Okay, I'm really trying to get the ball rolling at my LGS for 40k and I'm having a hell of a time of it. The GW price gap between the Canadian and the US distributors is actually killing off Canadian GW stores and LGS support for 40k and Fantasy. Very literally I can go to a US online retailer and, if I buy enough to mitigate shipping costs, get GW product at a lower price, as a customer, than I can get it here as a retailer.
This is ridiculous! I get more mileage out of my GW product by showing people how much they'll save by buying Warmachine or AT-43 than by actually selling GW products to people. I don't know how much they're paying the big idiots at GW to see how long they can float their Canadian Customer base, but I hope they change direction soon or people will only be carrying their product because it's recognizeable to newer gamers.
Look, this is going to be a shorter piece than normal because I really can't be more clear with what I'm saying without just repeating myself. Games Workshop has just come out with another edition for 40k and has had a lot of success from the Black Reach box, but they still seem to have their heads stuck in the sand in so far as their ability to keep customers happy. I've been told by my Rep. that instead of dropping Canadian prices, they're going to raise US prices to match.
I remember saying to my friend 3 years ago that it would be impossible for GW to go out of business because they were simply the benchmark for quality models, story telling, and...umm...rules. well not the last one too much but you know what I mean. They very literally have the largest and most intriguing story I've ever read and they're about 20 years ahead of everyone else in the industry when it comes to mold technology and model creation. With these and other edges on the competition I've been flabergasted by their decline. Where is their brand new spirit? where is their completely revamped sales ideology? Why aren't they listening to their customers or taking cues from their competition?
GW can die, and the only one to blame will be their own naval gazing marketing department.
and that can only be bad for the Game.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
To be honest, the problem is as much that the American dollar deflated as it is that the Canadian dollar rose. Which is to say that they are correct in their assessment that they are underpriced. The problem is that most of the other miniatures that we get come straight from the states and so we work off of their dollar. Notice many game companies having to raise their prices as the American dollar just doesn't keep pulling it's weight.
I can see that for sure, but at the same time prices are equal across the board for every other company out there that sells on both sides of the border. it's gauging customers and stores if you have two different price sets.
I know Privateer Press had to recently raise prices but the price still stayed the same no matter which country you bought it in after exchange rates.
Perhaps that's why they're going to raise the price in the US to match Canada's price?
Post a Comment