Reduced price game guides, all stores. Thread 6

Status
Not open for further replies.

floormat

CAGiversary!
Feedback
9 (100%)
3-17-07 Here should be most of the information that anyone would need in acquiring guides. please read ALL the information below before asking questions. most question are answered below. Again thank you 6669 for all your contributions to this thread and web site.



My wifes web site - Nice jewelry good prices.

www.ladieslovejewelry.com



For hopefully the latestest most current up to date guide drops please refer to the

"CAG Strategy Guide WIKI page"

recent drop section

http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_(recent_drops)

master list section

http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_(master_lists)

they will be filetered from the thread posts to the WIKI page as often as possible. Thank you for your contribution.




Listed in the wiki is the most up to date compiled list of all known guide deals from the posts of this thread and similar threads. I will update the wikis lists as people post new guide deals. Everything listed in this thread “should” be the price listed or lower. These prices are typically company wide price reductions and not YMMV. But just because the prices are typically universal does not mean that they are guaranteed to be sold to you. Most stores have a destroy clause with the guide companies. So whether or not you get these guides depend on many many factors from how diligent a staff is to how reasonable or friendly one is. Good luck on any you may find and good luck on acquiring them. Please dont have a fit if a store wont let you have them just move on. Causing trouble rarely gets guides and most of the time stops others from getting guides in your area. If anything is incorrect or missing please post so corrections can be made.


Now you can just cut, paste, print, and GO!!!



What is a Penny Guide:

To answer this question fully, one first has to understand the longstanding legal agreemenat which [book] publishers have with book sellers such as Borders, Barnes & Noble and other chain and Mom & Pop shops, as well as other retailers who similarly sell their books.

For several decades, publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Random House, et cetera will send out X-number of a title to stores to be sold. After a time, when it is decided that those older titles have little chance of selling and the store shelf real-estate would be better used for newer publications, they issue a recall to the vendors to field destroy all remaining copies of titles A, B & C.

The stores then will pull those titles from their inventory to be field-destroyed, and in their systems mark the publications as 1¢. The 1¢ price is to indicate to the publisher that they are no-longer selling the pulled title, and it is also to serve as a Red Flag to any cashier who might ring up a title (on the chance that the titles were not pulled as legally they were required).

When the pull lists are sent out by the publishers, and the stores adjust the price in their inventory (and pull and field-destroy the books), the stores also are to report to the publisher the number of the books they pulled. (This is generally done at a corporate level.) The publisher then credits the stores full cost of the books.

So lets say, MegaChain orders 8000 copies of the Bread Baker strategy guide for their stores in North America for say, $4 a piece. They owe $32,000 to Publisher X. Bread Baker being a big seller and a hard game, then sells 6000 of those 8000 guides, leaving around 2000 guides on the shelves when Publisher X issues the pull demand. Publisher X then issues MegaChain an $8000 credit for the 2000 unsold copies of the guide.


According to IAmTheCheapestGamer, some retailers also have deals where each copy of pulled titles sent to their recognized Recycling Centers are additionally issued further credit for being environmentally responsible in the manner in which they field destroy each book.



How you can help: You can keep a printed copy of this list in your jacket, wallet, purse whatever and when you go to any store that carries guides look for guides for games that have been out typically around six months or more and ask for a price check or better yet use a store scanner if they are available. If they are anything less than cover price write it down for us. Also please when you post the info here if it looks like it’s a temporary sale, please post that as well otherwise it will be assumed to a be a permanent price reduction. If you scan a guide and it comes up a different price that what the master lists suggests please list the day and store that you had the guide scanned. Also please list if you physically saw a self-scanner’s price, physically saw a cash registers price or vocally heard a price from the store’s staff. This might sound like a lot and of course we will take what we can get but this will go a long way to having the best master list as well as ferreting out different store practices and policy’s. All help is appreciated and thank you.




