I just quit going to my only alternative to Gamestop.

[Celestial Avenger]

Games Plus in Memphis is the last game store in the entire city and a 50 to 150 mile radius that hasn't been either destroyed or bought out by Gamestopoly. I've had issues with these people time and time again, but today it just went too far.

I went in looking for some NES games. Pretty much all of them are marked up 200-250% from their actual value, save for a few where they actually screw up and give them the actual collector's value. I ended up grabbing three this time.

Every time I had bought a NES/Genesis/SNES game in the past from them, they didn't give me a box or a manual. This time, however, they managed to give me a box for Baseball Stars II. It gave me the idea that if some of their other games had boxes, it might justify SOME of the overpriced games they have out there.

I asked them if there was any way they could tell me whether or not they could tell me if the game had a box before I paid for it. They refused. "I don't think our boss will let us, uh, uh..". I told them there was only like 10 games they had that I was interested in, but they didn't want to let me know anything. What's the freakin problem? When I handed them 3 games for me to buy, it took no more than 20 seconds to go get them. I just need like a minute and a half of their time, tops. It reminds me of the time a Gamestop employee refused to show me scratches on a Playstation 2 disc before I bought it.

So instead of Games Plus potentially easily making $100-$200 and gaining a trusted customer, they got a measly $17 and permanently lost a frequent customer that types stupid rants on the internet.

It's just frustrating. My only resource is the internet now. Maybe I'll get lucky on eBay and some seller won't break his leg off in my butt on shipping costs.

If any of you guys happen to work there, I'm sorry. You'll still make plenty of money repairing old consoles, selling overpriced Sega Genesis packages, and babysitting kids.

[heybtbm]

It reminds me of the time a Gamestop employee refused to show me scratches on a Playstation 2 disc before I bought it.

Some piss-ant clerk wouldn't show you the disc...and you still bought it?

Either way...there's a local used video game chain in Madison that refuses to sell boxes/manuals with their NES,SNES,N64 games. They have the boxes right there on the shelf...but they won't include them with the purchase. I could have spent $2000 - $3000 there easily over the years, but instead have gone the ebay route...simply because they won't sell the boxes. I'll never understand the logic, meanwhile their games sit there collecting dust.

[Celestial Avenger]

Some piss-ant clerk wouldn't show you the disc...and you still bought it?


I did not. I left.

[evil_genius]

Some little bastard working at Gamestop the other day wouldn't tell me the trade in value on a couple of games unless I went out to the car to get them. I told him to go fuck himself and left.

[Celestial Avenger]

Some little bastard working at Gamestop the other day wouldn't tell me the trade in value on a couple of games unless I went out to the car to get them. I told him to go fuck himself and left.

Spoilers: It would've been 20-30% the value of what you'd get from digitpress or eBay, and that's if you were lucky.

[Promophile]

Ah yes, the "independent game store won't give out boxes" problem. There is a store called Slackers that is the same here. They even have boxes for R7 and R8 games which they refuse to sell, even after I talked to the store manager. I even offered to print up a cover and put it in a plastic case for them. This is what happens when you have employees who don't care about return customers. If the owner of the store had been there, I bet you he would've sold me the boxes. Either way it doesn't matter, they're overpriced and everything thats worth buying was gone years ago, which is sad since in my area you can't even find PSX or N64 games anymore.

[Alucard79]

I agree with you, Memphis is pretty dry when it comes to retro games and non-corporation game buying. I shop at Games Plus about once a week or so. I don't know who it was that said you can't ask about the boxes or manuals because I never have a problem getting any info like that. For the most part, they won't part with the boxes they do have unless they have a few multiples. Also, Games Plus isn't the only place within 100 miles of here. If you don't know the other spots, you ain't looking hard enough!!! If you wanna know some other places, send me a PM and I'll give ya a list of a few places I go. (Not a huge list, since Memphis and the surrounding areas are pretty dry, but enough to give you a day of game hunting)

[cyberfluxor]

I don't know why so many people have problems, all but one local indy store will sell boxes and manuals for games and usually they're free if you buy some stuff. Pawn shops bitch about anything you want to buy in "parts", like if you wanted a keyboard that came with some computer they won't swap it out with one of the twenty others they have. Same goes with monitors, speakers, media players, ect.

[Celestial Avenger]

I agree with you, Memphis is pretty dry when it comes to retro games and non-corporation game buying. I shop at Games Plus about once a week or so. I don't know who it was that said you can't ask about the boxes or manuals because I never have a problem getting any info like that. For the most part, they won't part with the boxes they do have unless they have a few multiples. Also, Games Plus isn't the only place within 100 miles of here. If you don't know the other spots, you ain't looking hard enough!!! If you wanna know some other places, send me a PM and I'll give ya a list of a few places I go. (Not a huge list, since Memphis and the surrounding areas are pretty dry, but enough to give you a day of game hunting)

I know about Replays, but they're even more way overpriced. I'm not really in the mood for driving out of the city, so I'm probably SOL. I heard I-Love-Videogames went belly-up as well as the owner didn't like the direction his store was going, plus it was in a terrible location. Beyond that I know of no other stores. I'd greatly appreciate a PM though if you know of any other stores that happen to sell old games, like some random Mom & Pop book store.

