SlapBone wrote:Ranulf wrote: pre order is just pointless.
Sorry to edit so heavily, but I agree with this part of your statement 100%.
I have not preordered a single game since Guild Wars (and that was just to get in the Beta). A little bit of legwork and a little bit of homework will get you far these days.
I'm tired of EBGames and Gamestop flunkies treating me like a second-rate citizen because I don't preorder. The XBox 360 is the perfect example of how those particular retailers feel about your preorder money. I'll admit my example is extreme but it does take their retail philosophy to its natural conclusion:
"We could give a shit about your $50 when we will make $100 bundling games with your unit and sell it to someone who didn't put down a dime"
Now back to your regularly scheduled topic...
I disagree. Pre-orders for the small stores like EB and GS are also used to determine supply. They can't always meet the demand, but that is not their fault.
Especially with PC games, which many stores are limiting now, if there isn't a demand for it, it doesn't make sense to pay to stock it.
With the 360, the demand was higher than the supply. It has nothing to do with EB and GS's wishes. If they have a customer who is paying up front, then they SHOULD get their stuff before other people who haven't. It also shows loyalty for their regular customers (as they are usually the only ones who pre-order. Until recent staff changes, all the local GS employees knew me, now with new staff, I had to start over
).
I do understand how it could seem like you are being treated as a 3rd rate customer, (and depending on the actual employees, maybe you are), but many times asking if you pre-ordered it has a few reasons:
1) They may be low on stock and need to keep them all for the pre-orders, so if you didn't pre-order it they don't have any for you.
2) My store usually puts the pre-orders in a separate place, so asking helps determine where they get the stock from.
3) I wouldn't be surprised if it's company policy to have the employees always ask that. I was in retail for years and we routinely got handed down stupid marketing slogans from corporate. I remember one time when I worked at WaldenSoftware, we had to ask everyone about trading in their old games. I got shopped(For those that don't know, getting shopped is when corporate hires an outside company to come to your store, pretend to be a customer, and make sure you do everything you're supposed to.) by a woman dressed in a business suit asking about some productivity software for her business (It may have been Quicken). I made a judgement call that this woman couldn't care less about our Nintendo trade-in policy and lost 5 points, getting a 95. (Still great, but sucks for that 1 thing) Anyway, since this may be the case, they have to say it all the time and may eventually get fed up with it. I know when I call various stores and have to listen to a 15 second speil everytime I call, about something I could care less about, I get ticked. If I am calling about a video card, I don't care that product x is on sale.
4) The particular store you go to has a bunch of asshats. It happens everywhere, especially places with low salaries and relativly high turnover.
