Major Bad News for Rhino Shoppers - Rhino Bought by GameStop

Found out All Rhino Stores will be closed on Sunday. Inventory is starting Sat and gamestop managers from local area stores will be helping out for inventory.

There is a call tomorrow morning for managers to go over things in general. Sounds like some things seem to be up in the air with no one really sure what is going to happen. The one store manager I know who is normally in the loop is sure of the fact they are boxing old school items up during Inventory, but I still hear the possible clearance rumor from some managers.

Although new systems are going in and some signage etc this weekend the Rhino signs are going to be up for some time. It will take them a few months to replace all the store signs. Expect to see a giant banner inside the store or something next week. Actually conversion of the way the stores are laid out won't be happening until the end of January when new fixtures arrive from what they were told.

No confirmation, but they are saying 2 for 1 is done as of the 13th...
 
about some of the rumors i work for rhino and what they have told me is that the old school are going to be stright buy 1 get 1 and will be like that untill they sell out and the old school systems i dont know but there is talk about gitting a free game if you buy one of the systems but the 25% extra on credit is true but that only applies to credit not any giftcards and i also herd that all rhinos will not open on sunday the 14 in order to change the stores into game stops
 
This is correct, all Rhino locations will be closed on the 14th to convert and will reopen on the 15th as Gamestops, far as we can tell. It's almost freaky how quiet and secretive they're being with this. What, do it quick and no one will notice?

/sigh
 
Anyone think there's anything pre-emptive we should do if we have a pre-order there? Or should everything be safe?

I'm almost tempted to cancel it, get the credit and hope that there's a 25 percent bonus to convert it to GS credit. But I'm also still worried about losing the credit.
 
Well now that Rhino is going away I thought I'd start a thread in remembrance where members could share their favorite Rhino moment(s) and what they might have scored the last days of its existence.

My favorite memory is going into my local store for the first time. I never heard of the store prior to it opening, so I had to check it out and man was I blown away. I'm a huge fan of all video games especially classic stuff and there was so much of it. Sure their were the occasional pricey gems, but overall they had reasonable prices. Then to also have great promotions like "buy 2 get 1 Free" and "Trade 2 Get 1". I will miss Rhino and I look forward to the next independent company that comes out of its shadow.

As for what I was able to score the last few days I'd say I did pretty well. Here is what I scored:

- NBA 2K7 (360); traded Raw vs. Smackdown 07'/Ape Escape 3 $8
- Superman Returns (360); Time Crisis Crisis Zone/Odama $10
- Elebits (Wii); Psychonauts/Winback 2 $10
- Lost Planet (360); Zelda Collector's/Ape Escape 3 $10
- Rainbow 6: Vegas (360); Ape Escape 3/Winback 2 $14
- Trauma Center (Wii); Winback 2/Odama $20

Total Spent: $72 Total Gained: $305

Not to bad I have to say for a last hoorah.
 
CAG Lifestyle & Off Topic As a CAG, your cheapness probably spreads to other facets of your life, beyond video games.
Talk about ways you save money or anything else you wish, as long as its NOT GAMING OR SHOPPING RELATED.
 
[quote name='naes']CAG Lifestyle & Off Topic As a CAG, your cheapness probably spreads to other facets of your life, beyond video games.
Talk about ways you save money or anything else you wish, as long as its NOT GAMING OR SHOPPING RELATED.[/QUOTE]

As a matter of fact it does. I use coupons, shop at Thrift Stores and do various other things to save money. Even though I try to save money I do purchase some games that are worthy at full price and I shop at retail, but I'm on a strict budget being a full time student and the only income being my wife's teacher pay. CAG is the best site I've come across and I make sure to inform others of its greatness.
 
Um...???
[quote name='neudog']As a matter of fact it does. I use coupons, shop at Thrift Stores and do various other things to save money. Even though I try to save money I do purchase some games that are worthy at full price and I shop at retail, but I'm on a strict budget being a full time student and the only income being my wife's teacher pay. CAG is the best site I've come across and I make sure to inform others of its greatness.[/QUOTE]
 
It was hard to decide where it went. I know I mention deals, but I didn't think it merited being in the Deal Discussion Forum. Mods feel free to move if need be, thanks:)
 
I used the suggestion line to tell them of an exploit I had found in the store to get the entire store free.. since the store is dead, I suppose that i'll share it. This has to be done in combination with a 2 for 1 and a B2G1 free deal. I'll use real games as an example. And these are completely random games, i'm just using them as an example.

Let's say I traded in Half-Life 2 and Psychonauts and got Destroy All Humans 2. Then I traded in Winback 2 and Driv3r and got Scarface.

Alright, now let's say that HL2, Psychonauts, Winback 2 and Driv3r all got exactly $10. I could take DAH2 and Scarface back, get $100 in credit, get all four games I did the 2 for 1 with, then get two more $24.99 games for free since it's B2G1 and do it all over again.. so.. basically..

