Does this sound like BULLSHIT to you?

[GameUser-16-32-128]

I say BS and totally unfair! The customer should always have first dibs, then if nobody wants it, the employee can snatch it up for themselves. Now I know why the play n trade near me doesn't have anything good, because their employees are always getting the good games!
The only thing I can agree with you is the wish list option. I've never heard of such a thing, is this at every play n trade? I don't think they should reserve a game. You should be able to go to the store at anytime and any day and get the game(s) without worrying about it being reserved. The luck of the draw is also part of it. If it's there and you got the dough for it, then go for it.

[evildragon]

Wait, Contra Force is rare? I have like 2-3 copies of that game in my NES box.

[Elusive]

Because that is one of the few perks of working at a game store. The pay sucks, and the jobs aren't as glamorous as gamers/customers think. I spent most of my time cleaning up dirty/nasty systems with Windex, a toothbrush and toothpicks.

You think I'm going to say employee's shouldn't get first pick on games after I spent an afternoon cleaning dirt/hand grime out of controller crevices? Riiiiiiiiiiight.

~Lament of the Bitter, Disillusioned Retail Clerk, 5th Movement~



If someone wants to buy something, they should get in line like the rest of us - stacking shelves doesn't mean you're 'entitled' to anything.

(Is this why the limited-edition releases that end up in the pre-owned section never have the stuff left that makes it a limited edition? Bet it is.)

[havok666]

(Is this why the limited-edition releases that end up in the pre-owned section never have the stuff left that makes it a limited edition? Bet it is.)

This is why I always preorder from Amazon instead of EB. Every time I would preorder a game that included some sort of a bonus they would never have it. I guarantee the employees scooped everything up.

[Baloo]

HOLY SHIT!

short story: I FUCKING GOT IT!!!!!

long story: this is a VERY long story, from the beginning back in 1997 *flashback soft focus*

OK, 1997

I had a Mac computer growing up (still do) so all I had for games were cartridges (yes I had a dreadful N64) for christmas/birthday/good report card and game demos. Since the Mac never was and never will be a game platform, you can imagine I didn't have much to work with. One day, I go to my next door neighbors house and see him playing SNES games on his computer. I'm like HOLY WTF!! and find out its called an "emulator" and you can use them to play older video games on your computer.

From then on I spent countless hours online (dial-up, woot) searching for familiar game ROMs to fill the video game void due to not being able to have a job and buy my own games. Being aware of regular Contra, I saw Contra Force on a ROM site one day and downloaded it. I immediately fell in love with the more realistic gameplay (if doing 10 front flips in a jump can be called realistic) and the team direction aspects of it, not to mention the great Konami music.

Around the same time, a store called VGX (Video Game X-change) opened up in town. I went there for the first time and the only game I could think of that I really wanted (used) was Contra Force. The crazy looking cat lady grabbed a copy of regular Contra and I was like "not that one" wondering why any game with the Contra name wasn't more common/popular. I ended getting Shinobi for the Game Gear instead, not a bad choice. Ever since, any time I was around used NES games, I always kind of kept an eye out for Contra Force.

Years passed by and the Wii came out. I realized what a ripoff the VC was and what a joke it was to pay so much for DLC and in protest decided to buy the real cartridges instead of paying more for an electronic copy. I started by buying a couple at EB Games (before they finally said "no more retro, period") and asked if anywhere else in town carried retro games. The EB employee pointed me to a small computer repair store a couple miles away that had shelves and shelves of games all for $5 or $6 with "buy 2, get 1 free" and I started frequenting there about once a week to make a haul. After a couple weeks, I decided to make a list of every game I could possibly think of that I wanted and came up with a list of about 40 games, including Contra Force. Many of the games I simply bought from Amazon and later eBay, but I didn't buy Contra Force because of the obscenely high prices passing the $50 mark (at the time) and sometimes higher. Until now, I had never even seen Contra Force in person, and it was the only game besides Mega Man 1 and 4-6 on my original list that I hadn't bought.

