f13.net

So this is probably news to no one except me, but I just walked into a Gamestop to buy Advance Wars: Dual Strike, and the lady asked if I wanted to buy a 1 year warranty on the game for five dollars.  I was incredulous, "but..it's a brand new game..." Then she tried to get me to preorder some games.  This shit is weak.  I doubt I'll ever go back unless I'm utterly desperate.  Which is pretty likely to happen I guess.  All things considered.

A 1-year warranty? I've never heard of such things, for games.

And they Always ask if you want to pre-order something. I got ahold of their list last time I was there...nothing good really.

Yeah, I get that at my local EB when I actually have to use it these days. First (if it's non-PC) it's the used rack 'for discounts', then the insurance policy, then the strategy guide, and then preordering.

Needless to say, their business has dropped off a good bit lately.

Do they protect your console against nasty StarForcey thingamadoohickies?

Buying from EBgames can get a little annoying. I think they (Gamestop and EB) are the same company so you get the same schtick.

Trading anything in today?
Would you like a 1 year garuntee on the game (they'll ask this for new and used)?
Would you like to buy a used copy of that game? We've got one in stock.
You know, if you buy another used game, you can get one free? That is if you want that used copy?
You want to preorder anything? Nothing out there interests you? Do you play WoW? Why did you quit? Well, you know, you can always cancel your pre-order. And hey, it's an expansion.. you might have fun! No? *pouty face*

It can be a little annoying saying "No" 5 times before you swipe your credit card.

I guess my general pissy demeanor helps me avoid this because I have been in EB a few times this month and have not experienced the hard up-sell. One scowl and the pimply faced guy wants me to go away.

But now I feel pouty myself...

You forgot the best one.

"Would you like to pick up the stratgy guide to go along with this?"
"no thanks"
"are you sure? it has all kinds of helpful hits?"
"nahh, dont need it."
"This game can be pretty tough, and the stratgy guide has full color maps of all the levels, and if you buy it now, its only $12.99 instead of $19.99"
"If I want maps, and walkthroughs Ill get them on the internet, for free. And anyway, stratgy guides ruin the game by taking all the fun out of it. I think people who buy a game and its stratgy guide at the same time are pretty pathetic, and they end up losing money, cause the game is basically easy mode so you pay more for less fun. So no, I dont want the stratgy guide"

Actual conversation at EBGames.

I always buy strat guides. I generally avoid the walkthrough sections unless I am totally stumped; I just like having as much info as possible about how the game works. You know, stuff that USED TO BE IN THE FUCKING MANUAL. I realize that by continuing to purchase the guides that I am tacitly promoting this annoying trend, but it isn't like the manuals are suddenly going to robust again. My buddy and I used to gauge how interesting a game would be by hefting the box in the store- heavy = good, since it had a big manual (and thus interesting complexity).

I've managed to train my local EB teens to not ask me about the strategy guides (much) any more, since I still brave their den of digital iniquity for PC games. After they got down to "but it has all sorts of nice artwork!", it became pretty clear how desperate they were for income.

Are these guys on commission or something?

The only times I'm at my local game stores is when I'm in the city and bored, to game some in the stores. I always buy games online, unless I'm really desperate.

Was rather funny some weeks ago, me and my mate who is a fairly large guy with blacksmith as profession, with the looks of your average Al-Qaida member stationed ourself at the GC booth. I'm a fairly large and scary looking guy myself so none of the kiddies around really dared to ask us of they could play. So there we were playing Viewtiful Joe 2 against each other for a couple of hours. Thing is I get rather competetive and swear quite a lot when stuff ain't going my way when I play these sort of games with my buds. So there I was shouting things like cunt, fuck etc repeatedly with all the small kids runing around. Not even the personel at the place came and talked to us even if they were nearby hehe.

I find lunatic laughter an appropriate response to most EB employee questions.

You played Viewtiful Joe with a friend in an EB Games for 2 hours? Gross.

Naa, there's no EB Games where I live. The store was called Game ( probably some international chain, I don't know ). It was all good fun though, none of us had ever played any game in the series before hehe.

My revulsion stands.

About the only good bit of new draconian copyright laws that *AAs lobbyist trying to push out is that re-sale of used game titles will become illegal. They are *really* trying to milk you and don't even cuddle afterwards.

Me? is that you again?

Anyway. Here is my version of that conversation:

"Would you like to buy a strategy guide for <insert random dtrategy or RPG title here>?"

"What would be the point of buying the damned game if I had all the answers?"

here endith said conversation.

What a bunch of assholes.

"Hey, schild, you want the strat guide?"

"Does it have pictures?"

"Yes."

"Sold."

Life is too short.

But you penis gets smaller if you do not post a story on the internet about intimidating teens.  I like gamestop (so far, been there 3 times).

I'm fairly sure, even after these last 2 slow months that I'm still the best customer the local gamestop has. When you're a good customer, you get treated better.

SHOCK.

AWE.

NEWS AT 11.

Also, to all the people that don't preorder - it's a sad fact of life that you have to on anything not made by Squaresoft, EA, Eidos, or UBISoft. Suck it up.

Maybe its my area, but honestly I had no problems.  They started with the guarantee, I stated no with a chuckle, and that was it.  Almost like they were embarrassed by it.  The thing I do not understand it the hardcore "NO" people are bragging about.  Or even why this thread is here.  Vote with dollars for the win?

