Game & Gamestation: GAME credit woes

[nakamura]

Went in to get a Vita in my local GS...had the fantastic trade in values firstly...?37.50 for Darkness 2, ?27.50 for MW3 (?2.50 profit) ?22.50 for Saints Row 3 (bought from same store for ?19.99 ) and 32 quid for the Resi Evil/Circle Pad pro I got for ?30 quid to go with the ?130 for the 3DS...and then the 5675 XP points (13-14 quid I think).

That looks more like poor business sense to me.

[ItsThere]

As for the SONY 'property' stickers on stock, that is probably a clue to a consignment deal, where by SONY have agreed to only request payment from GAME for every unit as it sells. Obviously GAME can't afford to pay it all upfront & even the traditional model of payment after 90 days can be costly, if you have to pay up for a whole load of Everybodys Golf & Wipeout's, let alone Vita consoles that you still haven't sold. With the consignment approach, SONY own the stock at all times. They can insist it is returned to them at any point but also it puts them in a stronger position to dictate range stocking & product placement. For GAME the added benefit is that they don't get left sitting on any unsold stock as it's not theirs anyway. This is the model that HMV have successfully agreed with many of their Audio/Visual suppliers over the last 12 months.

I don't agree, this is a standard retention of title provision that many suppliers enforce on all their customers. The items I bought from HMV today that were still factory sealed also had the stickers on. Just good sense from Sony is all.

[Mr M0by]

I don't agree, this is a standard retention of title provision that many suppliers enforce on all their customers.

No they don't. They sell it on to the retailer & let them deal with it afterwards. Most games suppliers don't even offer the 100% SOR (sale or return), Negated returns or even %age returns that Universal, BMG, Buena Vista et al offer - let alone consignment methods.

The items I bought from HMV today that were still factory sealed also had the stickers on. Just good sense from Sony is all.

Yes I know, I manage a fairly large hmv store and none of SONY's product has ever been packaged to the store like that before. In fact it's the first product of any format type, I've ever seen sent in to stores in such a manner.

[Mr M0by]

Odd, for some reason i can't edit the last post via my Vita... anyhoo apologies but i posted the above without considering your post or my reply properly. Of course the suggestion of Sony stock via consignment is purely speculation on my part, based on my knowledge of the deals hmv have been agreeing in recent months and the fact that i've never seen consumer stock ever arrive in like that. That might just be a new sony policy though.... what was first party product from amazon shipped like? With regards "the standard retention of title provision" obviously suppliers will make product recalls if required but even when they delete an item, they v.rarely, if ever insist on unit returns. Consignment stock is altogether different from firm sale lines. For what it's worth, if Game were to convince their suppiers to trade under these terms that would be fantastic for them.... it's not a bad thing. Quite frankly my future employment with hmv rests upon the board convincing the audio/visual companies to do the same. And apologies again for further meandering off topic.

[ItsThere]

I think I was over simplyfying the matter as well, from my professional point of view, it looks a lot like they are worried about earmarking stock in the event that a purchaser goes insolvent when they are holding unsold goods.

If the seller can demonstrate they haven't yet given up legal title to the goods (i.e. the purchaser has them on a 90 day credit scheme) then they are taken out of the pool of assets that an administrator will get their hands on.

[Synthesthesia]

Stockport is my favourite. Gamestaion is litterally next door to game.
Gamestation address 65 Prince's Street Stockport, SK1 1RW
Game address 67-69 Princes Street Stockport SK1 1RW

The one in Washington, Galleries is exactly the same. Game, then a different shop, then Gamestation. Then there's CEX straight across from game, and Grainger games a 30 second walk away from all of these.

I guess it leads to competitive pricing. Apart from at Game. Who seem to put their prices based on the RRP.

I noticed the Property of Sony sticker on my PS Vita Starter kit I got from there, thought it would be related to this.

[averybluemonkey]

Locating shops selling the same types of products in the same area has been a successfull business practice for hundreds of years, admittedly it doesn't make sense to have shops from the same chain on the same street though.

[Adrock]

I think thats the issue though, GAME inherited a lot of branches directly in competition with eachother when they acquired Gamestation. Obviously when the pricing structures became similar the competition ceased, leading to two sets of cost for the same location when one would clearly do.

[Cornflakes]

Just got a email from gameplay this morning, giving me a ?5 voucher to use at gamestation. Looks like like they are done.

[davek22]

I find it all really sad. I would hate to see them go from the high street. I buy most of my games online but still love popping into Gamestation for a bargain. If all we have left is Grainger Games it will be grim. Graingers shops are terrible. The staff in my local are really nice but the layout and pricing structures are really bad. They are the worst for mixing 3DS games in with DS games. Gamestation are careful to give them seperate areas.
When I picked up my Vita at Gamestion yesterday the girl that served me did a price match on one of my games without me asking, bumping the trade up from 3 to 8 quid. I wanted to get FIFA with my machine but it had sold out. She said when new stock comes in on Saturday they will let me have it still for the offer price. It was nice getting such freindly service from them

[Womble9]

Stockport is my favourite. Gamestaion is litterally next door to game.
Gamestation address 65 Prince's Street Stockport, SK1 1RW
Game address 67-69 Princes Street Stockport SK1 1RW

Going back a good few years that often used to be the case with Comet, Currys and Dixons. Wonder if it's some sort of tactic to make sure you go from one to the other and buy from one of them as opposed to then going further afield.

[dvdx2]

GAME Belfast city centre - yesterday....grim

4 customer advisors behind the till, no vita being demoed anywhere (i would have assumed these would have been marketed on release day and might have impluse bought one if i could have had a go at wipeout), pre owed shelves filled with tat, vita bundles with only FIFA included - ffs.......

[davek22]

Stockport is my favourite. Gamestaion is litterally next door to game.
Gamestation address 65 Prince's Street Stockport, SK1 1RW
Game address 67-69 Princes Street Stockport SK1 1RW

Going back a good few years that often used to be the case with Comet, Currys and Dixons. Wonder if it's some sort of tactic to make sure you go from one to the other and buy from one of them as opposed to then going further afield.

Good point, I guess thats probably the tactic. Faced with a hike up to another shop a shopper may just decide to buy from the first shop they go in but if they are all close by they would be more inclinded to check all shops.
Also I wonder if they get their deliveries together. That would reduce distribution costs

[slicer1000]

In Norwich at one point we had 3 GAME's and 1 gamestation, now it's 2 GAME's and 1 gamestation.
Reckon one GAME will go this year.

it was in fact 4 games and 1 gamestation at one point in time there was an concession store in boarders in chapelfield till it close

[djtickle]

Got my ?5 from gameplay this morning, so sad to see these guys go even though they have been running under that GAME mask the last few years.

Used it to order Unit 13 for Vita for a total of ?25 and will prob never use them ever again! haha