Shorty11857
Member
You'll love it or hate it, it has some good writing and a great choice system, however I thought the gameplay was horrible and hated it
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
UK Retailer GAME is dead | Brera's Lament
- Thread starter CrunchinJelly
- Start date
- Status
You'll love it or hate it, it has some good writing and a great choice system, however I thought the gameplay was horrible and hated it
Wait... what? Smiths won't let you buy certain items with a gift card? But... ehhhhh?
Attacked the PS2 sections in Telford today. Got some good stuff. Also bought another PSP Go for my girlfriend in Gamestation after she was envious of mine. The person who served me was the worst so far.
Him: So did you say you dont have a rewards card
Me: No, I dont
He then grabs one of the cards and starts folding it ready to be scanned
Him: Right, I'll just scan one in for you
Me: No. I dont want one.
He then got a bit annoyed
Him: Look. Its a pound. Just take it.
Me: I had one once and thanks to it being crap I lost all my points. So no I dont want one.
It was then he finally let me pay and leave. And now we discover that its bashed a bit on the side and the charger they gave us is broke, but my charger works so its not the port. Oh and it was unboxed. Siiiighhhhh.
Him: So did you say you dont have a rewards card
Me: No, I dont
He then grabs one of the cards and starts folding it ready to be scanned
Him: Right, I'll just scan one in for you
Me: No. I dont want one.
He then got a bit annoyed
Him: Look. Its a pound. Just take it.
Me: I had one once and thanks to it being crap I lost all my points. So no I dont want one.
It was then he finally let me pay and leave. And now we discover that its bashed a bit on the side and the charger they gave us is broke, but my charger works so its not the port. Oh and it was unboxed. Siiiighhhhh.
I had the same thing in Gamestation. So annoying it's untrue. This is exactly why people detest going into these stores.
It's also why most people have stopped.
If you want me to make the journey to your game store and probable pay more than what I will if I order online then make sure the customer service is at the top of its game.
Good riddance to this company.
Diablohead
Member
It's due to how the credit works on the system, gift cards can not buy other 'gift' cards, annoying but it should say around the store, at least my store does.
Just understand that AP is an RPG first and foremost, and be prepared for a little jank. For smoothest experience, go stealth/pistols. Not that it means much to you, but AP was my GOTY for 2010.
Pretty decent haul.
Shotgun Kiss
Member
I have credit to use, but damned if I can find anything I want that isn't ludicrously overpriced. This sale is a joke, especially now that sale prices have gone UP. Even at sale prices, I can still find anything that interests me for cheaper online.
Yeah I found Deus-Ex Human Revolution to be a far more rewarding experience when doing a stealth run. I think I'll take you up on that advice for AP once I get to it.
BackwardsSuggestions
Member
I work in Currys/PC world and when they were all £1, they did. A guy bought Skyrim for £43 the other day.
I work in Currys/PC world and when they were all £1, they did. A guy bought Skyrim for £43 the other day.
I made a bunch from HMV/Game trade in when Curry's did that. Brilliant sale.
toythatkills
Member
Ugh.
Problem?
checkeredknight
Member
Yeah, but this one looks like it's going out to Gamestation stores:
Saw this outside the Lincoln store today. It's not so bad, but that GAME one posted earlier in the thread is god-awful. It'll be interesting to see if we have one outside of my GameStation on Monday... we had one advertising the sale last time I checked.
JennyTablina
Member
Ugh, even if GAME are being closed down, Any retail assistant is drilled to do Think 21/25 EVERY TIME they sell something age restricted, and the customer should ALWAYS have ID on hand, the law is a little softer on age restricted media (because it's generally less likely to kill anyone I guess), but any assistant is liable to a huge fine or sentence if they are found out to be selling to someone underage. You could of been a mystery shopper or genuinely underage, but there's no way to disprove that UNLESS you have proper ID on you - maybe her age-radar was off. But don't blame the woman for covering her butt. Even if GAME closes, if she was caught for selling to underage people it could possibly result in a criminal record or a nice big fine, which is the last thing anyone needs on top of unemployment!
The age restriction is law, stores have to uphold that law. If they do not, it's fines all around (or worse!) for anyone involved, and it's on the assistants head even moreso, If we ask, then BY LAW we have to withhold sale of the item to the individual if they cannot produce ID, and no amount of pleading or trying to convince someone otherwise will help you.
Also I think it's pretty mean spirited of people to walk in and use "the your closing soon anyway" argument to try and win assumed "battles" with store clerks. Way to drive the wound deeper. Not all GAME staff are top notch, but nobody likes being reminded constantly that they may soon be out of a job. Have some consideration for your fellow men!
Lazlo Woodbine
Member
Don't expect to get a warm reception when you admit to flipping stuff. It's the main reason HUKD have a bad rep here (deservedly imo).
