GW (I'll ask when I next talk with him).

John M.

[Kawauso]

Honestly, I think this will help the LGS stores. There won't be the internet hype extending to people's mail boxes online and so they wont' be as inclined to do online pre-orders, and when they are surprised to see it in their local store before they might have even heard about it online, they will be more inclined to buy it onsite rather than online that very day.


I don't think it would be a stretch to say, however, that stores won't be able to stock up properly/in time with release information coming so soon before launch, and the vast majority of people aren't going to be able to get the models they want in the quantities they want.

Then they'll be disappointed. And go order online anyway.

[Lockark]

I always pre-ordered from the store it self....

>.>

[Xelkireth]

GW needs to abandon their brick and mortar money-sinks and support the FLGS like everybody else does.

[eldargal]

I disagree, at least for Britain. Their stores give them unequalled market acess, the reason for many GW is 'the' company is because practically every city or large town in Britain has a GW store within easy access. For the US and other areas I think perhaps a different approach may be required. GW certainly things something has to change or they wouldn't have sent Wells off the 'merika to see whats what.

[Unzuul the Lascivious]

I don't know what GW are aiming for, but I for one love knowing what's coming in advance. It helps me plan my hobby spending money and what I'm going to buy. It won't distract me from buying other stuff because I am usually decided on what I want to be waiting for, e.g. I have more or less got what I need for my Grey Knights army, I'm unlikely to buy anything else until Sisters of Battle are released (because I know they're in the pipeline). Hang on a minute...the strategy is now clear. Surprise! More profiteering! "But they're a company, they're there to make money, they don't owe you anything blah blah blah...". Well, I think I'd like to see the Big Games Workshop Customer Survey make it's way into every copy of a White Dwarf this year - they really ought to be allowed to gauge opinion in a formal way so they can know what their customers really want.

GW are a company and exist to make money - this is true. They're quite good at it too - even I am tempted to buy shares what with The Hobbit on the horizon. They need to reach out to their customers more instead of shutting them off - for some people, blatant profiteering is a turn off. Where I used to be happy buying full price products, and sometimes still do if I'm passing a store, I can no longer justify spending up to £10 more in GW stores than I would buying from, say, Dark Sphere in London. Constantly making decisions to boost sales and profit can become very grating for some, and to be going the other way and keeping customers even more in the dark over releases just seems wrong to me.

[isotope99]

I disagree, at least for Britain. Their stores give them unequalled market acess, the reason for many GW is 'the' company is because practically every city or large town in Britain has a GW store within easy access. For the US and other areas I think perhaps a different approach may be required. GW certainly things something has to change or they wouldn't have sent Wells off the 'merika to see whats what.

I agree that they need the stores, but I think what GW need to do is to stop seeing their stores as standalone businesses and more as an integrated part of GW, so that a sale is still a sale for the company regardless of what channel it is achieved by. The physical stores are important for bringing in new customers, but they are not as simple as normal retail operations because of the level of vertical integration in the company (i.e. they are trying to sell what they are making). The comments from GW corporate about other sales routes 'free-riding' on the stores are not very forward looking. Anything that gets someone to buy a GW product that's not second hand should be seen as a win for the company just like any sale of an iPhone is good for Apple, regardless of whether they buy it in an Apple store or not.

I don't see trying to force people into the stores by chopking off the internet route working, any more than trying to force them to get White Dwarf to see what's coming next will. Those already savvy to the internet route are more likely to go the other way and look to the likes of ebay than to be herded back into the stores IMHO.

On the other hand, it's difficult to know what the best solution is, as these stores are expensive to run and are always going to have low average footfall as it is a specialised hobby. I think they need to find a way to gather more information about their customers so that they can see the benefit of having a store in the area in some way other than just what goes through the shop every day, whether this is through loyalty cards, better customer data gathering from third party sellers etc. They started down this road by asking you to put your local store on the website but who knows if they actually use that data?

[dwez]

Whatever happened to these sort of offers?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V7J4Nh1oShA/TdTfX-SBmHI/AAAAAAAAA1s/K2aXdqkOLkU/s1600/voucher.jpg

[eldargal]

Part of their contract for the LOTR license was no discounted sales.

[Deadlift]

I liked knowing what was due for release, the anticipation and being able to look forward to what was coming. But just a weeks notice, that for me takes some of the fun away. I call it the Christmas feeling. Knowing it's coming just adds to the fun. :).

[wittdooley]

Add me to the slightly frustrated column. Going to make budgeting a bit harder. Then again, I do have too much plastic crack sitting around anyway; in the past week while cleaning I've found two unbuild land raiders, an unbuilt rhino, 2 unopened rhinos, an unopened box of Arcane Tempest Gunmages, and a forgotten about bag of MkIII/MkIV armour from FW. Yikes....

[Deadlift]

Add me to the slightly frustrated column. Going to make budgeting a bit harder. Then again, I do have too much plastic crack sitting around anyway; in the past week while cleaning I've found two unbuild land raiders, an unbuilt rhino, 2 unopened rhinos, an unopened box of Arcane Tempest Gunmages, and a forgotten about bag of MkIII/MkIV armour from FW. Yikes....

Were hobbiyists so that's allowed :).

[Wildeybeast]

Part of their contract for the LOTR license was no discounted sales.

Surely that only applied to LOTR products? I remember the whole 'double sided' WD that stupid license led to which was pretty clear that LOTR products be kept seperate from the rest of the GW range. But I guess the 'no freebies' arrangement would help explain the whole lack of free minatures on WD in recent years.

[Xabraxis]

Sounds like GW has a fetish for shooting themselves in the foot recently.

They can't afford the prices their competitors give, yet they don't do anything to support their hobby.
If their customers know about a new product in advance, they will save money.

If they don't know about a new product, they'll have spent that money elsewhere.

[eldargal]

It is possible itm ay only be pre-orders which go up one week before, stores may still be getting their black boxes a few weeks before launch. Will have to wait and see whats happening for sure.:rolleyes:

[Kettu]

It is possible itm ay only be pre-orders which go up one week before, stores may still be getting their black boxes a few weeks before launch. Will have to wait and see whats happening for sure.:rolleyes:

Sorry, but I spoke to all three of my local GWs (Love living next to the railway, 50km+ trips are 'local') and even a fourth that I happened to be near yesterday.
They, the Stores themselves, only get any info one week in advance when the boxes arrive.

That gives them one week to go through and sort out stock, assemble and paint example pieces, plan out any special events they'll run that month around the new releases and then attempt to drag in the customers and convince them why they should buy the stock that the staff are only just getting to know themselves.

They are ALL pissed off about it.

[oni]

...stores will be getting black boxes but can't open them until release day...

ROFL! Yea, like that will happen.