GameStop vs Smyths vs Game

Absolam

Everybody has something to say on the subject so I thought a poll might be interesting;
Which do you prefer and why?

Retr0gamer

None of them. You're far better off buying online. Play.com are cheap. Lik-sang and dvdboxoffice for imports.

DrEvil

How can anyone vote for game they're nearly always the most expensive out the 3?
I find that smyths are generally cheapest and sometimes gamestop

Absolam

Retr0gamer wrote:

None of them. You're far better off buying online. Play.com are cheap. Lik-sang and dvdboxoffice for imports.

I was going to include online as an option, but I guess the point is, we've had lots of threads which included slagging off/praising various shops/staff, so we all obviously visit them a lot! So when you're out and about for that authentic retail experience, where do you prefer to go?

Winters

Smyths usually, if I have the time. However I hate their while CDs and Manual are not in the case policy thing they have. I havent bought a game in a shop in months though, I always buy online.

grimloch

i used to like the gamestop as it once had this really helpful guy who knew what he was talking about prices were allright

Retr0gamer

If there's one good thing to be said of Game its that their DVD prices are good and they like to break release dates for them.

super_furry

Xtra-Game are far better than any of them.

Pacifico

Smyths are excellent!

However i usually browse in Game then buy in Smyths. The PC Game section in the Limerick branch has been scaled down unfortuantly.....

KdjaCL

Most games i have bought are cheap ones from game ,they closest to me. They rip offs on new games but i walk by the shop at least twice a week so see bargains regularly.
Or the €20 sale in PC World kept me going pc wise for about 8 months.

kdjac

DrEvil

Xtra-Game are far better than any of them.

forgot to mention xtra-vision/xtra-game. I use to buy most of my games from them till I found Symths

monument

Absolam wrote:

So when you're out and about for that authentic retail experience, where do you prefer to go?

Do you work for a retailer who offers that authentic, sorry, or is it rip-off experience?

Edit: Oh, yes, on where I buy, if not online, the odd time Smiths, or one of the others for a reduced title, but lately from the toy shop World of Wonders in Ballina, apparently it’s the cheapest in their group for games – or so I’m told by the owner. Well Doom 3 was about as cheep as online.

amp

I usually visit Gamestop, HMV and Game and then end up buying it cheaper in Smyths. Gamestop near Abbey street don't even seem to sell PC Games anymore which I find bizzare.

Batbat

my god i find gamestop to be really expensive, at least the one on henry street, the other one on liffy street is expensive also, I like game because the 2nd hand console games are cheap and there is a good selection

Jim

amp wrote:

I usually visit Gamestop, HMV and Game and then end up buying it cheaper in Smyths. Gamestop near Abbey street don't even seem to sell PC Games anymore which I find bizzare.

I assume your talking about the one in Liffey Street amp? Was in there yesterday and they had (I think) a decent amount of PC games. The one in Henry Street didn't have any / alot of PC games for awhile. Seems to have changed now though.

What Gamestop should really do is import stuff from their stores in the States, give them a little edge that the other big retailers don't have.

Batbat

Jimeatsmenu wrote:

What Gamestop should really do is import stuff from their stores in the States, give them a little edge that the other big retailers don't have.

yes very good idea

Absolam

monument wrote:

Do you work for a retailer who offers that authentic, sorry, or is it rip-off experience?

If I could've found 'sarcasm quotes' for that 'authentic retail experience' I would have Yes, I have worked for one, or two, or three games companies in my time

Personally I prefer online shopping...but it does lack that..personal...feeling.

Jim

"Do you have a reward card"
"No, I don't"
"Would you like to register, you get free coupons"
"No"
"Oh come on, its free!"
"No"
"Look, why don't I show you a brochure"
"I have a copy of Manhunt at home"
"Oh...heres your purchase sir, have a nice day"

evad_lhorg

Batbat wrote:

my god i find gamestop to be really expensive, at least the one on henry street, the other one on liffy street is expensive also, I like game because the 2nd hand console games are cheap and there is a good selection

I was in gamestop the other day and they had shag all pc games. not that it bothers me I would have thought the pc games market was prety damn big. I havnt been in smyths in a good while tbh but they dont have a lot of cube games so I dont like em. If I didnt work in game I dont know where id buy my games.

Jim

Interwebby.

Absolam

Jimeatsmenu wrote:

Interwebby.

Always..but you can't pick stuff up and look, y'know?

honru

Before Gamestop arrived, GAME were terrible. But since this competition arrived I notice things have improved, there are titles here and there that you can find cheaper than anywhere else (even online). Point docked though for their awful prices on secondhand games, Gamestop are definetly better for this. They and Smyths are usually ho-hum affairs (since there is online shopping out there) but I hold no grudge against them. HMV are awful now. Can't properly judge Xtragame.

evad_lhorg

I was in hmv on grafton street and they have a wider selection of gamecube games at least but they are charging 33euro for the players choice games and some games are 66euro

ArphaRima

There was a spell a while back where GAME prices went ridiculous, just after GAME and EB officially changed their names to GAME.

I generally buy games the day they come out from whoever has them on the shelves first. If they all do, I buy the cheapest. No loyalty.

BLITZ_Molloy

Gamestop used have very good prices on 2nd hand games. Now they're pretty much the same as Game.

Problem with GS is their appaling PC games selection. They have a rack of utterly **** games in the Ennis branch and never replace them. Do you think they'd stock Doom 3 or Far Cry? Of course not. They even have a big Doom cut out monster in the window, but no copies. I gave up and pirated it after going in twice a week for three weeks and getting the same "out of stock, it'll be in tomorrow" bull****.

