• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

How would you try to compete with Gamestop?

X

Xavier434

Lifer
This is inspired by the other Gamestop thread. Here is the million dollar question:

What would it take for you to drive an extra 10 minutes out of your way to a different game store rather than purchase/pre-order games from Gamestop assuming Gaemstop is closer to your home?

I have felt for quite some time now that while some competition exists in game industry when it comes to selling used games, there is nothing which comes anywhere close to Gamestop. While some of you may disagree, don't let that opinion distract you from the point of this thread. What I want to know is what you believe it would take for a competitor to put a thorn in Gamestop's side at least to the point where they might even consider trying to buy out the competitor.

Would it be certain marketing promotions?
Differences in policy?
Price differences?
Trade in values?
Additional services?
Additional products?

What would it be?

I'm not looking for you guys to post your entire business plan to make this happen although if that is what you want to post then don't let me stop you 🙂. I just want some ideas. I want to know what types of things would persuade you to buy from a competitor despite how convenient Gamestop can be since they can be found just about anywhere.
 
My local store only order 2-4 copies and are sold out in 5 minutes.

Best Buy, 20 minutes away, carry 50 copies and they also have a wide selection of other things like Blue Ray movies and music.
 
Remember: your "better than GameStop" business plan needs to actually keep the store profitable, too.
 
Price. I usually drive right past EB/GS on my way to Circuit City when I'm game shopping. Places like Circuit City, TRU, and even BB every once in a while clearance games, and have actual sales. A week ago all clearance games at CC were 33% off, right now TRU has 20% off all clearance titles, a handful of BB are running 50% off. Remember the 1/2 off $19.99 and under PC game sale at CC? I bought about 11 games during that sale.
 
Originally posted by: Regs
My local store only order 5-10 copies and are sold out in 5 minutes.

Best Buy, 20 minutes away, carry 50 copies and they also have a wide selection of other things like Blue Ray movies and music.
Click to expand...

But they do not buy or sell used games. Selling used games is where the profit is.



Originally posted by: erwos
Remember: your "better than GameStop" business plan needs to actually keep the store profitable, too.
Click to expand...

Yup. That's the idea with most businesses. 😉
 
if i could find a better deal on the game than i can on craigslist for a used item, i'd get it from that place.

i have no problem with gamestop for brand new stuff and prefer to preorder stuff from gamestop rather than any other store.
 
I also forgot to mention that EBgames/Gamespot like to push for to much crap. "become a member, bring in your used games". Half the time I feel like that guy trying to cancel his AOL account.
 
Originally posted by: Xavier434


But they do not buy or sell used games. Selling used games is where the profit is.
Click to expand...

Sell used games for 5 dollars less after they bought it off someone for half the original price. Regular car salesmen.
 
Originally posted by: purbeast0
if i could find a better deal on the game than i can on craigslist for a used item, i'd get it from that place.

i have no problem with gamestop for brand new stuff and prefer to preorder stuff from gamestop rather than any other store.
Click to expand...

How does craigslist usually work? I have yet to purchase any used games. More or less I am asking for a list of the pros and cons as opposed to buying used from Gamestop.


***EDIT***

Also, why is it that you prefer to pre-order from Gamestop over other stores? Is there anything that you wish another store could offer which would convince you to pre-order from them instead?
 
I want a better selection, especially as a Wii owner. I've gone clearance-hunting at Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart... none of them have more than a dozen or so Wii games available. Generally they have 8-12 big titles (new releases + old standbys like Metroid/Zelda/Mario) and less than 5 games in the clearance section. I did get Rayman Raving Rabbids (the first one) for $20 at Target a few weeks ago, but the supply of older (but still good) Wii games seems to be impossibly short.

I'm going to drop by GameStop on my lunch break today. Maybe they'll have Excite Truck. No one else is going to have it at least.
 
Originally posted by: Xavier434
Originally posted by: purbeast0
if i could find a better deal on the game than i can on craigslist for a used item, i'd get it from that place.

i have no problem with gamestop for brand new stuff and prefer to preorder stuff from gamestop rather than any other store.
Click to expand...

How does craigslist usually work? I have yet to purchase any used games. More or less I am asking for a list of the pros and cons as opposed to buying used from Gamestop.


***EDIT***

Also, why is it that you prefer to pre-order from Gamestop over other stores? Is there anything that you wish another store could offer which would convince you to pre-order from them instead?
Click to expand...

main reason is because they will get it on the launch day and i know some of the big stores like best buy, cc, target, etc, will get them a few days later.

also it's convenient for me, i have 3 gamestops that are less than a mile away from me.

also they are pretty much the only dedicated game store so i try to support them.

i do not have problems like everyone else does. i mean they ask you once if you wanna preorder anything and if you say no, they move on. i've never once been pressured or pushed into trying to preorder or subscribe to GI.
 
I don't really hate Gamestop. Heck, I just pre-ordered GTA IV a couple days ago from them and I chose the closest store to my home because it was convenient and I know the price will be the same everywhere. However, as a consumer, I like to have options and I like competition. I do wish there was more adequate and direct competition with Gamestop.

I believe that one of the biggest challenges that any dedicated game store competitor will have is that they need to give the customer enough reasons to buy from them despite the convenience of Gamestop. These reasons need to be enough for the gamers that are really involved with gaming as well as the more casual customers who just want a better deal when they buy some game for their nephew on Christmas. So, the goal is to beat out the convenience while still remaining profitable.
 
