Around these parts, the only places that keep games under glass are the big-box stores. Wal-Mart, Zellers, etc. I also don't know enough to really comment on just how many game sales they are losing to impulse buys because of this. I'm pretty sure that most people impluse buying aren't doing it on $50 - $70 games, and that's probably why these stores continue to carry huge bins/shelf-spaces full of older and cheaper games.

It's just nice to see that someone in these companies has a bit of a thinking cap on, so that my consumerism doesn't get too stale.

MrBionic

@vhn: As a former GameStop employee, the way the game renting worked was that we could take a used game home for I believe a week. We never touched new games; that said, I've heard that some stores do it differently and only allow employees to take home new games, which is kind of messed up, IMHO.

Still, now that I don't work there anymore and don't have an employee discount, I'd never buy a game from GameStop unless I specifically pre-ordered it and knew it was new. The process of a games opening ing up, putting the box on the floor and still selling the game as "new" disgusts me. Floor copies and former floor copies (i.e. games that have been re-shrinkwrapped in the store) should be 10% off, always. Only factory-sealed games should be sold at full price.

kylenalepa

@Chinpokomon: funny thing about that. stealing is illegal pretty much everywhere...

kathartik

"Plus stealing is illegal in Japan."

@Chinpokomon:

Most states over here in the U.S. are like that too. Here in Texas though, it's legal to steal from a store if you don't have money in your wallet. It's called the "Robin Hood Law". Just can't break anything, that's defacing property. Thus the glass case on games.

KuromanKuro Live and PSN

Violent video games escaping into the wrong hands, aahhhhh. -zkotaku

zkotaku

As has been said, keeping the discs out of the games is a useful little tool.

I also support the large security devices to keep the case clamped shut. That way you can pick up the game, look at the back of the box, etc. and then bring it over to the register where the guy uses his special little implement to strip the security device off.

tzaketh

The best place to buy games, from a purely hands-on experience, is Fry's Electronics. Every game is on the shelf.

kylenalepa

...

In every single UK shop which sells games, they keep the discs behind the counter.

I'd have thought it was a no-brainer, America.

headcrab

In denmark we also have Gamestop (They're still mostly called EB-games) and from what i can understand from these comments, the system here is like in the US. Game case on the shelf, and you pick it up and go to disk and he opens the glass wall and takes the disc out.

BUT, i dont like this because i dont know where the discs have been. Employees in EB-games/gamestop are as far as i know allowed to "borrow" games home for 30 days, and then put it back on the the glass wall, where they take the discs for nonused games that customers buy. That's atleast what i've heard from lots of places about the danish gamestop/eb-games.

Also they have this "you dont like the game? full gaurantee" in the danish stores, with the point being that you tried your game and didn't like it. The games they take back are placed on the glass wall, the non-used games glass-wall.

And before you say that im talking !"#¤, i can also add that i have bought a PS2 game some years ago in eb-games, for the full new game price, and the clerk took the disc from the glasswall, and put it in the case and then i checked it outside the store and it was scratched. Got my money back, but still.

Long story short, i dont shop in ebgames/gamestop. I shop in some of the electronic stores we have in denmark, where they dont have all the cool preorder nights, preorder gift cards, but atleast its NON-BROKEN emballage straight from manufacture, with the microsoft bar code on the emballage, and the way they do it is, they cover the game with hard plastic that you can see thru, and braking one of those would bring a little more attention than just opening a case and slipping out the disc, as far as stealing goes. When you then buy the game, they just remove the hard plastic, and you have your emballaged game.

I hate scratched disc, and i always cringe when people handle their discs like !"#¤

vhn

It never would work because people would steal the hell out of them. In my store we have a small display of crap budget games 20 bucks and under and even those get stolen to fence or for trade in credit. They already do this anyways for games usually under 20 bucks.

raiseplease

edit: that should have read "53% turnover rate. In" and

"similarly under staffed"

Had like 3 hours of sleep must go back to bed so I can type correctly :P

sorry about that.

redice

@UnwantedKiller: That's the whole point. They're saying that people unlike you and me might be more inclined to make impulse buys of video games at Target or whatever if they weren't on the other side of a glass case.

Babylonian

@LlamaNL: Stupid police, stop me and that i know everyone who works at gamestop, oh wait i work at gamestop :D

UnwantedKiller

@NeoStarr: Most big retail chains are under staff "I worked at a walmart" which last I checked had a 53% turnover rate in my department "photo" we were 3 people short the whole 6 months I worked there electronics was similarly over staffed and sometimes we would help them and vice versa.

And you wonder why people get annoyed waiting to get a game out of the game case. I have waited 15 minutes before to get a game mercs 2 for instance I waited 15 minutes 1 clerk working at that walmart in electronics and 5 people waiting for him to help them. I was first in line those other people waited or gave up after I was done with him.

