Nope, it's a privately owned company!Originally Posted by Kitsune Sniper
... really? I thought you could open a store if you asked them. Oops?
That's what makes them so dangerous...lack of choice in the marketplace if and when Game Stop becomes a monopoloy.
assuming...they already aren't!
Someone brought this up in the Classic Gaming Thread! I just want to "bump" it, so they can read all the comments originally posted!
Thanks!
Wow, it doesn't much more cynical than that. I guess if you're from detroit
though I can see how you'd feel that way.
I think a play n trade could be a great idea if you know a great location (although then what isn't). Probably something near a few colleges, hopefully one of them a commuter school since they have more disposable income. If your location is something like a small town in Ohio or something like that, then I'd think a play n trade would be a disaster (just do your own then).
As for the name, well it's not known now, but in a few years that could change and would open up plenty of opportunities (and I'm sure their franchising fee isn't that much since they know they're not well known).
As for opening your own, I'd say you might want to do that if you're into working 60-80 hour weeks for a while and really love/care about the small store your running. This type of franchise on the other hand kind of just runs itself (or at least that's kind of the point) so you can come in look at a few reports and make a few changes here and there.
Nate
Bump yo
Neogamer, I sent you a message regarding Play N Trade. Good Luck.
Gamestop is a publicly owned company. Anyone can buy a share in the company and instantly be a part owner in the company. As far as I know they don't offer franchises, (like McDonalds).
I've tried a few Trade N' Play locations now. Plano, TX, Lake Charles, LA, and Broussard, LA. They seem to be nice, uncluttered game stores. Sometimes their classic retro game selections tend to be hit or miss. The store in Plano has nothing pre-NES, whereas the one in Broussard had several Atari 2600 games (including Tax Avoiders, which I picked up).
Like I said before, they tend to be very uncluttered. I like that, in comparison to GameStop stores, where they have every foot of their floorspace (that's the size of a closet anyway) filled with racks of crap I would never buy in the first place. The Lake Charles store used to be damn near pitch black, but they moved to a location on the opposite end of the mall they're in, and they decided to install a few more light bulbs. I just wish the locations I've been to would have a little more classic stuff. But I understand that they can only sell retro stuff if people trade in that stuff.
I have a some Play N Trades in my area. The one close to me is owned by a family, who is just trying to have a good game store. They have always been nice to me, and was have came to a previous NWCGE show in Portland. Thy can stock whatever they come across, and dont have to rely on what people bring in. I do hear that stocking their shelves with product a ongoing problem with these places. I see these stores carrying a niche market and surviving past 5 years. The more that the ecomomy starts to waver, the more people will resort to used games I fee. If nobody else on a franchise level will carry PS1, N64, Dreamcast etc, then that is a niche market on a national level. I for one have seen Play N trades go from a couple of stores to now popping up everywhere. I think that any franchise that dabbles with the retro game market(and in driving distance to me) is a good thing. I do see them having an uphill battle to compete with gamestop/gamecrazy, but I dont see them going out of business.
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As swlovinist posted, there's a few Play N' Trades in the Portland area now, and they've been running TV ads since the first one opened up. I've only been to one of the local stores, but I was impressed enough to visit it two more times, and I'd probably check it out the next time I'm in that area.
The prices on classic stuff are pretty identical to what you'd see at GameCrazy a couple years before they made the decision to clear everything out. The first time I visited the store, they had several SNES, PSX, and N64 games, but only a few NES and Genesis games. But on my most recent visit a couple months ago, they had a decent selection of NES and Genesis (though the woman working at the store that day told me that most of their Genesis stock came from one person who had recently traded in several games). I also took advantage of a B2G1 deal they had going on for any of their $4.99 and under games.
There's a Play N Trade near me, and it seems to be a pretty good store for pre-PS2 game systems. The have a decent selection of classic games and accessories at ebay-ish prices. I was surprised at the amount of CIB 2600 and Colecovision games this particular store has. I wish their Genesis and SNES section were a little better, but I guess it all depends on what gets traded in. Three cheers for a semi-national chain that stocks retro gaming shit.
