Videogame stores

[Remi]

So... I stopped by Electronic Boutique yesterday to get the Xbox version of Syberia. Now, is it just me, or are videogame stores turning more and more into your stereotypical comicbook store? Granted, I get most my comicbook store stereotypes from The Simpsons and other sitcoms, but the point remains - at the very least this particular EB has like the biggest videogame snobs in the world working there.

 

The dude behind the counter was this hip guy, looking slightly like Adam Goldberg with a goatee, all dressed in black. While I was in there a woman in her 40s (probably a parent) came up to him and asked when the N-Gage (Nokia's newest handheld gaming machine apparently - I've never heard of it before) would be released. Goldberg, Jr. rolls his eye, and in a a voice suggesting that it's something everyone should know, informs her it's October 17th (or something like that). She leaves, and he turns around to one of the 10 year olds who apparently lives there and engages into a hefty debate about the latest GBA game he'd aquired, both of them being on first name basis with eachother. This can not be a healthy relationship for any of the parties involved. So anyway, I walk up to pay for the game, and I get a look that says "Do you mind? We're in the middle of something," until he sees which game I'm buying. "Dude! It's out on the Xbox?! I had no idea!" At that moment I felt that we really had a moment; I was bonding with Goldberg, Jr.

 

That was my second run-in with this guy, the first one being a bit less successful. I bought a PS2 when it went down to $179, and I had the edacity to inquire about their return policy on used memory cards. This was obviously the most outrageous question ever asked, or so I'm imagining as I'm being stared at for five seconds like I have the plague. Oh yeah, they have a one month return policy, just in case you should ever find yourself in a similar situation.

 

Ok, that was long.

[Joshi]

Luckily My nearest EB was turned into Game shop (thus having two Game shops about a five minute walk from each other), but before then, man were they snobbish, they wouldn't let my friend buy Duke Nukem because of it's rating (this was some time ago), like anyone cares about that anymore?

 

Now of course, it's Game and is slightly better, but not much, they still hacve indepth conversations with total strangers about the metaphorical significance of dinosaurs in Super Warrio world (I actually heard these very words exit the mouth of a twelve year old talking to a member of staff). But they are freindly staff, like when i ask when a game ios to be released, they will actually look it up for me if they never heard of it or can't remember, although my I am still awaiting my replacement game reward card which they said they'd send to me after I lost my old one. This was in January. I may have to ring up, if I'm that desperate.

[scabb]

Yeah, GAME bought out EB UK, so quite a lot of places now have two GAME stores directly opposite each other. Anyway, the staff at our local branch haven't changed - there's a fourty year old man with a grey moustache, who probably used to sell cars. Then there's a thirty year old business type, with slicked back hair and a quick way of talking - and finally, there's a young twenty year old women, who has trouble using the cash register and an abysmal short-term memory. It's totally sitcom material, especially when a kid shows up with a game that's been exchanged several times in the last week.

 

However, the other local games branch, GameStation, is staffed by young and geeky twenty-odd year olds, who probably dropped out of University because they spent their days playing videogames and watching Clerks. Most of those guys suck, not very courteous at all. I could totally do that job, It would be fun to kick out the large piles of thirteen year olds that tend to accumulate beside the counter.

[Joshi]

So there I was yesterday in my local Game Store Playing The Hulk on PS2 (cause I'm too cheap to buy my own console let alone any games for them) and suddenly this clerk comes along, asks me to leave (it's was only an hour or two, kidding) the gaming area of the PS2 and then calmly opens it up, changes the game to some racing crap and leave me with nothing to do, and here I was with a huge urge to pick up the next fifty tonne bulldozer I come across and throw it at someone. So I went to the movies to see T3 (UK premier, I was bored). After the movie, I came back to Game (it's on the way home... the long way home mind you) to see 3 kids playing on The Hulk on PS2. For frigs sake, that was my game! Git.

[C Shutt]

He didn't want you loitering in his store for hours on end, taking up space that could be occupied by paying customers? The bastard.

[Joshi]

Like I said, I was just joking, I was actually only there for about five minutes before he told me to move. If you think that's bad, I was once in Game and spotted a kid playing on the Gamecube in there (Super warrion world). For some reason I don't quite know, I remembered what jumper he was wearing and noticed he was cantonese. Nothing special, I just noticed. Me and my friends went out of the store and went to see a movie (I forget which one). I come back and this is about two hours later, go into Game to see the exact same cantonese kid in the same red jumper playing the same damn game and he was a hell of a lot further than he was before. Now that's bad. With no seat, I#'d get tired after a while (although saying that, I do have a job which requires me to stand in one place for eight hours doing absolutely nothing with an hours break split up in between.)

[Ernil]

Hmm...we had a couple of stores roundabout here (Omaha) that were turning in to this "comic book store" like places, but they all recently got shut down for selling porn to an under age child.

[Acrylic]

Originally posted by Carl Shutt

He didn't want you loitering in his store for hours on end, taking up space that could be occupied by paying customers? The bastard.

 

Oh, SHUT UP.

 

I go to Funcoland (Now Gamestop in my area) and I play games there sometimes. And, kids are able to play for like an hour, and the people wont care.

