Video Game Retailers: Smart or Stupid?
Retailers: Smart or Stupid? Episode II
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While the question of, "Are most video game retailers smart or stupid?" was pretty much answered in Episodes I and II of this feature, there was still more than enough demand to warrant an Episode III with three new questions and two new retailers. In addition to Babbage's, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, and KB Toys, this time I called retailers at Electronics Boutique and Best Buy in order to test their basic knowledge of video games. In order to make room for the two new stores, I didn't call Circuit City and Sears this time around. Once again, rather than tape-recording these conversations, I did my best to remember them. However, I couldn't possibly remember every last word that was said, so what follows below is not a word-for-word transcript, but a paraphrased account of what was said. QUESTION #1 I started out Episode III by asking retailers two basic questions about what you can and cannot do using the Dreamcast and its modem. I asked, "Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games on the Internet?" (answer: not yet) and "Can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for AT&T WorldNet?" (answer: yes). BABBAGE'S Ivan: Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games over the Internet? Babbage's: Eventually it will be able to. There are no games that support that feature yet. Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet is their Internet service, but can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for WorldNet? Babbage's: You can use any Internet service except AOL. THE VERDICT: Smart. This person knew the answers to both of my questions, and he also warned me that you can't use the Dreamcast's modem with AOL. TOYS R US Ivan: Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games over the Internet? Toys R Us: (pause) Ooooooo... I think it does... (in a fake crying voice) I'm not really sure! (end of fake crying voice) I'm trying to think here, there's so much going on in my mind. I think it does... there should be an 800 number for Sega. If it does, they should be able to tell you how to hook it up and everything. Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet is their Internet service, but can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for WorldNet? Toys R Us: Well, you have to have some kind of Internet service. Ivan: But does it have to be WorldNet? Toys R Us: I'm not really sure. THE VERDICT: Stupid. This person had no clue, but at least she encouraged me to call Sega since they would know the answers to my questions. WAL-MART Ivan: Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games over the Internet? Wal-Mart: Yeah...? Ivan: So it does? Wal-Mart: Oh, hold on a minute, let me let you talk to someone else in this department. (I am put on hold briefly, a new person comes on the line, and I repeat my question) Umm... I don't know. I haven't really gone through a system, and we don't have any in stock right now. You should try calling Best Buy. Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet is their Internet service, but can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for WorldNet? Wal-Mart: You're asking me that question? Ivan: Yeah. Wal-Mart: Uh... you know, I really, I'm not really sure. THE VERDICT: Stupid. This person had no idea what the answers were to either of my questions. K-MART Ivan: Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games over the Internet? K-Mart: No sir, it does not. Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet is their Internet service, but can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for WorldNet? K-Mart: I would say yes, but I'm out of the system right now so I can't verify that for you. THE VERDICT: Smart. Well I'll be slapped by a Scotsman! K-Mart got a question right! The woman I spoke with didn't seem very sure of herself, but she still answered both of my questions correctly. This is the first time in the history of Retailers: Smart or Stupid that K-Mart has ever gotten a Smart rating. TARGET Ivan: Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games over the Internet? Target: Correct. Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet is their Internet service, but can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for WorldNet? Target: Honestly, I'm not sure about the internals of the hook-up. There is an external charge for gameplay. I think what they've done is they've bought time-shares of Internet space, of bandwidth. That's how they're actually working it. Ivan: So if I wanted to play a multi-player game, I might be billed based on how much I play it? Target: Yeah, correct. THE VERDICT: Stupid. Not only did the person I spoke with tell me that you can play multi-player games using the Dreamcast's modem, but he told me that you have to pay extra to do so. KB TOYS Ivan: Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games over the Internet? KB Toys: Uh-huh? Ivan: Oh, it does? KB Toys: Pardon? Ivan: Can you play games over the Internet with the Dreamcast? KB Toys: Hold on a minute. (she can be heard talking to another employee) You need an Internet link that goes with that. Once you do that, you should be able to. Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet is their Internet service, but can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for WorldNet? KB Toys: (annoyed) Hold on a minute, I'll let Jeff talk to you. (brief hold) Hello? Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet... KB Toys: (interrupting) Is coming out with a keyboard. Ivan: Yeah, but I wanted to know if I can still get on the Internet if I don't sign up for AT&T WorldNet. KB Toys: I'm not sure about that. (he can he heard asking another employee) I don't know on that one. THE VERDICT: Stupid. They got both questions wrong, and the woman I spoke with got annoyed with me for asking two simple questions. ELECTRONICS BOUTIQUE Ivan: Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games over the Internet? Electronics Boutique: It will let you play games when the games support it. A few of the games that support it will be coming out within the next month or so. Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet is their Internet service, but can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for WorldNet? Electronics Boutique: If you've already got an ISP and you want to use that, all you need is the server information for your ISP and you can put that information in and dial up right away without any extra charges. THE VERDICT: Semi-Smart. This person was right when he told me about the Dreamcast's ISP situation and the fact that there are no online games for it right now. Unfortunately, he also told me that the Dreamcast's first online games will be out next month, when in fact they will be out next year. BEST BUY Ivan: Does the Dreamcast and its 56K modem let you play games over the Internet? Best Buy: Okay. (as if she didn't understand what I was saying) Ivan: Uh... if you sign up for that, can you play multi-player games over the Internet with the Dreamcast? Best Buy: (awkward pause) Now, you're talking about the Dreamcast? Ivan: Yeah. I know it has a modem in it, but I don't know if you can actually play games over the Internet using that. Best Buy: Not that we've been told, no. Ivan: I know that AT&T WorldNet is their Internet service, but can you still get online with the Dreamcast if you don't sign up for WorldNet? Best Buy: That I have no way of knowing. We carry the games and the system and stuff, but not hooked up over the Internet, no. Just regular like your Nintendo. THE VERDICT: Stupid. This person told me that you can't play online games on the Dreamcast, so technically she got the first part of the question right. However, this wasn't because she had done her homework and knew what she was talking about. She spoke as if she had no idea that the Dreamcast has a modem before I told her that it does. Given that the answers to these questions were revealed several weeks before the Dreamcast's launch, you don't have to be really up-to-date on the news to know the answers. The only two retailers who got Smart ratings were Babbage's and K-Mart. QUESTION #2 This question asked retailers what the titles of the next few Resident Evil games are, and also what systems they're going to be for. The games in question are Resident Evil 3: Nemesis for the PlayStation and Resident Evil: Code Veronica for the Dreamcast (they could have also included Resident Evil 2 for the N64). Remember, these phone calls were made less than two weeks before the release of Nemesis. BABBAGE'S Ivan: What's the next Resident Evil game coming out? Babbage's: Resident Evil 3. Ivan: Do you know what the next one coming out after that one is? Babbage's: Honestly, no. Ivan: Okay, what system is Resident Evil 3 for? Babbage's: PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Nintendo 64. THE VERDICT: Stupid. The person I spoke with knew about RE3, but thought it was for three systems (it's a PlayStation exclusive), and he also didn't know about Code Veronica. Question #1 saw K-Mart get its first ever Smart rating in the history of this feature, and now Babbage's has gotten its first ever Stupid rating. TOYS R US Ivan: What's the next Resident Evil game coming out? Toys R Us: Um, I'm not sure. If you hold on, I can see if I can find out for you. (brief hold, during which I have to fight the urge to hang up as annoying Spice Girls music plays) Resident Evil 3 for the PlayStation is the one I have a pre-sell for, and it's due out November 11. Ivan: Do you know what the next Resident Evil game coming out after that one is? Toys R Us: No I don't. We don't have any others, it's just the Resident Evil 3 right now. THE VERDICT: Semi-Smart. She knew about Nemesis, but she didn't about Code Veronica. WAL-MART Ivan: What's the next Resident Evil game coming out? Wal-Mart: Resident Evil 3. Ivan: What system is that one for? Wal-Mart: It's not out yet, so I don't know. It's probably just going to be for the PlayStation. Ivan: Do you know what the next Resident Evil game after that is going to be? Wal-Mart: Not a clue. I know they're coming out with a Resident Evil 2, I believe, for the Nintendo 64. Or some Resident Evil game, probably part two, but part three's coming out for PlayStation. THE VERDICT: Semi-Smart. Once again, the person I spoke with knew about Nemesis, but not Code Veronica. K-MART Ivan: What's the next Resident Evil game coming out? K-Mart: I don't know. They don't give us that kind of