Trading: I spoke with the post office and found out that the cheapest form of mailing to the 48 contiguous states would be to use “media mail” It will take a little longer but it will also allow the least amount of money per transaction when trying to acquire guides for your collection. For an average guide weight of about 9 oz its $1.42 cents. All you need to do is put it in an envelope and ship it media mail. He mentioned no one should have a problem if you use the same envelope several times to cut down on costs. He also mentioned that when shipping Media mail that you cannot have any personal correspondence in the envelope. Only books and an invoice are acceptable. If trading is in you interest you do whatever is most comfortable for you and your trading party this was merely a FYI and a good way to keep it cheap.



Helpful links to check for reduced priced guides or guides in general. You will likely never find one cent guides here but various discounted guides and possibly some that you have been searching for.


Best Buy

Best Buy guide search


Circuit City

Circuit City guide search


EB Games

EB Games guide search


Gamestop (babages,software etc,funcoland)

Gamestop guide search


Overstock

Overstock guide search


Toys R Us (uhh best link I could find)

Toys R Us guide search


strategy-guides.net (another large site of guides)

strategy-guides.net guide search


bookpool (guides typically 45% off or so )

Book pool guide search


Looking for assistance: I am looking for some staff from Best Buy’s, EB’s, Gamestop’s and stores of the like. When EB Games or Gamestop has a price reduction their shelves can be empty in a day or two to even as little as just a few hours. EB and Gamestop have daily price changes so all depending on the store’s staff they could be all gone almost immediately. If I could get some staff that can either post here first thing any day that they have a price reduction on guides or that might be able to text message me with such price reductions so that I might be able to inform CAG’ers ASAP. Whether or not us the end user would actually be able to get them from a particular stores staff is very much an YMMV but if there is anyone who can help this would greatly increase the chance’s of CAG’ers being able to pick up guides from these locations. If anyone is interested and able to help please e-mail me at [email protected]. Thank you all for your consideration.



Thank you all for making CAG what it is and for all your contributions.


Disclaimer: This list is intended to help all guide hunters. Please feel free to print yourself a copy and get what you can find. Please do not post this list on another site. {e-mail me please if for some reason you would want to. [email protected]} Please just link to this thread, add to this list and help it grow. Thank you





all guides are now listed in the wiki please go there. thank you.
 
I mentioned this morning that I was going out on a guide hunt, and I shall show the results. One of the greatest things about the area I live in and the conveniency of our frequent drops, is i picked 4-5 major cities within 50 miles of my house. Each city had at least 2-3 gamestops/EB's as well as a Best Buy. I didn't score big at any particular store, but scored about 8-10 guides from each I visited today.

02-01-07guidehunt768x576.jpg


I've also got another equal stack of PC game guides to the right of it. Also, there were about 30 more on top of what you see that I gave to a friend that accompanied me for the day, gave him all doubles. Also, bottom left, thats right, I found the first halo at one store for a penny.

I set out today in hopes of finding the resident evil archive guide, and at the last EB we stopped at, I managed to find one, so the only thing I didn't find that I would like to get ahold of are the Wild Arms guides that recently dropped.
 
All I gotta say is HOLY CRAP!!!!!!! That looks alot like one of my stacks, when I was a major guide hoarder. Although, I went ALOT further than 50 miles most times, which is why I found so many usually since no one seemed to check anything at those stores.

Welcome to guide hoarding, vahn, I just hope that unlike me, you can get rid of some of those extras that're sure to be quite common. Otherwise, your house is gonna look like mine, with 3 plastic bins filled and guides stashed here n there ALL OVER. LOL
 
Found an EB today that was doing inventory. The manager was awesome and basically let me go through all 3 boxes to take whatever I wanted. I haven't pulled my stacks out of the car yet, but I did find some very interesting stuff that I'm not 100% sure was actually pennied out at EB. I got tons of Pokemon guides - Ruby/Sapphire, an Emerald double pack (with some other Pokemon book), the XD limited edition one with the EB exclusive foil cover and probably some more too. I have no idea. I literally have to get 100+ guides out of my car. I'm going to post my full list in the trade forum, because 95% of the stuff I got I'm not keeping. I also found another EB that had 2 huge stacks of penny guides on the counter but wouldn't let me have them. This time the guy claimed I have to subscribe to Game Informer and he would give me one of them. When I told him I was already a member he said "well, too bad, you can't get one then." That's a new one for me in terms of getting rejected for guides :) Not even pre-ordering a game would convince him. I'm real pissed too, because they had some terrific guides that I know people here need like Yakuza and Harvest Moon. They're probably in the garbage now :(
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Harvest Moon Magicial Melody got pennied?

fuck[/QUOTE]
yes. good thing i managed to get one from a follow CAGer
 
Well...shit.