 

But, at Sam Goody's, I was only playing for 5 minutes and a store clerk came over and kicked me off saying I was playing the game too much. I looked over, and there was a sticker saying "10 minute play limit". And I told her that I only played for 5 minutes, and well, didnt listen, and kicked me outta the store.

[Lil Killa]

Where i live there is a store called Babages or something like that lol and u can play on the display consols as long as u want and/or stand around in the store for however u want even if your not doing anything relating to gaming. It's my fave games store but their prices are a bit high somethimes..

[scabb]

Originally posted by Acrylic

And I told her that I only played for 5 minutes, and well, didnt listen, and kicked me outta the store.

I'd kick you out too. You suck, dude. What a despicable person. I mean, you only played for five minutes!

[Darth Groovy]

Yes, I agree. Usually I try to stay away from those types of stores, however they usually have a large surplus of older games at reasonable prices, and have release dates on everything. I had went in and reserved a copy of Jedi Academy, then inquired about Republic Commando, the fat "comic book guy" type first looks at me like I have lobsters crawling out of my ears. Then he tells me that he hears from some special internet source that Star Wars Galaxies is supposed to be the ultimate game. Then he asks me if I "Role Play". In sheer fear, I shake my head, grab my reciept and left. Have not been back since. Wierdos...

[Reaper Girl]

Originally posted by Darth Groovy

Then he asks me if I "Role Play". In sheer fear, I shake my head, grab my reciept and left. Have not been back since. Wierdos...

 

I have a horrid comic book store expirence to share.

A friend got me hooked on Swamp Thing (we both easily amused). Wanting more Swamp, I trotted to my local sterotype filled comic book store.

I made my biggest mistake when i refereded to Swamp Thing's "pet name", asking the 30-something virgin man "Do you carry Swampy?"

He imedatly launched into a 10 minute rant, ending when i said "Okay, but do you carry it?"

I got a nasty look from the 30 year old virgin. He pointed the way to Swampy. The acne ridden goof ball reading something in the backround snarled at me.

I went to the "S" section, randomly grabbed some Swampy comics and an athology, paid for them, and ran out.

I never went back. I fear they may kill me.

Now I crave Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (yes, it is a real seires)

No book store would carry JtHM.

I must go back...

pray for me...

 

 

Am i the REAL nerd?...probably not:D

[Joshi]

IU'd love it if that comic book store was somewhere near me, i'd just love to go to that guy and tell him teh prospect of his life

 

**Looks around at where he is**

 

Never mind.

[Redwing]

Originally posted by Reaper Girl

I have a horrid comic book store expirence to share.

A friend got me hooked on Swamp Thing (we both easily amused). Wanting more Swamp, I trotted to my local sterotype filled comic book store.

I made my biggest mistake when i refereded to Swamp Thing's "pet name", asking the 30-something virgin man "Do you carry Swampy?"

He imedatly launched into a 10 minute rant, ending when i said "Okay, but do you carry it?"

I got a nasty look from the 30 year old virgin. He pointed the way to Swampy. The acne ridden goof ball reading something in the backround snarled at me.

I went to the "S" section, randomly grabbed some Swampy comics and an athology, paid for them, and ran out.

I never went back. I fear they may kill me.

Now I crave Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (yes, it is a real seires)

No book store would carry JtHM.

I must go back...

pray for me...

 

 

Am i the REAL nerd?...probably not:D

 

 

I can find stuff like JtHM at the Virgin Records store near here (don't ask me about that name) although it doesn't really matter, since our local comicbook store is actually populated by very nice people. Sure there's spazzy 10-year olds running around buying cards, but the people who run the store are nice, "normal" people.

 

I don't really go to gameshops. I play games based wholly on whether or not my friends liked them/my brother bought them already. ^^;;

[Surfnshannon]

I used to work for Target in the Electronics department. I loathed those damn console tv machines. I know, I like them too as a customer - but as an employee I wanted desperately for the damn kids to stop screaming in my department and fighting over who's turn it was.

 

But by far the worst customer in the electronics department was the parents. They would ALWAYS come up to me to open the case pick out a game and then ask me what I thought of it. Of course they would pick games like "Barbie and Friends having a Hottub of a time" or "Microcrap Machines". I don't play those 5 year old games. Then they ask me "would my 12 year old son like this?"....of course I would say "no" then refer to them to newest game that I knew the 12 year old would THANK me graciously for. Grand Turismo or something of that nature. Of course the mom would get pissed off at me, tell me I knew nothing about video games and after pulling out at least 20 of them from the case. They'd decide they'd rather go buy their son a cd. By that time, since I was only one in the department, my line started to go halfway into sporting goods and I couldn't make my way around the screaming kids fighting over who's turn it was to play on the machine.

 

And that is why I shop at electonics stores and do not work for them

 

I buy a lot of my games from Target though. They have the best prices and well sure there is a cheesy 20 year old at the counter but he doesn't bother with the cheesy ass conversation.

[SamNMax]

Two days ago, I was also picking up Syberia for Xbox, when Tim (The dumbass EB clerck) says "You relize that this is an adventure game. There's no fighting involved at all."