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General and Gaming => General => Topic started by: Flashback2012 on December 07, 2020, 05:42:15 pm

Title: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: Flashback2012 on December 07, 2020, 05:42:15 pm
Not counting being on vacation and finding something while there or visiting relatives/friends who live a good amount away from you (though feel free to include that if you want) but more like you found something you wanted and had to drive/travel a considerable distance to acquire it.

Over the weekend, Nintendo released the Special Edition for the Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon "update" for NES/Switch download. A Best Buy store about 40-45 minutes away showed 3 in stock for all of 30 seconds and it disappeared out of my cart as I was ordering.  >:( For shits & giggles I updated the page on Saturday evening and another store showed 3 in stock...in Lexington, KY.  :o

It's about 100 or so miles from my place to the store in Lexington so I got up Sunday and made the jaunt down there. Luckily there's some great restaurants down there that we don't have up here and some places like Half Price Books to peruse so we made an impromptu trip of it (masked up and socially distancing of course  8)).

This is the first time that I can recall where I made a decent length trek for a particular item. We've made treks to other metro areas like Columbus, Indianapolis, and Louisville but most of those trips involved overnight stays/mini vacations with other things to check out besides shopping. Now shopping occurred on those trips and items were acquired but I can't recall specifically going to any of those places looking for a specific thing.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: moriluka on December 07, 2020, 05:54:59 pm
Last year in the summer i rode the bus into the middle of nowhere then walked 2 hours in the sun up hilly (but beautiful) terrain to pick up Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Heartgold and Pokemon Ranger 2. tbh in hindsight idk why i just didnt want to pay the 5 bucks shipping but the dude who sold me the game was really cool and drove me to the train station so i wouldnt have to walk the way back
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: Warmsignal on December 07, 2020, 07:06:11 pm
Not counting Too Many Games, which was like an 8 hour drive. I've gone across state lines just checking store inventories before. Hell, I've spent an entire day driving around to every known Family Dollar location within a couple of hours away, just to check their random buyout inventories when I first found out about those. I've drove across state lines to check GameStop stores. I've drove all across the state, and some of a neighboring state just to check pawn shops, various game stores I don't have near to me, flea markets. I used to routinely drive about 3 hours to an out of state flea market on the weekends. So yeah, I've done stuff like that a lot.

Any time I go out of town there's lots of food and shopping which is not commonplace to me, living in a fairly small town. So the trips are usually worth it, just to stop by a sandwhich shop, and check out stores like Best Buy which I've never had in my home town.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: bizzarnage on December 07, 2020, 08:36:38 pm
About two years ago or so I traveled about 4 hours round trip nonstop into a neighboring state some.. 150+ miles or so to get two lose discs for an Armored Core game. I think it was Nexus. The game was going for over $50 and I already had a box but it only had one disc. I paid $10 for the games (which were minty somehow) and like.. $20 for gas and it felt like a huge moron choice but me and the SO's just took it as a chance to drive for a long while and talk and enjoy each others company. Seeing it go for so cheap now, I say it was worth it after gnashing my teeth.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: bizzarnage on December 07, 2020, 08:40:13 pm
I've gone across state lines just checking store inventories before. Hell, I've spent an entire day driving around to every known Family Dollar location within a couple of hours away, just to check their random buyout inventories when I first found out about those.

I've done this as well but with 5 Below. Bought a couple copies of Yokai Watch to give as gifts (and for me) for less than it costs at Gamestop. Also had to go to a couple other counties to grab the only copies of certain new games I wanted bc GameStop has stupid stocking methods. When it comes to the vidya, struggle can be pretty real sometimes.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: mooblius on December 07, 2020, 08:45:48 pm
Sort of related to another recent topic, in 2020 I drove to a location about 300 miles away to pick up a used Sony Trinitron TV (32" CRT), acquired specifically to be able to play some old light gun games again.  Totally worth it. :)
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: wartoy on December 07, 2020, 09:13:14 pm
I went from Mass. To New York with a friend to pick up a T.M.N.T arcade  machine he bought it was a long but fun trip.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: bizzarnage on December 07, 2020, 09:17:35 pm
I went from Mass. To New York with a friend to pick up a T.M.N.T arcade  machine he bought it was a long but fun trip.

I'd have gone as far myself for that. Or a Capcom Vs SNK Machine if ever the chance arose.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: seether on December 08, 2020, 01:55:04 am
I travelled the world and the seven seas for my copy of PaRappa The Rapper 2.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: kashell on December 08, 2020, 08:00:26 am
I traveled three hours to Memphis, TN to get my metal DDR dance pad courtesy of both soera and turf. It was fun.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: telekill on December 08, 2020, 08:39:09 am
Around 1991-2001 I lived in a pretty remote area. The closest game store was an hour drive away. For the Dreamcast launch and about 6 months after the PS2 launch, I had to drive that hour to get those systems and anything to go with them. So a two hour round trip. Kinda sucked.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: turf on December 08, 2020, 09:33:58 am
I drove 4 hours 1 way to get my Donkey King/DKJr/Mario Bros arcade.
I’ve done a few trips up around the 3-4 hours to get stuff.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: tripredacus on December 08, 2020, 09:51:30 am
2 hour drive to pick up Williams Hall of Fame on PS3. Back when it was new and rare, got a list of remote Gamestop locations that showed it in stock. Of course the first one didn't have it.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: 98dgreen on December 08, 2020, 10:55:54 am
Last year in the summer i rode the bus into the middle of nowhere then walked 2 hours in the sun up hilly (but beautiful) terrain to pick up Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Heartgold and Pokemon Ranger 2. tbh in hindsight idk why i just didnt want to pay the 5 bucks shipping but the dude who sold me the game was really cool and drove me to the train station so i wouldnt have to walk the way back
That would have been bad if he was a no show like half those meet ups are.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: ignition365 on December 08, 2020, 11:49:09 am
I drove... like an hour away to get Conker Live and Reloaded for like $20, in retrospect, it was terrible to do.  Gas probably ate up what savings I was getting back then.

