Classic.

When GTA Vice City came out. I got it at Target, while all the kids who pre-ordered it at Gamestop still didn't have it yet. It was pretty awesome.

My favorite was when San Andreas came out we went to toys r us and they were doing buy 2 get one free, and got 3 copies essentially for $33 a piece, after EB and gamestop both said we wouldn't find 1 .

One of the employees told me one time about the unofficial policy not to sell on day one to people that don't preorder. It has to be the single dumbest thing I have heard of. I haven't preordered anything from them I couldn't get a nice freebie for and usually I will just take the free item and then cancel my order or return the game unopened and keep the freebie.

Yeah its uncool, but I have no sympathy for Gamestop. Especially when the constantly charge an extra $5 over everyone else on many of their DS titles.

A couple of weeks ago I was in a Gamestop at the mall looking at cheap used games and I overheard the clerk telling someone that if they didn't pre-order Mario Party 8 they weren't going to be able to find it anywhere on launch day. I nearly lost it laughing.

I'm surprised more people don't have a problem buying an open boxed game while paying full price for it. If there's no shrink wrap on the box, I consider it used.

I nearly got a manager fired years ago for trying to sell me an opened game new. The problem for me was I had preordered the game. You would think they could hold my preorder without opening it.

Yes, I have a problem buying an opened game as new.

Actually the stores get emails saying "We expect only x percent of pre-order customers to pick this up within the 48 hour hold window, so take y amount out of the reserved copies to sell to walk-ins." I think this is utter bullshit, because if they're trying to get people to reserve games, they should hold the fucking games.

The thing about purposely holding copies that aren't reserved until the next day is not a company policy, it's idiot store managers who think it will give people incentives to reserve in the future. All it does is give people incentive to buy the game somewhere else. Those managers are schmucks.

About a year and a half ago, I called a couple of time to ask them if they got a new game in. Their reply was similar to the posters:

gs: yes, we have it but did you pre order?
me: no
gs: we have one left, next time you should pre order.
me: okay

Gamestop that is 5 minutes from my house had a cool manager though. He asked if I wanted to pre order anything everytime I made a purchase but never pressured me. He went out of his way to always give me the best deals on used dvds.

About 3 months ago, I guess he was let go and now there's a new jackass manager.

You guys should take advantage of their used item 7 day return policy. I used to buy a used game, beat it within a week and return the game. Free rental baby.

Suprmallet, I know there are a lot of stories about asshole EB/GS managers floating around, but the new crew at my local GS is very cool (as I would assume you would be if you ran my local store). They help me out quite often and their customer service is top notch. Plus, they actually know what they're talking about and keep up on most of the release dates and new information.

So other than preorders, which I won't do, is there anything we might not think of that could help them out? I've asked what I can do to help their store and basically they just said preorders and trading in my stuff specifically at their place, which is no problem. Just curious to know if there may be anything else they might not be able to tell us.

I can understand the idea behind 'don't sell games on day one to those who don't pre-order'. It's a way to try and drum up business by pre-orders. 'Want it guaranteed, pre-order it'.

But as many others said, the Best Buy down the street will have eight million copies of the same game. Games aren't like consoles. If you can't find a game now... you will, very very soon.

What Gamestop needs to understand, is that although this is a nice idea to help pre-orders in theory, they're turning their backs on sales any day a game is released due to this. A pre-order should just guarantee you a copy of a game... period. It shouldn't have any extra catches just for doing so... such as getting the game on release day. Let them hold the pre-orders aside for those who figured they may be better off to make sure they'll get their hands on Halo 3 without a hassle... and if there's extra copies, throw it on the shelf and let the customer buy it if they want. Who really cares if they didn't pre-order it?

I work as an assistant manager at a toy store. It's not the same, by any means. But hey, if a customer comes in and they're looking around and they want something but perhaps they're looking like they may not buy it because of the price.... I may cut them a little break on the item. Not much, but something. Why? Because they could go across the street to Wal-Mart if they want, ya know? You shouldn't turn away business for something as petty as having a plan that is supposedly going to drive all your pre-order business through the roof.

What pre-orders SHOULD be important for... are consoles. And can we even trust that? Shit no. Why? Because of the greedy pre-order process.

My 360, I went through hell to get. I had mine at a local mom and pop game shop that had me number five on their list... they ended up getting twenty consoles altogether (don't ask me how when some stores only got a few), and I would have had it on release day.

But you know, some months before the system came out... I was at a Gamestop and I pre-ordered a game. It was near where I lived so figured it wouldn't be a hassle. I was told I could still pre-order the system with a guaranteed first shipment date. I told the employee that I had it pre-ordered already, was fifth in line, and was fine with where I pre-ordered. But you know, he talked me into it being that it was going to be conveniant to pick up the console there because I lived closer, had the game pre-ordered there, yadda yadda yadda.

Turns out after release, that my 'guaranteed first shipment' that I traded from fifth in line at another store, was so I could be 89 in THIS store. How could I have been first shipment guaranteed with a number like that?

'Oh, well there were some first shipment pre-orders left available from other stores so we took them for them'. Riiiiiiiiiiiight. After a couple of conversations with the DM, I got a console. I'll never pre-order a console again through those bastards. I'd rather wait in line all night at a Wal-Mart (a 24 hour one of course so I can be inside) than give them my pre-order money only to be screwed in the end.

Funny thing though, the DM actually admitted to me that basically Microsoft earlier that year gave an estimate... an ESTIMATE... of how many consoles they may be sending out for launch. They actually encouraged the schmucks in their business suits at the home offices not to pre-sell the consoles because nothing was set in stone. Alas, many people got that disappointing phone call about not recieving a console on launch day. All because of pre-order greed.

