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

Status
Not open for further replies.
IAmTheCheapestGamer

IAmTheCheapestGamer

Banned
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.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
[quote name='FOnewearl']SKU for Persona 3 Guide



www.gamestop.com/productavail.asp?miles=100&sku=YYYYYY&zip=XXXXX&product_name=20GB+PS3+%2D+Used&platforms=PS3&sbox%20 =160726a%2Ejpg&status=BO&bn=False

Change out the Ys & Xs with your SKU and zip code and your good to go! Don't forget to thank reibeatall since he provided the link first on CAG :)[/quote]

Thanks, that worked. One more question though...

Is there any easy way to find a SKU for another product? For example, let's say I was looking to check whether a gamestop around me had Disgaea 2 (just an example of another thing)? How would I go about getting the SKU number for it?
 
[quote name='Burchamj']Whats the 10% off coupon?, a couple gamestops have it close to me.[/quote]

The 10% off coupon is a coupon that comes from a GS email to people that newly subscribed to their newsletter. It's on here somewhere, just do a search for it and print it off.
 
In order to cut down on the chit chat and avoid having to make yet another new Reduced Price Guide Thread within a year or so, I have created a Reduced Price Guide Discussion Thread.

Please post here if you're simply talking about guides, such as their worth, your scores/hauls, basically anything NOT pertaining to which guides dropped and where/when they dropped.

Thanks in advance.

Link: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169252

I also posted it in the FIRST post, under the Game Guide Clearinghouse link.

Thanks again.
 
I moved all the non-news/informative posts from this thread into the new Reduced Price Guide Discussion Thread. Everyone bookmark it and do your talking in there. If we keep this thread strictly information only, I'll see what I can do about getting this stickied again.
 
[quote name='Antic']Thanks, that worked. One more question though...

Is there any easy way to find a SKU for another product? For example, let's say I was looking to check whether a gamestop around me had Disgaea 2 (just an example of another thing)? How would I go about getting the SKU number for it?[/QUOTE]

You could find out online if it's something you can get a page for, if they don't have a page online your SOL and would have to have somebody look up the SKU for you in store or on a receipt if you buy it.

http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product_id=939414

939414 = Disgaea 2 (Used) SKU
 
Tabula Rasa, VF5 (360 version), Spiderman Friend or Foe are pennied out at Gamestop. There's a couple others too, but I forgot what they were
 
[quote name='ZForce']Tabula Rasa, VF5 (360 version), Spiderman Friend or Foe are pennied out at Gamestop. There's a couple others too, but I forgot what they were[/quote]
thanks for the update. any others off the top of your head?

EDIT: just updated the wiki with the latest drops.
 
Thanks for the update, ZForce, second post(recent drops) has been updated.

Does anyone know of which other guides may have dropped today? Let me know, so I can update the second post.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Thanks for the update, ZForce, second post(recent drops) has been updated.

Does anyone know of which other guides may have dropped today? Let me know, so I can update the second post.[/quote]

I'll have an answer tomorrow morning, unless someone can go check right now.
 
I think Universe at War was another one, and I think one of the Tony Hawk games. I only took a Tabula Rasa and a VF5 since those were the only two I was interested in
 
I was able to get Heroes of Mana at Gamestop, which is my first penny guide at GS for a long long time. They have really gotten good about removing these from the shelves.

The girl who rung me up mumbled to her coworker, "Somebody forgot to penny out Heroes of Mana. I guess he's getting a guide for a penny." Cha ching!

ALSO, LoZ: Wind Waker is apparently now "out of the system" at Gamecrazy. I bought one and instead of giving it to me for free, the employee decided he would renew my MVP subscription ($14.99) without even telling me about it. Gee thanks :bomb:

The employee only explained himself after I saw it on my receipt before I signed it. I always check my GC receipt thoroughly now because they've pulled some seriously shady shit on me in the past (ie, signing me up for preorders in someone else's name, rather than ringing up my merchandise.)
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Still need verification of these new GS drops....can anyone verify?[/quote]

I guess I'll find out in the morning when I go to harass visit my couple of friends at two gamestop/EBs
 
I got Spider Man Friend or Foe, Virtua Fighter 5, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground and Universe At War yesterday.

I just thought they were guides they found out back from a previous drop. Seeing is how there were only 4 new guides on the free guides for FTB pile.
 
[quote name='cranguy']I was able to get Heroes of Mana at Gamestop, which is my first penny guide at GS for a long long time. They have really gotten good about removing these from the shelves.

The girl who rung me up mumbled to her coworker, "Somebody forgot to penny out Heroes of Mana. I guess he's getting a guide for a penny." Cha ching!

ALSO, LoZ: Wind Waker is apparently now "out of the system" at Gamecrazy. I bought one and instead of giving it to me for free, the employee decided he would renew my MVP subscription ($14.99) without even telling me about it. Gee thanks :bomb:

The employee only explained himself after I saw it on my receipt before I signed it. I always check my GC receipt thoroughly now because they've pulled some seriously shady shit on me in the past (ie, signing me up for preorders in someone else's name, rather than ringing up my merchandise.)[/quote]

I'd report stuff like the fake pre-orders to the DM/corporate. Stuff like that seriously messes up the company's inventory and costs the company a lot in the long run, in addition to hosing the consumer.
 
A couple of other guides drop to $9.99 at GS.

Tomb Raide Anniversary, like i said before
Assassin's Creed
Super Mario Galaxy
Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Blue Dragon
Mass Effect
Need For Speed: Prostreet

These are probably ones that will drop in the next batch of the bacth after.
 
ive got to add to that list:
In addition to all those, i saw MP3 at $9.99(pennied?), i don't remember anything else. There was a whole shelf labled $9.99. I think Halo 3 ws there too.
 