I had my brother drive an hour or so away from where he lived to pick up a Steel Battalion set for me.  Then he drove the 3-4 hours from where he lives to where I lived to get it from him.  But it was a at your convenience thing.  He met up with the guy at a comic shop he frequents, and he brought it to me when he was visiting family months later.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: Flashback2012 on December 08, 2020, 01:54:22 pm
Not counting Too Many Games, which was like an 8 hour drive. I've gone across state lines just checking store inventories before. Hell, I've spent an entire day driving around to every known Family Dollar location within a couple of hours away, just to check their random buyout inventories when I first found out about those. I've drove across state lines to check GameStop stores. I've drove all across the state, and some of a neighboring state just to check pawn shops, various game stores I don't have near to me, flea markets. I used to routinely drive about 3 hours to an out of state flea market on the weekends. So yeah, I've done stuff like that a lot.

Any time I go out of town there's lots of food and shopping which is not commonplace to me, living in a fairly small town. So the trips are usually worth it, just to stop by a sandwhich shop, and check out stores like Best Buy which I've never had in my home town.

The part about crossing state lines was a little weird to me at first but I forget I live in the corner of a state where the metro area extends into neighboring states. I have co-workers who live in both Kentucky and Indiana so it's perfectly normal to me. For that trip to Lexington on Sunday, the highway back had me going from KY to IN to OH. I imagine for someone who lives in Columbus it's a bit of a trek in any direction to get to the state's borders.  :P

Also, a slight tangent on this but when traveling to new cities, it's a MUST for us to try and find local places/chains to eat at that we don't have here.  ;)


I travelled the world and the seven seas for my copy of PaRappa The Rapper 2.

Sounds legit. You strike me as a man about the world and who wouldn't move heaven and earth for Parappa The Rapper 2?
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: Warmsignal on December 08, 2020, 02:05:42 pm
Not counting Too Many Games, which was like an 8 hour drive. I've gone across state lines just checking store inventories before. Hell, I've spent an entire day driving around to every known Family Dollar location within a couple of hours away, just to check their random buyout inventories when I first found out about those. I've drove across state lines to check GameStop stores. I've drove all across the state, and some of a neighboring state just to check pawn shops, various game stores I don't have near to me, flea markets. I used to routinely drive about 3 hours to an out of state flea market on the weekends. So yeah, I've done stuff like that a lot.

Any time I go out of town there's lots of food and shopping which is not commonplace to me, living in a fairly small town. So the trips are usually worth it, just to stop by a sandwhich shop, and check out stores like Best Buy which I've never had in my home town.

The part about crossing state lines was a little weird to me at first but I forget I live in the corner of a state where the metro area extends into neighboring states. I have co-workers who live in both Kentucky and Indiana so it's perfectly normal to me. For that trip to Lexington on Sunday, the highway back had me going from KY to IN to OH. I imagine for someone who lives in Columbus it's a bit of a trek in any direction to get to the state's borders.  :P

Also, a slight tangent on this but when traveling to new cities, it's a MUST for us to try and find local places/chains to eat at that we don't have here.  ;)

Realistically, I've probably put about 100,000 miles between my previous 2 cars just in game hunting alone. I don't travel much aside from doing stuff like that, just a small town commute, and I ran up the odometer something fierce on both of them. lol
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: oldgamerz on December 08, 2020, 02:06:54 pm
No, I have everything close to me. it's weird how there is many places to go just in my own town. and I live in suburbs. near one major known city Detroit Michigan
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: badATchaos on December 09, 2020, 11:00:30 am
I've definitely picked up video games while visiting different countries. Back before the Wii Mini was released in the States, I bought one in Prince Edward Island of all places while on holiday there. At the time it had been out in Canada for a while and there was no sign it was going to ever come out in the US.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: bikingjahuty on December 09, 2020, 11:21:09 am
Didn't go there to acquire anything specific, but drove about 4-hours round trip to go to a few game stores I'd never been to in a town north of me. Their prices kinda sucked, but did find some nice PS2 and Saturn imports that made the trip worth it.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: leonefamily on December 09, 2020, 01:41:59 pm
That time I traveled 300 kms on my motorbike though the canadian subarctic (Köppen Dfc climate) to reach the next major city where I bought a LA Noire strategy guide. It was so cold outside I was really eager to get back home. I was 19 at the time and I'm definetely not doing this again without prep lol
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: pzeke on December 09, 2020, 02:31:58 pm
How far have you traveled to acquire something?

I have never done any of this, and I reckon I never would...at least not for a video game or some such.
Title: Re: How far have you traveled to acquire something?
Post by: Flashback2012 on December 09, 2020, 04:51:47 pm
How far have you traveled to acquire something?

I have never done any of this, and I reckon I never would...at least not for a video game or some such.

I would have MUCH preferred to not have to travel 1 1/2 hours out of my way to get this item but shipping was a no-go and all of the local stores were sold out. Additionally, I've had trouble at times acquiring certain movie releases so either my metro area is notorious for flippers/scalpers or the stores in my area are hilariously bad at ordering the correct amounts.

I can understand how the concept of running down a game/movie/item can be so foreign to someone that it's a literal bridge too far to commit to doing, especially in the age of Amazon where almost everything can be delivered to your doorstop.  ;)