Remember Your Preorder Artbook!

[Manly Biceps]

Retail's a crazy place, especially this time of year. As someone who used to work with point of sale system software, I can say that while computers don't lie, they do often like to make our puny human lives miserable.

To that end, we're trying to help alleviate some of the problems people are experiencing trying to obtain their Spoils and advising you to take some precautionary measures. (An ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure and all that...)

If you pre-ordered Persona 4 or any of the other Atlus Spoils titles from a participating brick & mortar store, please call the store in advance and ask if they are aware of the pre-order artbook that should be coming with your pre-order of the title. If they are not aware, or say that the books are not in stock, ask them if they could inform the store manager so that the books are shipped and that you get one.

Thanks!

[Skyrocket]

I just got off the phone with Gamestop. They said they didn't have anything on it in their pre-order file. But they also said stuff like that doesn't show up at the stores until about two days before the street date.

So I think giving who-ever you pre-ordered from a call is a good idea.com

[sora4126]

I called 'em before. Mine said they don't usually know until about the day before. Either way I'm gonna hang out in the mall for all 12/10 until I get both, or they have a valid excuse for not having the artbook.

[Skyrocket]

I called 'em before. Mine said they don't usually know until about the day before. Either way I'm gonna hang out in the mall for all 12/10 until I get both, or they have a valid excuse for not having the artbook.

I'm thinking of taking the day off work. There's a Starbucks right next door to my GS so I can kill all the time I need waiting there.

[sora4126]

I called 'em before. Mine said they don't usually know until about the day before. Either way I'm gonna hang out in the mall for all 12/10 until I get both, or they have a valid excuse for not having the artbook.

I'm thinking of taking the day off work. There's a Starbucks right next door to my GS so I can kill all the time I need waiting there.
Yeah, same here. I managed to convince my teachers to let me take my final the day before instead of day of, 'cause I know I wouldn't be able to focus on the test with P4 and the artbook just sitting in my pack, and other reasons.
And there's like 3 restaurants right next to this gamestop, and a convenient bench just outside it. So I'll be eating and staring them down. XD

[Futomimi]

Some of you guys have really messed-up priorities...

[unknown]

I guess I'll give them a call tomorrow or Monday.

And then bug them again on December 1. If worse comes to worse I'll just cancel my preorder and order it from Amazon.

[Kaibigan]

When you guys release hoshigami 2, i will take a day off of work and maybe reschedule my finals to play a game.

[Skyrocket]

Some of you guys have really messed-up priorities...

I work in education. Try dealing with teenagers all day and see if blowing it off for a day to hang out at Starbucks and then play video games for hours doesn't sound like heaven.

[sora4126]

^ I agree... I mean my situation is way different.
Notice I said "and other things" as to why I have to rearrange my finals. I wouldn't do it just for this game... can't believe you'd really think that.

EDIT: nvm. I definitely thought about it and I totally would. I don't care if you think my priorities are messed up, so long as I'm aware of what I'm doing I'm gonna keep doing it!

[StrikeRaider]

So you aren't as fanatical as us eh?

I always remind them when I reserve the game. I might have to remind them again when I pick up EP.

[Tears of Ash]

Just have them call whomever is in charge of shipping stuff to them. There is usually a person in charge of looking at what's been preordered at some corporate office somewhere that fixes the computer's mistakes when stuff isn't getting shipped to where it needs to be, or if something isn't in yet.

No need to nag a manager. They have better things to do.

Like nap.

[syl]

At the EB I pre-ordered P4, only the manager knows about the pre-order.
My worst fear is a seasonal hire giving out all the copies of the art book to people who didn't pre-order in the first place.
Damn I hate seasonals...

[Olethros]

On-line's the way to go for pre-order bonuses. I've never had a problem getting the bonus this way, while I have had problems in the past (I completely stopped physically going to Gamestop 5 years ago) at actual stores.

[Fuyukaze]

thankfully the place i pre-order games from on a regular basis has a manager that'll either give me any pre-order bonus in advance or will personaly keep it in his truck for me untill i come for it and the game. After the whole Castlevania fiasco with it's pre-order bundles turning up missing from EVERY store in the surounding area, he's learned not to trust his workers with extras. Plus he sliped up and agreed to let me torture the newest lemming if any of the bonus stuff from my pre-orders turns up missing. I dont think I'd enjoy torturing her either as she's kinda cute.

[dragonlife29]

thankfully the place i pre-order games from on a regular basis has a manager that'll either give me any pre-order bonus in advance or will personaly keep it in his truck for me untill i come for it and the game. After the whole Castlevania fiasco with it's pre-order bundles turning up missing from EVERY store in the surounding area, he's learned not to trust his workers with extras. Plus he sliped up and agreed to let me torture the newest lemming if any of the bonus stuff from my pre-orders turns up missing. I dont think I'd enjoy torturing her either as she's kinda cute.Sadism that way makes it all the better! <3

[StrikeRaider]

Um her or him? Your pronouns are off mate.

[dragonlife29]

Sadism in general when you don't want to hurt them because they're cute <3

[Fuyukaze]

Um her or him? Your pronouns are off mate.

Hurting him, the manager, wouldnt serve any purpose. Hurting her, the new person wouldnt serve any purpose either as she's cute. Once they hire a new guy, it's open season. Till then, I wait.

[Shikoku]

So the only way I can get this is to ask the manager when preordering??? What if they still don't get it because they are lazy idiots? What should I do then? I have a high ratio of NOT getting anything special when I preorder things that are supposed to have bonuses. I don't have a credit card (lol poor :( ), if I did, I'd never bother with rip off stores...


?!

[Marlonbr]

Oh Mein Gott... Why am I reading this post only now?
I'm about to online pre-order my P4. But I'm a little afraid, what should I do guys?
Should I pre-order it tomorrow and give a call to GameStop soon after? Oh my gosh, I don't even live in U.S and I'm gonna be really pissed if I don't get the artbook. :@

[Ilpalazzo]

i heard japan's artbook have more pages the ours.

[onlylunch2]

since when does japan NOT get more than us? Thats not a complaint by the way, im fully satisfied with the efforts made by atlus! :)

[unknown]

Keep in mind, that this artbook is a free gift from Atlus.

If you want the full one then just buy it off of Amazon.

[onlylunch2]

i hope that wasnt directed at me.. like i said, im completely happy with all the efforts atlus usa made! :)

[Marlonbr]

Keep in mind, that this artbook is a free gift from Atlus.

If you want the full one then just buy it off of Amazon.

If it was directed at me, sorry. I'm a bit anxious right now; Order something from outside really gives me the creeps, but I aprecciate Atlus USA work too! Guess I should just stay calm...

[Djay]

So, what is the difference between the artbook you can buy on amazon.com and the one you get for pre-ordering?

[AtlusAram]

There is only one version of P4: Visual Data, the official art book people will get with their pre-ordered copies of the game. The two images showing different exposed pages are in fact just an old and a newer promotional image of the same item. Again, to be clear, there is only one version of the North American art book.

And to reiterate the subject of this thread, please be sure to ask for your art book if you're picking up in-person from a participating retailer. Do not expect that every store will immediately know to provide it.

[Yukichin]

So, what is the difference between the artbook you can buy on amazon.com and the one you get for pre-ordering?

The one that you can buy separate is the official Japanese artbook; the pre-order book is a separate book done for the North American release.

[Inzaghi]

I don't think AtlusA.R.A.M. entirely understood the question. (We'll have to update his parser.) The art book you can buy on Amazon is the imported Japanese version, which is not in English--it's the same one you can get at other import shops online. It costs $30 as opposed to the art book that comes with a preorder of Persona 4, which is free.

[AtlusAram]

I don't think AtlusA.R.A.M. entirely understood the question. (We'll have to update his parser.) The art book you can buy on Amazon is the imported Japanese version, which is not in English--it's the same one you can get at other import shops online. It costs $30 as opposed to the art book that comes with a preorder of Persona 4, which is free.

Ah, inquiry misunderstood. Thank you for correcting me, Inzaghi.

Enjoy the virus.

[PsychoDroid]

Actually pleased to say that when I just went in to Gamestop for a random purchase, I asked about the art book because of the problem I ran into with the Eternal Poison art book and before the guy checking me out could answer the other worker just gave me the art book out of nowhere. :D

[Eternal Sin]

WHAAAAT? Did you get the P4 or the Eternal Posion art book?

[PsychoDroid]

I got the P4 art book. I was REALLY surprised when he gave it to me. But of course, I'm not going to ask why they had it already. Just took it and left. :]

[persona3rocks]

well the books not really free u have to pay for the game:D

[Eternal Sin]

yeah but i want my artbook now too :(

[persona3rocks]

im gion here in a bit to go see if they came yet my freind got hers llready from one in illinois so im goin to mine and seeing if they got it and to preorder my guide

[dragonlife29]

Thank you for correcting me, Inzaghi.

Enjoy the virus.Haha...XD

[TheMagicHat]

Well, I've been lucky enough with getting the Eternal Poison and Luminous Arc 2 artbooks (which are both lovely, by the way), so I'm confident about my chances with the P4 book.

I'm still keeping the knives sharpened, just in case. :devil:

[Eternal Sin]

anyone know if Canada/ EB games will receive art books too? If it's U.S. only, somebody's getting slapped.

[frequency]

Canada is supposed to get them. I called my EB games tonight and they said they don't know though... But they always say that. If they don't have it when I go to pick it up, I'm just going to cancel the pre-order on the spot and go to videogamesplus.ca and hope they still have copies.

I didn't get my EP artbook from EB games, but some of my friends got the LA2 art book from EB games.

NOTE: I bought another copy of EP for a friend from videogamesplus.ca, and they sent me the art book. I got LA2 from amazon.ca, and they sent me an art book too. But I heard amazon.ca didn't get EP art books out, so...

Videogamesplus.ca does sell $5 higher than MSRP, and they charge more than they should for shipping (handling charges I guess... I dunno). But it's worth it to get the art book. For me anyway... I'm a collection whore, so... I'd go nuts if I didn't have the art book.

[Eternal Sin]

ah thats good info, thank you very much. My EB said they got the LA2 and EP art books, so they should get P4... but you can understand why im so paranoid about getting it though,,

[frequency]

Oh I can understand. I'm equally (if not more) paranoid about it. For some reason, my city's EB games are all really poorly managed. I rarely ever get pre-order bonuses. I know that Canada sometimes just doesn't get them, but more often then not, it's just employees taking them, or handing them out to random people. Since I can't go to pick up my games until after work, I only get whatever is remaining (if any do remain). They've sold my copy of collector's editions for things as well ¬.¬


EDIT: Oooo, I just noticed that they changed the banner from LA2 to P4. Nice. :) I like it.

[Eternal Sin]

ahh that sucks! Yeah im going to be first one in the door ont he 10th, they better have it. By the way nice FF11 pic. I used to play on Gilgamesh but i quit since that game was waaaaay tooooo tiiiiimmmee consuming.

[Soushi_Grapple]

I don't have problems getting my pre-order bonuses, but I usually go the day of the official release and the date it actually ships to the store to make sure. My main problem is my Gamestop tends to get games 2 days or so after the release date. =/ But we do live on an island so... even our gas/electricity is sent here through a pipe lol

I haven't not gotten a preorder bonus yet from mine, but I'm worried about my KH:Re:COM bonus art cards... 2 of the employees are ok, but I dont trust the other underling to not hand out my bonus. It helps that not too many people get RPGs in my area, so my friends and I tend to get dibs.

[frequency]

ahh that sucks! Yeah im going to be first one in the door ont he 10th, they better have it. By the way nice FF11 pic. I used to play on Gilgamesh but i quit since that game was waaaaay tooooo tiiiiimmmee consuming.
Hehe, thanks. I play on Seraph. Yeah, it's time consuming, but I don't have much else to do ¬.¬ ...I'm such a loser...

I don't have problems getting my pre-order bonuses, but I usually go the day of the official release and the date it actually ships to the store to make sure. My main problem is my Gamestop tends to get games 2 days or so after the release date. =/ But we do live on an island so... even our gas/electricity is sent here through a pipe lol

I haven't not gotten a preorder bonus yet from mine, but I'm worried about my KH:Re:COM bonus art cards... 2 of the employees are ok, but I dont trust the other underling to not hand out my bonus. It helps that not too many people get RPGs in my area, so my friends and I tend to get dibs.
I don't know if you're from Canada, but, it seems we didn't get the cards. They're post cards that were supposed to be packaged with the first shipment of the game. But Canada seems to have not gotten them... or the shiny cover (stupid French requirement law). I'm going to pick up my copy after work tomorrow.

I hope that I heard wrong, because I'm a huge KH fan... I'd probably go as far as to ebay the cards if I don't get them.

EDIT: BWA, you're not from Canada. I need to learn to read ¬.¬

[Green Card]

If you really want the artbook definitely try to go as early as possible. They gave away my Valkyria Chronicles artbook and needless to say I was furious. My friend got it and gave it to me though and he complained to corporate and got another for himself so it all worked out but yea be there early if possible. I am sure there will be more P4 artbooks then there were VC but it never hurts to play it safe.

[persona3rocks]

um who did he call to get a artbook

[sora4126]

I got the P4 art book. I was REALLY surprised when he gave it to me. But of course, I'm not going to ask why they had it already. Just took it and left. :]

:surprise: Tomorrow I'm gonna go and ask what you asked them!

[unknown]

Going to call Gamecrazy tomorrow and ask if they have my artbook in yet and whether I can pick it up.

[dragonlife29]

^ I went to my GameCrazy today--the guy told me had had the art books, but couldn't give them out because they have to scan them with the game (which they don't have yet), and that I'd notice it on my receipt, etc.

Anyway, I asked him if he could guarantee that I'd get my art book, and he said yeah...and I think he said they got the same amount of art books as preorders.

In other news, I also went to a GameStop and asked if they had the art books, and the guy said that it came inside the game...

I didn't bother and just said, "Oh, I see."

[unknown]

Sweet, I'll probably still call them but thanks for the heads up.

