The deal of the decade is going on at Bestbuy right now. GO GO GO

My brother asked me to pick up a game for him on the way home from work, so I stopped in at the local Best Buy. While browsing through the thoroughly depressing Nintendo section, I stumbled upon this little gem. You'd better get on this action before it's too late!

You know, there's more to this thread than just image spam. There's two points here.

• One, it bums me out that the Nintendo section is filled with nothing but garbage. You'll find the newest Zelda and Pokemon game, but then it's nothing but licence games and shovel-ware. There was no way in Hell I was going to find either Zero Escape game there. Kids love the DS (which is still selling strongly), and it's slightly upsetting that they unless they're savvy enough to shop online, they probably never have access to games like Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (just as an example.)
• Two, I'm only just now noticing what they've been talking about on the Tested podcast for years. My local Best Buy is looking like a wasteland, it's impossible to get a hold of them by phone to say "Yo, do you have any copies of Twisted Metal in stock?" There's constantly more people in line at the returns counter than the checkout counter, and they just seem really desperate to get me to look at the TVs. Best Buy's not doing well, is it, guys? Though I suppose I'm totally OK with using Amazon & Steam exclusively from here on out.

Oh, on the bright side, I bet the Harlem Globetrotters have probably dribbled a basketball on the Great Wall of China at some point...

If it's one thing I hate is talking to people that work at any store. Rather than call and ask if they have something in stock I have driven there, looked and would give up if I don't see it. I'm really not sure why I don't just ask.

@Oscar__Explosion said:

If it's one thing I hate is talking to people that work at any store. Rather than call and ask if they have something in stock I have driven there, looked and would give up if I don't see it. I'm really not sure why I don't just ask.

Because most of the time, they stand there as if they are thinking for half a second and then go "Yeah, we don't have that". Occasionally you'll find someone who will look it up for you, and once in a blue moon some kind, uncorrupted new guy will actually go to the shelf and see if he can't find it for you and if he can't, he'll go to the back of the store and get it.

Anyway, the Best Buy near me always seems to be well-stocked and has plenty of games to choose from. Maybe I'm lucky and the best Best Buy in the world is near me or something, but the returns aisle there is always empty and the shelves have a whole lot of things on them and it's always full of people.

@Oscar__Explosion said:

If it's one thing I hate is talking to people that work at any store. Rather than call and ask if they have something in stock I have driven there, looked and would give up if I don't see it. I'm really not sure why I don't just ask.

Because half the time they don't know and the other half they have an attitude like , "why are you asking me i just work here?"

Is that a toe thumb?

@TooWalrus: Best Buy here isn't quite THAT depressing, but you do notice the level of OVERSTOCK that they have in there. They just refuse to change with the times enough. I mean, they offer store pick-up for products that you order online. WHY WOULD I WANT TO PICK SOMETHING UP IF I'M ALREADY ORDERING ONLINE TO AVOID GOING TO YOUR STORE?

Honestly, if they turned into an online-only entity, they would probably fare much better. While many would say "that would kill jobs", they could easily start taking on Amazon if they expanded their product. I mean, it's called BEST BUY. That doesn't immediately yell "electronics and appliance store" to me. It yells "hey, we have the best prices on shit, so buy it from us instead." Right now, their pricing in-store does not tell me that.

I don't know. That's just a thought I've always had.

Also, as a former Best Buy employee (well, back in 2000), I know that they do not work off commission, so it's not like the employees are trying to increase their paychecks by trying to sell you hard on them. They actually only get bonuses yearly from loss prevention (making sure that shit doesn't get stolen). It makes me continually feel bad for Best Buy employees that genuinely care about the products they are selling, and (at least when I was working at Best Buy) the employees were knowledgeable about the products.

= (

@Turtlebird95: it's just a weird angle, I assure you my thumbs are perfectly normal.

I'm just surprised that they're still selling GBA games. Wouldn't they have just thrown them out by now?

My walmart is still selling .hack mutation for 50 bucks and the ps1 yugioh game for $40.

Are the globetrotters good at basketball?

@Oscar__Explosion said:

If it's one thing I hate is talking to people that work at any store. Rather than call and ask if they have something in stock I have driven there, looked and would give up if I don't see it. I'm really not sure why I don't just ask.

Because most of the time, they stand there as if they are thinking for half a second and then go "Yeah, we don't have that". Occasionally you'll find someone who will look it up for you, and once in a blue moon some kind, uncorrupted new guy will actually go to the shelf and see if he can't find it for you and if he can't, he'll go to the back of the store and get it.

