Lack of B&M deals for you too?

[CocheseUGA]

I'm not complaining, as I do it in the particular deal thread it's posted in, but I wanted to see how many people aren't able to get in on the deals posted in the main forum.

I have not seen a clearance game at my CC in almost a year. I'm not sure what happened, but it's very interesting. I've never seen a clearance game at a Best Buy in at least three cities (Augusta, GA; Greenville, NC; Kennesaw, GA). I'm pretty sure employees are behind those, as I've seen it showing available in store, but when I get there they can't find it. One or two times I could attribute it to it actually being sold before I got there. Not numerous times. I know Wal-mart in and of itself is YMMV, but no deals there either. My CompUSA, the only one left in Georgia (joy), has never had any clearance item worth buying. Both Targets never have much to speak of in terms of video game clearance either.

Just curious as to who else is out of luck when it comes to clearance deals?

[Roufuss]

I have great luck now, in Tampa, but when I move, when the nearest BB / CC is 30 minutes away, my luck will change :(

No K-Mart's either!!!

I'm not sure how I'm going to manage it, right now the closest BB / CC is 5 min away ;)

[munch]

I have great luck now, in Tampa, but when I move, when the nearest BB / CC is 30 minutes away, my luck will change :(

No K-Mart's either!!!

I'm not sure how I'm going to manage it, right now the closest BB / CC is 5 min away ;)

Try living in Starkville, MS. The closest BB and CC are 70 miles away. K-Mart is about 100, and TRU is again 70. We do have a GS, but, yeah, like they have any deals.

[Hibiwa]

The deadly combo of being in a populated city (w/college kids to boot) and bad timing gets me a big zero for most deals. They just aren't there. Maybe if I could drive out to the burbs the chances may be higher. No car though.

Regular price stuff can be just as hard to find. The BB's and CC's are just bare at times. The selection sucks. Target deals? Nope. K-Mart? Gone. Sears? Nada. TRU? Gone and too far away. Screw the EB/GS since they overinflate retail and most won't go there anyways except for used deals.

So yeah, it's rough reading about these bargains that are out of my reach. I have more success with finding OK prices online along with availability.

Reading about the $10 and now $5 Metroid Pinball sitting in bargain bins makes me scream Fuck! Ordering mine online for $19 to save on tax was the best I could do.

[soonersfan60]

I think it is a combination of employees along with the swelling ranks of FW/SD people--in more ways than one...

[Vinny]

It's definitely a changing scene...

Those FWers, SDers, and even some CAGers (who no longer show their faces but do lurk) take any and everything they can get their hands on.

This is made worse by sales being posted in advance. The only time I can get in on a good deal is when a sale is posted out of the blue and that hasn't happened for a LONG time.

[anotherpoorgamer]

I usually miss out on the Bestbuy, Toys 'R Us, and Circuit City deals because they're the only ones in a 20 mile radius. I always end up with nothing or the leftovers of the deals that no one wants, but oh well just means I don't have to spend and won't have be inclined to buy a game somewhere else since I could have gotten it cheaper.

When I do find a deal, I only take one copy of a game and if it is the last copy I sometimes leave it if the savings is not as high as normal price else where! :)

[Moses144]

Every time there's been a Circuit City clearance, they have almost all the games I want. I found multiple copies of Fatal Frame III in my Toys R Us, along with every Dec. 26th (I think) drop I wanted, except for Resident Evil DS. It's weird, because those two places are right next to each other in the biggest shopping center close by. Guess the CAGers around here have bad schedules/ don't check up on those clearances.

[62t]

Also store are stocking fewer copies of games due to the shift in next generation. Stores had tons of copies of onimusah 2, baten kaitos, or xenosaga 2, but had few copies of the sequel.

[zman73]

I generally do pretty well in regards to the CC deals for some reason over the BB sales, which is much more hit or miss... but ive gotten in on most really good deals from CC clearances

What is crazy is I was at my local BB the day of this big clearance and they had maybe 4-5 different games available, I picked up one game for my DS

Fast forward a couple weeks, I go out of town to MS and hit up 2 BB's.. and find alot of really good games such as Monster hunter PSP, and DDR Ultramix 3... found more at these out fo the way stores than I did at home, kinda makes me wish I had gotten there when the sales had started...