Considering I was nice and paid in electronics it could have been worse for the people behind me, I could have asked to buy it up front in which case he would have had to walk it up, and they would have been left waiting even longer.

redice

I prefer any method that allows for the least amount of employee interaction as possible. The new manager of my local gamestop i've been going to for years has a new strategy of where he tries to practically insult you into pre ordering upcoming games, (then has the nerve to ask me to fill out a positive employee review for him online).

get2theDeLorean

In Japan, in many stores, you pick up a display copy, carry it to the counter, and then they pick up the real one from behind the counter for you.

Plus stealing is illegal in Japan.

Chinpokomon

Gee i'm gonna be the first guy in the thread to start yapping about STEAM! well i'm not gonna :P

LlamaNL

It's not the glass that keeps me from the games, it's the customer service.

NeoStarr

Working at a games store, its hard to keep the games in order when a customer cannot put it back where they found it. I just want to have glass cases so they cant do that.

Cornerb0y

@UnwantedKiller: I'm one of them these past few weeks have been hell I don't really like Mercenaries but since its the only thing good on shelf well I didn't buy it :P Hopefully SW:FU satisfies my appetite for sept.

JetPogi

I think GameStop does it best. I like to be able to pick up the game, look at the back and make my own presumptions about the game. Usually I know about a game before I go and pick it up; I'll actually read reviews and watch some videos of it. But finding a clerk to get the game behind a glass case is annoying. I like to take my time and they don't have the time.

macr0planet

Yeah, game-out-of-case with packing at the till is what they do in Woolworths, GAME, Gamestation, Virgin/zavvi, HMV... everywhere.

Pombar

Well they could always do what GameStop does is take the game out of the case.

AdrinalinZ8

Who buys like that, i take time to pick out games i want and games i am pre ordering

UnwantedKiller

Oh, and also, Gamestop *does* carry many games in the shrink-wrap, they just keep them behind the counter. If you're buying a game to keep it *in* shrink-wrap however, you're taking an awful chance that it'll one day become a rare game.

MrBionic

@dowingba:

I'd like a list of much more expensive things that are as easily concealed in an article of clothing that aren't under some kind of security measure. I think you'll find you'd be hard-pressed to name too many, really. (this only counts for stores that *do* put games under glass. Not Best Buy. ;))

As for collectors that want sealed copies of rare games, you're right. People of that nature would never shop at Gamestop. This doesn't mean that the practice is stupid.

MrBionic

I work at gamestop and the game you check out can't be a hot item, there must be multiple copies of the game and you are only allowed to have it out for 4 days now, must be signed in and out by some kind of manager.

Aparanoidandroi

First of all: a $70 impulse buy? Woah.

Second of all: why the hell are games locked up anyway? I mean, they have much more expensive stuff out in the open. I'll never understand why games get this special treatment. And yeah, it's retarded not being able to look at the back of the case when you're thinking of buying a game.

You know what's also stupid? The EB Games/Gamestop practice of removing the discs from the case. For no other product would people tolerate such a practice. You know how there's people who still owned sealed copies of rare games like Chrono Trigger? Yeah well they didn't get those at Gamestop, that's for sure.

dowingba

Disc out of case is definitely the best way.

Just wish they did that for PC games. I can't even tell you how many times I bought a PC game just to find that the disc had been stolen.

ShaggE

@Chinpokomon: Stealing is illegal in Japan!? Well damn... So much for MY plans of visiting Tokyo...

With all seriousness though, I can't stand game shopping at places like Wal Mart and Target where I can't see the entirety of the case before I buy a game. I don't even mind Circuit City and Best Buy with their obnoxiously bulky plastic case things that they throw games in.

I don't always have the money, but impulse buys are usually what get me through particularly dry summers. I do my research on most games, but occasionally I will just buy a game for the hell of it and talk about it with my ex-manager at Gamestop after playing it for a while.

Viewtiful Joe was an impulse buy for me when it first came out, as was Lunar Knights. It's like gambling though, sometimes you're dealt a great hand, and other times you bust before the games hardly started.

I think the lack of a glass barrier makes game shopping a much more personal experience rather than standing there like a kid at an arcade, tickets in hand, pointing and saying "I want THAT one!" So I applaud the fact that someone is taking notice of this.

Fireflynik

@GettinMyGooseOn: Just curious, how do stores survive with all those DVDs and CDs out in the open?

Zero_Beat

I like how Toy R Us used to do it...plastic flaps on the wall that had the boxart ( front and back in it ) with a scrap of paper to take up to the counter.......lol @ Gamestop gutting games nonstop and needing to fix the walls nonstop :P

spacecoffin2

@dowingba: Games are locked up because they are small, expensive, easy to steal and, when out in the open, ARE stolen in large numbers. That's the bottom line here, it doesn't matter how many more sales the publishers enjoy or how much better the experience is for the customer, stores have to eat the cost of stolen merchandise. The increased sales from having them out in the open would be more than offset by increased theft. End of story. Glass cases stay.

GettinMyGooseOn

Not a big deal for me, I just want the game to work. I don't have the money for impulse purchases though, so I'm not sure how qualified I am to talk about this.