Anyway, the Best Buy near me always seems to be well-stocked and has plenty of games to choose from. Maybe I'm lucky and the best Best Buy in the world is near me or something, but the returns aisle there is always empty and the shelves have a whole lot of things on them and it's always full of people.

Completely insane that game is given shelf space, 10 year old game for an obsolete system, whoever manages that store should be fired.

It drives me nuts whenever I go into a store and they are selling MMOs that are shutdown, I'm sure the Bestbuy down the road from me still has copies of SWG for sale.

It's funny, all the people mentioning how terrible Best Buy employees are. I applied to work for best buy several times when I was in college (just out of the army, well over qualified but unable to find a job anywhere else I was desperate and I love tech so I would have been the guy to actually care to find something for you). Their application online is insane. It's basically a psyche examination. I have no idea how I scored on it, but they never got back to me ever. 
 
Now, I have a better paying job. It's more stressful then I think working at best buy would be, and still not THAT great of pay, but I get to work from home so I guess it's way better in more ways then it's not. 
 
Ya, I used to love best buy. Feels like such a long time since I've been in one. They have never been that great at being easy to find. For me. They are always so far away. I do remember getting Ghosthunter at a Best Buy, though, so I don't think I will ever forget Best Buy (it's my favorite PS2 game of all time even though it probably shouldn't be).

@MooseyMcMan said:

I'm just surprised that they're still selling GBA games. Wouldn't they have just thrown them out by now?

@JZ said:

My walmart is still selling .hack mutation for 50 bucks and the ps1 yugioh game for $40.

Yeah seriously, how do your areas still have GBA and PS1 games on shelves? I could see that in a GameStop or EB Games that will let people sell them older games, but at a Wal-Mart or Best Buy? What?

@ImmortalSaiyan said:

Are the globetrotters good at basketball?

They're great handlers, and are awesome at trickshots and stuff. That's why they exist outside of the NBA.

Well it's just that one ps1 game

Your post reminded me that I haven't been to a Best Buy in about a year and a half, if not longer.

It's sad/funny going through the gaming section of places like Walmart and future shop. Though I find Futureshop pretty good with cycling in new stuff, unless you go to the PC section where they still have PC games like MMO's that have been dead for years still on the shelf on "sale" for $30-$40, it's sad how old so much of the stock is and how little anyone cares about it. Though to be fair, sometimes that works in your favour. Like the time I was going through the bargain bin at a wal mart about a year back and found a sealed mint copy of Rogue Galaxy at the bottom of the pile for $5.

Thankfully I'm a PC gamer so I have lived in the far flung future of having all my games digital for several years now, but the few times I have to go find a console game I'm usually able to find it online. Even though online shopping sucks balls here in Canada because of massive shipping times, it's not that big of a deal because I honestly don't remember the last time I was super excited for a console game and hadn't already waited for it to drop into the $19.99 bin. So another week or two to have it mailed isn't that big of a deal for me.

@CornBREDX said:

It's funny, all the people mentioning how terrible Best Buy employees are. I applied to work for best buy several times when I was in college (just out of the army, well over qualified but unable to find a job anywhere else I was desperate and I love tech so I would have been the guy to actually care to find something for you). Their application online is insane. It's basically a psyche examination. I have no idea how I scored on it, but they never got back to me ever. Now, I have a better paying job. It's more stressful then I think working at best buy would be, and still not THAT great of pay, but I get to work from home so I guess it's way better in more ways then it's not. Ya, I used to love best buy. Feels like such a long time since I've been in one. They have never been that great at being easy to find. For me. They are always so far away. I do remember getting Ghosthunter at a Best Buy, though, so I don't think I will ever forget Best Buy (it's my favorite PS2 game of all time even though it probably shouldn't be).

Indeed, they do make you go through the equivalent of a psyche evaluation. After that, it's a big group interview in a circle around the room that almost feels like a support group. They just start eliminating people right then and there, saying "I don't think this is going to work out for you, we appreciate your interviewing with us, you may go home now." It was kind of weird.

As for being less stressful, that place is INSANELY STRESSFUL! At least mine was (which was in Phoenix, AZ on 26th and Camelback at the time, don't know if it's still there). Then again, DVD was finally becoming a thing and the PS2 was just launching, so that might explain a lot of it. It was also holiday season.

I got to meet Mike Tyson and Alice Cooper, though. The Mike Tyson encounter, however, was not a friendly one. That man is scary when he's mad (Best Buy wasn't stocking his PS1 game because they were focusing on PS2, and you do NOT tell Mike Tyson that they aren't carrying his game because it's bad...so I learned...).

