Employees Claim EB Canada is Dropping Preowned Sections

StBishop

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DVS BSTrD said:
You mean now Aunt Petunia will actually have to learn to READ the stickers!?!
THOSE FIENDS!
Why would she read the price label. She may be unaware they even stock pre-owned.

I had someone try to buy a game from me today which had the yellow sticker and all and wasn't even aware it was pre-owned until I showed her the disk to check she was happy with the condition. She then figured out they were pre-owned got annoyed, flustered, (perhaps embarrassed/outraged as she went a little pink in the face)and left the store.

If you never/rarely buy games it's safe to assume you're unaware of pre-owned.
 

Beautiful End

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Feb 15, 2011
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Okay, I'll agree that if they're mixing the two sections together is kind of a dick move. I mean, like someone said, the only problem would be that now people will have to actually READ the labels before buying a game (As if that wasn't a problem before; I'm a Gamestop employee here in the US and every week, someone walks to me ans asks me if a game is used or new. Then I point to the label and they still don't get it...-sigh-)

They should just leave it as it is. What's the point behind all this? To confuse people and get them into buying a game that may or may not be used/new? And if people DO read the labels, again, what's the point? It would be easier to organize for employees, though, but still...

I'm not against new games or against used games; they both have their advantages and disadvantages (New games: Pros: Never been played before, Cons: if the game sucks, too bad. Your 60 bucks are gone. Used games: Pros: Cheaper, hard to find titles are bound to be found used, Cons: Some are in bad condition, some DLC might be missing). But...well, I just don't know what to make of all this. I truly don't. Is this good? Bad? Where is this leading? What's the purpose of this?

The only thing I see happening is customers coming back to the store demanding a refund because we "sold" them the wrong game. If anything, I'll make sure to tell people they're buying the game used/new before finalizing the transaction. More work for all of us...
 

CrystalShadow

don't upset the insane catgirl
Apr 11, 2009
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Waaghpowa said:
This isn't true as far as I know. I know the manager of the EB games in town here and there was no word about them ditching used games.
That's not what the article says. It's saying they're going to be mixing new & used games together in a way that's likely to cause confusion.

Either you misread the article, or wrote something you didn't intend to.
 

isometry

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robert01 said:
@isometry
They tolerate it because they have to. There hasn't been a court case anywhere saying that used game sales are illegal, so instead they have to dodge it by doing what they are doing with the Day 1 DLC, and Project 10 Dollar
I don't think they have to tolerate it, the technology for DRM is there for them to use. We already have Day 1 DLC and Online Passes, the next step is to require one-time online activation that ties the game to a specific console.

So they could use a required one-time activation using a $50 code before the player is allowed to access the game at all. Afterall, this is what they have been doing to PC gamers for years to "fight piracy."

Clearly the reason they aren't doing it is because they are afraid of the backlash. No console games publisher wants the kind of reputation that EA and Ubisoft have on PC. On the other hand EA really loves money, and hates customers, so I'd bet they will be the ones to usher in the next generation of console DRM.
 

Beautiful End

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CrystalShadow said:
Waaghpowa said:
This isn't true as far as I know. I know the manager of the EB games in town here and there was no word about them ditching used games.
That's not what the article says. It's saying they're going to be mixing new & used games together in a way that's likely to cause confusion.

Either you misread the article, or wrote something you didn't intend to.
Not only that, but unless that manager is:

A) Gamestop's owner, master and commander or
B) Ignoring the store's policy and discussing business related stuff with clients or
C) The first store in Canada to be told about this

...Then that's worth squat. Our manager doesn't know anything about it because no one has told US anything about it. And if he knew, we wouldn't be allowed to tell anyone about it. Hell, we can't even discuss Black Friday deals with clients.

So yeah, that proves nothing.
 

Waaghpowa

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Apr 13, 2010
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CrystalShadow said:
Waaghpowa said:
This isn't true as far as I know. I know the manager of the EB games in town here and there was no word about them ditching used games.
That's not what the article says. It's saying they're going to be mixing new & used games together in a way that's likely to cause confusion.

Either you misread the article, or wrote something you didn't intend to.
You're right, I didn't mean to say that they would be ditching used games entirely. I meant that they weren't ditching the current set up as far as I know. It's likely that's changed now, as the last time I was there was a few days ago. I'll update if otherwise.

Edit: Posting from my smart phone, and it's true. Walked in and they were re arranging the entire store. He explained that head office intends it to be more of a convenience thing allowing people to see the new game next to the used one if they so desire to save whatever money. We're all cynical enough to believe that's bullshit.
 

shadowelancer

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So does that mean that all copies of a game are gonna be the same price wether used or new? Christ i might just shift to buying my games from Amazon.ca if that shit happens.
 

Redd the Sock

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Well, from an orginizational standpoint it isn't a bad idea in and of itself. Displaying the same game new and used requires extra rack sapce that could be used to properly display all those games stacked spine out on the lowest shelves. Putting the used over the new however, that's just dirty.
 

Sixcess

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This seems like a rather shifty way to bump up the prices of used games and/or profit from people not reading the small print. Overall it's shady.

And this is why I roll my eyes when I hear companies talk about how important customer service is to them, because whilst that might be true at a local level, at higher levels the customer is often treated with contempt as 'not for public disclosure' policies like this clearly show.
 

Zom-B

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Hmmm... the way it's outlined in this article definitely sounds a bit shady. Putting the new copies under the used? The only logical point of that is to entice, fool, or otherwise hope the customer doesn't notice and have them buy the used copy.

