Guilty Pleasures

[alshrive]

so i have a confession, and i'm not sure Fr Owen would understand what i am talking about so i decided that this is a confession best aimed at the online community. On release day of 6th Edition i was not at my Local Games Workshop. I was on a weekend away and made the effort to go down to the store nearest to the hotel. so far so good.

I walked into the store, and rather than the friendly banter one might sometimes get i practically had a 6th Edition Rulebook forced into my hands and started to be ushered towards the till. It was at this point that something deep inside me snapped and i discovered a secret guilty please. I feigned ignorance. It wasn't until i was near the till (with the staffers manager in earshot) that i just chirped up and asked what he was doing. i claimed never to have been into a gw before and was more satisfying my curiosity at the large crowd and left the Staffmember behind the till dumbfounded and coming to terms with the realisation that he hadn't actually tried to talk to me, rather just empty my wallet in to the till.

I do not know what repurcussions, if any, will come of this and i do feel a slight twinge of guilt about doing that to a staff member in front of their management but YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IF I WANTED IT!!!

So now i would like to open up the floor to the rest of you. Who here has done something similar, who here has enjoyed it?

Rant Over,

ALShrive

[Wolfshade]

I would probably have done the same.
I think you were right to do so, the assumption that you know what the hobby was about and the way the sell was described it could be very much a turn off to a non-40k player.
I would say that the staffer would be reasonable to assume that most people in the store that day were for the new rulebook and it was the reason why you were there so the assumption was valid.
:cool:
I think on reflection that that sell amde you feel uncomfortable which was not the atmospher GW usually engenders but on that particualr busy day things might have slipped.
I've never had that sort of experiance, my usual problem is trying to leave the store because I am having such a good conversation with the staff

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Ow man, that's cold.
I just tell people straight up that I'm happy with what I have. :p

Though GW Shrewsbury knows not to ask me to buy anything because I will buy it when I want it.

[Psychosplodge]

I've found that a lot of GW are like that if you're not a recognised face...

[alshrive]

yeah my local GW are brilliant with me, they should be, i used to work there! but it is this assumption that anybody they don't recognise must be already interested in the hobby that truly irks me

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Good thing that the ones in my area know me. :D

Shrewsbury, Birming'nam, Chester...

[pauljc]

That's actually pretty poor, even for GW's training standards. Having worked there as keytimer, fulltimer, and eventually an area manager, I can tell you they have a vast manual for this. In fact it is one of the key reasons they have become so big, and also one of the things I truly commend them for: they forged a system for selling and teaching miniature wargames. A template that could be applied globally.

But, any good GW store manager knows (even if secretly) how to tailor the system so that it is not simply robotic repetition.

Back to the point, though, all GW store personnel are taught how to approach and interact with customers. And while we might not always enjoy or appreciate such treatment, it definitely has it's place.

So, yeah, even as a store owner myself, I can't fault the OP for this guilty pleasure. The store manager hasn't done his job properly.

[heretic marine]

you know I would have done the same thing;), I also may have been more rude to the guy too.

[juliusb]

You could've really played dumb and said "wow, I've never won anything like this before!" and run out of the store yelling "free Dungeons and Dragons books! I won!"

[SotonShades]

I've never done anything like this to a Staff member, but there was this kid once...

He was known the the staff at the store and the regulars for being an annoying little -*Censored by His most Hole Inquisition. All hail the Emperor!*- brat who made the more than the odd racist/homophobic comment, usually just under his breath where adults were within earshot. Well in this particular day, he decided it would be smart/funny to ask various people how much money it would take to let a man have intercourse with them. Most of them just got embaressed and just mumbled to get rid of him. When he got to me, I just answered yes with confidence as he decreased the amount incrementally.

The kid just started laughing and then one of my friends said "You know he's gay, right?" I'm not inclined that way at all, nor am I at all homophobic. It was so funny just to watch the kid's eyes bulge out of his head like I had just sprouted deamonic wings. He ran out of the store and, last I heard, he hasn't been in the store since. I even got a small ripple of applause for, ironically enough, playing the whole thing with a straight face.

[Cpt Codpiece]

I've never done anything like this to a Staff member, but there was this kid once...