NEW PENNIED GUIDES AT GS/EB:

I SAW/GOT THE FOLLOWING PENNY GUIDES THIS MORNING (1/26) AT GS:

Beowulf: The Game (Prima: 360/PS3/PC)
Blacksite: Area 51 (Prima: 360/PS3/PC)
Halo 3 (SPANISH EDITION) (Piggyback: 360)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Prima: PS3/360)
Tabula Rasa (Brady: PC)
Thrillville: Off the Rails (Prima: PS2/360/Wii/PC/PSP)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (Prima: 360/PS3/PC)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Prima: 360/PS2/GCN/PC)
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (Brady: PS2/PS3/360/Wii)
Universe at War: Earth Assault (Brady: PC)

If there were others that dropped, I don't know. This was what I saw (or took home.)

Orri~
 
I don't believe Metroid Prime 3 is pennied yet. I took it up to the counter along with the Beowulf guide. He told me $9.99 for MP3 and $0.01 for the Beowulf.
 
Here's what happened yesterday at my local Circuit City...

Picked up Rogue Galaxy and Super Paper Mario guides for 1/2 off...

The cashier is a teenage girl (uh oh), and proceeds to ring up everything at full price. OK, no problem, I'll just tell her:

"The guides are half off." She nods. Totals the sale, everything still at full price.

"Did you take half off the guides?"

"Huh?"

"The guides are half off this week." No response, and she's studying the screen.

"Do you have the package sir?"

"What?"

"Do you have the other item that goes with this guide?"

"Wha? Huh...I don't know what you mean..." Ten minutes later the manager informs me that they can't sell the Rogue Galaxy guide because it requires some other promo UPC before the computer will finalize the sale. Whatever, if they can't sell it, they cant sell it. So Rogue Galaxy gets tossed, the cashier rings up the sale, and Paper Mario is still full price.

'The strategy guides are half off this week, it's in the circular." (Ignores me, pretending whe can't hear me).

"THE STRATEGY GUIDES ARE HALF OFF THIS WEEK!"

"They rang up full price in the...."

"THE...STRATEGY...GUIDES...ARE...HALF...OFF...THIS...WEEK...IT...IS...IN...THE...CIRCULAR!"

She walks off, gets the ad, flips through it twice, can't see the sale page and calls the manager to show her. Now she does a manual adjustment and rings the guide up at $9.99. OK, except it retails at $14.95.

"That's not half off." Ignores me again, which is REALLY starting to piss me off.

"TEN ISN'T HALF OF FIFTEEN!" She shoots me the "You're a bug on the windshield of my life" look, and pulls a calculator out of the drawer. Wow. Now, I am not making this part up: She jams on random calculator keys, stares at it, and walks off to customer service. She cannot use a calculator. No joke.

She returns 5 minutes later, and enters "$6.45" as the price. I start to correct her, then stop myself. She may quite honestly never get it right. Pay for my stuff and leave. 20 minute checkout.

Now is it just me, am I an asshole? Or is it scary that someone holding full time employment not only can't divide by two, but can't even do so with a calculator?
 
Richard, I can confirm that the Rogue Galaxy guide's UPC is screwed up in the system. It's tied in to a non-existant package that blocks the guide from being sold. Stupid, I know. As for the rest of your experience...geez. That's just...wow.

[quote name='WeaponX2099']Also the Halo Graphic Novel is .01 at GS, too!![/quote]

Is the the collection of the Halo:Uprising miniseries that Marvel did last year? If so, someone get me one
please:)
.
 
[quote name='neocisco']
Is the the collection of the Halo:Uprising miniseries that Marvel did last year? If so, someone get me one
please:)
.[/quote]
Not that one. This one: [pg]http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Graphic-Novel-Lee-Hammock/dp/0785123725/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201406267&sr=8-1[/pg]
I don't think that The Uprising one is a Hardcover book yet. This is a hardcover, not TPB.
 
Thanks, I'd forgotten about that one. Here's hoping GS gets the Uprising trade and/or hardcover so I can get it when it pennies out.:lol:
 
The Rockband Guide dropped to $4.99 on Best Buy's website. Its available for in-store pickup.

Edit: Note that this is listed as being 'on sale' and may return to its $9.99 price point
 
Codebreaker book w/ mini CD and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon(Prima version) added to the list for GS. Please specify which store the guides dropped at when reporting them for future reference. Thanks...
 
Mr. Longfellow--

Frustrating story you had there. At least you got a few dollars off for your trouble.

Occasionally my Backstage Pass doesn't work right at fye and the employees have to take the 10% off manually. They usually punch a few buttons, get frustrated and ask the 'smart' coworker.... "What's 10% off of $30?"

That's when my brain goes into fetal "God help us all" mode.

Odd percentages, I can forgive, but everyone should be able to do 10% (just move the decimal point, kids!) and 50% in their hads.
 
[quote name='nlyonssmith']The Rockband Guide dropped to $4.99 on Best Buy's website. Its available for in-store pickup.

Edit: Note that this is listed as being 'on sale' and may return to its $9.99 price point[/quote]



I almost got it at CC when all strategy guides were 50% off. These guides really need notecharts!!!
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Codebreaker book w/ mini CD and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon(Prima version) added to the list for GS. Please specify which store the guides dropped at when reporting them for future reference. Thanks...[/quote]
lol, sorry I thought I had put the store. It was Gamestop.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
bread's done
Back
Top