Karl Marx Vladimirs Linens

taking games out the case is also good because you can read the manuals. I like to read the manual before buying a game. You get a good feel for what it will play like.

screamingslave

Everytime I want something behind a glass case it is impossible to find someone who can open it. And when I do find someone they want to walk me to the register with it. It's really retarded.

Slayer

I like being able to pick up and look over the box, front and back. I can't do that at stores that have the glass cases, so I usually won't buy games at those stores.

Zero_Beat

@Jypsy:
I agree completely with all of that.

captainapplesauce

@Spenze:

I too was interested in this "Robin Hood Law" of Texas and decided to investigate as well. You're totally correct, it is a system for funding the public school system in Texas... NOT a convenient excuse for shoplifters! Ha ha ha.

DePaulBlueDemon

@GettinMyGooseOn: People can pirate music and movies easier. Just adding another reason, I see what your saying too.

stevenjazz787

Also, I worked in the retail industry when I was in high school/college and I know that anything that is not nailed down is liable to get stolen.

DePaulBlueDemon

@KuromanKuro Live and PSN: omg, is that what you think the robin hood law is? LOL

The robin hood law is a financing plan enacted by the Texas school board to take money from wealthier school districts and redirect it to the poorer ones. It has nothing to do with shoplifting.

Spenze

It's really hard to "impulse" shop when a new game costs $50-60. Nevertheless, I like the clam-shell cases used by some retailers so that I can read the description of games I may have not heard about.

DePaulBlueDemon

@Jypsy: Like I said, you can come up with reasons, but in the end there's no way to know why. Logically, I agree, it doesn't seem to make much sense.

But stores don't make decisions like this based on theories. They look at the books. "Gee, we put 15 copies of this game out on display, sold 7, but there are only 3 still out there." They do the same with DVDs/CDs. The bottom line is that games are stolen more. Stores don't give a damn why. They just move to protect what's getting stolen.

GettinMyGooseOn

@GettinMyGooseOn:
Why are games more frequently stolen than a DVD?

Games are 50-60$ normally and a new game (say the new madden) can get you 20-25$ at gamestop.

A movie or CD is between 15-20$ and can get you maybe 5-10$ at most at a used CD/DVD store.

They are the same size, relatively same security in the packaging, what is the logical item chosen to steal?

Jypsy

Glass cases prevent theft, and prevent costs from going up, or those stores not stocking games at all.

@Slayer: Yes they walk you to the register, since just handing you the game to stuff in your coat after unlocking it from a case is pretty silly isn't it?

I don't have any problem with Gamestop gutting their games, as long as it works, I am fine with it. Being one of the millions of ex-gamestop employees, I can say from experience that people STILL steal the boxes thinking the games are in them, or try and trade a box in they just swiped off the floor and off which they took the price. Sure that hurts, but nowhere near as much as if the game was actually in the case.

And if you think that theft isnt a problem, you must never have worked retail in a medium-sized city. When someone trades in 10 games all "Greatest hits", just opened, never played, you know what they did to acquire those.

As Gettinmygooseon said, the sales that are lost are offset by the considerable lack of theft compared to if the games were just loose on the floor.

Games these days are hot items, especially with Gamestops and similar used game stores so easily found. It is quick cash for theives, and if a case or gutting them is the solution, I have no problem with it. If my game doesn't work from a gut, I would take it back and it would be replaced. That's how it works.

If people want to whine about it not being sealed, don't buy that copy, and go somewhere else to buy the game you are just going to open 20 minutes later.

Jypsy

I meant product Y, but you get the point...

GettinMyGooseOn

@Zero_Beat: Not stolen nearly as often. Why? Who knows. Maybe because they are cheaper. Maybe because it's easy as hell to steal movies through torrents and such if you're so inclined. But the numbers don't lie.

I used to work in big box retail and can definitely say the numbers aren't even close. It's just numbers that guide these decisions. X amount of product Y gets stolen, which is less than product Z. So product X gets attention product Z doesn't.

GettinMyGooseOn

Humans by nature can't be trusted, retail would take a massive hit if everthing was open to the public. Sure they steal big name games, but they also go for the shovel-ware. It's all about oppurtunity, and if you give it to someone they'll probably do it. Then factor in that as it costs retail more to replace the stolen games, prices on these games will sky rocket.

Xephos

A previous friend of mine (who is in jail now) used to steal games a lot to sell because he had a drug problem. It's pretty much only the newer games that are even worth trading it at gamestop. It is only the newest games that will get you $20 or $25. Anything older he said was only worth about $5-$10. At the time this guy was into shoplifting he said the highest ticket items were the memory cards for the PSP because they were easy to steal and he could get like $40 per stick. This was a couple of years ago though so memory stick prices have gone way down.

BitKid

@Spenze: From what I've seen at Target, "Platinum" releases are usually out in the open anyway.

