Dear Gamecrazy - Please start expanding ASAP

Roufuss

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Now that Rhino is being bought out by Gamestop, and Gamerush sucks and will probably go under soon, here in Florida I have no other alternative for video games anymore.... just EB / GS.

Does anyone know WHY Gamecrazy hasn't expanded in what seems to be years? At this point I would kill for them to put 1, just 1, in Tampa.
 
We certainly don't lack the other Hollywood franchises. There are plenty of Movie Gallerys and Hollywood Videos, I never understood why they never put in a GC.
 
[quote name='Surferflames']We certainly don't lack the other Hollywood franchises. There are plenty of Movie Gallerys and Hollywood Videos, I never understood why they never put in a GC.[/QUOTE]

I remember a loooooooong time ago Gamecrazy (and I guess Hollywood) was really in the red, and they put off plans to expand... they even closed a few stores. I read about on here, and was disappointed when plans to expand were stopped, but this was years ago, I figure they would have worked on expanding again since they are a real game store since they get unique preorder bonuses from publishers and seem to be taken seriously.
 
The closest one I've seen (and ever been into) was Rocky Mount, NC. What a hellhole (store and the town).

I wasn't impressed, but I guess competition is always good. Fatboy Video Games was much cooler.
 
Gamecrazy is massively in the red. A lot of gamecrazy's actually have closed in the past year and a half. Not really much of any chance of them expanding for a long time. Lol, they need to upgrade their computer system first (ridiculously old. computers even run on dot matrix printers) I wish they would as well, but it wont happen :(
 
Seriously...Florida is so over-populated yet we only *had* Rhino as an alternative, and even they were hard to come by.
 
They have the highest trade in values (for the most part) and the lowest prices. I have seen some store closures also. :(

Whoever does their pricing policies is pretty retarded. We need to get some different people in upper management.
 
[quote name='TheOne06']maybe it's because it's not under the same ownership that is been, they were bought out in 2005[/QUOTE]

Movie Gallery bought Hollywood, but Hollywood still operates GCs. (Different corporate locations and structure)
 
GC operations go through Hollywood, and HW has a completely different management structure that is still intact. MG may hold the purse strings, but the operations didn't change.
 
I wouldn't get your hopes up anyway. GameCrazy is extremely similar to EB/GS in the sense that some stores have awesome employees who make shopping there a pleasant experience while just as many stores have obnoxious employees who offer you numerous excuses to punch them in the nose. And the stores are practically closets. If EB had glass-enclosed counters surrouding the store, that would be GC.
 
Hell, atleast you've been to one in your LIFE.

Not a single one in Iowa, or for all I know, the surrounding areas [borders, etc]. I've never been in or seen a GC in my life, haha.
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']The closest one I've seen (and ever been into) was Rocky Mount, NC. What a hellhole (store and the town).

I wasn't impressed, but I guess competition is always good. Fatboy Video Games was much cooler.[/quote]

Yeah, the Rocky Mount store sucks. It has gotten a little better in the last few months since they hired a new manager and got rid of a lot of the old employees, but it's not worth much of a drive to visit. Fortunately there is a nicer GC in Apex with a much better selection that's also close to where I currently live.

Phatboy's was a great store, I probably got more great deals there than anywhere else. They typically charged no more than $10 for classic games, even in the case of more expensive titles such as Earthbound. However, they closed both the Wilson and Goldsboro stores, supposedly consolidating into a single store in Kinston, NC.
 
I totally want GC to expand. There is one about half an hour away but that is too far to go with out a car. When I went there it was awesome. They had games from all systems back to the NES and the prices were wonderful.
 
[quote name='help1']www.ebay.com will be the death of gamestop.[/quote]

The problem with eBay and ordering online is shipping costs. You have to basically add atleast another 2.50 to any price and often it is more than that. This often ruins a good deal.
 
[quote name='dtarasev']The problem with eBay and ordering online is shipping costs. You have to basically add atleast another 2.50 to any price and often it is more than that. This often ruins a good deal.[/quote]

This maybe true, but its like tax in a sense. the shipping = tax, making the game aroudn 5-10 dolalrs cheaper if its a newer release.
 
Id love to have one here as well...at least before Rhino I had GameExchange (noorious for giving 2 bucks per guide trade in)... they closed up after Katrina, but Rhino more than took its place... not... nothing but eb/gs... Id love another REAL outlet for used games locally... got plenty of Hollywood Videos but no GC
 
With all the debt GC supposedly has hanging on them? Yeah, it would. Plus, what would they do with the locations? They're attched to Hollywood Videos, like GRs, right?
 
[quote name='such great heights']With all the debt GC supposedly has hanging on them? Yeah, it would. Plus, what would they do with the locations? They're attched to Hollywood Videos, like GRs, right?[/quote]

Don't think they are attached, but I have never been to one...
 
