A trading love-in

[Captain Kirk]

Were you surprised? Don't think I've used Gamestation since they were taken over by GAME.

[Scott McFly]

I actually noticed HMV deal in pre-owned games now. I believe it's just for store credit and not cash, but they give you money off anything in store, so might be better if you're after a new release game since CeX tend not to get new releases traded in for a while and even when they do they're sometimes priced a bit on the high side initially.

Failing that, we can only hope Gamestop get some more stores over here to give Game and Gamestation some competition. Seriously, how was that takeover allowed to go through? The only two high street games specialists and one was allowed to buy the other?

[K]

serius post time, the chicks working in CEX are always fucking amazing, and the chicks in Gamestation.. well, they look like dragsy

[Cactus Drags]

Yes, yes and fuck yes Hamster. All those moments are what makes this game. The whole train sequence is probably one of the most exciting pieces of a game I've ever played in fact.

As for trading in, I tend to just take it to CeX. AFAIK Gamestation and Game don't take in US Nintendo DS games and I have a few of them. And as you mentioned, you'll probably get a better price there anyway. As long as you compare prices before you go and don't get screwed by some of the abnormally high ones (£45 for a pre-owned Left 4 Dead when it's £39.99 new in Game and there's plenty of them?) then you can't go wrong. I tend to usually get DVDs with my credit anyway and only the occasional game when it's come down a bit. I was actually up there today trading in some DVDs and my US copy of Apollo Justice and picked up Dead Rising for £15 and a couple of other DVDs. Still got a £16 voucher, a £45 voucher and all my stuff today came to £70. Fuck, I've got a lot there.

They also had a fuckton of Fallout 3 and Fable II (like, 30 copies of each) at £25 each which was pretty tempting but I've got plenty of games to get through just now. Not to mention if other stores have similar amounts they'll probably have to bring the price down further to shift them and that's when I'll get them. I do try to buy new if I can to make sure the developers/publishers get their share, especially if I know I'll like the game or am really looking forward to it, but for games I'm so-so on I'll use my credit on that.

Fallout 3 special edition is £25 new in Gamestation at the moment. We don't take US games because of some legal restriction, something to do with age ratings and whatnot. There's probably some kind of importer license you need, I 'unno. DVDs I think deliberately get about 10p so we don't get as many in because they never sell.

Gamestation sucks balls for trade-in.

They offered me 8 fucking quid for fifa 09 the other week, took it down the road and was given £25 cash from CeX for it.

That's bullshit, it's still like £18-20. Not amazing, but no way were you offered £8 trade. £8-12 cash I could probably understand.

[Dan]

Cash, not trade-in, sorry.

[Cactus Drags]

Well fuck off then, what incentive does a shop have for trading in cash, really? At least with trade they know it's coming back to them. And you would complain the week FIFA's £19.99 to buy brand new, what did you expect, full face value? fucking customers

By the way, it is indeed a tenner trade at the moment.

[Dan]

I just don't understand how Gamestation can offer at the time 8 Quid when CeX can offer 25 quid for the same game.

I didn't kick up a fuss or anything :| Some Gamestation employees seem to treat the public as a problem and would prefer it if no one came inside the shop apart from only their trusted friends.

Edited December 20, 2008 by Version Dan

[King Ellis]

Been reading Dragsy's posts again have we?

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

...and some public seem to think that national minimum wage Gamestation employees personally CHOSE to set the trade in prices at the amount they are.

Got an issue with trade-in prices? Customers should complain to Gamestation head office and not slag off the store monkeys about it.

[Cactus Drags]

I just don't understand how Gamestation can offer at the time 8 Quid when CeX can offer 25 quid for the same game.

I didn't kick up a fuss or anything :| Some Gamestation employees seem to treat the public as a problem and would prefer it if no one came inside the shop apart from only their trusted friends.

The amount of shit we have to put up with from some customers, I'm not surprised if some employees seem to have a negative attitude. Remember, you might be an exemplary customer, but a great deal aren't. Also, you're likely in the shop 5-15 minutes, we're in there all day. I get quite a bit of abuse from customers about trade prices when as CSAMH said, I have no say whatsoever in setting trading prices, and to be perfectly honest most people should think themselves lucky I ignore the policy on knocking prices down for disc repairs. Seriously, the state of some games, I should charge for like five. But I'm getting off what I came to post for, and that was your FIFA complaint.

FIFA '09, brand new, this week costs £19.99. Offering £10 trade is actually not that bad. If we offered £20-25 like we do for most new releases, what do you think would happen? Oh yes, people would be buying at £20, then trading in for more than they bought it. Unfortunately, even though we sell games, we still have a business to run. The reason you get offered less cash is because you'll quite likely spend it elsewhere, whereas with credit, you'll spend it at our store, and likely contribute more money. CEX give you £25 cash because they'll sell it on for £40-50, even though it's second hand. How do you not get this? To be honest, if you came in to the store with the kind of mindset you've been displaying so far, I'd treat you as a problem too.

And to Ellis' post, I'll reiterate, there are plenty of customers who are no trouble at all, we have a laugh with, and even try to help them out with offers if bundles aren't quite right, or they need a bunch of extra controllers or something, we'll try to discount some (bear in mind there's fuck all profit margin on consoles and non-specific games). It's just the idiots and morons who tend to be more entertaining, so they get posted about more >_>

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I changed bundles if I could, I offered money off games if they were buying a few, I would let them have games from other preowned deals sometimes and I regularly ignored the company's unfair policy on disc cleaning charges.

Still got grief from rude and ignorant customers though.