And it's been a looooong time since I've worked in retail, but from what I remember, games are stolen more across the board. Yeah, premium titles like Zelda: A Link to the Past may be stolen a bit more as they're released (yes, it WAS that long ago I worked in the biz). But even old NES titles were popped in huge numbers in that same timeframe.

Remember, stores only realize like 10% of the sale of any game, but if a game is stolen, they eat the entire cost. So even if they were to sell 9 games for every one stolen, they still come up with a loss.

GettinMyGooseOn

@redice: Wal-Mart is exactly who I was referring to. I heard in they're really huge in the states and never have any lines and stuff. Very different here in Canada, where it's nearly impossible to check anything out let alone something from a display case. There have been times where I've gone and there was nobody even working in the electronics department, and it's not like you can go around the store asking for help since it's usually only one or two guys that have the keys.

NeoStarr

But really, what people aren't taking into account here is that these companies aren't trying to put $70 games out beside the candy bars. Those wouldn't be the impulse buy games any way. They're trying to put the games that are already cheap, or past their prime (the best of collections perhaps?) out in easily accessible areas of stores where people who wouldn't typically buy games might decide to pick them up.

He'll, if I were in target, and saw a copy of GoW2 (which I never picked up when it came out) for $20 already wrapped up, no waiting, yeah, I'd probably grab it.

Spenze

GO VIDAYA GAMES >XD!!!!!

RaidenMGS2

@revolverx:

Futureshop is what is known as Best Buy in the states. (Best Buy bought Futureshop a while back)

The problem is in a store that is not dedicated to mid to high end consumer electronics won't have the manhours or the time to train everyone who might possibly cover the electronics dept on how to open and seal the cases. It is much easier and cost-effective to tell them "open the case, walk it to a register, ring it up."

Jypsy

I've worked at Wal-mart for three weeks. And in those three weeks, I've realized people will steal anything - crappy games, good games, cds, movies.

I don't think it's a great idea to get them from out behind the glass case. With the kind of people walmart attracts, it'd be counterproductive. :v

Kotae

Futureshop doesn't have glass boxes, just the games incased in a plastic sleeves, dye pack and then a magnetic strip inside the sealed game case (ie making it really hard to steal). By doing this, I can just walk in, grab it, walk to a register, they take it out of everything and give it to me within two seconds. Its a pretty simple thing to implement and futureshop is probably the place where most games are bought in Canada just behind EB games.

revolverx

Clearly no one actually red the article as the link is incorrect. Here's the correct one: [www.mercurynews.com]

Probably a good thing to RTFA before making an "insightful" comment.

roland13x

Yeah, no. Anyone who suggests has never actually worked retail. At my store, some games are in jewel cases on the floor, more expensive games go behind the case with empty displays on the floor. We see very little shrink with games behind the case, but those locked in jewel cases? They're like free candy for shoplifters. We're the highest department for shrink, so what did the higher ups decide to try? Planograms started calling for us to shelve crap outside the department, including a few DSes. You can all guess what happened to those... And when crap starts going missing, low end minimum wage associates like me get screamed at for not being diligent enough in targeting shrink, while the higher ups just shrug, "But it looks so good on paper!" Putting Nintendogs in the girls toy department doesn't do anything but provide a nice, low security place to pry open cases. Go to hell analysts, work a day in the trenches and get back to me, your MBAs can suck me off. ..sorry, kinda bitter, /end rant

monkeysaresilly

@KuromanKuro Live and PSN: How can you be so ignorant? As several people have already pointed out, the "Robin Hood" law has nothing to do with shoplifting. I merely join in to chastise you for such misinformation spreading.

Frankie23

@roland13x: Eh, just realized how cranky that post read.

Anyway, my biggest problem, and what I think is the industries' biggest problem at retail, is just how ridiculously unorganized more retail shelves are. When you spend 10+ minutes looking for a new release, realized it's not on the shelf where it should be, asking an employee if they have any and waiting another 15 minutes before he breathlessly brings it back, saying there's a bunch in the storeroom. Well son, bring the rest out too!

People can't buy what they cannot find, and I'd be willing to bet if the game aisle were as organized as the DVD aisle, we'd be seeing 15-30% higher software sales.

As a developer, I find it very frustrating that it's all too often difficult for a consumer to find what they are looking for.

roland13x

@Jypsy: Not entirely accurate. While Best Buy owns FutureShop as a parent company, the brands are completely separate. Best Buy has stores in Canada as well, but the two stores run everything separate.

I worked for BestBuy/Futureshop headquarters in Burnaby, B.C., and even in there the competition between the two brands was fierce and brutal.

MrBionic

The problem with retail is that they keep used games discs behind the shelf so the cased don't have to be in glass houses.

The problem is that Gamestop makes more money off each used game sold than each new game sold.

sixonedoesitall

@headcrab: Wow. That's pretty lame. You English people (and english speaking people in general) are so cold and paranoiac. You sell games like English Canadians and Americans sell alcohol. Is it part of your culture to think that, somehow, alcohol is evil and should be kept in a jail like place where big bouncer-type- of-guys work and systematically check IDs when other humans want to buy a drink? That is a ridiculous way of selling alcohol, so imagine what I think of selling games like this. Chill a little. Games (and alcohol) is not crack.

