Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread Nine

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(KEEP ALL TRADE REQUESTS HERE OR IN PM'S)
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(KEEP ALL DISCUSSION NOT RELATED TO GUIDE DROPS HERE!!!)
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169252

Guide Lists(master drop lists and recent drops):

Master Drop List(by store, alphabetically):
http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28master_lists%29

Recent Guide Drops(by date,also check the second post in this thread):
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
Guide Eight:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167157

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
Barnes&Noble
BestBuy
BookPool
CircuitCity
Gamestop
Overstock
StrategyGuides.net
ToysRUs

Thanks to floormat, Guinavere and anyone else who has created and maintained the guide thread before, as well as to all of those who find out either advance information on drops or provide a list of which ones dropped when we do have a drop.

The post below this one contains a list going back at LEAST six months of the more current guide drops, which stores they occured at and which ones dropped. Note that sometimes(Oblivion guide, Quake Wars: Enemy Territory)there are multiple versions of a guide, be it that there are Prima versions, Brady versions and the occasional Nintendo and Doublejump guides.

Please specify WHICH version has dropped when mentioning possible guide drops. Thank you.


 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0 Downvote
[quote name='Mr.Bojangles']Um no. They informed me it was a penny and asked if there were anymore out. I said yes, and asked if I can buy the rest. They nodded, went to the back, and said only one of each. Once again, it was their fault.[/quote]

Hah, oh wow. :p Guess they had a change of heart.
 
[quote name='Mr.Bojangles']Again, sorry if I didn't make this clear, I added the rest after they asked if there were any more out! Basically, they told me to get them, and I did, in hope of them selling them to me. They didn't, and I find that unacceptable.[/QUOTE]

Again, if it's not clear, they can sell you or not sell you anything they want. If they want you to have 0, 1, 2, 3......guides, then that is their perogative. It doesn't matter what you find acceptable. It's their business and they can run it how they like as long as no laws are being broken.

You got 1 guide of each when you technically shouldn't have gotten any penny guides. I find that to be great customer service. If you don't find it acceptable, then shop elsewhere. But you have no right to get angry.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Again, if it's not clear, they can sell you or not sell you anything they want. If they want you to have 0, 1, 2, 3......guides, then that is their perogative. It doesn't matter what you find acceptable. It's their business and they can run it how they like as long as no laws are being broken.

You got 1 guide of each when you technically shouldn't have gotten any penny guides. I find that to be great customer service. If you don't find it acceptable, then shop elsewhere. But you have no right to get angry.[/quote]

Dude! You don't get it. He like nodded so I can get every single copy of Quake Wars to the counter because the employees there are fricken lazy! If you are going to say I can buy the rest, sell them to me!
 
[quote name='Mr.Bojangles']Dude! You don't get it. He like nodded so I can get every single copy of Quake Wars to the counter because the employees there are fricken lazy! If you are going to say I can buy the rest, sell them to me![/QUOTE]

Listen, I get it. They must have changed their mind. Oh well. They actually did you a favor. There's nothing you could do with 10 copies of Quake Wars any way. If they had 10 copies of the guide for Suikoden 2 marked as a penny and they wouldn't give them to you, then you could feel free to feel a little more perturbed. If I was a business owner, I would reserve final judgment for all sales too. As long as I wasn't breaking the law, then I would be ok. If the only customer I would lose is someone who just wants my penny guides, then the loss to me would be infintesimal.
 
Dude. I buy everything from there. It is not my fault that management sucks so bad that they have new employees that are jerk offs every two weeks or so.
 
[quote name='Mr.Bojangles']Dude. I buy everything from there. It is not my fault that management sucks so bad that they have new employees that are jerk offs every two weeks or so.[/QUOTE]

I don't think what they did makes them jerk offs, but, again, there are other options besides that one store for your gaming needs, so that would be your best move since you seem to think you're not getting the level of service you need.
 
So, you did get guides? What's the problem?

