Retail chains apparently do not want my money

[providencecrow]

This is a combination of an infuriated rant and general good information for all who happen to take 5 seconds to read this. Whether you actually care or not, the video game fallout 3 came out yesterday. So today, on my lunch break i visited the local Best Buy, and Gamestop, and then after work i went to Target and Circuit City, and not a single effing one of these stores would sell me the game.

This is because all of the major retail chains have implemented some "Street Date" garbage that is not set by the manufacturer but by the corporate office. The street date between these four stores varied between sometime this friday and next thursday. The aggravating part of it is that in each store, there was a stack of about 50 copies just sitting there. I essentially had the same argument at all 4 stores:

Me: "Can i get a copy of fallout 3?"
Them: "do you have a preorder?"
Me: "No"
Them: "Well then we cant sell you one"
Me: "You have a stack of 50 right there"
Them: "Yeah but its for preorders only"
Me: "Well then let me buy a preorder"
Them: "You cant preorder a game thats already out"
Me: "Well if its out sell me a copy"
Them: "We cant you dont have a preorder"

And yes, at 3 of the 4 locations they did actually say "You can't preorder a game that is already out".

Just for shits and giggles, i called up a local shop thats just owned by some random guy and the conversation went a little bit differently:

Me: "Do you have any copies of Fallout 3?"
Him: "Yes, about 30"
Me: "If i walked in there today would you sell me a copy?"
Him: "I have them here to sell, so yes"

So basically, if these major retailers don't want my money, then they are never getting it again, at least in regards to video games. I don't really have a problem like buying socks at Target still. Sorry that went a little long, but i'm just spreading the word that these companies are retarded and not really worth anyone's money.

That is all, so lets all have a beer or 3

[0rz0ski]

Stick it to the man! Whoo! They don't want your money, don't give it to them.

[fetusfacedwindbag]

Large corporations have stupid rules like this. I have a similar story for trying to return something at target, but it would take too long to type out and no one would read the whole thing. Reader's Digest version: don't try to return something at Target unless you A. have the original receipt B. have the card you purchased the item with Or C. haven't had two transactions sans A or B in that fiscal year. They'll give you some BS saying it's over thirty days old even if you bought the item yesterday.

My story ended with a happy ending though because I make sure that I get what I want when I go to the store.....

I once had the district manager of a store fly up to Nashville from atlanta to personally deliver a pair of shoes to me.... Long story short, two employees were fired, one quit and I was given a job in management (my first year out of high school)...

[sunshyne]

I also have a similar story, sort of.... My mom bought me a pair of pants at Hollister in Florida and mailed them to me, along with the reciept, but the pants were too big. SO i went to the Hollister in Knoxville (where I lived at the time) to exchange them. I was going to get a pair of pants they were getting a pair of the SAME EXACT PANTS back just a size bigger. The Effers made me pay the tax difference on the pants, which was like $5.00 or something, but I shouldn't have had to pay anything for an even exchange. I wrote Hollister and never got a reply, so needless to say I NEVER bought another thing there again. (thats a couple hundred a year that they will never get from me, either me directly or family buying x-mas, birthday gifts) Stupid effers.

[landmammaldolphin]

FFWB, I ran into the "new" return policies last year. When I returned something to Sears that was sent from some of my family from New Jersey (without a receipt) the customer service rep asked for my drivers license to return the item. I asked why and they said that their new policy is that if you don't have a receipt you can return something 1 time and after that you must have a receipt or you can't return it, not even for store credit. I think they are cutting off their nose to spite their face, but if that's the way they want to play fine, I'll take my business elsewhere. The same thing happened to me at Best Buy when family from Florida sent me a DVD that I already had. They gave me the same story about only being able to return something without a receipt 1 time.

[vsangelchick]

It's stupid, I know....I work in retail...and I will give you the reason that honest people are getting the shaft when it comes to our return policies. It's ORC...organized retail crime. Groups who come in and take brand new products off the shelves and then return hundreds, even thousands of dollars for store credit. Retailers are cracking down on this by using the license return method...although I haven't heard of it being as strict as a once only before. Unfortunately it's inconvenient, but in the long run they're trying to keep honest consumers from paying higher prices. It sucks...and it sucks trying to enforce them when you know it's the customers who aren't the reason for the policy.