People should be allowed closer to the games! The more contact with the games, the better the sales. Try it. More contact, more warmth, more love!

Kaneda

I love sealed copies of games, but i hate ones that i can't read the back of =/ To be honest, if they want more sales, they should seal more games, not just the new new games, then i, for one, would buy more of them

infestedDemon

I'd rather buy a game from behind a glass case, than ever buy a game from gamestop. I don't understand why they don't make dummy cases. At gamestop, the game case is usually muddled with fingerprints, the instructions are sometimes crumpled, and who knows how many gamestop employees have played your "new game". Screw that. I just buy it at Walmart or Best Buy. If I'm dropping sixty bucks for a title then I'm the first one to crack the shrink wrap.

Gamestop is fine to buy used games, but even then, I'm willing to get them at Gamefly.

Jezner

I dont like how at Gamestop the games arent in the case. It has happened twice to me where they sold me a used game for the price of a new one. I bought a game, thinking it was new, and the copy they gave me had scratches on it. The other time it was a new DS game that had save data on it.

Moopman133

@dowingba: Here in the UK shops like GAME have display cases and sale cases. So when you go to the counter they take the display case and replace it with a new box (usually sealed, if it's new). Then they take all the display cases collected at the counter and put them back on the shelf again.

Nosignalinput

I dont know what everyone is talking about when saying Gamestop does the disc out of case. The only discs/games not in their cases at any of my local Gamestops (6 total) are the used ones. All new games are factory sealed in their cases behind the counter or in the back room. Even if it is a 2 year old game. If I grab the display case marked new and walk up to the counter with it, they will pull out a brand new one still sealed and give it to me, unless the display is the last one, then they knock of 10%.

I have been spoiled by AAFES though. Games, movies, and cds, all left out. Only thing keeping me from opening the case is the shrink wrap. Look at it, pick it up, and carry it around the store until I am ready to check out. Best Buy is the same way except for some of the big ticket games. Those are in the individual plastic cases. About the only places that actually have games still in a glass case(besides behind the counter) are Wal-Mart and Target. And Wal-Mart is a rarity for me to get a game there. If I am already there and it is one I already want, and finally break down and get it. Target I get them more often from though. One of the Gamestops is next to a Target, sometimes if they are sold out, I'll walk to Target and double check. And unlike Wal-Mart the electronics section usually always has someone standing near the cases since the register is right there.

SSgtTEX

yeah, I do have my problems with gamestop, but thats where I buy nearly all of my games because I get a 15% discount there.

chaos_isnt_here

Trying to get people to buy games on impulse is silly. Well it happens for moms and their 6-year olds, but most adult gamers don't buy a game on impulse.

They research the hype. Discuss on forums. Watch videos. Read reviews. Play the demo. Then buy.

Or at least that is what I do. It might work for the uniformed gamers, but most adult gamers are not uninformed.

FrigidAir44

Working at a Wal-Mart, I can tell you the glass cases are a pain. I would rather they get rid of them, but it is rather difficult to convince our store management team to do so when we have 90,000.00$ a year drop off in stolen merchandise (Our theft is the lowest we've had in five years, and we have a population of less than 10,000 people in our town). What would help, is if they would just do what other big-box retailers do: keep small glass cases for the odd-shaped game merchandise & put the high-risk games in the plastic security boxes (increase impulse buys). Unfortunately, our management team will not spend the money to do such things.

diomedesxx

I feel the same about my razor refills. If its behind a case, I usually wait to buy. I have to go out to suburbs just to pull it off of the shelf (same with games).

DARTH_TIGRIS

I hate the way gamestop has it set up. I personally don't buy it there, but my friend does and all his game cases either has stickers on them or sticker residue. I'd prefer buying my games shrinkwrapped.

everybest

@MrBionic:

Heh sorry about that, I just have never seen a Best Buy in canada every time I was out there, and was aware that best buy owns futureshop, so I though thats all there was.
My apologies ;)

Jypsy

I know at the Target down the road they have the "crap" $20-30 and under games out in little shelf dealies around the game areas. I say "crap" because I look to still find Resident Evil 4 (PS2 and Wii editions), Final Fantasy X and X-2, Dead Rising, Lost Colonies both editions for 360, Rayman Raving Rabbids and most recently No More Heroes. They make great impulse buys (Dead Rising and Lost Colonies for me) and you don't have to check out at the Electronics register for them, you can use a normal checkout line.

taichi425

It's really hard to get a good solution to this problem. I used to work at both Gamestop and Toys R Us and they had pretty different methods...both with need for improvement.

