Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread XI

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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.


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.
 
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[quote name='TheWooz']Nothing online that I see.It's 12:22Am now[/QUOTE]

You won't see anything online. Those guides are off the site and aside from 1 glitch before they are never on the website for ordering
 
Hey Lox (or anyone else), is it just the Fallout GOTY CE or any regular Fallout GOTY guide that pennied? Or are they the same thing?

Thanks
 
[quote name='Brian9824']Just the CE. Original Fallout 3 CE dropped a few months before the normal Fallout 3 guide too.[/QUOTE]
Either you are confused or I am. Did you say the Fallout GOTY already dropped? Or are you talking about the original NON GOTY guide? I knew the original already dropped.
 
[quote name='wrencrest']Either you are confused or I am. Did you say the Fallout GOTY already dropped? Or are you talking about the original NON GOTY guide? I knew the original already dropped.[/QUOTE]

Normal hardcover CE dropped already. GOTY hardcover CE does today (hopefully).
 
It's Monday, anyone checking guides today?

Ok i couldn't resist. I stacked a DA origins CE guide away a few months ago when they were running low, so hopefully the lone copy in the store will still be there when I swing by later today. Wow 15 pages of hype and new and old people trying to get their dirty hands on these guides. Grab dem shits! (then be nice and trade them here).
 
Either cameras in the ceiling or monthly inventory/stock moving have discovered my hiding spots lately. I'm not hopeful for this drop, but will be checking 2 stores in the next couple days.
 
[quote name='typical guy']Where are the SKU numbers located on the books?[/QUOTE]

they don't really unless they have a BB sticker. Then you have to make sure they scan the right UPC on the back b/c there are two.
 
[quote name='token2k6']they don't really unless they have a BB sticker. Then you have to make sure they scan the right UPC on the back b/c there are two.[/QUOTE]The other barcode isn't a UPC, it's an ISBN #.

Though, you are correct that there's no SKU # unless there's a BB sticker on the guide. They used to have shelf tags for the guides way back in the day, though not anymore since they cycle through them so frequently.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']The other barcode isn't a UPC, it's an ISBN #.

Though, you are correct that there's no SKU # unless there's a BB sticker on the guide. They used to have shelf tags for the guides way back in the day, though not anymore since they cycle through them so frequently.[/QUOTE]

With no obvious number, how am I supposed to know if these are hardback or what?
 
[quote name='typical guy']With no obvious number, how am I supposed to know if these are hardback or what?[/QUOTE]Only guides that tend to be hardbacked guides are the CE guides, such as:

Fallout 3 GOTY CE
Dragon Age Origins CE
COD: MW2 CE
Fable II CE

..... and so on.
 
gah, and I won't be able to leave here for another 30 minutes at the least on account of the horses and the vet...
 
Got almost every1 off list. All 1 cent. Included, fallout 3 gory, l4d2, etc. Couldn't find pokemon w/e. Drivin 2 another store now. Can't type & drive very well.
 
I can confirm almost everything on the list that lox posted. No dragon age CE for me though. I did score some fallout CE's. All guides were pulled from another stiore I checked last friday so it looks like it is hit or miss. I'd suggest getting there at open today for all those outside of EST.
 
Sweet. I gave up on the penny guides a few months ago but I noticed this thread had a lot of people posting recently so I checked it out and I'm glad I did. I'll post back with anything I find.
 
All the guides were pulled or stashed before I got to the Best Buy in Downingtown, PA. They used to be great until lunchtime when I got there, but for the last two that I've been to around opening, they got the jump.

Oh, well...
 
Raleigh/Durham CAG's, don't worry about going to the brier creek bb. as i pulled up i saw some woman pushing a cart out w/ about 20-25 guides on it and asked if she left anything to which she replied "no". luckily for my sanity she didn't have any DA:O guides or i might have lost it.

if anyone in the area comes across ANY guides today i suggest grabbing all of them because i know i will. i've got more stores to check today and if i get any extras i'll post it in the NC thread and they will be free to whoever wants'em.
 
