Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread XI

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 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.


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 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

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 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/...d.php?t=187222
Guide Ten:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219547

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, Guinaevere 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.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0 Downvote
[quote name='kk012']I stopped by a GS that had pulled the Tekken 6, Cheat Codes Overload Fall, and FF Crystal Chronicles guides. These were in a pile sitting on the front counter for customers to take for free. I saw an Aliens vs. Predator guide towards the bottom of the pile. I was in a rush to get home so I didn't take it out of the pile to check if there was a penny price tag on it. Therefore, I think it pennied out, but can't confirm it.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info. I am going to check a couple stores tonight.
 
Is that the full title of the Crystal Chronicles game whose guide I listed in the second and third posts already? Or two seperate guides? I ask because I don't keep up on the 90 billion Final Fantasy games at all.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Is that the full title of the Crystal Chronicles game whose guide I listed in the second and third posts already? Or two seperate guides? I ask because I don't keep up on the 90 billion Final Fantasy games at all.[/QUOTE]

For clarification, the recently pennied out guide at GS is

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers (it is the Wii game)

Yeah, there are lots of FF games and the recent ones seem to have really long titles-haha.
 
i was able to get ff chronicles,tekken 6 and fallout 3 goty from one gamestop. went to another and apparently theirs a new dm now. he enforces shredded guides and writes u up if you dont. so as i walked to counter with a fallout 3 goty and ff chronicles she went im sorry i cant give you these anymore our new dms rules. she then proceeded IN MY FACE to shred the guide. i swear i wanted to cry.
 
I had luck snatching up 3 copies of FFCC: Crystal Bearers, Tekken 6, Forza Motorsport 3, Mini Ninjas, Muramasa, and Mariokart Wii. And I can also confirm that AvP dropped, as I found one copy of that I got from a GS! :D No luck on any Fallout 3 GOTY though! :(

I went to 4 GS's in the area total, and although I was not 'declined' at any, one did say I would have to pre-order something in order to get them ... to which I politely declined the guides/preorder! :D
 
[quote name='kk012']I stopped by a GS that had pulled the Tekken 6, Cheat Codes Overload Fall, and FF Crystal Chronicles guides. These were in a pile sitting on the front counter for customers to take for free. I saw an Aliens vs. Predator guide towards the bottom of the pile. I was in a rush to get home so I didn't take it out of the pile to check if there was a penny price tag on it. Therefore, I think it pennied out, but can't confirm it.[/QUOTE]

I wish for something like this to happen for me. I have yet to have any luck with penny guides, but I think I will give my local GS stores another try next week.
 
[quote name='gauu']i was able to get ff chronicles,tekken 6 and fallout 3 goty from one gamestop. went to another and apparently theirs a new dm now. he enforces shredded guides and writes u up if you dont. so as i walked to counter with a fallout 3 goty and ff chronicles she went im sorry i cant give you these anymore our new dms rules. she then proceeded IN MY FACE to shred the guide. i swear i wanted to cry.[/QUOTE]

So not getting duplicates...of the guides you just got...was enough to make you cry? :roll:
 
Dammit... my nearest Gamestops all are pretty good about penny guides, I really just want AVP and Tekken 6 and Fallout 3, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to pick anything up. We'll see how my luck unfolds.
 
[quote name='guidecollector']Anyone in the DC area hunting guides? I'm on a business trip here for two and don't want to trespass on anyones home turf.[/QUOTE]

I'm from the MontCo area, and outside of a few strands here and there, it's fairly dry.

Anyway, I've heard nothing about any drops (or anything that would hint towards a drop) today, though I'll still check tomorrow morning. I just really need to get a fan.
 
I am really hoping for Bioshock 2 CE to drop tomorrow. I found a store that still had a Fall3 guide last week, but they price changed it up to 35 on me. That just makes me angry, i'd rather them say they have to shred it than sell it to me at an altered price.
 
[quote name='Zippon']So not getting duplicates...of the guides you just got...was enough to make you cry? :roll:[/QUOTE]

no my point is that now with the new dm ill never be getting pennied guides from the gamestops by me. that just leaves one gamestop where i know the manager at and ill have to hope the guides dont sell.
 
What is Target's policy on penny guides? Went to a different Target than I normally go to and saw a SF IV guide with the UPC code torn off. No way to tell the price since there was no code to scan and no spot for it anywhere (it was in a pile of guides sitting in the DS accessory shelves.)

I'll be in that area tomorrow so I may see if its still there if I can get it cheap.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']What is Target's policy on penny guides?[/QUOTE]

There is none. Because "penny guides" don't really exist.