[Eternal Sin]

yeah which corporate did you call?

[Eternal Sin]

I don't have problems getting my pre-order bonuses, but I usually go the day of the official release and the date it actually ships to the store to make sure. My main problem is my Gamestop tends to get games 2 days or so after the release date. =/ But we do live on an island so... even our gas/electricity is sent here through a pipe lol

I haven't not gotten a preorder bonus yet from mine, but I'm worried about my KH:Re:COM bonus art cards... 2 of the employees are ok, but I dont trust the other underling to not hand out my bonus. It helps that not too many people get RPGs in my area, so my friends and I tend to get dibs.

I didnt even know there were art cards. Im a huge KH fan but i somehow completely missed the news of RE: chain of memories. The other day i got an email from gamestop advertising it, and i was like "DEAR GOD!!" so i preordered it with express mail on Nov 30th from the Gamestop website, and i got it yesterday (Dec 3rd) and YES the art cards are included. So if you didnt get them from the store, order order order!

[iammako3]

My Gamestop got the P4 artbooks yesterday, and since I work there I decided to grab mine early. :-D

However! I suggest those not wanting to be spoiled to heed the warning on the front page! Don't look at the art book unless you don't mind being spoiled for quite a few big plot points!!!! (I don't really mind, but I can see a lot of people being angry that that spoiled themselves.)

[Eternal Sin]

i wish i worked at EB games... they fail at getting Art books

[illogicaldreamr]

I preordered from Amazon a long time ago. Should I be worried about not getting an art book?

[StrikeRaider]

No. You shouldn't be.

[Green Card]

yeah which corporate did you call?

Actually he emailed GameStop corporate and it was forwarded to the district manager who got one from one of his stores and held it for him. Looks like my memory fails me yet again.

[Eternal Sin]

oh thank you!

[Soushi_Grapple]

I went by my Gamestop today and our manager went rummaging through boxes and gave my friends and I artbooks for P4. <3 It's really cool, but there are spoilers-- minor spoilers IMO, but view at your own risk. :)

[Eternal Sin]

GOD FRUIT IT! Somebody trade gamestops with me please. Ours doesnt even know IF they will get them. The U.S. needs to treat Canada better, we live next door, its not hard to provide a little more service.

[frequency]

GOD FRUIT IT! Somebody trade gamestops with me please. Ours doesnt even know IF they will get them. The U.S. needs to treat Canada better, we live next door, its not hard to provide a little more service.

Well, in this case, Atlus has tried to do what it can to satisfy it's Canadian fans. They even got amazon.ca to send out LA2 art books, despite missing the EP art books, which I think amazon.ca probably has sitting in a warehouse somewhere. The real issue here is the piss poor management of EB Games and employees that just don't care about proper service.

I can't even count the number of times I went in to buy a random game when the clerk offers me a pre-order bonus for a game I never pre-ordered... which obviously screws someone over. And I've been told countless times that they're not getting a certain title, or other really stupid stuff.

So while in some cases, Canada doesn't get stuff, in most, it's just the complete incompetence of EB Games Canada (which is a separate entity from GameStop/EB Games US).

Plus our Canadian laws make it hard for US publishers. Like they have to have both French and English. That's the dumbest thing ever... most people here don't even speak French, yet it's still a requirement. That's just... ugh.

So consider that the Canadian dollar is worth like 78 cents American, and then publishers have to use money to do this stupid translation thing, special printing, and then ship it up across the border, all for less than they would make selling it in the US only.

Though I'd be really mad too if I didn't get my art book. I just think your anger is misplaced.

P.S. Amazon.ca is terrible too... If you ever ask them questions about anything, they'll tell you they don't know, and then tell you that you can cancel your order for a full refund... That's just terrible service.

[Eternal Sin]

yeah you're right, my apologizes to anyone i offended. I'll keep my fingers crossed though... maybe if im lucky they'll have them.

I do agree though... the canadian issues are ridiculous. They dont need to print french versions, thats just stupid. If somebody who is french, buys P4 they therefore must already know english.

And yeah, EB games canada fails hardcore. For crying out loud they still think Final Fantasy Versus XIII is being released in a few weeks. (im not joking)

[Flußkönig]

The gamestops where I live on the east coast just got the art book in today. To bad I won't be looking at it till I beat the game.

[foolofdeath]

man i just got off the phone with my gamestop and they dont know anything about the book the only thing they told me is that they dont know until they get it and thats just wrong why should some stores get it and others dont its completely unfair because if i dont get one with my game when i pick it up im going to be angry

[Eternal Sin]

man i just got off the phone with my gamestop and they dont know anything about the book the only thing they told me is that they dont know until they get it and thats just wrong why should some stores get it and others dont its completely unfair because if i dont get one with my game when i pick it up im going to be angry

im 100% of the same opinion as you, and im in the exact same position. I think their incompetence is ridiculous! I mean how hard is it to call up the main branch to see if they will be shipped or not? Mo!

[frequency]

I went to pick up my copy of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories today... which, as I feared, didn't have the cards. But anyway, I asked about the Persona 4 art book again, and instead of an "I don't know", the guy told me it was going to come in the game box. I told him he was dumb, and he just shrugged. :( They're impervious to my insults.

[dragonlife29]

I went to pick up my copy of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories today... which, as I feared, didn't have the cards. But anyway, I asked about the Persona 4 art book again, and instead of an "I don't know", the guy told me it was going to come in the game box. I told him he was dumb, and he just shrugged. :( They're impervious to my insults.:lol:

If it makes you feel better, I got the same reply from the guy in my GameStop, after he rudely asked me, "You want it?" with a disgusted look when I asked for Castlevania: Judgment. His buddy also chipped in his thoughts on how I shouldn't be spending $50 on it--that it wasn't worth it, etc.

[Eternal Sin]

accck. frequency, call up gamestop and tell them you didn't get your cards. They'll ship you some if they have any left. They told me that exactly for P4 artbook and that it applies to other bonuses as well.

[Eternal Sin]

this morning i called in to the gamestop company, and this is what i heard on the other end. "hello, im gloria, how can i help you?" in a thick accent, the next thing i heard after inquiring about persona 4 was "im sorry i dont know games at all, i dont know whats new or coming out. its bad cause i work at gamestop. let me check the site" unfortunately, it was as useful as smashing my hands been two bricks, since anyone can check the damn website.

so the customer part of CUSTOMER service failed. I'll restrain my comments and let you fill in the blanks.

[DamnedToBeFree]

I went to pick up my copy of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories today... which, as I feared, didn't have the cards. But anyway, I asked about the Persona 4 art book again, and instead of an "I don't know", the guy told me it was going to come in the game box. I told him he was dumb, and he just shrugged. :( They're impervious to my insults.


And people wonder why GS employees treat customers like crap.

[foolofdeath]

this morning i called in to the gamestop company, and this is what i heard on the other end. "hello, im gloria, how can i help you?" in a thick accent, the next thing i heard after inquiring about persona 4 was "im sorry i dont know games at all, i dont know whats new or coming out. its bad cause i work at gamestop. let me check the site" unfortunately, it was as useful as smashing my hands been two bricks, since anyone can check the damn website.

so the customer part of CUSTOMER service failed. I'll restrain my comments and let you fill in the blanks.

man thats just wrong honestly because of things like this i am losing faith in gamestop not only that but the people that work there i mean cmon whats with the attitudes we are only asking a question

[unknown]

I went to pick up my copy of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories today... which, as I feared, didn't have the cards. But anyway, I asked about the Persona 4 art book again, and instead of an "I don't know", the guy told me it was going to come in the game box. I told him he was dumb, and he just shrugged. :( They're impervious to my insults.


And people wonder why GS employees treat customers like crap.

If I was that employee, I would take your artbook, just for calling me dumb.

The least you could was to correct him and ask him to recheck, and if he still gave you bull####, that's when you ask to speak with the manager.

[Futomimi]

this morning i called in to the gamestop company, and this is what i heard on the other end. "hello, im gloria, how can i help you?" in a thick accent,

I think the fact that you needed to include this little tidbit reflects badly on you, rather than the GS employee.

[StrikeRaider]

Guys, would you treat someone who handles your food this bad? Seriously I always tell rude people, 'Thank whatever god you pray to that I'm not your waiter.'

[frequency]

But the ad itself shows that the art book is bigger than the game box... How could it possibly fit inside?

I would complain if I went to a restaurant and I was suggested the wrong wine. Or told that a certain menu item was something, but ended up being something else.

If you don't know something, tell me that. Don't tell me something untrue. It happens all the time. I notice it more with EB I guess since I talk to the people there more.

In hindsight, I guess I was a bit rude. But I wasn't in the best of moods... not that that is justification. Oh well. I'll right my wrong if the next time I see the guy, he looks particularly unhappy to see me.

[Eternal Sin]

this morning i called in to the gamestop company, and this is what i heard on the other end. "hello, im gloria, how can i help you?" in a thick accent,

I think the fact that you needed to include this little tidbit reflects badly on you, rather than the GS employee.

I'm not racist, nor do i hold any predjudice against people with different heritages/accents, saying that it reflects badly on me is just your misconception. I included that because i feel if you can't understand the person thats trying to help you, then the entire thing becomes counter-productive. When employing someone for verbal/telephone help service its important that the person on the other end of the line can understand what they are saying.

[sora4126]

^ Obviously you could still understand what she was saying so your argument is kinda pointless.

[Futomimi]

They don't hire people at Gamestop stores for telephone help. Those are people regularly working that have to answer the phones. Also, you apparently were able to understand her enough to transcribe the conversation here, so your point is moot anyway.

If you called Gamestop headquarters (which would be kind of dumb, because I don't think they could really help you there), then it's not surprising that you talked to someone who didn't know #### about games. You talked to either a customer support rep from Gamestop Inc, or someone getting paid minimum wage at a call center--either of which is meant to answer questions about store policies (returns, etc.), warranties, and that kind of thing. They aren't there to answer technical questions about games, or the quantities of games and pre-order bonuses being sent to the stores. That's not part of their job.

Either way, your post was incredibly ignorant.

Guys, would you treat someone who handles your food this bad? Seriously I always tell rude people, 'Thank whatever god you pray to that I'm not your waiter.'

Seriously. I'm always dumbfounded by how badly people treat other people who are making minimum wage, or barely above it, getting horrible hours, and are pressured to maintain a quota to keep their job. Total BS.

[Sseklebeast]

If it makes you feel better Eternal Sin, I don't think what you said is that big of a deal but everyone is entitled to their opinion of course.

[frequency]

I don't think it was a big deal either.

And a job is a job. Minimum wage or no, you shouldn't be free to do and say whatever you want just because it's minimum wage. I worked many minimum wage jobs in my life (worst being call center for ComCast - I worked 6 PM to 2 AM, and obviously I got yelled at pretty much the entire time), and not once did I tell a customer things that I wasn't sure of, or show any sign that I was indifferent to the customer's satisfaction.

I've had lots of great service from people with horrible jobs. So if someone doesn't even try to be good at their job, why should I treat them special? Again, if you go eat out, and the sommelier suggests the wrong wine, are you going to say it's OK? I wouldn't. I'd tell him he's dumb and he ruined my meal. And probably complain to the owner about it too.

No matter what job you work, what you get paid, when you have to work, there's a certain level of quality of service you have to provide. If you don't, then there's always tons of people who would be willing to provide that level of service that are currently unemployed.

As for Eternal Sin, I didn't find that to be a big deal at all. Nor did I find that it put any negative light on you. You were a customer that expected a certain quality of service. It's not racist at all. Anyone who thinks it's bad to expect the customer representative to be (somewhat easily) understandable should give Microsoft's (not their game studio thingy, but Windows and MS Office stuff) tech support a call.

Anyway, I didn't mean to derail the thread and turn it into some guilt tripping argument thing... I'm sure someone is going to come in here and yell at us soon.

[Futomimi]

Are you really comparing a sommelier to someone who is basically a cashier and a salesperson? LOL. A sommelier is expected to have a background in wine and which food a certain wine complements. A GS clerk is expected to punch keys into the POS and talk you into buying subs and pre-orders. This is a strawman argument.

And yes, I have had ####ty jobs too, and have had to smile a ####-eating grin in the face of people calling me a ####, bitch, and every other name in the book. I once even had an old woman throw a (super-heavy, metal) alarm clock at my head, because I wouldn't give her a return without a receipt. That doesn't mean that I can't have some kind of understanding for the person with the menu or the person on the other side of the counter. I have NO idea what's happened to that person before I walked in. It could be their last day, their spouse could have left them, they could have just undeservingly had a new asshole torn by the last customer. However, I try to err on the side of being understanding, rather than judgmental, precisely because of those horrible experiences. If things are really a problem, then I vote with my dollar and take my business elsewhere, like any civilized person should.

And, no, if the sommelier recommended the wrong wine to me, I wouldn't tell him that he was dumb and that he ruined my meal. I would call him over to the table, explain the mistake, and ask if I could try a different wine instead. I'm sorry that apparently racism and generally being a dick to people isn't a problem for you -- if you really care about something as trivial as a game or an artbook enough to ruin the day of someone just trying to squeak out a living in this belly-up economy, then you must really have a poor quality of life.

[dragonlife29]

Again, if you go eat out, and the sommelier suggests the wrong wine, are you going to say it's OK? I wouldn't. I'd tell him he's dumb and he ruined my meal. And probably complain to the owner about it too.

Dude, people make mistakes all the time; you shouldn't jump the gun and immediately tell them they're dumb.

Words are a strong weapon so you need to know your way with them; insulting someone isn't the first thing that should come to any person's mind when trying to resolve something so trivial. I would sincerely hope that most everyone would calmly tell them that they made a mistake, and ask what could be done to fix the problem--usually, they acknowledge their mistake and fix it themselves.

Sincerity is an amazing thing, especially when both parties show it--I've gotten free meals because I know how to treat others right. Of course, they probably do it for the short-fused individuals as well, so my point is moot.

