Warhammer — Local services in Scottsdale

Tl;Dr The store is terrible but the employees are fantastic.

First, let me start by saying I am a longtime tabletop player who has been to many stores in the Valley (about a decade and a half at the time of writing). This store has so many issues that I'll detail below:

Small size. This is possibly the biggest problem with the store and some of the other issues stem from it. There simply isn't enough room for everything GW wants to sell, plus tables for gaming and hobbying and learning. Even at twice the size it would still be a snug fit on the weekends.

Poor product selection. Many armies have little more than a Spearhead/ Combat Patrol and 1-2 supplemental boxes. You won't find everything you need for your army even if you have the most popular ones. This is partially due to the small size, but also:

Online Only products are not available in store. Why oh why would GW make online exclusive products and not have a selection of them in their stores to drive sales.

No Store Exclusives. Unless you're doing an anniversary event or a monthly free model + coin weekend there is NOTHING exclusive to the Warhammer store. No special units, no unique paints, no merchandise, no books that cannot be bought elsewhere for less money.

Having said all of this, there are two reasons that I go to the Warhammer store and each earns a star in this review: Clay and Dominic. Both of these awesome guys are knowledgeable, experienced, and extremely helpful with any of the games GW offers. They're the entire reason this store sees any sales and I would stop going entirely if...

Dude and Dudettes, these guys RULE!!! I recently found myself curious about Warhammer 40k from a model building perspective and decided to stop in the store one day. Clay was on duty that day and proceeded to spend the next hour or so walking me through everything from the basics of building to different painting techniques, to the basic concept of the game and each type of army. I was immediately hooked on the detail painting and I even started trying to plan out my first army build list. I returned the following day in order to buy a few more paints when I met David. Even though the store was a bit busy and both tables had active games going on, David took the time to walk me through a few color schemes I had decided on and helped me further understand traditional layering vs contrast paints pros and cons. Being in the hospitality industry myself, I pay particular attention to the purchasing experience more than the product itself. I can say with a rather high level of certainty, the time I've spent in this store over the last week's worth of visits has been some of the best customer service I've ever received in Arizona. There are a few other Warhammer stores around the valley but if you're looking for a great, welcoming environment with friendly and knowledgeable staff, this is the only spot to consider....

I have been in the Warhammer world for around 2 decades. It has been many years since I found an official store that felt right and was a good fit with the manager, clientele, and atmosphere. I have also been to every official store in Phoenix and will go out of my way to travel farther for this one. Clay is an amazing dude and cares about his customers. It's a great place to play, talk, and just hangout.

Updated 3/23/2023 The store now is open 7 days a week and the second employee David is knowledgeable and can answer just about every question you can think of. Both employees are great and willing to walk you through anything you would like to play. Played a game today against Clay! What a bunch of laughs and surprises. Can't beat some lucky and unlucky dice rolls to keep you...