Orlando CAGs, where you at?

Otherguy676

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Well, my gf just got accepted to UCF for grad school, so I will now be spending plenty of time in the Orlando area. I have already located several pawn shops and Gamerushes in the Orlando and Oviedo area. Does anyone know of a easy "pawn shop route" (we have one in Tampa that is quick and easy)?
 
UPDATE 6/23/08: Felt I should update my information. I've since graduated from UCF, but now I'm working on my Masters degree in Interactive Entertainment at FIEA (Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy) at the UCF School of Film & Digital Media campus downtown. Since I've moved to Maitland (less than a mile from EA Tiburon) and the school-load is as much or more than a full-time job, I've quit my job at Best Buy. The main campus is 25-40 minutes away (depending on whether or not I use toll roads), so it will be rare that I visit that side of town anymore.

Original Post:[quote name='dafunkk12']I'm a Senior in UCF's Digital Media program. Unfortunately, I have no answer for your query, since I don't visit pawn shops. There seem to be several on your way down 50 (East Colonial) from UCF to downtown.[/QUOTE]
 
I graduated from UCF last year. The Gamerush's usually have some pretty good stuff. I haven't been there personally, but I've heard good things about the Rhino on Colonial. The Target is barren as far as deals go. Best Buy is, well, Best Buy. I don't know about the pawn shops as I never investigated them myself.

Have fun in O-town. Magic and Predator's games are always fun, and Church Street can kick ass on the right nights.
 
The Waterford Lakes Best Buy has the worst game section in a Best Buy I've ever seen. Don't go in there and expect to find anything you want (especially if it releases that day).
 
[quote name='2Fast']The Waterford Lakes Best Buy has the worst game section in a Best Buy I've ever seen. Don't go in there and expect to find anything you want (especially if it releases that day).[/QUOTE]

I'll second that, I used to live right across the street in the Victoria Place Apartments. Everybody in that Best Buy sucks, and the GameStop in there is just as bad. A dousche of a former roommate of mine used to work there. Although he got fired, the trend of hiring idiots seemed to have lived on. Basically if you want any games, stay away from Waterford Lakes. Maybe the new Circuit City across the street is better but I wouldn't know since it opened after I moved to Tallahassee.
 
[quote name='gofishn']I'll second that, I used to live right across the street in the Victoria Place Apartments. Everybody in that Best Buy sucks, and the GameStop in there is just as bad. A dousche of a former roommate of mine used to work there. Although he got fired, the trend of hiring idiots seemed to have lived on. Basically if you want any games, stay away from Waterford Lakes. Maybe the new Circuit City across the street is better but I wouldn't know since it opened after I moved to Tallahassee.[/quote]

It's actually pretty good and I usually hate most Circuit City's.
 
[quote name='dafunkk12']I'm a Senior in UCF's Digital Media program. Unfortunately, I have no answer for your query, since I don't visit pawn shops. There seem to be several on your way down 50 (East Colonial) from UCF to downtown.[/QUOTE]


Yep, East Colonial... between Bithlo and Downtown Orlando is pretty much loaded with Pawn Shops... also the Rhino someone here mentioned. OBT also has quite a few Pawn Shops down around the old 'red light' district.
 
OBT? I used to live in Oviedo and dont know what OBT is. In Tampa, I hit the pawn shops everywhere in town and I usally find decent crap in the not so great place, because most people stay away from going.

Any good flea markets in the Orlando area these days? There used to be one outdoor one between Oviedo/Orlando and in Stanford but I dont know where else or if those ones are any good.
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']OBT? I used to live in Oviedo and dont know what OBT is. In Tampa, I hit the pawn shops everywhere in town and I usally find decent crap in the not so great place, because most people stay away from going.

Any good flea markets in the Orlando area these days? There used to be one outdoor one between Oviedo/Orlando and in Stanford but I dont know where else or if those ones are any good.[/quote]

Orange Blossom Trail.
 
For any Orlando CAGs looking for a Circuit City that hasn't been picked over, try the one by the Millenia Mall. They had a pretty good stock of the sale games on Saturday morning. Although, since that was 2 days ago so YMMV.

The CCs in Sanford, Waterford Lakes, (near) Fashion Square Mall, and Altamonte don't have much of anything left. Not sure about the CC on OBT, I will have to stop by there sometime this week & check.
 
The Blockbuster/Game Rush on 50 & Alafaya had about 6 Sony Brand PSP batteries for $8.75 each (I think they're normally $35) last night - I would've bought some if I owned a PSP.