I don't understand your post.

Nor did I, until I went back and read what the thread was about. Then it made sense.

I have THE worst game warranty and discount card sales. I refuse to pressure my customers and I rarely ask. When I do it's because I truely believe they're too incompetent to take care of a small disc.

As for strategy guides? They're bathroom material in our store. No one buys that shit. Well, unless they go down to 9.99 or free.

Not to well, state the obvious here but as a former management tool for EBGames I can tell you that EB actually hates selling new (brand new) games.  (PC games too)  Because of the dreaded profit margins involved I was informed (indoctrinated) that on a regular XBox for example the bottom line profit for EB is about 11$.  They'd much rather buy a used game from you for 4$, but then turn around and do literally nothing to the box other than stick a 14$ price tag on it so one of your local area welfare income recipients can come get themselves a "good deal".  Same deal with game gaurentees.  You're paying 5$ to insure something that shouldn't ever get damaged unless you're really mishandling your game discs.

Ideal EB scenario:  You come in and sell them 2-3 games that are less than 2 years old, then turn around and use that money to buy another "pre-played" game off the shelf, adding a game gaurentee into the mix because hey, that used game could be scratched and you might need to return it! (God knows they have 27 copies of GTA: San Andreas or MX vs. ATV in the drawer anyway so.)  If you do what I described it may cause spontaneous wet spots on the EB clerk's pants, or you might get fellated.

So, yea I do hate the cockgobbling corporate motherfuckers.

Those preordering policies are just a lame way for stores to avoid having to stock up on games. It is basically transfer of risk from the stores to the customers. The store refuses to stock up on games because if it miscalculates demand then it sits on a lot of boxes that might never get being sold. I can understand why stores do it but I always thought that it was lame.

I enjoy actually being able to go in a german store on launch day and pick up a copy of my favorite game without having to worry about lame preorering schemes.

I was shocked the Gamestop didn't ask me anything monday.  I was sick (still am really), but wanted a couple games since I was out and about for cold medicines anyhow.
They didn't acknowledge my existence or anything.  I just looked through the PSP games and found Gripshift new for 20 bucks (its like Trackmania, cept portable and without the Starforce!), and grabbed Suikoden Tactics for 25 bucks because the only console JRPGs I like are the tactics games and brought them up to the register.  A clerk assisted me, gave me the damages, I gave him the money, he was polite and I left with my games.

Thats all I ask.

That does not happen much.  I was pretty well shocked, expecting the hard sell or at the very least the offer to get the used copy of Gripshift for 2 dollars less.

Instead I was able to continue not talking, avoiding coughing or croaking a stream of no responses.

Makes me wonder if those clerks saw the Something Awful frontpage from last week...

Could be wrong, but my understanding is that publishers were the ones who purchased shelf space in stores for their product, so it has more to do with the publishers wanting to put off risk, not EB etc.  Not to mention that publishers carry a much higher risk for creating the product itself.  At least in the case of EB, having a couple unsellable copies of Nada III on the shelf gives the appearance of variety, which is more than can be said for EA stocking a million of them in a warehouse.

Is that really true for those electronic/game boutiques? I know it is for bigger box retailers and for grocery stores, but I was not aware that game publishers paid for shelf space at your local games store...

I don't know for sure, more asking than stating.

Other than not being mentally challenged enough to buy a warranty on a fucking game, I must be EB's favoritest type of customer, since I mostly buy used and trade games in. If the video game industry knew fuckall about the right way to do business, stores like EB wouldn't need used games to make decent per unit profit.

As for being sold on stupid shit, I tend to just space out when they try to sell me stupid shit like strategy guides or warranties on game discs, and only come back to consciousness when they tell me the price.

I was taking a long lunch the other day and decided to waste an hour loitering in one of the university's plazas that included an EBGames and a Borders.

I bought a Game Informer at EBGames and the salesman said I could get a subscription 10% discount card that works at EB and Gamestop for $15. I spend a lot at Gamestop, so I figured it wasn't too bad an idea. I wish Best Buy would push stuff like that considering I spend a LOT more money there. Their rewards card thing sucks.

I think we should help Duse reach the new record for consequtive threads denned he's currently tied with only Bruce (03/05) and Windurst (01/05) with three in a row!

I would have posted this in the den but alas my name is not a special color...   :cry:

Deep down, Schild likes it.  And I have a feeling you do too.

Song lyrics!  Quick!

I am now the utter bitch of Direct2Drive, and have bought many games there that I wouldn't otherwise probably have gotten.  Just this week, Indigo Prophecy and Shattered Union.  Before that Oblivion and Civ 4.  If only they had a wider selection, but hey.

I try to avoid the Gamestops.  Their PC selection is pathetic, and I'll head over to BestBuy if there's something I really need.

How long'd it take to download Oblivion? I was thinking about doing that but thought it would take forever + 1 day.

My cable modem is capped at around 300Kb/sec, but it was constantly at that speed.  If I remember correctly it only took around 3 hours.

TRU is actually the same way (or at least is supposed to be but a lot of cashiers hate pimping warranties out).  They have what is called a Buyer Protection Program for $2.99 I think for video games.  I can only imagine that it appeals to people who can't take care of their shit.

I have much hate for Direct2Drive.

Since I am stationed in Korea, I cannot use them.  Therefore, HATRED.