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I won't buy new games from EBGames anymore because thier version of "new" is opened, has stickers all over it, and either has no shrinkwrap or some non-factory shrinkwrap crap. They also claim that it hasn't been played but I highly doubt that. I let this slide the first couple times but now it just bothers me to pay for a new game and have it littered with stickers and be open.
Has anyone bought new games from EB and recieved them like this?
I never buy anything from these faggots until I inspect and see that the game
is actually new.
GameStop pisses me off for the same reason.
I just don't buy display games anymore at EB or GameStop.
I'm not paying full price for a molested game.
Only buy game from EB or GS if and only if it's on first release day :make_fac:
Gamestop only opens 1-3 copies of a game, but yeah..EB cuts them all open. (AFAIK)
Yeah, this shit is beyond ridiculous, and pisses me off to no end. :mad:
They put up like 15 copies of an opened game on display, then hand you the box that every snot-nosed brat has played used to wipe his ass with ... :oh_no:
I wish there was a better store close by, but often I'm forced to buy from these people. Whenever I go to the desk and ask them for a game, I always make sure that I include "a sealed copy of" right before the name of the game. Then they of course look at me like I'm nutty or something when I don't want the display copy - fucking fuckass fuckwad fucked up fucktards. :mad:
So why do these shitbags think they can charge full price for a used game???!! This shit doesn't apply in department stores, where you at least get a certain percentage off. I don't know why think they're special.
bought the last copy of Gradius V from EB last night.
was "new" but opened and had the sticker on it.
Totally annoying.
Oh well, sweet game.
It happened to me as I was purchasing Midway Arcade Treasures 2 at EB. I let it slide because it was only 19.99 and I was buying it for someone else who paid me back. But I think I may not shop at EB much anymore.
My brother is an assistant manager at an EB. They open one copy for display, unless they are running some promotion or something where they need multiple display copies.
I generally pre-order my Next Gen stuff from Ebgames.com
this stickered already opened bullshit does not apply there, everything always arrives freshly shrinkwrapped and perfect.
And generally the new releases are shipped the day before so the can be at your door on the release day... i'm hoping that I'll be able to snag my Copy of GTA San Andreas from Ebgames on Tuesday (the release date)
The clerk at Gamestop looked at me like I was a madman when I asked him to give me a "new and perfect condition" new PS2 - the first box he gave me was all busted (probaly from transport) - still he was probably thinking that I was just an ass... I am not asking much but at least when I pay for something new I want it to be really new, not some damaged box and even less an unsealed game.
As for games, my EB usually has them sealed, I never got an open copy from them
LOL! You guys get off lucky!
Our local Game (formerly Eb) stores, open EVERYTHING unless its a specific pre-ordered game that the customer has made a point of specifying 'sealed' they then just tuck the disk into the manual and store them on their spine, with the disk in the middle of the manual in a drawer with a-z compartments!
SO, after about ten opening and shutting's of the drawer, the disk gently sliding from side to side, you get these 'rubbed' markes all over it and it looks pre-owned!
If you buy a game thats been in their for some months it looks like shit!
It's a fucking joke! If you were selling these 'new' games on ebay you'd have to describe them as just average used!
Pain in the ass if you're a collector!
I went to EBGames a while ago and asked to buy a new copy of Resident Evil on GameCube and they gave it to me, but not before taking the 2 discs out of a small plastic bag and putting them into the case. I gave him a confused look and asked, "That's a new copy?" He said it was and I looked at the discs and one of then had a big scratch all the way across it. Even after I pointed that out to him the idiot was still trying to convince me that it was a new game. :very_ang:
Gamestop is the same way. After the guy telling me they didnt have any new copies of a game in stock and me telling him that there was a box on display over on the new games shelf, he starts to look through the used copies trying to find one that could be passed off as new. Yeah, no thanks...
That seems to be the case with the stores for me more often than not. They never mail that kind of crap mailed to me when I order from either of their websites.
Yeah both EB GAMES and GAMESTOP suck nuts. *You just gotta' make some "Contacts" at your local shops that way you can get them to give you their Employee Discounts and shit, and they'll already have the game you want set aside ---Never been opened factory sealed still on the spindle--- *It's all about the strategy of doing business with those places man. And if you're not lucky enough to have droogs ON THE INSIDE, then you gotta' lay the law down and when they're down to that last craptastic gutted so-called "Brand New" copy... make em' call every other store in town asking for a non-gutted factory sealed copy. Then have them put that game on hold and you drive to the store that has it.
