Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread X(Ten)

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IAmTheCheapestGamer

IAmTheCheapestGamer

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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 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/...d.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. Please, whenever possible, use RED font to make the drop info stand out. Thanks again.

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/...ighlight=guide
Guide Four:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/....php?p=1496376
Guide Five:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...ad.php?t=85976
Guide Six:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=116918
Guide Seven:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=131717
Guide Seven and a half:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=142400
Guide Eight:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=167157
Guide Nine:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187222

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
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.

Common Guide Drop Related Questions(FAQ):

FAQ - If you are new (or a vet with a few questions) look here SECOND! (After reading the above!)

Q: What Are Penny Guides?
A: 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.

Q: Do all guides from all stores drop at the same time?
A: No. While most chains have nationwide drops within their own store (as in every BB will have the same drops coast to coast), not every different chain drops at the same time (what drops at BB is NOT necessarily dropped at GS). When in doubt, check post TWO for drop info.

Q: I found a penny guide and a clerk denied me! I'ma report 'em!
A: Whoa, hold your horses there, pardner! First of all, not a question. Second, just because something is on the shelf, the clerk does NOT have to sell you that item. Most stores are PRIVATE property and as such can deny you just about anything they want - including a sale. The best advice is to not be rude, not be arrogant, and just try hard to get them to have pity on you.

Q: Why don't the clerks want to sell me their penny guides? Aren't they just throwing them away?
A: As stated above, the stores are ordered by the publisher to trash the guides, and are then given credit for those guides. If they don't do this, the publisher won't give them the credit - it's like losing a sale. On the employee level, selling a penny guide can sometimes get them in trouble (or even fired!) I know it seems silly, but this is their job we're talking about! Respect the man (or woman) behind the counter and you'll get a lot more guides than otherwise!

Q: Should I just ask if the store has penny guides then?
A: No, since that denotes that you have some insider information as to the runnings of these businesses.

Q: What if the clerk wants to know how I know so much about guide drops?
A: If asked where you got your info about guides that pennied, simply say either 'the internet' or 'a friend of mine told me they're on clearance'.

Q: But clerks will know what a penny guide is, right? I can talk to them like anyone else here...
A: Never use the word pennied to ANY store clerks unless you have built up a good rapport with them. Even then, it may seem a little fishy if you know more about their shop than they do.

Q: Are guides labeled as a penny on the shelf?
A: Sometimes. Most times, no. GS seems to label everything that gets a price drop, so often times guides will be stickered. But even so, they most likely won't sell them to you. A sticker does not mean 'have to sell'.

Q: I tried to buy a guide that this thread said was pennied and it didn't ring up as such! What gives?
A: Either 1) Our source was wrong (this rarely happens and is usually verified a FEW times within maybe an hour of posting), or 2) The clerk changed the price. It's usually number 2.

Q: What's the easiest way to get penny guides? This sounds like TONS of work!
A: Best Buy is probably the best place to get guides, followed by GameStop, GameCrazy, Toys R Us and then Blockbuster. From what I've seen though, probably 95% of guides that people get are snagged at BB - the rest come from the other stores. But it never hurts to try!

Q: Has there been a drop recently?
A: If you are asking this question you didn't fully understand the OP - go back and read it once more. When a drop happens, it will be posted, and then placed in the second post - trust us.

Q: How do you guys know so much about penny guides?
A: We sometimes have inside sources with the information from the stores themselves; other times, fellow CAGS just like you or me simply take suspected guides to the register and ask them to ring them up, to check their prices. Feel free to do this yourself, and help give back to the community by telling us what you find! However, DON'T ask "Has anyone checked XXX lately?", unless you are in the right thread (discussion area).

Thanks to GrilledWitOnions for creating the above FAQ, which should eliminate the need for such questions popping up in the thread from this point on out.
 
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Just checked my GS wish list and saw: "Currently Ninja Gaiden 2 Official Strategy Guide is not available for purchase and has been removed from your Wish List."

Pennied?
 
I grabbed the following penny guides from Gamestop today.

Afro Samurai (Brady)
Lord of the Rings: Conquest (Prima)
Madworld (Brady)
Ninja Gaiden II (Prima)
Stormrise (Brady)

Have fun everyone!!
 
[quote name='punkmaggit']I grabbed the following penny guides from Gamestop today.

Afro Samurai (Brady)
Lord of the Rings: Conquest (Prima)
Madworld (Brady)
Ninja Gaiden II (Prima)
Stormrise (Brady)

Have fun everyone!![/QUOTE]

Wow. I'm on my way there very shortly, so I should be able to confirm after I close tonight.
 
[quote name='punkmaggit']I grabbed the following penny guides from Gamestop today.

