So walked in to EB games today, and the sales person opted to tell me all about EB Plus membership which cost $49 pa and gets you a drink bottle (Tumbler) gift and the privilege to buy stuff from EB?
https://www.ebgames.com.au/plus
Im not even joking when I asked what you get she said point exclusive "discounts" access to pre orders and collectables earlier and some other small things id never use.
My question is EB smoking the pipe?
I don't see what's so sad? It's not for me since I don't shop at Coles enough but surely some people that do their weekly family shopping there may find value with it?
To me it worries me a lot, the problem is the "membership version" becomes the new norm, and so instead of buying something at $x its now $x+membership. That membership also ensures companies get to keep your personal data to also create profiles, advertise too and likely on-sale to other companies.
It usually starts off sneaky as well in a "oh thats a fair enough price if your using those features anyway you may even save! What a good deal!". Then a few years later when everyone is dependent on it, the price shoots up (see every single online subscription ever) and your other options aren't great because "well if you wanted it at a fair price you always can get a membership".
The data membership is EDR and Flybuys, who already exist and harvest our data. Why are we suddenly paying for the same privilege?
Boiling the frog
Do you wanna elaborate? If not and you just wanted drop a one liner, my response is womp womp
@Nillionaire: First it starts as a small discount, then items magically become even more expensive without it. Then the price of the membership starts going up etc etc.
It is a race to pull more money out of your pocket and lock you in to shopping at their supermarket and nowhere else.
@Nillionaire: I’ll elaborate on the other person further.
They don’t do it for free, nor does the $49 cover their costs. Which means everyone pays through increased prices.
Then there’s the enshitification element. The price will go up. There will be multiple tiers eventually. Etc.
It’s sad people don’t think critically about how all this works.
I'm a fan of the delivery membership. We get same day 60 minute deliveries 3 times a week for $20 a month. Better than Uber as get the proper grocery prices. The plus saver is no good though as is locked to your Flybuys number.
I pay Coles $7 per month to save $50 and don't find it sad at all.
The business model makes sense if you're one half of a duopoly - not sure about EB though.
We have the Woolworths version of this, $7 / month vs 10% off anything bigger than a $70 shop means you're in front by up to $43 (although we don't often do a $500 shop). We also have a couple of Everyday Mobile accounts so have three or four 10% off shops. As a family of five, we spend enough to make it all worthwhile.
Mind you, there are more and more "members only" specials coming along which makes having even the free membership almost mandatory. I suspect these sorts of things to only get worse in the grab for more of your money.
I do nearly a $300 home delivered shop a week. It is a bargain.
Sad we lost the BigW 10% a month as well. Came in handy
Yes, the Woolies Mobile makes it a great deal. They don't have this for Coles Mobile?
Quite a few retailers have been dipping their toes into the market with this setup.
I wouldn't be surprised if in the next 5 years we get memberships becoming the default price. e.g. Coles/Woolworths - Introduce it as "Members get 5% off" which then becomes the normal pricing. It's all about selling your data to advertisers/marketing companies for profit.
Costco makes most of their revenue on the membership fee. The margins for supermarkets are razor thin, so a subscription is a no-brainer for profits.
Oof. Bad example. These subscriptions are great value.
the coles membership is actually good especially for families and big shoppers.
we have it and save a decent amount with the discounts.
EB is grasping at something to keep the business running, ever since steam rolled out with halflife, every game store was watching with bated breath on how the uptake will be.
steam
epic games
Playstation
X box
the big companies that have deciated their market and EB or Gamestop are desperate to hold on to something.
good on them for trying something, but i dont think this will work.
I see nothing wrong with these memberships.. if you dont want them dont get them.. nothing is a scam unless you are forced into it. If someone wants the extra's offered thats up to them and no one else.
its not a subscription man lol you just get special pricing when you sign up and better trade in value.
seperate from the carrot system how ever you do get double the carrot all the time now. apparenlty you get a better change at getting into level 5 too.
ADASHS
6 letters is not typically approved. @mapax - any chance of a special dispensation late on a Sunday.
so sorry do you have the rules
Only mapax know the rules. In mapax we trust.
A rough outline of the expected layout is expressed in the wiki.
Typically, the general rule of thumb for the format is “ADA” followed by the issue at hand using a 2 letter code, followed by “HS”.