[frequency]

Well yeah. I admitted earlier that I was wrong to have snapped (albeit I felt it was a soft snap :p) at the guy. And he didn't seem to care as he finished our transaction for KH. I'm not sure he even took me seriously since I go there quite a bit... but for all I know, he could be planning my murder. But like I said, if I see that he is distraught to see me next time, I'm going to apologize.

And I know a sommelier isn't on the same "level" as a clerk, but I just wanted to illustrate what I meant about a certain quality of service that should be expected (not very well it seems :p). I didn't think I was strawmanning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man) anything though.

I didn't mean to argue about anything... And it seems to be getting a bit personal for some reason now... I just felt like explaining myself because it was like watching people talking about me being horrible (and I probably just made them think that moreso :p).

I understand that words are strong. And that's why I said "dumb". Because, well, there's a lot more hurtful words you can say to someone. I didn't think anyone would be hurt if I said "you're dumb". I didn't tell the guy he was dumb and storm out all irrate and whatnot. But I guess I'm wrong.

Though I still don't think Eternal Sin said anything wrong...

But anyway, think whatever you will about me I guess. Seems I won't change any minds.

I think I should also note, my comment that "they're impervious to my insults" in my first post was my pathetic attempt at being funny. ¬.¬

Anyway... art book... and stuffs... yay.

[Sseklebeast]

Well said Frequency.

Yeah, let's move on and talk about P4 artbook goodiness~! I'm going to stop by Gamestop tomorrow to see if I can get my artbook. If they do not have it yet then I hope they will have it by next Wednesday hehe :)

[Eternal Sin]

Futomimi, i just want to clear something up okay?

I called the sales/shipment departments at the GS headquarters, i called the section that could help me with my question. Although i could repeat what she said, verbally hearing it was a bit difficult and i had to have her repeat a few times. I would like to add i was very polite to her and nice, there no need for me to be verbally offensive right? Ive had my fair share of bad jobs too, but i always try my hardest to satisfy the customer. I just think theres a certain level of quality that needs to be met. If i call sales, i expect her to answer a sales question. I dont have any i'll feelings towards that employee, however i think GS should make sure there employs know their stuff more.

If any of what i said still offends you Futomimi, i apologize. However my opinion still stands; to each their own. :)

[Skyrocket]

I was able to get my book today. Very nice word, Atlus.

[James Fiend]

Again, if you go eat out, and the sommelier suggests the wrong wine, are you going to say it's OK? I wouldn't. I'd tell him he's dumb and he ruined my meal. And probably complain to the owner about it too.

Seriously, I hate when this happens.

[unknown]

Muhahahaha I got the artbook at Gamestop

My roommate wanted to check out the 75% off Blue Ray sales so I tagged along, asked the Gamstop guys if they had the books in yet, said they did, so I put $5 down and got it. Didn't want to risk Gamecrazy not getting it >_>

I'll probably cancel my preorder at Gamecrazy or if I'm feeling greedy, pick up the game there and another artbook that I could sell to those who didn't get one for $10-15.

[Sseklebeast]

I just picked up my artbook as well and I'm going to take Teddie's advice to not look at it until after I'm done. :) It feels very nice though! *cackle*

[Eternal Sin]

ahh im so envious!

[Kaibigan]

yeah i got quite a few of the artbooks already.

[Sseklebeast]

ahh im so envious!

Hehe I'm sure you will get one ES ;)

[Eternal Sin]

i hope you're right :)

[Sseklebeast]

Hehe let me know either way ;)

[Eternal Sin]

will do! As of right now, they still don't know if they will get them though.

[superbeast1370]

Good god, I'm gonna call my local GS tomorrow and see if they have received the artbooks yet. are they as big or bigger than P3's artbook?

[Eternal Sin]

bigger, about 2 or 2.5 times the size of the game case i'd say

[StrikeRaider]

The book is softcover bah. I also like the spoiler warning on the first page.

[Eternal Sin]

baahhh, not to annoy everyone. But constantly hearing everyone getting their book is irritating me considering i probably wont get one due to incompetent management.

[persona3rocks]

im goin yo get my artbook here in 2 minutes i called they said they got the booos but the game comes in wednesday

im so excited

[persona3rocks]

i just went and got it its really cool
i was like i called for a book the dudes like persona 4 i said yea and then he said he had to check computer i said i had the repiept he said great and just handed me one he said ill get another one too wednesday

[persona3rocks]

ok so i looked at the book lready and i didnt really get spoilers out of it well i never do so its prolly just me cuz ithought in persona3 nyx was the best persona the main character could summon till i beat the game so im pree dumb when it comes to spoilers

[Eternal Sin]

you'll get TWO ARTBOOKS?! persona3rocks, i hate you.

[persona3rocks]

eternal sin they said if i come in wednesday to get the game they said they will give me anotherbook if they knbow there ganna have to much if u dont get one i can send u my extra

[Eternal Sin]

seriously? How much do you want for it? The most i can afford right now is 40$ CND which is like 37 american

[persona3rocks]

:Di dont know i was just ganna sent it to u i got it free so ill askaround to see if anyone will buy it from me but if noone wants it ill send it to u
cuz im realoly not looking for money just to pass something on to a fellow persona player that coudnt get it:p

[Eternal Sin]

Thank you so much p3r!!! I really appreciate your kindness! Please let me know if you do or dont get an extra. I'll also let you know if my EB Games (through some miracle) get the artbooks. ^_^

[persona3rocks]

ok cool they had like a box full under the counter but like i ask how many people orderit and they said only like 10 or 12 at our gamestop i just dont understand if they dont have the games yet y did they just send the books its weird i think they got the games and are just waiting :seesaw:

[Eternal Sin]

Wow thats quite amazing actually. A whole box? But no games? I kind of wished i lived in America now. We'll be getting the games last minute before release date.

[persona3rocks]

i asked while i was there and he said they just sent the books theres only like 2 little advertisments in the store about persona 4 too i was surprised im not taking like a giant box im talking like a pretty good sized medium box
when do u get the games

[Eternal Sin]

ermm well lets hope they get here by wednesday. Probably on tuesday though. The artbooks, the employees said "if we DO get the artbooks it will probably be on the day of release"

[persona3rocks]

u get the game 1 day earlrier thani do but i promised myself id clean my house before i even started palying it and ihave class that day so my friends goin to get it for me

[Eternal Sin]

ohhh no, i meant the store get is tuesday, i can only pick it up on wednesday. i have exams though so i cant play until the 17th :(:P

[persona3rocks]

me too its ganna suck but im ganna play it wednesday night and that is if i clean my house

[Eternal Sin]

ah i see, let me know how awesome it is if you get to play it. Do you live alone p3r?

[persona3rocks]

no i dont y do u ask if u dont mind me asking

[Eternal Sin]

just trying to make conversation ^^, but now that you mention it, that did sound creepy. haha sorry :P

[persona3rocks]

oh itss cool yea i live a home cuz im still in highschool but i cant wait to leave and go to college
are u in college

[Eternal Sin]

yep, i just started this fall. ^^ enjoy highschool my friend, cause you wont have much time for games once its over :P

[persona3rocks]

yea highschool cool but i thought it would be nice to take all adanced claaes freshman year so i did ap classes sophmore year and now everythings so hard and homework piled up its horrible i havent play a video game in a couple months:very_sad:
so how college

[Eternal Sin]

well its about the same as you just described except there's also endless midterms and less time :P

[persona3rocks]

yea my 1st semester ends in 2 weeks so i have to study my butt off for all my finals its sucks
so like wat got u into the persona games

[Eternal Sin]

hehe that does suck >_<

Well it was pure random luck that got me into persona games. My friend from japanese class told me about Persona 3 and i was like "sounds like a weird game" but at that time i already liked Japanese culture. so when i ran out of games to play i went out and bought P3 and became instantly addicted. Hurray for Persona, the ultimate otaku JRPG!! so what got you into persona?

[persona3rocks]

well i was at a video store and i prety much beat ever game they had so i was just kinda browsing and found this gamethat was strange (persona 3)
so i rented it and forgot to return it for 20 days late so i was pretty addicted i was glad that it was over summer cuz i would have never dicovered persona
i love it its like the best rpg ever but i like harvestmoon if ud consider that an rpg

[Soushi_Grapple]

Hey you guys, Im gonna jump in on the convo too.

My GS had a whole box full of artbooks too! My friend and I are probably the only ones who preordered from there; since my gf was with us, she got one too. I'm saving it for a trade or I'm gonna get it signed to sell down the road. Pretty sweet =)

I'm in college, so Im a little disappointed this game comes out week before my Final Exams... Ive been trying to convince my mom to let me stay home next semester considering none of us have jobs because of the storm and I dont want to waste time there (been going to a community college for 2 years, its getting old going nowhere because you can't do anything with a degree in writing except teach which is a horrible job)

On the other hand, did anyone get the tshirt? Our GameCrazy closed down so =p

[persona3rocks]

no i dodnt get a shirt but id kill for any atire from persona 4 how would u get your art book signed too
yea i dont even think there were 10 people to order it at my gamestop

[Eternal Sin]

well i was at a video store and i prety much beat ever game they had so i was just kinda browsing and found this gamethat was strange (persona 3)
so i rented it and forgot to return it for 20 days late so i was pretty addicted i was glad that it was over summer cuz i would have never dicovered persona
i love it its like the best rpg ever but i like harvestmoon if ud consider that an rpg

ive never played harvest moon but ive always had an interest in it.

[Yukichin]

I got the t-shirt =D

[persona3rocks]

well i own almost all of the harvest moon games and there very intresting
but yea the first pageof thenew artbook first saysadvisory this volume contains artwork realting to every aspect of the gameillistrations including key points.
if u have not yet finished the game. we recommend holding off on savoring this artbook until after youre done. truths are meant to be hard earned no viewed saftly fo afar.
i read that and just has to look at the book itsvery intresting tho

i want a shirt so bad ether the black one or the bright yellow one:very_sad:

[Soushi_Grapple]

no i dodnt get a shirt but id kill for any atire from persona 4 how would u get your art book signed too
yea i dont even think there were 10 people to order it at my gamestop

I should've elaborated. I meant get the english V/As to sign it. My gf and I go to at least 1 anime convention a year and Atlus chooses some pretty common/popular VAs.

[persona3rocks]

im sorry but wats a v/a that may sound dumb but i have no clue i would love to go to a convention tho that be cool

[Yukichin]

V/A means voice actor, meaning the people who voice the characters.

[persona3rocks]

that would be so cool

[dragonlife29]

GameCrazy it is!

I called my GameStop since the shipping date was today (but I was more concerned with mah art book); the guy said it was "pushed back" to the tenth, and that they didn't have the art books, but if I reserved, I'd definitely get it...if they get them.

My GameCrazy already has the art books, and from what I experienced, they aren't giving them to people who ask for them just yet...so I'm getting there as soon as they open to gurantee myself one :D

Yay happiness!

I'll come CRY MOAR on here if I don't get it :'(

[TheMagicHat]

I'm sure this will annoy a few more people on here, but I just picked mine up.

For some reason, I find it very amusing when the employees beg the manager (all of whom know me, btw) to give me the artbook early. I barely had to ask! :lol:

[Kaibigan]

So we had 5 extra art books in the shipment. I now have 7 of them.

They are probably all going to go in my art book box where they will never see the light of day again.

[persona3rocks]

my friend works at gamestop they have a ton of extra one i think he told me so im hopefully getting a bunch of them

[Kaibigan]

my friend works at gamestop they have a ton of extra one i think he told me so im hopefully getting a bunch of them

yea dude get as much as you can and then sell them for money.

[DamnedToBeFree]

my friend works at gamestop they have a ton of extra one i think he told me so im hopefully getting a bunch of them


omg u no sum1 who werks at geamsotp? and hes givin u preordr boneses fur free? that must be liek teh most awsumness ting in the wurld!

[persona3rocks]

yep i know a worker and the assistant manager too and yea im gong to sell them on ebay theyre goin for like $24.00

[DamnedToBeFree]

yep i know a worker and the assistant manager too and yea im gong to sell them on ebay theyre goin for like $24.00


You should sell yours at a higher price.

Remember:

High Price = High Quality.

[persona3rocks]

:yawn:good point the one i got i took to school to show my teacher cuz he ordered the game and he didnt go get his book yet so i let mhim borrow mine and it got a little messed up in my backpack so iim a keep that one and sell the other 9 and send eternal sin one

[dragonlife29]

You should send me one so as to spread the holiday cheer (if I don't manage to get one) b^_^d You'll even gain a stat boost!

[persona3rocks]

wats a stat boost
and sure if i get them

[dragonlife29]

lolwat.

Stats! Like, in RPGs...O_o STR, DEF, VIT, etc.

[persona3rocks]

got u mybad i wasthingbout thasti was thinklike on the undermyname on the forums thing like were it sasy atlus faithful or member my bad:D yea ill send u one when i get them i ll get them monday they got to give people 48 hours so till friday and im goinoutoftown this weekend so monday after school

[Kaibigan]

...o_O

[Aegis Ages]

The gamestop I pre-ordered at said they got the pre order books in last week on the day I checked the prices. I pre-ordered it a few days later so hopefully they will have enough. There usually good at this kind of stuff.

I hope I'll get it properly.

[DarKaoZ]

Got mine and I'm loving it.

[aamdani07]

Wow, I didn't realize it was such a big deal or issue in other areas. I already have my P4 strategy guide and art book. I got a call saying it'll be arriving this afternoon (oh man, it's 5AM.. I should get some sleep) so I'll pick that up and give it a try.

I know most of the folks at my GS. I actually used to be roommates with the manager and I reserve all of my stuff at his store. We're both into similar games and he's incredibly good about keeping himself and me up-to-date with the art books, strategy guides, etc. to the point where he even has his ASM (assistant manager, second to the manager) and SGA (Senior Game Advisor, otherwise known as Third-key) count out the copies for him, me, and themselves if they're getting the game and keep from actually "stickering" them.

