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Rumour: GAME stores to close?
- Thread starter AHA-Lambda
- Start date
Pixel Fist
Member
New game prices are silly high in GAME but i'd still rather see them on the high street than another Poundland/betting shop that will inevitably take over the unit.
I have a CEX store near my local GAME store so they beat the CEX prices by £1, plus they're pretty generous with their reward card scheme. If my local GAME wasn't around, I'd have definitely bought fewer new physical items and digital items over the years.
It's not the same. The death of dedicated high street game stores will be a big loss
I would love to shop at game, but they are too expensive. The community that plays games even if the market is clearly too savy for that. When a friend tells me they got a game from there I honestly question their sanity and then help them to make better decisions in future. You could literally walk into any where else and it would be cheaper and that should not be the case when the sole reason why you go there is to purchase gaming products.
That's kinda the problem, most people aren't going to know that and are going to go off what's up for display. The kiosk removes any need to hide stuff behind the till, literally everything will be there without taking up shelf space.
I didn't even know you could do that, so I doubt random Joe does either. But I never go into game except to look about.
Pixel Fist
Member
It also makes you wonder what their strategy was when purchasing Multiplay last year for around £20 million?
I don't think it's too difficult to work out it was to diversify.
Also I'm amazed people are still taking this article at face value. The majority of the quote from a random employee is completely untrue
cyberheater
PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
Yes Gamestation was good. It was a shame to see them bought over by GAME.
BodiesWithoutOrgans
Member
Game & GameStop prices are outrageous
We don't have game in Ireland anyone as they closed down
GameStop is sill around but I get my games on Amazon or Argos and smyths as they are good value for money
That and I saw ratchet and clank new for 44.99 or pre owned for 44.99 lol
We don't have game in Ireland anyone as they closed down
GameStop is sill around but I get my games on Amazon or Argos and smyths as they are good value for money
That and I saw ratchet and clank new for 44.99 or pre owned for 44.99 lol
Terbinator
Member
What they could/should do (partner infrastructure aside) is have the full downloads there for people to take home and install straight away from a MS/Sony/Valve verified drive.
If it meant I could buy a steam code instore for £5 more than off Steam and only have to wait for the transfer across to the console/PC, I'd do it.
AHA-Lambda
Member
If nothing else at least for their digital code stuff they can't put stupid marks ups on. The only thing I've bought from GAMe has been Steam credit, I genuinely couldn't tell you the last thing I bought out of there that wasn't a top up. And besides I switched to Tesco for that anyway, Clubcard points are more valvuable than their shitty reward scheme.
Glasgow city centre still has 3, but used to six.
only for credit though not cash
Glasgow city centre still has 3, but used to six.
only for credit though not cash
It's cash now as well
I'm still not sure why they haven't closed the second one upstairs yet (though I am aware it exists 'cause it used to be gamestation)
Agent Gibbs
Member
Pre GAME Gamestation was the best retail store it really was, i've always disliked GAME since they went and effectively bought the competition who were so much better than them only to drag them down and destroy them
I still do not get GAME's pricing policies, they gouge prices left right and cent re and its disgusting how much more expensive they are than everyone else, even other retail stores with no clear reason why other than scummy practices.
I feel sad for the staff who'll end up being screwed, its not them that make the polices, but they are the front line and will take the brunt of all this.
AmaterasuOkami076
Member
I worked for GAME until my store got hit by the 2012 closures. I'm honestly surprised they're still going but I've still got a lot of mates working for the company that I don't want to see jobless.
Having said that, I so rarely buy anything from them, I just can't help but look at a £40 game in there and think "that's £19 on ShopTo/thegamecollection".
Having said that, I so rarely buy anything from them, I just can't help but look at a £40 game in there and think "that's £19 on ShopTo/thegamecollection".
pixelpatch
Junior Member
Wasnt this meant to happen a few years ago went they went into liquid?? Personally I havent bought a game in GAME for years
Shotgun Kiss
Member
They went into administration. When a company goes into administration, it means they don't have enough money to continue, and need to find somebody willing to buy the company and it's assets.
