Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread X(Ten)

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IAmTheCheapestGamer

IAmTheCheapestGamer

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First off, let me welcome you all to the new guide thread. Second, I'd like to ask you all to please keep conversations not pertaining to guide drops to a minimum to avoid cluttering the thread. It's not that I don't enjoy the chit chat, but that it may stop others from locating information on the newest drops.

That being said, let me thank Cheapy for creating this site, without which I would've spent probably 10 times what I HAVE spent on games and guides. Moreover, let me thank each and every one of my fellow CAGs for continuing to contribute to making this site a great place to find out about sales and clearances of the items we as gamers use most. Without a great community, NONE of this would be possible.

Furthermore, I would like to thank our Wiki editors HeatDolphin and Rocko for updating the Wiki. Great job.

Now, with that out of the way(and before I get to rambling), let's get on to making this new thread.

Useful Information(and links):

Game Guide Trading Clearinghouse(old one, locked now):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=102021

Game Guide Trade Thread(KEEP ALL TRADE REQUESTS HERE OR IN PM'S):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175548

PLEASE keep ALL trade requests in there or PM's. Thank you.

Reduced Price Guide Discussion Thread(KEEP ALL DISCUSSION NOT RELATED TO GUIDE DROPS HERE!!!):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169252

Guide Lists(master drop lists and recent drops):

Master Drop List(by store, alphabetically):

http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28master_lists%29

Recent Guide Drops(by date,also check the second post in this thread):

http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28recent_drops%29

What is the purpose of this thread?

The purpose of this thread is to let our fellow CAGs know when a guide has dropped to a low price(it's NOT ALWAYS A PENNY), so they can go out and grab guides for themselves and for trading with other CAGs.

Anytime you have guide drops to report, post them here. Please specify at which store you found them and which guides you found and list them in alphabetical order. Thank you. Please, whenever possible, use RED font to make the drop info stand out. Thanks again.

What are penny guides?

Penny guides are guides which have been on the market for a while and the publisher(or store chain) decide that the remaining stock of these guides have little to no chance of selling, so they issue an order to pull them from the shelves and destroy them. At that time, they are also marked as .01 in their inventory system, except in the case of BBV, which marks them .01 only AFTER pulling them.

Most stores have an agreement with the publisher that states that if they destroy the remaining stock of those items, they will receive a credit for their value from the publisher. This is why many stores are usually annoyed when we CAGs come in and buy the guides AT the penny price, since otherwise they would've received a full credit for those items.

According to an employee at a local BB, they also have a recycling program for the pennied stock, so as to not clutter landfill space with the guides. As to how true it is, I cannot confirm, but I would hope that the paper is at least recycled instead of just dumpstered.

Prior Reduced price game guide threads:

Guide Three:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...ighlight=guide
Guide Four:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/....php?p=1496376
Guide Five:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...ad.php?t=85976
Guide Six:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=116918
Guide Seven:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=131717
Guide Seven and a half:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=142400
Guide Eight:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=167157
Guide Nine:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187222

Finally, below is a list of website links, each of which goes to their respective guide page. Whenever possible, I will update the links with better ones(if available).

Amazon
Barnes&Noble
BestBuy
Gamestop
Overstock
Strategyguides.net
ToysRUs

Thanks to floormat, Guinavere and anyone else who has created and maintained the guide thread before, as well as to all of those who find out either advance information on drops or provide a list of which ones dropped when we do have a drop.

The post below this one contains a list going back at LEAST six months of the more current guide drops, which stores they occured at and which ones dropped. Note that sometimes(Oblivion guide, Quake Wars: Enemy Territory)there are multiple versions of a guide, be it that there are Prima versions, Brady versions and the occasional Nintendo and Doublejump guides.

Please specify WHICH version has dropped when mentioning possible guide drops. Thank you.

Common Guide Drop Related Questions(FAQ):

FAQ - If you are new (or a vet with a few questions) look here SECOND! (After reading the above!)

Q: What Are Penny Guides?
A: Penny guides are guides which have been on the market for a while and the publisher(or store chain) decide that the remaining stock of these guides have little to no chance of selling, so they issue an order to pull them from the shelves and destroy them. At that time, they are also marked as .01 in their inventory system, except in the case of BBV, which marks them .01 only AFTER pulling them.

