The funny thing is this place started out more than reasonable with everything, you could always do better there than going to eBay. Now it's like I don't even know where they're getting these numbers from. It has slowly become what I call an "eBay plus some" kind of store. The -important- game shelf is busting at the seems with the same titles, all with the same prices. So stock doesn't matter, condition also doesn't matter. From what I understand that's common now, if the label is entirely gone it's the same price as a perfect copy. What are they thinking?!
Yeah...that's the big thing now. You can go to one of these stores to the, say "N64" section where they have all the crap and all the good games are in a locked case with ridiculous pricing. I would really,
really like to run a game store. I know I could make it work by A) treating my customers with respect, B) pricing merchandise based on condition and other factors and C) being organized and cleaning the stuff up to make it more presentable.
I hate when I walk into a store and see a game I am interested in that is in a filthy, broken case with sticker residue on it that has accumulated so much dirt sticking to it that it looks like a giant booger on the front. Sometimes, they even have little pieces of hair stuck to the booger residue!
Then you have the ones that have replacement covers printed up that don't even fit right, are washed-out looking, etc. To me, that stuff is junky and should be priced accordingly.
And the absolute worst is as you already mentioned: pricing games the same regardless of condition, completeness, etc. An example I'll use is Final Fantasy VII. A set of the discs in a generic case should be about $8 tops. A greatest hits version complete should be $20 tops. A high-grade, awesome condition black label original that is complete? I'd say $30. And that pricing would work. Someone who just wants to play the game would gladly pay you $8. Someone looking for a complete one probably wouldn't balk at $20. And a discerning collector looking for an original in great condition, seeing a gorgeous black label copy would throw $30 at you in a heartbeat.
And that goes for just about any highly desirable game.