Afro Samurai (Brady)
Lord of the Rings: Conquest (Prima)
Madworld (Brady)
Ninja Gaiden II (Prima)
Stormrise (Brady)

Have fun everyone!![/QUOTE]

As soon as this is verified, I'll add it to the second post.

Thanks for the heads up though, punkmaggit. Furthermore, thanks for posting it in RED, like I've asked for repeatedly.
 
[quote name='punkmaggit']I grabbed the following penny guides from Gamestop today.

Afro Samurai (Brady)
Lord of the Rings: Conquest (Prima)
Madworld (Brady)
Ninja Gaiden II (Prima)
Stormrise (Brady)

Have fun everyone!![/QUOTE]Thanks punkmaggit!
I was able to score all but NG2. The second store I stopped at confirmed that NG2 was part of the list but they had already destroyed all their guides.
 
I can confirm it. I didn't get them (don't want them), but the Gamestop I visited did tell me about them. Had a large stack behind the counter, mostly LOtR Conquest.
 
I can confirm. Went into store an so none of the guides. Decided to go dumpster diving for first time an right their on top was a stack of ten guides. No need to get dirty.
 
denied again...Hopefully someone was able to pick up an extra copy of Afro Samurai for me to buy. I guess I'll be looking at trade lists.
I wish Walmart would penny guides.
 
I was also able to get the guides....

Afro Samurai
Storm Rise
Mad World
and
Ninja Gaiden II

Surprisingly not one problem, they were happy to give them to me. I was very happy for the Mad World guide as i just bought the game 2 days ago for 29.99. WOOT!
 
Had to work until 10 but I swung by anyway to see if they threw any away and score, sitting on top was

Sealed Mad Worldx2
Open Mad World
Open Stormrisex3
Open Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (not sure where this came from)

I didn't get any Ninja Gaiden 2 or Afro Samurai which is what I went for but I guess it's better than nothing.
 
Been a while since I've been able to score some guides, usually too late, even after 2 or 3 days. Go to my local GS, and the guys litterally hand me a box with the guides. Got at least 2 of each, except Stormrise which was only one. And they're all sealed too, ah, I remember how guides use to be opened, and shelfwear would just eat up the edges and corners.
 
[quote name='Link927']Been a while since I've been able to score some guides, usually too late, even after 2 or 3 days. Go to my local GS, and the guys litterally hand me a box with the guides. Got at least 2 of each, except Stormrise which was only one. And they're all sealed too, ah, I remember how guides use to be opened, and shelfwear would just eat up the edges and corners.[/QUOTE]

I think they did that to stop the chronic 'browsers' who would come in and check on something in a guide that they were stuck on and then leave the store to go home and try to get by that part they were stuck at.
 
Well, I know why I'm no longer able to get penny guides from GS. Apparently, the DM is a real ball-buster, and she's a stickler for field destroys getting done properly and correctly. :bomb: Which, of course, includes penny guides.

Oh well, there's always BB and the kindness of CAGs.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Well, I know why I'm no longer able to get penny guides from GS. Apparently, the DM is a real ball-buster, and she's a stickler for field destroys getting done properly and correctly. :bomb: Which, of course, includes penny guides.

Oh well, there's always BB and the kindness of CAGs.[/QUOTE]

I'm in the same situation. I haven't found a guide at 8 GS's in at least a year and a half.
 
Was the Afro Samurai guide sealed? The reason I asked is, because the two that I have right here have the sticker UNDER the shrink wrap, so I'm thinking my local GS did this themselves?
 
[quote name='Link927']Was the Afro Samurai guide sealed? The reason I asked is, because the two that I have right here have the sticker UNDER the shrink wrap, so I'm thinking my local GS did this themselves?[/QUOTE]

No, mine were not sealed...i am guessing that gamestop did that....probably to prevent people from looking at it in the store.
 
[quote name='Rollobobo']No, mine were not sealed...i am guessing that gamestop did that....probably to prevent people from looking at it in the store.[/QUOTE]

Im pretty suprised to see that my GS would take the initiative to even do that. Or any GS for that matter.
 
No luck for me with any of the recent GS drops. Even the "cool" Gamestops were on the ball this time. Oh well, most of those guides are also at Best Buy so I'm holding out hope to get them there.
 
found a GS with a TON of the penny guides on the shelf, and couldn't get a single one :(
-tales of symphonia
-Afro samurai
-PoP: CE
-Mirrors Edge: CE
And 6 others...

The girl said "wth? They are coming out for a penny" and the other guy working responded "price modify them to the stickered price" when I protested that if they were a penny I should get them for that price I would think, he threw them in the trash and said he couldn't sell them then. ...so low :(
 
[quote name='reicaden']found a GS with a TON of the penny guides on the shelf, and couldn't get a single one :(
-tales of symphonia
-Afro samurai
-PoP: CE
-Mirrors Edge: CE
And 6 others...