We need something here in the southeast. In most of GA now, there is only GS/EB (at least from Augusta->Savannah->Macon.....pretty much anything but Atlanta).
 
GC is falling under so I hear, and GameRush supposedly hasn't opened a new store in like a year =/

Both tie themselves way too much in with there video counterparts..
 
[quote name='kjauburn']Don't think they are attached, but I have never been to one...[/QUOTE]

Most are. I'm going to check out this mom & pop shop here tomorrow, maybe I'll find some good stuff.
 
[quote name='botticus'] And the stores are practically closets. If EB had glass-enclosed counters surrouding the store, that would be GC.[/QUOTE]

The GCs that I've been in have been way more spacious (ie, more aisle space and room to walk around) than EB or GS.
 
GameCrazy locations are mostly found inside Hollywood Video locations, but they do have some "stand-alone" stores.

Hollywood Video was having some major financial problems until April 2005 when they were bought by Movie Gallery (but are still operated seperately). Now, Movie Gallery has had the worst year and a half in its history, dropping from over $30 a share to $3 (90% overall drop).

Up until early 2006, management never caught on to employee secrets, such as how to override the system to literally steal store credit (rememember the whole "store credit good for six months"?), change preorders (assuming you never picked up the game or there was a conteset going on), and mishandled inventories that allowed defective merchandise to be unaccounted and repeatedly traded in to build up credit (most of these were used to up the store's number of MVP sales.

Most of these problems occurred within the district I had worked in, and right around the time of the 360 launch, management started to actually "try" to make sure things went smooth. It was the district manager's job to make sure stores just looked organized, and not make sure they were functioning effeciently. Like I said, in early 2006 they finally started cracking down on underperforming and corrupt stores.

I was a generic shift leader (at Reseda/Vanowen), and after the store manager and two other employees quit simultaneously, I had to perform inventory. Countless games were missing, including SEVEN copies of "God of War", three copies of "Burnout Revenge", used copy of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, a used slim PS2, a GameBoy Micro, and various other titles.

The store management is also obsessed with keeping the store looking organized, without doing anything themselves. When I was mvoed over to Reseda, I reogranised the store three times in one week (including taking down all the shelf games and moving them from one side to another). The first was because GBA was supposed to be taken down, then GBA was supposed to be put back up because our store wasn't supposed to, and then taken down again because our store actually was suppsoed to take it down.

A new manager (from GameStop no less) came in and let the store go to hell, ignoring the fact that we knew more than he did. I was apparently supposed to become the assistant store manager (and get paid $8.50 an hour, woot!). He told me he had seen the other employees work, but not me (because I worked all the bitch shifts), and needed to make sure that I was devoted to the job. He then told me I had to work 40 hour weeks in order to keep it. I told him no, since $8.50 an hour was a joke (I get paid $13 at my other beaurocratic job), and quit. Two weeks later, every other employee at the store quit. Another month later, the employees from the Tarzana store found out that their store was closing down (rent was $60,000 a MONTH!), and made their way to Reseda. The new manager quit and went back to GameStop (where employees put up with that bullshit apparently), and Reseda is now doing a lot better than it was, but still not as great as it should or could be.

The moral of the story? GameStop managers are taking down GameCrazy from the inside to set up for a buyout. You heard it hear first. I don't actually believe that, but Movie Gallery Inc is dying.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_Gallery

A great read, with more legal and business issues.
 
The only gamestore in town thats officially games is a GameCrazy. There are 2 Targets, and a Wal-Mart (which I refuse to set foot in). Last time I was there they wouldn't accept any trades ins and said to bring them "stuff worth something". My thoughts were that if it was worth something why would I bring it to them and not eBay? I'm trying to offload games I don't like and there is a slight demand for (such as the Crash series).

Called today asking if they had Sneak King and the guy said they didn't carry it. I didn't realize their business wasn't video games. Would be great to get an EB in town, there isn't even one in the county. I blame the fact the largest city here is 75k people and the others drop steadily after 25k.
 
[quote name='APE992']The only gamestore in town thats officially games is a GameCrazy. There are 2 Targets, and a Wal-Mart (which I refuse to set foot in). Last time I was there they wouldn't accept any trades ins and said to bring them "stuff worth something". My thoughts were that if it was worth something why would I bring it to them and not eBay? I'm trying to offload games I don't like and there is a slight demand for (such as the Crash series).

Called today asking if they had Sneak King and the guy said they didn't carry it. I didn't realize their business wasn't video games. Would be great to get an EB in town, there isn't even one in the county. I blame the fact the largest city here is 75k people and the others drop steadily after 25k.[/QUOTE]
Only Burger King sells Sneak King
 
Gamestop is more convenient for me to go to when I'm looking for a common game, as it only takes me about 20 minutes to drive there. But if I'm looking for a great deal, a rare game, or just a better shopping experience I'll drive the extra 15 minutes to get to my Gamecrazy.
 
