GW Blueshirt scares away another potential customer...

[cronin]

Hi, I just wanted to relate a very troubling incident that just happened to me and my friend in Edinburgh. I am in the middle of starting an IG army (project log soon!) and my friend is quite interested in Space Marines. As we both just finished exams, we decided to go to the Edinburgh GW store (on the Royal Mile) to take a look at the miniatures; my friend is undecided on which Space Marine chapter he wants to play, but we definitely went in with a large purchase in mind.

After spending maybe 20 minutes perusing the shelves, my friend started reading the different Space Marine chapter books, so he could get a better idea of which chapter he wanted to build. I should add that the blueshirts in the store said hello when we came in but made no effort to either engage with us or to sell us anything.

At this point, one blueshirt in particular now decided we were worthy of his attention (the store wasn't even that busy!), but instead of trying to engage with us on the hobby, he came over and very confrontationally demanded to know what we were doing. My friend told him that were just browsing, because he was thinking about getting back into the hobby, but the blueshirt told us that we weren't allowed to read the books in the store, and that "if you came in to do painting or modelling that would be different," but evidently browsing isn't allowed in a GW shop.

I used to go to the GW store in Oxford quite a bit, and I found the staff there to be very helpful with whatever I needed. Frankly I was quite shocked at being treated so rudely, so my friend and I promptly left.

Could someone please let me know what just happened? This is exactly the type of behaviour that I didn't expect in a Games Workshop store, especially not from an employee!

[Yodhrin]

Did you ask first?

GW Edinburgh is my local, and I've always found the current staff to be great blokes; they greet you, they leave you alone unless you ask for help, and they're always happy to let you check stuff out.

However, if your mate wanders in and just starts hashing through codexes off the shelf, I'm failing to see what the issue is. Those things have to be sold, and there's a difference between carefully having a quick look and standing there reading the books like you own them.

[sycopat]

That's pretty weird tbh, I've never experienced anything like that in a GW.

I know most newsagents and bookshops don't allow you to spend too long reading magazines, because if they let people just come in and read them then people wouldn't buy them, and the same thing could well hold true for GW, but I've never noticed it, and I do tend to buy my BL books there (because it's actually cheaper than the nearby bookstore.)

[cronin]

However, if your mate wanders in and just starts hashing through codexes off the shelf, I'm failing to see what the issue is. Those things have to be sold, and there's a difference between carefully having a quick look and standing there reading the books like you own them.

My friend was reading the Space Marines codex, and he was doing it pretty carefully. If I had walked into any bookstore, picked up a similar-sized book, and started persusing, that would be normal behaviour. If anything, seeing the inside of the Codex made me MORE likely to buy it!

Also, my other friend informs me that he timed how long we were in the store (he had to leave to make a phone call) and he says we were in the store for 20 minutes max. How is browsing through a couple of books, in order to plan a large purchase, grounds for getting told off? I've never been in any sort of establishment that sells books (not periodicials, books) that is against careful browsing of the merchandise.

[Max Jet]

Did you ask first?

Pretty much this.

Also you have access to the internet for looking up different chapters and their stories and it doesn't sound like you'd have asked the Blueshirt for help, besides saying hello.

I can't believe I am defending GW Personal but I'm sorry to tell you he was right. You did not ask, you did not make your problem clear, you choose a kind of wierd approach getting to know the different chapters.

My friend was reading the Space Marines codex, and he was doing it pretty carefully. If I had walked into any bookstore, picked up a similar-sized book, and started persusing, that would be normal behaviour.

I am sorry, but this is not true. At least it's not allowed in any of the 12 Book stores I have bought something and I do it regulary. Why should a GW shop be different?

[cronin]

I am sorry, but this is not true. At least it's not allowed in any of the 12 Book stores I have bought something and I do it regulary. Why should a GW shop be different?

I could walk literally 5 minutes to the nearest Blackwell's, sit down for an hour, and read a book cover-to-cover. Sounds like you need a new bookstore...

[TheMav80]

Go into any Barnes & Noble around here and you could read an entire paperback with no one saying anything.

[Agnar the Howler]

The policy on reading the codices definately is not 'Buy first, read later', I believe what the blue shirt did was prattish and immature. If someone wants to know about chapter fluff and background, you help them with it, possibly even bring out the store copy for them to read; what you do not do is smack their wrist and tell them to put it back.

Judging by the time frame you were in the store, and your account of the incident (how the blue shirt responded to your friend saying that he wanted to get back into the hobby etc.) what happened was pretty bad. With all the marine based books (DA, BT, BA, Vanilla SM, SW) and the time frame of 20mins, it leaves 4 mins per book when you don't include browsing miniatures. It's like lending someone a book and accusing them of stealing it when you don't get it back after a few seconds.

None of the bookstores or even the GW store in my area would do anything like that, especially when you've just mentioned that you want to get into the hobby again.

