I didn't get a demo disc, but I did get a "promotional copy not for resale" version of Shadow Hearts. It was the full version so I didn't care, but I have seen this a couple of times...

There was a promotional version of Shadow Hearts that was a preorder bonus for Shadow Hearts 2, actually. That version had that promo warning on it. I guess EB took those in as trade-ins and that's what you ended up with.

That's a standard thing here still, I know they stopped it eventually in America, but they still let you return anything for any reason at all within seven days. They even extend it to a full month over the Christmas break. Little Timmy gets Wario Party 387,002 for Christmas, blows huge snot chunks on the disc, the case gets hit by a meteorite of the toilet variety, parents return the confusing mess a fortnight later because little Timmy's bored with it and they get their $100 back. EB puts the game back on the shelf and pretends it's still brand new. :psyduck:

For the past six months or so I've ordered all my console titles online, usually from indie retailers. My town's GAME still stocks Gamecube titles at £39.99. Yes, you can own the best-of-platinum-bullshit version of Resident Evil 4 for eighty dollars. Mickey Mouse's Magical Fuck is the same price. The most damning part is that they only stock second-hand GCN games.

Oddly enough, it seems to be the only branch in the country staffed by people who realise most of the people in their profession are assholes. I was buying Brain Age like a year ago and lo and behold someone - most likely another employee, seeing as this game was "new" - had opened the box, scratched off the Stars Catalogue insert, obviously registered the reward points and then put everything back together again. I asked for another copy when I noticed this, and hey, exactly the same situation in the second box. The girl was totally apologetic about it and said something like "fucking [name]" and told me I'd have a sealed copy if I came back a few days later. Happy fun.

I don't care about the Stars bullshit (I'll never get up to the 100,000,000,000 points required to get a free copy of Zoo Tycoon DS, why lie), but much like most of you guys it's just a matter of principle.

Have we not had over 9000 threads on this subject already or am I just thinking of the other 9000 internet message boards i've read this crap at.

People at EB/Sagestop are just doing their jobs. If you don't want a gutted copy it's as simple as not buying it. Let them make their stupid jokes/comments. If it bothers you, don't shop there. Best way to send them a message is through your wallet.

We get that they're just doing their jobs, but they don't have to be assholes about it. It doesn't take a genius to realize that I don't want to pay for a "new" game that has a beat up instruction manual and has possibly been taken home and played by one or more employees. If they want to try to trick the gullible soccer moms who don't know any better, fine, but don't argue with me when I say I want a sealed copy.

Why can't EB go to a system like Toys R Us used to have, where they put up a wall of flaps with the front and back cover of the games on them? That way, none of the games would get out of order, you'd know what was in stock, and there'd be no need to gut anything.

I liked that too russ, i guess they dont feel like printing all that out or something.

Says the guy who used to work for EB :V

I made a thread like this before, although it wasn't cause I got shit from one of the employees. I don't think you get the fact that he said the guy wouldn't let it go, he wouldn't just let him buy the other game he wanted. He was arguing with him. No, I'm sorry that's not the guys job. If you're in retail you don't harass the customers, if I acted like that I'd be fired.

I don't know why anyone in this thread defends EB Games/Gamestop on this. Disc sleeves are a terrible storage method. What's even worse is some Gamestops/EB Games store the games along with the instruction manuals in freaking zip lock bags. I had to put up with this crap back when I couldn't find the Resident Evil remake for Gamecube anyplace else. But unlike some people, I stopped putting up with it. I use half.com now because unless it's something that's out of print completely, you can usually find it for close to regular retail price sealed on there.

I miss Funcoland and Playsource, they only put used game boxs out on the shelves. ALL new games were kept sealed and behind the counter. They also repaired systems unlike Gamestop. But Gamestop buys out anyone that's a threat to them.

Seriously, that was my favorite system of doing things. They'd never have to worry about anything etting stolen, and we still get all the info that we would get as if we were holding the box ourselves. It's a win-win situation.

As for how Gamestop is now, I just don't buy many new games from there anymore. And when I actually do, about 90% of the time it's a game I preordered so it's not gonna be gutted. On the off chance that I do buy a new game and it's gutted, I just inspect as much as I would a used game to make sure there's no scrathes, the box is in good condition, and the manual is there and intact. As long as it passes those standards, I have no problem buying it.

There's still a few TRUs that have this setup. I've been in stores in Roanoke, VA and Harrisburg, PA within the last year that still had a video game aisle with flaps in the middle of the store instead of an R-Zone. Ah, nostalgia.

I went to buy Soul Calibur 3 at EB once, so i went to the counter and told them i want to buy the game. The guy opens a drawer and takes the display case and puts the game in there when I can clearly see that there are tons of copies in the cabinet behind him. So i had to tell him i want a sealed copy of the game so that I know it'll run perfectly. I got what I wanted so it was cool but it bugged me that he didn't take the sealed copy first and tried to sell me an opened copy. If I'm paying $59 for a new game, I want it sealed.

To be honest, I never knew about this whole "rental" junk. Now that I think about it, my copy of Gitaroo Man Lives is probably one of those. I found the case, brought it up, what do you know, no game. So I leave and a couple days later, its back on the shelf. I bring it up, they give me the game with the molested case.

I guess it doesn't really matter all that much, since Gitaroo Man rocks. The idea of it being used makes me feel a bit uneasy though.

The TRU I used to work at, which is now closed, had that arrangement. It was a bit annoying as the company that manufacturered the tags stopped making most of them, so there would be a lot of empty gaps throughout the board, which unless you knew what you were buying would be left unsold. Plus it was a pain in the ass to have to do inventory for it. People would grab tickets and sometimes leave them somewhere and every day I had to make more which wasted paper and if another employee didn't accurately count in the back it could wind up with inaccurate inventories.

I'd much rather see a display box that you bring up to the counter and they remove the game from the case. The display box should be exactly what the game looks like, just cardboard. Have a couple of those around and put it back in its proper spot when the transaction is complete.

I wasn't exactly defending them in my post. I don't like the fact that they gut games myself. I won't buy them if they are gutted and I don't blame the people in these posts for being upset if the people who work there try to give them BS about it "still being new."

The only point I was trying to make is that this has been a recurring theme across the series of tubes and I don't think EB/Sagestop really gives a damn. Best thing you can do about it is refuse to buy and/or shop there like I do.

Trust me, you won't find someone who is happier to no longer be a EBStop slave than me.

I agree with you completely. I think that TRU had an excellent system back in the day when they used to do this. I think EB won't do this for two reasons:

1. Overhead - They have to spend more on materials such as inserts, laminates, etc. to make this happen. Plus they'd have to completely re-do their store layout for this to happen and the benefits don't exactly outweigh the costs. Bad business decision all-around.

2. Customers like touching stuff before they buy. Sure, the information on the inserts like TRU used to have pretty much gave you all the information you needed, but it's just not enough for some idiots out there who just HAVE to see the box.

Case in point, it just won't happen.