It's GAME over man, GAME over!

[Babs]

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/game-enters-administration/093359

Thoughts?

[mannyo]

There are already a number of interested parties looking to buy the business as a going concern.

[David 8]

You still banging on about them lol

Are you happy now ?

[Babs]

Well, some of the business. Most towns have a GAME and a GameStation, so that's half the stores gone straight away.

As a consumer, they've never had the best prices and I've voted with the wallet. I also cannot stand some of the business practices that they're been up to.

[PastyBoy]

It'll be yet another sad loss to the high street but without the best prices they'll always struggle.

Cash is in short supply but people have lots of crap they'll get rid of to get other crap hence GAME close and CEX are flourishing.

I also cannot stand some of the business practices that they're been up to.

such as....

[Robshaw]

Why didn't they ditch the stores and just go for an online website - Save the money from the property then have killer deals?

[Babs]

such as....

http://www.bitterwal...oss-leader/1586

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2011/03/30/game-admits-buying-3ds-from-tesco/1

[FellyMagic]

Game have been a round a fairly long time too, but I always found their prices a bit salty. No doubt that is a load more vacant units in the high streets of the UK, and more poor sods on the dole.

[robk1]

Game have been a round a fairly long time too, but I always found their prices a bit salty. No doubt that is a load more vacant units in the high streets of the UK, and more poor sods on the dole.

Spot on & heaven help them based on my experience over what is now approaching two years!!

[Neo_VR]

You still banging on about them lol

Are you happy now ?

+1 - I rekon babs used to work for them and had a bad experience with the promise of a assistant manager role if he swallowed..

Why else would anyone whinge so much about a company? lol

[Evil Miyagi]

Spot on & heaven help them based on my experience over what is now approaching two years!!

+ 1

Balls to the company, think about the thousands of staff

[Waplord]

+ 1

Balls to the company, think about the thousands of staff

My issue with Game really stems back from launch night of the xbox 360 which incidentally i bought in Asda, in Swansea we had to queue on launch night for 6 hours so got chatting amongst ourselves.One guy there was queuing and he didn't have very much money at all but it was the thing his 3 kids wanted more than anything in the world as their christmas present (between 3 of them) so the family had scrimped and saved up to surprise them on christmas morning, the look and pride on his face speaking about his kids was priceless.Well shortly afterwards game had a stock of further xbox 360s in stock (which were in very short supply) but what they did was only sell them in huge bundles with 6 games pushing the price up to 600-700 which is just insane putting them out the price range of the majority.Then in 2008 Game dispatched staff and managers to buy up all the stock they could from Sainsburys who were having a big push on consoles, was working with a guy who wasn't very flush with cash and this price drop put a Wii into the territory that he could afford to get one for his kids, again for Christmas. He really struggled to get as Game were buying all the stock up to try to control the market.2011 they tried to do something similar with the 3DS (didn't know any charlie buckets wanting one this time)Ultimately i have no issue with a store trying to be competitive, but when money is already tight for the consumer trying to consume all stock so people would have to pay their hiked up RRP's is wrong. As recently as this weekend they were taking peoples stuff in and giving them "Trade in points" which are worth as much as fresh air now despite the fact they knew they'd be entering administration today.It amazes me why people seem to have such loyalty to a retailer that has always been very expensive and sets out to shaft its customers one way or another.Very sorry to hear about the job losses that is tragic, but i voted with my wallet as it appears the public did, myself due to the reasons above.

[Evil Miyagi]

How were they trying to control the market? There is a big chunk missed out of the above... Cast your mind back 3/4 years when all the talk was about your little corner shop closing as they were being priced out of the market... This is exactly the same...

Supermarkets are, due to their size, able to buy the games/consoles in at a far lower cost than any high street retailer will be able to (game included) meaning they can sell it cheap... As a consumer we go with the lowest price... How is it that GAME are controlling the market by doing all they can to stay in the same ball park figure of the supermarkets (including buying stock from there?).

Are you telling me that if you had your own business and could buy stock cheaper from a supermarket than manufacturers/suppliers you wouldn't because it may mean the price gets pushed up a bit and people might not be able to afford the items?

I'm not going to say the bundle incident is fair, because I think it was unfair but it's the same again... Buying power of the supermarkets meaning high street retailers ultimately get shafted...

[jrw]

They shut all the stores at lunchtime.....my mate got thrown out after buying some 48p games.....the staff wer talking of just looting the place and doing one. I for one would not blame them as they will be way down the administrators list of debtors.

Glad i managed to bag a 320gb PS3 the other week from them for £149.99

[Waplord]

What I'm saying is that Game/Gamestation are/were the biggest retailer of video games in the UK, effectively the "Supermarket" of video game retailers compared to the likes of your local place. I would expect them to have worked within their allocation from the suppliers. However i do not think its appropriate for a company of their size with the finances they had to effectively try and clear offers out of competitors by buying as much of their stock up as they could to mark it up at a higher price and sell it as used when people are being pressured at times like Christmas to get the items, and threaten staff who won't play ball to help them. A small retailer would not have had the funds to send multiple staff from each branch out to Tescos all over the country to keep buying 5 x 3DS bundles at a time until all the stock was gone.

[Evil Miyagi]

Yes but due to their financial situation over the last 2 years many suppliers have been refusing to supply them... How do you get stock of suppliers aren't willing to sell to you?

I've seen this first hand, the company which I've been made redundant from had the same issues and couldn't buy stock in... How do you think they're still going?

Do you know the % gross margin GAME were making on a console or game?

On average they were making 25% margin so at that rate would of had to buy games at £30 just to make £10 at £39.99 per game...

ASDA are more than likely buying in at £20-25 per game and making the same margin...

Have you ever heard of a supplier giving a 33% reduction in cost price? No? Me neither...

It doesn't happen, your lucky if you can muster 5%

[Babs]

To be honest, the whole "corner-shp" thing is a non-issue. Tesco was one shop. Sainsbury's was one shop. They've just had a big head start because they've been around so long. You'll see a lot of so-called "local" shops that actually belong to one person. I'll buy from whoever is convenient and cheapest. Tesco is both to me.

[Evening Star]

I stopped using them a long time ago. Expensive and the staff in Guildford were apathetic to say the least.

The last I bought a game was from Amazon for about £10 less than Game, sold it later for £5 less than Game wanted for a new one.

[Babs]

+1 - I rekon babs used to work for them and had a bad experience with the promise of a assistant manager role if he swallowed..

Why else would anyone whinge so much about a company? lol

Nope. Don't/didn't used to work for Apple either :p

Surely you're due a promotion around here, Col?

[FUBAR]

I will not miss looking for a game I want on their site to drive 10 miles because I want it NOW and find its in the store for more than on site and more pre owned too.......

[WaveyDaveyGravy]

Used my points up last weekend as this has been on the cards for a long time now.

[ChrisRs]

Never heard of them :(

[monkeykler]

Brother worked there for 10 years..... just lost his job because they put him on a temp transfer to a different store, his store has stayed open though after this opcapita company have bought them, he was told he was getting moved back in two days to his store after clearing his temp store out, day before he was moving back ..... "no you're redundant"... but the guy you're doing the temp swap with is keeping your management position, seeya!

I agree with most ridiculous prices, but I never complained because I was getting 25% ish discount, but even then it was sometimes a couple of quid cheaper on Amazon!

[Babs]

This is the problem - they need to address prices, and staffing, and bring added value. They can't just sell games, which is kinda what they've seen.

[catzi]

Our local Game and Gamestation stores have closed which is sad. Hopefully the new owners will have a grasp of reality when it comes to competitive pricing or they'll continue to be wiped out by Amazon et al.