Kennesaw has been pulled. They have been all over guides for over a year now. They actually do their jobs which is good when shopping for regular products, just not .01 guides. :)
 
[quote name='kodos64']Raleigh/Durham CAG's, don't worry about going to the brier creek bb. as i pulled up i saw some woman pushing a cart out w/ about 20-25 guides on it and asked if she left anything to which she replied "no". luckily for my sanity she didn't have any DA:O guides or i might have lost it.

if anyone in the area comes across ANY guides today i suggest grabbing all of them because i know i will. i've got more stores to check today and if i get any extras i'll post it in the NC thread and they will be free to whoever wants'em.[/QUOTE]

Damn it! I knew the one BB I didn't check wouldn't have pulled. Don't worry about checking Cary, Capital Blvd., Glenwood, Garner, or Knightdale. I checked all 5 on Friday and they prepulled.
 
In Lexington, KY, I got
9715307 Army Of Two: The 40th Day
9696365 Darksiders
9667276 The Saboteur
all for 1 cent each. They had to check with a few people before they would let me buy them, but I eventually got them. I tried to buy 9539573 Fallout 3 Game Of The Year LE, but it came up at full retail. BB had a ton of the Fallout guides, too.

 
[quote name='Doomstink']Damn it! I knew the one BB I didn't check wouldn't have pulled. Don't worry about checking Cary, Capital Blvd., Glenwood, Garner, or Knightdale. I checked all 5 on Friday and they prepulled.[/QUOTE]

yeah, i was super-pissed when i saw her. i couldn't get out of work early enough today, but i won't be making that mistake again. i work w/in 5 minutes of that one and will be sure to hit it early and hide some shit next time.

what time did you check knightdale. i was there in the afternoon and they hadn't pulled yet.
 
[quote name='kodos64']Raleigh/Durham CAG's, don't worry about going to the brier creek bb. as i pulled up i saw some woman pushing a cart out w/ about 20-25 guides on it and asked if she left anything to which she replied "no". luckily for my sanity she didn't have any DA:O guides or i might have lost it.

if anyone in the area comes across ANY guides today i suggest grabbing all of them because i know i will. i've got more stores to check today and if i get any extras i'll post it in the NC thread and they will be free to whoever wants'em.[/QUOTE]


Grrrrrr....going to check the BB on 15/501 (Durham) in a few. I will do the same if I can get any extra guides).
 
Ok, sorry for my Twitter-quality posts earlier. I can confirm that all on the list dropped, except for 2 I didn't check. I didn't bother checking Cheat Code Overload Winter 2010 or Codes & Cheats Winter 2010, since I hate those smaller guides that screw up the uniformity of my bookcase. I found everything I wanted at the first BB I went to, but I checked a couple other stores in hopes of finding more guides to help out other CAGs. I couldn't find extras of Dragon Age Origins LE, Fallout 3 GOTY CE, or Darksiders. I think I got multiples of everything else, except for Madden 2010, because nobody wants those. There's still stacks of them left at 2 of the BB's I went to. I'll update my tradelist shortly in the trade thread. If you're one of the regulars here who check guides every Monday, or contributes something useful, I'll put you ahead of anyone else who PMs me for guides.
 
Just checked a BB here in Syracuse,NY and not a single one I had checked rang up a penny, all displayed full price. Might go back later and try again.
 
I went to my local BB during my lunch. Either they pulled them or someone already bought everything. I guess I won't bother in the future since I can't get there right when they open.
 
I don't get all the doubt these guides were gonna drop.
I'm wondering what's up with those few that have the guides ringing up full price. Seems kinda weird. Good luck all. I managed everything I wanted yesterday except Dark Siders...
Got one PM to reply to and all is well.
 
I went in for a simple price match for a DVD. And I got me Kingdom Hearts DS, and Mario RPG3. I saw Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, and maybe Fallout 3 or Dragon Age, but I didn't give them any mind until now. I might consider going back tomorrow, but I'm just not boverred.
 
