GW’s grand opening of the LA Warhammer Cafe store was perfect for people who love 6-hour lines and no amenities…
The event was pretty hyped up by GW for months now, and either they didn’t expect people to be this excited, or they just never had a plan in place. Even writer Graham McNeill came home empty-handed after seeing the line (we’ll take a closer look at what he had to say later).
If you offer exclusive minis and a fun place to hang out, people are inevitably going to show up. Not only was the line long, but the heat also reached well into the 90-degree mark, there were no refreshments outside of the store (not even to buy), no basic event amenities, and California COVID guidelines, were, let’s say “mixed”.
Seriously though, the line to just get into the store (which is actually in Monrovia) was at times over 6 hours long.
Why? According to upset hobbyists, there was a single cash register open with no other POS in place. Some people got there early and even took long trips just to get there, but it seemed like you had to camp out and still forever.
GW Fumbles LA Warhammer Cafe Store Opening Big Time
The feedback from the event wasn’t nearly as positive as we had hoped (obviously). The above pic is just a tiny fraction of the line. Being in the California Heat, you would think GW would have had some kind of misters set up, a drink station, other booths, people taking food orders, or at least more than one cash register, but no, basically they had nothing.
If you want to take the hype of something like Los Angeles name (which people who live there have seemed to take offense to since it’s not even in LA), you better expect LA-sized crowds. Allegedly they had one employee walking around the whole event, but instead of helping people in the crazy heat, all they did was tell people not to take photographs, thus controlling the narrative of the event.
Why not tell people to not take photos and at least walk around with cold water?
This type of post was everywhere. Imagine standing there for 3 hours already and being told you had another 2-3 to go, not much fun we would say… Still, GW could have at least bought some of the most basic event supplies. Did they just think no one would show up after talking about it for months? Did they just not care at all? Or are they just that confused about the fanaticism of the hobbyists?
Whatever the answer, it was quite the fumble!
Even Graham Mcneill Went Home Empty-Handed
He went to his Twitter to show his frustration with the event. If he couldn’t grab the mini, the rest of us had no chance! Still, most of this could have been avoided if they actually just opened up a few extra points of sale locations and treated this like the opening of any big new event.
For a company this size, it seems like Games Workshop should not have problems of this magnitude. We hope the events team can get these issues ironed out or their new US Open series may be doomed before it even starts as well…
Did you go to the event? Do you think this will better prep them for future openings?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