Sorry I agree, they don't have to sell them all to you and it's not the end of the world, especially since you got some. I've never gotten a guide from GS and I am good friends with a manager.
 
[quote name='Mr.Bojangles']Ugh I was shot down at GameStop. They had one Turok out and about 10 Quake Wars. I went to the register with one of each. It took them 10 fricken minutes to ring them up! The cashier went into the backroom. Then I gave him about 9 more gudies of Quake Wars since he :surprised" me by informing me that they are a penny. He said "Oh there were more?!. I can only sell you one of each." I was like "Why? I want them, and they were outside on the shelves to be sold!" He then goes on and asks me a weird question, "Are you selling these to us?" I said "No, they were on the shelves with the guides." He then goes on saying that they have to return them to the manufacturer and can't sell the rest anymore. I am fricken pissed off. Don't you think that if the fricken lazy employess leave the penny guides out, that the customers should be able to buy them? Last time, I got shot down by some bitchy asian woman saying "I will not price check this guide for you. The price on the book(the one that is on it from being printed) is the price it is.!" I was just checking to see if it was "on sale."

/ANGRY RANT[/quote]

This used to be MY attitude on guides as well, but I changed that opinion radically once I had amassed TONS and TONS of guides and NONE were worth SQUAT. Even if you only intended on trading the extra QW guides here, I have a feeling you'd be sitting on 5-7 or more of them for a LOOOOONG time.

Once you realize that unless the guides are for older/rare/sought after games and are actually useful, you look at grabbing pennied guides a WHOLE different way. They also tend to take up assloads of space.
 
[quote name='darkslime']I've found a used game store that takes guides for $1-3 in credit each, so massive amounts of crappy guides are good.[/QUOTE]

Is it a national chain, or is it just a local store in your area?
 
Diddly squat at BB today. All the guides I thought might have dropped, didn't. the only one I didn't check was Halo 3, but I really doubt that pennied.

Did manage to grab a Folklore at a GS on the way home though. Big surprise. :)
 
[quote name='GuardianE']Diddly squat at BB today. All the guides I thought might have dropped, didn't. the only one I didn't check was Halo 3, but I really doubt that pennied.

Did manage to grab a Folklore at a GS on the way home though. Big surprise. :)[/QUOTE]

Hey man, thanks for checking. I didn't think anything would have pennied today, but I still appreciate you taking the lead for the thread today. Thanks again....
 
[quote name='darkslime']I've found a used game store that takes guides for $1-3 in credit each, so massive amounts of crappy guides are good.[/quote]

My local shop didn't give me $1 each, more like twenty five cents each, but the majority of what I dumped on them was the crap of my vast collection of guides. Either way, it was 24 times more than I paid in most cases, so I was happy as could be since they took ALL OF THEM at once.

I'm putting this next piece of info I found out in bold and red because I feel that it may well change how we all go looking for guides. I was informed by a long time BB employee at one of my local stores that they do WEEKLY markdowns of items on MONDAYS(kind of like many Target stores do).

Take that for what you will, but if anything it means that we have at least FOUR chances a month for guides to drop now. There is NO guarantee that any will drop during EACH Monday markdown list though.

I was also informed by this same employee that the Assassin's Creed Limited Edition guide dropped. They wouldn't say WHEN perse, but they did tell me it dropped. I'm adding it to the second post but I'll put the note 'needs verified' next to it until someone can check it and find out for sure(since my local BB stores have NONE of them in stock already).

Furthermore, I was also told that if I come in each Monday(since the employee said they work opening most times), that they would let me know if any guides dropped and which ones and that they'd let me grab them as well.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Stopped by my local BB yesterday and they had Dark Sector and Pokemon Battle Rev for $.01. In fact, they were labeled as $.01.

