Post by leunas on Jan 4, 2007 13:53:59 GMT -5
A couple of weeks ago, Penny Arcade devoted a comic/essay to the business practices of dedicated "game outlets" like EB Games or Gamestop or Huge Game Conglomerate--whatever they're called nowadays. Basically, these companies have a policy involving a "preorder" which is like a dinner reservation but instead of paying nothing to be able to sit down for a delicious meal you gain the privilege of paying money in order to buy a video game once it arrives in the store months later.
I stress the words italicized in that sentence because I want to remind everyone that these businesses are not selling precious commemorative chunks of gold, or signed copies of the Torah, or other similar items with a limited supply. What they are basically selling are DVDs: the effort to create said DVDs may have been high, but the cost of manufacturing more of them is basically zero. And the storage space, for that matter, is not nearly as limited as they want you to believe. If you go to a video and music store, say Sam Goody for example, it is perfectly acceptable to find movies shelved spine-out. If you go to a bookstore, they likewise place the books so that the titles on the side are visible. Only in a video game store do we typically find the games laid out in the least efficient manner possible, flat against the wall.
I think it's generally understood that the preorder nonsense is, as others have speculated, all about the margins for both stock purchases and used games. Gamestop makes a lot more money when you trade something in for $15 in store credit and then they sticker it for resale at $30, compared to the thin profit from a new game. In terms of arrangement, I'm guessing some MBA in middle management discovered that people buy more when there's a huge wall of visually-conflicting material confronting them. It's like the way that malls are often designed with hexagonal or angled layouts because the confusion will put customers on edge, encouraging them to make a purchase (increasing their subconscious territorial control) in order to soothe their primitive reptile hindbrains. Which is no insult to either the reptiles or the customers, but just the friendly influence of micromanaged capitalism in this day and age.
But since the holidays, I've done a little browsing in the larger electronics and general stores, and I've found that the experience is better. Tycho noted that they don't make you go through preorders or hassle you about trade-ins, which is true. But--and I'm going to be really shallow here--it seems cheaper to me. I tend to see DS titles priced at $30 instead of $35. The selection is better, too. There are more bargain games lying around, and you're not reliant on the luck of used stock to find something.
I'm not really a fan of Best Buy, but it's saying something when I think I'd rather drive a few miles to the store in Baileys Crossroads than get off the bus after work and walk to the EB Games in Ballston.
milezero.org/index.cgi/2007/01/03#retail_and_resell
I stress the words italicized in that sentence because I want to remind everyone that these businesses are not selling precious commemorative chunks of gold, or signed copies of the Torah, or other similar items with a limited supply. What they are basically selling are DVDs: the effort to create said DVDs may have been high, but the cost of manufacturing more of them is basically zero. And the storage space, for that matter, is not nearly as limited as they want you to believe. If you go to a video and music store, say Sam Goody for example, it is perfectly acceptable to find movies shelved spine-out. If you go to a bookstore, they likewise place the books so that the titles on the side are visible. Only in a video game store do we typically find the games laid out in the least efficient manner possible, flat against the wall.
I think it's generally understood that the preorder nonsense is, as others have speculated, all about the margins for both stock purchases and used games. Gamestop makes a lot more money when you trade something in for $15 in store credit and then they sticker it for resale at $30, compared to the thin profit from a new game. In terms of arrangement, I'm guessing some MBA in middle management discovered that people buy more when there's a huge wall of visually-conflicting material confronting them. It's like the way that malls are often designed with hexagonal or angled layouts because the confusion will put customers on edge, encouraging them to make a purchase (increasing their subconscious territorial control) in order to soothe their primitive reptile hindbrains. Which is no insult to either the reptiles or the customers, but just the friendly influence of micromanaged capitalism in this day and age.
But since the holidays, I've done a little browsing in the larger electronics and general stores, and I've found that the experience is better. Tycho noted that they don't make you go through preorders or hassle you about trade-ins, which is true. But--and I'm going to be really shallow here--it seems cheaper to me. I tend to see DS titles priced at $30 instead of $35. The selection is better, too. There are more bargain games lying around, and you're not reliant on the luck of used stock to find something.
I'm not really a fan of Best Buy, but it's saying something when I think I'd rather drive a few miles to the store in Baileys Crossroads than get off the bus after work and walk to the EB Games in Ballston.
milezero.org/index.cgi/2007/01/03#retail_and_resell