Nobody probably has an extra at this point, so I guess I'll have to buy one off half.com. I really love when guides go pennied and just kind of disappear off the face of the planet.

If they only had regular price drops, there is so many I'd buy for $5 - $10.

Well, if anyone does have a Harvest Moon Magical Melody guide, I'd throw you 3 or 4 guides for it, no questions asked.
 
So, is it really best to have girls request guides in general?
There are a few stores within reasonable driving distance that have some of the guides on the list in stock. I'm guessing they haven't tossed any off the list as most of the stores did it days ago and they are off the inventory list now. My girlfriend agreed to go guide hunting with me and she said she'd go in for me but she isn't good at bullshitting so I don't know how to have her pull it off, any tips?

Tons of stores have Valkyrie Profile 2 guides apparently but the dude at one stores I went to already lied to me I guess when I went a few days ago even though I'm pretty sure he was a CAG too :(
 
[quote name='Zennousha']So, is it really best to have girls request guides in general?
There are a few stores within reasonable driving distance that have some of the guides on the list in stock. I'm guessing they haven't tossed any off the list as most of the stores did it days ago and they are off the inventory list now. My girlfriend agreed to go guide hunting with me and she said she'd go in for me but she isn't good at bullshitting so I don't know how to have her pull it off, any tips?

Tons of stores have Valkyrie Profile 2 guides apparently but the dude at one stores I went to already lied to me I guess when I went a few days ago even though I'm pretty sure he was a CAG too :([/QUOTE]
VP2 is full price.
 
Ummm, wasn't Valkyrie Profile Lenneth pennied? I know some CAGs had Lenneth and Slimeria and Slimeria wasn't, but I thought Lenneth was?

Oh well, just trying(in vain) to help out however I can.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']
Oh and to whoever said about stores giving away their money by giving out these things, lemme just say that with all the money they ass rape stupid people out of for their games they probably paid $1-5 to the original owner to get to resell, they aren't losing much if someone grabs a couple guides. And, I still feel that if they didn't pull them, they're for sale at whatever price they ring up and if it's .01, then that's what it should be sold for.

Besides which, the local stores have been getting very dilligent about yanking guides, so it's not like I can find 40 of them in stock and 'break' this conglomerate of evil. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Gamestop SUCKS!!![/quote]

yeah, GS and Ebgames suck ass and are rapists as are the employees who work for them!!! B L A C K L I S T them, tell your friends and family how much they suck!!!!!!!!!
 
[quote name='zodemere2k']yeah, GS and Ebgames suck ass and are rapists as are the employees who work for them!!! B L A C K L I S T them, tell your friends and family how much they suck!!!!!!!!![/quote]

Jesus. Shut up.

Sorry. I know this isn't constructive. On a very basic level, I work for GameStop. On a more universal level, this is just retarded.
 
Just a note that the bastards at GameStop Highland Mall in Austin, TX won't sell pennied guides even if you are willing to buy a number of full-price games. Bastards wouldn't sell me 3 guides and said they had to tear off the covers. I said I would take them without the covers and I was told it was an "order from corporate" that I could not have them at any price (I offered to pay 50% off original price).
 
[quote name='woodcan']Just a note that the bastards at GameStop Highland Mall in Austin, TX won't sell pennied guides even if you are willing to buy a number of full-price games. Bastards wouldn't sell me 3 guides and said they had to tear off the covers. I said I would take them without the covers and I was told it was an "order from corporate" that I could not have them at any price (I offered to pay 50% off original price).[/QUOTE]
They have a sale now, but any game and get the guide 50% off. Did you try to buy that particular game for it?