The girl said "wth? They are coming out for a penny" and the other guy working responded "price modify them to the stickered price" when I protested that if they were a penny I should get them for that price I would think, he threw them in the trash and said he couldn't sell them then. ...so low :([/QUOTE]

What a dick!!!!
 
It's tough, unless you wanna burn the bridge and ruin your chances of getting guides there in the future you kind of just have to grin and bear it and hope the next time you have better luck. Lately I've found if I go up with one I don't really care for to start and they let me take it I'll go grab the others, if not I only lost one I didn't need in the first place and can come back under a different employee and try again.
 
I always go up with no expectations, I've had employees shoot me down, and other employees who give you the guide, then pull some from the back and give those to you on top. Of course, I'm estatic whenever I do get some guides, especially when I usually get them every few months. Of course, 75% of the time you are shot down, so you just get use to it, and move on
 
Just remember the turn over rate is pretty high for retail. The person who denied you probably wont be around 6 months later. There is no need to make a big deal.
 
[quote name='ferant316']It's tough, unless you wanna burn the bridge and ruin your chances of getting guides there in the future you kind of just have to grin and bear it and hope the next time you have better luck. Lately I've found if I go up with one I don't really care for to start and they let me take it I'll go grab the others, if not I only lost one I didn't need in the first place and can come back under a different employee and try again.[/QUOTE]

I've actually brought up guides they had pulled and restickered with an actual fuckin' .01 sticker ON IT and I've been denied.

Then again, the usual high rate of turnover has slowed to an almost complete stop at my local GS stores anymore. I see the same 8-10 people at the 4-5 I hit whenever there's a drop.

I know to completely avoid the one mall store and I do at least try to hit up the one where the DM has his office since they've been cool about letting me grab them if they're on the shelf.

But the other three I usually hit are complete dead zones and I laugh every time there's a drop since I will still go in and try to find ONE they missed. When I don't I joke with the clerks that they're getting insanely good at pulling the guides anymore.

Shame really, since the one was a goldmine under the old employees. The manager is still there who used to work with the old employees, but he's rarely there anymore, which sucks since he used to be the one to agree to lemme grab some.
 
[quote name='guinaevere']Doesn't Best Buy drop on the first something of the month? Why check today?[/QUOTE]Normally, yes, they do their drops on the first Monday of the month. In the past, they have done drops at other times during the month, or other days during the week.

Some people in this thread have some impulse control issues, and assume that every day is guide drop day, so they ask about it. That, and they never claim they have any free time to check themselves, so they ask others to go run out and check for them. Therein lies the posts you're referring to.

Like all guide drops, we'll find out when the guides drop, and if we're lucky, we might get some advance notice. Otherwise, we're just spinning our wheels over guide drops that aren't happening.
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']is anyone gonna get a spart moment to price check some guides at BB today?[/QUOTE]

Why don't you ever do it yourself? I'm sure you're going to say "I don't have time...yadda....yadda....yadda...."

Why assume other people will drop what they're doing to check for you?

Why do you keep posting the same questions week after week? If there's a drop and someone here has information on it, I swear to all that is righteous, pure and true that it will be posted.

There is no need to ask, as it just makes you look bad and it shows you can only take and never give.

Sorry for the rant and I will wholeheartedly understand if/when my post gets deleted, but these sorts of posts from him and others that are similar have just got to stop.

Mods, please do your thing...
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']is anyone gonna get a spart moment to price check some guides at BB today?[/QUOTE]

Will you please quit asking about this EVERY Monday? No one is sitting around with drop info just waiting for you to ask about it.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Why do you keep posting the same questions week after week? If there's a drop and someone here has information on it, I swear to all that is righteous, pure and true that it will be posted.[/quote]He does this every monday? Really?

Mods, please do your thing...
Click to expand...
Well, shrike just gave a minor spanking. ♥ shrike.

If people have been doing this every week and contribute nothing themselves, lemme know.
 
[quote name='guinaevere']He does this every monday? Really?

If people have been doing this every week and contribute nothing themselves, lemme know.[/QUOTE]

Really. Every week with no contributions.

I'll admit that I'm not a healthy contributor, but I don't ask people to do anything I'm not willing to do myself.

Which begs this question: If he is too busy to check for guide drops and asks someone else to do it, what would he do if someone else did find guide drops at Best Buy???? Something tells me he would miraculously find some free time.....:roll:
 
If anything, you'd think they'd actually want to do a drop today when everyone is too busy going to outdoor activities and BBQs with family and friends to bother going out to a retail store - it would lower the chance of people finding the books on the shelves.
 