Checked the Assassin's Creed guide, and it wasn't $.01 yet.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Hey man, thanks for checking. I didn't think anything would have pennied today, but I still appreciate you taking the lead for the thread today. Thanks again....[/quote]

It was on the way home from work anyway, but you're welcome. :)

[quote name='Torrwin']
Checked the Assassin's Creed guide, and it wasn't $.01 yet.[/quote]

Regular or Limited Edition? They have different SKUs.
 
I stopped at a BB in Norwalk CT and the Assassin's Creed Ltd Ed was full price (I think $39.99) as well. Also saw Quake Wars Enemy Territory but it too was full price ($24.99 I think).
 
[quote name='borg20001']I stopped at a BB in Norwalk CT and the Assassin's Creed Ltd Ed was full price (I think $39.99) as well. Also saw Quake Wars Enemy Territory but it too was full price ($24.99 I think).[/quote]

Only the Quake Wars Enemy Territory older version is pennied. There's an updated version that covers console versions (it has a little red burst image on the cover). If you look behind the newer version, sometimes you'll find older copies.
 
My BB has been prudent in removing penny guides ever since they developed a corner section with its own register, separate from just about every other department!

The Animal Crossing WW guides that have been sitting on shelves for years are gone, which is an extreme oddity at this BB since no one seems to hit it but me. And strategy guides are now in 6 different sections in the VG department, with one behind the register.

It seems my BB .01 guide days are over... and the local GS pull guides the day they drop, dammit.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Don't need to. I was referring to me. I assumed that would be inferred since I did mention "I" twice in the sentence you quoted.[/quote]

You are also inferring that other people will not share my experience. Just because you have not experienced something, does not mean someone else did (/will) not have that experience.
 
[quote name='Caliburn']My BB has been prudent in removing penny guides ever since they developed a corner section with its own register, separate from just about every other department!

The Animal Crossing WW guides that have been sitting on shelves for years are gone, which is an extreme oddity at this BB since no one seems to hit it but me. And strategy guides are now in 6 different sections in the VG department, with one behind the register.

It seems my BB .01 guide days are over... and the local GS pull guides the day they drop, dammit.[/quote]

Your lucky you can still get them at all.
The Sidney Marcus /Buckhead BB (ATL) has dropped guides totally.
I hope this isn't going to be a national trend.

I also hit up the next three closest BB for the AC LE that I really wanted but all were empty despite each one having 2-3 or three last week.
 
Well, I don't know if this is company-wide, but just talked to my contact at TRU, who said that they dont' even penny the guides out anymore. They just throw them away, or RTV the suckers. He asked if he could buy one and his manager said "Yeah, for $17."

I guess this varies from store to store, but it looks like I"ll be hitting up BB almost exclusively for penny guides now. TRU seems like a lost cause.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']You are also inferring that other people will not share my experience. Just because you have not experienced something, does not mean someone else did (/will) not have that experience.[/QUOTE]

Actually, I implied and you inferred. I can only represent my own experiences, so, again, that is why I used the pronoun "I". If everyone in the country had the same experience as you, that still wouldn't change my post. It is MY experience. If someone else's is different, then that's phenominally fantastic. I can only speak for myself, however. So I did. Not sure why this is such a big issue....
 
there was a drop at GS today. Caught me off guard too as I was just in to mingle. I also happened to get the full list and it is:

Army of Two
Condemned 2
Haze

and a real gem

Mario Galaxy LE

Got all but the latter - the one galaxy they had they kept.

Oh well, still made out well.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice drops you found, Visc. I guess the Mario Galaxy LE guide will be like the other hardcover books that have dropped over the years at GS, damn hard to find.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Nice drops you found, Visc. I guess the Mario Galaxy LE guide will be like the other hardcover books that have dropped over the years at GS, damn hard to find.[/quote]

I'm more surprised I was the guy to end up announcing this one first. Thats never happened here til today.

Though you're right with the Mario Galaxy book - I do have one more GS to hit this weekend, so we'll see.
 
[quote name='Visc']I'm more surprised I was the guy to end up announcing this one first. Thats never happened here til today.