I also picked up Metroid Prime 2 for $5, Geist for $12 , F-Zero (GBA) for $5 & Y's4 for $10 (all brand new). Although I think I got the last copies of these games. Other Game Rushes farther away from UCF may have a better selection.
 
I don't know much about the pawn shops since I never visit them. Although, Rhino Games is a good place to shop, the people who work there are awesome.
 
UCF grad from about 3 years ago (I feel old in here).

I usually don't stop by the pawn shops, let us know if there are any good ones that carry games. I live in Avalon Park area (near Waterford) and I concur about that BB and GS. My best friend works at that GS and the store is in bad shape. They're currently in trouble, so expect changes soon.

By the way, did anyone in here approach my friend (the GS employee) and his girl at CC the other day? I gave my friend the CC list and a CAG approached him and asked where he got the list. He showed him a CAG card and my friend was confused, haha. Just wondering.

I think the Gamerush on 50/alafaya is decent, but they get a lot of business so other places might have a better selection. There's one on Alafaya and McCullough (near UCF) which is pretty good (stopping by there at lunch to pick up Eyetoy: Kinetic) and another one on Aloma and Dean that's decent. Nobody goes there.
 
Thanks for the tip chair_home! I'll try hitting the Gamerush on Aloma, and possibly the one on McCullough today.

The Rhino games store is great, they have a great selection of games for older systems, and they don't hound me to preorder stuff like Gamespot always does.
 
Oops, spelled McCulloch wrong. But yeah, I just got back from there, took a while to track down Kinetic, but they found it behind the counter. They still had some decent clearance games there, like DOAU, Area 51, Geist, Metal Slug 4/5. I think the Aloma one is the better pick.
 
Is the Blockbuster on Alafaya in the Publix shopping center in Oviedo a Gamerush? I lived in Stillwater for a little while over 10 years ago and I won the Blockbuster video game championship competition there.
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']Is the Blockbuster on Alafaya in the Publix shopping center in Oviedo a Gamerush? I lived in Stillwater for a little while over 10 years ago and I won the Blockbuster video game championship competition there.[/QUOTE]

Yeah it is, I've actually found some good stuff there in the past too.
 
[quote name='chair_home']UCF grad from about 3 years ago (I feel old in here).

I usually don't stop by the pawn shops, let us know if there are any good ones that carry games. I live in Avalon Park area (near Waterford) and I concur about that BB and GS. My best friend works at that GS and the store is in bad shape. They're currently in trouble, so expect changes soon.

By the way, did anyone in here approach my friend (the GS employee) and his girl at CC the other day? I gave my friend the CC list and a CAG approached him and asked where he got the list. He showed him a CAG card and my friend was confused, haha. Just wondering.

I think the Gamerush on 50/alafaya is decent, but they get a lot of business so other places might have a better selection. There's one on Alafaya and McCullough (near UCF) which is pretty good (stopping by there at lunch to pick up Eyetoy: Kinetic) and another one on Aloma and Dean that's decent. Nobody goes there.[/QUOTE]
Ah, that's why that guy looked familiar! I guess I go to GS enough to know what the employees look like, but not enough where if I see them elsewhere that I know where I know them from.

That "CAG ninja," as you put it, was me. I responded a few pages after your first query in the main CC thread (that thing moves fast!). I was dressed in all black because I think it suits me, and I had an interview at the Waterford Best Buy. (I got the job, but still need to hear back after they get in the results of the drug/background check.) During my Orlando/Sanford adventures, whenever I saw someone obviously looking for something(s) specific, I flashed one of my CAG cards and asked if they came from the same place. I met two or three fellow CAG's and passed on a card to those who weren't. (Yeah, yeah, "secret state," but CheapyD selected me for the street team to get the word out.)
 
Cool! I wished I was there to meet you, I feel bad for not informing my friend about CAG before sending him out with the list. I guess if you'll be working at that Best Buy, I'll be seeing you around.
 
[quote name='XxFuRy2Xx']Holy crap daffunk, you actually got a job there? I'm impressed since it is damn near impossible to get one there.[/QUOTE]
I know! I've tried several times in the past three years! I think I was lucky. I had already secured a new job at the Oviedo Target but hadn't started yet due to some sort of mix up at the drug lab for everyone who went in that day. I walked into Best Buy and saw a sign that they were having a job fair that day and the next day. So I came in the next day and had an on-the-spot interview with a GM and totally nailed it. It's really important to have face time with a hiring manager because nothing in your application can make yours the one that jumps out from the ocean of apps that they get. (Plus, it's a great thing I filled out an app a couple weeks before, otherwise I'd have to waste an hour dealing with BB's buggy computer application.) I figured I'd see who called me back first, Target or Best Buy. Target got me first, but closing is hell. Best Buy called me back for a final interview and said they'd like me to work Sundays and evenings to have more face time with customers. Of course Target hired me to work closing, so they didn't like my updated availability. I might quit there after less than a month.