I honestly don't see the big deal with GC... sure they have some great deals from time to time but their employees are shady as hell and don't know squat compared to the local EB/GS employees.
 
[quote name='anomynous']Only Burger King sells Sneak King[/quote]

Sells new yes. But being that GameCrazy is a used and new I'd assume someone would have tried to cash it in. I've heard of people seeing Sneak king at EB/GS already.
 
[quote name='Vinny']I honestly don't see the big deal with GC... sure they have some great deals from time to time but their employees are shady as hell and don't know squat compared to the local EB/GS employees.[/QUOTE]

Now that's just making a poor overall assumption based on your experience with your local Gamecrazy/ies. I've been to all the one's in the Austin area and not one of them isn't run by an intelligent, well-meaning person.
 
[quote name='Vinny']I honestly don't see the big deal with GC... sure they have some great deals from time to time but their employees are shady as hell and don't know squat compared to the local EB/GS employees.[/quote]

Wow, what an ignorant generalization.
 
[quote name='Whambamm']Now that's just making a poor overall assumption based on your experience with your local Gamecrazy/ies. I've been to all the one's in the Austin area and not one of them isn't run by an intelligent, well-meaning person.[/quote]It's the same assumption everyone makes about EB/GS, which is what they're comparing GC to. Of the three GCs I've been to, none of them is on par with the EB I visit. Other EBs and GSs are certainly just as bad, but GC is by no means the perfect game store.
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm surrounded by GC's (hell, the flagship corporate store is my main one) and I visit them WAY less often than the single GR and the usual multitude of EB/GS's. I have been going there recently just to diversify my credit (dumping cheap Kmart games there mostly). They kick ass on a *few* trade-in prices (for example Drill Dozer nets $9 there and only $1.xx at GR), and they carry a little more than GR (Atlus titles, more GBA stuff, etc). They also have some nice sales on harder-to-find games (DDS 2 for $15.99 last year, etc).

The disadvantages are a crappy credit system (kept either just at individual stores or on a flaky gift card that can only be bought in $1 increments and only used at GC - not Hollywood in general), absolutely no trade-in deals of note, no late hours (unlike GR), spotty game deliveries (not as good as EB but not as bad as GR), and the $20 MVP card ;). They seem to get slightly better hardware deliveries compared to GR (well compared to mine, anyway!), but again probably not as good as an EB. They get a few trade-in bonuses (like the Castlevania anniversary pack) but not many others that EB gets. Oh, another HUGE advantage to GR over GC is that I can trade games at any regular Blockbuster location, including the one a mere 1/4 mile from my house, and then use that credit for new games at GR. That has come in very handy when I've gotten multiples of certain credit builders (crap stuff no one wants but trades for a ton like Nightmare of Druaga last year).

Anyway, I've got a GC and a GR within a mile of each other and I go almost exclusively to the GR. Because of their lack of Wii systems and accessories, though, I have decided to diversify my credit a bit and stop building up so much GR credit that I, ultimately, can't use for much. As a result, I have about $200 in GC credit now saved up for new Wii and DS games. I do worry about them up and disappearing more quickly than GR would. After all, I can still use my GR credit for regular Blockbuster purchases. If the credit sitting on the GC computer at the one store goes away, though, I have a feeling it will be difficult to recover.

Having said that, though, it is certainly better to have the choice of all 3 (GR, GC, and EB/GS) within a short trip from my house. I'd much rather prefer that I had 10 GR's and 1 GC than the other way around though ;).
 
Man, I guess I killed this thread :rofl:.

I was wrong about one thing, but either it is YMMV or they must have changed this recently. Every time I went to GC's late they were closed while the attached Hollywood was still open. The GC was usually open only till 9. Well, I went to one in a small town today and they said they were open till midnight every day of the week. I was shocked. This was on the GC door AND on the Hollywood entrance. So, anyway, that is actually a plus compared to my GR (which is only open till 10 most days, midnight on Fri-Sat). I'll have to see if they changed the hours on my main GC. I went to this second one to do some duplicate Kmart trades. All worked out well except they said they were out of the bonus coupons (with the 20% trade-in bonus). Oh well...

Also, they had DDS 2 which was one of the clearance games a few months back ($15.99 or so). It was back up to $34.99 - I thought that was a bit wierd.
 
[quote name='APE992']Sells new yes. But being that GameCrazy is a used and new I'd assume someone would have tried to cash it in. I've heard of people seeing Sneak king at EB/GS already.[/quote]
There's no UPC on the back. If EB/GS is selling it, i'm not sure how unless they're doing that junk manually. GameCrazy doesn't accept it in trade because there's no UPC and it's not in the system.