information. Ivan: So you don't know of any that are coming out in the future? K-Mart: No, nothing new. THE VERDICT: Stupid. Resident Evil 3 is one of the biggest games of the year, and it was less than two weeks away from being released when I made this phone call. There's no excuse to not even know it exists. TARGET Ivan: What's the next Resident Evil game coming out? Target: Uh, Resident Evil 3. Uh... I couldn't tell you. I don't know. We have reserve copy things that you can buy, but that's... that's the best we have. Ivan: What did you say about Resident Evil 3? Target: That's the next one, for the PlayStation. Ivan: Do you happen to know what the next one after that is? Target: I don't. I don't. THE VERDICT: Semi-Smart. This person knew about Resident Evil 3, but for some reason right after he told me about it, he said he couldn't tell me about it. Once again, I spoke with someone who didn't know about Code Veronica. KB TOYS Ivan: What's the next Resident Evil game coming out? KB Toys: I think Resident Evil 3 is coming out for the PlayStation and then Resident Evil... there's another Resident Evil coming out for the Dreamcast. Let me check. (brief hold) Okay, um... I was mistaken about the Dreamcast. It's coming out for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation on the 16th of November. Ivan: That's Resident Evil 3: Nemesis for both systems? KB Toys: Yeah. It might have a... I think it has a different title for the 64. I'm not sure what that title is. All I have right here on this in front me is Resident Evil, just some Resident Evil game. It doesn't specifically say what the title is. But the new one is going to be coming out for the PlayStation and the 64 also. Ivan: So there's no Resident Evil game in development for the Dreamcast? KB Toys: The Dreamcast, um... they are developing a game for the Dreamcast, but it's still in development. It's not going to be out for a while. I doubt it will be out before Christmas. THE VERDICT: Semi-Smart. This person seemed very confused throughout the conversation. Still, he would have gotten his store a Smart rating if he hadn't told me that the new Resident Evil game is coming out for both the PlayStation and N64 (when in fact the new one is coming out for the PlayStation and the almost two-year-old one is coming out for the N64). ELECTRONICS BOUTIQUE Ivan: What's the next Resident Evil game coming out? Electronics Boutique: Well, Resident Evil 2 comes out for the N64, Resident Evil 3 comes out for the PlayStation, and Resident Evil: Codename Veronica comes out for the Dreamcast. THE VERDICT: Smart. This person told me all I wanted to know in one sentence. BEST BUY Ivan: What's the next Resident Evil game coming out? Best Buy: Um... let me double-check on that for you. (brief hold) It comes out November 12th. Ivan: Do you know what that's called or what system it's for? Best Buy: PlayStation. It's called Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Ivan: Do you know what the next one after that one's going to be? Best Buy: After it will be released on after PlayStation? (not a typo) Ivan: Yeah, you said Resident Evil 3 is coming out on November 16th. Do you know what the next one after that is going to be? Best Buy: No. THE VERDICT: Semi-Smart. Yet another retailer who knows about Nemesis, but not Code Veronica. Oddly enough, Babbage's and K-Mart were the only retailers to get Smart ratings in Question #1, and they were also the only retailers to get Stupid ratings in Question #2. Electronics Boutique was the only retailer to get Question #2 completely right and get a Smart rating. This is more than a little disturbing when you consider that I didn't ask anything about the games themselves or even their release dates; I just wanted to know their names and what systems they're for. QUESTION #3 This question asked retailers about the cost of online games like EverQuest and Ultima Online (both games cost $10 per month). Rather than saying "Ultima Online," I said "the newest Ultima game" so that the retailers would have to figure out for themselves that I'm talking about online games. I didn't expect the retailers to be able to tell me exactly how much each game costs per month; I just wanted them to say either "There is a monthly fee" or "There's a one-time fee to buy the game and that's it." BABBAGE'S Ivan: If I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game, is it just a one-time fee to buy it or do you have to pay to keep playing it? Babbage's: There is a monthly fee in order to play. You are subscribing to their service. So you purchase the game itself, which has all the software, then you pay a fee every month after your first month in order to continue to play. THE VERDICT: Smart. Babbage's makes up for its incorrect answer to Question #2 with a correct answer to Question #3. TOYS R US Ivan: If I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game, is it just a one-time fee to buy it or do you have to pay to keep playing it? Toys R Us: Um, we don't carry those, but I know that there's a fee to buy it and then you do have to keep paying to play it. There's like a monthly charge on top of it because it's all played online. THE VERDICT: Smart. Despite the fact that the store I called doesn't carry either of the games I was asking about, the person I spoke with still knew the