So now I work in a game store!

postman · Post by **postman** » Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:52 pm

Well......it had to happen one day, I took a weekend job working in a used video game / DVD movie store called "Bandit Video." Nice way to earn some extra cash, and I wanted to say that sometime in my lifetime I worked in the video game industry. Less time to play shooters and lots of frustration, but it's kinda fun, there's a plasma TV to watch football in high def. on Sundays, and its a cake job, so thats good.......

Not a single shmup in the entire store, I need to find a way to change that..........

beatifik · Post by **beatifik** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:46 am

so it's a privately owned store?

good part time job i'm sure. just beware the soccer moms and their bratty kids.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:55 am

Heh heh, and now you can pepper your transactions with subliminal messages....

"Okay, I'll ring those 3 games up, and your total comes to www.shootthecore.com."

"I'm sorry?"

"$47.95."

"Oh...alright, here you go."

"Thank you. Would you be interested in our PC Shmups Database?"

"Pardon?"

"Our membership discount."

And so on and so forth.

postman · Post by **postman** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 3:12 am

Hahahaha.........nice one BulletMagnet............

I would love to make up a T-shirt of the Gradius Big Core with www.shootthecore.com on it just to confuse people........

Yes, this is pretty much a one-man operation, there are no chains as of yet. And I have encountered the bratty kids already, and the guy who was pissed off that the used copy of Madden is only $5 dollars cheaper than the new copy, the hot chick who steals CD's and sells them to us (I can tell because they are in pristine condition! - Everyone who brings in used movies to sell has at least some scratches on them)........man, I could write a blog just on the goings on at Bandit.........kinda like the movie Clerks, since I get to work with my good friend who also happens to be very funny........

Keep an eye on this thread for some quality stuff in the weeks to come....

Post by **Shatterhand** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:01 am

Clerks rocks !

Herr Schatten · Post by **Herr Schatten** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 7:56 am

Shatterhand wrote:Clerks rocks !

My favourite movie ever. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel that's in the making atm, although I'm sure it can't possibly live up to the legend.

howmuchkeefe · Post by **howmuchkeefe** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 8:10 am

There's going to be a sequel to Clerks?

Time to fire up google!

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:21 am

My love for you is like a truck, BEZERKER
Would you like some making fuck, BEZERKER!

Fucking classic. Can't wait for the sequel although I hope they lay off the gayness with Jay, he was funnier in Clerks as a complete stoner asshole with no redeeming qualities.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:29 pm

postman wrote:I would love to make up a T-shirt of the Gradius Big Core with www.shootthecore.com on it just to confuse people........

If you make more than one I might be in the market for one myself, heh heh.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 8:51 pm

So now that you work at a game store do you immediately feel less knowledgable about everything, yet deeply opinionated about every game?

postman · Post by **postman** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 4:33 am

Well Cmoon - I am put to shame by my lack of knowledge about X-box games in general, and sports games in general. But I am being paid to have an opinion about just about every game, so yeah, I guess so, but-

Every time someone checks out an EA sports game, I die a little bit inside.

Seriously, I observe the general state of the customers and figure none of them know what a shmup is, let alone want to try to play one. Madden flies off the shelves, along with Outdoor hunter, NBA 06, and other non-shmup related games......

One day a brother shmupper will stop in and we will have a long discussion.....one day..........

UnscathedFlyingObject · Sat Oct 01, 2005 4:56 am

postman wrote: One day a brother shmupper will stop in and we will have a long discussion.....one day..........

Where's your store? My going to NJ isn't an impossibility

.

mrMagenta · Post by **mrMagenta** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 12:17 pm

Arck.. that's sad. You should place the ikaruga boxes nicely, and scent them with something alluring, or make a madden and ikaruga special offer. Do you sell any Killer7s, Pikmins, Animal Crossings or Katamaris?

postman · Post by **postman** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 1:08 pm

Where's your store? My going to NJ isn't an impossibility

It's located on 3321 Route 42 in Sicklerville, NJ, in the Ardamore shopping center. Route 42 is pretty well known, it's what I-295 blends into.......I work Sundays full operating hour shifts, 11 am to 5 pm.

