Precinct Omega
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Ow. My brain. My heart.
🕑 Added 2020-07-04 16:29:48 +0000 UTCIt has been a haaard week. Originally my clients and I though that I'd be working on their restructure project for about three days a week, with room to stretch to four if needed. But in practice, it's been full-time, 45-50 hours this last week.
My client is in the catering and hospitality sector, with field-based workers all over the UK. And as the sector has taken a huge hit in the COVID crisis, they are having to cut headcount by about 30%. Thankfully, the staff are mostly being compliant and understanding. The smarter ones can see what's happening all over the UK. This isn't good for them and those who lose their jobs will struggle to find work, but they are at least aware that this isn't their employer's fault (for once!).
I mention this only because I can see the writing on the wall.
I once had a chat with someone who was, at the time, fairly senior in Games Workshop's management and he told me that he thought GW was largely "recession proof" because people actually need their hobbies more in times of low employment. At the time, I wasn't sure, but I respected his experience.
But that was 20 years ago and I'm older and wiser. The wargames community will find its way through a recession by doing things that don't cost too much money, and GW - who have weathered COVID-19 almost untroubled - are going to take a hit if we find ourselves blundering into a major recession, because there are far cheaper ways for people to enjoy wargames than buying GW stuff.
Obviously, those of us at the cheaper end of the market will, in principle, benefit from this. But I'm under no illusions that some of my beloved patrons are hurting and will hurt from this in the near future. I've seen more patrons fall away citing "financial situation changed" in the exit interview than anything else. Now, obviously, I want you folks to stay. But I don't want you to suffer.
Remember that you can suspend payments without quitting your patronage and still have access to posts you've already unlocked. But if things are hard... I expect you to prioritize your own well-being and the well-being of your families. By all means, drop me like a wet sock. I'll be sad. I'll miss you. But I'll get it.
