Gary BUTTERWORTH Online

STRATFORD, NJ, USA

Mini-rant:

In the year that I’ve been watching my grandmom, I’ve gone through a bunch of hobbies to pass the time.

First, I pulled out the old Playstation One and got back into my old video games from high school.  Then, I experimented with counted cross-stitch.  Believe it or not, I kind of enjoyed that.  But after a month, I had still not finished my first piece (I kept messing up), so I gave up.  I tried to become an avid reader, but my grandmom’s habit of watching the TV at deafening levels all day long put a stop to that.  I started watching a lot of movies, but I got bored of that, too.  I tried to do some self-study, and I was mildly successful at that–I learned enough Spanish to be able to survive, and I started to make a little progress towards earning my amateur radio license.  But my grandmom’s TV-blasting habits ultimately put a stop to that, too.  I was pretty good about exercising for a while, and I made some noticeable fitness gains.  But I got out of my groove back in May, and I just haven’t been able to get back into it since. 

Over the summer, I got into crossword puzzles.  I was doing about a dozen a day for about three weeks until I got bored of them (I swear, if anyone asks me for a three letter word for a Gershwin brother ever again, I will scream so loud that Ira will turn in his grave.).  This website has been a hobby for several years now, but I’ve been lazy about updating for the past month or so.  Thus, I’m getting bored again.

I guess the cycle of hobbies has re-started, because I plugged the old Playstation in a couple of weeks ago.  FIFA Soccer 2000 has become my favorite game by far.  But I’ve been getting bored of that, too.  So, I thought I’d try some new games.

Game Crazy Part I

The other day, I remembered hearing that Hollywood Video’s Game Crazy stores still sell old PS One games incredibly cheaply.  (I’d rather wait 10 years and get games at a 95% discount off their original retail price than have the latest and greatest, which is part of the reason I’m still playing PS1.  The rest of the reason being that I’m not really a gamer.)  So, when my mom came over the other day, I asked if I could borrow her car and head over to Hollywood Video/Game Crazy.

I arrived at 8:45pm.  I assumed the store would only be open until 9pm, but that was fine by me–when games only cost $2.50 each, I don’t really have to agonize too much before making a selection. 

So, I got out of the car intending to hurry.  But I was pleased when I noticed the hours stenciled on the door: “OPEN UNTIL MIDNIGHT, 365 DAYS A YEAR.”

“Great!” I thought, “I don’t have to rush.”

So, I walked to the back of the store and found this big bin full of old games that the world had forgotten about a decade ago.  I was happy as a clam. 

I sorted through them for about 20 minutes.  At one point, a guy in a Game Crazy shirt came up and asked me if I needed any help.  I said no.  He said he’d be playing video games, and he told me to let him know if I needed anything.

Eventually, I pulled out three long-forgotten games.  I headed to the check-out counter at 9:10pm.

The guy gave me a strange look.

“Sorry.  You can only buy video games until 9pm.”

WHAT?!

Apparently, Hollywood Video and Game Crazy are run as two completely separate businesses.  This, despite the fact that they are both owned by the same company.  And despite the fact that they both operate under the same roof.  And despite the fact that they both specialize in selling discs of entertainment material.  And despite the fact that their plastic bags have the logos of both “stores” on them.  And despite the fact that only one set of hours is posted on the door.

The check-out guy pointed towards the back of the store.  Sure enough, there was a little caged-off area with a “Game Crazy” sign.  Sure enough, the lights to that little section were off (he said the GameCrazy guy had just left).  But my bin of old games wasn’t even inside that area.  How was I supposed to know?  And with two sets of employees watching me sort through the bin, couldn’t someone have told me that my efforts would be in vain if I didn’t hurry up?  Couldn’t they at least make an announcement?

I threw my games into the bin and stormed out of the store.

Game Crazy Part II

I was mad.  I had every intention of never going back to that store.

But the next day I realized that Game Crazy is about my only option for old Playstation 1 games short of eBay, and, after shipping, eBay would be considerably more expensive.

So, the next day, I caved in and went back to the Game Crazy on Blackwood-Clementon Road.  I was pleased to see that the three games I had picked out the night before were still sitting together.  And I picked out another game.

I walked to the checkout….the OTHER checkout this time.  The Game Crazy check-out.

“Have you ever shopped here before?”

Still annoyed from the night before, I was tempted to be an ass.  I was tempted to say, “Do I look like I’ve been here before?  I just spent 10 minutes rifling through a bin of decade-old games!  Do I look like a gamer?”

But I didn’t.  The salesman was polite; I didn’t need to be a jerk.  I just said, “no.”

“Ok, I’ll set up an account for you.  Can I see your drivers license?”

WHAT?!

Had my phone not rang the second after he asked that, I would have torn into him.  But I coldly tossed my license to him and took my phone call.  Apparently, you need identification and an “account” to buy $10 worth of 10-year-old used video games.

Game Crazy Part III?

I swore I’d never go back to Game Crazy.  But, after I got home, I found out that one of my games doesn’t work.  I’m tempted to just throw it away and forget my $2.50 loss, just so I never have to go back there again.

But I probably won’t.  I do want to try that game, after all.  And the other games I bought kind of stink, too.

So, tonight or Tuesday, I will probably head back over to Game Crazy to make an exchange.  I have my passport, birth certificate, and social security card all ready, just in case.

Game “Crazy.”  Indeed.

Filed under: Life, Nana, Whine and cheese Tagged: | annoyances, GameCrazy, PS One, Video games