Well as a Uni student where my allowance only just covers food I'll take what I can get. Even if it is at the expense of huge corporations who have been dicking consumers over for years.
Cheesecakebobby
Banned
Let's be honest, when there are clearance sales like the Curry's £1 sale, anything remaining after a day is gonna get hoovered up by staff. I was lucky and went to a lesser-used store the morning that the deal started. It basically ended up with me and several staff members picking over the games and swapping with each other (e.g one of the staff really wanted Bulletstorm so I happily handed it to him). I ended up keeping some of the games and swapping some at CEX for a 3DS. Sure I could have handed out those surplus copies of Call of Juarez and Move minigame collections like I was Santa Claus, but I don't think people who make the same decision should be hated just because they didn't a) keep all those games collecting dust on their shelves or b) let the staff take them all instead. If the same happened at GAME it would be a free-for-all, only I expect people would come to blows
toythatkills
Member
Actually it's at the expense of consumers who you skank out of a decent deal. Anyway, if people have to do something like this to eat, that's fine, but there's no need to then boast about it on a forum. All you're doing is saying how little you give a shit about everyone else.
It was hardly boasting but that is neither here nor there. If it did come across that way though then I apologise, that wasn't my intention. I don't see what the difference is between that and other, usually closing down, sales where stock is limited and it's first come first serve.
I'd wager that if/when Game closes down and has a sale like that many people, even here, will buy a bunch of stuff just because it is so cheap and they can sell it on eBay or the like.
MrNyarlathotep
Banned
People whose financial situation barely affords them covering their food bills aren't people going into electrical goods stores and buying surplus stock. They're the people doing shitty cleaning jobs between lectures / seminars.
Don't justify that kind of thing with false entitlement sob-stories, you're devaluing people people actually on the poverty line.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
Nope, some of us have morals.
Woah, I was hardly pretending to be in poverty. I guess the fact that I used the term "allowance" as in from my parents didn't quite convey that.
Regardless, spending £10-20 then trading the games to HMV/Game for cash 5 minutes later would not make any difference to whether or not somebody was actually in poverty.
Psychotext
Member
What on earth does morality have to do with buying something cheap and selling it on for a profit?
If someone's willing to spend the time / effort doing all that, more power to them. I sure as hell wouldn't for the money that you could make from it.
xxczx
Member
Went in yesterday to Gamestation and Game, they didn't have much, shelves pretty bare.
Was tempted to pick up Dark Souls Limited Edition (£15, I think, can't remember) but I already borrowed Dark Souls from a friend and didn't like it. I got Quantum Theory for £5 instead, great game.
It's sad to see GAME/Gamestation might be closing down but we'll soon enough see another major game specialist store.
Was tempted to pick up Dark Souls Limited Edition (£15, I think, can't remember) but I already borrowed Dark Souls from a friend and didn't like it. I got Quantum Theory for £5 instead, great game.
It's sad to see GAME/Gamestation might be closing down but we'll soon enough see another major game specialist store.
It would make a difference to people actually being able to buy a product or not if you go and buy multiple copies when really, you only need one copy of each title. Nothing annoys me more than seeing a deal and then a few posts later "thanks ordered 20!!" "Ordered 100 lol if it works it works if it doesn't so what" and then everyone who ordered one of the product gets screwed by people bulk buying just so they can make a few quid on Ebay, or when people who just want one product go to the site, it's sold out from people ordering hundreds because of their greed.
bigtroyjon
Member
lol
JennyTablina
Member
I did Uni and I worked weekends and around my Uni hours, that excuse is weak - You are the one choosing to scrimp on the student loan/ grant (and don't give me the "no jobs" bull - there are plenty jobs out there for people that will be quite flexible with University times)
Also your really not sticking it to "The Man" by buying these things cheap. GAME in fact won't care a jot that you sold the goods off elsewhere because far as they are concerned - they got your money - and every little bit counts right now.
The only people you are sticking it to - are people that might enjoy picking up a good game for a bargain. For the record, I have no problem with people buying up stuff and trading it in for profit to a certain degree. But don't act like it's a means to get by in a country where you can easily work and get a degree without THAT much hassle
EDIT: Also holy poop you are still getting an allowance from your parents at Uni age? You should thank your lucky stars honestly, not many parents would give their kids an allowance past 16 years of age.
EDIT EDIT:
Well...I think it's a little bit lousy to just buy stuff ,simply to sell it right on for a higher price. But theres nothing wrong with buying something on the cheap, enjoying it and THEN selling it on IMO. Not that it would really matter still in GAME's case, regardless of someones intention on purchase, any purchases at that point will be simply to try and pay off all the amassed debts the company incurred. So it's a good thing to a certain degree...just sucks for other consumers really at that point. It's not really a moral thing, resellers are not "evil" or even really doing anything *that* bad, they just are maybe less likely to be considerate in this sort of situation.
