Walked into a GW at a major shopping centre this morning to pick up some black spray thanks to mine running out halfway through a unit. Pause at the table nearest the door where they've set up the Hobbit miniatures as I haven't actually seen them in person. Another guy walks in behind me and stops at the same table. Redshirt comes over and starts talking to us about the Hobbit movie and how we could split the box between us and how it's a great introduction to gaming. At this point the other guy and I have kinda raised our eyebrows in collective confusion. Redshirt then segues into a spiel about the new White Dwarf and the Golden Demon feature.
Two problems:
1. I've been collecting for nine years. Pretty sure I don't need the Hobbit to introduce me. Plus the miniatures aren't *that* great anyway. Check the crowd before launching into your speech (which, IIRC, is part of GWs customer service 'golden rules').
2. If I was in fact a newbie, you really think Golden Demon is the first thing I'm going to want to know about? Sure they look great, but I'm pretty sure that's going to intimidate someone who's never put paint to model before. Try pushing the free poster or the feature on the Dark Angels. Much better plan.