I don't understand why the Corporate heads who waste 15 empty full sleeve clam shell DVD boxes for "Coming Soon" Pre-Orders of a game, can't just make a Color Xerox or a Color Scan of every game that comes in *ONE TIME, slide that color copy into ONE DVD box and BOOM... no more gutting the last copy of a new game for a floor demo. >>>Common Sense is a lost virtue, especially when it comes to corporate heads. Which is why someone should take a shit in a video game box and mail it to them. :mad:
MERCENARY X99
Yes! I'm pretty sick of them trying to pass off unsealed games as "new." It's just bull shit. When I want my game new I want it officially sealed so I know that nobody tampered with the game I am purchasing.
Collectors make up .000001 percent of EB and Gamestop customers.
Theives make up a substantially higher proportion.
You figure it out.
Sad but true. The bulk of EB and GAMESTOP customers are daft wankers who need to be sent to "Video Game Re-Education Camp" and shown the error of their ways, or forced to watch a bull dozer squash hundreds of copies of the latest craptastic MADDEN game or some shit. These common folk assholes are the bitches who bring in games all scratched to hell, and bitch if an employee actually grills them on it. I swear... WTF is this world comming to?Quote:
Originally Posted by daybona
MERCENARY X99
every new game ive gotten in the past month (which is the first time ive bought games in a store in what seems like a year) have been opened.
i had a kind of wtf look and the guy explained that it was for security
doesnt bother me since theres nothing to games these days, theyre just dvd cases.
Well I myself work at EB and I can kind of see why you guys are pissed, but trust me, these games are not played at all. The games you get that are "new" but opened, are the display copies. When we get games in, we open up 1-4 (depending on how popular the game is and what the management sees fit) and take out the disc and instruction books, place the CD in a sleeve and put it with the instruction manual in a nice plastic container, and put it in a filing drawer to keep it in storage. Then, once we sell all the new sealed copies, the ones on the shelves are sold. We just put back the CD and instruction booklet when we sell it. In the end, most people are pissed, but in my opinion, one of two things has happened:
1). The game was insanely popular, and sold out quick
2). We didn't get many in so even if one or two are bought, the last new copy might be the one on the shelf.
I have one way to solve this problem: PRE-ORDER YOUR GAMES! Sorry, but nothing pisses me off more then pimply faced kids coming the week of a new release, and then being pissed we don't have a game. When I ask them if they pre-ordered, they say "NO", and I really have no pity for them. I mean, if you really want a game bad enough, you'll pre-order. I find it funny when those kids get pised off like it's the most important thing in the world, and I'm saying to myself "I guess it wasn't important enough to make sure you got a copy by pre-ordering it".
One odd thing about Game Stop is that they do the same thing EB does, but they keep the instruction manual in the case on the shelf. I have a buddy who's a manager at the Game Stop near my house and he has kids steal books just for the heck of it or because they lost theirs. So in the end, you could get a "new" copy, but get shafted because some kid wanted your Gradius 5 booklet.
In the end, I myself hate getting those "new" games anyway because of all the stickers and crap you have to take off (BTW: Goo Be Gone works great to get that sticker residue off), but I deal with it. If you want a game shrink wrapped bad enough, then pre-order it. It's not any store's fault that people are not perceptive enough to have enough foresight to make sure they will have a copy. The end fault lies in dumb consumers, and not anyone else.
This is a nice "collector's" point of view.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lets Gekiga In
It is also self-centered and naive.
Unfortunately, theft is ultra high at these places. These games are NEW. They are opened, but then most things you buy at Radioshack, or other stores may be opened, unless you want to get into such retarded sceness as "Collectible figures" and comic books. These are scenes where the "seal" is more important than if the actual product is shit.
For all the self-proclaimed "hardcore" market, the majority of this market is the ultra mainstream- GTA/Halo players who are slow to pick up on your Katamari Demacy's or Donkey Kongas, but real quick to pick up ultra-mainstreamed shit like DOA5:Xtreme Sunbathing.
Maybe EB's sticking a lot more stickers on it then Gamestop, but I've rarely had much problem getting these stickers off (Goo Gone- a freaking dollar will get you some), and if you understand the business model/inventory models used in both these stores- you'd know they have no incentive worth lying about on if it's new or used.
The collector in me is plenty worried about his shelf looking nice, but a broken seal isn't the end of it....
