I am always flaunting the Gamestop giftcards I receive from doing surveys. I had two saved up (totally $50), and was all set to pre-order God of War III from them. However, I also checked out Amazon (since I pre-ordered Bioshock 2 from them) and compared the two offers.
Gamestop offers:
- the game for the full MSRP of $59.99
- an exclusive skin
- free “value” shipping, which takes 5-11 days
Amazon offers:
- the game at a discounted price of $56.99
- an exclusive skin
- $10 off your next video game purchase from Amazon
- free release-date shipping, meaning I get to play the game the day it comes out
When comparing these two offers, it is impossible for a rational person to make a pre-order purchase from Gamestop. Amazon not only offered everything that Gamestop offered, but went beyond that by offering more. The initial price is cheaper, free one-day delivery is far superior to waiting 5-11 days, and the buyer would receive $10 off their next gaming purchase.
So I had a dilemna on my hands. Sure, I had $50 in giftcards, but Amazons deal was just so awesome. So what did I do? I wrote a pleasant e-mail to Gamestop, and I basically asked them why they were sitting around twiddling there thumbs while Amazon stole so many pre-orders from them with their amazing deals.
I got a reply from Gamestop today. While it was the usual “we appreciate your concern” reply, at the end, they gave me a code to get $10 off my next purchase. Now $10 may not seem like a lot, but when combined with the two gift cards I already had and free shipping, I will only pay about $4 for God of War III (just have to pay the tax). Sure, I may have to wait an extra week or so to enjoy it, but the price couldnt be beat. I was pleasantly surprised with Gamestops response to my e-mail, and it just goes to show that if you whine and complain, you will get what you want.
But in all serious, I am grateful to Gamestop for their offer. In the end, they convinced me to buy through them with great customer service.
