GAME (as in the shop GAME): Retailer Of The Year 2019

jawafour wrote:Round my neck of the woods (south-east London suburbs) there is a GAME (which I rarely go in) and a CEX (which I barely ever go in). A couple of local supermarkets stock a very small selection of games; a random "top 5" for each of PS4, XBO and Switch.

If I'm buying a game on PS4 I download via the PS Store: if Switch than it's either from an online retailer or through the eShop.

There was a shop on the main shopping street in Orpington if you're near there. I only went in once though and it was a few years ago so not sure if they're still about.

Dowbocop wrote:There was a shop on the main shopping street in Orpington if you're near there. I only went in once though and it was a few years ago so not sure if they're still about.

Thanks for the heads-up, Dowbocop, but I fear that may have now closed. I don't often go to Orpington but I was there last year (to watch the Marvel Black Panther film) and I don't think a game shop was there. There was a CeX near the cinema.

J. Vengeance wrote:

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:I recently noticed while walking past my local GAME that they now offer credit arrangements on bigger purchases. Isn't that somewhat ironic for a company that went into administration partly as a result of publishers refusing to sell them stock on credit?

We at Grainger tried that, one of the many attempts to keep the company afloat it's was unpopular with the staff because an average credit check would take around 20 to 30 minutes only for it to fail 90% of the time.

They tried to bring it back in late 2017, but all the staff refused outright to support it as they had already cut back costs and staff, while throwing other stuff at us, like repairing phones and phone cases and buybacks.

I should really do a Grainger Games ama.

Pardon my nosiness but which Grainger did you work in? I frequented the Sunderland branch.

J. Vengeance wrote:

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:I recently noticed while walking past my local GAME that they now offer credit arrangements on bigger purchases. Isn't that somewhat ironic for a company that went into administration partly as a result of publishers refusing to sell them stock on credit?

We at Grainger tried that, one of the many attempts to keep the company afloat it's was unpopular with the staff because an average credit check would take around 20 to 30 minutes only for it to fail 90% of the time.

They tried to bring it back in late 2017, but all the staff refused outright to support it as they had already cut back costs and staff, while throwing other stuff at us, like repairing phones and phone cases and buybacks.

I should really do a Grainger Games ama.

I'd like that. Grainger was easily my favourite store, the staff you chatted to seemed to love the hobby too.

I used to use the one in Newcastle, as well as the strange one in a sort of industrial estate near the Rising Sun estate.

Really such a shame it's gone. A really decent website too, but I do miss the physical stores

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:

J. Vengeance wrote:

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:I recently noticed while walking past my local GAME that they now offer credit arrangements on bigger purchases. Isn't that somewhat ironic for a company that went into administration partly as a result of publishers refusing to sell them stock on credit?

We at Grainger tried that, one of the many attempts to keep the company afloat it's was unpopular with the staff because an average credit check would take around 20 to 30 minutes only for it to fail 90% of the time.

They tried to bring it back in late 2017, but all the staff refused outright to support it as they had already cut back costs and staff, while throwing other stuff at us, like repairing phones and phone cases and buybacks.

I should really do a Grainger Games ama.

Pardon my nosiness but which Grainger did you work in? I frequented the Sunderland branch.

Oh man, I worked in so many stores.

Started as a temp in Sunderland, then went to Metrocentre full time (I was the tall fat one with a slightly badly head and gammy knee) , also did cover in South Shields, North Shields, Galleries, Whitley Bay, Benton, Jarrow (which was 10 mins walk from my house) Newcastle, the concession stand in Fenwick, Gateshead (not in gateshead but the in the retail park next to metrocentre asda). By the time the company closed I moved into the warehouse which I loved.

If you started in Sunderland you’ve likely served me at some point.

I remember the Sunderland store being a bit shady. They’d sell games a day or two early quite often. If memory serves staff from the nearby GameStation were barred from the store for shopping them to trading standards.

Oddly enough the rep from trading standards used to work at/maybe manage the local Chips store.

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:If memory serves staff from the nearby GameStation were barred from the store for shopping them to trading standards.