P.S. if there is any actual damagfe to the game/insert/manual, Gamestop is supposed to give you 10% off it. If they don't, don't buy it- they're not following policiy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jethrek
Agreed, all of this "seal" stuff is just BS in the end. I've gotten sealed copies of games and DVDs that were crap, and then "opened" ones that were fine. I think some folks here need to get out, get a maicure, go shoe shooping, and stop bitching like a girl about a stupid thing like a seal.
Jedah, no offense but your stance about the Customers being "Dumb" just doesn't hold water with me. *How fuckin' HARD is it for the corporate headquarters, or furthermore the average employee to take initiative and just do as I mentioned. ---Open up a game and take out the insert, color xerox it and put the original back with it's NEW game, then forever you have a "Demo Box" and never have to gut a game again. ---That shit about the store putting the game and booklet away, and the game is still NEW is bullshit. I've seen pleanty of so-called *NEW* gutted games never even played, and they still managed to get scratches on the surface etcetra. Sorry but by a store's policy's that would be considered "USED", thus the same should apply for the stores.
...also not everyone is going to be a gamer nutcase who lives hovering over the latest copy of PLAY or whatever that one that GAMESTOP endorses, and decide to PRE-ORDER a game. I might just walk into a store a few months after the games been released and when I go to buy a game and it's the last one from a batch of say 8 or 10 that had been lying around for awhile, good business practice would be that the last copy is still factory sealed. All one has to do is open ONE game one time and color copy the fuckin' insert! Give the person who's buying that opened copy but never touched a 10% discount on it. I find it funny also how policy just about everywhere states that once a game has been opened PERIOD, it's considered USED, but if a store does it for a DEMO BOX, it's still considered *NEW*... just bullshit. ---I can see your point about the acne faced faggots of the world, but what about plain and simple "Common Sense" and "Business Ethics" on the part of the respective companies handling the games overall? Thus I don't think the customers should be talked down to for wanting their moneys worth when it's labled as NEW.
MERCENARY X99
You may think my idea is "naive." But really it isn't that bad IMO. When I normally buy "new" games which weren't sealed they usually have a fair amount of scratches or tend to be missing something (some type of insert). I don't buy sealed games to keep them that way forever, I buy them that way so I know somebody isn't fucking me over (or if it has too many weird ass scratches it won't even play in my consoles). Hence, I try to only buy from Best Buy, Circuit City and CompUSA where if you actually try to return a game that is scratched and won't work, you are guaranteed a truly new copy.Quote:
Originally Posted by jethrek
Maybe if I didn't have bad experiences with EB I might have agreed with you.
This happens to be store specific, although some stores do open new games. I go to three around me and only one opens the new games. I only buy used games from them, they happen to have a decent collection and great prices. Plus you can get a 30% off coupon on their site. However, their return policy sucks .. they give you hell if you return something.
Why any of you buy games a EB is beyond me. They are consistently the most expensive game store I've ever seen, especially their prices on used games (only $5-$10 less than a new copy!)
Best Buy or Future Shop always have better prices for the mainstream, especially if you can't find a sole proprietor game store.
In the video game flea market booth I run, I'm amazed at the people who buy from EB, only to find that the new (and unopened) games I sell are always $20 cheaper. My best friend has two video game stores, Video Games Plus, and also has an online store now: www.videogamesplus.com.
As a whole, it still stumps us as to how many people shop with those theives. Try your local Best Buy, they generally advertise cheaper than EB.
Or, you could always buy from us cheaper! :D
Most ppl still shop with EB or GAMESTOP simply because while the prices at BEST BUY might indeed be cheaper, the selection can suck ass, though Circuit City does usually have a more than decent selection of games covering all the systems on the market contemporarily. ---Also there are times when you want something, and the bigger chains aren't going to take "Trade Ins" for store credit towards that new game you want. STILL, the EB Games and GAMESTOPS of the world need to be under better management and get their heads outta' there asses and use some common fuckin' sense in their business practices.
MERCENARY X99
I buy some cheapo games from EB, when it is $14.99 and below. They will give you a brand new unopened one if it is not the last one. I have only experienced them selling me opened games as new when it is the last store copy.
In that case, I just say no thanks. I am happy with EBgames.com, sometimes you get great deals like Time Crisis 3 w/Guncon 2 *preown* for less than $30 but it is practically brand new (hell, the DVD is actually unopened). And I just bought Grand Theft Auto Doublepack from gamestop for $19.99 brand spanking new.