The “two letter code” inserted may be an ISO or SAI standard (there may be a AUS/NZ standard in the pipeline), but I am not sure what standard it falls under. I believe this was under review and implementation by Brian Perez before his sudden and unexpected departure from the liaison council.
@pegaxs: Perez just updated his fakebook profile picture. Seems to be doing alright living full-time in the Maldives.
I tried slipping it through last night but it’s has already been denied.
I even snuck it into the pending approval pile (it’s a multistage process) hoping it would get the final stamp of approval but someone is alert for a Monday morning.
They've had this for almost a year now (maybe more?). It's the only way to guarantee pokemon cards on release which is more than you can say about other stores. It's actually a small price to pay for tcg collectors coz you get 1 free pack for every 10 bought. Pays for itself quite quickly and prevents too much botting which happens on other sites. And you get $10-20 birthday bonus each year
If you trade in games it's even more valuable. I know it's seems dodgy but I'm definitely getting value from it having had it for the better part of a year.
by taking away your ability to be walk into a store and buy the Pokemon card you like,
and now you'll need to pay a membership to even be able to buy it.
it make people praise the membership.
it make people praise the membership.
Yes..?
Yep I've been a member for 13 months.
The trade in bonuses are nice. It helped me be level 5 this year.
You can't be serious ! 🤯💣
time to end all these subscriptions
many subscriptions are actually beneficial and given they are not compulsory they are great deals. Well thought out subscriptions are about encouraging loyalty for a slightly reduced profit margin which is a win win for both sides. (note I find it hard to imagine an EB subscription having any value to anyone, if you are shopping their enough to get value then you need to reevaluate where you purchase from)
This isn't new. It was announced here over a year ago and we discussed whether it was worth it. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/859509
EB World membership has always been around since I was a kid. EB World Plus is the subscription that was started. The general consensus was that it was not worth it for most OzBargainers but a few people did find value for themselves with it. If you only found out about it now and are outraged at the sight of it, you never were its target audience.
I personally don't have an inherent problem with a retailer having a subscription program, if it's good value for me like Amazon Prime, I get it, if not then I leave it.
Nailed it.
Costco. Amazon Prime. Colesworth.
Some have value for you, others don’t. Up to the individual to weigh up their benefits… the outrage is just… outrageous.
What is the pipe you are referring to in your question?
The same glass one OP is using.
Doesn't Jetstar and many more companies have the same?
At least Jetstar's more than pays for itself each time I have gotten it, the saving for Club Jetstar has always been 3x or so the amount the subscription cost, so it was worthwhile.
All the more reason to shop at Harvey Norman - no subscription fee as it's all funded by the suckers buying extended warranties and Monster surge protectors for RRP on 60 months interest free.
Shouldn’t be negged for a good quality /s comment
Or even eBay and Amazon where Buyer Protection is almost guaranteed. There's some instances people refunded an empty box back to the seller and the buyer both got their money back and took the item 😱
Monster cables are expensive but good. I can literally see the improved video quality.
/s
I don't have a problem with it. eBay, Costco and Amazon all have some sort of membership that gets you exclusive deals.
You haven't been to EB in a while huh.
Thanks OP someone else did point this out to me i totally missed it - im still laughing at what a rubbish deal it is
saw this a few months ago, had a good laugh and wished the guy best of luck trying to sell it to people. Spiraled into a conversation about how ridiculous their used game prices were, to which he tried to justify it by saying, "oh we do a lot of work when we take in used games. If game discs are badly damaged, or if switch games are unreadable, we press new copies ourselves."
i replied with "you mean to tell me that you have the capabilities, and authorisation from nintendo and all other publishers to re-produce official discs and cartridges?"
"yes thats why we charge premium prices because you essentially get brand new copies".
I looked at him shaking my head, had a good laugh and walked out.
just to blatantly lie like that. he must think his customers are idiots.
Wonder how those boots taste
If it is like the only shop you ever go to it might be worth it, but for everyone else its probably not worth it
But if you're a normie here ranting about something you don't understand, well nothing anyone will say will convince you.
insulting me aside, look if you find it good thats fair enough
i mean from what i gathered the only benefit is if you are a Pokemon TCG collector you can reserve your packs im pretty sure EB charge ~$7 a pack which is $1 more expensive then most other places in which it normally sits around $6 a pack thus the '1 free pack if you buy 10' is actually still poor value.