Though you're right with the Mario Galaxy book - I do have one more GS to hit this weekend, so we'll see.[/quote]Good luck with finding it. I bought it when I bought SMG, and it's a really nice guide, IMHO.

I know tracking down the GT4 and HL2 hardcover books had been very difficult when they pennied out, so I expect this to be no different. Same goes for the Mass Effect LE guide and the Army of Two LE guide.
 
Hey Visc:D I'm iJohn on TZ;)

I told you of my misfortune. GameStops are catching on to people buying penny guides. It is basically, have a friend that works there, or no penny guides. At least it isn't only me.

Please BB I want a drop!:p
 
[quote name='Mr.Bojangles']Hey Visc:D I'm iJohn on TZ;)

I told you of my misfortune. GameStops are catching on to people buying penny guides. It is basically, have a friend that works there, or no penny guides. At least it isn't only me.

Please BB I want a drop!:p[/quote]

I'd say develope a symbiosis with the staff. Works out great in the long run.
 
[quote name='Ice2Dragon']Cheapest

The limited edition art book with Assassins Creed guide is NOT a penny. It still rang up as 24.99 here in Ohio -_-V[/quote]

OK, thanks for the info. I'll remove it.
 
Can confirm also. Limited Edition Assassin's Creed is 24.99. It IS $10 off the MSRP, although I don't know what the price of this was last week. It may have dropped some bucks and it may have not.

Wish I'd read about these Gamestop drops earlier. Looks like I'll have to make some trips out tomorrow.
 
Just for clarification is the Super Mario Galaxy "Limited Edition" guide this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Mario-Galaxy-Collectors-Official/dp/076155713X

or is it something different from the Collector's Edition? I'd hate to have to bring up something and pay full price for it!

Also, a good strategy I've found if you only want one guide from a GS is to buy it along with other items, preferably with the game the guide is for. They think you just want the guide and let it slide. If you choose, you can return said game at a later date, preferably at a different GS. While it's a slow process, it's just fine if you're not hoarding. I've gotten penny guides from 3 different Gamestops that have refused me in the past (in two instances from the same employees that have refused me before).
 
[quote name='Rave Child']Just for clarification is the Super Mario Galaxy "Limited Edition" guide this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Mario-Galaxy-Collectors-Official/dp/076155713X

or is it something different from the Collector's Edition? I'd hate to have to bring up something and pay full price for it!

Also, a good strategy I've found if you only want one guide from a GS is to buy it along with other items, preferably with the game the guide is for. They think you just want the guide and let it slide. If you choose, you can return said game at a later date, preferably at a different GS. While it's a slow process, it's just fine if you're not hoarding. I've gotten penny guides from 3 different Gamestops that have refused me in the past (in two instances from the same employees that have refused me before).[/quote]

See, but some of us(IE: ME) are cheap bastards who don't want to have to buy something else to 'mask' their purchase. To me, if they're gonna sell me the guide for .01, they'll sell it to me regardless of whether or not I buy something else WITH it.

I'm just straight forward and say I heard they were being cleared out.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']See, but some of us(IE: ME) are cheap bastards who don't want to have to buy something else to 'mask' their purchase. To me, if they're gonna sell me the guide for .01, they'll sell it to me regardless of whether or not I buy something else WITH it.

I'm just straight forward and say I heard they were being cleared out.[/quote]


That's what I used to do, and the employees were always like "you're right. We can't sell this to you, we need to destroy it." I always ask why and they just keep shutting me down.

Of course, I've actually been making a legitimate purchase each time I've brought a pennied guide to the register, so it was just as easy for me to "mask" my guide purchase.
 
But, that's why I still had a problem because even when I was going to buy something to 'mask' it, they would either void the guide off the transaction or try and override it to the original MSRP.

When that happened to me about 2-3 times, I just said fuck it and I started being brazen and JUST bringing up the guides by themselves. If they sell them to me, so be it, if not then I walk out without anything. Simple as that.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']But, that's why I still had a problem because even when I was going to buy something to 'mask' it, they would either void the guide off the transaction or try and override it to the original MSRP.

