How does EB Games get away with selling "floor copy" games at new pric

S

Sulaco22

CAGiversary!
I went into EB Games today to get Onimusha 3 for $14.99. The clerk gets the game and puts it in a bag and I pluck down my cash. I get in the car to take a look at the game and it looks used. It was in a shitty kind of shrink wrap (like the kind that Blockbuster uses on their used games) and had no Playstation seal at the top. The disc was in good condition but had some slight dust on it. The cover had smudges as a result of various pricing stickers being placed on it. I take the game back in the store and the clerk assures me that it is new but was used as a floor model. I ask him if he has any other copes that aren't floor models and he says "No". He continues to reassure me that the game is new and then asks me what I would like to do about it. Given his shitty attitude I just tell him I want my money back. He rolls his eyes and says "Fine". I guess my problem is two fold:
First I was pissed that the clerk wasn't up font about what he was selling me. There have been plenty of times where I was offered a floor model game but I always turn it down. Call me anal but when I pay money for a new game, be it $15 or $50, I want a NEW game. Second, is it legal for stores like EB and Gamestop to sell floor games as new? Whenever you go to a store like Best Buy or Circuit City they always have floor models of various equipment. However at those stores they are sold up front as a floor model and sold at a discount price. I am done ranting but I am curious about what you all think about this. Do you guys have any reservations about buying floor model games, or have any of you been in a similar situation?

P.S. If this topic is in the wrong forum I apologize.
 
I got a floor model copy of THUG 2 for the GBA since the guy said no one ever bought the GBA version. This was when EB had the deal to get $30 in credit if you traded in 2 select games. Granted, GBA games can take much more abuse than the disc based games, so I really wasn't worried about it. I can understand you wanting to get a new game, new as in never opened, but I guess that's how they do their business.
 
[quote name='Chris in Cali']If the plastic wrapping is broken, it's not new IMO.[/quote]

Same goes for the PS2 seal
 
if it hasn't left the store than it is considered new. they have to have a display case for new games so that people know that they have the game.
 
I don't even shop at EB, and one of the reasons is that they try to sell you the display copies and call them "new", as you mentioned in your post. I want a factory sealed game, not a game that has been opened, possibly handled/played, and then resealed. That's not "new" to me. Sounds like they are getting a little sneaky with that. Not cool.
 
[quote name='biggestinuyashafan']if it hasn't left the store than it is considered new. they have to have a display case for new games so that people know that they have the game.[/quote]

That is the biggest load of horsecrap I've ever heard. Whoever told you that was just throwing shit in your eyes. If people wanna know if they have the game, ask at the counter! First it's "security" now it's this, there are just too many excuses for anything to sound kosher anymore.
 
[quote name='biggestinuyashafan']if it hasn't left the store than it is considered new. they have to have a display case for new games so that people know that they have the game.[/quote]

Right, so if EB gets a game and has an employee stomp all over the case, they can sell it as "New" because it never left the store.

Just because it hadn't "left the store" doesn't mean it isn't "new". If they open the game, then it's not new anymore. The fact that they have this policy bothers me, but it bothers me even more that EB employees can't even see a problem with it, and act as if YOU'RE crazy.
 
Because people will still pay full price for them.


I hate it, but why should they stop if they can get away with it? If you guys want them to knock it off, never ever buy one. If they no one will pay full price for their USED merchandise they'll either start discounting floor copies, or quit gutting them

I do realize that this is moot, because people will never stop paying full price.
 
i am not saying i agree with the policy, i am just stating the fact that is what it is. the same goes with the very last copy at gamestop, though i feel they should sell it as used.
 
Same thing happened to me with Outlaw Golf 2. The guy didn't even warn me, just rang it up and sacked it. I asked for a discounted price, wasn't given one but I still got it anyways. I took it back when I went to get MGS3, with receipt and got full credit back.

So basically, I got a free rental out of it. I got it opened, so they couldnt prove that I didnt play it. Luckily, the guy that took it back didn't give a crap. EB isn't the only ones that does this of course. Gamestop does it as well. I bought Bangai-O from them as the display copy. Fortuantely for them, I was hard up for that game and didn't give a crap once I inspected the disc and found it to be flawless.
 
[quote name='jimbodan']Because people will still pay full price for them.


I hate it, but why should they stop if they can get away with it? If you guys want them to knock it off, never ever buy one. If they no one will pay full price for their USED merchandise they'll either start discounting floor copies, or quit gutting them

I do realize that this is moot, because people will never stop paying full price.[/quote]

Sadly, you're right. Some people just don't know any better. And companies get rich off these people.

