I heard HMV are in trouble, if they expanded their games sections or even opened stores specializing in games maybe they could fill the void left by GAME and save themselves.
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UK Retailer GAME is dead | Brera's Lament
- Thread starter CrunchinJelly
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I heard HMV are in trouble, if they expanded their games sections or even opened stores specializing in games maybe they could fill the void left by GAME and save themselves.
Ventilaator
Banned
I don't live in the UK, but I used GAME once to send me Persona 3 when I coukdn't find it in my country. Bless you, and rest in peace.
zomgbbqftw
Banned
That makes no sense. It is very likely that Gamestop (if they buy in a pre-pack) will keep quite a few staff on to work in Gamestop. There is no reason to train all new staff and interview 2000-3000 people when they are likely to have the old Game employee database and will be able to call up the best performing staff and offer them their jobs back if they still want/need them.
That's usually how it works.
JonathanEx
Member
Was a year ago I went to my local GAME for the 3DS launch.
I actually bought mine from Morrisons as it was way cheaper but a friend got theirs at GAME. Staff were all lovely and friendly, made a nice thing of the event and were nice at the other half's purchase of a large Sackboy plush instead of a 3DS.
But hey, you do what you can within the direction dictated by the corporate overlords.
I'll have Notepad++ on standby tomorrow.
zomgbbqftw
Banned
Too expensive to train people (and do you believe that Game employees are not already on the minimum wage or there abouts?). By and large the employees of Game are not to blame for the predicament that the company currently faces and very little retraining will be required for store staff. I wouldn't be surprised if they hired new store management and area level management, but for regular staff it makes sense for them to be contacted to reapply for their jobs which chances are they will be given back. At least for the locations that are going to be sold.
checkeredknight
Member
Huh. I'd not heard anything of store closures so soon either, but I guess it makes sense. Will wait and see... I'm supposed to be in at twelve tomorrow. At least we'll get all our pay up until now, that's the important thing for me at the moment. There's going to be a lot of pissed off customers with gift cards if we do close tomorrow. Should be... interesting.
Best of luck everyone!
Best of luck everyone!
J Tourettes
Banned
This post has been retweeted a few times on twitter, even by Parfitt from mcv.
I just hope we aren't left with the hole regardless of whether it's an investment group or GameStop that maybe takes it on. This will suck balls for the industry and it'll leave the trade in market with a huge loss which would have a knock on effect for how many people buy new games in the first place.
I predict that too many people rely partly on trade ins so they can buy new games and that will in turn have an effect on games sold in the first place.
SiegfriedFM
Member
Does anyone have a clue what this will mean to non-UK Game stores? There's a ton of them around Sweden and I've seen them elsewhere as well (in Prague, among others). The manager as the local store here in Sweden claimed that they're a separate company and won't be affected but I can't see how. If McDonalds went belly up I wouldn't expect the local franchises to stay.
frankie_baby
Member
I would assume they'd be seperate subsidury companies and if they're profitable should be easy for the administrators to sell off
industrian
will gently cradle you as time slowly ticks away.
The last time I was there they were pretty much the same second-hand gaming store that GAME and Gamestation were.
Mr. Luchador
Member
HMV are just as bad as GAME for pricing and pre-owned. I wouldn't pin your hopes on those guys becoming some gaming retail powerhouse. Most of their stores don't even stock PC titles any more.
It's kinda weird in some ways. I recall when Virgin Megastores went under and all their stores were closed here. One month later I went abroad and found the same store (not a Zavvi btw) open and in business.
^
Since the videogames business is a big money maker for the UK, it makes sense for them to keep GAME going. Personally I would rather it die and something else spring from its grave. If they do keep it going, loose all the high-end management and start again. Strip it down to the basics of selling games for various formats and offering decent prices. GAME was bloated with too much hi-management bullshit. No wonder people hated the place. Get rid of those stupid in-store things that staff are forced to do like pre-orders, pushing points cards and the like.
Since the videogames business is a big money maker for the UK, it makes sense for them to keep GAME going. Personally I would rather it die and something else spring from its grave. If they do keep it going, loose all the high-end management and start again. Strip it down to the basics of selling games for various formats and offering decent prices. GAME was bloated with too much hi-management bullshit. No wonder people hated the place. Get rid of those stupid in-store things that staff are forced to do like pre-orders, pushing points cards and the like.
Dr Frasier Crane
Member
Not really. It was your insane optimism and downright foolishness that cheated you out of money.
Razor thin margins on software thanks to the completely broken business and distribution model of the industry forced them and every other retailer into that space. Anything that spring up in its place will be identical.
Not really. It was your insane optimism and downright foolishness that cheated you out of money.
He wanted to be just like the banks and make money off someone else buying shares low and selling high.