I've got a P n T about 10 miles from me. Stop in there maybe once every couple months. They have had some cool stuff pass through there, like a Panzer Dragoon Saga ($150) and last time I was in there they had a good used copy of Abe's Exxodus for Playstation ($15 I think).
I like their mix of stuff, they remind me of how GameQuest used to be. Stuff that Gamestop wouldn't touch like the aforementioned famiclones. I personally like the all black interior. And you can test games out and stuff.. They carry nes/snes/genesis used games. Selection was a bit light, as previously mentioned. Still worth a look for me.
I walk in to Gamestops now to laugh. They look terrible. I mean they have 2 week old games come back used and resold in a generic box with a Gamestop picture on it --and you get a $5 discount?? WTF
I bought the Play N Trade t-shirt they sell in store, I'll model it later
Play n Trade not on my good side
First off, I am not a gamer myself,however, I do buy, on average, $100 in video game equipment/accessories/games a month. My boyfriend is big into them so we actual have "the gaming fund' built right into our budget. So, I am frequently in stores like Best Buy, FYE, Game Stop(formally known as EB) shopping. And it is usually a pleasant experience. I mean, the staff is friendly since they're at a place that promotes a passion of theirs.
I was very excited when this store opened near by, only to be horribly disappointed. The staff spoke to me like I was an idiot and pressured me into buying things I felt I did not need. I did ask, "What if he doesn't like it?" to which was replied, "Then he can just return it." What they failed to tell me was they only do store credit! No cash or credit refunds. I would have never made the purchase in the first place.
Then when I brought up the fact that I was not told about this policy, the manager replied it is right on the counter and he pointed to a plastic sign that was facing away from the cash register (one could not see it if they were making a purchase). I felt the staff was rude at times and they will not be getting my business.
A friend of mine shops very frequently at a play n trade in virginia. In the course of a month they got in dragon warrior 2, 3, and 4, and megaman 3, 4, and 5. He bought all of them, lucky bastard!
There's been a few more Play N' Trades popping up here and there. I like the fact that they're independently owned and not corporate like Gamestop/EB Games. However, since I don't buy a whole lot of modern games, I tend not to go in there too often. Mainly I go just to scope out any classic games they might have.
Yeah, this is my biggest problem with Play N Trade. The staff can be WAAAAY too pushy. As soon as I walk into a store (there are 2 near me), an employee will run up to me and start drilling me about what systems I own and the types of games I like to play. I always say "a little bit of everything" just to be polite and to get them off my back. Then they'll continue to make suggestions and pull games down from the shelves for me. While I appreciate the effort, it really gets on my nerves after a while. Especially when they're asking me if I've ever heard of popular stuff like Fallout 3 and Final Fantasy XII.
What's this about a Fallout Boy game? And there's three of them?! Count me in!
What's most fun about this game, is the hours you'll spend customizing bang length and the amount of mascara around the eyes.
A Play N' Trade recently opened up near me, and I decided to stop in and check it out. As far as current and last gen games go, the prices and condition seem to be on par with Gamestop (almost errily on par... the prices on most of the games were exactly what you'd pay at GS). They also sell older players guides, which is nice, but they only seem to go back as far as PS2. They also had some 3D0 games on display, which was interesting.
But as far as classic games go, they're pretty much in eBay territory. The cheapest N64 game I saw was $20, and the SNES games seemed to start at $15 and go up.
Then I saw it... a loose copy of Metroid for the NES.
Price? $74.99. Dead serious.
Don't think I'll be shopping there for my retro needs after all.
I wouldn't judge the whole chain off that one experience.
The one I went to in Cincinnati had mostly fair prices, nothing like the butt-raping you just described. I would guess that each franchise sets their prices as they see fit, and that one just happens to have its head way up its backside.
I only need 2 more NES games (US)!
Oh, I know that. I've actually been to a couple that have very decent prices... it's just that they're a good hour away, while this one is about five minutes away from where I live. Disappointing, is all.
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