Similarly to this topic, I don't agree with their whole trade-in policy, where you trade in games for less than you paid (usually) and then they turn around and sell it for say $5 off the price of the new/sealed copies in the store. And people actually buy them. But like you said, if people buy it, they will continue to do it.
 
It is against the law, to re-seal a game, and call it new.

A few stores were sued over this.

I threatened my local EB last month, and they quickly knocked 20% off for me.

Call their corporate number, or the BBB.
:)
 
it happened to me twice...that's why I never buy anything from ebgames.com. But, $14.99 for Onimusha 3 sounds too tempting.... :oops:
 
[quote name='Scorch']If you CALMLY explain the situation, they will hold it and order you a sealed one. I've done it several times.[/quote]

That's kind of YMMV though... alot of the anal retentive, egotistical beings known as clerks at EB Games or Gamestop would refuse to go that far to please a customer, unless it benefited them in some way. (I'm not making a generalization people, I'm saying that it's often the atmosphere in a game store). This is a bad business practice, but will continue as long as there are paying customers who will still pay for an opened-yet-new game.
 
game stores aren't supposed to reseal the game. they can open it to have a display case, but they aren't allowed to reseal the game. it is strange that they can open it and sell it as new, but not be able to reseal it and sell it as new, even though they are selling it that way.
 
dude your lucky i cant get to your store. I would go down there look at your store then KICK YOUR fuckIN ASS FOR YOU TO SHUT THE fuck UP

damn auto-moderation for :censored:
 
it's like buying a car, as long as it has never left the lot it's new. It doesn't matter if someone already test drove it. And people don't seem to mind buying a new car that doesn't have 0 miles on it.
 
A GS near me actually takes the game out of the case without removing the PS2 seal. They just reseal it and sell it as new. They're assholes. Whenever this happens to me, I tell the guy I'll pay the used price for it or I won't take it and he'll agree to sell it to me for the used price.
 
This is the exact reason I do not shop at EB anymore. And the attitude is typical of EB shitbag employees. I fucking hate EB.

Oh and on top of them selling open games as new, %99 of the time, any extra insters arnt included. xbox live cards, upcoming release flyers, stuff like that.
 
[quote name='megahit3']plus all acessories and games are below retail price every day

xbox dvd remotes new $19
HALO 2 $46
Grand theft san $46[/quote]

What the hell are you talking about?
 
[quote name='zewone'][quote name='megahit3']plus all acessories and games are below retail price every day

xbox dvd remotes new $19
HALO 2 $46
Grand theft san $46[/quote]

What the hell are you talking about?[/quote]

He's an asshole whose been spamming the boards lately.
 
Unfortunately, EB and GS are too cheap to give the stores fake boxes for every game (something I see everytime I go to TRU). Until they do, the "floor copy" is something you'll have to deal with. About 95% of the time, there will be a sealed copy. And while I can't attest for every GS, I know at mine that none of the games have been played or even handled after leaving the case. They go straight from the case into a paper sleeve and are then filed. I'm not saying it's the best way to do it. I hate getting open copies too, and avoid it whenever possible. Just remember to always check the disc, and have the employee make a note of the open case on your reciept in case you do have any problems.
 
This is one of the main reasons why I don't really shop at either GS or EB - especially EB (where the employees have s*itty attitudes). If you want me to pay full price for something, then it better be BRAND NEW or else I'm not forking the money over. To me, if the case is open - then its used. I don't care if the game has even been played or not, the second the wrapper is taken off then its a used product.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but the logic of paying new prices of open merchandise is very dumb to me.

I won't complain about GS too much tho, as I did find my XBox steering wheel with the slot for my Live headset there for $29 new. Plus I also found the 2 disc editions for "Seven" and "Fight Club" as well for $9.99 each along with a few harder to find WWF DVDs pretty cheap. :D
 
[quote name='biggestinuyashafan']if it hasn't left the store than it is considered new. they have to have a display case for new games so that people know that they have the game.[/quote]

Yeah right...EB might consider it new but it is USED! It was used as a store display. I'm sorry but I have never agreed with their BS policy of selling displays as new. I only buy that copy when it is dirt cheap.

I bought NCAA 2K3 for $2.99 as a display copy.
 
I simply ask if there are any sealed copies. If there are, I buy it. It there are only display copies being sold at new price I simply decline the purchase and go elsewhere.
 
How does EB Games get away with selling "floor copy" games at new prices?

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

This really sucks . . . I hate these stores overall.

I really hated Funcoland in the SNES days . . . the fact that they never differentiated between games with boxes and instructions and those without was stupid. Therefore, they promoted the idea that box and instructions didn't matter. Had they made a distinction in trade-in value and price all along, people (kids) would have learned to take better care and we would see more boxes and instructions . . . sorry, I kicked into rant mode.