They did find a buyer, but whomever bought them seemingly made hardly any changes whatsoever, which is fucking stupid. Why buy a failing company and then change nothing about them? Of course they'll just fail again.
GAME should have been left to go under if nobody was going to buy them ans completely adapt the business model.
chromatic9
Member
Gamestation was pretty decent. I got the sense that it was more popular than GAME. They also had a better location but GAME didn't use it and stayed and I believe just closed the Gamestation down.
Gamestation had that independent vibe where you could hang around and play stuff or find something good. GAME has always been pretty stuffy, get the fuck out if you're not buying and no we won't price match you cheeky bastard, now please pull your pants down vibe.
Gamestation had that independent vibe where you could hang around and play stuff or find something good. GAME has always been pretty stuffy, get the fuck out if you're not buying and no we won't price match you cheeky bastard, now please pull your pants down vibe.
PS4 Doom in GAME £55, DOOM pre-ordered from The Game Collection £34 thanks to their 10% discount offer. Why would I buy from GAME? Never.
On a side note Britgaf check out The Game Collection. If been using them for quite some time and have zero complaints. Early deliveries, pretty good pricing and quick/friendly customer service. A good alternative to Simply, Shopto etc. Plus they have a points scheme which you can use for money off.
On a side note Britgaf check out The Game Collection. If been using them for quite some time and have zero complaints. Early deliveries, pretty good pricing and quick/friendly customer service. A good alternative to Simply, Shopto etc. Plus they have a points scheme which you can use for money off.
And they ship you UAE copies which they don't communicate to customers.
Changed that for you
TheVoidDragon
Member
One thing that confuses me about them other than just everything being expensive is that sometimes their online prices aren't the same as the in-store prices.
Not sure, but maybe they ship online orders from Jersey/Channel Islands, so circumvent VAT? Or has that loophole been closed?
I was about to say, I haven't bought anything from there for years, but that's not quite true - I've had 2 Steam Controllers and a couple of random purchases from there. Their download price for Total War: Warhammer was actually really competitive. But, yeah, I haven't bought retail boxed games from there for an age.
ThoughtsOfSpeaking
Banned
A price promotion isn't the same thing. Neither is using online discount codes. The prices of game online and in store differ without either of those things.
That said, the worst I've been told by customer service in Tesco is that they can't reduce the price, but to buy the item on the kiosk in store and have it delivered to that store. Which isn't often.
Shotgun Kiss
Member
They even cheap out on that. If you have multiple games to trade in, they'll beat the overall trade-in value by £1, rather than beat them on each game.
The only way of getting them to do so is to trade in each game individually, and I guarantee that they won't let you do that in the same session. You'd probably have to come back another day.
Not that it matters. I wouldn't dream of trading in/selling games to either CEX or GAME. I do so on eBay or Gumtree. You get FAR more for them. CEX/GAME's cash values are absolutely pitiful, and their trade in values are also low, and then devalued even further by the fact that you can only spend it on overpriced stuff.
It's not just online retailers that have rendered GAME redundant; the used market has shifted online also.
Every time I've traded in multiple games and price matched, they've always beaten each individual game by £1, so they do do it.
I'm guessing it's a store-by-store basis. When I traded in some games a couple of years ago to price match I was given £1 more per game than CEX.
Sleight of Jam
Banned
I don't get the people in charge there, are they smoking crack or something? Why do they never seem to want to even remotely compete in price?
I used to work there and I found it to be the most fun I've had in a job so I'll be very sad if this is true and some/all stores face closure. I'm supposed to be picking up a few hours again as a second job, so I don't know how true this is if they are willing to hire people.
I used to work there and I found it to be the most fun I've had in a job so I'll be very sad if this is true and some/all stores face closure. I'm supposed to be picking up a few hours again as a second job, so I don't know how true this is if they are willing to hire people.
Heavy's Sandvich
Member
I've actually bought 3ds digital codes from them in the past, sad to see gaming presence disappear off the high street. Considering how big gaming is now, would have been nice to have continued presence
LoveCake
Member
Game only make money from selling games, Tesco make money on lots of things, like how they can offer petrol cheaper than petrol stations that only sell petrol, it's called loss leaders.