[uhohspagettio]

It's stupid, I know....I work in retail...and I will give you the reason that honest people are getting the shaft when it comes to our return policies. It's ORC...organized retail crime. Groups who come in and take brand new products off the shelves and then return hundreds, even thousands of dollars for store credit. Retailers are cracking down on this by using the license return method...although I haven't heard of it being as strict as a once only before. Unfortunately it's inconvenient, but in the long run they're trying to keep honest consumers from paying higher prices. It sucks...and it sucks trying to enforce them when you know it's the customers who aren't the reason for the policy.

Vsangel hits it on the head for return policies. ORC rings suck balls, but after seeing pics of some of them, I can't imagine they spend a lot of time in Vickies.

But as far as not selling a game if you already have a ton of them in stock, that's just bad customer service.

[providencecrow]

It's stupid, I know....I work in retail...and I will give you the reason that honest people are getting the shaft when it comes to our return policies. It's ORC...organized retail crime. Groups who come in and take brand new products off the shelves and then return hundreds, even thousands of dollars for store credit. Retailers are cracking down on this by using the license return method...although I haven't heard of it being as strict as a once only before. Unfortunately it's inconvenient, but in the long run they're trying to keep honest consumers from paying higher prices. It sucks...and it sucks trying to enforce them when you know it's the customers who aren't the reason for the policy.

Vsangel hits it on the head for return policies. ORC rings suck balls, but after seeing pics of some of them, I can't imagine they spend a lot of time in Vickies.

But as far as not selling a game if you already have a ton of them in stock, that's just bad customer service.

No it's just policy. My main beef is not so much the policy but that the employees are actually stupid enough to ignore all logic due to policy. Corporate just slaps a sticker on it like "Do not sell before XX date" and thats it. It's the same reason that most retail chains got in a bit of trouble a few years ago stockpiling nintendo wiis and not selling them to help perpetuate demand.

[dolph]

It's like when a new stupid F'n Harry Potter book comes out and I being a mailman cannot deliver it until a certain day even though we have them a week in advance. A couple years ago when I don't know which one came out, T-shirthell had a shirt that had the spoiler on it, some dumblenuts dying.....whatever. I bought one just to wear while delivering. I don't believe I've ever seen so many pissed off nerds.

[scooterfanatic]

Those copies of the game were already spoken for. People paid a fee to pre-order them, so if they sold them to you it would be like a car dealership selling a car you bought and put a down payment on to someone else.

[providencecrow]

Those copies of the game were already spoken for. People paid a fee to pre-order them, so if they sold them to you it would be like a car dealership selling a car you bought and put a down payment on to someone else.

No they weren't, i've worked in these stores, and have friends that still do, and they always order more than the preorders. They are not spoken for, its to drive up demand and ensure that they have copies in the store available for when they put it in the sundays circular without any actual sale price.

Case in point, my friend is the manager at another Gamestop, and they sold 20 preorders on fallout 3, and got 40 copies of it into the store. So they had 20 sitting there, unaccounted for, that they wont sell, even though im willing to pay, for no reason. Awesome

[jerseygirl]

This is a combination of an infuriated rant and general good information for all who happen to take 5 seconds to read this. Whether you actually care or not, the video game fallout 3 came out yesterday. So today, on my lunch break i visited the local Best Buy, and Gamestop, and then after work i went to Target and Circuit City, and not a single effing one of these stores would sell me the game.

So basically, if these major retailers don't want my money, then they are never getting it again, at least in regards to video games. I don't really have a problem like buying socks at Target still. Sorry that went a little long, but i'm just spreading the word that these companies are retarded and not really worth anyone's money.

That is all, so lets all have a beer or 3

I have to ask... Brick or Toms River?

[providencecrow]

This is a combination of an infuriated rant and general good information for all who happen to take 5 seconds to read this. Whether you actually care or not, the video game fallout 3 came out yesterday. So today, on my lunch break i visited the local Best Buy, and Gamestop, and then after work i went to Target and Circuit City, and not a single effing one of these stores would sell me the game.

So basically, if these major retailers don't want my money, then they are never getting it again, at least in regards to video games. I don't really have a problem like buying socks at Target still. Sorry that went a little long, but i'm just spreading the word that these companies are retarded and not really worth anyone's money.

That is all, so lets all have a beer or 3

I have to ask... Brick or Toms River?

Brick, i work in the lakewood industrial park so i tend to go to those shops on my lunch break. I have had this issue in the past with other games and the toms river stores as well.