When that happened to me about 2-3 times, I just said fuck it and I started being brazen and JUST bringing up the guides by themselves. If they sell them to me, so be it, if not then I walk out without anything. Simple as that.[/quote]

Actually, when "masking" it, nice cashiers will just give it to you without ringing it up at all. I always ask for a price check ahead of time. If it looks like I'm buying something else, they seem more likely to let me keep the book.

Then again, it all depends on the employee.
 
Aah, that makes sense then. I only just thought to try it in the past few weeks, and the 5-6 times I have, it's worked for me. I'll probably try just bringing guides up soon, though, because after all of these latest coupons, there really isn't much for me to be buying. I just worry that bringing up single penny guides will alert stores and cause them to take them all whenever there's a drop. I really wouldn't want that to happen because one my stores has a fat stack of FFXII Limited Edition guides that I'm hoping will drop soon.
 
Don't know if it's necessary or not...but just want to verify the penny-drop on the SMG Collector's Edition black hardback at GS.

Re: how to approach buying pennied guides at GS...I usually just say I heard they were on sale or clearance. Doesn't always work ("We can't sell you that."), but it did for the SMG CE guide.
 
Well I know where I'm heading tomorrow!! There's about 4 GS within a 2 miles radius of my work - hopefully the odds aren't stacked against me. Thanks for the info!
 
[quote name='punkmaggit']Well I know where I'm heading tomorrow!! There's about 4 GS within a 2 miles radius of my work - hopefully the odds aren't stacked against me. Thanks for the info![/quote]

By now theyre gone.

Employees arent supposed to take them, but everyone ive ever met when I worked as a manager there, as soon as something got pennied out it was gone to the hands of the employee, even though thats not supposed to happen.

"Rip off the cover and throw in dumpster" never happened at my store.

Corruption -_-V
 
You never know that they'll be gone. I see guides that pennied over half a year ago at some Gamestops. It depends on the employees and their leniency/greed.
 
Well, I usually try to pick up something, especially at GS I've been to only a few times, or I'm not familar with how the employees will react (Especially now, there seems to be some fresh employees for the summer).
 
Yesterday at a local GameStop, I price checked the Haze guide. I said I read online that it was on clearance. The clerk looked at it, and was like "oh..." and then tossed it aside then said "Actually, we're not supposed to have it. We need to send it back to the publisher." I then asked if he could sell it, and he said no, the guide must have been out by mistake. I then said there were three more on the shelf, and if he wanted me to hand them to him. He said yes, so I did. Then I left.

Also, I checked my local Toys R Us and the softcover Phantom Hourglass guide was still regular price.
 
[quote name='ZackScott']I then said there were three more on the shelf, and if he wanted me to hand them to him. He said yes, so I did. Then I left.

[/quote]

Are you collecting a paycheck from this store? No? Then why bother to help the employees when they are clearly not doing their job? Especially if they're not gonna help you out in the first place.:roll:;)
 
I got shut down at the local GS yesterday with 2 SMG Hardcover guides in hand! :bomb:

The worst part about it was I had to wait in line for 15 minutes while the clerk tried to up-sell every possible accessory and game to a woman buying a PS3. Even worse the customer had no clue about any of it. He could have probably sold her a xbox 360 Hard Drive with the PS3 and she would have bought it. All the while the manager is coming in and out of the back room, taking calls and basically doing who knows what. So I finally get to the register and right as the clerk starts ringing me up the manager comes out from the back with district manager. So of course the guides ring up as being out of the system and the manager grabs them from the clerk and runs them to the back while saying he cannot sell them to me. Sucks because the same guy had given them to me in the past, but with the DM there it wasn't happening.

The other store I stopped at had everything that had pennied pulled already. So it looks like my previous scores might have hurt my chances on this one...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
bread's done
Back
Top