Reduced price game guides, all stores. Thread 6

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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.



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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.
 
[quote name='jgamezcua']If that's the case then it could be beneficial for anyone who's store comes up with the items in stock. Place the order for instore pick up and then if it gets kicked back Best Buy offers the option to have the order fulfilled by the online store with FREE shipping. You just have to call the customer service number that's included when you place an instore pick up.

I've been able to do this a couple of times in the past since it's their general policy on items that show up available for instore pickup but for whatever reason doesn't happen.[/QUOTE]

Yet, that only works if the guide is not "Sold Out" on the website. If you can't order it online, you can't do "in-store pickup." I think the only chance is to go to that store and ask them to check their inventory and pull it for you... if you're lucky.
 
[quote name='jgamezcua']If that's the case then it could be beneficial for anyone who's store comes up with the items in stock. Place the order for instore pick up and then if it gets kicked back Best Buy offers the option to have the order fulfilled by the online store with FREE shipping. You just have to call the customer service number that's included when you place an instore pick up.

I've been able to do this a couple of times in the past since it's their general policy on items that show up available for instore pickup but for whatever reason doesn't happen.[/quote]
That's assuming they have the guide at the BB warehouse when the order's placed, since more than once I've done the very same thing and had the guide(s) end up on perpetual backorder.

Sometime it works, most of the time, it doesn't.
 
Does anybody know if the first Kingdom Hearts game for PS2 ever got pennied out anywhere??? Because I still see them at some EB Gmes/Gamestop stores.
 
[quote name='freshzen']Well I'm not good enough to confirm? Have I ever lied about a deal before? :([/quote]I never said that. I like to have more than one person confirm a deal before placing it in the wiki, in the event of a fluke.


[quote name='cheapbastard']Does anybody know if the first Kingdom Hearts game for PS2 ever got pennied out anywhere??? Because I still see them at some EB Gmes/Gamestop stores.[/quote]This is why we have a wiki on Strategy Guides.

Scroll up to the top of this page and click on "CAGWIKI"
click "3. Guides"
click "strategy guides Master Lists."
Then do CTRL-F and enter kingdom hearts
Low and behold! Kingdom Hearts - Brady is in the Best Buy section and also the Target section.


Please, hold your applause.
 
[quote name='jgamezcua']Best Buy has the following guides listed for 0.01 on it's site right now.

ALL ARE OOS - but availability checker is working so might help anyone trying to decide if it's worth the effort to check their local BB

Resistance:FOM
COD 3
Guitar Hero II[/quote]

I checked availability at my local store and it said COD3 and Guitar Hero II were in stock, so I dropped by to see if I could get them. They weren't out on the floor, so I asked a guy if they had them. He said yeah, but they were in the back, so he'd get one. Came back out telling me he couldn't sell them, as I expected.

Normally I'd let it go at that, but these ones are on their website for $.01 afterall, so I don't see why they'd advertise it as a penny online, have it in their store too, but not sell them. I'm gonna talk to the manager tomorrow morning to see what I can swing. Probably won't work, but it's worth a shot.
 
[quote name='MightySlacker']Unfortunately Kingdom Hearts is not at any of those places anymore.

BUT, if you happen to have a CompUSA, it should be $2.98[/quote]Eh, game guide prices are uber YMMV at CompUSA. Some folks find them for cheapy cheap while other stores still charge full price.

It is a good idea to try ones local CompUSA for any older guides, what with them having sales for all the store closings.
 
[quote name='guinaevere']Eh, game guide prices are uber YMMV at CompUSA. Some folks find them for cheapy cheap while other stores still charge full price.

It is a good idea to try ones local CompUSA for any older guides, what with them having sales for all the store closings.[/quote]

Unless they've dropped since Monday, guides at CompUSA are 20% off list price.
 
For anyone in the Atlanta area looking for the Kingdom Hearts II guide at Best Buy, there was one left at the Perimeter store as of 5pm today. Their game guides are with the computer games, so that might be why they still had some (although the cashier was very cool about it ringing up for a penny). There was also one Yoshi's Island (the pocket Prima thingie) left.

Now if I could only find a Final Fantasy V Advance guide in the area...

And another thanks to vahn for the heads-up! :)
 
I went into a Ebgames today and noticed they had a Wild Arms 4 and a Atelier Iris 2 guides still..TODAY and made them price check them for me :whistle2:D they rang up at .01. The employee was very hesitant to sell it to me but since i found them on the floor he had to, lol i was about to go on a long ass spiel about how they have been on the floor a WHOLE MONTH after they should have been field destroyed, that's like 31 DAYS!..but luckily i didn't have to.. got them for 01 each.
 