Most stores have an agreement with the publisher that states that if they destroy the remaining stock of those items, they will receive a credit for their value from the publisher. This is why many stores are usually annoyed when we CAGs come in and buy the guides AT the penny price, since otherwise they would've received a full credit for those items.

According to an employee at a local BB, they also have a recycling program for the pennied stock, so as to not clutter landfill space with the guides. As to how true it is, I cannot confirm, but I would hope that the paper is at least recycled instead of just dumpstered.

Q: Do all guides from all stores drop at the same time?
A: No. While most chains have nationwide drops within their own store (as in every BB will have the same drops coast to coast), not every different chain drops at the same time (what drops at BB is NOT necessarily dropped at GS). When in doubt, check post TWO for drop info.

Q: I found a penny guide and a clerk denied me! I'ma report 'em!
A: Whoa, hold your horses there, pardner! First of all, not a question. Second, just because something is on the shelf, the clerk does NOT have to sell you that item. Most stores are PRIVATE property and as such can deny you just about anything they want - including a sale. The best advice is to not be rude, not be arrogant, and just try hard to get them to have pity on you.

Q: Why don't the clerks want to sell me their penny guides? Aren't they just throwing them away?
A: As stated above, the stores are ordered by the publisher to trash the guides, and are then given credit for those guides. If they don't do this, the publisher won't give them the credit - it's like losing a sale. On the employee level, selling a penny guide can sometimes get them in trouble (or even fired!) I know it seems silly, but this is their job we're talking about! Respect the man (or woman) behind the counter and you'll get a lot more guides than otherwise!

Q: Should I just ask if the store has penny guides then?
A: No, since that denotes that you have some insider information as to the runnings of these businesses.

Q: What if the clerk wants to know how I know so much about guide drops?
A: If asked where you got your info about guides that pennied, simply say either 'the internet' or 'a friend of mine told me they're on clearance'.

Q: But clerks will know what a penny guide is, right? I can talk to them like anyone else here...
A: Never use the word pennied to ANY store clerks unless you have built up a good rapport with them. Even then, it may seem a little fishy if you know more about their shop than they do.

Q: Are guides labeled as a penny on the shelf?
A: Sometimes. Most times, no. GS seems to label everything that gets a price drop, so often times guides will be stickered. But even so, they most likely won't sell them to you. A sticker does not mean 'have to sell'.

Q: I tried to buy a guide that this thread said was pennied and it didn't ring up as such! What gives?
A: Either 1) Our source was wrong (this rarely happens and is usually verified a FEW times within maybe an hour of posting), or 2) The clerk changed the price. It's usually number 2.

Q: What's the easiest way to get penny guides? This sounds like TONS of work!
A: Best Buy is probably the best place to get guides, followed by GameStop, GameCrazy, Toys R Us and then Blockbuster. From what I've seen though, probably 95% of guides that people get are snagged at BB - the rest come from the other stores. But it never hurts to try!

Q: Has there been a drop recently?
A: If you are asking this question you didn't fully understand the OP - go back and read it once more. When a drop happens, it will be posted, and then placed in the second post - trust us.

Q: How do you guys know so much about penny guides?
A: We sometimes have inside sources with the information from the stores themselves; other times, fellow CAGS just like you or me simply take suspected guides to the register and ask them to ring them up, to check their prices. Feel free to do this yourself, and help give back to the community by telling us what you find! However, DON'T ask "Has anyone checked XXX lately?", unless you are in the right thread (discussion area).

Thanks to GrilledWitOnions for creating the above FAQ, which should eliminate the need for such questions popping up in the thread from this point on out.
 
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[quote name='slowdive21']This isn't a drop...but I noticed that they are doing inventory at 3 different best buys. They are also doing it differently by stickering guides/games with a second BB yellow sticker with codes on it. I noticed only the older stock games had the stickers on them as well as another color coded sticker (red or green circles). They may have some price drops/pulls after they reassess their stock.

I also noticed all the GTA 4 guides as well as Haze were gone from the store.[/quote]
One of my BB also does this. Usually it is for a % off the retail price. I have found that most of the guides in that store never get marked to a penny. They just end up with a 50% off yellow sticker on them and get moved to a closeout rack. That is very ymmv, only the 1 store out of 4 in the area do that.
 