Neither of them could offer me full time hours (I only have classes two days this summer a week, so I could use something to fill my time.), so I would've liked to do both. In the end, Best Buy pays more ($7 vs %6.50) and I could probably use their discount more, although you won't get a cheaper price on CD's/DVD's than they already have on release week. Sure Target's 10% will even work on sale merchandise like new CD's and DVD's, but it's not often that they have the lowest prices anyway.

I find that I'm usually at Best Buy about two times a week and try to play Guitar Hero at least once before finishing each trip. Chances are you guys might have run into me already. I'm a Filipino fellow with shoulder-length hair and glasses.
 
All Orlando CAG's....

I checked out the Circuit City at Millenia Mall tonight (Friday 6/30). No 4th sales yet, but the sales guy said the new paper comes out on Sundays.

The selection there is horrible and not alphabetized at all, however, there's a small shelf of $14 and under games. Nothing really noteworthy except PS2 Beyond Good and Evil and a 2-pack of Tekken Tag/UFC Pride.

A.
 
Any orlando CAGs going to pre-order Wii tomorrow morning? I'm probably going to the Gamestop at Waterford Lakes, not too early though since I don't think it'll be a bad line.
 
[quote name='chair_home']Any orlando CAGs going to pre-order Wii tomorrow morning? I'm probably going to the Gamestop at Waterford Lakes, not too early though since I don't think it'll be a bad line.[/QUOTE]
I won't be there because of all the days they schedule me to work 7am pre-opening shift, it's the day that GS decides to do preorders. However, I'm paying my roommate to get in line for me and put down my money, and I may come in later after work to go ahead and pay off the rest. I wanted to be reasonable and tell him that he could leave the apartment at 9:30, but I'm getting kinda scared about that whole "12" number of units. Maybe I'll tell him to get there at 9.

The reason I really want to preorder is because I've asked specifically to work the PS3 and Wii launch at Best Buy and thus don't have a chance to purchase one for myself. Plus I have over $100 in credit waiting to be spent, especially on something that I can't just get a discount on at work.

If it comes down to it, though, I guess I may just have to do a midnight launch at WalMart. At least I'll know enough in advance whether or not I get a preorder at GS so that I can ask off on the 18th so I can sit in line.
 
[quote name='dafunkk12']I won't be there because of all the days they schedule me to work 7am pre-opening shift, it's the day that GS decides to do preorders. However, I'm paying my roommate to get in line for me and put down my money, and I may come in later after work to go ahead and pay off the rest. I wanted to be reasonable and tell him that he could leave the apartment at 9:30, but I'm getting kinda scared about that whole "12" number of units. Maybe I'll tell him to get there at 9.

The reason I really want to preorder is because I've asked specifically to work the PS3 and Wii launch at Best Buy and thus don't have a chance to purchase one for myself. Plus I have over $100 in credit waiting to be spent, especially on something that I can't just get a discount on at work.

If it comes down to it, though, I guess I may just have to do a midnight launch at WalMart. At least I'll know enough in advance whether or not I get a preorder at GS so that I can ask off on the 18th so I can sit in line.[/quote]

So a few comments back I saw that you work at the Waterford Lakes Best Buy, do you still work there? If so, could I ask you why the game section is so neglected? It's been that way for years, and I just can't understand why. I can hardly ever find a game the day it's supposed to be there, they don't carry enough copies of certain games, etc.
 
[quote name='dafunkk12'] but I'm getting kinda scared about that whole "12" number of units.
[/QUOTE]

Is that how many Waterford Lakes' Gamestop is getting? Did you call them? I kinda think I'll be able to pick one up at launch without pre-ordering, but i want to cover my bases.
 
So, Waterford had 32 units. I went to 6 stores and did not get a preorder :whistle2:(. You snooze, you lose. (I actually hit snooze on my alarm a few times, so its true in my case)
 
Seems the earliest someone got in line at the Waterford GS was 1am. I arrived around 6:30 to save my place in line before my roommate could take over. I was number 18, and no one else got in line during the 20-some-odd minutes I was there before I had to go in for work. After my shift, I went in and paid off the rest of my Wii preorder, tax and all. It'd be awesome to have a midnight release as rumored in other threads so I won't have to worry about some sort of Seinfeld-car-rental situation happening and my Wii being sold while I'm at work selling Wiis myself.

