Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread Eight(MODS: Please lock, Thread Nine is up)

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IAmTheCheapestGamer

IAmTheCheapestGamer

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First off, let me welcome you all to the new guide thread. Second, I'd like to ask you all to please keep conversations not pertaining to guide drops or which ones you've grabbed to a minimum to avoid cluttering the thread. It's not that I don't enjoy the chit chat, but that it may stop others from locating information on the newest drops.

That being said, let me thank Cheapy for creating this site, without which I would've spent probably 10 times what I HAVE spent on games and guides. Moreover, let me thank each and every one of my fellow CAGs for continuing to contribute to making this site a great place to find out about sales and clearances of the items we as gamers use most. Without a great community, NONE of this would be possible.

Furthermore, I would like to thank our Wiki editors HeatDolphin and Rocko for updating the Wiki. Great job.

Now, with that out of the way(and before I get to rambling), let's get on to making this new thread.

Useful Information(and links):

Game Guide Trading Clearinghouse(old one, locked now):
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102021

Game Guide Trade Thread(current one):
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175548

PLEASE keep ALL trade requests in there or PM's. Thank you.

Reduced Price Guide Discussion Thread(please keep all conversation NOT related to guide drops HERE. Thanks.): http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169252

Guide Lists:

Master Drop List(by store, alphabetically):
http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28master_lists%29

Recent Guide Drops(by date):
http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28recent_drops%29

What is the purpose of this thread?

The purpose of this thread is to let our fellow CAGs know when a guide has dropped to a low price(it's NOT ALWAYS A PENNY), so they can go out and grab guides for themselves and for trading with other CAGs.

Anytime you have guide drops to report, post them here. Please specify at which store you found them and which guides you found and list them in alphabetical order. Thank you.

What are penny guides?

Penny guides are guides which have been on the market for a while and the publisher(or store chain) decide that the remaining stock of these guides have little to no chance of selling, so they issue an order to pull them from the shelves and destroy them. At that time, they are also marked as .01 in their inventory system, except in the case of BBV, which marks them .01 only AFTER pulling them.

Most stores have an agreement with the publisher that states that if they destroy the remaining stock of those items, they will receive a credit for their value from the publisher. This is why many stores are usually annoyed when we CAGs come in and buy the guides AT the penny price, since otherwise they would've received a full credit for those items.

According to an employee at a local BB, they also have a recycling program for the pennied stock, so as to not clutter landfill space with the guides. As to how true it is, I cannot confirm, but I would hope that the paper is at least recycled instead of just dumpstered.

Prior Reduced price game guide threads:
Guide Three:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50515&highlight=guide
Guide Four:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1496376
Guide Five:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85976
Guide Six:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116918
Guide Seven:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131717
Guide Seven and a half:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142400

Finally, below is a list of website links, each of which goes to their respective guide page. Whenever possible, I will update the links with better ones(if available).

Amazon
B&N
BestBuy
Borders
BookPool
CircuitCity
Gamestop
Overstock
StrategyGuide.net
ToysRUs

Thanks to floormat, who did threads 3,4,5 and 6 and provided me with the links to them.

Thanks to Gwen for allowing me the honor of giving something back to CAG by doing this new guide thread. I hope you all enjoy it and it isn't TOO hard to read.
 
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Well, even though I was late to the party, I scored pretty well on the Best Buy drops. I didn't get Blue Dragon which was my #1 target, but I did get MP3, My Sims, Thrillville, Heavenly Sword, and several others for trading, in any case.

I went to one store that actually had a shelf tag promoting the 1 cent Blue Dragon. Of course, they didn't have any at that point. I did find MP3 there so it was a good trip. They looked up availability at some other stores and the one on my way home supposedly had 2. I stopped by there and, of course, couldn't find them. They had some of the others though, so they clearly hadn't done a complete pull (like it appears the store I went to last week did). However, when I asked someone there if they had it he said it was pulled "a few weeks ago". Nice of them to stay on top of their inventory when they do that :roll:. In any case, I found an Oblivion w/sticker hidden in the PC guide section so I was glad I stopped in despite no Blue Dragon. It has been a long while since I've found ANY penny guides at my local Best Buys so I went a little nuts and bought lots of useless stuff in addition to the ones I mentioned above (like Madden 08, NCAA 08, Golden Compass, etc - a couple of the stores had tons of these).
 