Ill admit im not much a TCG collector these days but if you are you might find it benefical opposed to running around to difference sources everytime a new set comes out
I am firmly against the en-shit-ification of the gaming industry ie micro-transaction, rising cost, locked away ingame content you have to pay additional for pretending to be DLC etc - to me this is just another knife to the industry but i do acknoweldge that EB is as much a pop-culture retailer opposed to a video game stop these days
A guaranteed 5% off digital currencies year round sn't bad.
you purchase $1000+ of digital currency a year to make this worth while?
I do. But unfortunately EB doesn't stock the digital currencies I spend on.
That's a negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full of plus. Just wait until they need to do more to stand out. Coles++ anyone?
Not everything is designed to target you….. you are not the centre of the world.
It's also been out for a long time and the fact you only just noticed it again reinforces that the product is not for you. You went to EB once in over a year?…..
Its only worth it if you want the max carrot rank, instead of having to spend 5k to get max rank, you only need to spend 2500.
You do realise its not a requirement to join? So whats the concern? All these subscriptions on offer in society within the the last decade they are not compulsory. In our household we have no subscriptions at at the moment and we get along fine and save some money as well.
Subscriptions wouldn't be offered if they weren't a source of ongoing revenue (profit), especially as people forget what they've signed up for or are too lazy to cancel when its no longer useful (if it was in the first place).
We all need to remember that these are never done to save the consumer or help us out, its to make profits, treat them as such.
Someone down voted you - but you point is 100% spot on
Too many geek junkies in here 😂
i think you underestimate how many parents/carers actually just to to eb games and happy to pay sticker price as its convenient. They will get the value out of it.
Don't think they are underestimated that. It would be exactly how many you would expect, not many.
Ya I think ozbargainers forget people outside of Ozbargain exist - most people just buy things as they need them/when they want them - not everyone is trying to get a good deal/wait for things to go on sale.. And in some cases a local eb is better than waiting for things to ship domestically. Also especially for some kids, going to eb is an experience, it's fun. It's memories for them - not 'no you can't have that game right now until it's less than 30 dollars and I got a 5 dollar cashback via gift cards!' lol. (For me, it was Gamesmen, rather than EB, just go walk in, have a look around late 90s, early 2000s, even if I bought nothing it was fun to still go there as a kid/teen growing up).
it t's fun. It's memories for them
I agree actually, I was like 16 when eb games first started and I wasnt that into shopping there until i was maybe in my late 20s.
my kids now both under 6 love going to eb/zing to check out the merch, its crazy how they recognize all these random characters, even I dont recognize some…
I got it when I got my PS5 pro because they gave it to me for a discount with 3 months trial as I was reluctant to purchase, like an ozbargainer should be. I use it to buy giftcards pretty much with 5% off on playstation store cards and extra "carrots". Also gets you to the front of the line for new exclusive consoles etc most of the time. Don't think I would purchase again but has paid itself off so far.
Same
i paid for it to access some deals online.
i shit you not, every time i go instore they ask me to renew it. Even with 10 months before its due XD
It's been around for ages
Gets you stuff like limited edition access before it sells out,
e.g. they're restocking the PS5 30th anniversary line with limited quantities and they're going out to those members first.
I don't have the membership, but I get it.
There’s a subscription for anything. I still haven’t paid for a membership in my lifetime although I am subscribed to Amazon prime through my Optus plan which work pays for. The only reason I subscribed is because it’s included and I wanted to milk this plan
The EB Games Battle Pass. Get yours now!
It's been around for a while, mostly used to milk the Pokemon card crew to guarantee card packs at launch.
It's been around for a while as far as I know. If you have a few things to buy or trade there in the coming months, why not join for $49 and enjoy the benefits, right? It's pretty similar to what most others offer as subscriptions these days, to be honest. Like everything else in life, "the value is in the eye of the beholder."
(And no, I'm not affiliated with EB Games or any retail chain…)
Been around for years, well worth it. In fact, they may cancel it as it’s too good value.
