Having formerly worked with EB Games Australia in a variety of roles for just over 5 years it is safe to say I can answer almost anything.
Fire away!
[AMA] I Am a Former EB Games Employee of 5 Years
ThePriceMatchGuy on 18/10/2018 - 10:10
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My friend was a manager there many years ago, and told me about a trick to be aware of. Just wondering if it still rings true these days..
You check the last digits on price tag, and that is the price it is when goes on sale.
ie. A game marked as $99.65 will be $65 on sale, a game marked $59.35 will be $35 on sale. And so on.
I checked it out when my friend 1st told me, and sure enough, the sale stickee was $35, the original price was marked at $65.35 etc .
Do they still do this ?
If so, why ?
I'm guessing so to make it extremely simple for the staff putting sale tags on, lol. You would think they would hide it better, and not have customers wait till it is on sale after realising this trick I learned.seen some games with a $XX.01. would that mean it going to be going for 0.01 cent soon?
would actually be $1 based on OP's maths
Dammit! I never knew that many people were onto us like that! ha ha
Yes in short, the whole $99.67 was to indicate that it was going to be $67 at the next upcoming sale.
For example another cryptic one was $67.70 (which equated to sometimes as 2 for $70).It literally is to ensure that casuals sticker things properly lol…
Thanks man!
I never heard of this before, thats super kool to know.
…so what about games marked at $49.99? Do they get marked up to $99 on a sale…?
very rarely you'd see that mate!
In my experience those games usually equate to being best sellers for the particular platform.
Never knew that!! Omg was wondering why they had weird prices.
Thanks for the tip and enjoy your badge :)
Whats the biggest or most common theft from the store that you witnessed in your tenure?
Without a doubt it would have to have been DLC from the insides of games.. This would mean that customers would return wave after wave of games citing that their DLC doesn't work.. Rather annoying as I wouldn't resell them. I couldn't bring myself to the possibility a child would pick up let's say FIFA 19 and miss out on their Gold Packs from Ultimate Team.
See, that’s just scummy.
It’s undoubtedly those same drop kicks that would be the first to complain if EB was no longer a store where you could return games, and went under because of these sorts of shitty tactics.
The shiftiness of people never ceases to amaze me.
How does that work? People "returning" games? Or just stealing the boxes? Whenever I've bought games, theyve inserted the disc and dlc from behind the counter?
WHAT is the DEAL with Level 5 and how do I get one?
The DEAL is that they are super hard to come by and are only distributed to selected people that have accumulated the most amount of points in the previous year of selection..
FOR EXAMPLE, I had a Level 4 customer miss out as he had only spent $500 that previous year whereas a Level 3 had spent $3500 that previous year. The level 3 wins that selection duel.
^^ figures are just used as an explanation only.
Hmm makes sense. I have a friend who never purchased much then went out and bought a PS4 and an Xbox one + pax tickets in the last year and got bumped up. His overall carrot score is still less than mine.
Still checking my mailbox everyday :'(
…huh there's a secret lvl 5????!!!?!?!?!?
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:
- A dedicated customer service email
- 25% Bonus Trade Credit
- 10% Discount on Reboot Repairs
- 20% off Threadz at EB & Zing
- 20 Days Satisfaction Returns Period
- Free Ticket To EB EXpo
- 3 Week Pre-order Hold Guarantee
- Upgrade A Friend To Level 3 for 1 Year
- Birthday Offer
- Christmas Gift
- Personalised Membership guard
"Personalised Membership guard"
Is that like someone following you around like a personal body guard who you can personalize to your taste, or am I interpreting that incorrectly?"A dedicated customer service email"
Didn't they use to have email…?@Zachary: meant to be card* haha
Yeah they still do, but this is a separate one just for Level 5 customers.
DO you secretly buy your games from Ozgameshop and other cheaper online sources more often then not?
Honestly? No. Although I am a serial price-matcher..
I still always bought my stock from EB but would never pay more than I had to for titles. I found that games from those online sources weren't Australian rated which can sometimes prove problematic if you ever wanted to trade them in.you say that but EBGAMES took my USA banned Mortal Kombat and gave me the trade price of the complete edition, which was released in Aus, when i pointed it out, the guy said oh well, and still gave me the amount and took the trade
I can't stand over all staff and make sure they do their jobs properly unfortunately..
If EA stands for Electronic Arts then what's EB stand for Electronic B??????_s
And will there ever be a EC? ect ectElectronics Boutique.