He was known the the staff at the store and the regulars for being an annoying little -*Censored by His most Hole Inquisition. All hail the Emperor!*- brat who made the more than the odd racist/homophobic comment, usually just under his breath where adults were within earshot. Well in this particular day, he decided it would be smart/funny to ask various people how much money it would take to let a man have intercourse with them. Most of them just got embaressed and just mumbled to get rid of him. When he got to me, I just answered yes with confidence as he decreased the amount incrementally.

The kid just started laughing and then one of my friends said "You know he's gay, right?" I'm not inclined that way at all, nor am I at all homophobic. It was so funny just to watch the kid's eyes bulge out of his head like I had just sprouted deamonic wings. He ran out of the store and, last I heard, he hasn't been in the store since. I even got a small ripple of applause for, ironically enough, playing the whole thing with a straight face.

brilliant, that sounds just like something i would do...... though i may have added a little bit of stereotypical 'gay' into my tone/actions........ then added 'oh, my!' as the kid did one (i love George takei, so that would have tickled me even more :)).

only thing like this i have seen/done is, i sold liquid greenstuff to a young teen, right under the managers nose at my local GW, just by talking him through the steps of its use....... got right on the managers nerves as 1) he bought the last pot of LGS.... the manager was trying to keep it back for himself and 2) alot of people found the little guy annoying, he was just really excitable and someone actually talking to him calmed him right down so he was not charging round the shop with a dire avenger in his mouth anynore :)

just as a note to the above i did not actually sell the kid the LGS just did the sales work for the shop LOL

[LordGrise]

Soton, that's awesome. Well done!

As for me, I haven't been in a GW shop since the manager of the local store (and only employee, as far as I know) decided to use public shaming as the technique for getting me to change the subject I was speaking of. How dare I favorably compare Vallejo paints to Citadel in a GW store...

[magickbk]

I worked for GW for a long time. pauljc is right, they have an absurd training program to prevent what you experienced from happening. It was my experience that when you stick to it, and temper it with common sense, it is a perfect customer service method. We also had one manager that the rules and training went right out the door every time he came in the shop. Hopefully what you experienced was not the norm for that store. I've also been in stores as a customer that were like this, though.

[Psychosplodge]

Soton, that's awesome. Well done!

As for me, I haven't been in a GW shop since the manager of the local store (and only employee, as far as I know) decided to use public shaming as the technique for getting me to change the subject I was speaking of. How dare I favorably compare Vallejo paints to Citadel in a GW store...
They do come in bigger pots...

[alshrive]

oh i know it is not the norm! i had to go through so many of those training procedures when working for gw, i was just astonished at the ignorance! i think what surprised me more than anything was that this staffer practically leapt away from an Intro Game, which was a KPI when i worked there, to try and force a rulebook down someone elses throat (another KPI!)!

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Face it Aaron, you're an evil man. :p

[alshrive]

i am only evil because it is the only word that precedes Genius and doesn't devalue it as a word!

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Hahahaha! A fair point!

[alshrive]

Apple are the biggest culprits responsible for devaluing the word Genius! they are not Geniuses (or Genii depending on your preference) so stop saying they are! if i went in to an Apple store and found Mr Hawking assisted by Einstein then yes, i may accept the fact that the tech support are geniuses (or, again, genii!) but that has yet to happen! anti-apple rant over!

[Psychosplodge]

like the "tech guys" at pc world? lol

[gcsmith]

You ain't an evil genius, you're just morally challanged.

[Wolfshade]

If we are talking about a person being a genius and there being more than one geniuses would be correct.
Genii would be the plural of Genius being the latin mytholigical being.
..I think..

[alshrive]

like the "tech guys" at pc world? lol
yes exactly, they devalue the word guys!

[SotonShades]

yes exactly, they devalue the word guys!

Can't fault the PC World nearest me for having Tech Guys. One of them is in a wheel chair permenantly and another has the springy runner's prosthetic leg. Both are at least part tech and part guy...

[Psychosplodge]

but can they do anything beyond google it and lie?

[Wolfshade]

Can't fault the PC World nearest me for having Tech Guys. One of them is in a wheel chair permenantly and another has the springy runner's prosthetic leg. Both are at least part tech and part guy...

That is literally funny

[Psychosplodge]

They reckon they're more efficient than actual ankles don't they?

Does that mean you'd run round in circles if you only have one?

[Wolfshade]

Yes, though it might describe a large radius

[Mr Mystery]

I take a certain amount of pleasure in letting managers know when a staffer has done poorly.