The Tesco by me only has a few games and mostly the top five, the only other is HMV which sells games for the same price as Game do and HMV only have about the top five games as well, when the Game store in the town closes do people think that Tesco will keep the price of games lower once there is no longer any physical competition?
I really cannot see why it is so hard to understand that a physical shop charges more for an item than a on-line shop.
As for the Limited Editions the retailers ask the dev/pub what they can offer by way of editions, I wonder what people will say when another retailer takes over when Game goes down, will everyone be moaning about ShopTo for having all the Limited Editions and charging high prices for them, if people look at the costs when there are Limited Editions that are sold at different retailers the price is the same with a couple of pounds here and there.
You got ripped off! Game Collection are selling Doom for £29.95 now in a Bank Holiday sale, if they are selling it for £29.95 why were they not selling it for that price in the first place?
Once Game goes there won't be a gaming presence on the high street in the UK any more (there are some small independent gaming shops though) the market is already depressed and Game closing will only accelerate this trend, I use Game to trade game in, the CEX here only gives credit 99% of the time and they never have anything in that I would want to buy anyway, all that will happen is that less games will get sold in the UK and that won't help the devs/pubs.
The Game near me is always busy with people.
Kenneth Haight
Gold Member
Feel sorry for the employees but really this is no surprise. Prices are scandalous and the exclusivity with certain editions is really annoying.
The last time I was in the store, probably over a year ago the staff try to push so much crap on you. Would you like to insure your disc for an extra pound. Would you like to pre-order any games, would you like to buy any playstation points, any Fifa ultimate team etc. etc.
Really turned me off going back.
If I trade in games now I go to smyths toys which is near me and they pay significantly more for trade ins and are not annoying pricks.
I know it's not the staffs fault but the tactics coming from management are quite frankly shit and they deserve this.
The last time I was in the store, probably over a year ago the staff try to push so much crap on you. Would you like to insure your disc for an extra pound. Would you like to pre-order any games, would you like to buy any playstation points, any Fifa ultimate team etc. etc.
Really turned me off going back.
If I trade in games now I go to smyths toys which is near me and they pay significantly more for trade ins and are not annoying pricks.
I know it's not the staffs fault but the tactics coming from management are quite frankly shit and they deserve this.
MrToast
Member
There is no doubt in my mind that they will likely be gone from the high street in the UK within the next 5-10 years, possibly even sooner than that. I honestly can't even begin to imagine what the heads of the UK operation are even thinking when they were saved from the brink years ago, and have little to no desire or will to change. How are they still keeping afloat?
I can only guess its parents that wouldn't have the notion to check elsewhere, and probably the 'tempting' pre-orders for the exclusive limited and collector editions?
I can only guess its parents that wouldn't have the notion to check elsewhere, and probably the 'tempting' pre-orders for the exclusive limited and collector editions?
Because that's not how retail and sales work?
Thing is, just because Game has bad upselling and a bad business strategy (even disregarding the OP article), doesn't mean high-street games retail can't work. Gamestation legit had the best idea - niche retro stuff which gets the collectors in, good (or at least reasonable) prices on new games, and no dodgy upselling. And a specialist high street chain-store is needed for the industry, especially with hardware launches... My worry is that if Game collapse again, no-one else'll step up to fill the void, on the assumption that if even Game can't make it work, there's no hope. Stupid assumption, yes, but somewhat likely, which is worrying.
Literally only go to Game to trade in stuff and when I do, I always price match with CEX as Game's normal trade in prices are ridiculous. Not bad to do if trading in for PSN credit or something as they'll beat CEX price on trade ins.
Their prices are crazy on most games and a quick search in the supermarket or Amazon will trump Game most of the time.
Also they sell such rip off ad ons. No I don't want to buy disc insurance, or pre order any games or get any promotional tat, I want my game! A woman told me when I was getting overwatch that she could sell me stuff to customise characters including changing hair colour accessories - when she showed me what it was, she was selling loot crate codes....
Their prices are crazy on most games and a quick search in the supermarket or Amazon will trump Game most of the time.