I honestly don't see the big deal with GC... sure they have some great deals from time to time but their employees are shady as hell and don't know squat compared to the local EB/GS employees.
So because your store has a couple of douchebags, ALL employees are shady and "don't know squat"?

absolutely no trade-in deals of note,
Oh, right.. because GC has never run a 2 for 1 on 360 games, no 20% bonus on trade-ins, no 50% more credit with trade-in...

no late hours (unlike GR)
Define late hours.. the one here is open until 10 Fridays and Saturdays and 9 every other night, including Sundays.

and the $20 MVP card
If you get it when you trade stuff in, it's cheaper. If you want to get extremely technical, after you sign up for the MVP, you can decline the magazine by calling whatever number is on the MVP thing and you get $8 back, so it's a $12 MVP card.

Oh, another HUGE advantage to GR over GC is that I can trade games at any regular Blockbuster location, including the one a mere 1/4 mile from my house, and then use that credit for new games at GR.
Nice, yes. You can also trade in DVDs at Hollywood Video and use that credit at GameCrazy stores.

Also, they had DDS 2 which was one of the clearance games a few months back ($15.99 or so). It was back up to $34.99 - I thought that was a bit wierd.
That's because it was a sale, not a clearance. That's what happens when things go on sale - they go back up in price. And midnight? Must be a YMMV thing, but why the hell would anyone need a game store to be open until midnight?

I hate sounding like a GC fanboy, maybe it's just my personal experience, but i've been to four or five stores and every employee was knowledgable and nice, and hell, most of the stores had some rare stuff for cheap (one even had Fatal Frame 2 new for 7.99 still). I'm sure my opinion would change if I actually HAD a GameRush, but for now, the local GC kicks the shit out of EB/GS. Too bad Rhino's dying tomorrow.
 
[quote name='Scorch']

Oh, right.. because GC has never run a 2 for 1 on 360 games, no 20% bonus on trade-ins, no 50% more credit with trade-in...

That's because it was a sale, not a clearance. That's what happens when things go on sale - they go back up in price. And midnight? Must be a YMMV thing, but why the hell would anyone need a game store to be open until midnight?
.[/QUOTE]

OK, first point - the 360 is off my radar and I didn't know about that sale. I got one 20% bonus trade because of a coupon, but they really don't run frequent promos for it, do they? Plus, $10 extra for 3 (like EB/GS) or $5 extra FOR EACH GAME (like my GR is currently running) beats any percentage boost-type sale (I mean, 20% on $4 doesn't net you much, but $5 extra sure does ;)). So I don't really count 20% trade-in bumps as much of a deal. The 50% I've never heard of. If they've had that they've done a poor job advertizing it. I would surely like them to run that now!

Second - I thought all those $15.99 games WERE clearance so excuse the fuck out of me ;). If it was merely a sale I would know they went back up - I've been buying shit (in a cheap-ass way) for longer than you've been a twinkle in your parents eyes so I know how these things work :lol:.

As for the midnight thing - well, they are open (at GR anyway) while the store is open. What frustrated me about other GC's (before the one last night) was that they were locked up while the store was still open - it is a disadvantage of their "separate but attached" status to Hollywood. Besides, why does a movie rental place need to be open till midnight? Actually, they decided they didn't for the most part and cut hours back to 10 on most nights at all the Blockbusters around me. I appreciate later hours because I'm a late night kind of person. I don't see why any store anywhere opens as early as 6 or 7 or 8 in the morning. As far as I'm concerned, nothing should bother opening before 11. But that's just me ;).
 
i just went to four different gamecrazys in my area to try to use some of the coupons i got and their selection of used games is horrible compared to any of the Eb games/gamestops in my area.

at one of the stores i asked the clerk if he knew when Hotel Dusk for the Ds was coming out and he said he had never heard of it but he'd look. He finds out and tells me the 23rd and did i want to preorder it. i said no thanks just wondering and he tells me if i want the game i should definitely preorder it because it's going to be sold out all over to people who didn't preorder it.

I then asked him how he was so sure a DS game he had never heard of was going to sell out "all over" and he didn't know what to say.
 
I have been going to EB/GS so long that it is really just habit, despite having a Gamecrazy closer to my house than either of them. I bought Lost Planet there today, and after spending a bit of time in the store I will probably try a few pre-orders there and see how it goes.
 
i always hop at gamecrazy and buy games support the underdog.. i believe gamestop's death will be circuit city best buy.. there just too big...
 
there is one gamecrazy near me (5 miles) that just sucks so bad; i went there the other day and not only is it so small but the selection sucks. the clerks were complaining how they barely get a handful of copies of new games or systems. i was hoping to use these coupons for 20% on games but the only decent selection they had was on xbox 360 games...i'm not sure about other gc stores, but i dont think even other stores do that well, which is probably why they don't expand. i hope to use these coupons on some games, so hopefully some stuff comes out ill want.
 
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