Game stores

For video game fans there seems to be a lack of competition when I comes to the high street with regards of where to buy console games. Most gamers long since realised this and have almost solely bought things online in advance, knowing they can get things cheaper and sometimes earlier than they would otherwise. I myself never buy anything new anyway and often buy product on a spur of the moment type thing or a “I want it NOW” sort of thought, which can be an expensive way to shop but also quite a fun one. As far as video game shops are concerned you're pretty limited to Game and Gamestation on the whole as stand alone shops, though things like Blockbuster, CEX, Cash Converters and the Market do have some second hand games. Whilst Comet and Curries seem to charge more than anywhere for the most mainstream of titles and it can often appear as though the supermarkets are a place to look for games.

Game are Europe's bigger video game retailer, and are the most recognisable video game store in the British high street, with over 1300 branches worldwide and 3 separate brands under the Game company (Gamestation and Gameplay.co.uk). Though to most it's the GAME stores that are most recognised as video game shops, selling both new and pre-owned stock for all the major modern consoles as well as accessories and new PC games amongst other gaming related stock (trading cards, guides, T-shirts). The company feel the Gamestation brand (previously owned by Blockbuster) was built up as a shop for gamers, which has left GAME stores as a more casual and mainstream store, for the bigger releases and the games that will appeal to mummy and daddy just as much as the gamers out there (despite this the really geeky games aren't available in Gamestation either).

The following is all based on my local GAME store:
The store it's self is quite open at the entrance with a board with the offer of the week sort of thing on it of that weeks biggest releases (it seems to be a lot of sports titles recently) then a bit of open space in the middle of the shop. On either side of the store are games, infact right around the walls of the store save the two far corners and where the till is, the store is covered in games and consoles. Ranging from PC games, Wii Games, PS3 Games, DS games and Xbox 360 Games. The neare left hand side is mainly PC games, the right hand is primarily PS3 goodies such as games and console bundles, controls and the rest of it has DS stuff on in a rather small section.
The far end is all Wii games and their offers whilst on the right far corner is a console (usually the 360) with a game on for people to sample and play, though usually it's again a popular game like Harry Potter or a Fifa game. On the left far corner is the door to the stock room with a staff only label and on the far left hand side (the left hand is separated by the counter) is the Xbox 360 stock with new games at the top and second hand games at the bottom.
At the far side in the middle there is too quite long shelves of second hand PS2 games though annoyingly no second hand xbox games.

When entering the store (whilst it's empty) a member of staff will ALWAYS shout you to ask if you're alright, which is fair enough, but shouting at someone who's come in listening to music with headphones, meaning I need to take them out to ask them to repeat themselves is a pain. I know I'm being rude but I don't go in to be asked if I know what I'm doing shopping there (which is usually browsing). So a browsing away (now a days it's solely on the 360 section) and the first thing that strikes me is the prices, and not in a good way. On far too many occasions second hand stock (the only thing I look at unless a game has caught my eye months in advance) is priced at £30 or above, which to me strikes as excessive. With new games costing up to £45 how can the a game that's been used and is 12 months old cost £30?
Though I will admit that you do occasionally find some great offers like £20 for 2 games, though they are usually the same games as on offer in Gamestation so you might as well go there and get them for the same price. I will admit the price I got my Wireless adapter (£35) and my plug and play (£9.99) seemed pretty acceptable (Gamestation had the wireless thing at £55).

When competing with sales online however GAME are undercut every which way, if it was a boxing contest the poor store would be stopped on cuts after being sliced to ribbons. Though the store is easy to navigate it seems to be lacking the X box games (original console) that I would have liked a small section of (considering the huge section of PS2 games).

Also the biggest complaint with the store is the trade in prices whilst they are happy to try and sell us pre-owned stock at nigh on full price on some games, the in store credit that we, as customers is offered it pathetic often around 50% of their sell on value. Rather poor to see a game you brought in a week ago selling for double of what you got it for and this forces people like myself to actually sell games online.

However despite it's high prices, it's poor trade in value and high resale price, they are however one of the few options out there and it's always nice to have options. Their staff (when they aren't bugging you) are honest and will tell you that GAME rip off people when they trade games back in. They also do have a royalty card (though in all honesty I lost mine and it's still registered at my old house anyway) which some regular shoppers will make lots of use of. Overall it's worth browsing just to see when you will pick up a bargain, though Gamestation still regularly seems cheaper on the same product which is rather peculiar as surely the “major” brand should be at least level in price (especially if they are almost opposite on the street, like they are near me). I can't say I love game, though I don't hate it either, it has the good times though it seems to have more bad than good.