EC already exists! European Commission!
Boutique. Once a year, crazy boutique sale.
do you sometimes see single cluless mums buying a game for full RRP off ebgames and then you feel sorry for them cause target/big w thats blocks away is so much more cheaper?
It sadly happens all the time, sometimes you feel sympathy and tell them that the game is actually "on sale" and price match it for them and then they end up buying that extra controller or putting that game guarantee on.. but yes you'd be surprised the amount of people that pay RRP.
Glad to hear that happens, we need more people like you.
Would you kill your parents to save humanity from extinction?
Do people abuse the 7 day return policy?
Honestly not really.. The frequency of people coming in to trade a game though they only purchased 9 days ago is extremely disappointing.. like, could you not come in 2 days earlier to get a refund?!
Challenge accepted.
I think Whirlpool accounts for 90% of 7 day returns.
Your stance on selling 7* day return games as new ?
As a directive from head office, if the game is as new we are required to gut it and put it back in the drawer. I would personally put those copies out the back and continue selling sealed copies. Your local store should always sell sealed copies first before even thinking about selling gutted ones.
Did HO have a policy for console games that had DLC codes?
I'm sure they'd take a punt on some, but when some games clearly state it's included on the box, you'd hope they'd be a bit weary there.
Yeah they did.
You'd sometimes call the store and they would source you a replacement code from the Developer.
@ThePriceMatchGuy: So it was more a reactive stance, rather than a proactive one. That's disappointing.
(Not having a dig at you, obviously - know you don't set EB policy and you already demonstrated your more righteous approach above).
What's better? Using the employee discount or price matching with big w? Could you do both?
Discount from RRP made it so that you'd pay roughly a few dollars more than a standard price match.
But with these $64 and $69 day one prices from retailers, EB's discount is only worth it for loot and high end collectibles.
Does anyone ever make a claim on that scratched disc insurance?
I stopped buying from EB games (in fact, stopped buying games since GAME closed down, used to buy from them) because:
All their games are not sealed, I have seen their employees unwrapping all the new game boxes out from the delivery box at the counter in front of the customers. My heart was broken looking at the scene! So unnecessary and definitely a deal breaker to many who love to collect games. I mean you can have ONE empty box on the shelf and sell those still shrink wrapped games to us. Such an insane decision not to do that!
Their trade in value of 2nd hand games are very insulting! How could anyone in their right mind offer $0.5 to any game, ANY GAME, that was originally marked at $70 up!
Some bad experience with some of their inflexible store reps. I once ordered a game and console bundle and asked if I could trade in the new and sealed bundled game on the spot as I did not like it but the console. Store rep said yes and guessed around $70 (standalone game was $99) for the trade in price (game wasn't released yet so couldn't confirm from the computer). Fully understandable it could not be traded at full price $99 and 70% was reasonable so I accepted and ordered the bundle. The day I went to collect my bundle, another rep was serving me and checked the computer, saying they could offer $35 for the game! The rep said that was the 2nd hand trade in price of that game. No matter how I tried to talk some sense into the rep's head that it was the first day of release of the game, 100% new, still shrink wrapped, straight out from the box, untouched… the rep still considered the game as 2nd hand and said once it is sold it is not new, doesn't matter it is opened or not! Totally stubborn and inflexible way to do business. Since then I determined EB games would never try to make their customer happy but only go by the book.
EB: The only place where you can buy a used and get told it's new and sell them a new game and get told its used.
What do you think happens at all other retail stores that accept change of mind purchases when the item is still in new condition?
I still go to EB for books and loot but rarely for games. More pet peeves:
- Having to remove a bazillion stickers, even from inserts.
- Being pestered to sign up for a damn EB World card.
- Waiting behind someone buying a console. Why does this take so long?
- Stores with stock that don't do mail order.
- Shipping small items in ridiculously large boxes.
To be fair, EB does some things well:
- Website is nice and easy to use.
- Sales are ok.
Not sure what people are negging about. EB fan boys?
Does Mark DiStefano (https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/eb-games-district-manage…) still work for EB?
Is there a secret menu?
Can you give me a good reason as to why I should trade my brand new game for $15?
They're a business, what do you expect??
I get what you're saying though!
They're a business, what do you expect??
Your missing some word(s) between "a" and "business".
Does EB have any guidelines on promoting responsible gaming, given how addictive it can be? e.g. if you saw a customer blowing his savings on games every other day or if you knew someone was gaming his life away, will you take any action? I know it might be a broader question industry-wide, wondering as a leader in the area if EB had something like this? Thanks.