On the other hand, Futureshop here in Vancouver, BC mixes their pre-owned and new copies together on the same shelving units. The only difference between the copies is that the used ones have huge yellow stickers on them that say "pre-owned", so it's pretty obvious which is which.

The Gamestop/EB situation sounds pretty underhanded. Personally, I think it makes more sense to have the sections separated. Well, from a consumer standpoint at least. Sometimes I may be looking for a game that's not in production or impossible to find new. Maybe I'll find it in the used section. And vice versa. I know that when I look through the new section I won't have to scan past two dozen copies of Madden 10 or MW2.

As much as I don't think it's a big difference, I've started shopping at Best Buy more and more. Now I have a Best Buy card for rewards. Also, I pre-ordered Skyrim at my local EB and waited in line for almost 45 minutes before giving up and going home, while my cousin lined up just around the corner and had a copy from Best Buy (no pre-order) within half an hour. How does that work? I pay full price and then have to wait in a line that barely moves? EB really fucked up their release that night. I guess I can excuse them slightly because teh store is tiny and only has one door, but still, poor showing, EB.

These new shenanigans just make it less likely I'll shop there at all.
 

Wolfram23

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This one does not like tricksy sneaky store!

Yeah, I've bought a couple games there. Went for used versions just so save a mighty $5. Screw it. I can order PS3 games online or from any other retailer for similar or better prices. The only reason I've bought anything there was simply that my gf and I were at the mall and decided to have a look.
 

Zom-B

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redisforever said:
Nope, leaving EB Games if this happens. I only buy used games there, because I don't buy PC games in stores, and I only have an original Xbox, so I can't buy new, so used is my only option.
Well, if you think about it, I highly doubt they will be mixing old used Xbox games in with brand new Xbox360 games.
 

Baresark

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It may not be marked, but the bar code will have to be different, otherwise a store doesn't know what it's selling. Though, from a money standpoint, this will make little difference. If EB/Gamestop is selling a new product, it has paid for that product already, it owns what is on the shelves. So, all the money goes to EB/Gamestop anyway. The only time this could be problematic is with the whole... what we'll call, the online pass debacle. If a used game needs an online pass, people will have to know.

Sixcess said:
This seems like a rather shifty way to bump up the prices of used games and/or profit from people not reading the small print. Overall it's shady.

And this is why I roll my eyes when I hear companies talk about how important customer service is to them, because whilst that might be true at a local level, at higher levels the customer is often treated with contempt as 'not for public disclosure' policies like this clearly show.
They probably won't up the cost of used games to match new games. How many times do you go through a stack of the same game to ensure they are all same? You don't. People will just naturally grab the first copy of the title they are seeking. They simply won't have a label telling them if it's used or new.

I don't see this as contemptuous behavior towards customers at all. Most people will simply choose to purchase the item they want for the best deal they can get. Unfortunately for the publishers, that is often times not them.
 

Zom-B

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isometry said:
I don't see why publishers tolerate the used game market at all. I think it's silly that they worry so much about PC game piracy while doing nothing to stop the sale of used games. From a business point of view, used games are worse than piracy, since with piracy there is no way to know if the pirate would have bought the game, but with used-games they are typically paying 80% of the new price, so each one really is a lost sale.

By the way, I'm not condoning piracy at all by comparing it to used-games. I'm glad that PC game makers are finding ways to overcome piracy, because that means more support for the developers that make great games. I just wish they would apply the same logic to the used-games market, figure out a DRM solution that fights the problem while not getting in the way of legitimate users. I guess the other idea is to force companies like gamestop to give them a cut of used game sales.
Well, for one thing, game publishers have no choice but to tolerate used game sales. Just like used book, CD, DVD, Car, clothes, etc., etc., it's completely legal. There's also a law in most western countries called the First Sale Doctrine (or some such variation) that allows a purchaser to lawfully transfer ownership to another person. First Sale Doctrine [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-sale_doctrine]

For another thing, DRM is the worst way to try and control game, music and movie properties. Just like any lock made by a person can be picked or cracked, so too can DRM. Many DRM protections are cracked within hours or days of games being released and in most cases DRM hurts consumers more than it does pirates, as you mention. Media publishers have to find ways to make legitimate purchase of new copies at least as or more attractive to piracy or used purchases. That's the only way to defeat piracy. Of course there will always be a segment of the population that prefers to pay nothing no matter what, but many of us will happily purchase new if the perceived value is above what we get buying used.

Lastly, I think it would be a huge boon to customers if companies like Gamestop could actually work out some revenue sharing schemes with game publishers. Used sales would seem less of a demon and publishers would focus less on Online Passes and other shitty schemes and more on just putting out great games. Hopefully.
 

The Breadcrab

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Mar 20, 2011
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If EB Games wants to lose customers permanently (including me) then they should definitely follow up on this.

If they don't, they can scrap this hilarious attempt at pinching pennies and give us an apology for even attempting to pull this shit. Seriously, EB. What? Completely ripping us off on trade-ins doesn't line your pockets quite enough? You disgust me.
 

Stormz

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Jul 4, 2009
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I knew devs and publishers enjoy fucking us all over, but now even the retailers are doing it on purpose now. Why is it everyone in the game industry hates the consumers exactly? Do you really think we're all THIS stupid? I assure not all of us are and if this is confirmed I will be a lot less likely to buy from EB/Gamestop.
 

Skops

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So go to the counter and ask for used copies?... This isn't a problem for consumers, this is a nuisance to the employees.