[quote name='lawdood']Is it tard night on Cag or something?[/QUOTE]
Its not just tonight ;)
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Anyone know what's up with Saint's Row and Madden '07 guides at Best Buy? They aren't on the site anymore...[/QUOTE]
that doesnt mean they are pennied out.
 
[quote name='lawdood']Is it tard night on Cag or something?[/quote]

So, it's basically retarded to say that their low trade prices and refusal to sell something that is priced and comes up as .01 in the system for .01 is being a retard? I guess if you went to a store and were going there to buy a tv, but the tv rings up $.25 and they tell you 'we can't sell it to you', you would go 'oh ok' and walk out, huh?

I'd be like 'that's what it's ringing up, that's the price I want it for'. If it's a pricing error(like the $15 360 HDDs a while ago), then as long as there is NO written sign that says 'We do NOT sell items that come up with an incorrect price due to pricing error', ANY item ringing up ANY price other than 'normal' should be FAIR GAME.

The days of 'the customer is always right' are long gone though, I suppose. But, the tactics of EB/GS/TRU and the like are what I expect out of facelsss greedy corporations anymore. It's just 'gimme that next buck and get the F lost'.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']So, it's basically retarded to say that their low trade prices and refusal to sell something that is priced and comes up as .01 in the system for .01 is being a retard? I guess if you went to a store and were going there to buy a tv, but the tv rings up $.25 and they tell you 'we can't sell it to you', you would go 'oh ok' and walk out, huh?

I'd be like 'that's what it's ringing up, that's the price I want it for'. If it's a pricing error(like the $15 360 HDDs a while ago), then as long as there is NO written sign that says 'We do NOT sell items that come up with an incorrect price due to pricing error', ANY item ringing up ANY price other than 'normal' should be FAIR GAME.

The days of 'the customer is always right' are long gone though, I suppose. But, the tactics of EB/GS/TRU and the like are what I expect out of facelsss greedy corporations anymore. It's just 'gimme that next buck and get the F lost'.[/quote]
Ypu and zodemere should do the rest of us a favor and do your GS whining to each other in PM's. I think I speak for just about everybody else when I say we don't care how much you hate GS. If the 2 of you can't give direct information strictly concerning .01 guide availability then don't post here.

BTW, we get it that you used to be a guide hoarder so stop telling us over and over and over...
 
Gee, I guess my post regarding KOTOR II's DVD version guide and Just Cause's guide being on the pennied list @ GS must've slipped by your eagle eyes, huh? As for the redundancy of my posts...oh well...not like there's alot of relevant information in half the posts on these threads.

Until the mods actually start deleting irrelevant posts(also in the Kmart thread) and possibly warning people for saying 'I got xyz guide, need or want abc guide' or other filler posts, then I guess we'll all keep doing it(much like YOUR post just did as well). So, look in the mirror when you say about someone whining about something.
 
[quote name='Zennousha'][quote name='62t']VP2 is full price.[/quote]Oh, I could swear I saw someone mention both were earlier in the thread. Oops.[/quote]
That's my fault. I was told by an employee that both were pennied out and that she had grabbed the last one of each. I posted it when back when the BradyGames batch first dropped but fixed it the next day. Only the VP Lenneth guide is pennied.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Anyone know what's up with Saint's Row and Madden '07 guides at Best Buy? They aren't on the site anymore...[/QUOTE]

I price-checked the non-BestBuy edition and it was $9.99
 
I think that should have things cleaned up a bit.

zodmere2k and IAmTheCheapestGamer are taking a short holiday because of their little temper tantrums.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Anyone know what's up with Saint's Row and Madden '07 guides at Best Buy? They aren't on the site anymore...[/QUOTE]
and somebody checked Saint's Row, and it wasn't. Plus, vahn didn't mention that it was either.
 
Well, since apparently NO ONE has a copy of RE:Archives that they want to either sell or trade, has there been a semi-drop on it anywhere? Maybe CC or something, not pennied but not full price?