I always hated that GS gave the promotional items out before a game was fully paid off or actually picked up; I understand the point is to "promote" the item, but a lot of it is cool, collectible material that should go to a fan or customer that will actually pick the game up as opposed to certain "poachers" who go around and put down $5 to reserve the game a couple of places to get the promotional items, and then transfer the money to another game. That means they get the promotional item (multiple times possible), don't lose any of their money, and get promotional items for another game.

I mean, it's a broken system in that regard. They should track your customer information across multiple stores, let you know that "Hey, you have this game reserved in multiple locations. Is that an accident? Or are you purchasing for more than one person?" I mean, limit 1 per customer isn't cool when you're legitimately picking up individual copies, say, for your family and/or kids -- but what about those situations where people are just screwing the system to make an extra buck? I wish there was some way to keep that from happening.

[Tron!]

Hey I pre-ordered through EB games. So... if we don't get our artbooks is there anything Atlus can do for us or is it up to EB games?

[FangzV]

WTF.

I just got back from GameStop and they had the goodies but they couldn't find them.

Is there anything I can do about this other than harass them? And we refuse to come back at a later time since they can't guarentee that I'll get it.

[Eternal Sin]

Hey I pre-ordered through EB games. So... if we don't get our artbooks is there anything Atlus can do for us or is it up to EB games?

I second this opinion! I preordered P4 at one of the "select" retailers you told us to preorder from. If we don't get our art books is there anyway for Atlus to ship them to us? I did everything correctly, so i expect an art book.

[FangzV]

Hey I pre-ordered through EB games. So... if we don't get our artbooks is there anything Atlus can do for us or is it up to EB games?

I second this opinion! I preordered P4 at one of the "select" retailers you told us to preorder from. If we don't get our art books is there anyway for Atlus to ship them to us? I did everything correctly, so i expect an art book.

I third you. I also want to say that I am very disapointed, and I believe we deserve the Social Link Expansion packs along with our preorder art books! *pushing it*


I think EB Games and GameStop are connected, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's why we are having problems.
In that case, Tron!, did the guys working there tell you a buncha BS?

[Eternal Sin]

yes EB and Gamestop are connect, i believe EB is run by GS. The people at my EB have NO FREAKING CLUE if they will even get the art books. How hard is it to ship a box of books to the country next to you? Honestly!

[aamdani07]

Well, I think EB in Canada is not connected to GameStop/EB: North America.

As for the "goodies" - I'm fairly certain we're just getting bonuses, they're not necessarily "promised" us. I mean, the art books are probably in limited supply. I could be wrong, I'm just saying, we shouldn't "expect" these things - Atlus is doing right by us for trying to provide them and not charging any extra for it. The soundtracks are fairly gauranteed as they're packaged in the game (I picked up my Persona 4 today and just started playing, and sure enough, the Soundtrack: Side a CD is in there), but I believe the artbooks are while supplies last.

I plan on buying the Social Link Expansion Pack from Amazon later tonight, actually. Great stuff. Teddie's awesome.

[Eternal Sin]

Well thats just crappy. If they wont send art books up here then WRITE IT DOWN so us apparently very far away Canadians dont get pumped months in advanced for nothing. ALSO, if people in the US are getting TWO art books per person then send some up here!!! This is rotten, i mean my EB had BOTH Luminous Arc 2 and Eternal Poison art books, so wtf is the deal with P4 art books? >_< This makes me lethally mad.

[GuardianE]

Went to pick up my artbook with game today at my local Gamestop, who I trust, and they had no artbook for me. I have had the game reserved for well over a month now, if not two months and I don't get an art book? This is ridiculous. Tell me who I can call and complain to, please. I did NOT buy the game. I left it there because it is unacceptable for me to pay for something and get less than what I am due.

They told me that I was the only pre-order and they had not given it away to anyone before me. What the hell. Seriously. I am beyond pissed. But more than pissed, I'm very very disappointed. I was looking forward to this artbook/game combo for a long time. I was considering buying from Amazon, but considering their track record with sending pre-orders AFTER people who pre-order later is just ludicrous. It seems like it was lose-lose. I called two other Gamestops in my area and they confirmed that they received no art books. I'm livid and I don't know what to do.

And I'd like it if others did not feed me some BS about how I shouldn't be expecting this artbook and how I should not complain, blah blah blah. I pre-ordered this thing well in advance, checked with Gamestop and Gamestop IS a retailer that the bonus is for. I went ON launch day to pick it up. I did NOT pick it up because the only reason I pre-ordered the game was for the artbook... plain and simple. I can wait to play the game. I have a backlog of enough games. I wanted that artbook badly, I wanted Atlus to know that I approve of bonuses like this, and so I was willing to pay full price.

[FangzV]

My brother made a damn good point.
There'll be scans of the entire thing by tomorrow. xD

>.>; Nonetheless, I'm still pissed off.

[GuardianE]

My brother made a damn good point.
There'll be scans of the entire thing by tomorrow. xD

>.>; Nonetheless, I'm still pissed off.

I don't want scans. I want the book because it's collectible, as I'm sure most people on this forum do as well. I like to display and keep things of games that I know I'll love. This artbook is one of them.

[dragonlife29]

Scans FTL; physical copies FTW.

[Eternal Sin]

edit - Knock this off. It isn't funny. Kakizaki

[aamdani07]

Went to pick up my artbook with game today at my local Gamestop, who I trust, and they had no artbook for me. I have had the game reserved for well over a month now, if not two months and I don't get an art book? This is ridiculous. Tell me who I can call and complain to, please. I did NOT buy the game. I left it there because it is unacceptable for me to pay for something and get less than what I am due.

They told me that I was the only pre-order and they had not given it away to anyone before me. What the hell. Seriously. I am beyond pissed. But more than pissed, I'm very very disappointed. I was looking forward to this artbook/game combo for a long time. I was considering buying from Amazon, but considering their track record with sending pre-orders AFTER people who pre-order later is just ludicrous. It seems like it was lose-lose. I called two other Gamestops in my area and they confirmed that they received no art books. I'm livid and I don't know what to do.

And I'd like it if others did not feed me some BS about how I shouldn't be expecting this artbook and how I should not complain, blah blah blah. I pre-ordered this thing well in advance, checked with Gamestop and Gamestop IS a retailer that the bonus is for. I went ON launch day to pick it up. I did NOT pick it up because the only reason I pre-ordered the game was for the artbook... plain and simple. I can wait to play the game. I have a backlog of enough games. I wanted that artbook badly, I wanted Atlus to know that I approve of bonuses like this, and so I was willing to pay full price.


@GaurdianE: You can call GameStop Corporate, and file a complaint. They will forward it to the district manager, who will in turn locate an artbook for you.

If you do it politely, and inform them of the details as you mentioned them above, they will be very motivated to ensure you receive every bonus that you are due.

My friend is a manager at GameStop (as is his girlfriend). He tells me of a customer that came in and wanted the artbook that was a pre-order bonus for a game that he had no clue an artbook came in for. It hadn't shipped for his store, that was for sure. So, he told the customer he didn't know about any artbook for the game (which wasn't an RPG or TBS, which is my friend's general taste in games) but he would check other stores. He called his girlfriend's store and checked with her and she had a copy. He told the customer he would be able to bring the artbook for the customer the following day, or the customer could go pick it up from the other location, which the customer did and was happy about.

A few notes: sometimes the employees are incompetent (not the case with my friend), simply aren't aware of the bonuses (which is the case, and is a fault not of his, but the lack of promotion of the item's bonuses, such as in Game Informer magazine, or a GS company-wide distributed e-mail regarding the bonuses), or don't receive the product due to a whole slew of reasons.

Your first try should be to go beyond a general Game Advisor or lower-level employee - no need to be rude or brush past them, simply ask to speak to someone in charge who may have more information; a manager should be able to assist you. If not, call corporate and tell them of the problem, and they should be more than happy to fix it for you.

Yes, it's a hassle that you shouldn't have to go through - but inevitably, not everyone can be made happy and not everything can be ideal, which includes retail locations getting the right inventory amounts, having well-trained employees who are extremely knoweldgeable on every genre of gaming and every aspect of individual marketing and promotions, and having management do their best jobs to convey all business deals and practices to every member of a business, as well as efficient, hold-time-free customer service.

And I'm sure you'd love it if I didn't feed you BS about how you shouldn't expect the artbook - but I still will because you're in here complaining about how you shouldn't have to deal with the problems associated with the retail industry. We're not having to pay extra for these bonuses. It's nice of Atlus to provide it to us as they can - but they aren't the direct providers. Now, it would be nice if they did provide it to us directly - but that would probably involve a process of sending in the proof-of-purchase or what-not and having to wait a week or so extra after the game comes out for the artbook - which I'm sure most of us would be willing to wait and endure to gaurantee delivery. But we'd still come here and complain about the lengthy process or the hassle of doing it.

Look, I don't mean to be rude myself, but I'm just trying to say calm down, and try not to judge the entire company or even that individual store because of one bad experience (or heck, even a few - considering how many good experiences you may have had there, since as you mentioned, you trust this particular location).

In all sincerity, though, I wish you good luck on obtaining the art book. If you don't get a copy through the above process, PM me and I'll see if my friend can arrange to get a hold of a single extra copy, since you did faithfully go through the process and feel cheated.

Also: my experience, my manager friend, and another mutual friend of ours' experience with Amazon.com hasn't been at all how you mentioned it. We're in Arlington/Dallas/Grand Prairie, Texas, and it may have to do with the fact that they have an Amazon.com shipper location (or something to that effect) down here, but our mutual friend pre-ordered GoW2 through Amazon.com and actually received it 6 hours before the midnight release. My manager friend and I ordered the collector's edition of Tales of Vesperia through Amazon.com (I beleive.. it was a while ago, and it may have been the GameStop website, but I don't think so.) and we received our copies' same-day as the people who picked it up from a brick-and-mortar location. I think it depends on your specific location; you can test it out by getting a book you've been wanting through them and seeing how long it takes to process and ship your book to you. That should reflect their typical delivery time, which I believe should be actually less speedy than their pre-order system.

[GuardianE]

@GaurdianE: You can call GameStop Corporate, and file a complaint. They will forward it to the district manager, who will in turn locate an artbook for you.......
.........
Also: my experience, my manager friend, and another mutual friend of ours' experience with Amazon.com hasn't been at all how you mentioned it. We're in Arlington/Dallas/Grand Prairie, Texas, and it may have to do with the fact that they have an Amazon.com shipper location (or something to that effect) down here, but our mutual friend pre-ordered GoW2 through Amazon.com and actually received it 6 hours before the midnight release. My manager friend and I ordered the collector's edition of Tales of Vesperia through Amazon.com (I beleive.. it was a while ago, and it may have been the GameStop website, but I don't think so.) and we received our copies' same-day as the people who picked it up from a brick-and-mortar location. I think it depends on your specific location; you can test it out by getting a book you've been wanting through them and seeing how long it takes to process and ship your book to you. That should reflect their typical delivery time, which I believe should be actually less speedy than their pre-order system.

I spoke with the active manager on duty and will soon be speaking with the Store Manager who I know personally. I may have come off as a bit harsh, but you can understand my frustration and anger. I just came back from the Gamestop, empty-handed, and went online to see if I could find a solution.

This was quite possibly the single most important pre-order bonus of the year and this is why I am expressing such distaste right now. I don't blame the individual store. I blame how Gamestop corporate distributes these books. I blame Atlus if they did not allocate enough books to cover pre-orders in B&M stores. This is not simply about the inevitabilities of retail. There are no inevitabilities of retail. There are only mistakes and different levels of severity. This happened to be a very grave one for me. A trust shattering one.

You may not think we're paying extra for these artbooks, but believe me.... we are. The more pre-orders Atlus receives for this title, the more copies distributers will order, the more money in Atlus' pockets. I'm not saying that this is not nice for them to do, but there's a business reason behind it. They're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, although I like to think they are sometimes. More pre-orders means better sales at launch... which is the most important time because otherwise they'll lose business to resellers like Gamestop with their used copies. You could pay retail up front and get the game at launch, or you could wait a few weeks and get it for $10-15 cheaper Used with coupons. The incentive is the artbook (and playing at launch, I suppose, but that plays second fiddle in my personal circumstance).

And it is a million times easier to claim that the pre-order bonus is a gift that shouldn't be expected, when you have the pretty, shiny book in your hands. I do appreciate your words and advice, but I can't calm down right now. It seems like my entire district is artbook-less and that's just unacceptable on some level. Someone messed up badly and I want to rip their head off.

And as for Amazon, all I know is that they don't do pre-orders by queue. This means that you could get screwed or you could get lucky, but it's all up to a flip of the coin. That's why I hate pre-ordering from Amazon. It might be based on distribution centers, but if you placed your order months ahead of someone else, you could potentially be waiting a week longer than someone who pre-ordered the day before. I've seen it happen.

Again, I appreciate your words/offer and I'm not blaming Atlus (unless I find that they did something to deserve it). I'm furious and I need a scapegoat.

[GFSummoner]

That might happen to me. But, seeing as my PS2 is at home, it is not ok. As long, as I am guaranteed a copy + pre-order swag, I will be happy.

[persona3rocks]

well sorry to everonyone that didnt get htere artbook went and got mine after school today i have the game in my hand as i type i went and got a artbook b efore the game waso ut and they gave me another oen today so i got 2 and theres more coming my way:D

[aamdani07]

I spoke with the active manager on duty and will soon be speaking with the Store Manager who I know personally. I may have come off as a bit harsh, but you can understand my frustration and anger. I just came back from the Gamestop, empty-handed, and went online to see if I could find a solution.

This was quite possibly the single most important pre-order bonus of the year and this is why I am expressing such distaste right now. I don't blame the individual store. I blame how Gamestop corporate distributes these books. I blame Atlus if they did not allocate enough books to cover pre-orders in B&M stores. This is not simply about the inevitabilities of retail. There are no inevitabilities of retail. There are only mistakes and different levels of severity. This happened to be a very grave one for me. A trust shattering one.

