Also, to the person who asked if all GCs throw them out or whatever, it's definitely YMMV. See at my store I always pull them the day they drop (unless its on a day im not working but i work weekends and they tend to drop on sat or sun). SO I pull them, but we always keep them for maybe 3-4 days to give to people who buy those games, or help to sell MVPs, or give them to people who come in an ask. Oddly enough my store must be nowhere near fellow CAGers because no one EVER comes in, at leats when Im working, to ask if we have any guides that got pennied/dropped to $0. Its true we dont ring them in the system if its 0, but we take it right out of inventory, so its as if its not there at all. Then after like 3-4 days we just toss them cuz the pile sits there and gets in the way otherwise.
I am a wicked video gaming nerd and some of my fellow employees, while they are gaming nerds, aren't as nerdy as me. I collect video games and video game strat guides. I have some rare ones like the first Marvel vs. capcom 2 strategy guide, the guide for ShinMegami Tensei: Nocturne, the original Resident Evil 2 guide, etc...etc... needless to say, with 1700+ video games (i kid you not, i have them all catalogued) and 126 stratetgy guides (and 5 art books) I know my stuff. lol But yea it's totally YMMV as to which GCs keep the guides around, cuz policy is to defect them out and toss them in the same day, but my store at least lets them hang around for a few days, cuz to me it just seems like a waste.
In the SAME token they dont wanna put a box out saying "free guides" cuz then u get people saying "oh is this one free? which ones are free? how come this one isnt free? why does that guide get to be free but not this one?" and all that crap. So it doesn't hurt to ask, but ask the DAY the guides drop, cuz i assume most GCs dont have nerds like me who keep stuff around for a while, and as a collector of games and game related items, its tough for me to let things go like guides, especially if RPG guides are involved cuz personally THOSE are the only games that truly need strategy guides. I'll tell you right now, I have NEVER sold an NCAA football or a need for speed guide, EVER....yet they exist.