[quote name='ozzymandd']Stopped by another Best Buy (not in the Richmond area) and found:

Metroid Prime 3 (x2)
Lair (x2)
Thrillville

In total, this has been a very good drop. Here's hoping Bioshock is in the next one :).[/quote]

Southpark?
 
So which of the Oblivion "Extended" guides is a penny (with or without the sticker)? And can someone post the UPC as I've seen like 4 different versions of the Oblivion guide [different covers/sizes/etc].... Thanx in advance
 
[quote name='TomoyoN']So which of the Oblivion "Extended" guides is a penny (with or without the sticker)? And can someone post the UPC as I've seen like 4 different versions of the Oblivion guide [different covers/sizes/etc].... Thanx in advance[/QUOTE]

it is the oblivion with knights of nine, and has the sticker over the upc code.
 
I'm so tempted to drive out of my usual Best Buys to get more somewhere else, but I'm sure those are all cleaned out by now. There are just too many people condensed in the same area, with only one place. It would only take one person to horde them all there.
 
[quote name='SpiderLocMTGO']Any chance of a drop somewhere this or next week? I thought I read they start at the beginning of the month usually, so I was wondering.[/QUOTE]

At Best Buy? There was just a huge one last week. I don't have the complete list handy, but you can find what dropped in this thread.

There's no rhyme or reason to guide drops, but if you don't see it posted in here, then there hasn't been a drop.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']At Best Buy? There was just a huge one last week. I don't have the complete list handy, but you can find what dropped in this thread.

There's no rhyme or reason to guide drops, but if you don't see it posted in here, then there hasn't been a drop.[/quote]

The list is also in the second post on the first page of the thread. And while it may negate some need for the Wiki by keeping the lists there, I don't intend on keeping the older lists there forever. Once a drop has reached 4-5 months or more, I will probably remove it from the list. Of course, as long as space permits, I'll just keep the old lists up for as long as is possible.
 
[quote name='62t']it is the oblivion with knights of nine, and has the sticker over the upc code.[/quote]

Is this the guide with the brown cover and gold-colored trimmings around the cover and letter? (Amazon.com link below)

Booya!

No wonder all the guides were appropriately marked .01 except for Oblivion, at my BB.
 
[quote name='Caliburn']Is this the guide with the brown cover and gold-colored trimmings around the cover and letter? (Amazon.com link below)

Booya!

No wonder all the guides were appropriately marked .01 except for Oblivion, at my BB.[/QUOTE]

it is, but make sure there is a sticker over the upc code.
 
[quote name='62t']it is, but make sure there is a sticker over the upc code.[/quote]Mine also said it now also covers PS3 on the upper right part of the cover. I'd take a pic, but I already sent it off to a buddy. I found one at the BB by my house. The first three I found did not have the UPC sticker, but the last one did. On a quick study I saw NO difference between the stickered and nonstickered guides, except for the sticker of course.
 
Hmm, You're right. Those guides are now gone from the site. Now, will there actually be any at the store? I know that I haven't an animal crossing guide at BB for a while.
 
[quote name='Frosty The Batman']I have 2. (well BB does)
Also I bought it when the game came out.
So they'd be up for trade.
Might be worth checking out during lunch on Monday.[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure they were gone from the site before the last drop. I had NSMB checked the Monday of the drop, and it was still full price. That being said, they'll probably be in one of the next couple of drops.
 
I also checked the last time they dropped.
I did a quick scan of all the posts to see if it was mentioned.
Let's all hope they drop Monday.
Or maybe add some more guides and drop in a month.
I'm just thinking out loud.
 