You may not think we're paying extra for these artbooks, but believe me.... we are. The more pre-orders Atlus receives for this title, the more copies distributers will order, the more money in Atlus' pockets. I'm not saying that this is not nice for them to do, but there's a business reason behind it. They're not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, although I like to think they are sometimes. More pre-orders means better sales at launch... which is the most important time because otherwise they'll lose business to resellers like Gamestop with their used copies. You could pay retail up front and get the game at launch, or you could wait a few weeks and get it for $10-15 cheaper Used with coupons. The incentive is the artbook (and playing at launch, I suppose, but that plays second fiddle in my personal circumstance).

And it is a million times easier to claim that the pre-order bonus is a gift that shouldn't be expected, when you have the pretty, shiny book in your hands. I do appreciate your words and advice, but I can't calm down right now. It seems like my entire district is artbook-less and that's just unacceptable on some level. Someone messed up badly and I want to rip their head off.

And as for Amazon, all I know is that they don't do pre-orders by queue. This means that you could get screwed or you could get lucky, but it's all up to a flip of the coin. That's why I hate pre-ordering from Amazon. It might be based on distribution centers, but if you placed your order months ahead of someone else, you could potentially be waiting a week longer than someone who pre-ordered the day before. I've seen it happen.

Again, I appreciate your words/offer and I'm not blaming Atlus (unless I find that they did something to deserve it). I'm furious and I need a scapegoat.

Ah, I can understand your anger/frustration - and it is easier to say it when I have the book; I know I'd be in the same state as you if it happened to me, initially, but thankfully my manager friend helps me out. As, he has stated, he is willing to do for you. I presented your case to him and he told me he has one additional copy and that he can perform a store-to-store transfer to your store choice, so it doesn't cost you or me any money, and GameStop foots the bill of transferrance for you. The only price, I suppose, is time. Just PM me your particular GameStop's store number and your first/last name (with no other personal information unless you deem it necessary for them to hold your copy for you by), and I'll let my friend know to transfer it to your store and hold it for you by name. Of course, if your conversation with your local store manager turns out fruitful, then let me know so we let someone else out there (locally, possibly) who may also be dealing with similar frustrations have a chance to get that extra copy.

Since you're the only one who reserved a copy, I don't think it should be a problem for them, and I'm sure no one else here will mind that you're getting what's due to you. As for the marketing thing, I get that, but they're still doing it because they're good to their fans. I was just commenting to my manager friend today how much more respect I have for Atlus because they listen to their fans, kind of like an indie developer.

And as far as the amazon thing went, I had no idea they didn't do it in a queue of pre-order date. That's pretty lame. But most retail companies don't do that either - I know GameStop does (or did, anyways) it with their console reserves, but not with game reserves unless you're extremely early and a general regular. Favoritism, right? :-\

Anyways, I hope we can get you that artbook and that it relieves some of that frustration you've been having with your local GameStop. I don't work for them, but I've spent quite a few years spending my money there and I guess it may be because I'm friends with the staff that I have such a good experience there in general, but I think the company is still trying to do right by the customers while of course making their profit. I don't necessarily agree that they're doing right by their employees - but I think they try to do right by the customer, at least.

[jerpar]

i got mine. I think I might pick up the guide just because...

[Kallisto]

edit - I can understand why you are frustrated, but please don't do that again. Kakizaki.

[Soushi_Grapple]

My friends and I are going to pick up the game tomorrow; if we get a few extra artbooks I might be able to throw some this way. =)

I have a manager like that around here. I missed out on the Yggdra CD and he was trying to track one down (eventually got it online) but he contacted the supplier and his other store first. For my friend who missed out on a guide, he called 5 other stores in the area. So give the managers a chance at least =)

[persona3rocks]

im ganna get a job at gamestop

[GuardianE]

Ah, I can understand your anger/frustration - and it is easier to say it when I have the book; I know I'd be in the same state as you if it happened to me, initially, but thankfully my manager friend helps me out. As, he has stated, he is willing to do for you. I presented your case to him and he told me he has one additional copy and that he can perform a store-to-store transfer to your store choice, so it doesn't cost you or me any money, and GameStop foots the bill of transferrance for you. The only price, I suppose, is time. Just PM me your particular GameStop's store number and your first/last name (with no other personal information unless you deem it necessary for them to hold your copy for you by), and I'll let my friend know to transfer it to your store and hold it for you by name. Of course, if your conversation with your local store manager turns out fruitful, then let me know so we let someone else out there (locally, possibly) who may also be dealing with similar frustrations have a chance to get that extra copy.

......

Anyways, I hope we can get you that artbook and that it relieves some of that frustration you've been having with your local GameStop. I don't work for them, but I've spent quite a few years spending my money there and I guess it may be because I'm friends with the staff that I have such a good experience there in general, but I think the company is still trying to do right by the customers while of course making their profit. I don't necessarily agree that they're doing right by their employees - but I think they try to do right by the customer, at least.

I'll definitely let you know how it goes. I couldn't get in touch with my manager friend, though I'll let him know what happened tomorrow. I just went ahead and ordered it on Amazon.com. I called ahead of time and had the CSR reassure me over and over that the artbook would be included and that she would take full responsibility if I did not receive it. We'll see how that goes. As of right now, I'm cancelling my Gamestop pre-order, though, so hopefully you can take care of some other people on here.

If I recieve my Amazon shipment and I don't receive my artbook, I guess I'll just have to check on here and see if there's anyone with any extras they'd be willing to spare.

Thanks again for your helpful offers.

[evilmegaman]

I'm certainly excited. I went by the gamecrazy by my house to see if I preordered it (my memory... well it hasn't been on the ball lately) and luckily I had. unfortunately, it's not shipped til tomorrow.

It was worth the bike ride though. saw one of my old friends on my way home. tomorrow I'm not gonna go out so grungey though. gotta look good for my date. (a nice day at home with persona 4. light some candles. and cuddle. with my box.durr girlfriend can wait til saturday. need some alone time with chie and the crew)

[Olethros]

bad, bad bid bed. tis not goods. mine want was pichter buk. :exclaim::exclaim::exclaim::exclaim::exclaim:

[Kakizaki]

I can understand why some of you are frustrated, but I do have a question. How long have some of you been reserving games? I'm talking about non Atlus published titles as well. I worked at Gamestop for between 4 - 5 years. I can guarantee you that not everyone that reserved a title always received the preorder bonuses. Not just with Atlus titles, but with all publishers' titles -- myself included. There has always been limited supplies / disclaimers for such things. As I have posted before, if you look at GS/EB's website or Amazon's website, it clearly states that preorder bonuses are limited.

I do think it sucks for the Canadians though. There is clearly something wrong with distribution channels up there.

Also, whoever stated GS/EBs in Canada are not affiliated with the U.S. ones is wrong. It is the same chain.

[Nightrayne13x]

I can understand why some of you are frustrated, but I do have a question. How long have some of you been reserving games? I'm talking about non Atlus published titles as well. I worked at Gamestop for between 4 - 5 years. I can guarantee you that not everyone that reserved a title always received the preorder bonuses. Not just with Atlus titles, but with all publishers' titles. There has always been limited supplies / disclaimers for such things. As I have posted before, if you look at GS/EB's website or Amazon's website, it clearly states that preorder bonuses are limited.

I do think it sucks for the Canadians though. There is clearly something wrong with distribution channels up there.

Also, whoever stated GS/EBs in Canada are not affliated with the U.S. ones is wrong. It is the same chain.

What you said is very true. I would also like to point out that this isn't really atlus fault, it is more of gamestop fault. Atlus sends them the artbook to the distribution centers, but from there its on gamestop's time on which store gets the artbooks and how many. The problem is that gamestop for some reason sends a mass amount of artbooks to one store and few to none to another.

The best advice I can give you is to contact your District Manager and put in a complaint and you will probably get one.

[Kakizaki]

^Yes, you are right on. The distribution to the stores from the distribution center is what is totally messed up. It really makes little sense at times.

While I was it GS, it really seemed to rely not only on the preorders for a current game, but also on the preorders for that said game's publisher's previous games. Hopefully that makes sense.

I saw this firsthand with Atlus titles while I was at Software Etc and GS.

[aamdani07]

I can understand why some of you are frustrated, but I do have a question. How long have some of you been reserving games? I'm talking about non Atlus published titles as well. I worked at Gamestop for between 4 - 5 years. I can guarantee you that not everyone that reserved a title always received the preorder bonuses. Not just with Atlus titles, but with all publishers' titles -- myself included. There has always been limited supplies / disclaimers for such things. As I have posted before, if you look at GS/EB's website or Amazon's website, it clearly states that preorder bonuses are limited.

I do think it sucks for the Canadians though. There is clearly something wrong with distribution channels up there.

Also, whoever stated GS/EBs in Canada are not affiliated with the U.S. ones is wrong. It is the same chain.

I had stated I thought that they were separate business entities. I went on their website and they list several EB locations in Canada though, so I guess I was wrong.

As for reserving games, I've been doing it at least 3 years now. I reserve games and fully pay them off at the time of the reserve; I've also gotten to know the individual managers for the 2-3 stores I used to shop at, and now I'm pretty exclusive to a single store, but I still get to know the managers of my areas GameStop through personal hang-out time associated with them, since they're around my and my manager friends' age and we hang out a lot. It's probably due to this that I tend to get news about things and usually don't miss out on the pre-order bonuses. They let me know when things have come in so I have a chance to go get them.

And, I acknowledged earlier that these items are typically in limited supply - the issue here being that Atlus has promised the gamers that pre-ordered these bonuses; almost guaranteed it. So, yeah, it's the fault of the individual retail stores and their distribution - but Atlus can slap them with a street date on games, etc. - why not as well as their pre-order bonuses, right?

That sort of thing. =/

[bodrock]

....I knew about the pre-order, as did the EB employees. I expected the package to look something like P3's, with the art book bound physically to the game case, but was surprised when it came separately.

Also, like they warn ya on the cover of the art book (?), don't look into it unless you want spoilers!!

[Kaibigan]

This thread puts a smile on my face.

[Kakizaki]

aamdanio7,

I wasn't addressing you directly. Those were general questions for everyone in the thread. If anything, your previous comments in this thread served to calm people down and were pretty rational.

Again, street date on bonuses would do nothing to influence distribution.

I also wanted to mention that I want you guys to cool it on the GS/EB employee slams. I know there are some cruddy employees out there, but there are also a ton of very knowledgeable and helpful ones.

There are also a fair amount of them that look over these boards. I would prefer that they didn't have to see some of these petty comments. There is some truth to the saying "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar".

[firehydra2k]

Futomimi, i just want to clear something up okay?

I called the sales/shipment departments at the GS headquarters, i called the section that could help me with my question. Although i could repeat what she said, verbally hearing it was a bit difficult and i had to have her repeat a few times. I would like to add i was very polite to her and nice, there no need for me to be verbally offensive right? Ive had my fair share of bad jobs too, but i always try my hardest to satisfy the customer. I just think theres a certain level of quality that needs to be met. If i call sales, i expect her to answer a sales question. I dont have any i'll feelings towards that employee, however i think GS should make sure there employs know their stuff more.

If any of what i said still offends you Futomimi, i apologize. However my opinion still stands; to each their own. :)

Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there, even the ones you hate (because you're supposed to advertise appropriate games to people of all age, interests, etc...). Therefore, even if you're a huge RPG fanatic, if you don't like everything else (FPS, strategy, etc...) they will most likely not hire you. Therefore, it's not easy being those workers, especially if their boss emphasizes other hot-ticketed games like Guitar Hero World Tour and Fallout 3. Despite how much everyone here drools about the game, they're not expected to have absolute knowledge of a small niche game like this one.

[slayn]

Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there...

This isn't even remotely true.

[persona3rocks]

i went to a gamestop to applie for a job and the first quiestion the dude asked is if i palyed video games i was like no i hate tv and video game system i dont even own any i didnt really say that but thats wat i was thinking
wat kind of question is that if your ganna work at a gamestore

[firehydra2k]

Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there...

This isn't even remotely true.

Well, I remember a long time ago (in a galaxy not too far away), I applied, and they had questions about the type of games I play. Basically, if those big empty fields aren't filled up adequately, you have a slim chance depending on how many people apply for the job.

However, you'd be surprised how many people tried to go there without ever played video games at all. It's like going to a pet store and not knowing what animals eat...

[Kaibigan]

Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there...

This isn't even remotely true.

Not at all.

[Kakizaki]

Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there...

This isn't even remotely true.

Well, I remember a long time ago (in a galaxy not too far away), I applied, and they had questions about the type of games I play. Basically, if those big empty fields aren't filled up adequately, you have a slim chance depending on how many people apply for the job.

However, you'd be surprised how many people tried to go there without ever played video games at all. It's like going to a pet store and not knowing what animals eat...

I will verify what the others have said -- there is no 75% rule. There were two small questions on the application that asked what systems you owned and what you play. It really had no bearing on anything.

[frequency]

Back when I was in high school, a classmate of mine worked at EB, and professed (rather arrogantly) that he didn't play games, and still managed to get a job. So...

But I do think most EB employees know a bit about games, but they don't know more than your average "gamer". And I don't expect them to. But there are issues with the overall service (and the industry as a whole) that I do bitch about :p

Every EB I go into, when I pick up a game, the clerk usually makes "knowledgable" comments on the title, so...

I can't say the same for their customer service call centers though (if they even have any... I've never looked into it). But call centers in general hire anyone they can it seems. I used to work at one, and I knew nothing about any of it when I was hired. I just got a knowledge base and a few sheets of general information.

[Nightrayne13x]

Honestly the best thing you guys can do (other than calling your District Manager and complain...trust me it works) is to submit a complaint about the issue at gamestop/eb.com (im guessing .ca) and let them know about all of this. Tell them that stores are getting loads of copies while others (like yours) didnt get any. Obviously this isn't going to change unless a mass complaint is filed to cause them to rethink their distribution of bonus items. It sucks to whoever did not get one but lets try to do something to limit this from happening again. Complaining on atlus forums won't do much (though I can understand the frustration and the need to), telling gamestop, the actual source of the problem, can help as they will know for the future.

