Rhino games gets hosed. :(

[Atari Master]

Apparently Rhino is being bought up by Gamestop according to an email sent to Rhino managers.

 

Oh, shit...

[Flojomojo]

Death to the monopolists. Fuckers.

[Hyper_Eye]

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

 

The only decent game store in my area is going to the dark side! It is all internet purchases from here on out. I hate Gamestop and EB Games.

[Crazy Climber]

I'm getting really sick of Gamestop, I think I'm going to TRY and not shop there if possible.

[Atari Master]

No kidding. NOW where can I get classic stuff without being price gouged?

 

*sigh*

[Avid Fan]

I didnt know it was possible to get classic stuff without being gouged. Damn. I guess its just flea markets and garage sales now for the oldies

[Atari Master]

I didnt know it was possible to get classic stuff without being gouged. Damn. I guess its just flea markets and garage sales now for the oldies

 

I meant without having to run all over the place.

[Bivotar]

I must be in the minority that actually LIKES Gamestop. Their prices are very low on a lot of used games. I've been scooping up GBA games for my DS Lite at some really low prices. Plus there is the 10% discount on used games and they often run a buy 2 get 1 free promo on used games. My Gamecube collection has swelled because of this. And the staff is actually nice at the two stores I hit.

 

I have stopped going to the independent local game store (Gamers) because their prices are actually higher than Gamestop.

 

New games are a different matter completely though...

[rsiddall]

And the fact that Blockbuster owned Rhino previously made any difference? I doubt anything will really change other than there will be a bunch of geeks working there who run their mouths incessantly about some dribble they think everyone should be in awe of...oh wait, that happens in every videogame store I set foot in.

 

It's nice to have 3 Rhino locations nearby tho': Decatur, Madison and Huntsville

 

-Rodney

[Atari Master]

From what I understand, they're no longer going to sell classic games, just new stuff.

 

That's why I'm sad.

[BydoEmpire]

NOW where can I get classic stuff without being price gouged?

Really? I finally made it out to the Rhino Games here in Orlando, and their classic stuff was REALLY expensive. Loose Genny and SNES games were almost all over $10. Loose NES games were all $5 and up. Loose GBA games were $10-$25. While they did have a pretty good selection, including stuff I haven't seen around in a long time, I was surprised at their prices. I'm sticking with Game Traders/Flea World.

[PressureCooker2600]

our Gamestops don't have ANY classic games.......PS1 down to VCS.....nothing but new stuff

 

all game stores around here seem to have morons on the staff.....today when i went to Game X Change to buy all their INTV games....all they were doing was talking about smoking weed and partying.....am I like the only one who ISN'T into that stuff and would rather not here all that shit while I'm shopping for games......its so infantile.......

 

"Ohhhhhh man dudeeeee I was so drunk and stoned last night......" is like the phrase I hear almost every time i step into a game store around here......its like their "welcome" phrase

[Albert]

I must be in the minority that actually LIKES Gamestop.

Yep.

 

..Al

[Cheese007]

One more game store down the crapper. As long as CGX (Console Game Exchange) doesn't get gobbled up by GS (or go out of business) then I'm happy.

[+Lynxer2007]

Death to the monopolists. Fuckers.

 

 

That was so hilarious on what you said.

[Hyper_Eye]

And the fact that Blockbuster owned Rhino previously made any difference? I doubt anything will really change other than there will be a bunch of geeks working there who run their mouths incessantly about some dribble they think everyone should be in awe of...oh wait, that happens in every videogame store I set foot in.

 

It's nice to have 3 Rhino locations nearby tho': Decatur, Madison and Huntsville

 

-Rodney

 

I am in Madison.

 

If these stores go the way of Gamestop then my sole reason for going to Rhino Games is gone. They have NES, SNES, Genesis, DC, N64, PS1, etc. etc. all of which cannot be found at Gamestop or EB Games. I hope they don't completely change the stores. There are enough EB Games, Gamestop, and KB Toys stores around here. They are all the same and I hate them all.

[Mendon]

As I've stated in several posts, Rhino is my FAVORITE game store (I refuse to shop at EB/GS) and all three near me are a pleasure to shop at. Rhino has extremely fair prices, extremely fair policies (like 7 day exchange on new games.. don't like it then bring it back), clean - well stocked stores, and friendly professional staff. I've never had a bad experience at Rhino.