You should place the ikaruga boxes nicely, and scent them with something alluring, or make a madden and ikaruga special offer. Do you sell any Killer7s, Pikmins, Animal Crossings or Katamaris?

Here is where the big problem lies - we don't even have any Ikaruga boxes, or R-Type Final boxes, or Gradius 5 boxes! There's not a shmup in sight.......guess we need to wait for someone to bring in a used copy.......if they do, I'm putting it in the middle of the floor with a neon spotlight on it 24/7.......

We have the games you mentioned, but I have yet to sell a copy of them (granted I've only worked there about 9 hrs total so far........)

FatCobra · Post by **FatCobra** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 7:41 pm

Congrats on the game store job.

I've applied for a position at Gamespot, but don't know if I'll hear back from them. I don't even know if I could prevent myself from getting fired if I did get a job working there, since most of the posters on this forum know I have some very big biases.

postman, I also share the same feelings and resentment towards people who buy Madden over Ikaruga.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 1:06 am

Btw, not to go off-topic too long, but postman, I just have to tell you, I love the new front-page image over at shootthecore. I laughed out loud when I first saw it, and it still makes me chuckle every time I see it. Truly inspired.

postman · Post by **postman** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 7:13 pm

Thanks Bullet, you're the first one to mention something about that, it was something that just popped in my head.........so I rolled with it.....

Maybe that is T-shirt material, but Michaelangelo might sue

Super Laydock · Post by **Super Laydock** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 7:40 pm

Congratulations on your new job! Sounds a hell of a lot better than working at that company you worked before (the mortgage company).

Why not accidentally order some Gradius V copies and put them on display?
That is if you're in the position to order yourself or influence the proces (which I admit is somewhat unlikely if you just work as a clerk in the weekends).

You could also have a friend bring in a cheap used US copy of Gradius V and put it in the demo pods at your store (assuming you have those). If people stop and look at the game it might be a nice way to get the conversation going over other shmups or the genre in general.

postman · Post by **postman** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 12:41 am

Actually Laydock, I'm still at the mortgage compnay job also, that brings in my main income and this one is just for some extra spending cash............

I can't order anything just yet, and even so, I don't know if you can reorder games that are as "old" as Gradius 5. I would like to have a shmup of some form, somewhere in the store. In my time of working there so far, I have only seen two types of gaming customers: the parents bringing in their kids to buy Pokemon or Shark Tale or Shrek games, or the teenage gamer buying Madden 06, NHL 06, or NBA 06. I'm sure people would pass over a shmup unless I shoved it down their throat......

We do have a game station set up, but I think it's just for the owner's son to pass the time with........it's rarely on, and I think it's mainly because you really don't want people hanging out longer than they need to.....

Though I can't share my love of the genre with anyone, I still think its a blast just to work in a game store.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 2:16 am

postman wrote:Well......it had to happen one day, I took a weekend job working in a used video game / DVD movie store called "Bandit Video." Nice way to earn some extra cash, and I wanted to say that sometime in my lifetime I worked in the video game industry. Less time to play shooters and lots of frustration, but it's kinda fun, there's a plasma TV to watch football in high def. on Sundays, and its a cake job, so thats good.......

Not a single shmup in the entire store, I need to find a way to change that..........

Sounds like the store is definitely in good hands.

postman · Post by **postman** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:13 am

All right, Bullet Magnet, I'll bite.........I designed a few different STC themed shirts, and figured I'd see what people thought of them.....

However, chances are there is no way they are going to see the light of day and get printed.......this is more of a fun design thing, and to see what people think of them........more designs coming soon........

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:33 am

Heh heh, even if I can never actually wear one I'll enjoy looking at the designs anyways.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 1:57 am

Congrats on that job, Postman!

