40K Deep Thought: Don’t Blame the Redshirts
One gamer wants to bend your ear as you prepare to swamp GW stores this weekend for that limited edition miniature.
A guest column by David Draper
“Bring popcorn.”
What are you talking about, David?
Let me back up. I’m David. I’m a 37-year-old married father of twin three-year-old mini sisters of battle. I work. I’m married. My wife works too. So I don’t have a ton of time on my hands.
When possible, I try plan things out to make the most of a scarce resource.
I called my local Games Workshop store today to find out what the situation was for this weekend. I wanted to know if he expected to have a ton of marines or a few marines or what. I’m not going to name the store because I don’t want to get the guy in trouble. Here is what he said to the best of my memory:
‘I just got an email today saying we are going to get fewer CELEBRATION marines than they originally told me. They only sent (x)* 2016 space marines a few weeks ago, and by the time we opened on Saturday, there where over 4x* people lined at the door. So, unless you can get here really early, just bring popcorn and watch people scream at me all day. We’ll be open late.**”
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This local manager is a good guy. He cares about the local community. His knowledge of the lore and the rules is encyclopedic. He holds events just about every weekend. Escalation leagues. Best army contests. 1 vs. everyone brawls. He teaches people painting techniques. He knows the books and has his favorite authors and stories. He discusses the latest rumors about releases (though if he knows more than the internet rumors do, he doesn’t tell us). He is completely cool to girlfriends and wives. He has a great sense of humor. He is *exactly* the kind of guy Games Workshop wants working in their store. I know this because he is EXACTLY the kind of guy I want to have at a Games Workshop store.
Let’s be good to him. I bet he isn’t the only manager who has received a similar message from Games Workshop. It is super easy to take our frustrations out on the guy in front of us. We always hurt the ones we love. But if we want to be a good community, we need to help support some of these store managers, especially the ones we care. Anyone old enough to have a job knows what it’s like to have to put up with impossible work situations. Let’s do our best not to do that to someone else. Sure we are going to be mad if we don’t get our marine. But this is out of his hands.
I don’t work for Games Workshop. This guy isn’t a friend of mine outside the store. He isn’t a family member. No one is paying me or otherwise compensating me for this column. No one is asking me to write this. I just want to do something to send a message.
I live in a community that has had a dedicated games workshop store for about 3 years. And there has been *significant* turnover in that time. I think the current guy is manager number 5 or 6. I’m doing this because it sounds like this guy suspects that Games Workshop is sending him into the storm this weekend and there is nothing he can do about it but take the frustration of angry fans, who have been reading the same rumors and statements that I have from Games Workshop, such as “Exclusive Marine Only Available in North American Games Workshop Stores On the 28th and 29th Of May” which is EXACTLY what it says ON THE GAMES WORKSHOP WEBSITE AS I WRITE THIS.
It sounds to me like five minutes after the store opens, they are going to be out of stock, and forget the folks who show up an hour or five HOURS later, not to mention the next day.
And who knows. Maybe there will be plenty of 100th store celebration marines, and writing this is all just a waste of time.
But maybe it’s not. And in case it’s not, let’s not go nuts on the folks working at the store. If you really are upset, call/email GW customer service, but don’t take it out on the store employees.
To everyone who have gotten this far, thank you for reading this.
Always,
David Draper.
*number omitted to protect the guy.
** this is what he said to the best of my memory- it may not be word for word, but it is as close as I can recall.
~Good hunting you Captain Centos collectors – and regardless of your shopping results – be nice to the guys behind the counter!
David Draper wishes he could spend as much time as his cats do playing with the models, brushes and paints on his hobby desk.
