Circuit City sells Used Games, Dooms EBGamestop?
Circuit City has jumped into the used game marketplace, reports CAG, and their prices are following the boutique stores just a few bucks short of full retail. The retailer’s website is now listing used games, excuse me “pre-owned” games along with new titles in the same categories and search results, with no option to screen them out.
Back in 2005 BestBuy tested the waters of selling used games and they got an angry earful from developers and publishers, and apparently it hasn’t rolled out past the pilot stage. Mark Rein, the VP of Epic, had a bit to say on the subject back then:
“We pay to be in Best Buy’s flyers,” Rein told CNN. “We pay market development funds. Publishers drive gaming traffic to these stores. To have them resell the games, with developers having no participation, that’s just wrong. That’s just fleecing us.”
What does the rise of used game sales in major retailers do to the boutique gaming stores? I’m guessing it puts the last nail in their coffin.
Congratulations EB/Gamestop. Since your merger you have become the biggest chain of boutique gaming stores in the country. Need a hint on how to compete with big retail? Take a walk over to your fellow strip-mall friend Kay Bee Toys and ask about how they survived the onslaught of the big retailers. Oh wait, they didn’t survive. Ok then go over to Toys R Us and check with them. Oh dear, did they close a number of their stores? Are they struggling to hold on to their marketshare? Hm they might not be the best people to ask then.
Well at least EB/Gamestop has great customer service, loyalty, and friendly business practices to keep your customers happy and coming in to you. Oh wait, you don’t allow returns, open new games to prevent returning unopened ones, jack up prices over MSRP on big games ($55 launch week pricing for GTA San Andreas anyone?), and push game protection plans and system protection plans on vulnerable consumers? Yeah, you might not have much goodwill to trade on there.
Via CAG, IGN and Farbot.
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ha eb/GS deserve this shit
i hope their stocks go down and they are forced to do desperate thing like be nice to there costumers and stop those bullshit policy’s they have.
I went to a Toys’R'Us the other day and the girl behind the counter asked if I wanted to add a protection plan to my 360 game. I calmly answered no, but I was boiling deep down inside… F Them. Most shit people own make it through a reasonable amount of time before it’s damaged, but if you are scratching up your games??? Maybe you need to start breaking the fingers of the monekys that rub brillo and exacto knives on the underside of your flimsy media.
Sammael, I know what you mean. My neighbor’s 3-year-old destroys his DVDs within a week… I don’t know why they let him touch them.