[quote name='hellmutt']Thanks for the confirmation. Even though it's only one guide, it's the first time ever that I was able to bring first news of a drop. A bit disappointing on the quantity, but exciting for me nonetheless.[/quote]

huh it's weird i thought i posted that i found at Best Buy over the weekend a stack of 5 Fable 2 LE guides for a penny each.....anyways my point is everyone should be keeping an eye out for old drops such as this!!!! (if i violated some rule about my finds then let me know mods)
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']huh it's weird i thought i posted that i found at Best Buy over the weekend a stack of 5 Fable 2 LE guides for a penny each.....anyways my point is everyone should be keeping an eye out for old drops such as this!!!! (if i violated some rule about my finds then let me know mods)[/QUOTE]

No violation that I know of. But your drop was several months old, while my drop at Gamestop was a new one.
 
sorry for not checking in sooner, but there was no drops today at BBY. If there had been I would have got my butt in here sooner )
 
[quote name='Sa2vador']Prince of Persia OSG pennied at GS. The regular one not the LE one.[/QUOTE]

Are you sure about this? Any confirmation from anyone else? Didn't the LE just drop last week or the week before?
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Are you sure about this? Any confirmation from anyone else? Didn't the LE just drop last week or the week before?[/QUOTE]

POP regular guide, Madworld guide and the Gears of War CE guides are all gone from gamestops website. I didn't notice anything else missing but I don't pay very close attention.
 
[quote name='deadbodyman11']POP regular guide, Madworld guide and the Gears of War CE guides are all gone from gamestops website. I didn't notice anything else missing but I don't pay very close attention.[/QUOTE]

I was hoping we would get a confirmation from someone who either knows for sure they dropped today(GS employee) or a fellow CAG who went to a GS store and was informed of the drop and which ones dropped.

But thanks for clarifying with which ones were missing from the GS site, though it seems kind of weird that they would drop the regular POP guide so soon after the LE.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I was hoping we would get a confirmation from someone who either knows for sure they dropped today(GS employee) or a fellow CAG who went to a GS store and was informed of the drop and which ones dropped.

But thanks for clarifying with which ones were missing from the GS site, though it seems kind of weird that they would drop the regular POP guide so soon after the LE.[/QUOTE]

MadWorld makes sense since they lowered the price of the guide to $9.99 about a month ago. Gears of War 2 CE guide was already pennied at GS, about two or so months aogo.
 
[quote name='Josef']MadWorld makes sense since they lowered the price of the guide to $9.99 about a month ago. Gears of War 2 CE guide was already pennied at GS, about two or so months aogo.[/QUOTE]

This is why we need an actual GS employee, so we can get verification of possible drops. But thanks for remembering that GOW2 CE already dropped.

Maybe Madworld dropped when NFS dropped?
 
[quote name='NegativeZero']NFS:UC not pennied at a BB by me. $19.99[/QUOTE]

That's because it pennied at Gamestop, not Best Buy.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']This is why we need an actual GS employee, so we can get verification of possible drops. But thanks for remembering that GOW2 CE already dropped.

Maybe Madworld dropped when NFS dropped?[/QUOTE]

Not sure about the earlier report, but here's what I know:

1. Only one guide is missing from the Gamestop Website this week: Prince of Persia
2. Madword is still shown on the site at $9.99
3. Gears of War 2 CE has pennied out months ago.
4. Prince of Persia is confirmed pennied; I bought one about 30 minutes ago.
5. Madworld is confirmed at $9.99 -- I checked it when I bought Prince of Persia.

Looks to me like another one guide drop. I hope this doesn't become the norm, although both times I scored one, so maybe it's actually good for us somehow...
 
Prince of Persia pennied today, but it's the only one I know of. MadWorld did not.

I think GameStop is pennying guides one at a time now to prevent mass hoardings. It's good if you're looking for one specific game, but bad if you plan to resell them. I have no inside info on this, it's just my theory.
 
Well BBV just keeps on giving to me. Today I went dumpster diving for the first time ever. I had stopped by to get a movie and noticed a bum looking at something that clearly looked like a guide. I asked the CS rep if they had been throwing guides out and he said yes. So, five minutes later a nice haul of 20+ guides were transferred to my car. Highlights included Fallout, Metal Gear, Tombraider, Lego batman, Civilization Rev, Pokemon Rangers, Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Brothers, Quantum of Solace, Bioshock, Prince of Persia, and a few more that I can't remember.
 