I too have been through the GW training, and it's seriously good. One of the reasons that the UK Retail chain is now in fact in growth. And it's so straight forward. It's advice on what to do, and explains the method and thought process behind it. Best of all? It doesn't dictate HOW you go about it.

I left about two years ago, and by applying the relevant principals to my subsequent insurance career, I'm the top handler in my department, and have just landed a new and lucrative job with the Financial Ombudsmen Service. Rinse and repeat, and my professional star will continue to rise!

And this is why I tend to clipe on GW Staff who don't follow it. It works, and to ignore the training is a waste. GW have more applicants than available roles, so if someone isn't up to scratch, it's better to make their manager aware so they can intervene appropriately.

[Wolfshade]

I left about two years ago, and by applying the relevant principals to my subsequent insurance career, I'm the top handler in my department, and have just landed a new and lucrative job with the Financial Ombudsmen Service. Rinse and repeat, and my professional star will continue to rise!
Congratulations :D

[Psychosplodge]

So you got it? well done

[Mr Mystery]

Yup. Got the call yesterday. One £10,000 pay rise secured!!!!
MOAR MODELZ!!!!!!!

[Wolfshade]

If I had that pay rise I would get me thunderhawks

[alshrive]

I take a certain amount of pleasure in letting managers know when a staffer has done poorly.

I too have been through the GW training, and it's seriously good. One of the reasons that the UK Retail chain is now in fact in growth. And it's so straight forward. It's advice on what to do, and explains the method and thought process behind it. Best of all? It doesn't dictate HOW you go about it.

I left about two years ago, and by applying the relevant principals to my subsequent insurance career, I'm the top handler in my department, and have just landed a new and lucrative job with the Financial Ombudsmen Service. Rinse and repeat, and my professional star will continue to rise!

And this is why I tend to clipe on GW Staff who don't follow it. It works, and to ignore the training is a waste. GW have more applicants than available roles, so if someone isn't up to scratch, it's better to make their manager aware so they can intervene appropriately.

I too left GW and went into the financial services sector!!! firstly in insurance and now i am an office manager for a financial adviser!

[Psychosplodge]

I would probably waste it like most of what i get now lol or just drive faster...

[Wolfshade]

I would probably waste it like most of what i get now lol or just drive faster...
..or just drive
It would be nice not to have to cycle through the rain, unless there is a giant puddle :)

[Mr Mystery]

First up is a move to London! I'm thinking East Ham. Fairly close to Canary Wharf, but without being horribly extortionate!

[eldargal]

I've never had trouble with GW staff trying to sell me things, perhaps 'cos I'm a girl. What I get a lot of is 'Is this for your boyfriend? What army does he collect/play?'. My guilty pleasure is saying 'No actually it's for my girlfriend'. It's like letting off an implosion missile in the store, all the sound just gets sucked out of the room.:rolleyes:

[Wolfshade]

I've never had trouble with GW staff trying to sell me things, perhaps 'cos I'm a girl. What I get a lot of is 'Is this for your boyfriend? What army does he collect/play?'. My guilty pleasure is saying 'No actually it's for my girlfriend'. It's like letting off an implosion missile in the store, all the sound just gets sucked out of the room.:rolleyes:

You're just mean, but in an amusing way

[gcsmith]

Funny thing was my GW of old, had an upstairs gaming with no staff, so some of the discussions went strange. One day when I mentioned I was a christian as part of a convo, people decided to reguarlly hug me and go, hello darling. Obviously trying to disturb me or something.

The people didn't like it when I stroked them going, I love you too Darling in return, made one person run away.

[Psychosplodge]

First up is a move to London! I'm thinking East Ham. Fairly close to Canary Wharf, but without being horribly extortionate!

Sounds like a punishment...


Funny thing was my GW of old, had an upstairs gaming with no staff, so some of the discussions went strange. One day when I mentioned I was a christian as part of a convo, people decided to reguarlly hug me and go, hello darling. Obviously trying to disturb me or something.

The people didn't like it when I stroked them going, I love you too Darling in return, made one person run away.

Damn cultists, coming round here stealing our hugs...;)

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Funny thing was my GW of old, had an upstairs gaming with no staff, so some of the discussions went strange. One day when I mentioned I was a christian as part of a convo, people decided to reguarlly hug me and go, hello darling. Obviously trying to disturb me or something.

The people didn't like it when I stroked them going, I love you too Darling in return, made one person run away.

Oh yeah, I remember that. :p