Managed to pick up:
Madden 2010
2 copies of Left 4 Dead 2
3 Copies of World of Warcraft: Wrath of Lich King Atlus
3 copies of Final Fantasy Crystal chronicles.

1 BB had a bunch of guides yesterday but must have pulled them before they opened in the morning.

Anyway if anyone needs any guides above let me know. I am looking for Darksiders and Saboteur atm.

If no one needs the WOW atlus or Final Fantasy, I will probably be sending that off to Amazon.
 
[quote name='detectiveconan16']I went in for a simple price match for a DVD. And I got me Kingdom Hearts DS, and Mario RPG3. I saw Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, and maybe Fallout 3 or Dragon Age, but I didn't give them any mind until now. I might consider going back tomorrow, but I'm just not boverred.[/QUOTE]

Did you see the LE hardcovers? If so, you'd make a lot of CAGs happy if you got them. The regular editions of Dragon Age and Fallout 3 GOTY didn't drop (at least I didn't check them, but the list is probably 100%). I saw multiples of the regular edition guides at each BB I went to. The one I went to that pulled everything still had those on the shelf, so I assumed they didn't drop.
 
I was able to get pretty mcuh everything besides those elusive CE's. I have another BB to check after work but I wont be holding my breathe
 
Can someone repost the list? Im on my phone and have gone thru 20 pages and looked at the OP and cant find it. Many thanks
 
[quote name='drawingboard']Did you see the LE hardcovers? If so, you'd make a lot of CAGs happy if you got them. The regular editions of Dragon Age and Fallout 3 GOTY didn't drop (at least I didn't check them, but the list is probably 100%). I saw multiples of the regular edition guides at each BB I went to. The one I went to that pulled everything still had those on the shelf, so I assumed they didn't drop.[/QUOTE]
This is the answer I was looking for earlier. I saw plenty of non CE GOTY guides. Struck out on any drops at Brandon and Tampa (Dale Mabry) stores.
 
[quote name='hobomatt']Just checked a BB here in Syracuse,NY and not a single one I had checked rang up a penny, all displayed full price. Might go back later and try again.[/QUOTE]
Were you actually checking ones on the list that lox provided or other ones you were hoping had dropped? Did the cashier hit some buttons and void out the price check and manually enter in the amount on the cover?

I mean, I know some stores tell their employees to do this sort of crap when stuff rings up a penny, so if you weren't paying attention maybe that's what they did.

Anyway, I just got done checking for the Darksiders guide locally(via the BB site using the stock locator from another guide that I cut/pasted the one for Darksiders into the link for)and all stores except for Whitehall(PA) are showing up out of stock.

Oh well.

And which Syracuse store did you check? Carousel, Shoppingtown or Great Northern?:D I used to be up that way often for work and all three were my normal stops.;)
 
Neocisco- TY for the Kennesaw update.

I checked the following ATL BBY stores:
Sydney Marcus - pulled
Smyrna Cobb pkwy - pulled
Ash Dun - 1 l4d2 left
 
[quote name='wrencrest']This is the answer I was looking for earlier. I saw plenty of non CE GOTY guides. Struck out on any drops at Brandon and Tampa (Dale Mabry) stores.[/QUOTE]

Wesley Chapel had 8 Animal Crossings and most stuff from the list yesterday. No Dragon Age or M&L.
 
[quote name='Frosty The Batman']Wesley Chapel had 8 Animal Crossings and most stuff from the list yesterday. No Dragon Age or M&L.[/QUOTE]
Did you clear them out or leave anything? Darksiders or Saboteur specifically?
 
Went by 4 BBYs within the first hour of opening.

All the Tulsa, OK BBYs had had everything pulled, except for a lone Darksiders guide they missed and I purchased.

The Owasso, OK BBY didn't have any of the guides I was looking for (DAO CE, FO3 CE, L4D2, Saboteur), but I went ahead and picked up the ones they did have. Funny thing is they took a Sharpie to the bar code on the back of each one...but crossed out the ISBN instead of the UPC. I had no trouble at the register.
 
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