Gamestop: They gut their games...where at least 1 copy is cut out of a new package and stuck in a baggie in a drawer. Personally, I hate buying games like this because I know that they are played. They might not have the "borrowing" policy at that store (my store stopped doing that for example) but they certainly might pop it into the demo unit or play a portable game. Also, the discs can get scratched just from being mashed against other baggies or improperly packed. They rub against the instruction guides too. Plus, it's terrible for if you're buying a gift and have to give them an open copy. Some stores have shrink-wrap but you can tell if it's not original wrapping.

Toys R Us would do price limits...cheap games on the floor. The expensive ones had "display cases" and they'd put these falsies on the shelf. But of course, there's problems. You run into issues if they don't have the fake cases yet for a certain game, forget to put the fakes on the floor, or if there's more fakes than real copies. It takes a lot of maintenance and when you're paying minimum wage, you aren't going to get top notch attention to stuff like that. They tried putting M rated titles solely behind glass, and as a result, no one bought them since no one knew they were there. They had those alarmed security cases for games too, but people stole those.

It's a really difficult issue. Games are the perfect theft item...they're small and expensive. But casual shopping requires access. Maybe they could be on chains or something so people can handle the game, but still require payment to actually be able to take it home.

teraphony

I don't so much mind the glass cases; there are plenty of ways to research a game without looking at the back of the box. What I hate is when the games are all in the case and you can't see how much most of them cost. Fred Meyer does this, with only a few of them facing forward so you can see the price tag. Unless the others are specially marked as on sale, you have no idea how much they're going for. It's a shame, because if I saw that Fred Meyer had a game I was interested in at a decent price, I'd probably buy it right then and there. Instead, you're left with trying to find an employee to open the case, pull out the game and tell you the price.

notoriousEIC

grr. no completely = now completely. Time to change batteries in my keyboard.

MrBionic

@Jypsy: Good advice. I have no completely forgiven you for your Futureshop/Bestbuy inaccuracies ;)

MrBionic

To the people who have gotten "used" games at gamestop as "New":

Honestly Gamestop has NO reason to sell used games as new. They make more money off of selling a used game as used, not to even mention the fact that stores are rated based on their used sales and trade-in quantities. The more the better. So again, it doesn't help the store to sell a used as new, in fact it should screw up their inventory numbers pretty seriously, and a red flag should pop up at corporate.

Now, if this is indeed happening (which I have heard quite a few accounts)it means there is something wrong if a genuinely used game is sold as new.

So basically here are some things that you can do to ensure that if you shop at Gamestop and get the "gut" copy:

JYPSY'S GAMESTOP SURVIVAL GUIDE:

1. ALWAYS ask to see the disc/cartridge BEFORE paying any money. (used or new) If they refuse, they would lose sales. Just explain that you want to make sure its in "new" condition. If the disc is not in the condition you desire, ask to see another copy. If that is not in good enough condition for you, don't buy. If a game has savedata on it, it may have been checked out by an employee. If it shows signs of distress or dirt, do not accept it.

2. If you end up in a situation you are unhappy with, politely (I can't stress that enough) complain. Lots of people love to call gamestop and be incredibly rude to the employees, they will be shrugged off. Maturity helps in these situations.

3. If these things happen, complain to the manager. If your situation is not resolved, call corporate offices. If it is still not resolved, write in to corporate.

4. If you are uncomfortable with purchasing an opened copy of a new game, ask if you can have it noted on the reciept that it was the gutted copy in case of you wishing to return it. (Most of the time they put some circle tape over the end, and if that is broken, it is no longer returnable for a full refund)

5. If you feel the instruction manual or case of an opened copy of a new or used game is damaged, ask if you can get an "open box discount". Some stores may be receptive to the idea, some may not. Managers are authorized to give a small discount if this happens, at their discretion.

6. Don't settle. This is the biggest mistake people make. If you go in and they have only an opened copy of a new game, and you are truly not happy with that, DONT BUY IT! Don't buy it then whine that you were "forced" to buy it.

The reason I post this is simple: I love going to gamestop and picking up games every other store no longer stocks. Example: I bought Jet Set Radio Future when it popped up on the Backwards Compatibility list. I don't care to shop online, so I bought it for $4.00 used. There are too many games for big box retailers to stock and too many systems, so for me, gamestop works fine.

(end rant)

Jypsy

@macr0planet:
I prefer the way Best Buy does it. I get all of that, and they don't treat me like a pre-convicted thief. Win-win for me. ToysRUs is almost as good (and they're both less expensive), but the really new/popular stuff often gets display-copy cases stocked to the shelves, which the game section clerk will magically transform into a factory-sealed copy of the actual game for you, while you're checking out. You sorta still get treated like a pre-convicted thief, but only when shopping for specific games. And you _NEVER_ get a pre-opened "new" display copy. Neh. Ver.

In both cases, though, they can get away with it because they've got good floor coverage. TRU usually only has one or two people in the games section, but it's RFID-protected to keep gamestock confined to that area, and you can hardly walk into that area without the clerk chasing you down to ask if you need help. Best Buy is more of an open floorplan, but they have blueshirts _EVERYWHERE_, so even if you sneak off to some dark corner of the store, it'd be dumb to expect to not have one walk up behind you in mid-decasing. And the good ones should have an instinct for suspicious behavior. Just while shopping, I've spotted a kid or two that was clearly more interested in keeping an eye on the foot traffic than checking out the walls of merchandise in front of them, or whatever they had clutched in their hands.