This thread has exploded since the recent BB drop so I may have missed this if someone else noticed it already but while at my local BB today to see if any pennied guides got overlooked I noticed that a few of the guides stickered at 50% off. Namely Radiant Dawn and the hardcover Zelda Twilight Princess guide had stickers of $9.99 and $14.99 on them respectively, even though the shelf tags showed full price. I went ahead and bought Radiant Dawn and it did indeed ring up at $9.99.

I did see someone mention finding a half price RE:UC guide so am wondering if perhaps all or many of their guides are 50% off right now in some unadvertised deal? I didn't have time to price check any other non stickered guides to see if this were true myself, just wondering if anyone may have across others half off?
 
I found 2 penny guides from BB that was not on the list.

Not much to hoot and holla about..

XBOX 360 Achievements Unlocked ( Brady)
18000+ codes & cheats ( Winter 2008 Edition)

Also, had them check NSMB and it rang up full price.
 
[quote name='spamfree2']I found 2 penny guides from BB that was not on the list.

Not much to hoot and holla about..

XBOX 360 Achievements Unlocked ( Brady)
18000+ codes & cheats ( Winter 2008 Edition)

Also, had them check NSMB and it rang up full price.[/quote]

Actually, I had the 18k C&C winter 2008 edition guide on the list for a while. But, when I had it checked in store, it came up regular price. So I think that like the Medal Of Honor and Oblivion guides, it's a YMMV.
 
[quote name='Sinnbox']sorry for the Noob question, but are these marked at $1or do i ahve to scan them? Thanks.[/quote]If it's on the wiki/thread list, and you are certain it's the right guide, it will be a penny, nearly every time. They rarely sticker the guides 1 penny, and when they do, they go fast.
 
The only exception I saw of the one penny was a Diablo II guide that went through D2 and LoD, but it was only 2 pennies. :) One of the gamestops around me pulls them, gives them to people that ask specifically for them, and then throws them back on the floor 2 days later with the penny sticker.
 
Gamestops/EB stores in my area NEVER mark guides as penny.

The Best Buy near me will do it half the time. Nearly all of the guides I grabbed from the recent drop had the .01 sticker.
 
I just left BB and then realized that there were alot of guides that i could have picked up! crap.

Does Wal*Mart or K-Mart Mark guides at a penny?
 
[quote name='Sinnbox']I just left BB and then realized that there were alot of guides that i could have picked up! crap.

Does Wal*Mart or K-Mart Mark guides at a penny?[/quote]

Kmart may at times, but just like EB/GS/BB, they're really not supposed to sell them @ .01. I've asked about this at Wal*Mart before, but they said they just send them back once they get too old.

Then again, I've seen guides and games for older systems(Dreamcast, N64, PS1) at Wal*Mart before and at least 2-3 guides from the beginning of the PS2/Xbox/GC era @ Kmart before, so they don't always get rid of them.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Kmart may at times, but just like EB/GS/BB, they're really not supposed to sell them @ .01. I've asked about this at Wal*Mart before, but they said they just send them back once they get too old.

Then again, I've seen guides and games for older systems(Dreamcast, N64, PS1) at Wal*Mart before and at least 2-3 guides from the beginning of the PS2/Xbox/GC era @ Kmart before, so they don't always get rid of them.[/quote]

My Wal*Mart had a SNES Donkey Kong Country Guide that appeared one day a few years ago then about as randomly as it appeared it dissapeared. This town never had a walmart untill after the PS2 cameout.
 
I'm about to take off for now, but this weekend I'll be going through this thread from Post 1 to the last Post and deleting trade posts and veiled trade posts and any flaming or Off Topic chatter.

Discussions belong in the Reduced Price Guide Discussion Thread. Legitimate discussions/posts in here will be moved there. Remember, this thread is to state when and where you've found new price drops on Strategy Guides. That's pretty much it.

This is in actuality our Ninth Thread (I had made a 7 and then a 7½ just for kicks) and each thread has at least 500 posts in it, one of them had close to 2000 posts if I remember correctly. With the Guide Trading Clearinghouse, the Discussion thread, the main Reduced Price Game Guide thread AND the Wikis, this should be about as streamlined and efficient as things can get. Yet we still wind up with hundreds of posts of nothing and posts in the wrong place.