Trade HL2 and Psychonauts and get DAH2
Trade Winback 2 and Driv3r and got Scarface.
Take back Scarface and DAH2 for $100 in credit. The store's running a B2G1F on used games, so i'll pick up HL2 and Psyhonauts for $24.99 each, as well as Winback 2 and Driv3r for $24.99 each, then i'll get two games that are $24.99 each.. and thus another 2 for 1 deal is born. And you could keep doing this over and over and over and over and stack your credit over and over.. Immoral? Yes. Playing within the boundaries? Absolutely.

Anyway, I reported this to the corporate office and got a response.. the guy responding back was awesome and we talked via e-mail for the better part of a year. If there was a game I was looking for (rare or not), he would ship it to my local store. In January '05, as a Christmas gift, he sent something for me to my local store.. huge package. In it was a bunch of random promo gifts.. DDR CDs, game patches (like sew on patches), skins, PSP cases, DS cases, a Rhino cup, a Rhino hat, and a $20 gift card. I'm still in a bit of shock about all of that. I tried to fire off an e-mail the second I heard about Rhino shutting down, but by that time, his e-mail was already shut down. I hope to get in contact with him somehow in the future because he was awesome.

Literally half of my game collection is because of Rhino. The employees were awesome and they usually had the game I was looking for. I'll definately miss the store and the amazing trade-in deals they offered.
 
[quote name='naes']CAG Lifestyle & Off Topic As a CAG, your cheapness probably spreads to other facets of your life, beyond video games.
Talk about ways you save money or anything else you wish, as long as its NOT GAMING OR SHOPPING RELATED.[/quote]

shutup.
 
Or, for the tons of people who lived in states where Rhino wasn't even located, it was completely meaningless. *waits for the "but this has implications everywhere!" arguement.
 
Do we really need another thread on this?

I liked Rhino just as much as the next guy, but 2 of the Rhino threads have now become "it was fun while it lasted".
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Do we really need another thread on this?

I liked Rhino just as much as the next guy, but 2 of the Rhino threads have now become "it was fun while it lasted".[/QUOTE]

Seconded.
 
13 replies and i'm the only one that actually talked about the store. I think he got the hint that it should be in another forum with the first person that posted it, but it's not like he can move it.
 
I'll talk about my memory of it.

I found out a few days ago that Rhino games was some store that the Gamespot people bought. Before then I never heard of them and never had any memories of them.
 
I am the foremost authority on all things Rhino. I either created or helped create most of it. Nothing is perfect, but Rhino was pretty darn good and I'm very proud to have been a part of it.

As I review the posts, it amazes me how far off most people are on why Rhino did anything it did. I could spend months trying to correct everyone, but it doesn't matter much anyway.

Business is business and Gamestop is handling this buyout just as I would expect, so I don't really find them guilty of anything. It's a honor that Rhino was a significant enough organization that they would buy it.

Anyway, I really just wanted to post a message to pay my respects to Rhino... she was our baby, and I am her Brainiac.

Spike R.I.P.
 
[quote name='Scorch']13 replies and i'm the only one that actually talked about the store. I think he got the hint that it should be in another forum with the first person that posted it, but it's not like he can move it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Scorch. I guess some members think we have infinite power here. Also thanks to Maynard as well. I took naes's response both positively and negatively, but opted to be the better person with my response.
 
[quote name='plainsong11']I am the foremost authority on all things Rhino. I either created or helped create most of it. Nothing is perfect, but Rhino was pretty darn good and I'm very proud to have been a part of it.

As I review the posts, it amazes me how far off most people are on why Rhino did anything it did. I could spend months trying to correct everyone, but it doesn't matter much anyway.

Business is business and Gamestop is handling this buyout just as I would expect, so I don't really find them guilty of anything. It's a honor that Rhino was a significant enough organization that they would buy it.

Anyway, I really just wanted to post a message to pay my respects to Rhino... she was our baby, and I am her Brainiac.

Spike R.I.P.[/quote]

OK then, "Brainiac", what's your name?
 
[quote name='suko_32']I wonder if the converted Rhinos will be called Funcoland instead of Gamestop.[/quote]

No. No one knows why it says FuncoLand on the online thing. I guess because that's the last place they bought out and they never updated it?

Anyone planning on going to Rhinostop in the morning? I know I definately will, just to check prices and see what all's changed.
 
Nope, I'm not driving 45 minutes just to go to a converted Gamestop. The only good part about Rhino closing is I'm going to save a shitload in gas.
 
[quote name='neudog']Thanks Scorch. I guess some members think we have infinite power here. Also thanks to Maynard as well. I took naes's response both positively and negatively, but opted to be the better person with my response.[/QUOTE]

It's just that we've been discussing it for a month now. What else is there left to say?
 
Glad my store's about a mile or two from me. I doubt there's anything worth checking out there, but hey.. you never know.
 
[quote name='Scorch']No. No one knows why it says FuncoLand on the online thing. I guess because that's the last place they bought out and they never updated it?

Anyone planning on going to Rhinostop in the morning? I know I definately will, just to check prices and see what all's changed.[/quote]

I'll go by this week just out of morbid curiosity more than anything else. Actually, most of the employees at mine were pretty friendly and knowledgeable so I may still do some shopping there.
 