@jakob187 said:

@TooWalrus: Best Buy here isn't quite THAT depressing, but you do notice the level of OVERSTOCK that they have in there. They just refuse to change with the times enough. I mean, they offer store pick-up for products that you order online. WHY WOULD I WANT TO PICK SOMETHING UP IF I'M ALREADY ORDERING ONLINE TO AVOID GOING TO YOUR STORE?

Honestly, if they turned into an online-only entity, they would probably fare much better. While many would say "that would kill jobs", they could easily start taking on Amazon if they expanded their product. I mean, it's called BEST BUY. That doesn't immediately yell "electronics and appliance store" to me. It yells "hey, we have the best prices on shit, so buy it from us instead." Right now, their pricing in-store does not tell me that.

I don't know. That's just a thought I've always had.

Also, as a former Best Buy employee (well, back in 2000), I know that they do not work off commission, so it's not like the employees are trying to increase their paychecks by trying to sell you hard on them. They actually only get bonuses yearly from loss prevention (making sure that shit doesn't get stolen). It makes me continually feel bad for Best Buy employees that genuinely care about the products they are selling, and (at least when I was working at Best Buy) the employees were knowledgeable about the products.

= (

I thought I would answer your question as I have used the service several times. I can't speak for best buy itself as we have Futuershop here in Canada, it's the same company/website with a different name, but when you order something online to be shipped it's going to take the better part of a week for an item to get sent to you unless you want to pay a $10-$20 tax for next day shipping. I have to drive right past the store on my way to and from work, so instead of ordering it online to be shipped I got in store pick up. You walk into the store, they have a little kiosk next to the door with your own separate cash register so there's no waiting in line and no hunting around the store. You walk up to the place, say your name, give them the email or account name you made the order with, say what your order is to confirm they have the right thing and a guy walks into a room and comes back a min later with your stuff. You are in and out in like 3-4 min flat.

I will happily do that then have to wait a week or two for them to send me something in the mail.

@Turtlebird95 said:

Is that a toe thumb?

No, toe thumbs are much more fugly than that.

@jakob187 said:

@TooWalrus: Best Buy here isn't quite THAT depressing, but you do notice the level of OVERSTOCK that they have in there. They just refuse to change with the times enough. I mean, they offer store pick-up for products that you order online. WHY WOULD I WANT TO PICK SOMETHING UP IF I'M ALREADY ORDERING ONLINE TO AVOID GOING TO YOUR STORE?

Honestly, if they turned into an online-only entity, they would probably fare much better. While many would say "that would kill jobs", they could easily start taking on Amazon if they expanded their product. I mean, it's called BEST BUY. That doesn't immediately yell "electronics and appliance store" to me. It yells "hey, we have the best prices on shit, so buy it from us instead." Right now, their pricing in-store does not tell me that.

I don't know. That's just a thought I've always had.

Also, as a former Best Buy employee (well, back in 2000), I know that they do not work off commission, so it's not like the employees are trying to increase their paychecks by trying to sell you hard on them. They actually only get bonuses yearly from loss prevention (making sure that shit doesn't get stolen). It makes me continually feel bad for Best Buy employees that genuinely care about the products they are selling, and (at least when I was working at Best Buy) the employees were knowledgeable about the products.

= (

As a former employee of Best Buy (circa 2004), I can safely say that while they do not work on commission, they have to be at least somewhat enthusiastic about everything they try to sell to you. I was fired for not being enthusiastic enough and trying to sell every single customer a Best Buy credit card. And I was just a cashier. I can't imagine the pressure that's put on the employees on the sales floor.

So basically, they're pushing their products on the consumers because they'll lose their jobs otherwise.

What's a Best Buy? Is that like an Amazon but takes up physical space where there could be something useful?

I hear the 2 on 2 action is supposed to be pretty outrageous.

And, yeah, now that you mention it, my Best Buy is looking more and more like a Walmart every year. And just to clarify, Walmart is shit. I thought they just got that way over time, but a new one just opened up about a month or two ago near me and I was fucking shocked at how broken that place already is. Not saying Best Buy is anywhere near that at the moment but it's getting there, and it depresses me.

Games are eventually going to be a all digital media i think, digital is taking a bigger cut of the pie every year.

I realize some people love to own a real thing but i find it too much of a hassle to deal with stores and shipping anymore when i can just have it on my pc at midnight if i want it the day it comes out.

This isn't Picross 3D!

Whoah, Scooby Do side-characters get their own games? I wonder if the guy who sang "Little Mary Sunshine, she's alright with me" got his own game too.