Jackben
bitch I'm taking calls.
This doesn't make any sense.
AHA-Lambda
Member
What does selling something for a profit have to do with morals? That's intrinsic business, nothing amoral about it :-/
The government expects parents to contribute and a good amount of parents do, that is why parts of the student finance system are income assessed. Shit, the only way the government will accept that you won't get any support from your parents is if you say you are estranged and don't see your parents, or if you have already lived self sufficiently for 3 years.
Final post on the topic: I don't receive anything from the government aside from the loans that cover up front payment for my room and Uni fees. No grants, bursaries, scholarships or anything that could be considered free money. Were my parents not to give me an allowance each month I would have exactly £0 to live on, seriously. I'm not complaining mind you, my family is well off but there is an expectation from the government that they fund the money that the government does not. I don't get that kind of money each month, just enough to cover essentials with maybe £10 left over. Again, not complaining but I saw the chance to get a little disposable income and I took it. Incidentally I intended it to perhaps go towards a game or something but ended up spending it on food anyway.
If wanting to get some extra money when I have the chance is wrong in the eyes of some people here then so be it, I am actually actively applying for jobs by the way.
Anyway, in an attempt to bring this back on topic and away from my personal life, Game buying these kind of games that will probably never sell, and charging more than online to boot, is part and parcel of why they're going out of business.
Keyser Soze
Member
There are limits. When some online stores drops something low, or makes a mistake in pricing, and then people orders 10 of them to just to sell on it is a bit much. That is directly stopping another person from trying to get the game at that price - just so you could make a tenner down the line. Buying in bulk just to make a quick buck is every much as dickish as game forcing used sales.
Maybe I am just been to nice, but something like this...
... annoys when people on this very forum are posting that they missed out due to a late order
It's a shame when things like that happen because it just isn't good customer service.
Funnily enough, while I usually get ignored, or worse at the GAME stores in Stevenage, the staff at Gamestation are really friendly and don't push their rubbish if you tell them not to.
I bought my PSP Go from there, and I was told it wasn't boxed initially only for the manager to find me a boxed one in mint condition. I guess it all depends on who you deal with, which shouldn't be the case.
If GAME do get rescued, I think proper staff training is required to help them engage with their customers better.
Edit: Oh crap. So long GAME?
AHA-Lambda
Member
ok i'll give you that, buying multiple copies of a limited run copy to sell in bulk does take the mick.
walking fiend
Member
making money out of the mistakes of others in pricing and selling it at profit to buyers is a pillar of trading business and it is totally nice.
SuperEpicMan
Banned
I think some of you have quite snobbish expectations about shopping, having a rant because a sales assistant is offering you add on sales or calling an advertisement desperate because they are offering £35 pound trade in for a new game.
Firstly £35 is the best price you can get for those titles anywhere, and it is good to see them showing that as much as they can, and it would work out as an excellent deal if there were games you knew they had that you wanted to buy.
Secondly, the staff are only doing their job, what they are told to do, you don't have to shop there so stop ranting about how bad they are and how badly they mistreat you. Most shops on the high street will promote up selling to their staff, so its not something that is only in game.
Lastly, my last job was working in Peacocks which went into admin, and the most annoying thing is when you know that you treat the customers nicely and then because one douche comes in and tries to return something without a receipt and you politely tell him that without a receipt he can't return it due to the new policy, even though he knows we are all losing our jobs he still starts having a go at me telling me that I am a terrible member of staff who needs to go on a training course.
Firstly £35 is the best price you can get for those titles anywhere, and it is good to see them showing that as much as they can, and it would work out as an excellent deal if there were games you knew they had that you wanted to buy.
Secondly, the staff are only doing their job, what they are told to do, you don't have to shop there so stop ranting about how bad they are and how badly they mistreat you. Most shops on the high street will promote up selling to their staff, so its not something that is only in game.
Lastly, my last job was working in Peacocks which went into admin, and the most annoying thing is when you know that you treat the customers nicely and then because one douche comes in and tries to return something without a receipt and you politely tell him that without a receipt he can't return it due to the new policy, even though he knows we are all losing our jobs he still starts having a go at me telling me that I am a terrible member of staff who needs to go on a training course.
Yeah basically. I am hoping for further reductions once they actually go towards closing down mode.
SuperEpicMan
Banned
Yeah, thousands of good staff are going to lose their jobs, but as long as you get cheap games then its OK.
What a load of bollocks. Take that self-righteous attitude elsewhere.
Nowhere did Danj say that: I'm glad (or I'm simply OK) GAME is closing and all those people are losing their jobs, just so I can get cheap games.
And there's nothing he could do on his lonesome to save GAME. He's simply taking advantage of GAME offloading their stock for cheap. The writing's on the wall, and it's not far fetched to hope for further reductions out of a situation that is 110% unavoidable at this point.