So we decided to go through a period of sticking to policies and not offering ANY special offers or deals whatsoever (afterall it's not like we're even supposed to). We got grief from customers as always but it was more fun.

Anyway Gamestation is a proper business, not some geezer selling fruit down the market, or a lamp seller in Turkey....I hate when people got upset that we wouldn't barter.....

Would you barter at Tesco?! (What, 40 quid? Thirty five for cash love?)

[Cactus Drags]

I HATE that. "WHAT THE FUCK?!?! I AM BEING A WII AND A DS AND WII FIT AND YOU WON'T DO ME A DISCOUNT BECAUSE I AM BUYING SO MUCH STUFF I WILL TAKE MY BUSINESS ELSEWHERE!"

"...Go on then. We don't really want your business if it's rude and not paying as much money as everyone else "

The HMV CDs or even apples at Tesco examples work too, at the very least they seem to confuse the customer for a while, which is amusing. Like "if you bought two CDs/apples from HMV/Tesco, how much discount would you ask for or expect?" "None". "So why do you expect it from us?" "...but...but...BUT I AM PAYING SO MUCH MONEY I WANT TO SEE YOUR MANAGER RARGH!"

Edited December 20, 2008 by Dragsy

[Captain Kirk]

I get it in Comet all the time with people looking for discounts on tickets for even the cheapest stuff. There is a price ticket for a reason!

The worst is when they seem to think if they bring in cash they should get a discount, cash creates more fucking work.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Good afternoon, Gamestation...How can I help you?

[Dan]

That's what it's like in pretty much any form of retail in the country though.

I used to dread shop floor when I worked at Tesco because of stupid customers and the like but I knew what it was going to be like and got used to it. Gamestation isn't the only place where customers are generally annoying but whining and making out like customers are not the one paying your wages and keeping you in a job is just arsey.

Oh and Dragsy, the game was on sale for 35/40 at the time, so 1/5 of the price for a pretty much brand new game is a joke, if the 19.99 deal was on back then it'd have made more sense, noone gave me shit & the staff where pretty friendly, I didn't complain as I know that they don't decide the prices & just head off to CeX, just a few I've met and are friends with as well as on forums have being whiny about customers like they're carrying the plague into their store.

Edited December 21, 2008 by Version Dan

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

That's what it's like in pretty much any form of retail in the country though.

I used to dread shop floor when I worked at Tesco because of stupid customers and the like but I knew what it was going to be like and got used to it. Gamestation isn't the only place where customers are generally annoying but whining and making out like customers are not the one paying your wages and keeping you in a job is just arsey.

Oh and Dragsy, the game was on sale for 35/40 at the time, so 1/5 of the price for a pretty much brand new game is a joke, if the 19.99 deal was on back then it'd have made more sense, noone gave me shit & the staff where pretty friendly, I didn't complain as I know that they don't decide the prices & just head off to CeX, just a few I've met and are friends with as well as on forums have being whiny about customers like they're carrying the plague into their store.

Have you smelt some of the people who come into Gamestation stores?

[Dan]

That reminds me, in the Blackpool store they took up the carpet and the floor smelt terribly for like 3 months of dry sweat >_>

[AJ]

It's that git Martin Lewis' fault. He's the one telling everyone you CAN barter with the high street and causing misery for employees everywhere.

[Cactus Drags]

That's what it's like in pretty much any form of retail in the country though.

I used to dread shop floor when I worked at Tesco because of stupid customers and the like but I knew what it was going to be like and got used to it. Gamestation isn't the only place where customers are generally annoying but whining and making out like customers are not the one paying your wages and keeping you in a job is just arsey.

Oh and Dragsy, the game was on sale for 35/40 at the time, so 1/5 of the price for a pretty much brand new game is a joke, if the 19.99 deal was on back then it'd have made more sense, noone gave me shit & the staff where pretty friendly, I didn't complain as I know that they don't decide the prices & just head off to CeX, just a few I've met and are friends with as well as on forums have being whiny about customers like they're carrying the plague into their store.

No, it really isn't! I go in HMV, I don't see queues getting held up because of some jerk at the front trying to get a fiver off a DVD or something. No one screams and storms off in H&M or USC or something because they can't get their dress cheaper if they buy two. I understand it probably happens at electrical places, but just because the prices are higher shouldn't mean you're entitled to any form of discount, the goods you're getting are worth more, that's why they're more expensive. I don't see how people don't get that. Just to make it clear, I don't mind when someone asks and we refuse and they say something along the lines of "ah, well don't ask, don't get, right?" It's the folk who kick up a fuss and think that screaming and swearing will get them what they want that just make work a misery at times.

Now, I'm well aware that the trade prices we offer aren't the greatest, but I find it hard to believe you were offered a tenner a few weeks ago, because our price on has dropped steadily since it came out, like it's been a tenner this past week, but the week before it was fourteen, the week before that like eighteen or somesuch. Not calling you a liar, but I'm wondering if maybe it was a freak thing where the tills updated early or something (I know ours have put Quantum of Solace back to full price when it's still on offer till tomorrow). But yeah, I know for sure that it dropped to ten trade this week, because we were surprised...until we got 84 copies of the game in, which kind of tipped us off to the fact that it was going to be deal of the week.

Finally, smelly customers are the worst. They seem completely oblivious to it, and they're always leaning over the counter and breathing and stuff. Ugh. I swear there was one guy who stank the whole shop out, and it still smelt after he'd left.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

One of our lads started following one couple around with an air freshener everytime they came in. They really really really stank badly of sweat and disease and not washing ever. When the woman came to the counter to buy something you actually had to hold your breath when you served her. One of our female staff nearly threw up one time.

The smell would then hang around for a couple of hours afterwards...