Make sure to keep complaints legit and not go on flaming them in the email or whatever, i doubt they will take those one seriously.

[Futomimi]

[quote=firehydra2k]Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there...
However, you'd be surprised how many people tried to go there without ever played video games at all. It's like going to a pet store and not knowing what animals eat...

If this hypothetical pet store were a chain pet store, and the person were applying for a cashier or stocking position, I don't see how that would have any effect on their job.

[Nightrayne13x]

Yah I don't think game knowledge is required at gamestop anymore. The female manager at my closest one did not know what Metal Gear Solid was.

[firehydra2k]

[quote=firehydra2k]Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there...
However, you'd be surprised how many people tried to go there without ever played video games at all. It's like going to a pet store and not knowing what animals eat...

If this hypothetical pet store were a chain pet store, and the person were applying for a cashier or stocking position, I don't see how that would have any effect on their job.

True to an extent. However, gamestop (at least the 8 establishments within 30 miles from my house) is usually a 1-2 man station (3 max unless Halo 3 or equivalent comes out. In which case, max 4). I rarely see a system where one guy is the stocker and another guy is the "game advisor" and the other guy is the cashier. That would work at best buy, but not at gamestop (they have to do almost everything).

[aamdani07]

[quote=firehydra2k]Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there...
However, you'd be surprised how many people tried to go there without ever played video games at all. It's like going to a pet store and not knowing what animals eat...

If this hypothetical pet store were a chain pet store, and the person were applying for a cashier or stocking position, I don't see how that would have any effect on their job.

True to an extent. However, gamestop (at least the 8 establishments within 30 miles from my house) is usually a 1-2 man station (3 max unless Halo 3 or equivalent comes out. In which case, max 4). I rarely see a system where one guy is the stocker and another guy is the "game advisor" and the other guy is the cashier. That would work at best buy, but not at gamestop (they have to do almost everything).

I've seen stores with the setup you're talking about, and other stores where that isn't close to the rule because they're in general bigger or more closely "watched" by their District or Regional managers. Certain stores follow strictly on having a manager/asm/3rd key always present on one register and overseeing with a GA or two to handle the other register and do stocking, etc.

Also, I worked at GameStop - for 3 weeks, as it was just to tide me over during a rough spot where I had to move out of my house for 3 weeks before I went back home. Again, I knew the manager, knew the employees, etc. - and they essentially hired me without even bothering with qualifications. They held an "interview" to say they did, and my resume was in software development - the fact that I had a resume baffled the manager in the first place. She didn't need or want one. I happen to know a bit about gaming, since I'm into it and spend a few thousand a year on it, but that doesn't mean I know a 75% (or anywhere close to that, for that matter) spread on various upcoming games.

They actually told us at the beginning of the week what to promote and sell that they were really pushing. They had artificial metrics they place on us that altered at least twice during my short tenure - first IPTs (Items Per Transaction) were important, then they weren't - it depended mostly on pushing GPG (game protection gaurantees - the warranties they sell per disc or system). We also had to have a certain percentage of our total sales for the day be trade-ins and/or used items. I mean, really ridiculous stuff. They also monitored how many subs (subscriptions) and reserves (pre-orders) we made per week. I mean, I can understand when some of those employees get upset or frustrated about cancelled reservations or people who won't even listen to their pitch about the EDGE card and what-have-you.

But I've worked with and shopped with employees who had little to no idea what they were doing (at first) and others who had lots of knowledge but were just plain harsh with customers - employees tend to start thinking customers are idiots when they don't see them on a regular basis and they ask what the employees think are stupid questions - just like gamers/customers tend to think the employees are stupid when they can't answer a simple question or explain why their artbooks didn't come in.

I'm just saying it's a communication issue on both sides, and employees are caught in various states - they try and learn about the gaming community due to the announcements that have been made, emails from management, Game Informer magazine, etc.

What I'm trying to say is that we should (a) try and be polite and (b) try and improve our communication skills such that we clearly explain what the issue is and ask how to resolve it and we LISTEN to their response and aptly gauge whether or not they have any information they can even educate us with.

Regardless, I agree that e-mailing their corporate headquarters or filing a complaint through their website is your next best option if your store manager can't assist you. Finally, if no resolution comes from any of the above, you can try e-mailing Atlus and seeing if they have any spares they're willing to send out to you provided you can show them a proof-of-purchase - this isn't their statement or anything, I'm just saying it's worth a try.

[Frink]

I called Gamestop yesterday, they said they didn't have the game in yet.
I called today, they said they got it yesterday.
They said they gave out all the art books yesterday.
I called other Gamestops in the area; one of them said that I could call back in two days and get an art book if someone didn't pick up their pre-order.
Am I disappointed? A little.
If I don't get one, I can buy one off ebay.
Some of the complaining in here is ridiculous, especially from 1 specific person.
Damn.

[Eternal Sin]

sorry Frink, i will stop complaining. I realise how silly it is and how much it is annoying everyone. My sincerest apologize guys, i think the stress of exams made me snap, though its no excuse.

[firehydra2k]

[quote=firehydra2k]Being a gamestop employee requires 75% knowledge of the games out there...
However, you'd be surprised how many people tried to go there without ever played video games at all. It's like going to a pet store and not knowing what animals eat...

If this hypothetical pet store were a chain pet store, and the person were applying for a cashier or stocking position, I don't see how that would have any effect on their job.

True to an extent. However, gamestop (at least the 8 establishments within 30 miles from my house) is usually a 1-2 man station (3 max unless Halo 3 or equivalent comes out. In which case, max 4). I rarely see a system where one guy is the stocker and another guy is the "game advisor" and the other guy is the cashier. That would work at best buy, but not at gamestop (they have to do almost everything).

I've seen stores with the setup you're talking about, and other stores where that isn't close to the rule because they're in general bigger or more closely "watched" by their District or Regional managers. Certain stores follow strictly on having a manager/asm/3rd key always present on one register and overseeing with a GA or two to handle the other register and do stocking, etc.

Also, I worked at GameStop - for 3 weeks, as it was just to tide me over during a rough spot where I had to move out of my house for 3 weeks before I went back home. Again, I knew the manager, knew the employees, etc. - and they essentially hired me without even bothering with qualifications. They held an "interview" to say they did, and my resume was in software development - the fact that I had a resume baffled the manager in the first place. She didn't need or want one. I happen to know a bit about gaming, since I'm into it and spend a few thousand a year on it, but that doesn't mean I know a 75% (or anywhere close to that, for that matter) spread on various upcoming games.

They actually told us at the beginning of the week what to promote and sell that they were really pushing. They had artificial metrics they place on us that altered at least twice during my short tenure - first IPTs (Items Per Transaction) were important, then they weren't - it depended mostly on pushing GPG (game protection gaurantees - the warranties they sell per disc or system). We also had to have a certain percentage of our total sales for the day be trade-ins and/or used items. I mean, really ridiculous stuff. They also monitored how many subs (subscriptions) and reserves (pre-orders) we made per week. I mean, I can understand when some of those employees get upset or frustrated about cancelled reservations or people who won't even listen to their pitch about the EDGE card and what-have-you.

But I've worked with and shopped with employees who had little to no idea what they were doing (at first) and others who had lots of knowledge but were just plain harsh with customers - employees tend to start thinking customers are idiots when they don't see them on a regular basis and they ask what the employees think are stupid questions - just like gamers/customers tend to think the employees are stupid when they can't answer a simple question or explain why their artbooks didn't come in.

I'm just saying it's a communication issue on both sides, and employees are caught in various states - they try and learn about the gaming community due to the announcements that have been made, emails from management, Game Informer magazine, etc.

What I'm trying to say is that we should (a) try and be polite and (b) try and improve our communication skills such that we clearly explain what the issue is and ask how to resolve it and we LISTEN to their response and aptly gauge whether or not they have any information they can even educate us with.

Regardless, I agree that e-mailing their corporate headquarters or filing a complaint through their website is your next best option if your store manager can't assist you. Finally, if no resolution comes from any of the above, you can try e-mailing Atlus and seeing if they have any spares they're willing to send out to you provided you can show them a proof-of-purchase - this isn't their statement or anything, I'm just saying it's worth a try.

Now that's an interesting read. They are part-hourly and part salesman over there. No wonder why they keep asking me to sign up for those edge card subscriptions and such. Also explains why they glare at me everytime i make a return...

And you pretty much summed up the point I was making about the whole communication bit. I find it snotty how there's reaction to it already, even with the Amazon customers. I am optimistic that my shipment will come either tomorrow or Friday (since USPS is making quick progress as usual with my Amazon orders).

Although submitting a resume to places like that? Come on. Is video gaming a valuable skill set? Damn, I wish Gamestop offered a decent yearly salary, and I may be set for an early retirement...

[Green Card]

sorry Frink, i will stop complaining. I realise how silly it is and how much it is annoying everyone. My sincerest apologize guys, i think the stress of exams made me snap, though its no excuse.

lol why such a big apology for just ranting? Its not the end of the world.

[Eternal Sin]

well ive complained to the extent that it bothers people and i honestly feel guilty about whining to everyone. So i feel an apology is in order. :)

[Kakizaki]

Although submitting a resume to places like that? Come on. Is video gaming a valuable skill set? Damn, I wish Gamestop offered a decent yearly salary, and I may be set for an early retirement...

Knowing a decent amount about video games doesn't necessarily make you a decent employee at GS. I was a manager for a little while during my time with GS, and what people thought they knew and didn't know about v/gs amounted to squat when it comes down to it.

One of the best managers I ever knew at Software Etc hardly touched games.

[aamdani07]

I called Gamestop yesterday, they said they didn't have the game in yet.
I called today, they said they got it yesterday.
They said they gave out all the art books yesterday.
I called other Gamestops in the area; one of them said that I could call back in two days and get an art book if someone didn't pick up their pre-order.
Am I disappointed? A little.
If I don't get one, I can buy one off ebay.
Some of the complaining in here is ridiculous, especially from 1 specific person.
Damn.

Hm. So in your incredibly tolerant and patient opinion, or at least strong opinion, what's worse:
(1) the people complaining about not getting what they wanted,
or
(2) the people complaining about the people who complain about not getting what they wanted?

Eternal, if you were being annoying, multiple people would let you know or a moderator would have banned you or something. I'm not a regular of this forum since I only found out about recently, this past week, but I think if you were truly annoying, one of the moderators would have said something.

You're expressing your frustration, one of the things I believe this company (Atlus) is willing to hear and try and help you out in some way. So, take it easy. I think people coming in and telling you that you aren't good enough or you're too whiny or whatever is pretty much bull. You have a right to say whatever it is you want, especially if you're not doing or saying anything offensive or rude.

As for Frink - I'm not sure why they didn't call you or why they mis-informed you. I know that the Atlus website listed the release date, as well as the GameStop website. I know that typically (and this was the case for me) GameStop's phone service contacts your number if they have it on file, which they should if you've ever shopped their before and if you reserve a game, they contact you a few days before and at least the day of when a game is released. I know I received a phone call on Monday afternoon telling me that Persona 4 was coming out Tuesday afternoon. It could be they didn't have your number or their service was down in your area.

Since they did misinform you, you can talk to the store manager and he or she should be able to help you out, especially as you should have had the game pre-ordered and they try and take care of those customers in the hopes that they'll recieve future reserves.

If not, you can contact GameStop corporate, as we've said before a few times in this thread, and they should forward the complaint to their district manager who will contact you and try and resolve your issue for you.

Good luck.

[aamdani07]

Although submitting a resume to places like that? Come on. Is video gaming a valuable skill set? Damn, I wish Gamestop offered a decent yearly salary, and I may be set for an early retirement...

Knowing a decent amount about video games doesn't necessarily make you a decent employee at GS. I was a manager for a little while during my time with GS, and what people thought they knew and didn't know about v/gs amounted to squat when it comes down to it.

One of the best managers I ever knew at Software Etc hardly touched games.

Amen to that. Some of the best managers (at GameStop, TSG, restaurants, etc.) I work with and know are more about people skills and organizational skills than anything specific to their individual industry. Don't get me wrong - they know what they should because it's a part of their job to know. But that's not their strong-points.

[Tron!]

So... I rush to the EB games I pre-ordered Persona at after work, and they tell me the game hasn't even come in yet. Pushed back a week possibly. I know this is BS, and now I have to call tomorrow and possibly make the trip across the city again. They also told me that EB games here in Canada never gets enough pre-order bonuses for the actual amount of pre-orders, so whoever ordered first gets the bonuses. ie. If only 10 come in then the first 10 people to have pre-ordered get the books. This seems like a ton of BS to me. I was of the mind that a store got the same amount of bonuses as it did pre-orders. Especially considering the fact that the ads said nothing about limited quantities. I have loved Atlus since Brigandine, and own all the PS2 Shin Megami Tensei games. I realize it is a freebie, but I feel that if I was promised something then I am due it. If this shortage is EB games fault then boo-urns to them, and I'm going to have to waste even more time calling corporate and trying to track down something I should already have. If it is Atlus' fault then I guess there's nothing I can do but be disappointed. In any case I'll try again tomorrow. I doubt I'll be able to get the artbook (Considering past experiences with EB), but even if I do this is still a problem for so many other people. Sorry to beat a dead horse here, but this whole situation is extremely frustrating. Especially considering the game is already late here in Vancouver.

[Servent_Kite]

I've got a question about the artbook that I hope someone will be able to answer. I reserved my copy of P4 a few months ago at my local GameStop, but when I went to pick up the game today they did not have the artbook. Basically I was wondering if if was still possible for me to get it somewhere without having to repurchase the game (since I know GameCrazzy is giving the artbook out with purchase of the game) or am I just out of luck?