It is not all bad, just don't buy the new releases from them hehe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercenary X99
I'm not saying I endorse the certian practices of a company, but like I said, in the end, it is up to the consumer. You get what you pay for. I understand that sometimes you might go into a video game store and have the inkling to just buy a certian game, but it's not up to the consumer to bend over backwards with the rules that are in place. Trust me, I have spoken to our GM many times over about this and many other issues. Some have been resolved, and others (like this) have not been.
I realize some gamers might not have the money at the time when a games comes out, but if you don't, then sadly, deal with it. If you are really wanting a sealed copy for sure, then go to any other EB, Game Stop, or any other game store and search there. If you really want a sealed game bad enough, go on the net and order it. A store is there to serve your needs, not give in to demands. You know what, I even work there and I deal with this factor, so you and others are not some poorly treated minority, it's just a afct of the buisiness.
I feel your idea of copies is a good idea. They actually do that for games that are coming out for pre-order. I am not sure why they do not implement this idea for new games, but as said before, just get over it. They ARE new. There is nothing wrong with them. The only thing wrong is some people's obsession about things being sealed as some omen from God that this game is brand new. It's nothing but a simple shrink wrap. In fact, we even have a shrink wrap machine.
Do you know we have customers so obsessed that they see the game "opened". You know what we do? We go back to the shrink wrap machine, shrink wrap it, and you know what, the exact same game they saw "opened" two seconds ago is all better because it has the magic plastic of BS on it. It's so amazing that that piece of wrapped plastic is like a pacifier to those whinny kids.
Like I said, if you wait 8 months to get a game, yet you're pissy there is no shrink wrap, that's your own fault. If shrink wrap is so important, go someplace you know will have it, but don't go somewhere hoping you'll be waiting on hand and foot. Trust me, there are many worse things that happen in game stores then the "shrink wrap" conspiracy.
JEDAH, I used to work for "Game World" before EB bought them up along with some other chains and went Corporate. back in '96-97 alongside Franco Bash another member here, and some others. I know full well how the "Shrink Wrap" machine thing works with anal customers. That's not the point, the point is that a game should not be messed with period, EXCEPT for that one time. While I didn't really like working for "The Bossman" as I called the owner of the local SATX Pre-EB "Game World"... the dude at least did think about the Color Copy Insert thing and put a Demo Box out on the shelf that got shelved when we were out, and put back out on the floor when we had more.
...sure there's pleanty of ways to get the Factory Sealed games. I have always managed lately to get one, and don't have a problem going on some RPG quest to get one. It still doesn't change the fact, it's BAD BUSINESS practice when companies want to jerk the customer around. **And for the record, most people want factory sealed games not because they are collectors, they just want to know there not getting any problems with their purchase. ---I'll every now and then buy a "Last Copy NEW Game", but only after I inspect the disc VERY carefully. And trust me dawg... I've seen the people take the *NEW* game out of the sleeve it's been in in the drawer and the games got 10 to 15 scratches all over it somehow? I've got SEGA SATURN games from 1996 that have not a single fuckin' scratch on them, save a piece of lint maybe.
MERC X99
Yea, some of the older EBs have very crap drawers to store the games in and they overfill them. In that case, it could be a problem. Although an interesting good actually came out of us opening games. We have some customers who actually request the opened up game because we test them out before we put them on the shelf and in the bags. To some people, knowing the game will work and not having to deal with the mess of having to drive back, is a relief. As we all know, even new sealed copies can be pressed wrong or in general screwed up, so while I would like to see copies made for the games, this is an advantage. Now, while all EB Games probably do not do this, if your local one does, in a way, it's a nice assurance.
Y'know what I just hate?
When you get a brand new game that still has the official plastic-wrap on it and everything, then you open it all up only to find the disk was never seated correctly and its been flailing arround loosely in the box for god-knows-how-long. :very_ang:
Still, plastic-wrapped or opened in-store, I've only rarely had a game fail to play properly - and in both cases (Mr Driller on DC and Ninja Gaiden on Xbox) the disk was absolutely spotless, so it must have been an error in the factory pressing.
I really dont care about the plastic-wrap thing either way, just as long as the box and disk are in good condition.
I'd trust a factory sealed game waaayyyyy before I'd trust a game that was opened and tested by the staff of a typical nation wide video game chain. But that's just me. Honestly, I can't remember an instance where one of my sealed games didn't work - and I've bought quite a few.