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

I was shocked to find ANYTHING left from the BB clearance at my 2 local BB's, since there's at least one CAG/FW/SD person who comes out for EVERY major sale/clearance/etc. I know because the one person I talk to regularly at the one local BB has told me that this same guy comes in and loads up a cart with games/guides once stuff drops to clearance prices.

So, that's why I was shocked to find 2 BeatMania bundles left after the BB clearance list was announced.

Personally, I think there should be a limit to the number of posts people who simply 'lurk' can view in a day, just to kind of stave off the hoarders who will jump on a deal while simply lurking on the site.

But, that's just MY opinion.

[phattsoe]

even though i live near a lot of b&m stores (bay area), i think i show up too late (and fellow CAGs have gone through) or random parents see 'clearance' and handle their business.

oh well, g'luck to you all on the next big deal.

[xdl]

With the exception of EB/GS and a single CC, I have to drive 30 miles in any direction to hit a grouping of stores. I have seen some of these FW and hoarders first hand, and I have occasionally bumped into CAGs. If you do have stores nearby, you just need to be there bright and early on day 1 to ensure you get what you want. I know if I wait until after the first day these hit, the hot titles are 100% gone for sure, especially if everything gets tagged. Except for Kmart, because nobody shops there. :)

[sarausagi]

Sometimes Target is a graveyard.

Quite honestly, most all of my clearances are YMMV [one shots that aren't even worth talking about on CAG]

Usually, I use CAG for an analysis of weekly ads and online deals.

Although, I have to admit, the clearance lists [even if I don't have a particular store] clue me in to what's price dropping, what might be marked down, what might be on sale.

I have had major scores at BB/CC/Target though. I think it depends on the city, but I don't think TN is much of a FW/SD/CAG type place.

But then again, lots of you north US folk have bigger luck with the thrift shops and garage sales.

[GoAztecs]

I guess I am lucky because I live in an area where their really isn't a lot of people who know about most of these deals; however everytime I show up to a store with clearance priced deals their tends to be more and more people with lists. Before it would just be me and maybe one CAG but now it seems more people from FW and SD come in with their lists and cart and just start picking things up.

The only store I usually can't find any deals are at K Mart, where they are late in changing prices, or barely have anything to begin with.

[Vinny]

I think K-Mart was the only store where I was able to get a B&M deal this year... I remember picking up Gunstar Super Heroes ($10), Drill Dozer ($3), and WarioWare Touched ($35).

But the thing that makes K-Mart a double edged sword is that their stuff is so unorganized.

[Derrick1979]

Since I have become a regular here on this site the B&M deals have been hot and cold for me...

BB has been ok to an extent I snagged a few from that big sale...
CC has been alright even thought they never had the two games I really wanted

As far as Kmart and toys R us??? Man they must be quick at clearing those places out.. TRU had all those RPG's on thier clearance list and I didnt even have a chance to look at them at that store??

Ahh well

[georox]

Toys R Us/Best Buy/Cicuit City are all a good 30-45 min drive from me, our K-Mart is in awful condition and you'll never get service or be able to find stuff half the time, and our Target I think has hoarders. I rarely manage to find things anymore...

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

Sometimes Target is a graveyard.

Quite honestly, most all of my clearances are YMMV [one shots that aren't even worth talking about on CAG]

Usually, I use CAG for an analysis of weekly ads and online deals.

Although, I have to admit, the clearance lists [even if I don't have a particular store] clue me in to what's price dropping, what might be marked down, what might be on sale.

I have had major scores at BB/CC/Target though. I think it depends on the city, but I don't think TN is much of a FW/SD/CAG type place.

But then again, lots of you north US folk have bigger luck with the thrift shops and garage sales.

Are you kidding me? The 'thrift' shops around here price stuff like a normal retail store anymore. The days of finding a 'good deal' there are LONG GONE. I usually end up having to hit out of the area thrift stores to find anything reasonably priced anymore.