IF YOU DON'T PRE-ORDER 6 COPIES OF HaLO 2 YOU WILL NEVER EVER FIND IT EVER AGAIN IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!!

Once again, can someone explain why pre-ordering is so upsetting to some of you? It's a service that some of us like. If you don't like it you don't have to participate.

Why the hatred?

Why?

That's a good start.

Eh, I just wouldn't shop there if I wasn't planning on pre-ordering. If that was the ONLY way to buy video games, I could understand the anger. But since there are plenty of other options I don't understand why anyone cares what EB or Gamestop does if they don't plan to shop there.

I just stopped by because I knew PixyJunket would be freaking out about pre-orders and GizmoDVD would be defending them.

LOL.

I am not kidding when my District Manager told me to do that. Not only that, I would get yelled at if I was selling copies to people who didn't preorder when the game came out (on release day). However, my store was top in are district (20 stores give or take when the district would split) so I must not have been pissing off too many customers.

Pixy, I know you work at a chain store, did you manage it? There are usually things going on behind the scenes you would not know about.

Remember guys, ALWAYS PRE-ORDER! Its your american duty!

BTW, When I left my stores, alot of customers refused to come back due to the awesome service I gave them (no, not that you sickos!).

Not to mention, the very term 'pre-order' doesn't even make any sense. A true pre-order would be if I called up and said, "Yes, I'm coming in today to order a game that's not out yet." Then when I came to do it, I would be 'ordering' it, or 'pre-buying' it.

I just hate being hassled by the clerk asking if I want to pre-order this or that game everytime I buy something there. Which is rare, but occasionally I'll pick up some used games during the buy 2 get 1 free sales.

So I do't really hate preorders themselves, just the way they push them so hard.

To be fair the employees get paid very little and put up with a ton of shit at places like EB and GameStop. They have to push preorders, trade ins, etc or lose their jobs. The game stores know that most of the employees want to work their because they are in to games so they take advantage of that.

Granted you can always go work somewhere else, but working at a game store should be a fun job, but greedy and stupid district managers turn it into complete hell.

That guy bugging you about the stupid preorders knows its bullshit, but its his job if he doesn't. Best policy is to shop somewhere else if it bothers you.

All these employees have preorder quotas and the only thing they usually get for meeting them is to not get fired.

When I worked in my stores, I never asked people to pre-order unless a. my District Manager was there, and b. I know the customer (frequent) and know what he would want .

I don't fault the employees, I know the managers make them push that shit. I've worked retail before.

And as I've said repeatedly here, I do shop elsewhere to avoid it. The gamestores have to have a great deal (an offer I can't refuse) to get me in there. Other wise I'm just going to pick up games at Target or Best Buy.

Now that I don't work in a game store, I don't shop there either except for the occasional bargain or classic games (Game Crazy primarily). Though I am loving that EB sells used music CDs for next to nothing.

let them know how you feel http://www.gamestopfeedback.com/

I don't pre-order. I don't want to put money down for something on a fixed priced when I can shop around as the release date comes closer.

I also hate stores that push pre-orders.

Or the other stores were pissing them off worse.

if I decide I want to preorder a game I usually hit their online stores(EB,Gamestop) and see who's offering free shipping or whatever and go with the better deal and leave it at that. then I just wait for it to arrive in my mailbox. its much easier than driving all over town trying to find the game and dealing with some of the clerks who sell them.

of course this only applies to the bigger game releases, not just any old game. for common releases I just pick them up whenever.

Right before GTA: San Andreas was released the guy at Gamestop told me that if I didn't preorder "I wouldn't get it till March or April at the earliest." The funny thing was right after the game came out, every single store in Rochester had literally 50 copies at all times.

I picked up GT4 on Tuesday evening at EB without any pre-order. The guy at the counter asked me if I pre-ordered but did not give me the pre-order spiel. He did however, ask me if I would pay $3 extra for insurance. What a friggin' scam! He put it in such a foreboding way that I almost fell for it! Phew! Luckily I woke just in time to say no.

Yeah, I was in Gamestop the other day picking up a copy of World of Warcraft when the guy behind me asked for GT4. He got the did you preorder spiel, but they had 3 extra copies so they sold it to him, warning him that he might not be so lucky next time.

I have to admit, the "limited" availability almost made me buy one too, but I figure WoW will kill all my free time for a few months anyway, and I never even finished GT3...

What's with all this running around to stores nonsense?
If you have to pre-order, do it online. When I really want a game the second it comes out, I just order it from ebgames.com. They 2-day FEDEX it, and I've always gotten it the same day the street stores do. No muss, no fuss.

I refuse to preorder. Why? Because stores that do the preorders sell them at list. Sometimes between the time you order the game (and have to pay their price) and the time it comes out, it will be cheaper at another store.

I tried to explain this to a Gamestop employee when I called and asked if a game had come out and he asked me if I had pre-ordered. He started to lay a guilt trip on me (or he was really stupid). "Oh well... I mean... if you don't want to buy the game from us..." I told him that I buy it from whoever has the lowest price. Preordering it means that I have no choice but to buy it at your price. He didn't get it.

What i don't understand about this is that you can cancel your pre-order at any time and get your cash back. So it really doesn't lock you into one particular place - it is kind of like hedging your bets in my opinion. I've even canceled pre-orders after getting the freebie that comes with pre-ordering. Never have they asked me any questions.

I see your point but if you have to cancel the pre-order that is just more work.

It's just easier to get it at best buy and use the $5 off coupon, they will have it in stock more often than a smaller chain. No point in making 2 trips to the same store unless there's some kind of freebie involved.

I absolutely see your point - especially if you are in a city with any size and variety to it. In the small town i live in we have 2 EB's (no Gamestops) and a Circuit City. Granted there is a Wal-Mart with a horrible selection and a Toys R Us with their overpriced selection, so in my case pre-ordering doesn't lock me into a whole lot - there isn't much competition. Also, the EB is in the only mall/shopping center in town so if you go shopping at all you will be walking right by it so minimal extra effort is involved. Either way i think pre-orders have their place as a useful kind of "backup" or insurance for getting a game you really want if you can't wait a few weeks.