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Rumour: GAME stores to close?
- Thread starter AHA-Lambda
- Start date
The_Hitcher89
Member
Maidenhead on gaf, lovely
GAME here closed years ago at the start of the death of the high street
Got an independent game store which is great, unfortunately with a CEX opposite
Hope the independent place can survive for a while. Prices on new games are pretty fair, and trade-in value is good. Think they're gonna start selling Steam wallet money as well soon if they haven't already, for maximum trade-in value
While they upsell,they don't go on about it either. Remember at GAME they used to do it more,even if it wasn't particularly bad.
GAME here closed years ago at the start of the death of the high street
Got an independent game store which is great, unfortunately with a CEX opposite
Hope the independent place can survive for a while. Prices on new games are pretty fair, and trade-in value is good. Think they're gonna start selling Steam wallet money as well soon if they haven't already, for maximum trade-in value
While they upsell,they don't go on about it either. Remember at GAME they used to do it more,even if it wasn't particularly bad.
ThoughtsOfSpeaking
Banned
What product lines? Unless we are talking about food which is irrelevant because of short shelf lives. Besides Tesco extra is not Tesco direct, their online store. Can you find me a Tesco direct item that is sold for less than in store? And even if you can, do you think you couldn't get the prices reduced by customer service just by showing them the price online?
Next + JD sell other companies products. I don't see how that is even relevant. If you can offer a discount online for a product, you can offer the same discount in store.
Lupin the Third
Member
My memory could be faulty but didn't GameStop buy GAME, or at one point put a bid in for them?
EricTheRed
Member
I've refused to give Game any of my money for a good few years now. I hold them in the same contempt as companies like Sports Direct.
It's a weird one as well, In theory I wouldn't mind spending an extra fiver on a game from a physical store if it meant good customer service in a welcoming store with demo units where I could test out new games and also buy pre-owned games at a reasonable price. Instead you get asked if you want to spend extra money on protecting your disc, get sold 'new' games unsealed with stickers all over them and regularly find pre-owned games on sale for more than their new counterparts (or at least I used to when I actually went in the stores).
It's a weird one as well, In theory I wouldn't mind spending an extra fiver on a game from a physical store if it meant good customer service in a welcoming store with demo units where I could test out new games and also buy pre-owned games at a reasonable price. Instead you get asked if you want to spend extra money on protecting your disc, get sold 'new' games unsealed with stickers all over them and regularly find pre-owned games on sale for more than their new counterparts (or at least I used to when I actually went in the stores).
fizzelopeguss
Banned
Their shops look like shit. Tell-tale sign of a company in trouble.
Bucket-o-roadkill
Member
ok FUCK. This is happening isn't it. I've got 50 quid credit to get rid of fucking ASAP. Need to get this done this weekend. Gonna have to be online wallet top up which pisses me off when you can get it off of cdkeys and get more than you pay for.
Direct will sometimes have different promotions than in store, sometimes it will be cheaper online, not taking into account the occasional online discount codes. Usually customer services won't reduce the price, they will just tell you to order it online.
AHA-Lambda
Member
They really scaled back on games
SlipperyFishes
Banned
I ordered Uncharted on release day. Amazon Prime Now delivered within two hours.
The quicker Prime now becomes available for most places the sooner people can stop giving Game money
The quicker Prime now becomes available for most places the sooner people can stop giving Game money
SeeNoWeevil
Member
Totally agree. GAME are a horrible, horrible company, Good riddance.
Dr Zhivago
Member
I assumed they were relocating from Fargate to the Moor, but they had both shops open today and Fargate didn't look like it was closing.
If they close Fargate, they're nuts, and definitely not long for this world. The footfall from the tram stop up to Orchard Square, as well as all the guys coming out of M+S after shopping with their girlfriends/wives, must be epic.
Plus the Christmas and Specialty Market shoppers.
I don't care if they have high retail prices - they have overheads, plus there is something to be said for being able to pick something up on the sour of the moment (although amazon prime impacts that)
But they should definitely do click and collect and have more competitive online prices. That gets people into stores where they might buy something else at a higher markup.
But they should definitely do click and collect and have more competitive online prices. That gets people into stores where they might buy something else at a higher markup.
Mr. Luchador
Member
They're not even pure video games though, they sell phones, tablets, and a whole host of other random electric tat now.
Anyway, I'll continue to shop at Grainger Games, and think about the times I used to shop at Charlie's in the Green Market (he'd chip your PS1 for £10 haha) and Electronics Boutique.
