Mainly, I've just set up a blog because I needed a place to rant. Something obviously on my mind now since it inspired me to sign up, so here starts the dribble:
1. I love Guitar Hero, am really keen to pick up the latest World Tour game after seeing great reviews. Can't really justify buying it for my ps2 though, so figured I would buy an xbox360 (they are now cheaper than wii and much much cheaper than ps3) and get world tour for that.
Turns out there is no stock left anywhere. I get that this stuff happens. What is particularly frustrating is that I can't find out why there is no stock. There are heaps of copies for wii, ps2 and ps3 available, but all xbox versions are sold out everywhere in brisbane. Googling the last few days has given no results, so this blog gives me a chance to ask the questions no one else on the net seems to be asking: Why is there no stock of Guitar Hero World Tour for Xbox availble!?
2. In looking for the game, I have been checking a lot of stores, and as such have been exposed to EB games of late. Apparently there is little love for this company from other posts I've seen, yet everybody shops there. The crux is this:
* there sticker price on games seems to be about 20% higher than anywhere else. For instance every other place has World Tour for sale at around $280. EB sticker price stays at $330.
* they 'price match', so if another store has it cheaper you can get that price there
* they only price match if the store is nearby and has the item in stock.
My issue with this is that EB is making you do all the hard work and they reap the benefits. What every other store does is compete by lowering their sticker price. If the store across the road from you drops its prices, your store will lose customers if you don't lower yours accordingly. EB doesn't do this, and let's you do the running around to find the most competitive price and bring it to their attention. Then if the lower price is offered by a nearby store that has it in stock (you actually have a choice and could by it somewhere else) they give you lower price. Otherwise, there is no competition (you can't feasibly buy it somewhere else) so they charge the higher price. Feels a lot like profiteering, but they've set it up in reverse.
I got lost down the rabbit hole on wikipedia a while back and came across some interesting articles on ethics/morality. One of the things I found was philosophical imperitives that seem to derive from the Golden rule. Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative#The_first_formulation_.28Or_First_Maxim.29
There is a concept of "Perfect Duty" that says if you were to apply something as right in your moral system, you must universalize this and say it would be right for everyone to do this. The example given is:
The moral proposition A: "It is permissible to steal" would result in a contradiction in conceivability. The notion of stealing presupposes the existence of property, but were A universalized, then there could be no property, and so the proposition has logically negated itself.
So the point I'm getting at? EB has high prices, but matches those with lower prices (and in stock). So do we say this is right or wrong? if it is right, then we say that all stores would be right to do this, but in that case all stores would have the high sticker price, and there would be no stores offering the lower price against which to match. I'd say this system is thus unsustainable. I know there's a lot of flaws to be found in this argument, but that's the best way I can articulate my underlying distaste for their system.
Here endeth the rant
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