Fast Forward to yesterday. A guy walks in with his kid trying to get a copy of NCAA 09 ?football? (basketball?) for PS3 and has a stack of NES and SNES games. I think to myself "hmmm, better check this stack." I start with the usual "no, no, no" and then I got to Contra Force. At first it didn't seem real, like I was imaging things and it was really another game or just regular Contra or something, but it was definitely Contra Force. I immediately claim "this is MINE" and get ready to get my wallet and pay for the game to make it 100% certain. As I'm doing that, the other person working (who also happens to be a manager, even though we have as many managers as regular employees, whatever) grabs the "wish list" receipt and says "nope, you can't, its on the wish list." After all those years of checking used game stores for that game, it was all taken away in an instant. I was like "you gotta be kidding me!?" and he basically expressed he was doubly intent on it because he missed out on Chrono Trigger and some other games the same way. So, all I can do at this point is wait for 10 PM the next day and hope the guy doesn't show up.

I show up the next day (today) at about 5 PM and look in the wish list/repair return cabinet to see if its still there...nothing. I continue to rant about how stupid the wish list is etc. but still check the computer just to confirm that it was sold. I look and see that the computer still shows 1 copy in stock. Since I couldn't find it, I figure it had been sold, and just go on starting repairs. At 10 PM, the store closes, and I say "you know what, let me make sure it was sold today" and I start calling everyone that had been in the store. I start with the person that was scheduled to work that morning, and he said he was 100% sure he didn't sell it. So next I call the owner, because I knew he had been in and he might have sold it and not told anyone; he didn't know anything about it. Beginning to go WTF, I ask the person closing if he saw it, he said no. With only one person left, I call the person working the night before if he knew anything about it. As it turns out, he had hidden it in some Play N Trade tent stake crap to keep me from buying it before the person on the wish list had a chance.

So I go to the back and find it in the box with the tent stuff, kind of LOL'ing but also feeling relieved that it wasn't sold, when he says "yeah, but you gotta make sure no one else is on the wish list for it." So the person currently working and closing out checks, and the computer doesn't print another receipt. He tries again, nothing. As it turns out, the person that hid it allegedly was also on the wish list, but for some reason must have messed up the entry so it didn't print. The reason he was being so defensive of the wish list was because he wanted the game for himself. Regardless, his wish list entry didn't print, so there was no proof, and I now have the game sitting ready to be cleaned and enjoyed. After 12 years, about half of my life, I finally have the first used NES game I had really sought out, and ironically probably one of the last NES game I'll ever buy.

Hah, that dude who hid it in the tent was a complete asshole, he was trying to hide it for himself so you couldn't buy it. What a jerk. Good that you got the game though to show him up, even though he thought his little plan was foolproof.

[17daysolderthannes]

I say BS and totally unfair! The customer should always have first dibs, then if nobody wants it, the employee can snatch it up for themselves. Now I know why the play n trade near me doesn't have anything good, because their employees are always getting the good games!
The only thing I can agree with you is the wish list option. I've never heard of such a thing, is this at every play n trade? I don't think they should reserve a game. You should be able to go to the store at anytime and any day and get the game(s) without worrying about it being reserved. The luck of the draw is also part of it. If it's there and you got the dough for it, then go for it.

No, the wish list is exclusive to ours, at least the way it works at ours. The wish list is actually part of the Play N Trade software, but it doesn't mean that they necessarily have to reserve it for that person. The way I think it SHOULD work is that if we get a game on the wish list, they get a phone call, but it immediately goes out for sale and first come, first serve. Its a good idea since it helps move games more quickly by notifying interested people, but at the same time, I don't think someone should be able to call dibs 6 months in advance like that and then have it saved for a day just for them when there are 10 people in the store ready to buy it.

Play N Trade usually has really good retro prices. If there aren't any good games, they are probably being bought up by eBay assholes (people that buy just to resell for profit) or there just isn't much traded in. Most video game store employees (EB/Gamestop/etc.) are very much the "play for 2 days and trade it in" type of people, its very unusual to have 2 hardcore collectors. Well, I'm hardcore, he's just a dude that is willing to spend money on games he wants to play, he's never heard of 3/4 of the games he buys and doesn't have a clue of the market value.