[frequency]

So... I rush to the EB games I pre-ordered Persona at after work, and they tell me the game hasn't even come in yet. Pushed back a week possibly. I know this is BS, and now I have to call tomorrow and possibly make the trip across the city again. They also told me that EB games here in Canada never gets enough pre-order bonuses for the actual amount of pre-orders, so whoever ordered first gets the bonuses. ie. If only 10 come in then the first 10 people to have pre-ordered get the books. This seems like a ton of BS to me. I was of the mind that a store got the same amount of bonuses as it did pre-orders. Especially considering the fact that the ads said nothing about limited quantities. I have loved Atlus since Brigandine, and own all the PS2 Shin Megami Tensei games. I realize it is a freebie, but I feel that if I was promised something then I am due it. If this shortage is EB games fault then boo-urns to them, and I'm going to have to waste even more time calling corporate and trying to track down something I should already have. If it is Atlus' fault then I guess there's nothing I can do but be disappointed. In any case I'll try again tomorrow. I doubt I'll be able to get the artbook (Considering past experiences with EB), but even if I do this is still a problem for so many other people. Sorry to beat a dead horse here, but this whole situation is extremely frustrating. Especially considering the game is already late here in Vancouver.

I wish that was how the EB here handled it. It's first come first serve, and I have to work (45 minutes away :(), so I'm never first. So even though I pre-order something way before anyone else, I don't get it if it's limited.

On a side note, sometimes working is a bitch... All the off-schedule/unemployed/close-enough-to-get-there-during-lunch-break-people get first dibs on everything. The only way I was even able to get a Wii was to have my sister make daily visits to the store in my stead. And she has no qualms about reminding me every time I see her ¬.¬

[Tron!]

So... I rush to the EB games I pre-ordered Persona at after work, and they tell me the game hasn't even come in yet. Pushed back a week possibly. I know this is BS, and now I have to call tomorrow and possibly make the trip across the city again. They also told me that EB games here in Canada never gets enough pre-order bonuses for the actual amount of pre-orders, so whoever ordered first gets the bonuses. ie. If only 10 come in then the first 10 people to have pre-ordered get the books. This seems like a ton of BS to me. I was of the mind that a store got the same amount of bonuses as it did pre-orders. Especially considering the fact that the ads said nothing about limited quantities. I have loved Atlus since Brigandine, and own all the PS2 Shin Megami Tensei games. I realize it is a freebie, but I feel that if I was promised something then I am due it. If this shortage is EB games fault then boo-urns to them, and I'm going to have to waste even more time calling corporate and trying to track down something I should already have. If it is Atlus' fault then I guess there's nothing I can do but be disappointed. In any case I'll try again tomorrow. I doubt I'll be able to get the artbook (Considering past experiences with EB), but even if I do this is still a problem for so many other people. Sorry to beat a dead horse here, but this whole situation is extremely frustrating. Especially considering the game is already late here in Vancouver.

I wish that was how the EB here handled it. It's first come first serve, and I have to work (45 minutes away :(), so I'm never first. So even though I pre-order something way before anyone else, I don't get it if it's limited.

On a side note, sometimes working is a bitch... All the off-schedule/unemployed/close-enough-to-get-there-during-lunch-break-people get first dibs on everything. The only way I was even able to get a Wii was to have my sister make daily visits to the store in my stead. And she has no qualms about reminding me every time I see her ¬.¬
Well they told me whoever pre-ordered first got it first, but I guess I'll have to try and get there early anyways. I'm also very surprised that Atlus doesn't have anything to say about this artbook situation. It's obviously upsetting a lot of people, and I would like to now whether it is EBs fault or what. I would also like to know if there's anything Atlus can/plans to do about it. In any case there are a ton of gamers here in Canada. I don't know why we get the short end of the stick here.

[frequency]

Well they told me whoever pre-ordered first got it first, but I guess I'll have to try and get there early anyways. I'm also very surprised that Atlus doesn't have anything to say about this artbook situation. It's obviously upsetting a lot of people, and I would like to now whether it is EBs fault or what. I would also like to know if there's anything Atlus can/plans to do about it. In any case there are a ton of gamers here in Canada. I don't know why we get the short end of the stick here.
I think I mentioned it earlier in this thread, but, I'm pretty sure we always get the "short end of the stick" because the Canadian dollar is weak, and our stupid French laws are stupid.

But the issue isn't isolated to Canada. Some Americans are also having problems... which makes me wonder why on earth GameCrazy apparently has tons to give away to random people who buy the game now, yet there aren't enough for people who pre-ordered at EB/GameStop in some areas. So it really does seem this is just a distribution issue - though who is at fault is still a mystery.

I do wish we'd get an official word on all this hullabaloo though. I'd posted something in defense of Atlus in the Eternal Poison thread covering this same issue, but I feel like retracting it now. There has been no official response to EP, LA2, or P4 art book concerns after all this time... Any official word would do. If there's nothing they can/will do for those who miss out, then coming out and saying it would at least set my mind at ease, even if I'd be unhappy.

Also, while I don't think you should get an art book over someone who pre-ordered earlier than you, I should note that EBs up here don't usually get shipments in early morning. It's usually around noon. So unless they actually got the shipment in yesterday, and have been holding it, going early in the morning would just be a waste of your time. At the very least, call before you leave. :)

[Las Lobos]

I'm not sure if I'm getting an artbook with my copy since my co worker is getting it for me for xmas. Even if I don't get it it's all good in da hood so long as I get the game.

[Tron!]

Thanks for the heads up Frequency. Will do.

[Aegis Ages]

Yeah I got it! It's fun and Teddie is cute!!
They were like, did we give it to you before? I didn't even know I could get it at preorder.
The guy lied a bit saying they wouldn't get the game in until the 10th and that I would wait for the book until pickup.
The guy working there on pickup was much nicer.
P4 looks nice!

[frequency]

I just got off the phone with my EB (on Empress Street in Winnipeg... if anyone from Winnipeg is out there and wondering), and they said the purolator truck just dropped off the game and the art books (along with some other stuff I pre-ordered). I asked if they could hold one for me since I'm at work and can't go pick it up until after, and the guy said yes~!

So he asked for my name. But when he pulled up my pre-order, he told me that the game is now $49.99 instead of $39.99 :(
I'm going to pay that $10 anyway. I understand this is a business, and my money is worth very little in comparison to the money down south. So yeah.

Anyone else that is missing an art book, and don't have your game yet (or are willing to return it or something), check this link http://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=14382 (They seem to also have art books for EP and LA2 still, if you wanted to order stuff together)
They have it for CAD $44.99 (cheaper than EB... VideoGamesPlus is usually $5 over MSRP). But you do have to factor in shipping ($2.99 within Canada) and wait time (they ship from Ontario, and it usually takes like 2 - 3 days to get to Winnipeg). They do ship outside of Canada, but I'm not sure what the prices are. You can check on the actual site. :)
(I know I've advertised that site a few times now :p but it really is a great alternative... and no, I don't work for them or anything)

I'm going to place my hope on the EB guy telling me the truth and actually holding a copy of the art book for me. He did say that they got more than they got pre-orders though, so if I get in tonight, and all pre-orders are fulfilled, I'll see about grabbing an extra for someone on this board... don't hold your breath though.

As a disclaimer, it seems several other locations in Canada (just like the US) didn't get enough art books. So don't make my anecdote a reason to put off going to your EB as soon as you can.

As a side note, it's still $35.99 at amazon.ca, if anyone doesn't care about the art book.

[The_real_Axel]

I'm actually disappointed in GameStop for not having the art books. I called them yesterday saying that there wasn't enough books to be supplied to all the stores. I called Atlus USA and told them about this and they said to call them back today. Hopefully they might be getting them.

What is sad though was that I was the first one to pick up P4 at my GS. Knowing they didn't have it was a let down.

[syl]

I got my copy of P4 today, but my local EB Games only got three copies of the art book. The manager and assistant manager were the first and second people to pre-order.
Unfortunately, I was the fourth person. We all had a good laugh, but the manager reassured me that I would get the next copy (art book) to arrive. It pays to know the people who handle the receiving.
On a side note. I guess the Japanese are right about 4 being an unlucky number.

[lethalduckie]

Yeah, I know how you feel. I preordered mine too and went in today. I ended up checking out a few games first before going to the counter. And another guy got to the counter a sec before me and got the last artbook. I regret not heading straight to the counter right away now.

[Yukichin]

I just got off the phone with my EB (on Empress Street in Winnipeg... if anyone from Winnipeg is out there and wondering), and they said the purolator truck just dropped off the game and the art books (along with some other stuff I pre-ordered). I asked if they could hold one for me since I'm at work and can't go pick it up until after, and the guy said yes~!

So he asked for my name. But when he pulled up my pre-order, he told me that the game is now $49.99 instead of $39.99 :(
I'm going to pay that $10 anyway. I understand this is a business, and my money is worth very little in comparison to the money down south. So yeah.

Anyone else that is missing an art book, and don't have your game yet (or are willing to return it or something), check this link http://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=14382 (They seem to also have art books for EP and LA2 still, if you wanted to order stuff together)
They have it for CAD $44.99 (cheaper than EB... VideoGamesPlus is usually $5 over MSRP). But you do have to factor in shipping ($2.99 within Canada) and wait time (they ship from Ontario, and it usually takes like 2 - 3 days to get to Winnipeg). They do ship outside of Canada, but I'm not sure what the prices are. You can check on the actual site. :)
(I know I've advertised that site a few times now :p but it really is a great alternative... and no, I don't work for them or anything)

I'm going to place my hope on the EB guy telling me the truth and actually holding a copy of the art book for me. He did say that they got more than they got pre-orders though, so if I get in tonight, and all pre-orders are fulfilled, I'll see about grabbing an extra for someone on this board... don't hold your breath though.

As a disclaimer, it seems several other locations in Canada (just like the US) didn't get enough art books. So don't make my anecdote a reason to put off going to your EB as soon as you can.

As a side note, it's still $35.99 at amazon.ca, if anyone doesn't care about the art book.

http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71982

You should show them this. The price is NOT $49.99. It's never been $49.99.

[frequency]

I just got off the phone with my EB (on Empress Street in Winnipeg... if anyone from Winnipeg is out there and wondering), and they said the purolator truck just dropped off the game and the art books (along with some other stuff I pre-ordered). I asked if they could hold one for me since I'm at work and can't go pick it up until after, and the guy said yes~!

So he asked for my name. But when he pulled up my pre-order, he told me that the game is now $49.99 instead of $39.99 :(
I'm going to pay that $10 anyway. I understand this is a business, and my money is worth very little in comparison to the money down south. So yeah.

Anyone else that is missing an art book, and don't have your game yet (or are willing to return it or something), check this link http://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=14382 (They seem to also have art books for EP and LA2 still, if you wanted to order stuff together)
They have it for CAD $44.99 (cheaper than EB... VideoGamesPlus is usually $5 over MSRP). But you do have to factor in shipping ($2.99 within Canada) and wait time (they ship from Ontario, and it usually takes like 2 - 3 days to get to Winnipeg). They do ship outside of Canada, but I'm not sure what the prices are. You can check on the actual site. :)
(I know I've advertised that site a few times now :p but it really is a great alternative... and no, I don't work for them or anything)

I'm going to place my hope on the EB guy telling me the truth and actually holding a copy of the art book for me. He did say that they got more than they got pre-orders though, so if I get in tonight, and all pre-orders are fulfilled, I'll see about grabbing an extra for someone on this board... don't hold your breath though.

As a disclaimer, it seems several other locations in Canada (just like the US) didn't get enough art books. So don't make my anecdote a reason to put off going to your EB as soon as you can.

As a side note, it's still $35.99 at amazon.ca, if anyone doesn't care about the art book.

http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71982

You should show them this. The price is NOT $49.99. It's never been $49.99.

Ah thanks for your concern. :)
But that is the American web site. It doesn't apply to Canada, though things are often the same. I have done a bit of research and discussion with other Canadians (all over the country, not just in my city), and they all said EB had charged them $49.99 as well. While it is a bit excessive, in my opinion, for a PS2 game this late in it's life, I'm not going to complain about it. $10 isn't worth the time or effort.

I went to my EB after work, and sure enough, they had a copy of the art book for me. And what's more is, the guy who carried out my transaction was the same guy I had alluded to earlier in this thread (the incident that caused a bit of a bleh moment).

But anyway, I got my art book, and I am happy.

Unfortunately though, I don't have time to sit down with P4 just yet. I've got other games I want to get through before I devote 100 hours of gaming to it.

[slayn]

I got my copy of P4 today, but my local EB Games only got three copies of the art book. The manager and assistant manager were the first and second people to pre-order.
Unfortunately, I was the fourth person. .

I'm gonna let everyone in on a secret. If you want to be "number three" behind the manager/assistant manager, buy more stuff. Seriously. Just pre-order a bunch of games (and, you know, followup by buying them). After a while they'll start throwing pre-order bonuses at you for games you didn't even pre-order. They'll also make sure you get a copy of any really limited bonuses.

Edit: Also, be friendly while doing this, and don't flip out if you miss out on something at first.

[doombringer]

I got my copy form EB Games here in London Ontario yesterday but they apparently did not get any artbooks at all. the woman said that it may arrive later but I'm not getting my hopes up, I'm really just happy I got the game.

[Kakizaki]

I got my copy of P4 today, but my local EB Games only got three copies of the art book. The manager and assistant manager were the first and second people to pre-order.
Unfortunately, I was the fourth person. .

I'm gonna let everyone in on a secret. If you want to be "number three" behind the manager/assistant manager, buy more stuff. Seriously. Just pre-order a bunch of games (and, you know, followup by buying them). After a while they'll start throwing pre-order bonuses at you for games you didn't even pre-order. They'll also make sure you get a copy of any really limited bonuses.

Edit: Also, be friendly while doing this, and don't flip out if you miss out on something at first.

Slayn has some very wise words here. I can personally tell you that I was willing to bend the rules for people that were consistently cool, and by cool, I don't mean pestering managers about about games or getting into geek fests with them.

[Soushi_Grapple]

I got my copy of P4 today, but my local EB Games only got three copies of the art book. The manager and assistant manager were the first and second people to pre-order.
Unfortunately, I was the fourth person. .