Quote:
Originally Posted by galfordo
this part of your post is by far better than 99.9% of the spam you have to say here
:loco:
Well i dont like eb much...
If it was a pc game that i needed with a cd key... I usually just split the side with a exacto knife and reglued it after installing it.
Took the game back for a full refund
Even made money selling the keys to people in cyber cafes who wanted to play
Other then that I want a game sealed... and i wont buy one other wise.. there are to many other VG stores around that have sealed games.
I bought a copy of Panzer Dragoon Orta to give as a christmas present last year. I left the mall, got in my car before realizing it was opened and stickers were all over it. Then they try to convince me it's new or whatever to prevent me from returning it. Shame because I couldn't find a new one anywhere else in town.
No kid would want that.Quote:
So in the end, you could get a "new" copy, but get shafted because some kid wanted your Gradius 5 booklet.
agreed for $50 a game better be fucking sealed. and im not even a collector im just not gonna pay full price (which is way too fucking high in the first place) for some pos that is sitting loose in a drawer. this has only happened to me two times (and i bought both regardless):
street fighter anniversary (PS2) $29.99
castlevania (PS2) $19.99
both were "new" but opened with stickers. since they were the right price i didnt care much. but if im buying a $40 or $50 game and he starts ptting the instructions and game back in the case i stop him right there and either look for a different game or go to a different store.
its bad enough they only give you $20 store credit for game that JUST FUCKING CAME OUT and sells for $50. they let you spend $20 in their store then turn around and sell ur game for $45. :tickled:
I'm glad you approve, roke star ....Quote:
Originally Posted by roke stAr
I have something to shoot for now. :spock:
Anyway, another practice that has been mentioned here is the whole used games bullshit. These guys don't even pretend to be fair about that shit - they basically want to give you 7 dollars for a game that they are selling right in front of your face for 30 dollars. And then they try to promote the whole used games market as some kind of common sense way that the customer can save money, rather than just another way that they can commit mass anal rape. I've seen them selling used copies of certain games for 26.99, while selling new copies for 26.99. What, are their customers TOTALLY fucking brain dead? Of course, they'll act like you're stupid when you say "no thanks" to their wonderful used copies. :oh_no:
well yesterday i was in a gamestop buying midway treasures 2 and they had X2: wolverine's revenge for PS2 new for $10. a couple shelves over they had the used version for $13. http://theshodown.homestead.com/files/rofl.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by galfordo
not to mention whoever works there gots to be a fucking nerd drone of some shit. spouting the same shit a million times about how koll it is to bring in the old games i dont want anymore for TEH MAD CASH (ie: $3) and how i should reserve halo 2.
however some dude was in there trading assloads a games while i was looking around and he got like $250 + store credit. that extra $10 every 3 tradein games sounds like a good deal. but he had lots of good shit in there like a ton of 32bit RPGs and whatnot.
Man, we've got a bunch of little bitching girls in here. Looks like I'm going to have to find a couple extra tits for you all to suck on. Get over it already. No one is forcing you to buy these games that have been blasphemed by having the sacred plastic taken off. If you have this childish need to have you pacifier of plastic, go online, or shop elsewhere. No one is forcing you to buy these games. Some of you guys spend upwards of $400-$500 of Neo Geo carts with NO shrinkwrap, and your fine. So why is it you NEED plastic on $50 games, but your $400-$500 games do not NEED plastic? See, the point is, you don't care that you buy a "new" SSVS without any plastic wrap, so why do you need that magical assurance on a $50? Some of you folks are your own walking contradiction.
I thought this might come up. The difference, IMO, is that Neo Geo carts are strictly graded. To have any hope of selling a $400-$500, you must describe everything about the game in full detail - otherwise you'll probably never be able to sell again without scamming.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedah Doma
On a more humorous note, I was just in EB this morning buying the November issue of play, and this guy walks up to the counter with like 7-8 PS 2 games to trade in so he can get some store credit. I almost laughed out loud when the chick told him, "ok - the total amount of store credit for these games comes to $9.25, sir". http://overmen.net/galford/llol.gif
She was like, "well, a lot of those games don't get that much credit, since some of them are greatest hits". Apparently, those games averaged about $1.25 apiece. :tickled:
You should've seen the guy's face when she told him that - fucking priceless.