Also they sell such rip off ad ons. No I don't want to buy disc insurance, or pre order any games or get any promotional tat, I want my game! A woman told me when I was getting overwatch that she could sell me stuff to customise characters including changing hair colour accessories - when she showed me what it was, she was selling loot crate codes....
MonsterHunter
Member
Again? They're like the TNA of video game retailers.
Shotgun Kiss
Member
I've never understood where this whole "you can buy the same game at a supermarket for far cheaper" argument comes from. Every single time I've ever looked at the games section in any supermarket, the games there are just as overpriced. I remember getting Modern Warfare 2 for £21 from Sainsburys on launch day, but that was a freak occurrence, and it even made the local news. £40+ is the norm for most games whenever I take a look.
Ah, then credit where credit's due. The Gamestation store I worked at didn't do it that way, so I thought it was the same across all of them.
Ah, then credit where credit's due. The Gamestation store I worked at didn't do it that way, so I thought it was the same across all of them.
ThoughtsOfSpeaking
Banned
The problem is in GAME, the norm is £50+ for new releases, above RRP.
But I do agree. The days of the supermarket's severely undercutting RRP are long gone.
You think £40 is bad? Don't go into GAME. £40 is dirt cheap compared to the prices GAME charge.
JehutyRunner
Banned
Not sure how I'd feel about GAME going under if it did happen.
On the one hand, with prices in-store being as obscene as they are, this was bound to happen at somepoint.
On the other, if GAME does close, that's it for any specialist retailer in my neck of the woods (Derry, N Ireland) and quite possibly the rest of N Ireland. The closest I'd have to a specialist retailer at that point would be GameStop, but I'd have to go across the border to the Republic of Ireland with the closest being in Donegal.
There's a CEX here too admittedly, but there'd be no specialist retailer selling stuff from day one nor an independent shop too. A decade ago, you'd have both GAME and GameStop here before the latter pulled out in early 2012 before GAME's first bankruptcy. Now, by the end of the year (if not sooner), we may have a scenario where both aren't here anymore.
Sure, there's the supermarkets (and I've used them a few times this year for stuff like Uncharted 4, etc). Yes, there's Argos. Yes, there's online. But it'd be a very odd and somewhat misplaced feeling to not have a specialist retailer around my area.
On the one hand, with prices in-store being as obscene as they are, this was bound to happen at somepoint.
On the other, if GAME does close, that's it for any specialist retailer in my neck of the woods (Derry, N Ireland) and quite possibly the rest of N Ireland. The closest I'd have to a specialist retailer at that point would be GameStop, but I'd have to go across the border to the Republic of Ireland with the closest being in Donegal.
There's a CEX here too admittedly, but there'd be no specialist retailer selling stuff from day one nor an independent shop too. A decade ago, you'd have both GAME and GameStop here before the latter pulled out in early 2012 before GAME's first bankruptcy. Now, by the end of the year (if not sooner), we may have a scenario where both aren't here anymore.
Sure, there's the supermarkets (and I've used them a few times this year for stuff like Uncharted 4, etc). Yes, there's Argos. Yes, there's online. But it'd be a very odd and somewhat misplaced feeling to not have a specialist retailer around my area.
Looking at margin and deciding upon a Bank Holiday loss leader doesn't mean a sustainable long term price point.
It isn't ripping off previous customers. On the other hand selling a pre-owned title for more than a brand new internet price point is. Especially when you consider the margin they are making.
LoveCake
Member
Well yes and no, the chances are that Game Collection did this as they have done with other games in the past is that it gets them noticed, I was going to get the PS4 version but missed out, so they would have had a set number of copies or what ever their remaining stock was, they could have sold them as cost or made a pound or something, but they will get new people setting up accounts and thus receiving the email-shots and a percentage of people who purchase Doom from them will purchase more games from them in the future.
I was having a \s comment about people complaining about the prices of games.