Thanks for your question. Throughout my time with EB I would have people that were addicted to certain games. Mostly on PC. Grown adults buying hundreds of dollars a week in currency for certain games.
The ones I knew personally I would pull aside outside of work and just have general chats with them about life and ambition (I'm a mentor to several people around Australia in regards to life and career advice). I got them spending this money elsewhere (gym, recreational activities and social stuff). Got them meeting new people and slowly the addiction of gaming would dissipate.
Got two questions for you :)
Do people actually take advantage of the level system? Is there some sort of prestige like you would with frequent flyer status? I'm still a level one and I've had a look at the other tier benefits and it really is not appealing. I guess I prefer to buy wherever is cheaper
How has the advent of steam, GOG etc affected sales? For e.g. steam often has games standard price for cheaper than your on-sale price
Great questions there!
If you are an avid gamer people actually mock their friends for being level 1 or 2 as opposed to 4 or 5.. weird I know. But being level 4 and 5 means you pretty much skip all queues at pre-launch events and event sometimes get invites to exclusive betas and demos.
In all honesty not a lot. You'd be surprised at how many people still appreciate the human communication that is involved with buying something that you could online and cheaper.
That honestly surprises me. You could say the same of Blockbuster Video, but that didnt save them.
EB World is a massive con job. Every so called "perk" is pretty much based around the concept of you contributing to their store in a way that boosts their profit margin with no real benefits to you that mean anything. You're much better off buying elsewhere. Case in point, Amazon just sold me a copy of RDRII for $47. EB can't come close to that. I didn't have to jump through any hoops to get the deal. Put in a discount code, clicked a few buttons, job done. Until they start doing amazing deals like that instead of the pap they peddle now where you have to trade games in to get a "deal" you don't even need to bother.
People will still continue to feed the behemoth (EB Games). My local store has completed 37 trade deals relating to the RDRII for $29 with 2 games deal. They'll go on to sell those Preowned titles at price 50% minimum above the amount they traded for.
As long as video games exist as physical media EB will always be around..
Ah yes the prices of EB pre owned games, $88, sometimes more. Only a complete idiot would pay that much for a used game. EB fully caters for the shallow end of the gene pool.
I reset my password signed in just to write.
HOW on earth did you put that horrid uniform on for 5 Years!!!In case theres a different uniform in different states,
I’m talking about the black Shoes, the black pants, white shirt and a TIE!
Yes a tie, to sell consoles. Never understood it.HAHA! I appreciate the lengths you went to just to ask that!
I thankfully had purchased a few of those snazzy blue polo shirts with my name on them. I remember having to put on the white shirt and tie in my first 2 weeks but that trend has pretty much died. I went on a work conference to QLD the other week and an entire store was wearing them. Definitely an eyesore!
Haha how bizarre. I’m in SA and at every EB I’ve shopped at, the staff are wearing black slacks and a blue polo.
Thanks for your time OP, you've been fantastic! That's all I really wanted to say.
Now that I'm here though, I will also add that your (ex) company was the first mob I ever experienced in Australia that issued gift-cards (quite an 'enigmatic' form of currency here on OzB) that NEVER EXPIRE. I was reliably, and as it turns out, quite correctly informed by some pimply 16-year-old a couple of years ago in an EB Games outlet that this was because EB Games adheres to USA law in this respect, because they're 'BASED' in the USA. I found this really 'trail-blazing' at the time, but now (as you probably know), Aussie law has recently changed; 3-year minimum expiry on gift-cards!!! Not quite as good as the EB games 'never never' policy, but WAAAAY better than it used to be. I can't help but think EB Games played a small part in getting this law changed here in Australia, by setting an EXAMPLE, even WAY BEFORE they were LEGALLY OBLIGED to.
BIG UPS to EB Games.
You are so more than welcome! I really appreciate that!
You are honestly so spot on! We were used in reference to the case put towards the Federal Government in regards to shifting this law over. I always had the belief that if you gave money to a company for a Gift Card you should be able to use it whenever YOU want!
Could be just me though..
Where is the list of $10 trade-in games???
Guarded in a high level dungeon.. final boss is Pauline Hanson.. good luck
More like Mark DiStefano. You have to put up with endless hours of abuse while he pelts pre owned stock at you telling you how you'll wind up as a sleazy used car salesman and then and only then will you get the list.
