Small world. How I miss EB and the many hours playing on the N64/PS1 demo's as a kid in Virgin. And most recently Grainger games, stuck buying games online now.
How far has games retail fallen in your area?.
- Thread starter Madmackem
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Aye, lol. I used to have like a route where I'd basically check out gamestation, beetees (or however you spell it) eb games, virgin megastore, gadget shop and GAME. Unlikely I ever bought anything mind you, but it was something I could actually enjoy checking out if I was in town. Maybe have a wander up top of princess quey too... Now city centre is just full of spice zombies lol.
I do kinda wonder what city centres like hull are going to end up being when all is said and done. Like retail seems destined to die as long as online exists. So if you're not going to town to shop, what will we be going into town for? Just restaurants and booze? Will it just exist to serve as a night out on the piss? I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, but I doubt an Ice arena is the attraction that's going to turn things around. Lol
I know I do this a lot, but:
I'm making a documentary film about retail's shift during the tangible to digital transition. It's focused on small mom and pop stores, but we visited an abandoned Toys R Us, too.
I'm making a documentary film about retail's shift during the tangible to digital transition. It's focused on small mom and pop stores, but we visited an abandoned Toys R Us, too.
Even during Playstation 1 days I had to travel for way too many miles just to get Street Fighter Alpha 3. My mom was the best! She would even bring my PS1 to school on a free day so me and my friends could play in her office.
Right now it's digital or nothing for me because of convenience. I have a Walmart, and now we have a Gamestop but I don't really need them, especially since I mostly get stuff on PC.
Right now it's digital or nothing for me because of convenience. I have a Walmart, and now we have a Gamestop but I don't really need them, especially since I mostly get stuff on PC.
Used to be like 4 Gamestops (one was EB Games) in the city. Now there's only two on basically opposite ends. There's Best Buy and Walmart which also have games though.
I was in the Gamestop the other day and I was browsing and stopped to realize that now a good 40% of the floor space is video game merchandise. T-shirts, figures, mugs, etc.
I was in the Gamestop the other day and I was browsing and stopped to realize that now a good 40% of the floor space is video game merchandise. T-shirts, figures, mugs, etc.
Gosh, I haven't set foot in a GameStop in maybe 10 years?
Amazon was the first blow that drew me away. Suddenly I could have physical games shipped directly to my desk at work. Most of the time on launch day for cheaper prices.
Then I went all digital over 5 years ago, killing any remaining interest I'd have in B&M retail.
Not surprised to hear modern game shops are doubling as novelty stores (Funco, t-shirts, etc.).
Genuinely curious how many years GameStop has left before they go the way of Toys-R-Us. Can't imagine it's too long now.
Amazon was the first blow that drew me away. Suddenly I could have physical games shipped directly to my desk at work. Most of the time on launch day for cheaper prices.
Then I went all digital over 5 years ago, killing any remaining interest I'd have in B&M retail.
Not surprised to hear modern game shops are doubling as novelty stores (Funco, t-shirts, etc.).
Genuinely curious how many years GameStop has left before they go the way of Toys-R-Us. Can't imagine it's too long now.
I'll be damned. Next thing you're gonna tell me is Babbages and FuncoLand is still around somewhere.
Here in NZ EB Games stores keep popping up all the time. Every time I go in there they are busy as hell
Doing very well, mid city area and lots of residential and lower and lower middle income minority and non-minority families. Less online shopping I presume and lots more retail shopping for videogames.
Every time I've gone to a store I've regularly seen a mix of families, teenagers, young adults, kids, men and women and girls and boys, buying games. Tbh I was surprised at the diversity, particularly with age.
In store purchasing isn't going away, it is seeing a revival of sorts after they have reshaped since the dawn of Amazon.
Every time I've gone to a store I've regularly seen a mix of families, teenagers, young adults, kids, men and women and girls and boys, buying games. Tbh I was surprised at the diversity, particularly with age.
In store purchasing isn't going away, it is seeing a revival of sorts after they have reshaped since the dawn of Amazon.
Kmart stopped selling games here, the closest Target shut down, Game went out of business and my local Big W told me they don't get games on release day anymore and they don't sell more niche games. There's still a JB Hifi that is normally good, and an EB that I hardly ever go to because they're expensive (they price match but 99% of the time I'll just go to the source). I went there yesterday and that store did not have Dragon Quest XI in stock, at opening time. And when I called up about an Atelier game a few years ago they were dismissive about ordering any in.