I'm gonna let everyone in on a secret. If you want to be "number three" behind the manager/assistant manager, buy more stuff. Seriously. Just pre-order a bunch of games (and, you know, followup by buying them). After a while they'll start throwing pre-order bonuses at you for games you didn't even pre-order. They'll also make sure you get a copy of any really limited bonuses.

Edit: Also, be friendly while doing this, and don't flip out if you miss out on something at first.

Slayn has some very wise words here. I can personally tell you that I was willing to bend the rules for people that were consistently cool, and by cool, I don't mean pestering managers about about games or getting into geek fests with them.

Slayn is absolutely right. It also helps to just go take a look around the store once in awhile even if you don't intend to buy anything, just to get to know the workers. I usually do this because ours is 2 feet from a Target (we go often for trading cards and sodas).

When my friends and I got our P4 artbooks, we also got some random WWF cooler lunchbag thing. I didn't take one, but they did =p I got a Bella Sara pony from a different store, which my gf seemed to care for more than me (bleh..).

[BornofFire_420]

Sadly I got no artbook.

[Aqua]

I'm so glad I called in a day before to ask about the art book, I got some what ticked off at the employee at the EB games claiming that I should have gotten the Eternal Poison art book because I was the first to pre-order it at the store, and because of that complaint I got my copy of the Persona4 art book (cause I was second on the list). Persona 4 art book is really awesome, love it, Thanks Atlus.
Though sadly I still didn't get my Eternal Poison art book I might actually buy it on ebay in a year if there are any copies XD i find it amusing that on the back it says "Not for Sale"

So I got 2/3 of the spoils, not bad but I was looking forward to EP the most D:

[The_real_Axel]

Now I feel happy, I can go back to my GameStop and get and art book from a friend. Hope everybody who doesn't have one gets their's.

[Zephyrous]

I called mine yesterday and they said they have them in now. Going to pick it up now, hopefully they didn't give it away...

Edit: Got it, but it has a cut in the cover. Looks like it got cut when they where opening the boxes or something, oh well at least I got it.

[Rex]

Well, I remembered my pre-order artbook and went through Amazon.ca, however they did not give me an Artbook -or the game!-. Apparently they either screwed up or could not fufill pre-orders because now the site says that I am waiting for an item that usually ships in three to five weeks. I also ordered the Social Link Pack and Double Jump Persona 4 Guide. Both DID ship (apparently the game is a little more rare?) but I will be sending them back so if anyone is backordered for either, maybe you'll get mine. I won't be wasting my time hooking up my PS2 for Persona 4 when Atlus didn't make enough for the Christmas sales season and frankly I can just play something else. Too bad I own every other SMT game ever released in North America. Sad it has to end this way. Perhaps next time they can bundle the artbook and provide enough copies for a busy shopping season.

:very_sad: Upset in Canada. :very_sad:

[ragnar14]

Wat? You're returning the Social Link Pack? You know that's already worth like $100+ on eBay right?

Anyways, Atlus has nothing to do with Amazon.ca's colossal ####ups. They printed more than enough copies to cover pre-orders and to put a bunch on store shelves everywhere. Just check any other *decent* place, they have it in stock.
EB/Gamestop (http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71982) in stock
Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Persona-Playstation-2/dp/B001C6GVI6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1229302937&sr=8-1) in stock
Play-asia (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-43-49-en-15-persona+4-70-2vto.html) in stock
Video Games Plus (http://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=14382) in stock

Notice a trend? Amazon.ca just ####ing sucks. Consider yourself lucky you got the Social Link Pack (Mine hasn't shipped!). I'd suggest just canceling your Amazon.ca order and use Play-asia or VGP.

[Sulf]

Wat? You're returning the Social Link Pack? You know that's already worth like $100+ on eBay right?

Anyways, Atlus has nothing to do with Amazon.ca's colossal ####ups. They printed more than enough copies to cover pre-orders and to put a bunch on store shelves everywhere. Just check any other *decent* place, they have it in stock.
EB/Gamestop (http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71982) in stock
Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Persona-Playstation-2/dp/B001C6GVI6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1229302937&sr=8-1) in stock
Play-asia (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-43-49-en-15-persona+4-70-2vto.html) in stock
Video Games Plus (http://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=14382) in stock

Notice a trend? Amazon.ca just ####ing sucks. Consider yourself lucky you got the Social Link Pack (Mine hasn't shipped!). I'd suggest just canceling your Amazon.ca order and use Play-asia or VGP.


I presume that you don't order a lot from Amazon.ca, huh Ragnar14?

Just HAD to register to defend Amazon.ca a bit, I've ordered A LOT from Amazon.ca and haven't had any problems whatsoever (current situations involving Persona 4 stuff aside). The few times that my order came in damaged, the staff were quick and courteous enough to reply to my queries AND ship out a replacement free of charge (freakishly fast).

I'll admit that I've been miffed at Amazon.ca for the past month since the Social Link pack has been constantly unavailable, whereas it was in stock on the American counterpart, but generally their service has been EXTREMELY good. Hell, I just ordered the Princess Tutu DVD collection from them on Wednesday, and they shipped it on Thursday (got it on Friday, it was awesome).

Yes, Amazon.ca has dropped the ball on the game and the artbook, but their service in the past has nothing been short of exceptional.

Rex: did you e-mail Amazon.ca and ask about the artbook? I know it's not being shown on the product page, which is what worries me as well. Still, I would recommend hanging on the Social Link pack, I mean the swag man, the swag!

[frequency]

Amazon.ca is great when I'm not working with pre-orders, or asking questions. If I ever ask them anything, they give me a one liner, and then a generic copy paste of how I can cancel my order or return it for a full refund. In that regard, their customer service is horrible.

There have been several occasions where they just don't send my stuff, even though it's "In Stock". I have to email them to complain. Though they do upgrade my shipping if I do. Once the item is out the door, shipping is really fast, even for the Free Super Saver shipping. And everything is always packed quite nicely.

Their estimates for everything are horrible though...

When I order anything that's in stock with amazon, it's always been great. But pre-orders... they're just... bleh. Also what's with the store being so damn empty compared to amazon.com. I don't mean in terms of stock levels. That's understandable, but amazon.ca doesn't offer even a third of the stuff amazon.com offers.

In terms of game pre-orders, especially if you want bonuses, I'd definitely recommend VGP over amazon. Though amazon pre-orders are often cheapest. But out of all the pre-orders I've done with amazon, only 1 of them shipped when it was supposed to. Everything else gets "delayed".

[GuardianE]

I can understand why some of you are frustrated, but I do have a question. How long have some of you been reserving games? I'm talking about non Atlus published titles as well. I worked at Gamestop for between 4 - 5 years. I can guarantee you that not everyone that reserved a title always received the preorder bonuses. Not just with Atlus titles, but with all publishers' titles -- myself included. There has always been limited supplies / disclaimers for such things. As I have posted before, if you look at GS/EB's website or Amazon's website, it clearly states that preorder bonuses are limited.

I do think it sucks for the Canadians though. There is clearly something wrong with distribution channels up there.

Also, whoever stated GS/EBs in Canada are not affiliated with the U.S. ones is wrong. It is the same chain.

I've pre-ordered over ten games in the past month at my local Gamestop. I've gotten to know the Store Manager, both General Managers, and most of the GAs. They asked me to fill out an application. I now work part time there.

And I've been shopping at Gamestop for years and years. I've never had a problem with pre-order bonuses until December 9th. I did not receive an artbook and was told that the store did not receive an artbook. It's possible that some other greedy employee grabbed it, as I was the only reserve, but I really don't want to think that the case. I went on launch day. I figure that I would have seen it since they showed me the back. From what I've been able to gather, pre-order bonuses are up for grabs AFTER a person doesn't pick it up within the allotted time (48 hours after launch), so I don't think that's it.

In any case, I ordered from Amazon instead and I hope that they can fulfill my pre-order bonus. I should be getting the package in the next few days, so I'm crossing my fingers.

[Frink]

pre-ordered at gamestop.
didn't get ####; well, i could've gotten the game by now, but i'm buying it from a local import store 'cause i like supporting them; i hope their shipment has artbooks, but i dunno.
i'll find out on wednesday.

[Samster]

Wat? You're returning the Social Link Pack? You know that's already worth like $100+ on eBay right?

Anyways, Atlus has nothing to do with Amazon.ca's colossal ####ups. They printed more than enough copies to cover pre-orders and to put a bunch on store shelves everywhere. Just check any other *decent* place, they have it in stock.
EB/Gamestop (http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=71982) in stock
Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Persona-Playstation-2/dp/B001C6GVI6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1229302937&sr=8-1) in stock
Play-asia (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-43-49-en-15-persona+4-70-2vto.html) in stock
Video Games Plus (http://www.videogamesplus.ca/product_info.php?products_id=14382) in stock

Notice a trend? Amazon.ca just ####ing sucks. Consider yourself lucky you got the Social Link Pack (Mine hasn't shipped!). I'd suggest just canceling your Amazon.ca order and use Play-asia or VGP.


I presume that you don't order a lot from Amazon.ca, huh Ragnar14?

Just HAD to register to defend Amazon.ca a bit, I've ordered A LOT from Amazon.ca and haven't had any problems whatsoever (current situations involving Persona 4 stuff aside). The few times that my order came in damaged, the staff were quick and courteous enough to reply to my queries AND ship out a replacement free of charge (freakishly fast).

I'll admit that I've been miffed at Amazon.ca for the past month since the Social Link pack has been constantly unavailable, whereas it was in stock on the American counterpart, but generally their service has been EXTREMELY good. Hell, I just ordered the Princess Tutu DVD collection from them on Wednesday, and they shipped it on Thursday (got it on Friday, it was awesome).

Yes, Amazon.ca has dropped the ball on the game and the artbook, but their service in the past has nothing been short of exceptional.

Rex: did you e-mail Amazon.ca and ask about the artbook? I know it's not being shown on the product page, which is what worries me as well. Still, I would recommend hanging on the Social Link pack, I mean the swag man, the swag!

I second Amazon.ca awesome shipping and service from personal experience. I pre-ordered P4 on November 6th and I received it today with the artbook! I have to admit I wasn't sure that would be the case from all the talk here. I had a few novels in the order as well, everything came in one box but the game and artbook were in their own shipping envelope inside the box with a barcode sticker on it.

[newrival]

I'm glad I stuck around with Amazon.ca. I was scared I wouldn't get the art book because I pre-ordered on November 21st and also being from Canada there wasn't much of a guarantee. I was so tempted to switch to EB or turn to another retailer just so I could get the artbook. Luckily patience paid off and I received my P4 package today. Amazon.ca took such good care of the packaging that they even included a bunch of those air-filled packets above the shipping envelop to prevent damages.

The only thing was the 1-week delay, but that can be forgiven since the art book was in mint condition and of course the most important thing was that the P4 game worked no problems (I've been playing ~4 hours straight and now I'm taking a break). Also, it was nice to get P4 at a discounted price with the $10 off coupon for Amazon.ca (The cost of my game ended up being $31.26). I was glad I waited and didn't end up turning to EB Canada for the preorder bonus after reading the unfortunate stories from posters in the forum.

[Juanblue85]

Well I had to purchase the Artbook from eBay.com and I'm planning on getting the P4 Official Design Works along with the P3 Official Design Works. Love it. still sucks I didn't get my P4 artbook when I was supposed to but that's karma to you.

[ragnar14]

I second Amazon.ca awesome shipping and service from personal experience. I pre-ordered P4 on November 6th and I received it today with the artbook! I have to admit I wasn't sure that would be the case from all the talk here. I had a few novels in the order as well, everything came in one box but the game and artbook were in their own shipping envelope inside the box with a barcode sticker on it.

Hmm, I ordered P4 around September/October and mine isn't out yet... :bs: Although my Luminous Arc *finally* arrived today, with the artbook. Nice, I'll forgive delays when they do things right. It's not as if I'm in a hurry to play the games :yawn:

When I order anything that's in stock with amazon, it's always been great. But pre-orders... they're just... bleh.

Ditto, I've never had any significant problems with Amazon before. This is just the first time I've gone the pre-order route with them...

[FangzV]

I just got the book yesterday and I'm loving it.
I got spoiled before I even saw the begining of the game. XD

[Sassfrass]

I just got my game and artbook from amazon.ca today. I was a bit worried I wouldn't after not getting the Eternal Poison artbook, but it looks like they've got it figured out this time.

[sora4126]

After a week of pestering, my gamestop finally found my artbook under some boxes in the back. Spines bent and it smells funny, but whatever, finally got it.

[syl]

My EB Games actually got more artbooks with their second shipment than their initial one.
A week late means nothing compared to actually owning a near-mint copy of the artbook.
Awesome giveaway Atlus, it made my Christmas!

[ragnar14]

Yay, my Amazon.ca order arrived today (that was super quick once they shipped). Everything seems in order, nice :)

I just got my game and artbook from amazon.ca today. I was a bit worried I wouldn't after not getting the Eternal Poison artbook, but it looks like they've got it figured out this time.

Actually I'm guessing Atlus fixed their problem after the Eternal Poison problems. Both P4 and Luminous Arc were tossed into paper envelopes with their books, and the date code on the Luminous Arc envelope (Nov 18) is earlier than when Amazon shipped em out. So I'm guessing Atlus sent them up here like that so nothing could go wrong again. Thanks Atlus!!

[GuardianE]

Got my Amazon order with artbook, so I'm satisfied. Cancelling my Gamestop preorder. Not sure where in the chain someone screwed up, but my local Gamestops should have had more books. This wasn't about me not being "cool with the manager" as I've said that I now work there and have been buying there for some time now.

[Juanblue85]

I just bought "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Official Fan Book PERSONA CLUB". There was only one available so I went and bought it.

[Raidou89]

I preorder from amazon so I don't have to worry about all this

[daemons8]

:very_sad: I preordered from eb games but they "gave" the art books to the WRONG PEOPLE :very_sad:

[PersonaVento]

I love the artbook...some of art are really amazing