All I can say is ... MOTHER FUCKING LOLZ. :tickled: :tickled: :tickled:
i dont pre-order my groceries before i go to the grocery store
The best part is when they try to sell you a re-shrinkwrapped copy of a game and INSIST that it's brand new/never opened....I've had this happen twice.
On the XBOX, there's that little white sealing sticker on the right most case edge, and sometimes the top/bottom of the case are sealed with a clear sealing tape. Not only that, but most XBOX games (some like PGR2 and Morrowind GOTY are exceptions) have that tell-tale factory shrinkwrap appearance...you know, the little seams and flaps of shinkwrap at the top fo the case and whatnot.
When the GS or EB employees shrinkwrap something, you can tell right away that its not factory original...there are no uniform seams, etc. Anyway, I've had these retards come back and tell me that this re-shrinked copy is the last factory-new copy in stock. Nevermind the fact that it's missing the sealing stickers on the side of the case or that the insert is manhandled from rough handling prior to being sold.
To most, these practices are no big deal. To me it is though...I'm paying extra for a new game, not something that's been unsealed. Games are not cheap, and if something has been opened, then it must be designated to the used game section. And don't believe the crap they give you about "our last copy games are never played"....I've had friends who worked at these stores who can confirm that employees are often playing these games in the store and sometimes allowed to take them home to play.
I'm a firm believer that if a game is open it's used! I don't care if it's in mint condition the game is USED. You take the shrinkwrap off and put a sticker on it becomes used, not new. Even if the cd was handled with care and has zero scraches and the manual is perfect, it's fucking used. I'm done with these asses.
Don't even get me started with their trade in prices :oh_no: Lets sell a game for $36 used and i'll give you $10 credit for it....bullshit.
You know how to really piss the people off at EB? Wait around for some dipshit to trade in tons of used games for $30 credit or something, then walk up to him and tell him you will give him $35 CASH for his stuff. Boy o boy does this really piss the EB fags off. You can get games for dirt cheap this way.
When I open a new game I want to take the first big whiff of that sweet smelling factory fresh scent, but I can't because the asshole behind the counter has already opened it.
If I had a nickel for every customer who's come into my store and gotten worked up over a game not being in the original factory shrinkwrap, I'd have enough money to buy my own third world country. I've been with Gamestop for years now and it's been standard practice since the day I started to take new games and use a few cases/boxes from each game as sacrificial fodder for the masses to fondle, finger fuck, or even outright steal.
As a collector myself, I sympathize with alot of you guys and agree with most of what's been said. As an employee of one of these evil corporations though, I also understand where Jedah is coming from. Me personally I've NEVER been all that crazy about using the actual game cases for displays and on more than one occassion I've vented to my manager about the need for photocopies of inserts or something to that effect. As you can see though, all of my years of bitching has been in vain.
Gamestop actually has boxes under the counter that have color copies of game boxes. They use these copies to help promote used games that often times get traded in as disc only (something I fucking abhor like you wouldn't believe). Sometimes they'll use these "display art" as we call them for a new game in case the new game's case ends up missing.
The crazy thing is that we regularly get shipments from the corporate office and sometimes directly from the publishers themselves that have full color inserts or even display boxes with the same box art as the official release (usually with the words "For Display Only" somewhere on the box). I know for a fact that Nintendo engages in the latter practice (it's how I get nice clean replacement cases for when I buy used Gamecube games :D ). Usually what these cases/inserts are for is to help push the PRE-ORDER of a game. Color me silly but if Gamestop and the publishers are going through all of this trouble to make color copies to help used game sales or send cases to help with pre-ordering a game, why can't we get full blown color replicas of actual inserts to put into dummy cases so we can keep all of the new games sealed? :spock:
I'm sure EB has alot of the same things in place. I know some companies like Activision send them the same kind of promotional materials as I've been in my fair share of EB back rooms and saw the promo boxes (bwah-hahahaha...I r teh spying!! :loco: ). What kills me about EB, and it's the main complaint in the initial post is the insane amount of stickers they slap on their boxes. I can understand a price sticker in the corner of a box but Jesus Christ they slap every little sticker and then some on a case and then try to pass it off as new. The big yellow one they slap in the right hand corner is annoying but with some patience it can be peeled off without any residue being left behind. The one that drives me up a fucking wall though is the white one they use to seal used games with.
