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Sunday, May 16, 2010

Retail Failures


Looks like I can now add Warhammer World to the list of GW stores/events that have personally pissed me off.
 My pal Hoagy dropped in there while home visiting his family (and announcing some big life changing event which he has thus far failed to tell me about, as rumor has it). Since getting FW stuff in the states is a big ass hassle, he was kind enough to bring a list of things that I needed:





  • Vendetta conversion kit
  • IA 8
  • Elysian HW squad
  • and in case any of the above were out of stock an Elysian Venator
Due to the inventory wizzes running the store, all of the Elysian stuff (including the Vendetta upgrade bits) were out of stock. So they failed to offer Elysian models to complement a new release (IA8) that heavily featured the Elysians. Way to fail at retail. Oh well, at least I got the book and a Venator (not sure what I'm going to do with it, but it is a dune buggy with guns). Better yet, I don't have to pay shipping or rely on the Chicago Bunker to fuck up my order*.

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*Here is the short list of other ways that GW retail has failed me:
  • Chicago Bunker taking nearly 4 months to get my copy of IA7. They lied to me many times about why the book hadn't come in: "order system issues (which didn't exist)" and forge world lost an entire month's incoming orders. Turns out, according to their asshole manager, they actually just forgot to order a bunch of shit. To make matters worse, they didn't fucking call me when the book actually arrived. Then they called me 3 weeks after I picked it up to tell me that my order had come in. Lucky for them I was honest and didn't take advantage of a complimentary copy of IA 7
  • Chicago Games day: I rode the line ride for 3 hours to get FW shit. Many out of stocks. Several of my friends even walked away with nothing from their lists. They didn't even have several items that were released two weeks before the event and tried to pass it off by telling me that one of the kits wasn't released yet. GRRRR!
  • Received an entire Elysian squad sans heads. Called bunker to seek replacement. I was told to contact FW directly. They couldn't even send an e-mail on my behalf. 10+ e-mails of my own later and I have still not heard from FW.

7 comments:

The CPT said...

I was visiting the girlfriend in Seattle, so I got all excited to go to the Seattle Bunker because they carried FW stuff.

Nope.

Apparently they don't carry FW anymore other than the books. Redshirt said it was because the FW stock had become 'stagnant'. Is the same stuff going down in Chicago?

So I'm back to ordering online and getting bent over for express shipping. Sigh.

Chumbalaya said...

Ouch, remind me not to buy FW stuff.

Dethtron said...

CPT: word on the street is that all the bunkers got their FW stocking privaleges revoked. According to one of the Chicago guys, they were being dumbasses and ordering a shitload of titans and shit that weren't selling, so it was killing their ordering budgets. So we can thank the geniuses that bought stuff that nobody can afford for their stores instead of what people want. Had they stuck to cheaper, easier to turn products they wouldn't be in the fix they are now. hydras, manticores, rhino doors, shoulder pads, DKoK, LR doors, nid wings, and a bunch of other little affordable stuff would all be great sellers to keep in stock.

Open letter to GWUS retail: if you would like my years of retail MGMT experience and consulting experience to help un-fuck the disaster that is your US retail arm, you know where to find me. Note, that I will not under any circumstances attend your hamburger university in Maryland for 4 months, though.

Anonymous said...

GW has a hamburger university?! Shit, maybe I should apply for a sales job...Mmmm Hamburger...

Anonymous said...

Utter fail!!

I'm pretty sure one us Brits can give you a hand getting your sh*t!

If you don't trust me ( =P to you ) I'm pretty sure my details are on the General Medical Register and you have my name - check your old e-mails! ;)

Hoagy said...

Jeezus H Tapdancing christ, that IA 8 book I decided to put in my carry on, instead of putting it in the luggage, because it weighs so fookin' much! so, from Heathrow to Frankfurt, and from Franfurt to Chicago I nursed that book, and your dune buggy like it was my own flesh and blood. I'd like to see a GW/FW employee give THAT level of dedication :)

The Lord of Excess said...

All I know is if the shareholders only knew how shitty a job GW is doing at managing some potentially heavy revenue generating streams. Forgeworld US is something that should have been done five years ago. Lets not even talk about merchandising ... easily accessible T-Shirts ... alone ... would probably generate millions in the US alone. Its really sad because I can remember a time years ago in the days of yor ... that GW had stellar customer service. Not so anymore ... GW US is by in large run by idiots. I know there are some good employees out there but GW seems to have a larger than average (for retail) share of asshole jerks running their stores and battlebunkers. I guess all the decent employees soon quit and move on to better work ... like working at Wal-Mart or something.