answer to my question. WAL-MART Ivan: If I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game, is it just a one-time fee to buy it or do you have to pay to keep playing it? Wal-Mart: Oh, that are online games, you mean? Ivan: Yeah. Wal-Mart: Um, to tell you the truth, I'm not too sure. Um, what you do... there's like, you gotta connect to their uh... their site, and a lot of those sites are pay sites, like $4.95 a month or something like that. Uh, let me go grab the Ultima box and see if it says anything on it. Hold on a sec. (While I'm on hold, a feminine-sounding man picks up the phone and tells me that he wants to hold me close and never let me go. I quickly realize it's just Backstreet Boys music and thank God that it's not a Wal-Mart employee coming on to me.) It doesn't say anything on the box about a fee, but I talked to someone about Ultima Online recently and they said something about connecting to their site, and I have a feeling it's a pay site. THE VERDICT: Semi-Smart. He suspected that you have to pay extra to play these kinds of games, but he didn't know for sure and he could just as easily have given me the wrong answer. K-MART Ivan: If I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game, is it just a one-time fee to buy it or do you have to pay to keep playing it? K-Mart: Uh, I'm sorry, can you explain that to me again? Ivan: I wanted to know if I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game or some kind of game like that, is it just a one-time fee, or do you also have to pay just to play it more? K-Mart: Uh... are those for a game system? Ivan: They're computer games. K-Mart: Oh, okay. If you buy it, you can keep playing it. No, there's no fee or nothing. As long as it's just a game, yeah. THE VERDICT: Stupid. This person didn't make the connection that the two games I was asking about are online games. Even the guy at Wal-Mart made that connection. TARGET Ivan: If I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game, is it just a one-time fee to buy it or do you have to pay to keep playing it? Target: What do you mean, sir? I'm confused. What are those games for? What system? Ivan: Those are computer games. Target: All the computer games we sell that are non-shareware, once you buy those games you can play them as many times as you want. Even if it's one of the ones you play online, there are still no additional costs. THE VERDICT: Stupid. There's nothing much to say here other than "He got the question wrong." KB TOYS Ivan: If I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game, is it just a one-time fee to buy it or do you have to pay to keep playing it? KB Toys: Um... I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. What kind of game were you buying? Ivan: (trying to give her hints without coming right out and saying it's an online game) It's kind of like a big virtual world and an adventure... KB Toys: I don't know that we have anything like that here. THE VERDICT: Stupid. This person didn't realize that I was talking about online games. ELECTRONICS BOUTIQUE Ivan: If I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game, is it just a one-time fee to buy it or do you have to pay to keep playing it? Electronics Boutique: I believe there's a monthly fee or something like that to play it online. Actually, hold on a sec. (he can be heard asking someone else my question) We're not uh... between me and this great customer guy here, we're not 100% sure, but uh... there hasn't been a whole lot of complaints with EverQuest like there was with the Ultima Online, so it's either no fee or a very reasonable and easy to handle fee that would be monthly. THE VERDICT: Stupid. He took a few guesses, but the bottom line is that this person didn't know whether or not there's a monthly fee to play EverQuest or Ultima Online. BEST BUY Ivan: If I buy a game like EverQuest or the newest Ultima game, is it just a one-time fee to buy it or do you have to pay to keep playing it? Best Buy: Do you also need to what? Ivan: Do you also need to pay to keep playing it, or do you just buy it and that's it? Best Buy: Do you also need to keep paying when you play? (as if my question was absurd) Ivan: Yeah. Is it just a one-time fee, or not? Best Buy: Yeah, you just buy the game. THE VERDICT: Stupid. Another person who had no idea what kind of game I was talking about. This shouldn't have been too hard of a question given how long these kinds of games have been on the market and how many hundreds of thousands of people play them, but Babbage's and Toys R Us were the only retailers to get Smart ratings. Overall, Toys R Us and Electronics Boutique did a decent job of answering my questions. Wal-Mart and K-Mart did poorly, but not as poorly as they did in Episodes I and II. The retailers that did the worst were Target, KB Toys, and Best Buy. The only retailer to come out of this feature looking good is the same retailer that did well in Episodes I and II: Babbage's. Babbage's makes a compelling argument that smart salespeople and reliability are more than enough to make up for slightly higher prices. If you're a pissed off retailer, send your profanity-laced tirades to imnotstupid@mastergamer.com Everyone else, send your thoughts on this feature to ivan@mastergamer.com
© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com