It does seem like it's a complete second store. Good luck to GAME, they're gonna need it, really. I can't see this new one on the Moor being open that long, but I dunno. (I still remember the Moor Gamestation, before Game shut them all down, was much better IMO than the Fargate GAME, but that's just me. Was a helluvalot bigger than the Fargate GAME and the new one on the Moor, this new one looks absolutely tiny, and how people can stand to shop in them I don't know.)
Linkstrikesback
Member
If they close Fargate, they're nuts, and definitely not long for this world. The footfall from the tram stop up to Orchard Square, as well as all the guys coming out of M+S after shopping with their girlfriends/wives, must be epic.
Plus the Christmas and Specialty Market shoppers.
You'd think, but... They closed the fargate store the first time they went bankrupt, or whatever it was, only to reopen the store months or even a year+ later. They have no idea what they're doing.
Starwolf_UK
Member
While it isn't Tesco I think this sums up what I'm trying to get at:
http://help.sainsburys.co.uk/help/prices-payment/convenience-store-prices
GAME on the high street is essentially a convenience store as it is easier to do trade ins and you have your product there and then as soon as you pay. If you don't need the convenience of those services, save the money
It also seems you are not aware that video games and clothes might be somewhat different markets. Videogames retail is utter crap in the UK. There is virtually no profit in selling new products if you sell them at the price online retailers do (by being competitive they managed to completely erode the profit margin and they can get away with it due to lower overheads or other reasons that don't apply to shopfront on the highstreet staffed by humans*).
*-I emphasis the human point not to belittle pickers and packers in warehouses but more thinking about how shopto is largely automated (and proud of it).
Haha, yes, I remember that.
Yes but almost certainly second time around they have been offered far better terms by the landlord and honestly it could even be rent free (which does actually happen from desperate landlords who have priced themselves out of renting it in previous months/years). At the very least I'd expect it to have been considerably reduced & worth doing, even if it the store can't maintain profitability once the initial deal ends months/years later & it has to close again.
Shotgun Kiss
Member
I used to work at Gamestation. It was an awesome place before GAME bought them out. It was a far better place to work, and customers used to say they preferred Gamestation to GAME.
After GAME took over, they pushed all their policies and practices onto us (mainly pimping out warranties and pre-orders to people who don't know any better, and penalising staff who aren't doing well enough), and things went to shit.
The absolute worst thing though was that GAME did away with Gamestation's "retro" section. They started off reducing the floor space it had, but after a while, they decided to get rid of it altogether. And to make matters worse, they ordered stores to DESTROY any unsold retro stock. As opposed to letting staff have them/giving them away to customers/donating them to charities. Way to show respect for the very fucking industry that they live off the back of.
Not only was that a fucking disrespectful thing to do, it was also incredibly stupid. Retro stuff is the one thing online retailers can't outperform them on. They should have expanded on/evolved their retro business model, not scrapped it entirely.
I feel bad for anybody who loses their job, but GAME deserve to go under.
After GAME took over, they pushed all their policies and practices onto us (mainly pimping out warranties and pre-orders to people who don't know any better, and penalising staff who aren't doing well enough), and things went to shit.
The absolute worst thing though was that GAME did away with Gamestation's "retro" section. They started off reducing the floor space it had, but after a while, they decided to get rid of it altogether. And to make matters worse, they ordered stores to DESTROY any unsold retro stock. As opposed to letting staff have them/giving them away to customers/donating them to charities. Way to show respect for the very fucking industry that they live off the back of.
Not only was that a fucking disrespectful thing to do, it was also incredibly stupid. Retro stuff is the one thing online retailers can't outperform them on. They should have expanded on/evolved their retro business model, not scrapped it entirely.
I feel bad for anybody who loses their job, but GAME deserve to go under.
migh_and_highty
Neo Member
You basically summarise my whole argument for not buying from game down to a tee!
Gamestation was better.
But yeah - if GAME goes who sells new games apart from supermarkets? I don't mind buying online, but it's nice to have somewhere for impulse purchases. I bought Doom from there as I suddenly decided I wanted it. Is there room for independent stores these days?
blastprocessor
The Amiga Brotherhood
I bought uncharted 4 from tesco same price as Amazon arrived on release day. They are getting competitive.
Pre-GAME Gamestation was great, and I loved that they did retro stuff. Then GAME came along and destroyed them :/
Actually had an interview at a Gamestation once (this was after GAME had gotten their claws into them). Manager was a complete bellend - gleefully admitted he knew nothing about video games and was a general arse. I knew I neither really wanted nor was going to get the job, so when I was asked how I thought the store could be improved I replied with 'bring the retro stuff back'. They didn't seem impressed by that, funnily enough.
