Scummy Retro Game Store Practices

[Quiet Flight]

I know a shop like that near me in pa. This jackass got me for a snes dracula x when i first started collecting. When i tried to return it he said it wasn't his problem so i very kindly explained to him that he could do one of two things refund my cash or get me the correct game. He figured since i was a girl he could bully me into leaving with the fake game. He was wrong i explained to him that i will get a refund or the legit copy he had or i was gonna pull his ass across the counter and beat him like a pinata. I left with the legit game. He ended up selling the fake to another kid i knew for like 80.00 That kid threatened to call the cops on him to get his money back. This guy still does this shady shit and trys to sell repro carts on craigslist as rare legit games.

Not sure what you mean, what was wrong with the game?

[prfsnl_gmr]

I know a shop like that near me in pa. This jackass got me for a snes dracula x when i first started collecting. When i tried to return it he said it wasn't his problem so i very kindly explained to him that he could do one of two things refund my cash or get me the correct game. He figured since i was a girl he could bully me into leaving with the fake game. He was wrong i explained to him that i will get a refund or the legit copy he had or i was gonna pull his ass across the counter and beat him like a pinata. I left with the legit game. He ended up selling the fake to another kid i knew for like 80.00 That kid threatened to call the cops on him to get his money back. This guy still does this shady shit and trys to sell repro carts on craigslist as rare legit games.

Not sure what you mean, what was wrong with the game?

It sounds to me like it was a bootleg/reproduction.

I have had some bad experiences at some game stores, but - since I do not feel even a tinge of remorse when I free a game store from all of its vastly under-priced games - I usually let it slide. My pet peeve, however, is when a game store does not actually price any of its items, but rather waits for you to pick something out before checking the price online, inflating it, and quoting it to you:

Me: "How much is your copy of Zombie Revenge?"

Video Game Store: "Let me check." <walks to computer>...<types something>...<looks at screen>...<walks back>..."It's $10."

Me: "OK. How much is this copy of G.I. Joe?"

Video Game Store: "Let me check"...<walks to computer>...

Me: <sigh>...<walks out of store>...

- 3 Months Later -

Video Game Store: "Going out of business!"

In my experience, the best - and most successful - video game stores are the ones that put prices on their items, and do not let customer service suffer so that they try to squeeze a few extra dollars out of each item.

[SamuraiMegas]

I love my Game Store. It has nice prices on games doesn't put the price on the sticker etc. when I had trouble with the copy of sonic adventure 2 they cleaned it and it got scratched again and I returned for mvc2 and found my dreamcast was scratching disks. I was out of rubbing alcohol so I used peroxide >.> and it quit scratching the disks. The workers are nice enough too. Some of their prices are too high though and the new guy put stickers on the art on some carts. (kinda where I got the discount thing because we complained about something bd got 5 bucks off a purchase)
Off topic question; is peroxide good for cleaning a dreamcast? (and then dry it off)

[Gunstar Green]

It sounds to me like it was a bootleg/reproduction.

I have had some bad experiences at some game stores, but - since I do not feel even a tinge of remorse when I free a game store from all of its vastly under-priced games - I usually let it slide. My pet peeve, however, is when a game store does not actually price any of its items, but rather waits for you to pick something out before checking the price online, inflating it, and quoting it to you:

Me: "How much is your copy of Zombie Revenge?"

Video Game Store: "Let me check." <walks to computer>...<types something>...<looks at screen>...<walks back>..."It's $10."

Me: "OK. How much is this copy of G.I. Joe?"

Video Game Store: "Let me check"...<walks to computer>...

Me: <sigh>...<walks out of store>...

- 3 Months Later -

Video Game Store: "Going out of business!"

Man, what game store do you shop at? Every place I've ever seen that is primarily a game store marks their games up absurdly high, often well over eBay prices.

There's one that's primarily a music store that I go to that has good prices on games though. They've always been good to me.

The only place I had check a price online before selling it to me was a pawn shop which had me nervous but I was buying several games off of him at the time so he gave me a great deal in the end.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Man, what game store do you shop at? Every place I've ever seen that is primarily a game store marks their games up absurdly high, often well over eBay prices.