@MooseyMcMan said:

I'm just surprised that they're still selling GBA games. Wouldn't they have just thrown them out by now?

Would you honestly throw out a brand new copy of Harlem Globetrotters World Tour for the GBA? Of course you wouldn't!

Best Buy is like going to McDonald's. You kind of get exited for it beforehand. Afterwards you're just bummed.

I miss Best Buy from 5+ years ago. I remember walking in and looking at the Awesome Game selections. The Awesome movie selection. The awesome TV series selection. And the one no one wanted to be caught in but yet we all went there, the anime/cartoon section. Now i go to my best buy and i find a crappy.. well everything. The games are always in disarray and no one there knows anything about anything so they just shrug it off and walk awkwardly away. They no longer have anime really and also their tv series suck now. The few series I wish to own such as The Boondocks, Aqua teen hunger force, Sealab 2021, The venture bro's and really any thing else from adult swim are no longer there. I hope they fix their issues soon as there is really nothing but maybe tv's that I would buy from them anymore and honestly, I can find the same prices online and just have to wait a few days.

Good thing I was sitting down when I read this, this would've floored me.

I actually work at Best Buy, and yeah, my gaming section is a massive bummer. We have dozens of copies of GTA IV, Borderlands, and other best sellers that a few years old, but new with new releases like DmC and Ni No Kuni, we'll only get a couple in stock, and once they're gone,we'll be lucky if we get anymore shipped to use. And with recent changes corporate has made, our inventory team no longer puts games out on the floor. So I'll get to work a few days after new releases are out, and the new games are still sitting in the warehouse, with no signs on the floor that they'll even available. I totally understand the hate for Best Buy associates, even though I am one. Most of them don't care about the departments that they're working in, so they won't bother with making sure everything is stocked and priced.

That 2 on 2 action is pretty fucking outrageous.

@JZ said:

Well it's just that one ps1 game

I would actually suggest buying it. It's a good collectors piece and the only Yu-Gi-Oh game that doesn't have banned cards.

I can't believe that in 2013 Best Buy has the nerve to sell a GBA game for $14.99 or even $6.99 (cause I don't know which is the actual price). It should be like $1.

@BisonHero said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

I'm just surprised that they're still selling GBA games. Wouldn't they have just thrown them out by now?

@JZ said:

My walmart is still selling .hack mutation for 50 bucks and the ps1 yugioh game for $40.

Yeah seriously, how do your areas still have GBA and PS1 games on shelves? I could see that in a GameStop or EB Games that will let people sell them older games, but at a Wal-Mart or Best Buy? What?

At the FYE in downtown Chicago they had a decent amount of GBA games up until maybe 3 years ago when they decided to purge all their previous generation stuff. They still had a full row worth of original Xbox games at the time, plus a couple shelves of Gamecube and GBA games and a handful of PS1 games. At that time I guess PS2 games were still selling well enough, cause they weren't included on the fire sale. I guess they just couldn't get rid of these games because by the end they were like 80% off the lowest marked price, plus buy one get two free. You could get a whole collection of last-gen games for like $40. Then a couple years ago they did a similar thing to their PS2 collection. I think by then I had picked them dry of all the previous gen games I wanted though. Got a huge amount of old games for ridiculously low prices. Good times.

My Best Buy seems to be doing totally fine, I think it must vary from store to store, because the crop of employees at mine are pretty well informed when I ask them questions, and just all around cool dudes.

Best Buy's game selection is never not the most depressing, but I haven't been to one in at least a year, if not longer. Maybe it's changed? nah. Unlikely.

Mine is pretty good, I think. Never had much of an issue with them having out of stock games on or near release. I remember that they were out of Red Faction: Guerrilla copies on release day, and a guy I talked to said it sold out pretty fast but he went and checked in the back and found some copies. Pretty cool.

Then I got stuck at a train crossing for a good 20 minutes.

@CJduke said:

@MooseyMcMan said:

I'm just surprised that they're still selling GBA games. Wouldn't they have just thrown them out by now?

Would you honestly throw out a brand new copy of Harlem Globetrotters World Tour for the GBA? Of course you wouldn't!

I wouldn't, but I'm not saying that the people running Best Buy run by the same morals and standards as I do!

Fifteen dollars for a bad GBA game?!

Yeah I've realized years ago that if you want a game these days, your best bet is an actual game store. Places like best buy and walmart have been pretty terrible about it for a while. I like the local game store near my house cause they're mostly staffed by nerds and tend to carry stuff you'd otherwise have to order online. Like I would have never expected any retail store to carry the special edition of that new portable neo geo but they did for some reason.