LOL chipunks, try telling that to the local DM @ my local GS stores in Pennsylvania, about 'having' to sell something on the floor that rings up .01.

I laugh though, because I still have my local sources for the guides, but not if they keep cracking down like they have been.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']LOL chipunks, try telling that to the local DM @ my local GS stores in Pennsylvania, about 'having' to sell something on the floor that rings up .01.

I laugh though, because I still have my local sources for the guides, but not if they keep cracking down like they have been.[/quote]

I have like 5 friends that work at different gamestops...i have 1 holding any newer pennied guides for me..and she's also hunting down a Harvest moon magical melody for me.. X-( i just can't find that guide anywhere...
 
Stopped in TRU tonight to check games and guides, found DBZ budakai tenkachi 2 at 1 cent. Cashier was surprised but very cool about it and made no fuss. I always feel like their gonna just say, "Not today my little one".
 
[quote name='guinaevere']Okay, so we're talking $12ish for most guides.

Did you notice any good guides at Marietta's CU, neo?[/quote]

Nothing special. They had the Gears of War SE but it was still $24 after the discount.
 
[quote name='neocisco']Unless they've dropped since Monday, guides at CompUSA are 20% off list price.[/quote]

I've been to a closing CompUSA yesterday that had their guides 60% off.
 
One of the CompUSA's around here did a mass purge of all game guides, and they were $0.98 each. Found some nice ones long before they dropped, such as N3, HL2 Ep 1, Rise Of Legends, and some others that I've never seen drop, like Chromehounds.
 
[quote name='guinaevere']Perimeter = Cobb Parkway?[/quote]

It's not that one. This is the one near Perimeter mall right off of I-285 (Ashford-Dunwoody Rd exit, don't know the exit number though) and close to the Dunwoody exit (Exit 5A) on GA 400. There's no address on the receipt besides a zip code (30328), but I think it's off of Hanover Dr near the intersection with Ashford-Dunwoody Rd. The number's (770)392-0454 if you want better directions.
 
Not sure if anyone realizes it, but there's a gamepro coupon floating around for $5 off any strategy guide for Best Buy. It's in the coupon pack thread that's floating around. While not as good as a penny, buying a 9.99 guide for $5 isn't too shabby (and is about the highest price I'd pay for a guide).
 
[quote name='Warner1281']Not sure if anyone realizes it, but there's a gamepro coupon floating around for $5 off any strategy guide for Best Buy. It's in the coupon pack thread that's floating around. While not as good as a penny, buying a 9.99 guide for $5 isn't too shabby (and is about the highest price I'd pay for a guide).[/quote]
Said coupon expired on 12/24/06, AFAIK.
 
He's referring to the current GamePro coupons. I have some and those expire 3/31. I think they reused the same coupons again as well so there are probably also new ones that expire 4/31.

You're thinking of the $5 off Prima guides coupon from that codebook BB had for free for a week or 2.

[quote name='shrike4242']Said coupon expired on 12/24/06, AFAIK.[/quote]
 
Just went to BB and found a bunch of .01 guides. CS had to check with a manager and another employee. The media manager came out and wasn't happy at all. Told me they should have been pulled. After a bit, they agreed to sell them to me. BB is such a hassle sometimes.
 
I was at an EB games this morning and picked up the Disgaea 2 guide for $10. It was the last one and I kind of like those Doublejumb guides (though I wish they made them as big as other guides), so I bought it.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']One of the CompUSA's around here did a mass purge of all game guides, and they were $0.98 each. Found some nice ones long before they dropped, such as N3, HL2 Ep 1, Rise Of Legends, and some others that I've never seen drop, like Chromehounds.[/quote]

They may have different liquidators in different regions of the country. .98 would be very nice.
 
[quote name='neocisco']They may have different liquidators in different regions of the country. .98 would be very nice.[/quote] This was before the store closings. From the cashier, she indicated that it was the store manager's perogative, which made sense from the "Manager's Special" tags on the front of the guides.

Sometime late last year or early this year was when this happened, and I don't think I saw much in the way of guides since, save PC stuff. I'll go dig up the receipts and see what they were for curiousity's sake.

[quote name='Warner1281']This is the thread I was talking about earlier for the $5 off strategy guides coupon.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124197[/quote]
Unless there's a new one in the "Winter 2007" cheats book, the one I remember was from the "Fall 2006" cheats book. The OP of that thread doesn't list the guide coupon in there, and he's usually good about keeping it updated.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']
Unless there's a new one in the "Winter 2007" cheats book, the one I remember was from the "Fall 2006" cheats book. The OP of that thread doesn't list the guide coupon in there, and he's usually good about keeping it updated.[/quote]

The one I have in my pocket (which I printed yesterday) is from his download and is valid 3/12/07-4/30/07.
 
