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Dark Lord
Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 2682
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 Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:41 pm Post subject: Grandma Wendy is a B |
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So I got an email this morning from an online gaming store announcing a sale because in June Grandma Wendy will be raising their prices.
Now, did they just raise their prices in October? WTF? What are single minis up to now? $9? 
Un-freaking-believable. In this economic climate, and after posting the tiniest increase in sales in second quarter 2008 they think a good strategy is to raise prices. WTF?! Their profit margin can't be that thin, can it? If it is, then they are doing something seriously wrong.
But I guess most of us knew that already. 
Edit: I just checked their site...and it turns out I underestimated them. Single figs are $10!!! And in June they will be more!
Holy smokes! 
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Stout Youngblood
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 356
Location: Lombard, IL
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| Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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From what I heard its the plastics that are going to be raised this time. Last time they said all metal was going up to help keep the price of the plastics down.
Yeah, right Grandma Wendy.  |
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brownrob
Web Monkey #1
Joined: 19 Nov 2005
Posts: 880
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| Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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LOL well they wont get any custom from me
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Darkson
On his best behaviour
Joined: 06 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 7:27 pm Post subject: |
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Agreed. At a time when money is tight, and hobbies being one of the activities that gets squeezed, raising prices hardly seems like a smart idea.
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Dark Lord
Joined: 23 May 2006
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| Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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Even if they don't raise the price of the metal figs $10 is an insane amount of money for a single human sized fig.
This is $12 from Grandma Wendy
This is $5.50 from Reaper.
What the hell are those idiots at Grandma Wendy doing?
Edit: I think a better question is, why are people still buying this insanely overpriced merchandise?!
That's not an attack...I seriously want to know! I would bet Norse and Galak would like to know too!
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Darkson
On his best behaviour
Joined: 06 Apr 2006
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Location: To your left.
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| Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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Well, if you play at a Grandma Wendy store (and I know people that do, and it's the only gaming they can get), you have to buy their overpriced figs.
And, if I'm honest, the majority of their figs are better than the equivilent figs from people like Reaper (the one above for example).
And also, there is the whole "model-in-hand" thing. I know a lot of people won't buy figs online, unless they've actually seen the model "in the flesh", either on the table, or at a store. It may be different in the US, but many towns/cities here just don't have any other miniature ranges other than Grandma Wendy (mainly because the independent stores that did carry them have either been forced out of business, or only stock the lines that shift a lot - i.e. Grandma Wendy). I have 5 or 6 large-ish towns within an easy 45min-1hr drive of me, plus the town I live in, and none of them (to my knowledge) have a shop that stocks anything other than Grandma Wendy. Go back 5-6 years, and at least 4 of them did.
Still doesn't mean they're worth almost twice as much though.
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What the hell am I doing on a mini's forum? I DON'T PAINT!!!
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Dark Lord
Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 2682
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| Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Darkson wrote: | | And, if I'm honest, the majority of their figs are better than the equivilent figs from people like Reaper (the one above for example). |
That's the only thing you said that just baffles me. I don't see what makes the Grandma Wendy fig better. IMO saying it's equal is being generous, but I wouldn't argue it.
I mean let alone the static pose (both feet facing forward like a good Grandma Wendy model should! lol) His hips and shoulders are parallel despite the fact that his knees are bent and different angles. This means he walks with a limp because one leg is longer than the other. There's a lot more that bugs me about him...but I'll just point out the ornate armor of the reaper fig, compared to the bland armor of the Grandma Wendy one...oh it does have one bit of detail...wait for it...wait for it...a skull! Hooray!
Like I said, I could see somebody calling them equal, but saying the Grandma Wendy fig is "far better" is really confusing to me. Especially when the guys reaper uses are the same guys who do Privateer Press, Ral Partha and Grandma Wendy...or at least used to. I don't know who Grandma Wendy uses now, but IMO the style isn't the same and is dropping fast.
Other than that, you are right on the money. 
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Thom
Joined: 27 May 2007
Posts: 284
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:07 am Post subject: |
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D.L. I love the Mad Dog Avi! (Sorry for the thread derail)
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MidniteXpress
Joined: 14 Feb 2009
Posts: 128
Location: Scotland
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:19 am Post subject: |
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generally speaking i do like alot of grandma's figs, but i have to say i much prefer the reaper mini shown above.
my problem, well one of them, with grandma is that they do one or two nice figs for an army and then the rest of the figs that follow are just more of the same. which makes the whole range bland. other "smaller" companies mix it up and keep things fresh. just look at the siringit team from impact.
grandma stopped trying to be the best some time ago, and now other companies are becoming real competition they are getting desperate and making mistakes. in my opinion if granny was willing to stock other ranges and allow those figs to be used in store, then the number of customers would dramatically increase and they could afford to keep their prices reasonable, but of course they won't.
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MidniteXpress
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Dark Lord
Joined: 23 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:20 am Post subject: |
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| Thom wrote: | | D.L. I love the Mad Dog Avi! (Sorry for the thread derail) |
Wild Dog...but no prob cuz I call him that too! It's a better name. 
Wild Dog's mini-series took place in Davenport and the Quad Cities and used real landmarks from my home town. 
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brownrob
Web Monkey #1
Joined: 19 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:09 am Post subject: |
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The granny mini has a better paintjob, and little else
I think its a poor fig, and I wouldnt pay $4 for it, let alone $12
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GalakStarscraper
The Big Man
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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We haven't raised the base prices of our figures since we opened three years ago. Some of the prices have gone up (and some down) over the last year but that was because we base our prices on the USD price and I had to adjust for exchange rates .... but we still charge $4.75 USD for our human figures and $3.50 USD if Phil Bowen sculpted them.
We don't see that changing in the near future.
What happened was a lot of stores raised their prices when the cost of tin shot through the roof ... we did not. When the price of tin dropped ... most stores didn't drop their prices.
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Dark Lord
Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 2682
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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| GalakStarscraper wrote: | What happened was a lot of stores raised their prices when the cost of tin shot through the roof ... we did not. When the price of tin dropped ... most stores didn't drop their prices.
Galak |
I think that's how it is with a lot of products, not just tin. But it seems like Grandma Wendy raises their prices every 6 months. They see a tiny increase in sales and they think the market will sustain a price increase and they don't hesitate. Meanwhile they're selling off their old licenses and focusing on only two games. Grandma Wendy is a game company that only makes two games!
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Mephisto
Joined: 28 May 2007
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Darkson
On his best behaviour
Joined: 06 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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Must just be one of those things were "different strokes" come in, cos I think that Reaper fig is awful - nowhere near as good as the Grandma Wendy one.
| Dark Lord wrote: | | GalakStarscraper wrote: | What happened was a lot of stores raised their prices when the cost of tin shot through the roof ... we did not. When the price of tin dropped ... most stores didn't drop their prices.
Galak |
I think that's how it is with a lot of products, not just tin. |
Yep, it is. When I worked for a major UK supermarket, we (and our competitors) would raise our petrol (gas) prices within a couple of hours of the price of a barrel of oil going up. It could take up to a week for the price to drop when the oil price went down though.
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What the hell am I doing on a mini's forum? I DON'T PAINT!!!
Nor do I
"Don't talk back to Darth Vader. He'll get ya. " |
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