Wait, Contra Force is rare? I have like 2-3 copies of that game in my NES box.

Its rare enough, I mean, its an NES game that sells for about $40 online. Its not Stadium Events or NWC 1990 rare, its not even Little Samson rare, but it is relatively rare being a 1992 release and a Contra game making it snatched up by people that don't know what they're buying. Let me put it this way: I've had a Nintendo since I was 5 (1990) and have been retro collecting for about 2 years, I have NEVER seen a Contra Force cartridge in person before IN MY LIFE.

~Lament of the Bitter, Disillusioned Retail Clerk, 5th Movement~



If someone wants to buy something, they should get in line like the rest of us - stacking shelves doesn't mean you're 'entitled' to anything.

(Is this why the limited-edition releases that end up in the pre-owned section never have the stuff left that makes it a limited edition? Bet it is.)

If by stacking shelves you mean being a video game store employee, then fuck off. The whole reason people work at video game stores is for the additional discount (which we just got, and only because he was going to start giving Gamestop employees 25% off so they would buy from us instead) and to get first picks at new trade ins. There are lots of jobs that require alot less work and stress for the same pay, but we choose the harder route for the video game perks. I'm a little different since I just do repairs and I get paid pretty well, but then again I don't get paid shit compared to what a computer repairman would get paid for doing the same thing, and I have a much higher level education as well.

If pre-owned games are missing things, its probably because the person that bought it took it out, said "I'm keeping this" and traded it in. I don't think the computer system is set up to deduct for each missing piece in a special edition game, if the game is there, that's 90% of it. One of the employees does, however, jack maps and other inserts to decorate the walls. He usually only does it on more common games though, not like Chrono Trigger or anything.

Hah, that dude who hid it in the tent was a complete asshole, he was trying to hide it for himself so you couldn't buy it. What a jerk. Good that you got the game though to show him up, even though he thought his little plan was foolproof.

Yeah, I was pretty "WTF" about that, and its mostly because he swore he was on the wish list for it. I think I kind of discovered why he wanted it so bad (or thought he did) today as well. I was playing Metal Slug Anthology to test a new laser on a PS2 and I was like "see how awesome this is" (I had suggested the anthology before and he was like 'I don't like that game') and he said "The only game like that that I like is Contra." I think he thinks that Contra Force is a true sequel to Contra and Super C when in fact it has NOTHING to do with ANY Contra game and was developed under the name Arc Hound in Japan and was never released there. Some time later they picked it up and slapped the Contra name because they knew it would sell, and thanks to that fact its waaay overpriced and a bitch to find. I bet if he played it, he would probably not like it at all, the gameplay is more like Metal Slug than Contra.

This is why I always preorder from Amazon instead of EB. Every time I would preorder a game that included some sort of a bonus they would never have it. I guarantee the employees scooped everything up.

Its possible, people at EB and Gamestop are much more dick about what they do to merchandise because they know its a corporately owned business so they don't care. Play N Trade, on the other hand, is locally owned and we all want to see it do well, so we never jack pack ins or inserts from new merchandise. If its supposed to come with it, it will come with it.

[MrMatthews]

If by stacking shelves you mean being a video game store employee, then fuck off. The whole reason people work at video game stores is for the additional discount (which we just got, and only because he was going to start giving Gamestop employees 25% off so they would buy from us instead) and to get first picks at new trade ins. There are lots of jobs that require alot less work and stress for the same pay, but we choose the harder route for the video game perks. I'm a little different since I just do repairs and I get paid pretty well, but then again I don't get paid shit compared to what a computer repairman would get paid for doing the same thing, and I have a much higher level education as well.

Is working in a video game store any more stressful than working at Spencers at the mall? Or at T-Mobile? Or Michaels? Or Hot Topic? It's all retail. You get shipments in, you unpack the boxes, stock the shelves, and deal with customers.

[17daysolderthannes]

Is working in a video game store any more stressful than working at Spencers at the mall? Or at T-Mobile? Or Michaels? Or Hot Topic? It's all retail. You get shipments in, you unpack the boxes, stock the shelves, and deal with customers.