To digress a little, I was in Chicago this past weekend and had to stop in an EB to pick up a power cord for my PS2 (btw Butta and other Chicagoland peeps... Rosemont is the fucking SUCK for game stores as far as I can tell). My buddy found a few used games he wanted and I found one as well but had to practically yell at the schlep to not put the sticker on the cases. He huffed saying it was company policy so I told him where I worked and if I had any problems I would just swap them out there. He relented and didn't put the stickers on our cases.
Anyway, as near as I can tell, the status quo of displaying games is NOT going to change anytime soon so please feel free to keep on bitching and demanding minty fresh shrinkwrapped copies. Try to not go too hard on some of the kids, especially around the holidays. Most of the kids they have on staff this time of year are seasonal who'll be outta work after Christmas and only make the minimum. The lines they're fed to spew at customers is berated into them by the Gestapo-Funcoland nazis who've quietly subverted control of the Gamestop company since we supposedly BOUGHT them (I have to wonder at this point in time just who bought who :rolleyes: ). Granted some of the kids will take to the garbage fed them hook, line, and sinker but there a few of us out there who understand your guys' plight. :)
Oh...I almost forgot...
If you guys are faced with the problem of having to buy the last copy that's been opened and used as a display copy, there IS something that can be done about it. In our system, under our discounts menu, there is an option called "Opened and/or Shopworn". When this option is applied to a game, it deducts 10% off the price of the game. It's a rarely used option (I'll explain why in a second) and it only applies to NEW games.
The reason why it's not widely used anymore is because as you can guess, a few bad apples ruined the orchard and abused the discount. There was a case where a ton of employees were getting let go because they were abusing this discount to get their buddies a little discount on new games. Why they didn't just buy the games for their friends on employee discount I'll never know. Granted, our employee purchases rules have always been something of a pain in the ass as for a long time you were only allowed to buy things under your employee number once every 24 hours or so.
Anywho, I infrequently check our discount menu to see what new promotions/sales they might be running and I always make it a point to check to see if that option of "Opened and/or Shopworn" is still active.
Soooooooo......like I said, if you find yourself in that position like I said and you're willing to buy the opened copy, you MIGHT want to see if you can take advantage of the "Opened and/or Shopworn" option to save you some money. Just be warned though that some managers might give you a hard time about it or outright claim it doesn't exist but as of Oct. 25, 2004 I saw the option in the discounts menu with my own two eyes :) .
The discount he mentions is also true at EB. Although if you're bitchy enough, you might get a bigger discount. You see, we actually enter in the percentage discount taken off the games for "shopworn" games. We've also done this on used game when the disc/manual/case/etc. were in bad shape. It's all really a matter of how much you are willing to belly ache. Who knows, if you try hard enough, you could get %20-%30 off. http://www.neo-geo.com/ubb/icons/icon15.gif
What about all stores using the (possibly now gone, haven't been in a while) Toys R Us practice of just having the little laminated copy of an insert or whatever that you take to the front desk when you're ready to buy?
Similar to Merc's idea, except you don't even have to worry about putting them in DVD cases.
Hell, they people at the desk already have to find the game, might as well save them the trouble of having to put the game and manual into the case, since it's still sealed.
To be honest, the selling unsealed game policy isn't that big of an issue with me. It's the fact that they cover the damn thing with 4 stickers. I have Goo Gone, and I take them off, but should I have to?
If they stickers were on the plastic sleeve the game is sealed in, then who cares? That is getting thrown out with the rest of the trash.
I've never had this problem. Why? I don't fuck around folks. If a guy even tries to tell me that an opened copy is new, I jump over the counter, rip his dick off, wipe my ass with it, then shove it down his throat in hard-core Carlin style. But really, I'll explain the definition of new to him, and if he doesn't get it, I simply leave.
Fortunatly, I rarely buy US games, and if I do, it's usually something I end up pre-ordering, so no "Like new" problems here. If it's not new, simple: DON'T BUY IT!!
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This is some shit that I really hate. When Delta Force Task Force Dagger and Black Hawk Down came out .. alot of people(myself included) ended up making a few trips back and forth to the stores because CD keys were already stolen and registered to a different account. Yeah you can notify the company and they will try to sort you out... but I shouldn't have to use up my time because you wanted a freebie. I guess it's okay because you are fucking somone else over. However, it's funny that you would "STEAL" a cd key from a game. Return it. Then someone else ends up with your shit stain residue of a game.... BUT when it's a game you want for yourself.... It's gotta be Mint sealed, complete. :shame: :oh_no: :oh_no: :shame:Quote:
Originally Posted by wizkid007
Phillip