Normally, I hate to write anything negative. It doesn't benefit me at all. So, if you read something negative on my blog, I really have thought it all out, possibly for days, before posting it. This, unfortunately, is going to be one of those posts.
I've heard of a multi-generational game store in Wisconsin Rapids that I've been meaning to check out. The store is called Trade-A-Game. I've received mixed reviews on this store, but I've noticed that the only good reviews were coming from people who didn't realize that Stevens Point, the town right next door, had other gaming stores available.
So, one Saturday evening, the wife and I decided to head over there and check it out. Now, my wife is an avid gamer as well, and is pretty versed in the more retro titles. Needless to say, she knows what to look for nearly as well as I do.
We arrive at the store, park the car, and before walking in we notice a sign on the door that advertises U-Haul rentals. A game store and a U-Haul rental agency? This is already looking bad. Ok, its a small town, I can overlook that. It isn't the kind of crowd I would want to attract to my game store, but I guess any extra business is good in this economy.
We walk up to the store, and open the door. Almost instantly, the pungent odor of stale cigarette butts, and tobacco tar hit you like a brick. Now, I'm not saying the guys shouldn't smoke, but in a store full of vintage games and systems? That tar is death to vintage games!
My wife and I manage to make it passed the initial stench, and continue into the store itself. Now, I will give the guy credit, he has quite an amazing selection. However, it is all poorly organized, and nothing seems to be taken care of. Systems are covered in dust, and look as though they've never been tested. Peripherals are scattered throughout the store haphazardly, and there are pieces and parts strewn across every inch of space. Think less of a store, more of a poorly maintained flea-market stand. It was a real shame to see such a serious collection in shambles.
Well, overlooking that mess, we decided to investigate a bit more. Like I said before, he does have a good selection, and we even found some titles we were some-what looking for. That said, we did walk away empty-handed. Now, it wasn't by any means a lack of money. It was an abundance of good sense that prevented us from purchasing anything. Not only were things in sad shape, but the prices were three to five times what any other store or eBay would have charged! To give you an idea, Super Mario Brothers/Duck Hunt for the original NES can be bought pretty much anywhere for under $5. I actually have 3 copies of it. 1 came from the NES set, the other 2 I have no clue. Needless to say, it's common. Well, there wasn't a single cartridge-based game under $20, including that one.
Another thing I'm always on the lookout for are consoles. We're still building our collections, so having a couple classic consoles around in case one breaks is a good idea. In this case, a rather sad looking Sega Saturn caught my eye. Now, I find these consoles regularly. In fact, another store I frequent has quite few of them. Depending on where you go, you can find them from $30-$50. I paid $90 for mine, with 27 games (mostly top-tier titles to boot), and a bunch of other accessories. I even narrowly missed a new-in-box model 2 on eBay that went for $48+ shipping (darn work days...). So, suffice to say, they're cheap.
This particular console was in rough shape. It was dusty, and dirty. It was also very scratched up, and it looked like the lid for the CD drive was just barely hanging on. His price? $90. Yes, you read that correctly. $89.99 to be exact. No box, nothing special, just a beat-up Saturn. To paraphrase what my wife said, it's like paying Lamborghini prices for a Ford Escort.
We did meander the store some more, and everything seemed to be the same. Poor condition, prices that are far too high, and a very dirty store to boot.
One thing is definite, there will be no return trip for us.