[quote name='stoned99']Well BBV just keeps on giving to me. Today I went dumpster diving for the first time ever. I had stopped by to get a movie and noticed a bum looking at something that clearly looked like a guide. I asked the CS rep if they had been throwing guides out and he said yes. So, five minutes later a nice haul of 20+ guides were transferred to my car. Highlights included Fallout, Metal Gear, Tombraider, Lego batman, Civilization Rev, Pokemon Rangers, Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Brothers, Quantum of Solace, Bioshock, Prince of Persia, and a few more that I can't remember.[/QUOTE]

Congrats on the find. I've done some dumpster diving, but I avoid my BBV store. They share a dumpster with a coffee shop and a hair salon. That's not something I want to dig through.
 
[quote name='stoned99']Well BBV just keeps on giving to me. Today I went dumpster diving for the first time ever. I had stopped by to get a movie and noticed a bum looking at something that clearly looked like a guide. I asked the CS rep if they had been throwing guides out and he said yes. So, five minutes later a nice haul of 20+ guides were transferred to my car. Highlights included Fallout, Metal Gear, Tombraider, Lego batman, Civilization Rev, Pokemon Rangers, Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Brothers, Quantum of Solace, Bioshock, Prince of Persia, and a few more that I can't remember.[/QUOTE]

I checked these at my local Blockbuster. These are not pennied in the system if anybody is wondering.
 
[quote name='Roa']I checked these at my local Blockbuster. These are not pennied in the system if anybody is wondering.[/QUOTE]

Typically when Blockbuster pennies guides, they usually remove them from the shelves FIRST and THEN penny them in the system. This info is coming from a friend of mine who works for BBV as a manager and whose husband is on CAG.

She told me about this procedure a long time ago and I don't know if they changed how they do it since then(since we did have people finding guides pennied there), but the one local BBV had some really old guides one of the last times I really checked there for guides and NONE of them were pennied.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Typically when Blockbuster pennies guides, they usually remove them from the shelves FIRST and THEN penny them in the system. This info is coming from a friend of mine who works for BBV as a manager and whose husband is on CAG.

She told me about this procedure a long time ago and I don't know if they changed how they do it since then(since we did have people finding guides pennied there), but the one local BBV had some really old guides one of the last times I really checked there for guides and NONE of them were pennied.[/QUOTE]

My brother works at my Blockbuster. He checks some some of the guides from time to time and me as well in another BBV which has the biggest guide section I've seen (it also has really old guides that are still MSRP). More so, what I have noticed is that they aren't very aware of the guides being pennied but with other things such as posters/frames they are. The system I believe works as any other chain store since if I find a pennied guide in one, in another store it will be a penny as well. He has told me that they have thrown just about anything imaginable in the store with the exclusion in games. I believe from my experience befriending my local stores employees and my brother, managers receive a list on what is decided to be thrown but with guides it is another story. In all of my encounters with penny guides in different BBVs, managers where surprised that the guides I found where pennied when they thought I was joking. In advance, I apologize for any misinformed information as I do not work at BBV.
 
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My local BB is still upping the prices. What the hell? They don't sell at full price, and I'm sure the only ones who buy them for a penny is the employees.. BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE SEES THEM! Evil, evil BB!
 
[quote name='stoned99']Well BBV just keeps on giving to me. Today I went dumpster diving for the first time ever. I had stopped by to get a movie and noticed a bum looking at something that clearly looked like a guide. I asked the CS rep if they had been throwing guides out and he said yes. So, five minutes later a nice haul of 20+ guides were transferred to my car. Highlights included Fallout, Metal Gear, Tombraider, Lego batman, Civilization Rev, Pokemon Rangers, Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Brothers, Quantum of Solace, Bioshock, Prince of Persia, and a few more that I can't remember.[/QUOTE]

Nice find hopefully I can score a deal on a Fallout and Lego Batman guide at my local BBV.
 
FYI I checked those guide too and none of them dropped that my store had in stock such as Fallout, Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear etc, sounds like his store messed up if he actually got the guides as they are NOT pennied out.
 
