Good Game site??

[Small_Fryz]

Ok, well on the 8th of november i got a job at Harvey Norman Computer Store in Mackay. For those outside of Australia Harvey norman is a franchise that deals in comptuers/furnature and electical. However in my store its only computers/software/digital still camera's/games/consoles/printers etc.

Well i was given the job and started as a casual with no commision working 4 days a week. After the 1st week i was promoted to full time and commission starting by the 8th, so effectivly i was never casual. Now 1.5months on im 3rd in total sales and commision only to the two computer salesmen (my department is software/games) so i only sell the odd computer while they sell them all the time. Now its looking like i will become head of the games/console department and be in charge of ordering in games and stuff. Which is fair because i sell 2x more games and consoles than any other person. Now my problem is that before me it seems as though no one gave a **** about the Gaming section as most of the stock is over 370days old and even worse a lot of that is over 500 days old. Who wants to buy a 500 day old game? Well over the past few weeks ive sold a crap load of old stock to try to clean up the shelves to get in the new stuff. Only problem is i need to know of a nice game site that i can check reviews and scores as well as up and comming "hot" games and news on PC, PS2, PS3 and Xbox360. Store doesnt sell nintendo so i couldnt give a rats about the Wii (sorry).

Also any ideas about what you would expect from a games section, what attracts you to a games store over others and what helps make your decision on a game to buy? If your in the shop and you cant decide on a game, what would help point you towards one over the other? How do you like the salesman to help you?.

I have done very well at my job considering 2months ago i had no job (though i was a pizza delivery driver for about 2months before my harvey norman job) and no experience in other job ever (ive only helped my parents out with computer troubles). Now im beating much more experienced and older sales people and the customers are very happy with my attitude and my help. Only a few customers dont want to be served and want to be left alone. (not a lot I can do about those ones). I never want to sell something to a customer that they dont want, my job is merely to sell them something they do want, If they have some doubt (cant decide on some games) i have the power to most of the time push them to one or the other. However i always ask questions and find out what games they like, so i can best find a game they will like and not a game that i just want to flog off. (though its great when the 2 objectives match).

Anyway back to the questions, any feedback or advice would be appreciated.

 

[Dave A]

A good layout is essential, if I'm ever in a shop browsing games and DVD's ect I want to see everything laid out in a logical order, categorically, alphabetically ect. I don't want to have to waste my time pulling case after case off the shelves to see whats behind it. If I already know what I'm looking for I want to be able to find it fast and if I'm just browsing the sheleves I don't want the to be archaic. It sounds like you've got the customer courtesy sorted already, you sound like your doing a good job there, and you've probably already got well laid out shelves but since you didnt say.

 

[DustDriver]

www.gamespot.com is a good site for reviews. (in my opinion)

If you don't have it already, maybe a tv for every console with a new game that did good in previews, loaded up.
I don't know if this is possible (time consuming), but if there are people who can't decide what game, maybe you could let them test it on the console.

 

[G.T]

www.metacritic.com/ and www.gamerankings.com are two websites that list reviews of games people have done from all sorts of various sources. They are a little slow to update sometimes, understandably, but it's very good if you want to see an overall score from everyone.

I'm with live4speed on the layout of things. I to get frustrated when things aren't layied out logically.

 

[FoolKiller]

Well, I don't know what kind of budget or layout you have and what would be feasible but one thing that turns me off is a cramped gaming area because a lot of people hover to look at the new displays and whatnot, especially right now with all the next gen consoles out. Around the displays put plenty of floor space for people to stand and look at the screens. At my local Wal*Mart the narrowest aisle in the store is the gaming aisle. Everyone is hovering around the PS3, XBox360, and Wii but the shelf opposite of them is PC games and I can't get in to look at them. It is annoying and sometimes I have just looked at it and opted to make an extra stop at EB Games before going home.

Something I really like is a local new/used gaming store called Game Force. They have about four of each system set up behind the counter and they allow any used game to be played in-store before you buy it. I just have to ask and they will pop it out and let me play. Since many new games will have one used or demo copy I can usually check out most new games first too. This way I get to try out a game before buying it, without renting. Also, all teh employees actually are gamers and know the games themselves, so they are well informed and can run me through the controls of the games I am testing and are able to tell parents what kind of content is in different games. They also have a couple of classic arcade machines available to be played, but that is more of a gimick.

 

[Flame-returns]

As previously mentioned, friendly, approachable staff is a key factor. You along with the rest of your department should take the chance to play or at least take an in-depth look at most of your games. You should have a basic grasp of graphics cards as well as other PC components and be able to advise shoppers about whether certain games will work well on their PCs. Don't be afraid of giving personal opinions on games and do not hesitate to reveal your favourite games, even if shoppers do not agree with you they will value your contribution. Remember shoppers are more likely to buy a game if they are pointed in the right direction by a member of staff who has a real passion for games.

Also the games should be arranged by console and then in a sensible order and if you have a large selection of games you should consider sorting games by genre as well. Consider having a well presented section for budget games which should consist of well received games of good quality and reduced price, a budget game section should not simply be a collection of dire games which were never sold. The 'PC Gamer Presents' range is an example of exactly what a budget games selection should look like (unfortunately it seems to be UK only).

Metacritic is a good way of gauging a game's quality.

 

[somebody]

Having previously managed a retail store, I'm more than happy to give you a couple of pointers.

1 - Presentation

Make sure customers can see and get to products that you want to sell. It's no use complaining about product "X" not selling if people can't see it. Also, you will have customers that come by regularly, so change the products that are displayed at the front of your area every day or two.

2 - Product knowledge

Know what you're talking about or people will not want you to help them. Under current Australian taxation laws you can claim subscriptions to publication related to your employment, so subscribe to a couple of computer mags (one for Playstation and one for PC's should be good) and keep the receipts to claim the cost back. Read the magazines and know what is happening in the programming world. Keep the magazines under the counter for when customers ask about certain games etc, then pull the magazine out and show them how good a score the product got (or hide it if it was lousy).

3 - Add-ons

These are the most hated things by customers and retailers alike, yet they can make a lot of money. When you sell a product, make sure you offer the customer a relevant add-on sale eg: customer buys a PS2 game and you ask them if they need a new memory card to save the files too. Just make sure it's relevant and you don't push too hard.

4 - Made its money

The reason that many stores have odds and ends left over eg: 500 day old games, is because retailers often forget (or have never learnt about) the made-its-money theory. Generally, by the time you have sold 80-90% of a product line you have made enough profit from it. Don't try to hang on to the last few hoping people will pay full price - discount them and get rid of them so you can use the space for something new, and more profitable.

Hope these helped

 

[Small_Fryz]

Thanks a lot guys, I will definetly take these on board and see what i can do. I have discounted the old games quite a bit and have big Was Now stickers on them. I need to rearrange the PS2 game section, which is what i will do this morning.

I have had multiple comments by customers about how they are very happy that i actually know stuff about the games and what games are etc. Since i am a gamer myself..

Anyway i see that layout/presentation is a major factor so i will make sure i have a good look and try to set it up as best i can, I am somewhat limit by space in some places but i will do my best.

Keep the suggestions coming 👍