Folks new to the penny drops and incremental drops ought to ask their questions, that's absolutely fine. The veterans should help out and share their wealth of knowledge.
 
sorry for another dumb noob question, Does Blockbuster do $0.01 guides? my BB has guides from foreverago
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Blockbuster pulls them FIRST, then pennies them. About the only way you're going to get ANY from there is if you work there possibly.[/quote]
It's true, they are on top of it there. We mostly pull mags though. Working there I've gotten a few mags, but it's always a tough situation. Really wish my friend/manager had been working the day the pulled Kingdom Hearts 2 :bomb:
 
I should talk to the manager at my local Blockbuster she seems to like me...scary..I'm sure she would hold them for me.
 
When i was at blockbuster yesterday their animal crossin gGuida was full price.

Do penny guides dissapear fast? or does it depend on the town?
 
[quote name='Sinnbox']When i was at blockbuster yesterday their animal crossin gGuida was full price.

Do penny guides dissapear fast? or does it depend on the town?[/quote]
Blockbuster will most likely not have any guides pennied, they are pulled and then pennied and are very good at destroying them. The lists from each store are store specific. I don't see a list on CAG for Blockbuster so not sure why you thought Animal Crossing was pennied.
 
[quote name='GrilledWitOnions']Blockbuster will most likely not have any guides pennied, they are pulled and then pennied and are very good at destroying them. The lists from each store are store specific. I don't see a list on CAG for Blockbuster so not sure why you thought Animal Crossing was pennied.[/quote]

Sorry i meant best buy...im an idiot....
 
[quote name='Sinnbox']Sorry i meant best buy...im an idiot....[/quote]Lol, okay, makes more sense now. I was like, "we just TOLD you about Blockbuster!"

But yes, penny guides can sometimes sit on a shelf for months, and sometimes they are gone the same day as the drop. Depends on store, employees, and other CAGs in the area. I always check though; make a list of recent drops and hit up the stores. Sometimes you get lucky, most times disappointment.
 
The Animal Crossing guide also has not yet been pennied at BB, odd yes, but there are a few stragglers that BB likes to tease us with..
 
[quote name='h3llbring3r']I have just added all my guides for trade, I have many of the just pennied lists.
I have many older game guide wants please see my list in my sig.[/quote]

Please delete this post(the one quoted in this one) and repost it in the Guide Trade clearinghouse. Thanks.
 
[quote name='GrilledWitOnions']Lol, okay, makes more sense now. I was like, "we just TOLD you about Blockbuster!"

But yes, penny guides can sometimes sit on a shelf for months, and sometimes they are gone the same day as the drop. Depends on store, employees, and other CAGs in the area. I always check though; make a list of recent drops and hit up the stores. Sometimes you get lucky, most times disappointment.[/quote]

I asked the guy working to hand scan a couple guides, when he saw they were a penny he got confused/excited and scanned half the guides there, so i found alot that way, There were several that I thought were too new that I told him wouldnt be a penny and notto scan that I saw on the list when i got home.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Please delete this post(the one quoted in this one) and repost it in the Guide Trade clearinghouse. Thanks.[/quote]

Done, and sorry. I have too many subscriptions and posted in the wrong thread.
Forgive me :pray: !
 
No problem. I'm just trying to keep the thread uncluttered, since we had the prior ones blow up to massive size really quick due to alot of trade posts and the like. I created a Discussion Thread for talking about trades and guides in general along with this thread. It should still be linked to in the first post.

If you want to, you can probably delete your own post by clicking 'edit' at the bottom of it, then hitting delete and checking 'delete message'.
 
I know its usually a bust but new penny guides at TRU starting today(Mar 3)
all of these are by Prima
Achievements Milestones and Unlockables
Codes and Cheats Summer 07
Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess(Gamecube version I think)
Lego Star Wars Original Trilogy
Madden 08
Pokemon Ranger
Viva Pinata
You and Wii
 
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