There's a pub I'm banned from because of the company I work for, because one of our inspectors discovered they were showing dodgy satellite streams and reported them. They banned every employee of the company thinking it would somehow stop the inspectors being able to come in

J. Vengeance wrote:

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:I recently noticed while walking past my local GAME that they now offer credit arrangements on bigger purchases. Isn't that somewhat ironic for a company that went into administration partly as a result of publishers refusing to sell them stock on credit?

We at Grainger tried that, one of the many attempts to keep the company afloat it's was unpopular with the staff because an average credit check would take around 20 to 30 minutes only for it to fail 90% of the time.

They tried to bring it back in late 2017, but all the staff refused outright to support it as they had already cut back costs and staff, while throwing other stuff at us, like repairing phones and phone cases and buybacks.

I should really do a Grainger Games ama.

Did you get a blowie off another member of staff?

Lagamorph wrote:There's a pub I'm banned from because of the company I work for, because one of our inspectors discovered they were showing dodgy satellite streams and reported them. They banned every employee of the company thinking it would somehow stop the inspectors being able to come in

How the hell would they know if somebody was an employee of a certain company?

"Pint of larger (as in the drink larger) please!"
"Who do you work for?"
"Sky"
"GTFO!!!!"

Moggy wrote:

Lagamorph wrote:There's a pub I'm banned from because of the company I work for, because one of our inspectors discovered they were showing dodgy satellite streams and reported them. They banned every employee of the company thinking it would somehow stop the inspectors being able to come in

How the hell would they know if somebody was an employee of a certain company?

"Pint of larger (as in the drink larger) please!"
"Who do you work for?"
"Sky"
"GTFO!!!!"

They seemed to think it would mean the next report by the inspectors would somehow be invalidated because the inspectors were supposed to be banned

...just tell them you moved jobs?

jawafour wrote:

Dowbocop wrote:There was a shop on the main shopping street in Orpington if you're near there. I only went in once though and it was a few years ago so not sure if they're still about.

Thanks for the heads-up, Dowbocop, but I fear that may have now closed. I don't often go to Orpington but I was there last year (to watch the Marvel Black Panther film) and I don't think a game shop was there. There was a CeX near the cinema.

This was nearish where the buses go around the roundabout to turn round, in between there and the train station. I was working at the hospital at the time which is a little way from the centre so I only ended up on that street once or twice if I was getting the bus up the hill. I was talking to the owner and he said he did online stuff, he may have said he was going online only. I visited an indie shop in Bodmin on holiday at about the same time and I can't remember which one said what!

Abacus wrote:

J. Vengeance wrote:

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:I recently noticed while walking past my local GAME that they now offer credit arrangements on bigger purchases. Isn't that somewhat ironic for a company that went into administration partly as a result of publishers refusing to sell them stock on credit?

We at Grainger tried that, one of the many attempts to keep the company afloat it's was unpopular with the staff because an average credit check would take around 20 to 30 minutes only for it to fail 90% of the time.

They tried to bring it back in late 2017, but all the staff refused outright to support it as they had already cut back costs and staff, while throwing other stuff at us, like repairing phones and phone cases and buybacks.

I should really do a Grainger Games ama.

I'd like that. Grainger was easily my favourite store, the staff you chatted to seemed to love the hobby too.

I used to use the one in Newcastle, as well as the strange one in a sort of industrial estate near the Rising Sun estate.

Really such a shame it's gone. A really decent website too, but I do miss the physical stores

Yeah, I miss the staff I work with, and the amount of money I made buying and selling skylanders and disney infinity discs. I miss the warehouse too because I was constantly busy instead of standing in a store with a thumb up my arse when there's nothing to do.

And no, got no blowies, or dates. All the cute girls were taken

Of course they were.

A cute lass who is into games is nothing short of gold dust.

Like a unicorn, but better because they don't poo like a horse.

Abacus wrote:Like a unicorn, but better because they don't poo like a horse.

My wife obviously doesn’t realise that.