Anyway, I try to avoid these stores . . . I do like some of EBs trade in deals . . . but I take the credit as a gift card (make sure you get one with a pin #) and then use it online . . . I like the website better.

My EB B&M has the single worst employee that I've seen!!!
 
I usually don't mind getting a unwrapped copy, because I figure it saves me the annoyance of ripping off the plastic. But I won't buy a new game from EB if it's a display copy that they put 8 of their stupid stickers on
 
What needs to be done is pretty simple. MS, Sony and Nintendo need to use a branded plastic wrap on their games. You used to see this all the time on VHS movies and CDs - where the plastic wrap had the company's logo printed on it.

This policy of taking "new" games, resealing them and selling them with absolutly no discount (and sometimes without even telling the customer) is, IMHO, immoral. On GameFAQs one time, there was an EB employee asking how to delete saved data from a GBA game because he was allowed to bring it home, play it and bring it back as long as he could bring it back without any signs of use so the store could re-wrap the game and sell it as new. This post got a *lot* of attention and brought out all kinds of EB employees who simply couldn't understand why anyone could be upset with this policy. Apparently most EB stores feel that it is okay to sell used games at a new price - so why would they care about the "floor models"?

And this isn't even taking into account the PIN numbers that come with new Nintendo games now-a-days - I remember when the Legend of Zelda Collection promotion was going on, the number of people who claimed to have written down the PIN numbers from EB/GameStop's floor models... Imangine buying one of these "new" only to find out you couldn't register it.

This practice needs to stop. If EB is worried about security and feels that they *have* to have something on display, they should make mock boxes (like TRU)... They obvioulsy have the abilitiy, since there's usually an entire wall full of mock boxes for games that have not been released yet.

Anywhoo, that's my rant for the day.
EB needs to stop ripping off their customers and the big three need to use a printed Shrink Wrap on their games.
 
easy...


people still buy it...

nothing more to say on that one. If you don't like it don't buy it. Report them to the better bussines buro and not that anything would come of it.
 
[quote name='soulwish2003'][quote name='Scorch']
It is against the law, to re-seal a game, and call it new.
Click to expand...

Yeah, because, you know, those people up in congress got pissed when Paper Mario was preowned.[/quote] :lol: :lol: :lol: :D :D :eek: :) :) :wink: :wink: :p :p :D :D[/quote]

It's actually a great point too, because if you take that game home and you're screwed by the company noone cares.

But if you put the game in your computer to copy, well Congress has just legislated prison time for pirates.

I think we all know who controls the government. I for one welcome our new corporate overlords...
 
Same thing happened to me at GameSTop, but with Mario Kart: Double Dash. The game had scratches and stuff on it, the instruction manual had blue ink all over it, and the PIN number paper was taken out. I had to fight with them for a good 45 minutes and they finally gave me a real new copy.
 
if it is opened i would ask to see the game before buying it. if it looks like it is new then that is cool, but if it is scratched at all either decline it or ask they knock the price down to a used one since it was obviously used. like i said before, i dont agree with the policies that if it didnt leave the store than it is new, that is just what i have been told.
 
Having been on both sides of the EB counter, trust me: if you explain your concern/ disgust over buying a floor copy, they do have a way of discounting it. Ask them about a little thing called "Shop-Worn" discounts. it's not much - it's 10% off. But hell, if it's been opened already, I'm not paying full shot. I'll pay 20$ for a 20$ game when it's still factory sealed. I'll 17.99$ when this same game has been opened, like the used ones. They won't give you (much) crap over this, since it's actually built into the budget of each store.

As for the gutting/new/security reason. It is only for security reasons that a game is gutted. I know in the stores I worked at (and the one I shop now in good ol' Naples, FL, mall), alot of the games on the floor are actually display cases. The problem, though, is a lot of Regional and District managers demand seeing actual game cases. So, essentially, whenever we would try to help a customer out, my DM would chew us a new one. 'The displays don't promote like the live ones'. Which, I argued, and after several months, won. Most people don't know they can (politely) challenge their superiors, therfore would much rather do what corporate demands.

So, to conclude, they do have ways of not using actual cases on the floor - most of the employees are just too timid to challenge their superiors. They do have ways of 'discounting' for displeased customers, but again with the timidity. Not to mention, there are people who work there, and clerks. Learn the name of whoever has been there the longest, and ask for them everytime you go in. Chances are, they're a big-head, while the rest is just part-timing clerks.

-The_K

Rock on with the
 
This is a problem with Gamecube games. A lot of Gamecube games come factory sealed with that thin shrinkwrap that looks like it was re-wrapped and no Gamecube games have security seals so it makes it impossible to tell if the game you are getting is factory sealed or not.
 
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