Hello OP
have a few questions for you
- can you use a EB gift card to purchase other gift cards e.g apple or google play?
2.why do some employees persist in asking for your eb world card just to go looking at your purchase history/start questioning your purchases? example ( i traded in games and got accused of money laundering one time because i bought high value of gift cards with trade in credit i was not even using money to buy them.
3.what happens if someone uses the 7 day return policy to frequently? e.g returning once a week for long period of time.
4.if a store refuses to give an replacement under warranty or there was an disagreement, what would be the next step? complaint to hq or go to a diffrent store5.do you think they will make LVL 5 available to general public any time soon?
6.What is the most money you have seen a Level 5 member spend in a year?7.why are consoles/controllers not tested for trade in? i know controllers are not but not sure about consoles.
8. how hard is it to warranty an console for freezing/heating issues or failing hardrive? this issue is hard to replicate if they went to check for it, a store manager told me you can generally warranty a console within 12months of purchase for a new one but not sure on limitations there.thnx
That's just employees on power trips. I doubt people would use something that identifies them for money laundering.
- sure can!
- eb world card is a massive KPI for staff.. (sometimes assists in making suggestions for new games)
- Legally, there isn't much that can be done.. but SOME Managers can be real d-bags and maybe refuse you? It is a case to case situation..
- Head office definitely! Don't let them get away with it!
- It was definitely in the plans when I was around!
- Enough to purchase a 2018 Toyota Yaris!
- They SHOULD be.. Like I've been saying in previous comments I can't answer on behalf of an entire company..
- In all honesty if a customer is sincere about their request and it is within the 12 months you return it no questions asked.. I would even return consoles UP TO 24 months after purchase..
Money laundering? Are you for real? I would've of thrown something at the idiot accusing me of shit like that and walked away never to return. What a bunch of flogs.
- can you use a EB gift card to purchase other gift cards e.g apple or google play?
Why won't you trade in my Dreamcast games?
Man… I miss Gametraders shrinking. I get that for retro consoles the turnover probably doesn't justify the rent, but I miss going and browsing old school games.
Do you really stocktake every day?
No, 3 times a year.. on average..
Do EB Games ever have sales?
My brain hurts just reading this.
I worked there for 5 years, never had one..
Are games returned in 7 days sold as new
I've answered this like 3 times in above questions haha
Yes and this is why you should never shop there.
You are all for loot boxes as long as they're cosmetic. How do you feel about the whole star wars battlefront 2 era? If you know, did EA actually care, or just reacted to backlash until they could put it back in without much backlash. Will anthem be screwed? D:
Battlefront 2 was disappointing to be honest.. Our team was so excited for it and it was a bad time for everyone here.. Anthem looks encouraging though.. The Devs for that have ultimate control..
Why can't I use EB Games eGift cards for online store purchases?
which roles?
Casual, Keyholder, Senior Sales Associate, Assistant Manager, Manager.
Like Pokemon evolutions
Have to ask what is a key holder :) please don't say somebody who just holds keys
what happens to unsold preowned consoles and games, especially from the previous gens? do they get donated? destroyed? etc..
I would personally look to offload them to Children's Hospitals in regional communities (like Wii consoles etc.)
Lots of back and forwards with Head Office but dead stock is sometimes good for PR.
Is it hard to begin a job/career at EB? Would someone without experience but passion and knowledge of the industry be able to pick it up easily?
I'll be honest with you.
I was a 15 year old, pudgy Greek kid that loved video games. I would spend hours a week just looking at the various games and items in the store. I had NO retail experience. When it came to handing in a resume the Manager at the time tossed it in the bin and said 'I thought this day would never come, Welcome to EB Games.'
I was hired on the spot..That's too cute
omg love this
When someone returns a game, how do you know if they have used the dlc or not? Does another poor sucker get stuck with used dlc when they buy the returned item?
We don't know unfortunately.
But if an unlucky person is stuck with that copy we ALWAYS arrange replacement DLC codes.
They don't and yes, they do. Shouldn't have to go back and sort out something that should be correct from the start.
That developer/publisher has a lot of work a head of them in the social/marketing area imo. Effectively killing off series such as Medal of Honor, Command and Conquer, SimCity, Need for Speed, etc with either terrible sequels, reboots or loot systems. I used to snap these games up without question before reviews, etc, now I won't touch them with a barge pole. Not even finding them in discount bins is enough of an incentive to pull out the ol' wallet. Ask almost anyone and they would agree.
They just don't seem to put any heart or soul into their games anymore…