J. Vengeance wrote:

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:I recently noticed while walking past my local GAME that they now offer credit arrangements on bigger purchases. Isn't that somewhat ironic for a company that went into administration partly as a result of publishers refusing to sell them stock on credit?

We at Grainger tried that, one of the many attempts to keep the company afloat it's was unpopular with the staff because an average credit check would take around 20 to 30 minutes only for it to fail 90% of the time.

They tried to bring it back in late 2017, but all the staff refused outright to support it as they had already cut back costs and staff, while throwing other stuff at us, like repairing phones and phone cases and buybacks.

I should really do a Grainger Games ama.

If it’s digital they can now probably do it in a matter of seconds (provided you aren’t referred) but I don’t see the point.

For such low value purchases (consoles being £200-400) it more than likely isn’t worth it for the line of credit so the interest must be huge to make it profitable.

gaminglegend wrote:

J. Vengeance wrote:

IAmTheSaladMan wrote:I recently noticed while walking past my local GAME that they now offer credit arrangements on bigger purchases. Isn't that somewhat ironic for a company that went into administration partly as a result of publishers refusing to sell them stock on credit?

We at Grainger tried that, one of the many attempts to keep the company afloat it's was unpopular with the staff because an average credit check would take around 20 to 30 minutes only for it to fail 90% of the time.

They tried to bring it back in late 2017, but all the staff refused outright to support it as they had already cut back costs and staff, while throwing other stuff at us, like repairing phones and phone cases and buybacks.

I should really do a Grainger Games ama.

If it’s digital they can now probably do it in a matter of seconds (provided you aren’t referred) but I don’t see the point.

For such low value purchases (consoles being £200-400) it more than likely isn’t worth it for the line of credit so the interest must be huge to make it profitable.

That's why we stopped doing it the first time round, console prices were becoming more affordable that it really wasnt worth doing.

I will say that the reason I personally think the company went under is because of thier shift into Smartfix Phone Repairs and accesories. I flat out refused to do iPhone repairs because I only did 1 day of training, they bought £500,000 pounds worth of phone/tablet cases/accessories and spent a fortune on rebrading all the stores with those red smartfix advertisements and work areas.

They expected about a profit of £1.2million from it all, but when the year ended they only made a profit of about £86,000

That's why they moved into the Pop Vinyls and various nik naks, which while I appreciate isnt for everyone, the pop vinyls were the only things bringing in profit for the company and we actually got into the black before the credit got pulled.

So many phone repair / phone accessory shops all over the place that it does seem a mad market to enter.

I quite liked all the nik naks. I never bought any, but they made the place more pleasurable to browse around meaning you were more likely to go in.

I was thinking the other day that i used to quite enjoy wandering around town and browsing for stuff. Now, I can't even think of anywhere I'd go, so I don't go into town any more (not for shopping anyway).

Abacus wrote:So many phone repair / phone accessory shops all over the place that it does seem a mad market to enter.

I quite liked all the nik naks. I never bought any, but they made the place more pleasurable to browse around meaning you were more likely to go in.

I was thinking the other day that i used to quite enjoy wandering around town and browsing for stuff. Now, I can't even think of anywhere I'd go, so I don't go into town any more (not for shopping anyway).

I liked them too, I actually learned a bit about Pop Vinyls, never knew about chase editions before we started stocking them.

The harry potter stuff sold well too, especially the wands, we had one lady come in and buy 1 of each wand we had, dead to think what she would do with them

J. Vengeance wrote:

Abacus wrote:So many phone repair / phone accessory shops all over the place that it does seem a mad market to enter.

I quite liked all the nik naks. I never bought any, but they made the place more pleasurable to browse around meaning you were more likely to go in.

I was thinking the other day that i used to quite enjoy wandering around town and browsing for stuff. Now, I can't even think of anywhere I'd go, so I don't go into town any more (not for shopping anyway).

I liked them too, I actually learned a bit about Pop Vinyls, never knew about chase editions before we started stocking them.

The harry potter stuff sold well too, especially the wands, we had one lady come in and buy 1 of each wand we had, dead to think what she would do with them

I'm gonna pretend you're the Gryffindor Quidditch team...