Today I want to talk about the retail experience for gamers. See, whilst more and more game sales are shifting online, there are still those who chose to pick up their games in an actual store; they have people in and everything. Although there are two chains that dominate game sales on the high street, GAME and GameStation, they’re both owned by Game Group Plc. With that in mind you wouldn’t necessarily expect a radical difference between the two but, in my opinion, they’re fairly different outlets.
GAME seems to be geared towards the general public, people who only pick up a few games a year or are picking something up as a gift for someone else. Staff are dressed so they look approachable, and the stores seem to be bright and airy. Unfortunately, whilst they do present an air of helpfulness the knowledge base seems to be somewhat lacking.
[drop]For anyone who follows gaming news with any regularity it quickly becomes clear that GAME’s staff are more interested in selling than providing useful information to their customers. It would be unfair to accuse them of flat-out lying to customers, particularly without any evidence. However, if you happen to catch a conversation with another customer you do sometimes feel that staff aren’t quite clued up enough on the products they’re selling.In contrast, GameStation is aiming at a completely different chunk of the market. They’re targeting those customers who buy games regularly, those who you could call “gamers” if you were so inclined (although I’m starting to dislike the word). The staff are still relatively friendly, it’s rare to find retail staff who are actively hostile. However, the stores are never as brightly lit, and I certainly wouldn’t call the general ambiance as airy or friendly as it is in GAME.
The big difference sits with the staff though. They seem, in general, to be drawn from the same demographics as the chain’s target market. Ideally, this is what you expect in any store. If you shop in a music store you want staff who are music fans, if you’re buying clothes you want someone who knows at least a little about fashion serving you. Why should it be any different for a game store?
Of course, my perception of the two retailers is based pretty much on my own experience, although a quick poll on Twitter seemed to back up my opinion in the general case. To be fair, my clear preference towards GameStation may be influenced by the fact my brother works there. However, I’ve been in a few stores scattered throughout the country and my experience has been fairly consistent.
There is, obviously, the fact that this whole discussion may be becoming redundant. With the significant growth of online retail and downloadable titles it seems probable that the GAME Group may further scale back their stores or even merge the two chains. Perhaps you’ll only be able to pick up games in supermarkets and HMV soon. Who knows?
Is your experience of retail game stores consistent with mine? Do you have a preference for where you shop? Do you even buy games in a store any more, or do they all come in the post? Of course, I’ve barely touched on the supermarket issue, so I’d be interested to see if you have any thoughts on that.
Squalje
I usually buy online for new games or preorders but sometimes I just can’t wait to get my hands on something and that would be when I do the Supermarket Round Robin and pick up the cheapest copy. I hardly ever buy any new releases from GAME or Gamestation. It’s not really the quality of staff that affects my decisions, as I always research and read about potential purchases online before I decide I want a game anyway, but purely their pricing. What I do find GAME/Gamestation and Cex good for is the pre-owned section and sometimes I just like to rummage around, without a specific goal, and hope to unearth a gem or bargain.
Jambo
I haven’t really bought anything from Game for quite a few years now. Between the high prices, the incessant pushing of other things and the attempts to persuade me to go for pre-owned its started to get annoying. Saying that my local Game was grand as 3 of the people working in there were friends so I got to know them all and didn’t have to put up with the usual tripe!
Gamestation is new to me as we don’t have those back home but they do seem to have a bit more knowledge, so you can at least have a chat with them but as has been said the stores maybe aren’t quite as nice.
HMV is pretty damn good I find, local one has lots of demo pods which is always nice and they seem relatively knowledgeable.
Personally though I tend to buy online, like many of the people posting here I am pretty clued up on what I want and what is coming out that I don’t really need any help with purchasing so cheaper prices are basically the main thing.
BrendanCalls
I will only go online now. I went to Gamestation to trade a few games in a couple of weeks ago, and a few issues did raise their heads.
Firstly, the horrible patronising way in which I was spoken to, not only could the 17 year behind the counter have spoken to me like an actual human being but she should also have considered that just because I am a few years older than her, and just because I don’t live in the most affluent town in the country doesn’t mean I’m just another dumb-wit FIFA and CoD lover, I happen to enjoy them games but just because I do doesn’t mean I’m a “chav” or “stupid”. I suppose in fairness that attitude isn’t distinct to Game or Gamestation and its a much more widespread problem in the gaming community. Its a real bug-bear of mine.
My other issue was the price compared to online, it was extortionate, literally every game I had a look at on the shelf I could say, “i can get that cheaper online”, sometimes even get it cheaper at the game or gamestation website.
Id be very surprised if gamestation or game stores see out the decade, it will be a sad day when they close down of course, I dont want to see people lose their job’s but they just can’t compete with Supermarkets or online.
Spence1115
On phone so can’t reply properly, but jayjay119, they ARE paid by Microsoft. Worked at GAME for a few months, bugger all people there liked PS3 and they all admitted that Microsoft gave them a lot of advertising funding but Sony gave very little by comparison. I like to think I was honest, if I hadn’t played a game I said so, and I warned people away from certain games if they were genuinely terrible and they asked my opinion. I never tried to push preowned too much, just enough to not get fired, and same with Gamecare, just mentioned it but never pushed too much, unless it was Kinect but I didn’t feel too bad about £10 from them.
But yeah, they’re all fanboys usually and obsessed with WoW when I worked there. Ridiculous.
