Chapter Four

“Did you get my strategy guide in for Donkey Kong Country 64 in yet?”

“What strategy guide?”

“The one I ordered.”

“You never ordered one.”

“Yes I did.”

“No, no you didn’t. We discussed the availability of getting them, I gave you a short list of what I could order in and what the costs were, and you told me you were going to decide later and call me back.”

“So why didn’t you order them in? You knew I was going to get one.”

“A thousand pardons. I should have known what you wanted before you did. Would you like me to order one in now?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’ll call you later when I get home.”

“I’ve been here before… and I don’t like this circle.”

So the sign in the window says “Video Games: Buy , Rent and Trade!”

Customer walks up to the counter with new copies of a couple new release games and says “I’d like to get these games please.”

“Alright then, that will be $134.52 with all taxes.”

“I’d like to trade in these games” and buddy then tosses down Battle Arena Toshinden and NHL Faceoff ’96, both without cases. “

“Well, ok. That will be $5 off the total then.”

“Your sign says trade! I want to trade these games for those games!”

“That’s nice. But that’s not the way things work.”

“You’re false advertising! Your sign says trade! I can trade in any game I want for another game! I DEMAND you do that!”

“Uh… That means you can trade in games for credit and use that credit for whatever you want.”

“Just give me the fucking games!”

“Only $130 more and they are yours”

“FUCK YOU!” and he storms out.

<Ring>

“Gamer’s Edge”

“Do you have any good RPG’s under $10?”

“No. All the good RPG’s start at $20.”

“Do you have any good games under $10?”

“No. All the good games start at $20.”

“Bye.”

<click>

Now imagine this cycle repeating on a nearly daily basis with one child… over and over and over and over! I’m talking months and months and months!!! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone once wrote on the back door of my store “Game Nazi!” and drew a swastika. I wonder what their point was…

I know Gord wasn’t offended. “No game for you!”

Gord just opened and was in the middle of vacuuming around the TV and cleaning up the area when someone walks into the store. So Gord stops cleaning and heads up behind the counter. This guy walks around the store for ten minutes looking at games, and finally walks up to Gord as he works on the computer.

“I want to play a game on the bigscreen.”

“I won’t be having it turned on for a while as I’m cleaning back there.”

And then he goes back to looking at the games for another few minutes as I continue to type away. Then he comes back to the counter and slams down some game and bellows “I demand that you let me play this game NOW!”

“What? Did you misunderstand me? If you want to play it that badly, just rent the damn thing. And fucking show some goddamned manners! Or do you think because you’re yelling and rude that I’ll just let you play?”

Buddy then stormed out.