[quote name='Shimrra']Nice find hopefully I can score a deal on a Fallout and Lego Batman guide at my local BBV.[/QUOTE]

Will check tonight, as well. Been wanting the Lego Batman.
 
[quote name='Brian9824']FYI I checked those guide too and none of them dropped that my store had in stock such as Fallout, Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear etc, sounds like his store messed up if he actually got the guides as they are NOT pennied out.[/QUOTE]

I think this is YMMV as my store no longer carries those guides either. They no longer are on the shelf when I checked today. Granted I have never really paid attention to that section but I know my store had a couple of the ones listed the last time I checked.
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']Can someone go by BB, i'm so busy today but want a reason to go on a guide hunt![/QUOTE]Sounds like you have a reason...:lol:
 
What the fuck. It's mid month and there's rarely a drop around this time, plus the whole BBV thing has been covered. Unless you know someone who will give you the guides who works at BBV or you dumpster dive for them, your chances of finding an actual guide on the shelf that'll ring up .01 are slim to nil.

Ya know, I gave up harping about this for a while, but there IS a discussion thread to yap about this stuff, folks.
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']Can someone go by BB, i'm so busy today but want a reason to go on a guide hunt![/QUOTE]

So go on a guide hunt then. If anything has dropped, just share it here.



It just wouldn't be a Monday without the "did anything drop" posts.....
 
When did they have the last big one? I think it was last fall or last summer, right? I don't remember, but I know I grabbed a shitload from a far off BB store.
 
It was in Feb that they had the fairly big one... (Fable II LE, Mass Effect LE, Spore LE, Madden LE, and a bunch of others.

As for the constant nagging of drops... You think he would have learned from his ban a few weeks ago. Maybe they should just be perma-banned.

EDIT: Looking at the 2nd post, Feb and March gave us 20+ guide drops this month.
 
[quote name='mvp828']It was in Feb that they had the fairly big one... (Fable II LE, Mass Effect LE, Spore LE, Madden LE, and a bunch of others.

As for the constant nagging of drops... You think he would have learned from his ban a few weeks ago. Maybe they should just be perma-banned.[/QUOTE]

Ahhh yes. Now I rememeber that drop. That was the one where I decided to be stupid and 'test the waters' with 3-4 guides and I ended up walking out with 4-6 guides total and then I came back in to try and grab more and I got cockblocked by the media manager.

Of course, then I think I hit up a much further away BB(which is also a dead zone for me now)and I grabbed a bunch of everything else from there, except for Fable II LE that is.
 
Is BBV Block Buster? Sorry for such a newbish question. Do they usually just throw the guides away once they drop to a .01?
 
Not sure if it has been noted, I checked but saw nothing. But...The Madworld guide isn't pennied, it has been reduced to 9.99.

My GS told me that they would never be able to sell guides at a .01 because they're on camera and they would all lose their jobs. I really doubt GS would go that far over something that will net them a dollar or so. But whatever.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']When did they have the last big one? I think it was last fall or last summer, right? I don't remember, but I know I grabbed a shitload from a far off BB store.[/QUOTE]


:D (who will watch the IATCG)
|
v

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']
...but there IS a discussion thread to yap about this stuff, folks.[/QUOTE]
 
The last big drop I totally raped and pillaged 2 BB locations. I stepped off with 65+ guides. Traded then to a local Retro shop for massive store credit :D
 
if you have been doing penny guides for a long time then you'd know that there's a been a few mid month drops and even a couple NON-monday drops as well....if i wasn't moving into my new 3 bedroom house i just bought and had extra time i would have did some price checks today but i can't so if anyone else can i'd be down with sending them a bowl!
 
[quote name='sacreddoctor']if you have been doing penny guides for a long time then you'd know that there's a been a few mid month drops and even a couple NON-monday drops as well....if i wasn't moving into my new 3 bedroom house i just bought and had extra time i would have did some price checks today but i can't so if anyone else can i'd be down with sending them a bowl![/QUOTE]

And if you have been doing them for a long time, you'd know that they are posted if found. You don't have to ask, if there is no report, then chances are there are no drops.

P.S. You write that you were moving into a 3 bedroom house as if we care...
 
Not for nothing, but...can we maybe stop spamming this thread? How hard is it to delete our own spammy posts? If your really attached to them then copy, delete, & paste them into the the other thread.
 
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