There are some independent stores in London. The one near me has some good prices (DmC PS4 for £10 when others were selling it for £17+) and some bad prices (Bloodborne regular edition for £45 at the same time they sell the GotY edition for £40). Outside of London though the only places I see that sell games are HMV (minimal stock and similar prices to GAME), CEX (pre-owned only and new releases cost the same as they do brand new copies elsewhere), Supermarkets (minimal stock focusing on biggest and newest releases), market stalls (hit and miss with quality, region and even legal copies) and stores that specialise in older games (not common and if you're looking for games from this gen or last you won't find anything there).
show me your skeleton
Member
i think having two stores in the same shopping centre here in manchester isn't doing them any good.
Over expansion was part of the problem before the 2012 crash. It appears they haven't learned any lessons.
Thornton Reed
Member
My last experience in game was really bad and I'm not surprised this is happening. The upsell at the till was ridiculous. I was buying uncharted 4 and a new pad. The guy on the till was trying to push me into buying the season pass for uncharted. I told him the dlc had not been announced and I'm not interested. He tried to push it another couple of times. Then he tried to sell me insurance on the pad I was buying. It just created a shitty buying environment. I'm not a rube and it's clear this is who they are trying to sell too in there. It's sad to see people loose their jobs and I do believe brick and mortar video game shops can work by just treating the customers with a little respect.
One of them was probably a game station
One of them was probably a game station
Simply Sami
Member
I'm guessing supermarkets.
Terbinator
Member
It was, but at their height they had 3 in the Arndale alone in 2008ish.
Doctor_Thomas
Member
The problem with Game is that it's just not a sustainable business anymore.
It's too easy to do price comparisons and more and more people are buying online.
I haven't bought anything from Game in a long time simply because if it's a game pre-order, I can get it £15-20 cheaper online and get it before release day or on release day. Hardware is maybe the exception, at launch, where the price tends to be set, but post launch? Lots of deals to be had online.
Basically, Game has no reason to exist and while we may lament the loss of the dedicated game store on the high street, what did it really contribute apart from high prices and crap trade in value?
I feel sorry for the people who work there, but I won't be sad if Game go.
It's too easy to do price comparisons and more and more people are buying online.
I haven't bought anything from Game in a long time simply because if it's a game pre-order, I can get it £15-20 cheaper online and get it before release day or on release day. Hardware is maybe the exception, at launch, where the price tends to be set, but post launch? Lots of deals to be had online.
Basically, Game has no reason to exist and while we may lament the loss of the dedicated game store on the high street, what did it really contribute apart from high prices and crap trade in value?
I feel sorry for the people who work there, but I won't be sad if Game go.
I remember buying my first PS3 from Game in Tasmania, they closed up not long after -- probably didn't help being in the same mall as EB.
It's a hard life!
Honestly I think GAME could do a couple of things to turn shit around (at least a little bit) even with their high prices.
1) Digital game kiosks, has every game on Steam, PSN, XBL, and a bunch of gift card options etc, when you buy a game from it you get a code. Accepts cash, CC, Game giftcards/points, etc. Doesn't take up much room and has a virtually unlimited library AND introduces multiple new ways to buy digital games.
2) Rentals.. Nobody in the UK does rentals any more except boomerrangrentals which ran into that hacking scandal a few month back. Why not rent out their preowned games for 2 quid a day or something? It'd make far more money than it just sitting there.
3) Same prices in store as are on the website, why the fuck is everything always £10 more expensive in store?
Hell they could even do weird stuff like"Game clubs" where you buy membership and can go play any game, any system, any tech every day with it.
Just seems like they digged themselves out their last hole then did.. absolutely nothing to change. Completely baffles me how they didn't see this coming.
brokenbeans
Banned
Don't worry GAME MS says next gen starts next year.
You wait for 10 years for next gen and two come along in just a few years.
What a time to be alive.
You wait for 10 years for next gen and two come along in just a few years.
What a time to be alive.
Salty Rice
Member
Sounds like a good thing for UK fellas. Fuck them making everything exclusive to them.
brokenbeans
Banned
Even CEX beats them for trade in value, they are screwed.
Daffy Duck
Member
But game will match the trade in price if CEX is close.
Unless you ask them to best the value, then they do.
Exterminieren
Banned
The death of high street games retail is not a good thing, regardless of how shitty Game is.
Functionally speaking, games retail around me will be exclusively what you can pick up in a supermarket.
Maximus P
Member
Supermarkets.....or Argos.
They have half the stores they had then and none of them make a loss.
They more or less already have this. They have whole bays dedicated to digital codes and if you can't find the exact game it's possible to find the digital sku on the till