I knew this would happen. I was looking at that guide a week before the drops hit, telling a friend I wish they would just mark them down part-way before they trash them so I'd at least have a chance.
 
[quote name='argyle']Well, since apparently NO ONE has a copy of RE:Archives that they want to either sell or trade, has there been a semi-drop on it anywhere? Maybe CC or something, not pennied but not full price?

I knew this would happen. I was looking at that guide a week before the drops hit, telling a friend I wish they would just mark them down part-way before they trash them so I'd at least have a chance.[/quote]

It will be hard to find one man, cause it is one of the more popular items from the past drop. Like I mentioned earlier, the RE archive book was the main one I wanted, and the only reson why I found it was I was cashing out a few penny guides at my last EB stop, and I noticed a tips n' tricks magazine on the seperate magazine stand. I didn't even know tips and tricks was still around I hadn't seen one in so long. So I bend over to pick it up and right behind it sat one copy of RE archive. Thus, I was happy. :)
 
[quote name='ZForce']I don't think anyone besides EB/GS carried the RE Archive book.[/quote]

I went to a gamezone (part of movie gallery) a few weeks back and they had one. Only other retailer I've seen have it.
 
[quote name='62t']that doesnt mean they are pennied out.[/QUOTE]


I didn't say that they were. I was just wondering why they were removed from the site, hence, my initial question as to "what's up with them."
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']I didn't say that they were. I was just wondering why they were removed from the site, hence, my initial question as to "what's up with them."[/quote]


It looks like BB drops a guide from its site prior to pennying it out. But this isn't always the case since I think Tomb Raider Legend had been dropped like 3 or 4 months ago but didn't get pennied out until recently. Then the Morrowind guide has been gone off the site forever but I'm pretty sure still isn't even pennied out.

Prob just site cleanup based on what the higher ups think is best.
 
[quote name='jgamezcua']It looks like BB drops a guide from its site prior to pennying it out. But this isn't always the case since I think Tomb Raider Legend had been dropped like 3 or 4 months ago but didn't get pennied out until recently. Then the Morrowind guide has been gone off the site forever but I'm pretty sure still isn't even pennied out.

Prob just site cleanup based on what the higher ups think is best.[/QUOTE]


Thanks for explaining that to me. I appreciate it!
 
For BB, if it drops off the site, it is a good warning it will be dropped to a penny, but, alot of the times if they sell out of their online inventory, it will also be removed from the site. Somtimes they will keep it on the site and say currently out of stock, but for smaller items like guides, they will temporarily take them off the site until they get more, or in some circumstances, know they'll be pennying them and decide not to put them back on the site. Hope this clears up a few things for you guys.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']I think that should have things cleaned up a bit.

zodmere2k and IAmTheCheapestGamer are taking a short holiday because of their little temper tantrums.[/quote]

I just finished up reading this forum/thread and whatever happened to freedom of speech. They were simply stating their disdain for a store chain. Why is that not allowed?

I'm just wondering, since I don't want to ever find myself banned for speaking out of turn. I have already found alot of useful information since joining the site this afternoon.

Thanks

Jim
 
Yea.. I don't think IAmTheCheapestAssGamer was really doing anything wrong.

What sucks is I have a trade with him that I worked out... I'm glad he already shipped because I have 0 way of contacting him now in case there is a problem.
 
yeah i think it was zodmere2k that mainly did it. i got a lot of useful information from IAmTheCheapestAssGamer about the pennied guides
 
Gamecrazy added a few more drops as well: Here's the combined list:

25 to Life
Ace Combat Zero
Battlefield 2
Burnout Revenge
Chronicles of Narnia
Delta Force Black Hawk Down
Far Cry Instincts
Gauntlet Seven Sorrows
Halo 2
Jak X
King Kong
Legacy of Kain Defiance
Marvel Nemesis
Matrix path of Neo
Metal Gear Acid 2
Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks
NBA Live 2006
Ninja Gaiden Black
Prince of Persia Warrior Within
Rainbow Six Lockdown
Ratchet Deadlocked
Shining Force Neo
Shining Tears
The Sims
Soul Calibur III LE
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Stubbs The Zombie
Tales of Symphonia (!)
Ultimate Spiderman