The Real B-man

smyths for me always seem to be in a hurry to get rid of stock so they sell it off cheap to make room for new stuff

lordsippa

Hrmm... this is gonna be unpopular but as gamecube gamer i gotta go with Game as the best in dublin. If only cause they've got the only decent selection. GameStop ain't tooooo bad but Game on Dawson Street wipes the floor with it.

evad_lhorg

YEA GO DAWSON STREET! it's only because I work there ya know

rainbow kirby

*poke*
Damn you guys and having more cube games than us...

evad_lhorg

6th best GAME shop at the moment dont ya know?

yawnstretch

Have to admit - I do prefer the shopping 'experience' at Gamestop Liffey street - 2nd hand games are well-accessible in their new shelves and they have a good stock (nice bright lit atmos too), but they're definitely the most expensive - Smyths for the actual purchase (but they do look the worst in comparison to GS and Game).

Kudos to Game Dawson St. from me2: decent prices and a seemingly perpetually empty store - YAY. (Reminds me of PCworld, Liffey Valley! Staff flocking over from the far reaches of the airy warehouse - buy something...pleeeeease - we'll pay you!! - "Whats that a return of an almost 1year old router?" - "HAPPY to replace it!" MuahaAHAHahA) Gamezone and Bookmart on Talbot St seem to have died a death though...

I reckon PC games arent selling well in general due to massive downloadage.

rainbow kirby

evad_lhorg wrote:

6th best GAME shop at the moment dont ya know?

Actually we were 7th yesterday. Go us.

lordsippa

Wait.. were you the guy I was talking to when I bought Harvest Moon a few days ago. I dunno why I bought it tbh... I mean 60 quid?! But it was the only copy I found in the city that day so it felt exclusive and I just couldn't resist... <blabbers on with excuses>...

evad_lhorg

If you are asking me that question then no. harvest moon is probably not worth 60 euro but it's not our fault it scans at that. it's been out since march so I would have thought it would be at least 45euro now.

evad_lhorg

rainbow kirby wrote:

Actually we were 7th yesterday. Go us.

oh and go us +1!

Jim

I got HM for €50 in Gamestop iirc.

Bannor

evad_lhorg wrote:

If I didnt work in game I dont know where id buy my games.

Curious to know if many people have availed of the 5 games trade in offer at Game. I have quite a few old games which I never traded in because they weren't worth anything but I may well trade them now.

evad_lhorg

there have been quite a few actually. especially today with burnout 3. Im not fully up on the deal as I havnt been given a till code yet(*shakes fist) so I cant be dealing with sales I just convince the people to buy somethin for now. as far as I know the games must be 15 euro or higher as a new game. then i think the deal applies.

rainbow kirby

Actually, we're taking anything except football (pre-2004) and wrestling. So some games have a 3.99 scan and under this deal we're having to take them for a 12 euro trade-in...

evad_lhorg

oh yea forgot that one. we'll take pro evo 3 but thats it. we have too much wrestling and football. they go out of date too quick

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

SantaHoe

I'm not voting... I think you know why...

sam_hain

Yes Im back. Sorry about the delay in replying to my adoring fans. Yes you people know who I'm talking about. You see the staff in Dawson St and Grafton St (the only two I know about at the moment) are going mental trying to work out who I could possibly be. I'll let them keep guessing for the time being.

Anyways as my post's title says Absolam, damn you. I was going to post a similar poll but like I said I have been off line for a while. The poll I was going to do was more of a which specific store do people shop in. The reason I wanted to know this is because Im interested in how many people here actually shop in Grafton St's Game branch. Yes I have a problem with them of sorts. But anyways thats for another post. Although I will let people know that the idiotic manager that works there with the english accent is now leaving to go on a trip around the world so no longer will the staff of Game have to put up with his idiot ways and ideas.

As for me I will continue to hate that store until the day comes when the door and hopefully my foot hits him on the way out

Till later Game Store Haters

Sam Hain

evad_lhorg

Are you emplyed by game? And which manager? the grafton street one?

Absolam

Whew!! This has kinda turned into a 'I hate Game, except the cute girls' thread. Nobody has said much about Game Stop, who have only 15%, and not a word about Smyths, who the majority (46%) think are the best shop out there! So where are the positive I love Smyths stories?

Hobbes

Generally I just window shop in the stores when I am in town, then buy online.

For one it is a hell of lot cheaper, second the stores appear to be holding less and less PC games.

I can only assume there is some kind of little cartel going between the shops to keep the prices so high.

Bluehair

Just picked up Burnout3 this afternoon (Xbox).

Off bus on OConnell st (Dublin) strolled down to Game (E59.99), walked past Gamestop (being refurbished) down to Smyths (E54.99).

Presented Loyalty card (free to sign up) for 10% bonus off brought the price under E50.

Result: One happy gamer (again) who always shops in Smyths

monument

Absolam wrote:

So where are the positive I love Smyths stories?

I'm sure a good few people are sick of this old 'debate', and have posted many times before on the many threads on this subject so they just used the poll.

I’m a little more amused how Smiths were going strong from the start, while Game just shot up at some point – everyone must have just got into work, or something.

sam_hain

Whew!! This has kinda turned into a 'I hate Game, except the cute girls' thread. Nobody has said much about Game Stop, who have only 15%, and not a word about Smyths, who the majority (46%) think are the best shop out there! So where are the positive I love Smyths stories?

What cute girls work in game. I can only think of one.