$49 to get a $39 value free item for a year membership- wherein you buy 10 clothings and get on free, buy 10 socks get one free. The real kicker is you can buy the clothing or socks on sale, and you can redeem on the full price special clothings etc up to $70 for clothing. So, for example $9 tshirts means you get 10 tshirts and one $70 jumper for $90 - the EB Plus membership obviously pays for itself.
Value refers to what you get for your money.
I personally don't think EB games clothing is really worth it (unless they're making some custom in house wicked prints and the shirts are heavy cotton for 9 bucks, at that point f*** the membership and gimme those shirts).
And also you paid 10*9+49=$139 to get a 70 dollar jumper…
This would only make financial sense if eb games was your one stop shop for everything such that the membership price can be omitted
Thus its 90+70=160 vs 90+49=139
But seeing as no one needs 10 EB games shirts, you could buy 7 and the jumper to be back in the green (save 6 bucks)
7*9+70=133
Cope harder.
It's a ludicrous waste of money and EB are a terrible business in many ways.
I only have it because when buying the Switch 2, I traded in the Switch 1 with some games, and it worked out slightly cheaper to bundle the subscription in with the transaction for the higher trade-in value (plus bonus gift). Only value I have had from it since is early access to cheap Tuesdays for some $2 branded socks.
It’s funny how EB Games has shifted the goalposts over time.
It used to be that Level V members — the top spenders — got exclusive access to certain preorders like Final Fantasy XVI Collector’s Edition or the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Console. Unfair, but at least it was “spend your way there.”
Now it’s pay $50 for EB World Plus or you don’t even get the privilege of preordering certain items. So it’s no longer loyalty-based — it’s straight-up paywalling stock.
What makes it worse is their own Terms & Conditions mention a 3-month membership option, but you can’t buy it online. It’s hidden — you have to physically go in-store and know to ask for it. No transparency whatsoever.
Funny how they have moved from a "Free Loyalty card" based model to a "Paid Subscription" based model. That's really scamming and unless you got shitloads of extra benefits (eg. Ebay free shipping and extra discounts, Amazon's shipping and Prime services etc). EB's offerings here is a joke to ask for paid annual subscription and getting a dodgy $5 drink bottle and meh discounts along the way.
Noticed how the items that they put under the PLUS early access you can get from JB without any restrictions? They also have the Astro Bot controller STILL as an PLUS member only order … yet JB still have it up with, you guessed it, no restrictions.
Noticed how the items that they put under the PLUS early access you can get from JB without any restrictions? They also have the Astro Bot controller STILL as an PLUS member only order … yet JB still have it up with, you guessed it, no restrictions.
it is why it is very 'scammy' it in most cases is the privilage to 'shop' at EB there is next to no value in the membership it should be a 'free sign up' membership
Yeah - bad hey. It does cross into a very grey area as what they are doing is apparently legal - but could be unethical based on certain actions (if that makes sense).
Just to be clear all of these money grabs are pathetic but its how businesses grow because even if they get 1% of the dumb population to bite, they've managed to bring in extra revenue they would necessarily not have had.
Yes it's a joke, but its a bigger joke if people put their hard earned money into it.
Think of it like OF, people there still generate income and its because there's despeate people willing to pay them there.
I stopped buying from EB ages ago. No benefits whatsoever.
Shut up and take my subscription money!
I only have PLUS because they paywalled Pokemon cards. So hard to get them elsewhere.
I've been thinking of getting back into M:TG for nostalgia and I've noticed if I want to actually get something I have to pre-order, to be able to pre-order I have to be subscribed? Wish I had any other option local to me
It's actually a very small price to pay to guarantee Pokemon card buyers that they'll get stock.
The majority of people have EB+ to gain and get access to Pokemon Cards at or close to msrp. It actually pays for itself very quickly and in my opinion it's actually a good thing. It's a minor price to pay to get access to a hot product at a normal price, otherwise it would get botted to hell. Most other stores mark the crap up out of the product that they get for peanuts from wholesale.
Even with EB+ most stock sells out in minutes for a hot restock, or days for a newly released set
But if you take Pokemon cards out of the equation, the sub doesn't really give you much…. This is basically a pokemon card sub fee.
The sad thing is that even Coles is trying this "new" membership thing https://www.coles.com.au/ways-to-shop/membership