And presumably you would work at Spencers, T-Mobile, Hot Topic, etc. because you want to get a discount at Spencers, T-Mobile, or Hot Topic. At least in the case of T-Mobile they should make WAY more than minimum wage. Why do you think so many girls work at clothing stores? They want cheap clothes, duh! Movie theater employees get to see movies for free, so why can't a game store employee grab a game he wants when its traded in? Tanegashima apparently gets first dibs on guns traded in where he works, he's into guns, he gets the perk. There are very few retail locations I can think of where some sort of perk or discount. If they don't get a discount, they usually get paid more, like someone I know that works at a bakery and gets paid like $7 or more an hour even though its an unskilled straightforward job.

[Metal_Sonic]

And presumably you would work at Spencers, T-Mobile, Hot Topic, etc. because you want to get a discount at Spencers, T-Mobile, or Hot Topic. At least in the case of T-Mobile they should make WAY more than minimum wage. Why do you think so many girls work at clothing stores? They want cheap clothes, duh! Movie theater employees get to see movies for free, so why can't a game store employee grab a game he wants when its traded in? Tanegashima apparently gets first dibs on guns traded in where he works, he's into guns, he gets the perk. There are very few retail locations I can think of where some sort of perk or discount. If they don't get a discount, they usually get paid more, like someone I know that works at a bakery and gets paid like $7 or more an hour even though its an unskilled straightforward job.

You read that COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY wrong.

[MrMatthews]

Truism. This is the specific part that I was referring to:

There are lots of jobs that require alot less work and stress for the same pay, but we choose the harder route for the video game perks.

[Rusty Venture]

If someone wants to buy something, they should get in line like the rest of us - stacking shelves doesn't mean you're 'entitled' to anything.

This is just the whining of someone who wants "first dibs" but doesn't want to go through the trouble of working someplace to get it.

[17daysolderthannes]

Truism. This is the specific part that I was referring to:

Well, you were naming other people that work harder for perks, you didn't make a good argument. Really, I shouldn't say some minimum wage jobs are easier, I should say most equally difficult jobs either offer perks or higher pay. If I was doing a similar job at, say, a dentist office, only filing dental records instead of games and checking out people for their visit instead of checking out games, I would probably get paid a hell of a lot more, but there is nothing there to get a discount on (except maybe dental work). Bottom line, the reason the line is always so long to get a job at a video game store is so we can get the games we want and get them at a better price. If I was a normal employee (not repairs) and I got no discount and no other privileges, my ass would be gone the second I got an offer on a better paying job. What's the point of staying and having to kill yourself running a whole store by yourself when there is no advantage and a better paying job is waiting for you? I mean, its fun when there aren't alot of customers and some regulars are there to talk, but most of the time its crazy with 10 people needing help with something (buying, trading, trying out games, etc.) and you can't even appreciate the fact that you're in a game store.

[MrMatthews]

I think a lot of people clamor to work at video game stores because they have an idealistic fantasy of a job in which they get to play games all day, talk to interesting, like-minded people, and reap the benefits of employee discounts. If the job was really that fantastic, I think more employees would actually remain employees in these stores.

[Rusty Venture]

My only perks were:

I could wear a store shirt, a band shirt, or a video game related shirt.

The owner was pretty flexible with hours in regards to school.

The ability to get "first dibs" on anything that was traded in at the store.

Other than that, it was a job that just happened to be dealing with video games. A lot of system cleaning (cleaning them up to sell) and plenty telling people we don't give price quotes over the phone.


Oh and for those that still think "first dibs" are so terrible: of the "great deals" I got...only two game deals I got through "first dibs"....and I still paid the full selling price of the items. Most of what I got "first dibs" on were music CD's that weren't terribly rare. Most of my "great game deals" I got either going to another game store, buying online, or just by talking to people.

[TheEdge]

I understand where the Manager is coming from. He is just upholding a customer service gimmick. Hopefully the obscure random person who put it on his wish list isn't around to hear the call. Good luck buddy.