There's one that's primarily a music store that I go to that has good prices on games though. They've always been good to me.

The only place I had check a price online before selling it to me was a pawn shop which had me nervous but I was buying several games off of him at the time so he gave me a great deal in the end.

I usually shop at Goodwill Computer Works in Charlotte, NC. They use http://www.videogame%20pricecharts.com to price al of their games - regardless of condition - which means that you get a decent price on most games but a great price on complete games. (For example, when I went in yesterday, they had three copies of Turok" for the Nintendo 64. One was complete and in excellent condition; another was cart only in excellent condition, and a third was cart only with a torn label. They were all $2.99.) In any event, it is a great place to buy games.

We have some other fantastic retro game stores here that do a great business. (Gamer's Alley in Cramerton, NC, Game Xchange in Asheville, NC, and Joe's Classic Video Games in Rock Hill, SC spring to mind immediately.) They have fair, clearly-marked prices on their products, and I have a great experience every time I visit any of of those stores.

My point is that the best video game stores know their product and - more importantly - thier customers, and do not sacrifice good service in an attempt to get every last penny out of each one of their games. Stores that do not understand this principle and stores - like the ones you mentioned above - that think they can survive by selling a few ridiculously over-priced items simply do not last.

[EllertMichael]

About a month ago a Comic shop near my house got a box of japanese imports, some famicom, mega drive and saturn stuff, mostly. The guy wouldn't sell any of it to me or my friends. Kept telling us to "come back on Saturday and I'll have it all priced." so we come back the next week and he pulls the same shit. now two weeks later we go back and he sold the whole box wholesale to some crummy game store out of state.

[SamuraiMegas]

I would have said you would have bought the games and they have lost your buisness.

[Ramminchuck]

We have that store listing post pinned in this section. It could certainly be used to list them and warn people that they should stay away.

The store is Game City in Londonderry Mall. Edmonton Alberta. I'll post it in that thread too I guess.

[D.D.D.]

Me: "How much is your copy of Zombie Revenge?"

Video Game Store: "Let me check." <walks to computer>...<types something>...<looks at screen>...<walks back>..."It's $10."

Me: "OK. How much is this copy of G.I. Joe?"

Video Game Store: "Let me check"...<walks to computer>...

Me: <sigh>...<walks out of store>...

- 3 Months Later -

Video Game Store: "Going out of business!"

In my experience, the best - and most successful - video game stores are the ones that put prices on their items, and do not let customer service suffer so that they try to squeeze a few extra dollars out of each item.

I can understand them not wanting to sell something of high value for pennies unintentionally.
Flip side, it sucks for us not having items priced AKA daily market value.
Ideal: game stores put prices on their stuff and update them weekly

[nightrnr]

I once lived by a game store that I nicknamed "The Evil Game Shop".
I don't have any entertaining stories from there, but it was run by three guys that were very poor business men (IMO).
-They constantly argued
-charged the highest common denominator in Ebay prices for every game (even when there was an existing lower sticker on the game, and wasn't even removed after pointing that out).
(((((and let me state for the record that I think that checking ebay's rates right at the sale is kind of like slapping the customer. Nothing against using ebay the gauge price, but do that and decide pricing before you put it on display. )))))
-because of their pricing, they pretty much had the same stock year-round (no game turnover). There was no reason for me to keep coming in...

What's really sad is that I used to like the store, before it was desecrated by a couple changes of owners.
Years earlier, I got my Sega CD from there and a friend of mine got his Saturn there (which provided many good gaming sessions).

It might be out of business now (I kind of hope anyways, unless someone better took over).

About a month ago a Comic shop near my house got a box of japanese imports, some famicom, mega drive and saturn stuff, mostly. The guy wouldn't sell any of it to me or my friends. Kept telling us to "come back on Saturday and I'll have it all priced." so we come back the next week and he pulls the same shit. now two weeks later we go back and he sold the whole box wholesale to some crummy game store out of state.

This happened to me. I was trying to get a Sega Nomad. I left my name and number and everything. Checked back in 6 months, same story and it was still laying there. Another few months I found it out of business ("yeah, cause they wouldn't sell what the customers want to buy").
I have since acquired a Nomad