 

But, now that I think about it... something has been going on at my closest Rhino because on my most recent visit Thursday I noticed that the display case with all the used systems and accessories was empty except for new items (360's, PSP's, Steering Wheels, etc). And a lot of the used game shelves were pretty bare. I didn't really pay that much attention to it then but now that you mention that GS is buying Rhino, it makes sense, since it appears that they are clearing out the older games - systems - accessories.

 

I'll be making a special trip today to Rhino and see if I can get anyone there to confirm if this is true or not. I'm really PO'd if GS did buy Rhino!!!!

 

"Death to the monopolists. Fuckers."

 

Mendon

Edited January 6, 2007 by Mendon

[rsiddall]

And the fact that Blockbuster owned Rhino previously made any difference? I doubt anything will really change other than there will be a bunch of geeks working there who run their mouths incessantly about some dribble they think everyone should be in awe of...oh wait, that happens in every videogame store I set foot in.

 

It's nice to have 3 Rhino locations nearby tho': Decatur, Madison and Huntsville

 

-Rodney

 

I am in Madison.

 

If these stores go the way of Gamestop then my sole reason for going to Rhino Games is gone. They have NES, SNES, Genesis, DC, N64, PS1, etc. etc. all of which cannot be found at Gamestop or EB Games. I hope they don't completely change the stores. There are enough EB Games, Gamestop, and KB Toys stores around here. They are all the same and I hate them all.

 

They carried Saturn games and Game Gear carts for a while, too. But I've noticed that the older games have started moving from the display cases to racks on shelves where you don't need assistance anymore. This started towards the end of last year...so I figured Rhino was phasing some of the older systems out (NES and Genesis in particular). Player 2 closed up shop on Memorial Parkway, but they may still have a booth at the Limestone Fleamarket (in-between Athens and Huntsville).

[EmOneGarand]

Say goodbye to the older inventory.. GameStop seems to think classic consoles arn't profitable yet they make 200% profit on just about anything used they sell. And you know why the Govn't allows GameStop to buy these companies? Because they seem to think WalMart is a game store thus it's not a Monopoly. They ruined EB now their gonna ruin your favorite game store.

[Hyper_Eye]

And the fact that Blockbuster owned Rhino previously made any difference? I doubt anything will really change other than there will be a bunch of geeks working there who run their mouths incessantly about some dribble they think everyone should be in awe of...oh wait, that happens in every videogame store I set foot in.

 

It's nice to have 3 Rhino locations nearby tho': Decatur, Madison and Huntsville

 

-Rodney

 

I am in Madison.

 

If these stores go the way of Gamestop then my sole reason for going to Rhino Games is gone. They have NES, SNES, Genesis, DC, N64, PS1, etc. etc. all of which cannot be found at Gamestop or EB Games. I hope they don't completely change the stores. There are enough EB Games, Gamestop, and KB Toys stores around here. They are all the same and I hate them all.

 

They carried Saturn games and Game Gear carts for a while, too. But I've noticed that the older games have started moving from the display cases to racks on shelves where you don't need assistance anymore. This started towards the end of last year...so I figured Rhino was phasing some of the older systems out (NES and Genesis in particular). Player 2 closed up shop on Memorial Parkway, but they may still have a booth at the Limestone Fleamarket (in-between Athens and Huntsville).

 

I would first have to bring myself to go in there. I don't like it very much. I wasn't sure about Player 2 closing. I didn't hear it from anyone. I was looking for a particular game the other day which Rhino did not have so I looked to see if I could find the Player 2 store that used to be on University Dr. somewhere between Slaughter and Wall Triana. I couldn't find it so I assumed it closed (not surprising as I never saw any cars there.) It is a shame really. I loved going to these stores just to see what they might have gotten in since the last time. It was even better when I would spot a gem and get a great deal on it to boot.

[Mendon]

Well, its true. I stopped into my local Rhino and asked if "a certain rumor I was...." and before I could finish my sentence, they said, Yeah its true and it takes effect this Sunday, January 14th. None of the employees there were happy at all, including the store manager who kept mumbling under her breath something about "....assholes."