Amazon was meant to ship DQ11 yesterday but they haven't yet.
Amazon was meant to ship DQ11 yesterday but they haven't yet.
After Amazon ended their prime discounts, Best Buy Canada's online store is a nice place to shot. Free shipping for most games, usually expedited via Canada post.
Their games are sometimes $5 cheaper than Amazon's list price. Still, even their Brick and mortar seems so anachronistic because stock is always an issue unless I'm buying hugely stocked major releases. But yeah, Best Buy Canada has stepped up their game, though we never had GCU, they ended their rewards zone program here which was a pretty bad bonus program.
Their games are sometimes $5 cheaper than Amazon's list price. Still, even their Brick and mortar seems so anachronistic because stock is always an issue unless I'm buying hugely stocked major releases. But yeah, Best Buy Canada has stepped up their game, though we never had GCU, they ended their rewards zone program here which was a pretty bad bonus program.
Seattle has all the big national chains like Target, Best Buy, Gamestop, etc. The regional chain Fred Meyer has a good selection of games and we've got a couple local places like Pink Gorilla (new, retro and import), Another Castle and some random used music and book stores that carry stuff.
I still the miss the BookOff in downtown Vancouver. It's been gone for what, five years now? That place always had a great selection of used Japanese titles.
I still the miss the BookOff in downtown Vancouver. It's been gone for what, five years now? That place always had a great selection of used Japanese titles.
Closest Best Buy to my house closed a few years ago. Toys R Us just closed too but I never went there. Target and Walmart are still here. Gamestop at the closest mall also closed, but new one opened up a little further away not too far from here. With my GCU sub ending at the end of the year I'll probably be doing most if not all my non-digital purchases through Amazon.
I didn't know they had games. I would walk by it sometimes but I didn't notice any games from sidewalk view.
The games were along the back wall, and they appeared to ship inventory in from Japan in addition to stuff that had been brought in locally by customers. I got a bunch of cheap PS1, PS2, PS3 and DS imports there on my trips up from Seattle. I heard the store was doing well but the landlord kicked them out for a tenant willing to pay more.
Nearest Gamestop closed down a few years back. Another in a mall switched to a ThinkGeek, but the mall had two in the first place so there's still one there. Otherwise nothing else has really changed retailer-wise, save for TRU going under.
In our city of 15000, we have a Game-Stop, a GameXchange, and Walmart. Forty minutes away there are four Game-Stops, three GameXchanges, two Best Buys, two Targets, and tons of Wal-Mart. Of course we have Retro Arcade down by the university. It's growing, and it's $5 for all you can play, for as long as you can play, until they close.
This is just what is happening with e-commerce and in home gaming being so huge, gaming is hidden away, unless you seek it out in a store. I couldn't tell you the last time I've seen a kid/adult playing in an arcade at the movie theater, inside of a pizza parlor, or even the tiny little arcade bays at a Wal-Mart. Not even the malls here have gaming stores. One indoor mall has 4 or 5 stores in it that are still open, the other one must be nearing it's end now that Sears left town. The only "mall" that does well here is the outdoor one that is more expensive stores anchored by a Dillard's and a J.C. Penney's.
It's weird, but it's the trend now, I guess.
This is just what is happening with e-commerce and in home gaming being so huge, gaming is hidden away, unless you seek it out in a store. I couldn't tell you the last time I've seen a kid/adult playing in an arcade at the movie theater, inside of a pizza parlor, or even the tiny little arcade bays at a Wal-Mart. Not even the malls here have gaming stores. One indoor mall has 4 or 5 stores in it that are still open, the other one must be nearing it's end now that Sears left town. The only "mall" that does well here is the outdoor one that is more expensive stores anchored by a Dillard's and a J.C. Penney's.
It's weird, but it's the trend now, I guess.
There's a gamestop a few blocks away but all the mom and pop shops are gone. I do most of my shopping on Amazon tbh. Half the gamestop is taken up by figurines and other collectable garbage nobody wants.
EDIT: Forgot there are two Target stores within a mile but I don't shop there. If you go out to the suburbs you'll find stuff like Walmart, Best Buy, and Meijer where you can buy games.
EDIT: Forgot there are two Target stores within a mile but I don't shop there. If you go out to the suburbs you'll find stuff like Walmart, Best Buy, and Meijer where you can buy games.
Pretty much exactly the same, We lost Zellers a while back and Blockbuster before that, and Target after it pulled out. But otherwise it's basically the same stores.