@kylenalepa:
Every individual store is going to be run the way that store's manager wants to run it, until such time as he's ratted out to corporate. We've heard plenty of stories of an unscrupulous GameStop manager or several who has no problem with borrowing the new display copies because it means _he_ essentially gets free rentals on everything.

@Fireflynik:
The what now? I can't recall the last time I had to get a game taken out of a security frame at Best Buy, and I try to shop at Circuit City as little as possible. Heck, Best Buy doesn't even do that for CDs anymore, unless it's a really expensive box set (and then they use the strap-on electronic security device).

@NeoStarr:
They may be huge here, but you do still get lines at the main checkout (_long_ lines), and if you just ask any one person for help with something stored in a cabinet, they're supposed to page someone who does have keys if they don't.

Purple Dave

I used to work at Blockbuster about 10 years ago and at that time they would keep the (rental) games out on the sales floor in specially locked clear plastic containers, like people keep suggesting. They must have gone through 3 or 4 different styles while I worked there because every time a new style came out, someone would quickly figure out how to break it open and steal the games. Some where quite ingenious like melting a specific area with a lighter to make the lock pop open. After a while they finally wised up and started keeping games behind the counter with empty boxes on the shelves. Then only the employees where stealing them.

PENI_MASTA

Let's bring back the TOYS R US method! You grab that little piece paper under a picture of the game. Bring it to the cashier and pay. Then bring the paper and receipt to that counter. Where you wait an hour for some warehouse dude to go find the game. On second thought. That method sucked ass!

Orionsaint

@Orionsaint: Thats what I said ( toys )...only dint think it all the way through like you :P lol bring out a game on a fork lift WTF.

spacecoffin2

If it does break through the glass window, then I'm going to start stealing them. Why? Because I'm a thief.
No, in all honesty, because I have years worth of anger built up inside that comes from those stupid glass cases. I don't know how many times I've had problems or some crazy incident involving those things.

So yeah, stick it to the man! Maybe their hoping that they can just get pirates to steal them from retail stores, thus reducing the amount of money they lose from internet pirates.

TheGuero

@Jypsy: Last week, when I bought R&CF: ToD used at GameStop, I should've asked to see the disc before I bought it. The cashier said it was dirty & she said to wipe it off. Well, it didn't look that bad after I got it. When I got home, I cleaned it once, tried it, & it froze at the beginning. I took it out, cleaned it again, put it back in. It still froze! Unfortunately, my parents were out of town for the day, so I had to wait until they got home for them to clean it. Luckily, my dad got it working, and it works just fine now. But, it was really a dumb purchase on my part. $50 for a used game is not a good deal at all, but I bought it.

I am a GameStop sucker! Well, not completely. At least I know which games are good, and which games are for which system! I'm looking at you, oblivious parents!

dawimp523

:S

The prevalence of these glass retail barriers is very low in Australia. Our stores simply have empty boxes on display. If somebody was silly enough to try and smuggle a game out of the store they'd only find themselves with an empty plastic/cardboard case.

AlbenoEpiX

@Chinpokomon: And right here in the Netherlands that's exactly how it works as well. I assume that goes for most of Europe as well.

Such a odd thing that it's behind a special glass cover.

StormdragonBlue

I'm surprised we don't have Game Vending Machines yet.... They could take cash or credit card, they can print receipts... They could have an LCD Panel on the front with game previews... etc... best part is, there would be NO employee interaction...

Imagine walking into Wal-Mart or Best Buy, and just push the button for the game you want to buy... a preview video comes up, and it says "Insert Cash or Card for purchase" ... you swipe your card, and the game and a receipt pop out... then you leave..

The only downfall would be that age verification would be difficult... they could make it so you had to either use a credit card (which most children don't have) or get employee verification (via PIN code) before buying an M-rated game...

Nside

Game Crazy lets you play the game before you buy it.
New or used.

bigbot

As a few people have said, empty boxes do the trick.

artofwar420

This is so true. I actually bought my first "in line" game the other day at Best Buy. Lumines 2 was sitting next to the candy for $15, and I didn't even think twice. It was weird. I'm pretty sure I never would have bought that if I actually had to ask someone to help me get it.

bangbangblah

@GettinMyGooseOn: Thanks for clearing that up.

Zero_Beat

I also buy most of my games with Amazon Prime.

M

Sony's PlayStation store in San Francisco, has all their games and accessories out so that people can pick up and look at live product.