Best Buy and Gamestop use an outdated system where, instead of marking something as "not for sale", they use a dummy price of $.01 to indicate that something should be pulled. But the employees either don't understand or don't care and give the guides away for a penny or less.

Target will clearance old guides using their own system (15%, 25%, 50%, etc). Once it reaches a certain threshold, they will either destroy it or return it to the publisher.

And every chain decides individually when a guide is outdated. There is no nationwide change, like, for example, when a game has a universal price drop. A discontinued guide at Best Buy may be still be carried at Target a year or more later (and vice versa).
 
[quote name='gauu']no my point is that now with the new dm ill never be getting pennied guides from the gamestops by me. that just leaves one gamestop where i know the manager at and ill have to hope the guides dont sell.[/QUOTE]

I see. I'm sort of in the same boat. One really cool store nearby that offers me penny guides, and the rest are all cracking down. Kinda sucks, but I count every cheap guide as a blessing. We've exploited the hell out of this particular glitch for a long, long time. :cool:
 
[quote name='Zippon']There is none. Because "penny guides" don't really exist.

Best Buy and Gamestop use an outdated system where, instead of marking something as "not for sale", they use a dummy price of $.01 to indicate that something should be pulled. But the employees either don't understand or don't care and give the guides away for a penny or less.

Target will clearance old guides using their own system (15%, 25%, 50%, etc). Once it reaches a certain threshold, they will either destroy it or return it to the publisher.

And every chain decides individually when a guide is outdated. There is no nationwide change, like, for example, when a game has a universal price drop. A discontinued guide at Best Buy may be still be carried at Target a year or more later (and vice versa).[/QUOTE]

I know how things are handled with guides given my longer than your CAG membership, but I'd never seen this situation at Target. Normally they clearance out guides like their other merchandise as you said, but I'd never seen one without the UPC. That was probably their way of designating it for destruction/return to publisher, but I just wanted to know if I should of tried to buy it and see what happens as I've never tried to buy a "penny guide" from Target that was missing its UPC.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
After 10 minutes of back and forth on the walkie-talkies, they will shrug their shoulders and say they don't kow how to ring it up, and then you will see back on the shelf next week.

Reminds me of the time a new girl was working electronics and she used the scan gun and kept scanning the red clearance sticker. After five tries she finally figured out what was wrong...she wasn't left handed. She switched hands and it still didn't work. I suggested scanning the UPC, and much to her relief, it worked.
 
I miss Best Buy drops. I can never get anything from the Gamestops around here so Best Buy is my only source of guides. I have my fingers crossed for today but its not looking likely.
 
YMMV...hit a BB that's kinda out of the way from me yesterday and they had Animal Crossing City Folk red sticker price tag for $0.99...needless to say I bought all 4 and they also had LoZ Spirit Tracks CE red sticker price tag for $14.99...there are several left...Hadley, MA
 
[quote name='ANGELofHELL']Only the CE/Hardcover Fallout 3 guide pennied right? The softcover one is still normal?[/QUOTE]

Actually, the non GOTY softcover and hardcover Fallout 3 guides already dropped at both BB and GS, so if you find one of the non GOTY editions on the shelf it should come up as a penny.;)
 
Got my first penny guide today. I wanted to pick out a game so I looked for 15 minutes but didn't find anything. I got up to the register and asked for a price check on Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, he said a penny and asked if I wanted it for free. Hell ya! As soon as I left he closed the door and started his lunch break so I felt bad I was in there for 15 minutes and didn't buy anything while he waited to eat.
 
[quote name='supaet']Should there be a bb drop today? first Monday of the month, bb has some catch up to do....[/QUOTE]

There hasnt been a first monday drop for a while now
 
[quote name='xDerekRx']I'm still optimistic bb will do drops soon. Summer time, more guides will pile up and a need for penny out will occur[/QUOTE]

Actually summer would be some of the slowest month for games
 
I was in Best Buy, returning something, and went by the guides. Found a sealed Metroid Prime Trilogy, and randomly grabbed this other one I'd never heard of (Chaotic; Trading card game), and Pokemon Platinuum. Pokemon's still 20$ :'( . But I managed to pick up the other two for a penny each.

Does anyone know anything about Chaotic? Is it a video game card game, or a physical card game? (b/c the guide says it comes with some exclusive card). I'm sure this is from an older drop, but couldn't find it anywhere ...

(on my iPhone, so I couldn't bold it in red, sorry!)
 
[quote name='Shan82']I was in Best Buy, returning something, and went by the guides. Found a sealed Metroid Prime Trilogy, and randomly grabbed this other one I'd never heard of (Chaotic; Trading card game), and Pokemon Platinuum. Pokemon's still 20$ :'( . But I managed to pick up the other two for a penny each.

