9 Insider Secrets From A Retail Video Game Salesman

[angomeka]

http://consumerist.com/consumer/leak...man-240093.php
i found it to be a good read

[joeshmofro]

Interesting I think the signage one is the most useful

[brblx]

4. Stores MUST honor signage. I've seen a $60 game placed in the hole where a $19.99 game was displayed, and we were forced to honor that price.

uh. no. i don't know of any retailer that will honor this. if it's a genuine tagging error, they probably will, but more often than not its another customer's fault. remember, kids- people are jackasses. they'll pull games (or any product) off the shelves and throw them anywhere they want, including the bargain bins. i've seen some people even go as far as to scrape a pricetag off and say they pulled the item from a certain bin or rack.

the most true (and seemingly most unknown) in number eight. even in our commision-less world, employees are still rated on sales of warranties, attachments, and services (if applicable- likely not in a game store). total sales, however, don't really matter all that much.

[pwain]

Interesting I think the signage one is the most useful

too bad its completely wrong...

Stores never have to enforce signage that is done is error assuming the retailer is acting in good faith.


Calling any of those 9 items "secrets" is crap.

[monroeski]

too bad its completely wrong...

Stores never have to enforce signage that is done is error assuming the retailer is acting in good faith.


Calling any of those 9 items "secrets" is crap.

QFT

Also, on the "Customer Service is a Powerful Weapon," he failed to mention that to do stuff like get the 360 on launch day you have to act like a total asshole. They generally won't do anything unless you're really pissed off to the point of yelling.

[DJBeanPole17]

My secret: Don't shop at those stores.

Walmart + Target FTW. The games are there on the shelves, sitting next to some guides and other accessories. There isn't someone standing there with a giant mace waiting to beat you into submission for the purchase of more games, guides, accessories, plans, etc... you can just stroll in, pick something up, and leave. The hardest thing you may have to do is ask someone to open the case. Big deal. The employees there are paid on by the hour and not dependent of sales figures... I find them to be cheaper and the staff (walmart fo' sho) are very obvilious to whatever the hell is going on. Unless its GoW... the guy at Target wouldn't shut the hell up about it. But then again I was talking with him about it the whole time and we were both excited about it. I think I walked away from that store with GoW in a bag and a standing ovation in my pants... ... mm GoW, so sexy...

[ryanwv]

Yeah I never thought I would say this but I am glad a super walmart is getting ready to be opened about a mile from my home. I get so tired of the bs these electronic and game stores pull.

I am just so tired of being harassed to pre order a game, sell a used one, buy a guide, extended warranty, join some club, subscribe to a magazine, etc.

[Fig]

I buy most of my games from Best Buy and resort to Game Crazy when I have to.

[schultz]

Arrrgh! I'm a pirate! Everything is easier MY way!! ARRRGH!



Only joking.

I'm a big fan of Walmart for all the reasons listed so far. No pressure, decent prices, no crazed fans.

Though I did score big time when I bought the collector's edition of HL2. At Gamestop the collectors edition was cheaper than the normal version by $5 (compared to Target, Walmart, and even Gamestop itself!!). That was a happy day for me!

[Idiot356]

The only reason to every step foor in an EB or Gamestop is to buy dirt cheap used games.

Just find the game, bring it to the clerk... tell him to screw off when he askes you to pre-order God Of War 2, because you know there won't be 10,000 copies sitting on the shelfs the day it comes out, you best pre-order!

The few times I pre-ordered a game I always walk into the store and say to myself "What the hell was the point in pre-ordering this game, there are 400 copies on the shelf behind this clerk!"

[SaturnBeat]

2. Having a game reserved does not guarantee you will get it on launch.

Well that's interesting to know. I wonder how these things differ in different parts of the world. Would they do the same in Europe, Asia? Wouldn't surprise me if it's the same in the EU.

[monroeski]

I think it's funny when I'm in Gamestop or EB and I ask a guy when a game is coming out. They tell me the date, and ask if I want to preorder, and I of course say no. Then when they say that they'll probably only be getting enough at launch for preorders, I just tell them that it's okay if they don't have any copies, because the Target and Wal-Mart a mile away both always have the games at launch.

[Un4given]

Wal-Mart FTL!!!!

There are other online vendors that have good deals, and BB and CompUSA always run sale adds.