Game store - why are they so bad

K1LLSW1TCH · 25 Jul 2017 at 14:35

I went there fairly recently to trade a few old games in against a new copy of Tekken 7 for the PS4. The manager who served me had awful product knowledge, tried twice to sign me up to their worthless rewards system and then tried to get me to buy a warranty on my disk in case it stopped working...

I can't remember the last time I had a decent experience in a GAME store, granted I barely use them nowadays but whenever I go in the standards of cleanliness are awful, the shops always smell of B.O and Lynx Africa, the staff aren't very knowledgeable in my local ones either.

peahead · 25 Jul 2017 at 14:35

Mike Ashley has just bought a 26% stake in Game that says a lot

azazl187 · 25 Jul 2017 at 14:39

peahead said:
Mike Ashley has just bought a 26% stake in Game that says a lot

Yes, it means that prices will tumble on some of the least popular games so there maybe a better chance for a decent deal on some second hand games if you are into that kinda thing thing. Peripherals will be made in china and will be dirt cheap. I personally have not walked into a Game for years. There literally isn't a need nowadays as you can get everything cheaper online.

Ree · 25 Jul 2017 at 14:42

no idea why anyone would go into one of these stores to be blatantly ripped off. last time i was in a game store was to get my ps2 replaced under warranty and have literally never stepped foot in one since.

peahead · 25 Jul 2017 at 15:07

ree said:
no idea why anyone would go into one of these stores to be blatantly ripped off. last time i was in a game store was to get my ps2 replaced under warranty and have literally never stepped foot in one since.

Probably mums and dads who know nothing about gaming or prices who go into the likes of Game.

naefeart · 28 Jul 2017 at 07:59

peahead said:
Probably mums and dads who know nothing about gaming or prices who go into the likes of Game.

When I was in trading my PS4 for a pro, there were kids in with parents/grand parents trading old games in for new. It was interesting to me to see kids being given the choice: 'You want a new game? You're going to have to trader in some of your existing games first'.

When I was a kid, some of my friends had endless collections of games and stuff. My parents wouldn't have ever given into that.

Oh and I got pretty good service, copied all my save games over for me and even gave me more money than we had initially agreed (found extra accessories in the box). That said, I'm not likely to go in there to buy any games.

iv-tecman · 28 Jul 2017 at 09:25

Never bother to go into my local game store anymore. Prices aren't very good, my local one is small and was always hard to move around, and last time I tried to buy something I found the same game online cheaper for new then their second hand price. That was just when the PS4 was launched. Some quite a few years ago now.

Scort · 28 Jul 2017 at 13:02

I like having high street shops to go into for gaming, but... I've not purchased from one for well over 10 years now, and that's simply down to prices. Game, CEX and independents are simply too expensive to buy from imo - on average a new game can be £10-20 more expensive, and second hand prices are ludicrous - often only a few quid cheaper than brand new!

They'll keep on going though, as [someone stated above] family members will use them, and trust them, when buying for their gamer relatives.

For me, the only benefit of having a physical store, is for instant trade-ins, though you have to time these well, or you'll get shafted and might as well stick it on the MM or fleabay.

Woden · 28 Jul 2017 at 13:14

I buy online. Impulse buys are from asda who always seem more expensive than online, but only marginally.

Game have been ridiculously expensive for years. It's like they are blissfully unaware that the internet is a thing.

ttaskmaster · 28 Jul 2017 at 14:01

dalehitchy1 said:
I don't understand why they think gamers would go for that crap when most are tech savvy and know it's a bad deal

Gamers don't shop there - Their parents and aunts do, in the run-up to birthdays/Christmas, on their lunchbreak, because the high street is so much easier than all these gaming webshops.

wanderer89 · 28 Jul 2017 at 14:43

GameStation were my favourite, owned by the same company but sold stuff cheaper than GAME. Also they were the only ones who priced matched CeX trade in.
If they'd kept GameStation or just transferred the prices and policies from there to GAME, then they wouldn't struggle.

Sega Mega Dave · 30 Jul 2017 at 00:54

ttaskmaster said:
Gamers don't shop there - Their parents and aunts do, in the run-up to birthdays/Christmas, on their lunchbreak, because the high street is so much easier than all these gaming webshops.

I traded some crap in for money last week because I couldn't be bothered to sell online. There were quite a few people ranging from student age to in their 40s buying games full price. It's far from parents shopping in there.

old gamer · 30 Jul 2017 at 03:47

New game store just opened in bristol, they have a Lan set up with about 12 pc's, also ps4 and xbox, cost £5 per hour but did look quite impressive, also had two vive vr setups for people to try out

Schizo · 30 Jul 2017 at 05:02

I only go in there with my daughter to see there second hand games,can't remember the last game I got from there.

malachi · 30 Jul 2017 at 06:27

peahead said:
Probably mums and dads who know nothing about gaming or prices who go into the likes of Game.

Or they are too scared to use their bank card on the Internet.

Nitefly · 30 Jul 2017 at 09:27

old gamer said:
New game store just opened in bristol, they have a Lan set up with about 12 pc's, also ps4 and xbox, cost £5 per hour but did look quite impressive, also had two vive vr setups for people to try out

Just came here to post this - thought it looked pretty awesome and something most people here would like!

Looks nothing like a traditional game.

old gamer · 30 Jul 2017 at 10:38

Nitefly said:
Just came here to post this - thought it looked pretty awesome and something most people here would like!

Looks nothing like a traditional game.

I was tempted to have a blast on overwatch but the Mrs had other ideas like shopping

davewhite04 · 30 Jul 2017 at 11:40

They aren't bad for getting some shelf space back from getting trade ins for dust gathering consoles/games in a hurry, hence they take advantage of the convenience they offer. Online stores have almost killed them off, like other similar types of high street shops.

V F · 30 Jul 2017 at 13:42

iv-tecman said:
Never bother to go into my local game store anymore. Prices aren't very good, my local one is small and was always hard to move around, and last time I tried to buy something I found the same game online cheaper for new then their second hand price. That was just when the PS4 was launched. Some quite a few years ago now.

I don't think I've ever been into a Game brand store. Haven't been into any local stores since the 90s specifically for games. They either never had it (limited range) or you had to reserve a pre-order with them through another big chain. Other game shops I was last in other areas was 2001/2. Everything else the rainforest and downloads - PSN/Steam/shop codes.

oldestgregg · 30 Jul 2017 at 14:17

old gamer said:
New game store just opened in bristol, they have a Lan set up with about 12 pc's, also ps4 and xbox, cost £5 per hour but did look quite impressive, also had two vive vr setups for people to try out

Same in the Metrocentre. Big lan set up and even a streaming/twitch booth. Pretty impressive but then you notice they are selling Zelda for the Switch for £65!