Does anyone know anything about Chaotic? Is it a video game card game, or a physical card game? (b/c the guide says it comes with some exclusive card). I'm sure this is from an older drop, but couldn't find it anywhere ...

(on my iPhone, so I couldn't bold it in red, sorry!)[/QUOTE]

Actually, Chaotic was from six months or so ago, I think. So that must've been sitting in the back room for quite a while. My closest BB store still has like 4-5 Prince Of Persia(softcover), 5-6 Warhammer Online, 2 Champions Online and I think a couple of others.
 
I finally picked up my first penny guide at a Gamestop in Gastonia, NC. They had one lone NGS2 guide. I let the cashier do his whole bit about why he wasn't supposed to sell it to me...but be sold it to me anyway for one whole shiny penny. He was a pretty cool guy tho...I wish they would have had other pennied guides that I needed, cause I am sure he would have let me get them.
 
Was that the one in the Wal-Mart shopping center? I got a couple guides there last year when I was in town. The guy was so nice that I did a preorder just to help him out.
 
What are the individual GS stores supposed to do with the penny guides after they are pulled from the sale floor? Ship them back? Or just toss them in the dumpster? Do they actually have to account for them?

The reason I ask is that: Some GS would just hand them to me without even ringing them up. Others would go on like how they can't sell them to me and have to ship them back.
 
[quote name='eau']What are the individual GS stores supposed to do with the penny guides after they are pulled from the sale floor? Ship them back? Or just toss them in the dumpster? Do they actually have to account for them?

The reason I ask is that: Some GS would just hand them to me without even ringing them up. Others would go on like how they can't sell them to me and have to ship them back.[/QUOTE]

I think this really just depends on the respective managers of each store. When employees are giving you guides for free, they either 1) don't know that they are supposed to rip the covers off for reimbursement from the publisher, or 2) they are acting under the manager's direction in taking a calculated loss, hoping that the goodwill they receive in giving you free guides bring you and your friends back into the store for future purchases.
 
[quote name='eau']What are the individual GS stores supposed to do with the penny guides after they are pulled from the sale floor? Ship them back? Or just toss them in the dumpster? Do they actually have to account for them?

The reason I ask is that: Some GS would just hand them to me without even ringing them up. Others would go on like how they can't sell them to me and have to ship them back.[/QUOTE]

Toss them, it would be too much trouble and money to send them back. Sometimes you hear about stores that rip off the back cover as a means of proof of the guides being field destroyed but I would guess even in these cases they don't actually round up all of the ripped off back covers to send back to the publishers.

The GameStop (was an EBgames before GameStop took over) at the local mall I used to find guides at about half the time and they would do the same thing (let me have the guides without paying) which is the smart thing to do if they are going to be kind about letting you have something they didn't pull right away as they can just take it out of the system without possibly getting in trouble for selling a pennied guide.
 
So for the Gamestop penny guides are they supposed to scan the white tag and it should ring up as a penny? Today I tried to get Metroid Prime Trilogy and there was no white sticker to scan and they told me it was 19.99? So whos right or wrong?
 
I found Braid for PC at a gamestop. Got really excited and took it up to the front...but the guy looked and couldnt find the disk to it...he wouldve given it to me free also, but said that someone mustve already trashed it. You guys think he found it but lied and was going to keep it for himself???
 
[quote name='arsenalcrazy8']I found Braid for PC at a gamestop. Got really excited and took it up to the front...but the guy looked and couldnt find the disk to it...he wouldve given it to me free also, but said that someone mustve already trashed it. You guys think he found it but lied and was going to keep it for himself???[/QUOTE]

Sure. Go back and cuss him out.
 
[quote name='neocisco']Was that the one in the Wal-Mart shopping center? I got a couple guides there last year when I was in town. The guy was so nice that I did a preorder just to help him out.[/QUOTE]

Nah, it was the one in the mall...but if the Gastonia stores operate like the ones in Raleigh, there is a chance that he may rotate between both stores.
 
[quote name='ballbarfer']hey it's monday....is anyone gonna have a chance to do some price checking?[/QUOTE]

Don't think so. Let us know if you find anything.
 
[quote name='ballbarfer']hey it's monday....is anyone gonna have a chance to do some price checking?[/QUOTE]

lol @ post like these.

"Hey guys how bout you go check BB for me and see if the prices dropped while I sit in my chair browsing CAG?"

I can't go to BB usually so I just hope somebody updates, but I don't go out of my way to say "Hey, go check for me so I won't waste gas but you will." such as the this guy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
bread's done
Back
Top