If I want a new game, I have no problem with Gamestop because everybody pretty much charges the same thing for new games. I generally go to Best Buy just so that I can get reward zone points.. but other than that I have no issue with Gamestop. However, when it comes to used games they are outrageously priced. A lot of times their used games are only a few dollars cheaper than a brand new one.. and there is simply no point to buying the used game. I don't know how much they offer on game tradeins because i've never traded in a game, but I'm sure they give very little. The main thing that would get me into another store instead of gamestop is if I could get the kind of prices on used games that I get on e-bay or half.com... maybe not quite as low as those places, but in the ball park. I'd expect a site like E-bay to have cheaper prices than any store because you have to go to the hassle of winning the auction and then having the game shipped... but if they could at least be in the ballpark.... make the newer used games run $40 instead of $55 or whatever it is gamestop is charging for them. That would get me in buying used games.
 
I hate GS. What I really hate is on a game release they they only have games for people who pre-ordered. So if I walk in and try to buy a game they say we are only selling to people who had pre-ordered. Screw them. I either get it at BB or Amazon, or even the little mom and pop shop ablock away from my local GS who usually has the game for the same price. Plus their trade system really sucks. They will literally offer you 1-2 bucks for a BGA game that they will sell for 25. I was once in a GS and some little kid was with his grandmother and tried to sell like 6 GBA games and they offered him like 5 bucks. Some were good games too. His little heart was broken cuz he wanted a new Wii game and needed 20 bucks more, so I bought them from him, in front of the store clerk, and put the game I was gonna buy from them back and went across the street to buy my game and told the kid he should do the same. GS is a big ripoff.
 
I don't even know if I would dick around with new games. What's the profit on them anyway? $5 a game, maybe even a net loss if you are selling a $60 retail for $50? When you are running thin on profits on the new stuff, you have to make up for it on accessories and used markets. Which is where I have my problems with them. The disparity between trade in prices and resale and the lack of disparity between used and new retail is pretty frustrating.

So I'd just concentrate my efforts on giving reasonable trade ins on games that I knew I could resell and then keep them competivitely priced vs. new.

If a new game is still selling for $60, give a $30 trade in and sell it for $40. That's a $20 savings for the used buyer, and likely more than GS would give for their trade in amount.

And I'd bet that it's still better profit than selling new games.

If I wanted to bolster sales a bit, I would consider rentals that could undercut blockbuster prices if there was a legal way around renting used games. That way I could double dip on value of a used game. Rent for a bit and then hopefully sell it at some point.
 
Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
If you want to be profitable avoid taking any sports games designated with a year. 😉
Click to expand...

Herein lies the problem. How would you possibly manage what's going to get bought and what isn't? Using the example above of buying for 30 and selling for 40 - if you can't sell just one copy, you just lost the profit that 3 would get you.
 
I have a Hollywood video right up the street from me, and it has one of those Game Crazy stores inside. They usually offer me great deals on used games. For Condemned 1 used, GS wanted $25 or so, and GC had it for $13 I think it was.

Either way Game Crazy > GS.
 
gamestop charges too much for used games. it's only a 10% difference between new and used so it's not even worth it to buy used most of the time.

i usually hold out for one of their buy 2 get 1 free sales. even then i won't get any games that don't have original boxes and art and preferably a manual. how so many people manage to lose these items is beyond me.
 
I'll start going somewhere else as soon as someone has a larger selection and lower prices than Gamestop.

I have yet to find that place.
 
I went to game stop to look for a used game for my PS3. I wasn't looking for anything specific but when I got in there Burnout: PC caught my eye. The price new $59.99, the price used $54.99. I know the game is only a few weeks old but whats the point.
 
Originally posted by: JE78
I went to game stop to look for a used game for my PS3. I wasn't looking for anything specific but when I got in there Burnout: PC caught my eye. The price new $59.99, the price used $54.99. I know the game is only a few weeks old but whats the point.
Click to expand...

yeah, it bugs me their used prices are sometimes useless. On the plus side, I managed to snag elebits for $20 new when no one else had it.

There is only one gamestop I consistently shop and it's because of the manager there. Unfortunately, the county he's in has claimed any store that sells used stuff is a pawn shop. So you have to abide by those rules.. which include requiring two forms of picture ID to sell your games to them, one of them have to be a government issued ID. Can't use check/credit cards w/ your picture on it either. So if your not in school, and your company doesn't issue ID's.. you have your driver's license... and... your passport if you have it... to sell a game to gamestop.
 
I haven't bought anything from Gamestop or EB Games since the 90s. They always used to annoy me about being over 17 to buy M rated games. Even though I'm over 17 now, I still remember when one of their store managers really pissed me off with a whole speech about why I couldn't buy Unreal. I got it anyway through BB since they didn't really have an age policy at the time.

That has pretty much stuck and now I get all my games from Best Buy since they are the only store the I know that carries a large amount of PC Games in addition to their console stock. You can find games in stock on release day even if you didn't pre order.

BB and Newegg > gamestop
 
Originally posted by: JE78
I went to game stop to look for a used game for my PS3. I wasn't looking for anything specific but when I got in there Burnout: PC caught my eye. The price new $59.99, the price used $54.99. I know the game is only a few weeks old but whats the point.
Click to expand...

What is even more sad is that the person who traded in that used copy got no where near $54 for his trade in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top