I am currently working at the Brunswick Zone! It's a step above the grocery industry; I'm making more money, and the environment is a lot more fun, but they way they're training me just sucks.

I realize Brunswick isn't the only employeer to use this strategy, but basically I'm getting 25 hours/week, at the most, until I am fully trained. So, for example, I worked last Saturday and Sunday, after which my mind felt completely burnt out, and then they didn't work me again until this Wednesday. (Our work-week starts on Thursdays, for scheduling purposes.) So, by the time I went in again on Wednesday, I felt like I had to re-learn most of what I'd really gotten down on Saturday and Sunday.

I have applied at my local Game Crazy for a seasonal/holiday position; I know the manager and just about everyone who works in that store, and one of the employees said he'd put in a good word for me. But it would involve a pretty good-size paycut.

So right now, I'm, pretty discouraged. I've thankfully moved on from the grocery industry, but I just don't know when the heck I'm going to get a job that I'm skilled at and that provides me with enough money to become independent.

Icecap Veiwin · Post by **Icecap Veiwin** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 2:11 pm

Excellent news, postman. Bandit Video is a badass name.

Super Laydock · Post by **Super Laydock** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 10:54 pm

postman wrote:

All right, Bullet Magnet, I'll bite.........I designed a few different STC themed shirts, and figured I'd see what people thought of them.....

However, chances are there is no way they are going to see the light of day and get printed.......this is more of a fun design thing, and to see what people think of them........more designs coming soon........

If you make that into a black T-shirt, I'd buy one.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:46 am

Super Laydock wrote:
postman wrote:

All right, Bullet Magnet, I'll bite.........I designed a few different STC themed shirts, and figured I'd see what people thought of them.....

However, chances are there is no way they are going to see the light of day and get printed.......this is more of a fun design thing, and to see what people think of them........more designs coming soon........
If you make that into a black T-shirt, I'd buy one.

Ehh, I think that white would make the ship more visible, but either way, I'd purchase one as well! That's a fantasic design!

postman · Post by **postman** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:05 am

Added more shirt designs to a new topic in shmups chat.......

postman · Post by **postman** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:23 pm

Another tale from the retail industry:

I had a group of three twenty somethings come in the store, 2 guys and a girl, and after looking around for a while, one of guys asked me if we had a copy of the remastered Wizard of Oz DVD. I had one behind the counter, being prepped to be sold, and when I hold him we had it, you'd have though I handed him a thousand bucks. They were all pretty happy, and started saying "good thing you asked" and "all right, I can't wait".....now the Wizard of Oz isn't a horrible movie, but I couldn't understand why the younger crowd would be so into it.....

So then he mentions he's gonna run home and fire up Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I had to ask him if that urban legend was true, and he swore it was. This guy was an expert.....after prompting further what the deal was with the whole synching up thing, he told me to start playing the CD after the third lion roar of the MGM opening screen of Oz. And you had to use the version of Dark Side that was missing one of the songs (does this exist? I forgot which song it was, maybe Brain Damage), and set it on loop, and supposedly it synchs up to the whole movie. I have yet to try it, but even if it is just an urban legend, it sold a copy of the Wizard of Oz.

More good stories to come as the weeks pass..............

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:34 pm

It's an interesting view, and some scenes do sync up disturbingly well, such as the human witch coming on screen exactly as the chimes in "Time" start up. Thing is, it really only works for the first run-through of Dark Side. After that, everything's off. To me it's just a funny coincidence.

Post by **Ghegs** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:59 pm

I hadn't heard of this urban legend before, so I looked into it - it's even told (as a fact) on Wikipedia!

One of the links there says the sync holds all the way to the end of the movie. Don't know how much they're reaching there, though. But if the CD goes "... Home, home again ..." after Dorothy awakes back in Kansas...that's just freaky.

shmups.system11.org

So now I work in a game store!

So now I work in a game store!

Re: So now I work in a game store!