I'm not so sure. Grainger aren't like that, at least the one in Liverpool. They stand at the tills until you either bring them a game or ask them for help. Then they serve you, maybe talk about games for a bit but don't try to push any preorders or accessories. It's the way it should be.
or more like GMG buying all its main competitors and being stuck with insane rent and rates bills with 2-6 stores in the same towns/cities is what caused this mess, they have insane buying power to get prices down from the wholesalers
competitions commission should never have allowed the GS take over
state_vector_collapse
Member
I think this is all quite sad to be honest. Game always got new releases to me at least a day early, and it was always a nice surprise checking the website every few months, and seeing you had a nice amount of reward points to spend.
The only times I ever had to deal with CS on the phone they were always extremely helpful and sorted things on the spot.
But yes, the number of stores they had opened at times boggles the mind. I live in Manchester and at one point they had two stores in the Arndale and one inside Debenhams - all within a couple of minutes of each other. That just doesn't make sense at all considering the price of rental space in the city centre.
I never had problems with staff in the main Arndale store either. I've never been hassled when I went in there and certainly never had them try to upsell me anything.
The only times I ever had to deal with CS on the phone they were always extremely helpful and sorted things on the spot.
But yes, the number of stores they had opened at times boggles the mind. I live in Manchester and at one point they had two stores in the Arndale and one inside Debenhams - all within a couple of minutes of each other. That just doesn't make sense at all considering the price of rental space in the city centre.
I never had problems with staff in the main Arndale store either. I've never been hassled when I went in there and certainly never had them try to upsell me anything.
Yeah, some of the larger towns and cities with multiple GAME shops is just crazy. 1 larger store should be more than enough.
My home town has exactly 1 game shop and that is GAME. If they go under, there will be a gap. Almost tempted to start my own game shop.
Let me turn my TV on.
Yeah, some of the larger towns and cities with multiple GAME shops is just crazy. 1 larger store should be more than enough.
My home town has exactly 1 game shop and that is GAME. If they go under, there will be a gap. Almost tempted to start my own game shop.
i live in a modest size town, 100k-150k (edit: google results say 125,000) people, we have 2 GAME's, and 1 Gamestation, why?
My GF who lives in Preston has 2 GAME's in the town centre and 1 Gamestation with a CEX over the road from it. 1 GAME on a out of town retail park and when Borders was on the very same retail park they had a GAME store inside the Borders too.
WTF.
Exactly like where I live; one GAME or Gamestation would be plenty - the queue is never long enough to even warranty two shops
It's also on the ticker at the bottom of the Sky News TV channel. (Edit: Beaten)
I haven't heard anything from work yet... I may pop into town to see what news (if any) the business has given us.
j0hnny_385
Member
So long GAME. We had some good times. Most of my collection is from GAME (online). Various deals, etc. Good times.
Haven't bought anything from them in a while, though.
Good luck to all those employees.
Haven't bought anything from them in a while, though.
Good luck to all those employees.
JonathanEx
Member
Yeah the time for that really was say, two weeks ago, when they had some stock still in.
Go buy a load of MS Points or PSN vouchers. You could pick up a pre-owned PSP or DS too at that price, might even get two.
Dr Frasier Crane
Member
I live in Leeds. There are two Games and 1 Game station in town. One game in a retail park just outside town (like 1/2 a mile) and one at a shopping centre maybe 3 miles away. Absolute insanity, they want max 1 in town (biggie) and maybe a smaller on at the shopping centre.
Coming from someone who was engaging in a very similar activity with the spending of money in a company that was extremely likely to fail with the hopes of huge returns. The irony is delicious.
HuntTheMusic
Neo Member
The press speculation of an appointment today all but confirms that the bank are appointing their own administrators via their right as secured chargeholders. Their is no listed hearing in any high court in the country so at least this has been taken out of the directors hands and someone can start to unravel this mess.
If it is Price Waterhouse Coppers that is taking the appointment they probably stand to make at least £10,000,000 from this.
Deloitte made close to £10,000,000 from the administration of Woolworths and this is a much larger undertaking especially due to the Company structure and international operations.
Good luck to everyone affected. If any employees want any impartial advice on how to make a claim in administration and/or what you would be set to receive please feel free to PM me and I will try to help where I can.
If it is Price Waterhouse Coppers that is taking the appointment they probably stand to make at least £10,000,000 from this.
Deloitte made close to £10,000,000 from the administration of Woolworths and this is a much larger undertaking especially due to the Company structure and international operations.
Good luck to everyone affected. If any employees want any impartial advice on how to make a claim in administration and/or what you would be set to receive please feel free to PM me and I will try to help where I can.
My actions didn't cost jobs. I invested in the company thus kept them going for a few seconds more!
That's not really how it works.
Slightly Live
Dirty tag dodger
You didn't do any investing. You ploughed around looking to make quick easy money off the back of a failing company with potentially thousands of job losses.
The fact that you didn't directly profit from people's misery thanks to own shitty decision making is just icing on top.
JonathanEx
Member
Here we go.
MCV ‏ @MCVonline
The administrator HAS been appointed, announcement pending #savegame
MCV ‏ @MCVonline
The administrator HAS been appointed, announcement pending #savegame
IdreamofHIME
Member
The business guy on Sky news asking questions about GAME is seriously aggressive about them lol.
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