First allocations, and now it seems Games Workshop is really sticking it to smaller retailers in the US and the ones in Canada.
There are some things GW does well and others they can’t seem to get with the times. Games Workshop has made it really hard for stores to carry their products for some time now, and recent policies make the relationship even more strained.
It feels like they are treating all the stores in Canada and smaller US retailers as just secondary partners, which makes it harder for stores to want to carry their products with so many hoops to jump through each week for so little return.
Games Workshop Sticks It to Canada & Smaller Retailers
This has been reported by smaller stores in the US and by pretty much every one that we’ve talked to in Canada. First, theses stores are saying their reps only allow them to place pre-orders over the phone on the Monday-Tuesday after pre-orders go live on GW’s site.
While that may not seem obnoxious initially, let’s break that down a bit.
So now, the products go up for pre-order on Saturday on the Games Workshop’s site (and in some cases sells out entirely from the “webstore stock”), before these stores are even eligible to pre-order them days later on the following Monday or Tuesday.
This means their customers can already order it from the webstore before their local store even knows if they are getting any copies of whatever is a new release that week. When you factor in caps and allocations, it’s tough for stores to promise products to their customers, as they don’t even have an accurate idea of how many they will even be able to order (as the number can even change from the caps if the webstore stock sells out).
There are some obvious issues here, but maybe the oddest is that GW still makes stores order from a rep over the phone like it is the 1990s.
Every single retailer we have ever spoken with wonders why Games Workshop does not have a digital option for weekly ordering. It seems very behind the times. Next, it makes it hard for stores to promise a certain amount to their customers or for people pre-order from them instead of Games Workshop.
However, it can get even worse than being unable to promise customers products. From the stores we spoke with and the comments on the GW retailers’ Facebook group, the latest new releases have been longer available when they go to pre-order days later after GW puts them up for sale on their own webstore.
So in a lot of cases, these stores can’t even get a single box of the new releases at times. Worse yet, GW lets other retailers order the Wednesday-Friday of the week prior before things go up for order on the Games Workshop webstore!
However, Games Workshop reps have assured everyone we spoke with that the numbers available are the same for each store, and this new way of ordering for stores is the fairest for everyone…
What are your thoughts on this new Games Workshop ordering system for smaller stores and retailers in Canada?
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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.