I don't know about the coupon thread personally, I got my coupons straight out of a real copy of GamePro (the one w/ Mario on the cover).

EDIT: and as indicated above there is a new one in the latest GamePro w/ a later expiration date as well.

[quote name='shrike4242']Unless there's a new one in the "Winter 2007" cheats book, the one I remember was from the "Fall 2006" cheats book. The OP of that thread doesn't list the guide coupon in there, and he's usually good about keeping it updated.[/quote]
 
[quote name='Warner1281']The one I have in my pocket (which I printed yesterday) is from his download and is valid 3/12/07-4/30/07.[/quote]
Nice that it's in GamePro. I'll have to go double check the coupons I have again and make sure I have some of those in there.

I agree that $5 is a good price for guides, since around here, when they get pennied, that's not that far off for what you'd paid with shipping + other costs.

I know I picked up SC: DA, R6V and the newer Oblivion guide when they were $9.99, $4.99 after the other coupon.
 
[quote name='neocisco']Nothing special. They had the Gears of War SE but it was still $24 after the discount.[/quote]That... isn't a bad price for the SE. I picked up GoW at Rhino (ye olde 2/1 deal), but I'd like the SE of it. I'm a sucker for shiney packaging (hey, I'm a girl, sue me!). If I were unscrupulous I could sell my regular edition to either of my brothers... :cool:


[quote name='eclisis']It's not that one. This is the one near Perimeter mall right off of I-285 (Ashford-Dunwoody Rd exit, don't know the exit number though) and close to the Dunwoody exit (Exit 5A) on GA 400. There's no address on the receipt besides a zip code (30328), but I think it's off of Hanover Dr near the intersection with Ashford-Dunwoody Rd. The number's (770)392-0454 if you want better directions.[/quote]Ah. Thanks. I have no idea where that is (bad with road names, though I know where to pick up 400).

But I can just find it on BB's site. Thanks, eclisis. =)
 
I just got back from a Game Crazy and these guides were full price:

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (brady)
Halo 2 (?)
Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green (prima)

...although I walked out with about 30 or 40 penny/free guides :)
 
Went to a BB with 0.01 tags on the shelf in front of a few Pokemon Ranger and a blank space for Red Steel. I grabbed one of the PR guides and went to pay. It rang up 16.99. I said it was supposed to ring up at a penny, but it was the Prima guide not the Nintendo one. The cashier called someone over and sent them to check. He didn't want to argue. Got it for a penny.
 
[quote name='freshzen']I just got back from a Game Crazy and these guides were full price:

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (brady)
Halo 2 (?)
Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green (prima)

...although I walked out with about 30 or 40 penny/free guides :)[/QUOTE]

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology was a misprint by me, Stubbs was the guide I was looking for

I think that Pokemon guide was also a misprint by me, I think I got the ones I got on accident and its the NP version that got pennied

Dave
 
[quote name='freshzen']I just got back from a Game Crazy and these guides were full price:

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (brady)
Halo 2 (?)
Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green (prima)

...although I walked out with about 30 or 40 penny/free guides :)[/QUOTE]

What guides did you get - was there a new drop on GC guides that I missed?
 
[quote name='guinaevere']That... isn't a bad price for the SE. I picked up GoW at Rhino (ye olde 2/1 deal), but I'd like the SE of it. I'm a sucker for shiney packaging (hey, I'm a girl, sue me!). If I were unscrupulous I could sell my regular edition to either of my brothers... :cool:[/quote]
No, not the game, the SE guide was $24 (see thread title;)). If it was the game for $24 I would have jumped on that like a spider monkey!
 
[quote name='Johnny Postman']What guides did you get - was there a new drop on GC guides that I missed?[/QUOTE]
No I was at a store that hadn't cleaned out the guides on their floor in a long, long time....
 
[quote name='neocisco']No, not the game, the SE guide was $24 (see thread title;)).[/quote]Look you know me, Im easily excited and thinking isn't my forte. You said GoW SE. *shuffles feet*

If it was the game for $24 I would have jumped on that like a spider monkey!
Good.

But you did just save me a trip out there today.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']The OP of that thread doesn't list the guide coupon in there, and he's usually good about keeping it updated.[/quote]

The guide coupon is in the pack, as well as listed in the content descrip in the 4th line down.

:shame:
 
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