[quote name='Visc']If anything, you'd think they'd actually want to do a drop today when everyone is too busy going to outdoor activities and BBQs with family and friends to bother going out to a retail store - it would lower the chance of people finding the books on the shelves.[/QUOTE]

If I recall, there was a drop last 4th of July...
 
Well, I'm going to proect sacreddoctor on this one. I tend to check this thread every Monday to see if there were any BB drops. I know some CAGs have mentioned that their BB's have price scanners so overall it's much easier for them to check. If I went to BB to check for penny guides, I'd have to grab a stack, bring them to the register, ask the cashier to scan them all, and then proceed to say "Ok, these are all full price, I don't want any of them."
 
[quote name='Chronis']Well, I'm going to proect sacreddoctor on this one. I tend to check this thread every Monday to see if there were any BB drops. I know some CAGs have mentioned that their BB's have price scanners so overall it's much easier for them to check. If I went to BB to check for penny guides, I'd have to grab a stack, bring them to the register, ask the cashier to scan them all, and then proceed to say "Ok, these are all full price, I don't want any of them."[/QUOTE]

I check this thread daily, not just weekly. I still don't understand why he has to ask. Has there ever been a time where any of us had any drop information but we held off letting the rest of us know because nobody offiicially asked?? In addition, I understand your point about getting a cashier to scan guides (heck, I'm in the same boat as you too), but his excuse that HE has listed before was that he didn't have the time, not that it would be difficult to do.

I mean, if you're so busy to check for guide prices, wouldn't that mean you would be too busy to go buy them too?
 
I have information that is for sacreddoctor only. Please don't click if you are not sacreddoctor.

MGS4 CE, Fallout 3 CE and RE5 all dropped today. I'm only telling you because you're the only one who cares enough to ask about drops every week without fail. I was glad to check for you so you don't have to be bothered to do it yourself. Hopefully you will be able to find time in your furiously busy schedule to go get them. You're the man!!!
 
[quote name='Visc']If anything, you'd think they'd actually want to do a drop today when everyone is too busy going to outdoor activities and BBQs with family and friends to bother going out to a retail store - it would lower the chance of people finding the books on the shelves.[/QUOTE]

My store was packed this morning from open till the time I left with not a single slowdown - but no guides drpped today.
 
[quote name='neocisco']I have information that is for sacreddoctor only. Please don't click if you are not sacreddoctor.

MGS4 CE, Fallout 3 CE and RE5 all dropped today. I'm only telling you because you're the only one who cares enough to ask about drops every week without fail. I was glad to check for you so you don't have to be bothered to do it yourself. Hopefully you will be able to find time in your furiously busy schedule to go get them. You're the man!!!
[/QUOTE]

Oops! I clicked, and lol'd.
 
[quote name='neocisco']I have information that is for sacreddoctor only. Please don't click if you are not sacreddoctor.
[/QUOTE]

Neocisco for CAG of the year.
 
You'd think a thread that has at least one moderator (Shrike) checking regularly, there wouldn't be such an obscene amount of back seat moderation.
 
[quote name='fuss']My store was packed this morning from open till the time I left with not a single slowdown - but no guides drpped today.[/QUOTE]


Thanks as always Fuss.
 
[quote name='guinaevere']He does this every monday? Really?

If people have been doing this every week and contribute nothing themselves, lemme know.[/QUOTE]

And every week Ubiiquitous replies telling SacredDr not to post clutter to the thread. And every week both of their posts get deleted as clutter.

Found some clearance guides at Target today (Diablo 2 and some others). Didn't pick up any but will post the skus if they're still there when I go back later this week. Every once in awhile they'll show up as part of the regular Target clearance but I don't think they're tracked in that thread. Maybe we should start tracking those skus here?
 
So.... Why post at all? I'm seriously annoyed with the back seat moderation too. Look it's a thread that people can post in and request if people happened to notice any drops. Whenever I happen to be at BB I'll check guides every time and I have reported on drops before but that won't stop me from asking if anyone happened to go to BB on Monday. Most of us have different schedules and won't be able to go to BB until others already have had the chance to go and check. This doesn't mean that it is expected that people go out of their way to check for us, but you do realize we have people that go there every Monday or work at best buy that happen to check and can post whether there were drops. So the question gets asked every week. So what? Don't respond to it if you don't like it. As for IATCG: great job on the thread but despite creating it you have no moderation rights to say who and what gets posted in it. You'll continue to have people posting whatever they want in here. Shrike can delete this if he wants but this is about making a point. Let the mods do what they feel is right regardless of whether it is or not. You guys aren't mods here so quit making up these rules that you guys can't enforce.
 
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