One thing that I think has damaged Game is the lack of people pre-ordering games now to lock-in the sale, because of the issues people are having with un-finished games on release people are now waiting until the game is released, take Doom I was going to get it from Game after trading in Uncharted 4, I am only interested in the campaign and I was going to get it from Game Collection but even at £29.95 it's too much and I may as well wait until I can get it for even less, and this will continue if the places to trade in games gets smaller, what do people think CEX will do when the Game store in their area closes down.
They have to try to sell add-on content through to try and get extra revenue, retro stuff is now all online that is the issue, the prices are comparable to the likes of HMV though, you cannot have Game selling CoD on release at £25 like Tesco could because Tesco would be selling it at cost and can subsidise the price as a loss-leader.
You are correct that the industry needs a high street presence and If I remember correctly the last time Game went under, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo supported the company until they got took over and supported the backers of the people who took over, by way of continuing to supply them and trying to get the publishers to continue to supply the store.
The sad truth is that sooner or later Game will shut down it's retail stores, it is inevitable really, the store near me always has people in the store buying and trading in games, there is always parents in there being pestered by their kids into buying games for them, the people working there are pretty young and the majority know their stuff, they also have one of the staff dress as a super-hero every other week with a bucket outside the store raising money for a local children's cancer charity.
I will admit that I am slightly biased (I do agree that have some thing they could do better, but I am not one of the ones that keeps banging on about the price of the games in the retail store) towards Game because I have shopped there for so long, long enough to have been one of the people lucky to have received the Loyalty Shares a few years ago and got £152 of free money and with the old games for my X360 I traded in I was able to do this
Got my points
going to pick up my sunset overdrive xbone tomorrow.
with my trade-ins & current points balance, i have £330.17 to go towards my xbone, so it is going to cost me £19.82
I am sure that the people running Game are going to do everything that they can to continue trading, I don't buy every game from them now but I know that the industry needs them, what pisses me off is the people jumping up and down wanting Game to shut down because the in-store prices are too high compared to on-line retailers yet go on the Xbox Live, PSN, Nintendo eShop stores and look at the prices there, people need to look at the bigger picture.
Ah, sorry, missed the sarcasm there.
I think the number pre-ordering games is still there (for the most part), but they're now moving to Amazon. The fluidity Amazon gives you with orders - no hassle cancellations/returns, not charging until dispatch - plus the fact that Amazon sells so much other stuff means it's becoming a one-stop shop.
Yeah, agreed, which is why I keep banging on about footfall. They don't need to make their prices as cheap as Tesco, just cheaper than they are now. Lower the prices by 4 or 5 quid, and the sheer number of people that go into the stores would (should, anyways) give an uptick in overall revenue. As it is now, I'm sure they get a lot of people going in and just walking out again empty-handed, because the prices are just a bit too much, even for the average Joe, or parent buying a Christmas present..
Game/retail game sales are a weird one, though, so you can't tell. Waterstones almost lost it when Amazon started to make it big in the UK, but they're doing really well now. Their prices on books are more expensive than online, so you'd think they'd be dead, but not a bit of it.
I think the number pre-ordering games is still there (for the most part), but they're now moving to Amazon. The fluidity Amazon gives you with orders - no hassle cancellations/returns, not charging until dispatch - plus the fact that Amazon sells so much other stuff means it's becoming a one-stop shop.
Yeah, agreed, which is why I keep banging on about footfall. They don't need to make their prices as cheap as Tesco, just cheaper than they are now. Lower the prices by 4 or 5 quid, and the sheer number of people that go into the stores would (should, anyways) give an uptick in overall revenue. As it is now, I'm sure they get a lot of people going in and just walking out again empty-handed, because the prices are just a bit too much, even for the average Joe, or parent buying a Christmas present..
Game/retail game sales are a weird one, though, so you can't tell. Waterstones almost lost it when Amazon started to make it big in the UK, but they're doing really well now. Their prices on books are more expensive than online, so you'd think they'd be dead, but not a bit of it.
The benefits of region free gaming - savings being passed on to the customer. Who would have thought about that.
It isn't particularly a big deal considering it is the same "region" as the UK. The only downside I suspect is that retailers such as GAME won't let you trade them in as they are "grey European" copies.
Except aren't UAE copies cut for sex/nudity? Or do I have that wrong?