Hey, please don't tell them about my beef with them. I give up anyway. I'm just done with them.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Some little bastard working at Gamestop the other day wouldn't tell me the trade in value on a couple of games unless I went out to the car to get them. I told him to go fuck himself and left.

It's company policy, apparently.

However, the clerks at the two Gamestops in my area are nice enough to let me pick between multiple copies of games (if any) for the least damaged discs. It's how I got my near mint copy of MGS2.

[ccovell]

Look, just don't go to a store that doesn't value its customers, regardless of whether they're local, independent, or a chain.

[bangtango]

Games Plus in Memphis is the last game store in the entire city and a 50 to 150 mile radius that hasn't been either destroyed or bought out by Gamestopoly. I've had issues with these people time and time again, but today it just went too far.

I went in looking for some NES games. Pretty much all of them are marked up 200-250% from their actual value, save for a few where they actually screw up and give them the actual collector's value. I ended up grabbing three this time.

Every time I had bought a NES/Genesis/SNES game in the past from them, they didn't give me a box or a manual. This time, however, they managed to give me a box for Baseball Stars II. It gave me the idea that if some of their other games had boxes, it might justify SOME of the overpriced games they have out there.

I asked them if there was any way they could tell me whether or not they could tell me if the game had a box before I paid for it. They refused. "I don't think our boss will let us, uh, uh..". I told them there was only like 10 games they had that I was interested in, but they didn't want to let me know anything. What's the freakin problem? When I handed them 3 games for me to buy, it took no more than 20 seconds to go get them. I just need like a minute and a half of their time, tops. It reminds me of the time a Gamestop employee refused to show me scratches on a Playstation 2 disc before I bought it.

So instead of Games Plus potentially easily making $100-$200 and gaining a trusted customer, they got a measly $17 and permanently lost a frequent customer that types stupid rants on the internet.

It's just frustrating. My only resource is the internet now. Maybe I'll get lucky on eBay and some seller won't break his leg off in my butt on shipping costs.

If any of you guys happen to work there, I'm sorry. You'll still make plenty of money repairing old consoles, selling overpriced Sega Genesis packages, and babysitting kids.

This is a stupid policy to enforce. I've never heard of anything like this. Every game store I have ever been into, at least since I've been a poster here (circa 2001), has made it perfectly clear on their displays whether or not the game comes with the box and/or manual. If I were you, though, I'd talk to their so-called boss before taking your business elsewhere. What if some other collector talks to the boss a couple months from now and ends up getting boxes YOU could have had by simply talking to the man in charge?

As for GameStop, I've had clerks refuse to show me discs before buying a game, too. This is only with the 99 cent sports titles that they have a hundred copies of, though. Given the dollar amount in those cases, that makes a wee bit of sense if the store is packed, to be honest. When I buy the very last copy of something at Gamestop, as I did with Land of the Dead or Alien vs. Predator on X-Box, they always show me the disc.

[dlopez9069]

This all seems so strange to me partly due to the fact that san antonio is full of classic games. i mean guys that have thousands of nes and 7800 games and are willing to clean and test them before you buy. i dont know makes me kinda happy to be in tx for once.

[Mobius]

Some piss-ant clerk wouldn't show you the disc...and you still bought it?

Either way...there's a local used video game chain in Madison that refuses to sell boxes/manuals with their NES,SNES,N64 games. They have the boxes right there on the shelf...but they won't include them with the purchase. I could have spent $2000 - $3000 there easily over the years, but instead have gone the ebay route...simply because they won't sell the boxes. I'll never understand the logic, meanwhile their games sit there collecting dust.

Do you mean Video Game X-Change? I know what you mean. I walked in there and saw all the display boxes for old games and started drooling... Then I noticed a few stickers saying "Display Box Only." Ugh. I like Pre-Played, though. They don't often have boxes, but when they do, they sell it right along with the game -- sometimes even at the same price as without the box.

[heybtbm]

Do you mean Video Game X-Change?

Yup. The owner used to post here at DP several years ago, so I didn't want to name names. Anyway, that's the place.

[Celestial Avenger]

What if some other collector talks to the boss a couple months from now and ends up getting boxes YOU could have had by simply talking to the man in charge?

Let the collector have it. I can get my games and boxes elsewhere, and most likely for cheaper anyway.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I can't see the logic in this policy. For current in-print items yes, it does make a bit more sense to use display boxes... but for games that are 5+ years old and not for a current system, not at all. They are either ignorant, asses or both.

[ice1605]

Actually, near Columbus, Ohio, where I live, there is a local chain called Trading Zone. They will sell the boxes and manuals with the games, but they will only sell the box with the game (same price) if they already had one when the game came in. Better than no chance at all of getting a box.