Worst retail video game display formats throughout history

[Videodrone]

Was at TRU today (shopping for my daughter ) and for some reason my mind traveled back to the days of dealing with that horrendous TRU slip-o-paper setup from years back. That setup pretty much led me to stop shopping at TRU outside of necessities (see: only place with a particular title in stock).

This got me to think about some of the worst game display/setup formats in the history of retail. Here are the ones I thought of.

The Good:

Individual Protective Cases (BB/CC)
IMO, probably the best compromise. I can see the game packaging, see that it's in stock, get an unopened product and don't have to track anybody down. Little to complain about here.

The Bad:

Behind the Counter (Classic Kaybee Toys/Circus World)
"Hey, can I look at that one now?" Back in the day (Pre-Nintendo Power) you had to go by either word of mouth or the back of a game box to figure out which game you wanted to buy. How annoying was it to have to ask everything you wanted to look at a different game?

Display Cases (Target)
Somebody's always around to ask you if you need anything out of the case when you’re just looking, but the day you’re there to actual purchase something, it takes you an hour to find someone (or you have to use the red phone ).

The Horrific:

GUTS (Current EB/GS)
Not necessarily an annoyance from a perusing standpoint, but who doesn’t hate hearing the words: "Unfortunately, this is the last copy...BUT it's new..."
EB/GS are a large enough chain, that they should be able to require game companies to send extra inserts for display or produce them (I remember that they tried for classic games, years back).

Slip-O-Paper (Classic Toys 'R Us -Pre-Rzone)
Remember that horrible format of having to grab a slip of paper, bring it to the register, and pay for it only to find out they didn't have the game in stock? Happened to me three times in my younger years. Made for a very sad videodrone.

Thoughts...

[Diff-chan]

My TRU wasnt a piece of shit so I never had to deal with the no game in stock. I think the theory behind it was that they only had as many slips as there were games.

Guts are indeed awful. Today at Wal-Mart I had to ask the person to unlock the case, that was kind of dumb.

[Othello Harrington]

I have to go with the stupid ass new sealing that have that takes 45 minutes to open.

The Toy R Us slip o' paper method was the worst in the history of gamedom, however.

[Videodrone]

My TRU wasnt a piece of shit so I never had to deal with the no game in stock. I think the theory behind it was that they only had as many slips as there were games.

Guts are indeed awful. Today at Wal-Mart I had to ask the person to unlock the case, that was kind of dumb.

I think my TRU's philosophy was that a number of kids/persons would take slips and either change there mind and leave them laying around the store or keep a slip hoping to "hold" the game, so the store made a few extra for each game.

[Revoltor]

The TRU slip thing brings back memories. Man, I remember hunting for the red ones or the ones with bolded numbers denoting the game was on clearance.

[The_Meach]

CDs have been on store shelves for years...it's time the game industry started doing the same. Worried about theft? Collar the case, just like Suncoast, Best Buy and everyone else does w/movies and music.

I will say that BB does a GREAT job of putting the actual product out. Not the best selection but at least they've got what they have out for me, the non-stealing consumer, to peruse.

[MarkRyan]

Something else to add to the EBs and GameStops (applies to others as well, I'm sure): What's an alphabet? It's not too hard to organized shit alphabetically (I kept a Sam Goody organized, with CDs and DVDs--probably three times or more the stock of an average game store). Please do it.

[Diff-chan]

Something else to add to the EBs and GameStops (applies to others as well, I'm sure): What's an alphabet? It's not too hard to organized shit alphabetically (I kept a Sam Goody organized, with CDs and DVDs--probably three times or more the stock of an average game store). Please do it.

My local EBs and GS's are all alphabetized.

[Othello Harrington]

I have had TRU slips be on the game "Double Dragon 2" to be specific. When my excited little ass ran up front, the fucker was not in. They tried to sell me River City Ransom as a better game, and I went for it. Little did I know that my impulse decision to buy that game would lead to my best NES experiance outside of Super Tecmo Bowl and Baseball Stars/

[Videodrone]

Something else to add to the EBs and GameStops (applies to others as well, I'm sure): What's an alphabet? It's not too hard to organized shit alphabetically (I kept a Sam Goody organized, with CDs and DVDs--probably three times or more the stock of an average game store). Please do it.

My are usually alphabatized, but most seem to have some jazzed up method of display. Like A-F are faced out then G-H are selved around the corner, then I-M are Faced next to F, etc.