wallacer:
For those who are interested:
Fool UK | Share Tips, Investing and Stock Market News
Games Workshop swaps tin for plastic to beat market
UPDATE 1-Games Workshop FY pretax profit up | Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GAW.L
cornixt:
Quote from the first one: "Less impressive is the online operation. The report boasts it’s revamped and rolled-out a new website successfully, but I think the site is somewhat confusing, and hides the products for sale. "
I have trouble finding a page that doesn’t have a billion products for sale on it.
GRNDL:
I don’t even bother with the website anymore. I used to go there for sneak peaks, conversion articles and to buy bitz, but now most of that is moot. I have a very resourceful FLGS and pretty much anything thats direct services related I can probably get from him.
Personally, I can’t see how GW is making money after all this time abusing its customers. Granted, some things like Games Day have gotten better, but after fiascos like the Deffroller and blastscape terrain, their performance and strategies leave a lot to be desired.
wallacer:
I don’t like the web site much either, i’m not surprised it’s being reviewed unfavourably. It must be incredibly annoying for someone just starting in the game wanting to buy something or for someone looking for a gift.
two_heads_talking:
I don't even bother with the website anymore. I used to go there for sneak peaks, conversion articles and to buy bitz, but now most of that is moot. I have a very resourceful FLGS and pretty much anything thats direct services related I can probably get from him.Dakka DaKKA has a few conversations about these issues too. the finances are abysmal and the website seems like it's done by someone's friend in exchange for free product..
Personally, I can't see how GW is making money after all this time abusing its customers. Granted, some things like Games Day have gotten better, but after fiascos like the Deffroller and blastscape terrain, their performance and strategies leave a lot to be desired.
GRNDL
Theory_Man:
I don't like the web site much either, i'm not surprised it's being reviewed unfavourably. It must be incredibly annoying for someone just starting in the game wanting to buy something or for someone looking for a gift.Second
wallacer
Kera foehunter:
ah!! same old stuff!!
Grimstonefire:
I’d have to agree with you Theory_Man
Kirby is an @ss as always, but in terms of paying off debts whilst they have the cash boost from licenses it’s a smart move. Leverage wise they must be a whole lot better off now.
It’s funny reading the other articles about it though, if they had not had the benefits of the exchange movement they would have done badly. Being saved by something outside of their control is not really something to be pleased about I think, and certainly no measure of long term success. I personally don’t see how the one man store format can possibly work? It would have to be a small store.
dedwrekka:
I don't like the web site much either, i'm not surprised it's being reviewed unfavourably. It must be incredibly annoying for someone just starting in the game wanting to buy something or for someone looking for a gift.I don't understand the bile against the website from a design perspective, it's actually very well designed. The last two sites would change format as you moved through the links, and some articles and such were so far buried that you had to go through four or more links and search for link-words in multiple articles just to find them (Case in point, the Feral Ork articles by Chambers and Wood).
wallacer
dedwrekka:
Well actually they've increased the number of bits packs and collectors models since the store got reformatted, so they're keeping their end of that bargain at the moment.I don't like the web site much either, i'm not surprised it's being reviewed unfavourably. It must be incredibly annoying for someone just starting in the game wanting to buy something or for someone looking for a gift.Second
wallacer
It's weird that GW doesn't put a little more effort in in it's online store and promote the formation of gamer clubs at peoples' houses and mareting more to independent retailers to get some sales in more rural areas were placing a GW store would not be profitable considering, according to the 1st article, "Salaries and related expenses are Games Workshop's biggest expense at over £50m."
I agree with the article's statement that GW paying off alot of it's debt from money gained from royalties is a good move.
.02
Theory_Man
It's funny reading the other articles about it though, if they had not had the benefits of the exchange movement they would have done badly. Being saved by something outside of their control is not really something to be pleased about I think, and certainly no measure of long term success. I personally don't see how the one man store format can possibly work? It would have to be a small store.Actually, from the sounds of it they are profiting a lot more off of royalties and the switch to plastic over metals.
Grimstonefire
two_heads_talking:
Actually, from the sounds of it they are profiting a lot more off of royalties and the switch to plastic over metals.they are, where plastics used to be the cheaper alternative, the charge now for plastics is equal to or more than the metal alternatives. It's proven it's cheaper to make the plastics (after the initial investment for the mold and machine it's pretty much pennies on the dollar to fabricate, in that it's just materials and some labor) but they've gone ahead and said, we'll charge what the market will bear, meaning a direct increase in cost..
dedwrekka
Kera foehunter:
well two heads is right this year they price me out to !! who want plastic
Willmark:
...From a content perspective it leaves something to be desired.There is the issue.
dedwrekka
The Brain:
I think the web site is horrible. It is a pain to move around. On any computer that I try to look it up on it runs very slow so there is some kind of software problem. It also has very poor pics of the product. The old site used to show you bits of each model even after they stopped selling them individually. Now all you see is the box cover.
The whole one guy to a store thing it is sad. The employees they get are usually weirdoes that give off the gamer stereotypes. It is awful if you go in to pick up paint they hound you like vultures, pestering you with questions like you a newbe, but when you need to be checked out they are pestering someone else who just walked in. If they are going to keep this model then they need to keep the guy at the register and keep them from hawking the people on the floor.
As far as pricing goes I stopped buying figs from them over a year ago when I lost my connection. Now days I stick to ebay and conventions for the stuff I want. I don�?Tt buy all this crap about their licensing and how much it cost to make molds. They have been saying that stuff for years. They tried to say last year that it was because of the price of gas, but if you notice the cost did not come down this year. If you have looked at the price of the new great swords you know what I mean. If they can afford to make a profit off of their employees (who get 50% off) then they are steeling from the rest of us.