Also, I purchased the following guides from CompUSA for 0.88 each:

Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy (PC)
LOTR Battle For Middle Earth
Star Wars Republic Commando
Ghost Recon Advance Warfighter
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (Versus)
Lineage II
Act of War: Direct Action
Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
Jade Empire

Dave
 
Say what you will, but I'm glad this fool " zodmere2k" is gone, even if it's temporary. As for the other guy, he could've used a few days off as well, for adding to the crap from 'zodmere2k'
 
[quote name='AltNameMaster']I just finished up reading this forum/thread and whatever happened to freedom of speech. They were simply stating their disdain for a store chain. Why is that not allowed?

I'm just wondering, since I don't want to ever find myself banned for speaking out of turn. I have already found alot of useful information since joining the site this afternoon.

Thanks

Jim[/QUOTE]
Because shrike went through and deleted the worst posts, doing us all a favor. Thanks shrike.

edit. Looking at your join date and lack of previous posts make me wonder if you're one of them ;) I have anything against IAmTheCheapestAssGamer though, as he seemed to help others here with recent drops.
 
I just had an incredible experience at GS. I brought up a couple of known penny guides to the register to gauge how these employees deal with pennied out merchandise. At first she commented that I was catching up on my reading. Then, she commented how cheap the guides were. The other employee actually thanked me for "helping me do their job for them" and encouraged me to go back to the guides and pick up as many as I could carry. He even recommended that I go to the other GS just down the road because he knew some employees there also gave out the penny guides. I was quite impressed with the coolness of these employees and will be doing more business and preorders with that store in the future.

On a side note, in my experiences with pennied out merchandise, the female employees usually give me no hassle whatsoever. I tend to go to them whenever I see a penny item that I want.
 
I've been going thru this thread as well and will be book marking it but the one thing missing is nobody is posting in what city or town they are getting guides or being denied from getting guides. If everyone could start posting this then it make it an even better thread if that's even possible.
 
[quote name='jizzbunny']I've been going thru this thread as well and will be book marking it but the one thing missing is nobody is posting in what city or town they are getting guides or being denied from getting guides. If everyone could start posting this then it make it an even better thread if that's even possible.[/QUOTE]
Occasionally after a drop, people will list their finds, and at which stores.
All drops are universal though (excluding stores like CompUSA). Any store featured in the master list on the wiki is a drop at every store (with EB/GS being the only gamble for success).
It wouldn't hurt to ask someone what their location is, but when you list yours as "TROUSER TENT CITY", then you're unlikely to receive any tips.
 
For instance, i'm in the Seattle area, has anyone been successful or not getting guides in the surrounding cities???
 
You might find some people won't give a location as to where they find there guides in fear of someone invading their area. I don't know, NH is where I get all of mine, so back off, lol, jk.
 
[quote name='vahn401']You might find some people won't give a location as to where they find there guides in fear of someone invading their area. I don't know, NH is where I get all of mine, so back off, lol, jk.[/QUOTE]

I actually prefer not to give the location in case any of the higher ups at GS read this thread (who knows, they could be). I don't want any trouble to come to employees at a store that I had a great experience with getting penny merchandise.
 
Managed to snag a couple more from the GS/EB drop, including an extra of:

NCAA 07
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Nintendogs Pups
Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door Players Choice
Perfect Dark Zero
Project Gotham Racing 3
Super Dragon Ball Z

The best thing of the day though, I'm pretty much a shoe in for all future drops at one of my GS. The manager rang me out for my one guide I found (New Super Mario Bros) and wouldn't even charge me the penny. I told her thank you, and let her know that I simply collect them because I hate to see them thrown out. She told me she had more in the back, and came back with a small pile more (most of the duplicates above), but told me she was sorry, she had just thrown out about 90 (!!!) guides a few days ago, and that the garbage had already been collected. But the best part:

She said from now on, if I come in within a few days of the drop, she'll have em waiting for me to take home! Score! So here's to hoping she sticks to that!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
bread's done
Back
Top