Yeah, I still work at the Waterford Best Buy. I was moved from Media to Geek Squad after about 2 weeks, so I can't really tell you much about how that department's run. It seems, though, that when I was there I was the only one who really gave a damn about new games getting on shelves immediately once they arrive or are able to be sold (hard street dates). I know we could have easily sold a lot of games if we'd just have them out on shelves. I was pretty much their game-guy, so they didn't really want me moving to another department. I'm still attending the training for the new console releases, though, since I asked specifically to work those days. As for numbers, some games we just don't get a lot of. One in particular was the PSP Valkyrie Profile, which I put all 4-5 on the floor immediately when I saw them sitting on the shelf in the warehouse after about a week of us not having them and people asking for it. That's a week past release and we even had it in the ad that previous week and no copies! Other times we still have several in the back but whoever puts them out underestimates their popularity and only puts out a few to save them the hassle of reshuffling all the other games trying to make space, then they just never check back to see if they've all sold.

Were your problems finding games just a matter of not finding them on the shelves, or were you asking employees if there were any in the back and we just didn't have any at all?
 
hey dafunkk u said your a seior in the digtal media course at ucf is the program good im looking into collages and im a consoler at a summer camp at ucf and was really likeing the campus and stuff.
 
Hey guys! I'm a senior at UCF. I mostly shop around the Waterford Lakes area (that Best Buy has horrible employees and a horrible game selection). My Blockbuster/Gamerush of choice is the one at the Alafaya/Colonial intersection.

[quote name='flashburn']Anyone head over to the Orlando TRU for the B2G1 Free yet? How was the selection?[/QUOTE]

The closest one I could find to UCF was by OIA (the airport) and I decided to stop by today. The selection was nothing special at all and some of the games seemed overpriced. I'm getting a Wii this winter so I'm looking for some Gamecube games to get. I saw RE4 for $10, but I couldn't find two others games I wanted with the Buy 2, Get 1 deal, so I didn't buy anything.
 
[quote name='halofreak64']hey dafunkk u said your a seior in the digtal media course at ucf is the program good im looking into collages and im a consoler at a summer camp at ucf and was really likeing the campus and stuff.[/QUOTE]
Hey, please take no offense, but if you're getting to the time where you'll be applying to schools, then your spelling/grammar, etc needs to be tightened up. UCF's getting more difficult to get into these past few years.

One of the reasons I chose UCF was its more intimate campus. Everything's within walking distance and everything. It's only after a while that I wished this was more like other college towns where non-school stuff was a simple walk down the street instead of having to get into my car to drive where I wanted to go.

The Digital Media degree can make you a jack of all trades, master of none unless you're careful to take advanced courses in what you're interested in and team up with teachers on their projects. You will learn a whole hell of a lot of different things ranging from programming, art, 3D modeling, film editing, sound editing, web design, etc. You can graduate with a basic set of experience in all those things, but you'll need to set direction yourself if you have something particular you're interested in.

And regarding the Waterford Best Buy. I only worked the Media department for about two weeks, and I was pretty much the "video game guy," and after I was moved to Geek Squad, I don't think anyone else has made the video game section a priority. There were so many times I'd find that new games weren't put out on time or games that were depleted not reshelved.
 
also a thing about the ucf DM program is that the core of the major has 4 film classes that have almost nothing to do with the major, mostly a sucky thing imo
 
i was also looking into full sail but ive heard lots of bad things about them. Im looking for a school where I dont have to take all the english, science... classes amd just take what i need for a game animator, or artist. got any in mine in florida other than full sail that are good.
 
gamerush has a call list, i would assume it would be easier and faster then going to a gs or eb to camp out considering they get a ton of buisness and gamerush does not, and gamerush on curryford and chickasaw is my personal fav, surprised no one mentioned them.
 
[quote name='flashburn']Has anyone done the 2 for 1 deal at the Orlando Rhino? If you trade 2 Xbox games do they make you pay the extra $10 for a 360 title?[/QUOTE]

I've done it, and yes, its an extra $10 for a 360 game.
 
Who's planning on camping for the Wii? Do you know where you're going to camp and when?

Did anyone do the 360 launch at Super Wal-Mart near Waterford? Was it complete madness?
 
I usually always go to the Gamerush on Alafaya Trail (selection is meh, but trade in prices are good) and I go to the Gamestop on Alafaya Trail right across from UCF. If you're trying to find those old games you can always go to the Sanford Flea Market :razz: and if you're looking to pay full price for games you there's always BB and CC at Waterford.
 
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