And you know what, I feel exactly the same way. Does that make me an asshole who wants thousands of people to lose their jobs? Hell no. I have sympathy with every single person about to find themselves out of work. But I may as well pop in and add to my backlog while I've got the chance, and the possibility that the people serving me might very well be made redundant soon shouldn't dissuade me from doing so.
Psychotext
Member
Pretty much. I'm sad that people are losing their jobs, but I'm still going to take advantage of the situation. Not buying the cheap games is hardly going to help the staff is it.
JonathanEx
Member
So aside from us all buying cheap games, what theoretical could be the best outcome of this? Time for some uninformed thinking aloud!
Option 1 is that GAME somehow pulls together the money for the bills and survives - great news particularly for staff, but there needs to be some pretty big changes at GAME to stop this happening again - and are the current management up to doing that?
Then there's the sales. OpCapita's offer seems to have been turned down. Considering the cut of jobs they announced this week that might not be a bad thing.
Then GameStop - they could be a decent new owner. Although they might seem similar to GAME, they're actually profitable - and would most likely keep it as a game business. Who knows, the UK arm might have to operate a bit differently to the US as are markets are different with pricing and competition on new titles.
WalMart? Maybe, but there's some fears could also just be after the store space. ASDA local! Yaaaaaaaay! But with 650 stores any new owner could afford to lose a few - if you killed one of the two franchises you'd probably be left with a similar number of towns with gaming stores, just 1 instead of 2. That'd be a significant number of job losses though.
The interesting thing in this is also Gamestation. To quote NeoGAF's favourite Ben Parfitt, "Chatting with someone in the know today and they reckon an eventual buyer might drop GAME brand in favour of growing Gamestation - They said that Gamestation was stronger as it directly targeted a reliable target market. Backed up by profit share, too."
GameStation by itself could maybe survive - their reputation hasn't been hit as much as GAME imo. New owner, bring back the indie feel, give shops a bit more autonomy? Although some of the t-shirts and stuff they used to sell could be a bit corny but it's that they sold a decent amount of figures and swag that some people went to them, more than just games. Is it possible for Game and GS to be split up in a sale - or are they too linked that you'd have to buy both and kill one? Two partially competing retailers would be great but is that even possible? I, have no answers, merely rhetorical questions.
In conclusion: words. Anyone fancy ripping some of that apart or any other ideas?
Option 1 is that GAME somehow pulls together the money for the bills and survives - great news particularly for staff, but there needs to be some pretty big changes at GAME to stop this happening again - and are the current management up to doing that?
Then there's the sales. OpCapita's offer seems to have been turned down. Considering the cut of jobs they announced this week that might not be a bad thing.
Then GameStop - they could be a decent new owner. Although they might seem similar to GAME, they're actually profitable - and would most likely keep it as a game business. Who knows, the UK arm might have to operate a bit differently to the US as are markets are different with pricing and competition on new titles.
WalMart? Maybe, but there's some fears could also just be after the store space. ASDA local! Yaaaaaaaay! But with 650 stores any new owner could afford to lose a few - if you killed one of the two franchises you'd probably be left with a similar number of towns with gaming stores, just 1 instead of 2. That'd be a significant number of job losses though.
The interesting thing in this is also Gamestation. To quote NeoGAF's favourite Ben Parfitt, "Chatting with someone in the know today and they reckon an eventual buyer might drop GAME brand in favour of growing Gamestation - They said that Gamestation was stronger as it directly targeted a reliable target market. Backed up by profit share, too."
GameStation by itself could maybe survive - their reputation hasn't been hit as much as GAME imo. New owner, bring back the indie feel, give shops a bit more autonomy? Although some of the t-shirts and stuff they used to sell could be a bit corny but it's that they sold a decent amount of figures and swag that some people went to them, more than just games. Is it possible for Game and GS to be split up in a sale - or are they too linked that you'd have to buy both and kill one? Two partially competing retailers would be great but is that even possible? I, have no answers, merely rhetorical questions.
In conclusion: words. Anyone fancy ripping some of that apart or any other ideas?
I'm sorry but taking advantage of clearance sales in GAME stores does not suggest that you are happy that thousands will lose their jobs.
I'm a consumer, I will look for a great deal and jump on it. If it's a clearance sale, it's unfortunate, but good for me.
The Incarnation
Member
Brought a few games on the cheap, amazes me how many people don't use their online codes.
SuperEpicMan
Banned
I wasn't saying don't buy games, just remember why the games are cheap lol
The masses continue to buy from online retailers as that's how GAME got here in the first place. Everything is cheaper online.
If they survive, they really need to go after the online retailers and match their prices, then people may go to their local store because they'll get the game there and now for a killer price!
- Status