HMV remember may not be an option much longer, heavily broke. Blockbusters have been broke for ages, Gamestation went broke and had to be bought by GAME. Like it or not, GAME are surviving with their tactics where everyone else has fallen.
cc_star
Microsoft have a channel of distribution which they support all industries I’ve ever worked in (which is a lot support their distribution channels), this comes in the form of monthly store visits to update staff on new games coming out, ways to target demographics and recommend additional products and things like point of sale materials. By contrast Sony just seem to ship PS3s to them & that’s it, everything else is arms length.
There is only one company at fault there.
jayjay119
That’s true, you have to give them that. But it shouldn’t affect a store’s professionalism. MS may provide a more hands on approach to their business than Sony or Nintendo but at the end of the day GAME are not an exclusive MS retailer, they supply the entire range of gaming equipment and shouldn’t act in such a fanboyish way. I’m sure there is nothing legally against it, and I’m not sure there should be. People should educate themselves not let other people decide for them. I just don’t like it is all.
Kevling
I quite like my local Gamestation – the store isn’t as rancid as comments here would imply (they took over Game’s location about 6 months ago when Game moved into the Westfield so had a brand new refit). Had a good experience with them when buying DCUO too, after they sold out their initial supply (3 copies!) on launch day morning. I went back almost daily to check for new copies. They were really apologetic about only being able to accept pre-orders, and not post-launch orders, and in the end, the manager offered to put me a copy aside when one came in.
Also, we have a CEX too (yes, agree with the earlier stinky comment), so the fact that GS will be CEX trade-ins by £1 means they tend to get my trade-ins too.
We’ve been without an indie in Derby for well over a year, so the Game pretty much got the market sewn up, but Grainger Games opened up last week (2 doors up from Game, no less) so it will be interesting to see how they do. In fact the day they opened, Game had a hastily scrawled notice in the window saying they will beat any competitor’s prices, so they were obviously concerned!
Kevling
…that GS will *beat* CEX trade-ins…
…so the Game *GROUP has* pretty much got the market sewn up…
I need a proof-reader.
amiga_dude
Always look out prices on pre-owned and new at price. Strange as might sound I have for new being sold cheaper “new” then “pre-own”.
ie lets say same game XYZ being sold for new at £30 and pre-own £33.50
Paranoimia
I used to love my local GAME. They employed actual gamers, I got to know the staff, and even when I wasn’t looking to buy, I would often pop in there when I was in town just for a chat.
Then they joined forces with Electronics Boutique, who I always found employed salesmen rather than enthusiasts, and the quality of staff took a nosedive.
These days, I buy everything online, and as GAME are expensive, I only buy from them when they have exclusive special editions. i build up my reward card points over time that way, and then use them to get a game at better-than-ShopTo prices once in a while.
As for Gamestation… I will never go into one of their stores again. I’ve been in two separate stores so far, and both of them had exactly the same vile smell – sort of a mix of sweat, vomit and dried piss. Not a pleasant experience at all.
Paranoimia
Oh, and as for trade-ins – I find the prices offered are often insulting. I gave up selling on eBay as well, when they hiked their fees for videogames from around 5% to 10%.
Now, I try to sell on PlayTrade whenever possible. I get a better price, and the fees are reasonable.
OneShotWook
Good read both article and comments.I buy nearly all of my day 1 games online now but most times i’m in town i’ll drop into Game,Gamestation and Hmv (our local Indie stores have long been shutdown) to check out offers and preowned prices.
My experience is much the same as most here,Game seems to be the Pc world of videogames often causing me to wonder if the staff are just monkeys or they’re actively encouraged to not disclose facts that will stop a sale,or even a possible revisit to the store.Gamestation on the other hand is i find mostly a pleasure to visit,yes it often stinks of teenagers but the guys behind the counter are up for a laugh and don’t mind giving opinion even when an easy sale is lost,long term i have spent alot of money in that store and it’s always my first stop for trading in completed games.I like Hmv but their prices on games are i find much less consistent than the other two stores.
hazelam
i’d say that’s a pretty fair assement, it matches what i’ve seen in the local game and gamestation.
for me though i make my choice based on who has the best deals or pices rather than the staff, i probably know around as much as the staff in either shop, the gamestation staff do seem to know more about most titles than i do but they can probably afford more than i can.
but it’s rare that i need to ask them anything about games other than if they know the release date.
i’d usually do research on any potential game purchase on the net before going to the shop.
but if i did have a question about a game that i thought could only be answered by somebody working in a games shop, i think i’d go to gamestation first.
because, like you said, they actually seem to be gamers, overhearing the staff talking while i’m in the stores, i’ve found gamestation staff are more likely to be discussing the games, not all the time, but more than game staff do i’ve noticed.
but in the end, as long as they’re not just outright rude, and i’ve never seen that happen, then it’s the product that matters, not the staff.
Death_In_Flamez
For me, it’s either CEX or the best internet site. Gamestation’s bold claim stating they have “the best trade-in prices” is nonsense and I once almost had the nerve to take one of their staff down to the CEX on the same high street and prove it. GAME has some good pre-order bonuses, but are too highly priced. In the end, the only real winners here are CEX and the internet.
OneShotWook
They will match and add a quid more at gamestation to Flamez on trade in offers.Another poster above mentioned this and i didn’t know until earlier this week either.
Forrest_01
Yeah, but the trouble is that they will only match if they get a till printout of the price that they are matching – Unfortunately the other shops around my way have become savvy to this & now won’t give out till printouts so that they don’t lose the trade.
Kevling
All I do is use the CEX website, put everything I want to trade in their basket, then print it out and take it to Gamestation with me. As long as the printout isn’t more than a day or two out of date they will accept it.
Just bear in mind, they will beat other store’s prices trade-in prices by a £ if the other store is offering more. If their trade-in prices are the same they won’t, as by their logic, they’re unbeaten.