To be fair on the console preorders, they fixed that with the Wii and PS3 launches because of the 360 debacle.

They waited very late to take preorders--until they new how many they were getting. I preordered the Wii there as I amassed as they had some good trade in deals for once last fall, and decided to take advantage of that and got my Wii and Zelda for no $$ out of pocket. They knew how many they were getting and only took that many preorders the morning they did them and as such there were no problems.

One of the few good experiences I've ever had with the chain. Still haven't been back since I had a couple terrible experiences in the month after that though.

I'm glad you have a good crew at the store near you. It is possible, it just doesn't seem to be the norm.

Honestly, the only things you can do to help the stores are buy used from them, bring in trades, get a subscription, and pre-order. There's no real "extra" things you can do that they can't tell you about. Used sales, trades, subscriptions, and pre-orders are all the company cares about.

Pre-orders are for ****s.

Thanks for the insight.

Because selling to a customer on release day doesn't earn them free interest on your money for 6 months.

Sounds petty but consider that a pre-order can be anywhere from $5 to the full price of the game. $5 doesn't sound like a lot but consider they were bragging recently about already having 1 million(or something) pre-orders for Halo 3. That is 5 million in the bank earning interest for 6 months for them. Then you multiply that by a couple dozen games you can pre-order and that free money adds up quick. I would even bet a small percentage of those forget about that $5 like people do with rebates. It's a cash cow for them.

They probably make far more money on that interest than they ever would off of SRP just selling them on release day.

So is trolling.

Oh believe me, I completely understand this aspect of it. I brought this up to the DM I talked to in matter of fact... because it engraged me not only did they pry me away from another store with a promise they didn't and weren't willing to keep under the circumstances (considering I WOULD have had a system on launch day)... but they also got my money and when I pay for a console in full, they better damn well give me what my money was supposed to promise me. Period. I wasn't happy that they were able to have that money of mine, without really being able to give me what I paid for. They were telling me 'spring'. Ridiculous.

But then again, I persuaded him to pull a console for me.

If I was just a guy who waited until whenever to pre-order the console... I wouldn't have really minded as much. But being what my circumstances were however again, I felt robbed.

Sure, the preorders get them money up front that they can gain interest on, or go invest, or whatever. But the point still stands that they are not only turning away sales, they are turning away potential future customers... especially if they're located in the same mall as a Target or Best Buy or something. The witholding of a product only works if the product is not easily available, otherwise, I would think the thought process of the common customer would not be "well gee, I guess I better preorder next time," it's instead "if I want a game, I'm not coming to this game store, where they don't seem to be able to stock enough to sell to people... I'll go to Target instead."

Exactly, and this is why the stores have absolutely no use anymore since games are readily available often earlier, and occasionally cheaper, on release date in the big box stores now.

Trading and buying used games is usually a rip off as you can sell them for more and buy them for less on ebay or exachange forums on sites like this. But this will keep them in business as many don't know any better or are too lazy to deal with ebay/trading online etc.

Yeah, stores like GS make very little on selling new games - so little, that they probably don't care if you buy it from Target or Best Buy instead - they care more about selling used games. But it does piss of customers who could be regular customers when they pull shit like holding games for pre-orders only - and it's not worth the poor relations to do so, but they don't seem to care...

Thanks for the response, sorry I was slow returning.

My experience was Oblivion. I guess it wasn't release day, since there were used copies they tried to sell me (and allow me to save $2.47).

That's the main reason I don't bother with EB/Gamestop anymore. Like I asked the dude on my way out the door on my final visit: suppose i'm buying the game as a gift for someone, i'm going to give them an open fucking game? "Oh yeah bro, it came like that at the store, I didn't play it already or anything ". I don't think so.

Hmmm, i have to disagree with you... in general, yes, trade in games at GS sucks big times. However, with the extra 30% promotion (and the 10% from Edge card), you can get pretty sweet trade in values. I don't use eBay and forums because of opportunity cost, i.e. a trip to GS and done with my transaction in 30 mins is a better than a week long transaction with potential headache...

Like Darkside said, the B2G1 free deal is pretty sweet, most used games are in pretty new condition (case, manual etc...), so it's a potential bargain bin for most cheap ass gamers.

My local GS is pretty cool, i don't have the "pre-order" problem, they never ask me and even if they did, i just simply say no....

The only problem i had with the local GS is the GS exclusive game items, like the Castlevania DS game extras. I had a *ucking hard time getting that exclusive. Well, it's not really the store's fault though, b/c it didn't get any exclusive version of that game (well, i kinda believe them, they are pretty polite and all).

And yes, i also think selling a resealed game as new sucks big times (at the same price of the new one of course). However, i never encounter this problem in person so i'm not even sure my local GS does this...

Sorry to hear Supermallet's problem, but i guess that 's life...

Overall, i support my local GS, i just signed up for the Edge card (game informer is not that particularily great, biased toward the Wii IMO), but with 10% used game prices, hey, that's pretty good. It's like getting the mags for free... I only pre-order GS exclusive games. By that i mean games that actually have extra stuffs, not just some stupid cover. I'll pre-order NG Sigma and Stronghold (Hard boiled BR movie included, which might be the only way you can get the BR movie, b/c the studio supports HD DVD).

I never give the GS employees any hard times, b/c they are people just like you and me. The whole pre-order thing is really blown out of propotion. If GS don't let you buy a copy b/c you didn't pre-order one on the launch day, then you know it's their lost, there's no need to get nasty.

Everyone always brings this up. How much do you have to trade in or buy to get your $15 back that the card cost? Only after that are you actually making/saving money. That means you are roped into going into those places just to break even and get your $15 back.

$150 bucks before things are in your favor. Doesn't sound like much of a 'bonus' to me.