News GAME to close 100 UK stores, CEO resigns

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2010/04/23/game-to-close-100-uk-stores-ceo-resigns/1

 

Not surprised TBH - in Basildon town centre there's 2 game Stores and a Gamestation, all within 2 minutes walk of eachother - that's got to be a fairly heavy overhead.
Prices are always insane for any new releases, and instantly undercut by either the ease of Digital Distribution (at pretty much the same price point) or Supermarkets running games as loss leaders.

 

Not surprised, I occasionally pop in my local in the hope their might be a bargain but the prices for pc games are always really high. I then go online and buy what I want from an etailer at half the price. Even game online is much cheaper than my local store.

 

Feel sorry for those who will get fired

company deserve what it gets though

 

I feel sorry for those out of a job, but I have no sympathy for GAME. They refuse to adapt to the changing market, make no effort to price match games, sell games that have been opened and even HMV has a better rewards card.

It's like they're trying to fail.

 

The best thing about game used to be the pre-owned section, but my local one doesn't do pre-owned pc titles any more so I'm done. Maybe it'll shut and I can pick up some bargains in the sale...

 

The trouble I've been finding with Game recently is that their prices for pre-ownded can conflict with offers in store. I've found multiple occasions where its cheaper to buy new from them than their pre-owned stock, and with amazon and play discounting older titles quicker, The online places new stock prices are often cheaper than games pre-owned stocks too.
Not two weeks ago I had one bloke in one of their edinburgh stores telling me that the second hand PS3 for £269 was a great deal, despite the fact that they couldn't do bundle deals with it and you could buy a new one with 2 games for £289, or the new console on its own for £275.

 

The last place I lived had 5 or 6 Game stores within a couple of miles of each other. One permanently seemed to smell like a tramp lived there. Prices are always very high - second hand even more than new sometimes!

If you're going to sell games have a damned "play" section like HMV with the Xbox and PS3 set up. Do demos, hold events to attract people - give them a reason to go to a shop rather than buy online. If they just rely on sometimes dirty looking overpriced stock on the shelves it's no wonder they fail. I swear half the people I see in there are mothers buying for their kids anyway and they wont have brand loyalty - cheapest wins!

I'll take my mint condition, 30% cheaper shrink wrapped game from play.com, thanks.

 

Game price for a game = £50
Amazon/play/gameplay price for a game = £30
Sainsbury's/Tesco Price for a game = £29.99

Gee, I wonder where their business model went wrong

 

The problem with pre-owned consoles and games is that it sucks the blood of developers corpses and in return the devs get fk all.

GAME and all pre-owned suppliers are vultures. Good riddance.

 

Where else are they closing up stores? There are a few GAME and GameStop stores here in Portugal.

 

doesn't surprise me. I don't even bother with game or gamestop anymore. Street figher 4 came out it was £79.99 and apart from the top 20 PS3 games chart they dont have any new PS3 games. I don't mind buying second hand but when HMV next door have the game for new at the same price its kinda a no brainer. Even asda and tesco are selling games new cheaper than game. Hope game rots in hell. same with gamestop

 

********. If there was no preowned market, the people who sell their games back to shops would have less money and would be less likely to buy a new game when it comes out, knowing they will have no way to recoup some of the £50 they're having to fork out.

 

GAME have fallen victim to changing markets and technology.

Their management failed to see where the market was going and failed to develop its business model. I feel sorry for the guys in the store sure, but without insulting them, they could apply their sales skills in any other shop and they should get a job relativly soon. It doesnt require a degree to sell stuff over a counter.

 

Don't know how they have lasted at all in the north east as grainger games have always been much cheaper. I don't think I have ever bought anything from GAME before.

 

sorry but some of the gaems are 4 times the price in game to other shops, i only go there if it is a last resort and the gaem i want is sold out everywhere (including online ill trying shipping from america first as its cheaper)

 

I never buy from the store as pc games are MUCH cheaper on their website. Only in store console prices are similar to the website's

 

That was certainly my angle during my teen years, when my game buying was at its height. If there was no opportunity to trade-in games I would've bought very few brand new titles (where everyone presumably makes the most cash) because I couldn't be sure I'd like it. A £30 game that you hate and can do nothing with is a total waste.

 

As others have said, many towns have a Game or two plus a Game Station - often only a few doors apart. I'm sure if they consolidated their stores, they'd save a bomb. Add to that the fact that Game are always the most expensive store, it's not surprising that they're in trouble.

I had to laugh at the quote from the Chairman about how they closed Borders in-store concessions - it's not as though they had much choice, really. Not with Borders going bust, an' all

 

Steam did this.

Steam contributed heavily to this.