[quote name='neocisco']I'll go by this week just out of morbid curiosity more than anything else. Actually, most of the employees at mine were pretty friendly and knowledgeable so I may still do some shopping there.[/quote]

If you mean the woodstock location bad news the store manager put in notice last week and this week is it for her. My guess is Gamestop will promote someone from one of there olders stores pissing off the rest of the employees and they will leave as well.
 
[quote name='Scorch']Anyone planning on going to Rhinostop in the morning? I know I definately will, just to check prices and see what all's changed.[/quote]

I actually drove past it tonight when I was out getting dinner for the wife & I. I didn't see a whole lot of difference really except there seemed to be tons of large cardboard boxes sitting in the store. They seemed to be in a rush to get the new systems and pricing in place this weekend, but nothing else.
 
[quote name='neocisco']OK then, "Brainiac", what's your name?[/quote]

What difference does it make?

I just thought if anyone wanted correct information on the history of Rhino, I could help.

For example, you know how Rhino got it's name? Actually, there's no brilliant story here, just that it sounded good. It was between Rhino Video Games and TechnoCat Video Games. Rhino sounded tougher and the first Rhino character was a full body armored rhino. The original colors were neon green, orange, yellow, and pink. The first couple of stores hardly carried new merchandise and the biggest game of the time was SNES Street Fighter 2. The store sign at Butler Plaza in Gainesville, FL (the second store to open) just said GAMES.

Anyway, Rhino came a long way and was a pioneer of trading in the video game industry.
 
Why were my posts removed? I come on here to pay my respect to Rhino and my posts are deleted?

Whatever.

I've enjoyed all the nice comments folks have had about Rhino. It's funny to see everyone that "worked the system".

btw - Preston is probably the guy that sent out the free stuff. He's a good guy - set all the prices and trade values for Rhino (based on certain guidelines) for the past few years.
 
[quote name='suko_32']The 25% increase on old Rhino credit has been confirmed by me.[/QUOTE]

Now that the stores have re-opened under GameStop has anyone actually converted their Rhino credit and gotten the 25% increase?
 
[quote name='awp']Now that the stores have re-opened under GameStop has anyone actually converted their Rhino credit and gotten the 25% increase?[/quote]

When I was in there today I was told they don't have a way to deal with Rhino Credit right now unless its a gift card. They should have a fix in place shortly. They couldn't even ring up the WOW expansion preorders right now. People who already bought it had the choice of waiting until the system was fix or buying it again on top of the preorder today. Then when the system was fixed they could receive a credit for the preorder money down. This could have been just one store not knowing what the hell they were doing or a larger company wide issue...
 
[quote name='kjauburn']When I was in there today I was told they don't have a way to deal with Rhino Credit right now unless its a gift card. They should have a fix in place shortly. They couldn't even ring up the WOW expansion preorders right now. People who already bought it had the choice of waiting until the system was fix or buying it again on top of the preorder today. Then when the system was fixed they could receive a credit for the preorder money down. This could have been just one store not knowing what the hell they were doing or a larger company wide issue...[/quote]

The Woodstock store? If so, thanks, you saved me a trip tomorrow (even a though it's a short one).
 
The Rhino in Zephyrhills, FL had some good stuff left. I got:

DC:
Dead Or Alive 2 (complete, non-GH, F***ed up manual) $9.99
Grandia 2 (complete), free
Sould Caliber (complete, non-GH) 8.99
Resident Evil 2 (complete) free

PS1:
FF Chronicles (FF4 & Chrono Trigger, complete) $17.99
FF9 (complete, non-GH) Free

They also had Ogre battle lim. for PS1, but left it.
 
[quote name='Segasonic01']The Rhino in Zephyrhills, FL had some good stuff left. I got:

DC:
Dead Or Alive 2 (complete, non-GH, F***ed up manual) $9.99
Grandia 2 (complete), free
Sould Caliber (complete, non-GH) 8.99
Resident Evil 2 (complete) free

PS1:
FF Chronicles (FF4 & Chrono Trigger, complete) $17.99
FF9 (complete, non-GH) Free

They also had Ogre battle lim. for PS1, but left it.
[/quote]
I bought two dc games today and I didn't get a buy one get one free on them.
 
[quote name='thebagofsand']Does anyone Know is the Woodstock Ga store has any games left? Thanks[/quote]

The best games I saw were a sega pirates gold and some super mario all stars at $9.99 when I was there on tuesday.
 
For those people who don't like GameStop and the way it's running companies out of business, or buying them out, check out

http://www.stopgamestop.com

It just launched, but its goal is to provide a database of alternatives to GameStop, submitted by users.
 
[quote name='nikdvs']For those people who don't like GameStop and the way it's running companies out of business, or buying them out, check out

http://www.stopgamestop.com

It just launched, but its goal is to provide a database of alternatives to GameStop, submitted by users.[/QUOTE]


I'd love to shop at another local game store, but there are none in my area, the only dedicated game store within an hour of me NOT owned by GS is a game traders in Biloxi, and the prices are so ridiculous Ive never bought anything from them

I doubt I will be spending anywhere near on games this year that I did last year
 
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