Jutah_F8

There's two general methods in the UK, the door alarm sensor cases and the discs behind the counter method and having worked a good while with a store that did a mix of both, I can say that behind the counter is far superior. How do I know this? Because I was the one who came up with the method to break into a set of damaged cases when my manager couldn't get them open for a customer.
I walked into the back office, put the case o the floor, upright and stood myself on top of it. *crack crack pop* Instant DVD box-set. Took all of 3 seconds, far far faster than using a strong magnet to jimmy it open and the evidence slid neatly under the bottom of a shelving display. In an empty aisle of a supermarket, you could with practice pop one of these cases and then walk around fumbling the discs out inside the trolley before dumping the DVD case behind the yoghurt.
Hilarious fact though. I imparted this method to my colleagues as a timesaver and at one point a manager came up to me, red-faced and asked me to come through to the office. She wasn't heavy enough to cause the case to pop and had been standing on it for a good two minutes, jumping up and down.

Mattz

I was at the walmart the other day picking up some stuff... and although I don't really like to buy games there, I asked to see the back of a game. But it was locked up behind glass and they needed the key. Well... It took them about 40 minutes to find the key... another employee had gone on their lunch break with it or something. The only reason I stayed the whole time waiting was because they had Guitaire hero out I could rock to while I waited. But most sane people could not.

Its becoming selling theory that people buy items more on the touch factor. Does any one realize that in stores they're trying to do away with hanging clothes up and leaving more and more clothes on tables and hubbies so you can just pick them up and not have to fight with the hangers? The same applies to video games~ If I'm browsing for a game and don't know exactly what I want I want to be able to just pick up every game immediately and look at it... not wait for the salesman/woman. Well... Gamestop understands this for the most part I think... even if they don't leave the games in the casesO.o

Bluesnow222

I was at Wal-Mart a couple of days ago and all of the glass cases in front of the games were gone. I had no idea why, but maybe this explains it.

mrplow8

In Norway, they either empty the cover and keep the discs behind the counter, or some stores have like these plastic thingys imprisoning the game like hannibal lecter, that they take off when you buy it. It has a huge ass alarm on it so you can't take it anywhere near the exit without the alarm going off.

Fury-genesis

If I could tell you how many times I've been yelled at by my girlfriend for walking in a game store 'just to look' and coming out with a game, I'd have enough money to buy another game.

I actually had an impulse buy on the sequel to a game I loved, even though my platform for it was broken. Needless to say, it forced me to get a new one.

I've never had an impulse buy at Wal-Mart, though, because of their damn glass cases.

chrisscottxd

The other method used here is the UK is electronic tagging. Unless the tag is removed or deactivated at the til it will set off the alarms if taken near the exits. Usually just the biggest stores like Virgin use this though.

Treesus

@Chinpokomon: "Plus stealing is illegal in Japan." hahaha. That statement most completely describes the disparity on principles that separate the US from Japan.

JohnnytheFuture

It's extremely rare to see a store keeping games behind glass cases and not just on shelves, so what's the news here?

guspaz

At Best Buy I'm starting to notice alot of games without the plastic casing around them with the speaker built in that sounds when it has been busted open =s

But Walmart always keeps most of their games behind the glass =s

MidnightScott17

I once worked on a shop selling everything from boardgame figures to photographic equipment where the owner made a point of encouraging people to pick up and feel the goods. He never worried about anyone trying to run out the door with something in their hands because he had a shop at the back of a long shopping centre and a good relationship with the front security.

But he encouraged people to handle the merchandise and as I remember, his business thrived.

Keshie

I have never bought a video game at Walmart. This isn't so much because of the glass cases (although it is patially. I always check out the back before ourchasing a game), but mostly because I will always buy a used game before buying a new one. I've saved a ton of cash on games that play perfectly good.

But most games I am looking to buy, I've always checked out in reviews or demos. I hate impulse buys, and it has wasted my money before.

Kovitlac

@vhn:

Typically it's more like a week or less that GS employees are allowed to barrow a game. And it's for the convenience of the customers - we can't help people find what they are looking for if we have never played the games ourselves.

Kovitlac

Thank you for reminding me why I don't really buy games in brick and mortar stores anymore.

edosan

@MrBionic: You don't think Wal-Mart sells things that cost more than games?

dowingba

@Jypsy: You need to get out your calculator dude. Gamestop makes more money selling used games as new than selling them as used. For one simple reason: NEW GAMES COST MORE.

dowingba

I was just at K-Mart the other day (yes, you can laugh) planned on buying 2 games, a 1600 Live point card, and 3-Month Live Gold subscription card, but couldn't. The games were locked behind glass, the cards were on poles that have those locks at the end, and there were no employees around to unlock any of it. There wasn't even a customer service button to press in the immediate vicinity that I could find.

Ended up going to Gamestop instead.

I would buy more online, but I buy so much that I get tired of having to deal with all the packaging materials.

D00mM4r1n3

They do have a point, however I wouldn't go looking for MGS4 in a arms dealer shop, or for GOW3 in a Greek museum. I think this applies to the so called "casual" games more than anything. (The term "casual" is used to excuse a poor review and a lazy development). How else can you sell to soccer moms and AARP?

gencid