 

All of their used systems were already out of the display cases and boxed up ready to be shipped out (to where and for what, not even the employees were told). They were also pulling older games off the shelves and rearranging the shelves to meet the new Gamestop floor plan. The store was not buying any older systems and games. And they said their old store policies were gone... no more returning a new game in 7 days if you don't like it, etc.

 

A sad, sad day. I really hate to see Rhino bought out by the Dark Sith of video game retailers. It was so nice finding employee's who didn't say "You want to pre-order XXXXXXX" every 5 seconds. It was nice finding FAIR prices on used items. It was nice being offered FAIR prices on any item I might want to trade in. It was nice finding a store that actually believed in customer service and had the policies to back it up.

 

My only wish is that the same thing that is happening to Blockbuster happens to GameStop: Blockbuster spent years driving smaller chains and Mom & Pop video stores out of business only to be in trouble themselves now due to NetFlix, MoD's, etc. Hopefully, some better alternative for video gaming comes along and GameStop finds themselves fighting for their very corporate life. And I hope they lose.

 

Mendon

Edited January 10, 2007 by Mendon

[Flojomojo]

My only wish is that the same thing that is happening to Blockbuster happens to GameStop: Blockbuster spent years driving smaller chains and Mom & Pop video stores out of business only to be in trouble themselves now due to NetFlix, MoD's, etc. Hopefully, some better alternative for video gaming comes along and GameStop finds themselves fighting for their very corporate life. And I hope they lose.

I think it's just a matter of time before this happens. Good riddance, I say. The only people who might care about these stores passing on should be kids who don't have credit cards, or families with no internet access or other means of doing online shopping. Other than their near-criminal trade-in deals, there's absolutely no advantage to having Gamestop or Blockbuster as a brick-and-mortar store since they don't offer screenings or demos. I'm surprised they've lasted this long.

[Gabriel]

 

My only wish is that the same thing that is happening to Blockbuster happens to GameStop: Blockbuster spent years driving smaller chains and Mom & Pop video stores out of business only to be in trouble themselves now due to NetFlix, MoD's, etc. Hopefully, some better alternative for video gaming comes along and GameStop finds themselves fighting for their very corporate life. And I hope they lose.

 

It's already happening. Gamestop will have to 100% change the way they do business in about the next 10 years. The reason why is because of things like XBox Live Arcade, the Playstation Store, and Nintendo's Virtual Console.

 

The days of walking into a store and buying a game are just about over. We are already living in the days of direct downloads which are DRM locked to the console you downloaded them to. This trend will only expand to include ALL games, instead of just archaic game downloads.

 

And what about the consoles? Well, I suppose there will be a market for consoles with tons of games locked to them. And there are people who literally throw out entire libraries of games when they feel they're too old. So, Gamestop might survive on a model where they buy people's consoles loaded with games and resell them.

 

But the market will change there too. Since the only way you can get to keep your console locked downloaded games is to return the console to the manufacturer, a lot of people will take that route. And it's all a step towards conditioning us that we don't own the consoles either. The long company propagated myth of consoles costing more to manufacture than they sell for will be used as one in a long line of reasons why it will benefit the consumer to make consoles into rental set top boxes, much like cable boxes. You'll never own a console again. You'll sign a lease contract to use the Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo service for a year, and next year you'll pay again.

 

That's what all three of the big boys want and what they've been moving videogames toward for the past 10 years or so. All three finally have their basic infrastructures in place. It's only a matter of time.

[Cheese007]

And the day that happens is the day I stop buying new consoles.

I hope rhinos employees aren't phased out as well. I bet those classic consoles will be heading out to the dump.

Edited January 10, 2007 by Cheese007

[homerwannabee]

And the day that happens is the day I stop buying new consoles.

I hope rhinos employees aren't phased out as well. I bet those classic consoles will be heading out to the dump.

I live in California where we have nothing but EBgames and Gamestops, really sad to hear that Rhino is being bought out. Eventually companies like EB games and Gamestop are going to pay a price for totally ignoring classic consoles. Places like Game Xchange will be happy to fill the void though. As far as wether the former Rhino employees will be able to keep their jobs. Sounds like the fact that they actually treated people with respect and were fair in their pricing eliminates them from being Gamestop employees.

Edit: also there is one other thing that saddens me that Rhino is leaving the scene. Rhino carried The Video Game Collector. I am pretty sure a company like Gamestop would have no use for such a magazine.

Edited January 10, 2007 by homerwannabee