Life Behind The Counter 81
MTV Games has a run-down on a blog that relates what it is like behind a videogame store counter. The blog, DayintheLifeofVideogames relates the best and worst moments from their unique perspective on the games industry. From the article: "So pity the game store employee anxious to sell apples to people shopping for oranges. 'I die a little bit inside each time,' Post said. 'I think people are afraid to take a chance.' He gets just that close to getting people to buy the good stuff, but he said that if people haven't seen a TV commercial for a game, it's very hard to sell them on it. And cheer Post and Whitman for their acts of retail kindness, like warning customers buying EA's recent 'NFL Head Coach' that it doesn't actually let people play football. 'I warned two people, and both of them said, 'I'm glad you told me. I don't want it now,' ' Post said. 'You want to make the sale, but you don't want the guy to go home and say, 'That guy doesn't even know what he's talking about.'" It would be against the scriptures not to mention the most holy of holy books at this juncture. Yay, though I walk through the shadow of the non-believers, always do I keep the Acts of Gord in my mind.
Sales (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Sales (Score:5, Insightful)
Which is pretty much true anywhere a salesperson is involved. At least with video games I never feel like when I am at the store I HAVE to buy a game right then. If I see a few that look good, but I am not familiar with them, I can come home and look for some reviews and screenshots and be able to make a more informed decision next time I am out shopping.
Well... (Score:2, Insightful)
Pretty much any form of retail will suffer from this sort of thing, such as a person buying an electric saw only to find out it doesn't cut the material they want to use it on.
I guess the gaming market is just a good example for people on Slashdot to relate to...
Re:Sales (Score:5, Insightful)
please don't go for the easy sale (Score:4, Insightful)
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Rust Proofing (Score:4, Insightful)
I have long since abandoned trying to ask questions of the staff that stray from their script as they seem determined to veer me back into their needlesly complicated Wii pre-preorder down payment plan or DS cartridge insurance.
This blogger sounds more self-aware than the robo-teens at my local EB. I must imagine that the pressure from management to sell their high profit rust proofing is pretty intense. Couple that with the high ratio of mouth breathing junior high kids, and it has got to be a thoroughly maddening and soul crushing job.
It's true. (Score:3, Insightful)
The reliance on extended warranties and upselling is almost (but not quite) as bad as at big box places like Best Buy (whom I also worked for). They expect you to push 2 to 3 things per sale whether you know the customer will want it or not. Warranties, pre-orders, CD cleaning kits, it's all totally useless, but we had to push it anyway.
Thankfully, I had a very cool boss who was happy as long as we made him look good, and the staff was pretty good about actually selling stuff to people who could use it (CD resurfacers to parents with young kids, warranties to parents with young kids, discount cards to people who were there constantly... etc.) If we didn't think someone was going to go for something extra, we were usually right, and he let us get off without offering it (which is demeaning as all hell).
Of course, the employees were also forced to buy this stuff on anything we bought, but we could actually use it. PS2 got a nick on it when you moved? Maybe you should warranty it out for a new one!
One last note, we also told people they could destroy their own systems to get the warranty to give them a new one. Most people never did, but they enjoyed the idea that they could, and it sold a lot more warranties than the standard pitch. Of course, such talk would get you fired if the higher-ups ever heard about it, but they left us alone since we kept selling warranties for them.
How hard is it really? (Score:2, Insightful)
You're interested in games. You can read. There are magazines in every store, there are millions of websites, your friends have their own "reviews" and you have a brain.
The man behind the counter is interested (directly or indirectly) in making money. Even if he's a nice bloke, he still likely has a stupid manager behind him making him recommend games that make them more money. The man behind the counter HAS NOT necessarily even played the game (no matter what he says), has no idea of the type of games that you like, does not have to put up with a bad purchase and is primarily a salesman.
Now, what do you do if you want to choose a good game to play? Why this incessant need to listen to salespeople in order to determine what to buy? Customers have NEVER had so much information (and summarised information, and rating systems, and word-of-mouth and...) available to them for, in some cases, absolutely no money whatsoever. Why listen to anyone behind a counter whose wages ultimately depend, at the end of the day, on people like you buying games from them? They may be "nice" to you and try to help you, but it's YOUR decision first because it's YOUR money.
If you are really in doubt between two games, ask for a demo of each. If they can't provide, locate a demo of each next time you see a magazine on the shelf, or download one, or play a friends copy. Why take some clerks word for what YOU would like, or even a magazine for that matter?
If you approach me while I'm browsing video games and you ask if I need help then you will get told that I'm fine. If you start trying to question my purchase or even question what game I've picked up to read the back of (which is far and away a different thing altogether) then you will get a "No, I'm alright, thanks". If I go to the counter and you offer me ANYTHING other than the game I want to buy or to point out that they are 3-for-the-price-of-2 then I guarantee you will get answered before you can finish your sentence. "Can I interest you..." "No." "Would you like to read abo..." "No." "Would you like to become a member.." "No."
I just want the damn game. It's not being unsociable, I've had many a good chat in the local video games store, it's not wanting to be pestered. You don't get people come up to you in a library saying "Oh, no. I read a review of that book that said it was awful, it only got 5 out of 10" or "Really, sir, this book is so much better even though it's not even on the same subject".
Become educated buyers. That means NOT listening to salesmen (this is a general rule that will keep you in good stead in lots of other situations too), who always have other ulterior motives.
My dad probably buys one DVD a year, plus possibly a video game when it comes to birthday time. He knows absolutely NOTHING about the games at all. Does he get the salesman to choose? Never. He's smarter than that. Does he spend money on magazines full of other people's (usually very biased) opinion? No. He looks at the back of the box of several games that catch his eye, studies them carefully, maybe he's heard of one or maybe he saw someone play a demo or maybe he can even get to play one of them in the store. Then he chooses and buys, using all the information that ONLY he has about the potential reciever of the game. Does he ever make bad decisions? Very, very rarely. This is a man that can't figure out how to run AND jump in Super Mario.
If you really, really make a bad mistake, that's what receipts are for - take it back and change it. If you're prone to making mistakes, rent the games instead.
I apply this to EVERY purchase. Electronics? Don't breathe down my neck, little salesman oik - I can probably take any of those DVD players apart and explain how every single component works whereas you've never SEEN a real Video-CD. If I wasn't that knowledgeable, guess what? I'd go look it up beforehand, or at least know the difference between a DVD player and a DVD recorder an
Re:Sales (Score:3, Insightful)
Well Denise went to the new store that opened up, that happened to be within miles of where I live. It is also a wonderful store and the workers have a great attitude. Every once in a while, I go back to that mall store... It was horrid. The people didn't know what they were talking about and you could barely get them to ring up your sale. Another opened within miles of that one, and it was nearly as bad. Eventually they got another new manager and it's a nice, helpful store again, but Denise's store is still WAY better.
Due to their being helpful and honest (they've given me info that stopped me from buying more than a couple games that I would have regretted) I listen to their advice more. It's gotten them sales on things they wouldn't have gotten before, and I'm more loyal to them. Even if it's out of my way, I prefer to buy there over anywhere else.
It's also nice that due to my loyal-customer status, they've been willing to bend store rules a few times. Like if I'm buying something (Nintnedo DS) that is going to go down in price next week, they often tell me I can bring my receipt back and get the difference, despite the store's rules to the contrary.
That's the kind of service I expect these days. I could buy it online from the comfort of my home and never have to move except to answer the door for the UPS guy. But they add so much value to the shopping experience that it's worth the drive to go see them. I wish all stores would understand this concept.