[ICLRK625]

People browse in bookstores all the time. Literally, I can't go into a Barnes and Noble without seeing some 20something year old Hipster sipping Starbucks and reading some book they picked up off a shelf, books they haven't purchased. I'm astounded that bookstores allow them to get away with this, as it goes well beyond browsing, paging through it for 10 or 20 minutes is one thing, but hanging out in a bookstore for 3 hours reading is quite a bit worse.

This, however, does not fit into that category as far as I'm concerned. Your friend wasn't memorizing rules (the primary reason to own the codex), he was reading fluff to decide if he liked the army or not. Most people do not purchase the army books put out by GW for the fluff, they purchase them for the rules, the fluff is just a nice addition. Now if your friend picked up a copy of Gotrek and Felix and sat down and read it, I could understand this, but this is ridiculous.

[Deamon-forge]

ik would of placed the book back and said stuff it and i go spend my cash in a online store. iv done this befor when i was looking around, i got pestered to buy stuff i did not want so i said stuff it i shop online i dont get bugged to buy the latest thing out.
also i think you should be able to have a look at a codex, as you dont want to buy it with out reading (in way reading is haveing a glance at the difrent options in the codex) and geting hope and not liking how it is,

[Llew]

Pretty much this.

Also you have access to the internet for looking up different chapters and their stories and it doesn't sound like you'd have asked the Blueshirt for help, besides saying hello.

I can't believe I am defending GW Personal but I'm sorry to tell you he was right. You did not ask, you did not make your problem clear, you choose a kind of wierd approach getting to know the different chapters.

I am sorry, but this is not true. At least it's not allowed in any of the 12 Book stores I have bought something and I do it regulary. Why should a GW shop be different?

Is this standard practice in the UK? Over here, dedicated bookstores (Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc.) actually have dedicated little reading areas tucked comfortably around the store so you could read if you like. As long as you don't damage the books (break the spine, etc.) you can sit and read.

If you guys really would consider the customer at fault in this scenario, then it's a wonder that stores get any custom at all. (I mean, if everyone runs their stores like that, then that's a standard so people are used to it. But guys would get fired in a lot of retail stores over here for what that Blueshirt did.) It's definitely an insight into cultural differences.

[Max Jet]

It's standard Procedure here in Germany. Of course you can look into a book, but reading it 20 Minutes? This is not a library. Otherwise they would put up some chairs and sofas.

Well I guess I was wrong concerning that matter, however I still think the original poster could have asked.

[FictionalCharacter]

maybe it's a uk vs. u.s. thing, but i find it absolutely ridiculous that a potential customer would be expected to do no more than quickly flip through a codex. also, even if there is some weird unwritten rule about not looking at a codex for more than 3 minutes because by that time you've obviously memorized all of the special weapons options or something, it really doesn't seem like the employee handled the situation professionally anyway.

but hey, most of the indi stores i can think of in this area have demo books on the shelf that are supposed to be read, and they generally don't accuse you of stealing GW's IP if you do so...

[u01sgs4]

From the sound of what your saying that's pretty bad. he really should have come over and asked if he could help you at all. Never heard or seen a blue shirt doing that before. The guys up near me are all really friendly and helpfull

[Brother Loki]

GW stores always used to have a store copy of each codex specifically for browsing, usually with a big sticker on the front stating as much. I haven't actually noticed whether they still do this, as I rarely look at them in store after release - I've either bought a copy or I'm not interested in reading it.

I certainly have never heard of a staffer acting like that before. If it is a policy, its something new. He should have tried to get your friend in to a conversation and help him make some choices. If he was worried about the book getting damaged or something, he could have said so without being confrontational.

[Fay_Redd]

To the OP, That's quite terrible service you've just described, As hard as it is to believe i am ashamed of any GW staff member who acts that way. Good to hear you mention GW Oxford favorably, That's my local and I'd like to boast the best array of staff around, except for warhammer world itself of course.

[Meriwether]

Guess what? Idiots work everywhere.

People who are really bad at retail work lots of places that sell things.

GW stores sell things.

This happens to be a confluence of these events. It's neither surprising that this happens now and then, nor that this kind of story is the one that spreads. (Market research shows that people generally do not talk about perfect service, but talk like crazy about bad service).

On the other hand, if one idiot employee turns your friend off to the entire hobby, then your friend needs a thicker skin. And either way, the store manager should be informed -- politely.

[frozenwastes]

I'd give GW's customer service number a call and tell them about it. The employee should have asked what your friend is interested in and directed him tot he store copy of the codex if he was reading the for sale copy. He could have even walked up with it in hand and offered to swap and then offer your friend a demo game with space marines.

[Art Is Resistance]

Are some of the posters here really saying that you should ASK to look at somehting that you want to buy if it's on a shelf?

Bloody hell, if I'd been spoken to like that I'd have told the blueshirt where to get off! If you want people to buy your stuff, let them browse in peace!

Maybe he should take a walk down the road to Waterstones - they let you browse, and choose in relative peace unless you need help - perfect shopping experience!

[burad]

All of the GW stores I have been to here in the US have store copies of all codexes, just so customers can look at them.