Another one gone - Shops closing in Stafford

[Jade-clothing]

Game and gamestation are not closing down!! They are remaining open despite the rent coming due on 25th

They are closing down - gamestation closed at 2pm today and the manager at Game said they will be closing before the end of the week unless a miracle happens.

 

[tek-monkey]

Yup, heard this today too.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/6-000-jobs-risk-troubled-game-105511011.html

 

[Miss Red]

yeah the staff was 100% sure on sat they wasnt closing down.........but sadly they have - shame because the staff in there would at least have a conversation with you, unlike game.............only gamestations left open is hanley and newcastle ...at the moment...im just glad i spent all my loyalty point last weekend, because all gamestations have suspended all loyalty/trade in points!

 

[Zylo]

not surprised really, to much compeition online, where it's a lot cheaper.

 

[tek-monkey]

Agreed, the high street is dead for mass consumer products. Originality is where its at, but its hard to get enough interest for it to be worthwhile.

 

[Miss Red]

Some people prefer to shop and have the goods without waiting for a) 3/4/5 or more days B) or not recieving because some dodgy postperson has nicked the contents!!
Plus (i know its hard for people here to comprehend and its not just my opinion but others from "the outside area" have said the same) - some people like to hold what is called "conversation" its a pleasent talk about lots of things that are positive, happy and so forth, and its held with people who pass by in everyday life..like shops, businesses etc.
Cant hold a convo with an electronic shopping basket lol

 

[tek-monkey]

No you can't, but I don't want to pay a 30% talking to a human tax either.

 

[Miss Red]

So do away with this thread.....its obsolete and you dont care if your town closes down so long as you save 30% and a bit of walking!!!

 

[tek-monkey]

I care more about a 30% increase in my spending than I do about other peoples wallets. Sorry, just how it is. I'm all for walking, not an issue, but to overspend in the current climate is almost criminal.

 

[Miss Red]

Thats cool then.....just trying to get an insight into the staffordion mind lol...........they moan about the state of the town and the shops that are closing they blame the rents/economy and anything else..........but they prefer to shop online etc, if that means the town turns into a ghost town then they dont really care so long as a)the shops sell off half price before they go and b) they save a few pence (although i have actually seen lots of stuff inc games online more expensive than in town...especially on spewbay and a few others ).

 

[PeterD]

This is games companies getting their own back, purchase power of Game has meant they wielded the power, then when things got tough and they wanted to extend credit Games publishers said whistle for it, Game bought this on themselves really, be careful who you screw on the way up springs to mind. Thankfully as someone that works in retail technology, they arent one of our customers.

 

[tek-monkey]

Gotta agree with that. I have a mate who is a games developer, and the barrel these retailers hold them over is mad. They dictate what version is available when, they only allow shelf space for 2 or at best 3 versions so some console owners have to wait for releases, they demand lower prices or refuse to sell the item at all, because they know it harms the games overall sales.

They are, essentially, like Tesco.

 

[tek-monkey]

Just to add, the last game I bought from Game is faulty. Tried to install it last night, got CRC errors all over the DVD. This is a brand new game, still sealed. You don't get that problem with digital downloads, or at least if you do its easy to download a new copy. I have instead resorted to pirating a game I own, just to play it!

The high street has to adapt, they need to offer things you can't download. This for example was a collectors edition with book etc. that I would happily pay for, the shops need to see the internet as part of the town, and offer what they don't. You aren't just competing with the other local shops anymore. Amazon have pretty much killed any competition that the supermarkets hadn't already destroyed, you need to sell niche products to survive. To do that though you need to be brave, too many try to please all, and just end up stocking the same as each other.

 

[Withnail]

...just trying to get an insight into the staffordion mind lol... they moan about the state of the town... but they prefer to shop online etc,

Personally, i only ever buy something online if i can't find it, or know i won't find it, in town. But then i'm not exactly a big spender.

 

[tek-monkey]

I think a big problem is that most people that can afford to shop in town have full time jobs, this kind of negates the chance of them using the shops mon-fri. Most families need two earners, the days of one staying at home to look after the kids and do the shopping is long gone. Anything needed mid-week has to be done elsewhere, not a lot can be done about that.

 

[My Name is URL]

Some people prefer to shop and have the goods without waiting for a) 3/4/5 or more days B) or not recieving because some dodgy postperson has nicked the contents!!

Problems that you don't get with digital downloads, or even better than that (and where I believe the future of gaming is) with services like OnLive.....

Plus (i know its hard for people here to comprehend and its not just my opinion but others from "the outside area" have said the same) - some people like to hold what is called "conversation" its a pleasent talk about lots of things that are positive, happy and so forth, and its held with people who pass by in everyday life..like shops, businesses etc.
Cant hold a convo with an electronic shopping basket lol

Lets be honest, stereotypically the type of people who buy computer games are not the type of people who want a conversation.

Even I don't... conversation about what? I have done my research, I know what I want, I just want to get in, get what I want and get out.

 

[Miss Red]

yep stereotypically (of stafford) it sticks out like a sore thumb......its not gamers its people! I hold convos online on the ps3 and xbox! met people etc as well as in gamestation - had many a nice convo in there.....perhaps the ones i meet all come from *not here* lol
In fact i know they dont

 

[tek-monkey]

If I had enough time to stand and chat it'd be fine, I rarely do though!

 

[Miss Red]

Yeah I guess your right lol - plus pc screen would get in the way
At end of day this forum isnt "all of stafford" its a tiny dot of people that make up stafford!

 

[Jade-clothing]

Heard today Game is definitely closing on Saturday. To be honest i don't think it was solely online businesses that have put them out of business, I think the problem came when they lost their supplier rights to sell EA games - amongst other things. Years ago my ex used to be the area manager for gamestation and I know at the time there were also problems with staff stealing and abusing the system when buying in second hand games.
It is sad to see the high street looking so empty but I don't have a problem with buying online - after all I make my living from selling online and the main reason we moved to an office and concentrated solely on that side of the business was because we make 5 or 6 times more money selling online than we did in the shop, but with the day to day running of a shop we couldnt dedicate enough time to doing the side of the business that made the most money. So when we were only offered a very short lease on renewal we jumped at the chance to expand the online side. I used to work 40 - 48 hours a week but now earn 5 times more than I did in the shop and only work around 24 hours a week, Makes for a much better work/life balance and as a canny businesswoman I'm always going to do what makes the most money!