Blockbuster and K-Mart Clearances [Archive]

SoulReaver

07-01-2006, 05:39 PM

Uhhhh. It would help if you could post quotes or something other than links to a website that requires a login. Ah, sorry about that. Forgot that you had to register. Thanks Term, here is the one for K-Mart. I went to it today and it sucked because they had hardly any games. I had some UPC codes for a couple of games and they were indeed a low price. Unfortunately, the eyetoy didn't work for me.

MINI NEW PRICE DROP FAQ:
ALERT FOR JUNE DROPS: They started Monday June 12. As a GENERAL RULE, this is what to expect as far as prices:

May --> June
$12 $7 (some $12 items dropped to $9)
$16 $12
$8 $5
$7 $3
$5 $2
$3.50 $1.50

Q: What if the price is higher than what's on the list?
A: Then your store has not done markdowns left. Ask them if they have any pending PCLs and perhaps they can do it for you, or just wait it out. Also, you could try a return/rebuy if you have another local store that did the drops. Use the UPC sheet to check this

Q: What if a price doesn't come up? It says "Check shelf tag for pricing".
A: This means that the game was at 90% off, and for some reason it was scheduled to be marked down further. If you have a cool employee, you can get games for cheap. If you have a game with outdated tags, you could be in for a hassle. This is similiar when Target marks things down for salvage.

Q: Are these markdowns YMMV?
A: NO. These are universal nationwide prices. If you arent getting them, its your stores problem and doesnt indicate a larger problem as a whole.

Q: How are things marked down?
A: AFAIK, it can be done manually via gun, or it can be done en masse at the register. If you want further details, we are currently looking for a CAG to take one for the team and get a job at K-Mart to infiltrate and learn their secret methods.

Q: What games will drop further?
A: As a GENERAL RULE, games at 1.00, 1.50, 2.00, 3.00, 4.00 are at 90% off AND WILL NOT DROP FURTHER. Games ending in .99 will drop 2 bucks at a time in random intervals.

***END NEW PRICEDROP FAQ***

Let's kick it off with a mini-faq:

Q: Why was this thread created?
A: Because there are multiple threads floating around, and its useful to consolidate. THis one will have the OP constantly updates so you don't have to go digging.

Q: Are these prices YMMV?
A: No, they shouldn't be. I currently have 10 K-Marts in my shopping radius, and they've all been consistent. At one time it was thought that they were YMMV, but I'm pretty sure it was instead employee incompetence at keeping prices updated.

EDIT: Some people are reporting prices that are YMMV, but I am hesitant to mark the deal as such. If you get a different price, it seems to be the exception to the rule, not a true YMMV where it is hit or miss. I'd say these prices are 90% accurate.

Q: An employee said the price was higher than what's on the list.
A: Get the game scanned at the register.

Q: The employee got that price gun and said it was higher than what's on the list.
A: GET THE GAME SCANNED AT THE REGISTER. The gun is incorrect sometimes.

Q: Can I use the price checker thingies?
A: YES! Brilliant idea! They will give you an accurate price. Also, if you have the problem of useless employees not opening the cases for you, you can print off the UPC codes and check them at the price checker.

Q: How can I help?
A: Multiple ways:
- Get a job at K-Mart so we have an inside man
- Post the prices of the games you get
- Write down the prices of games you do not get, then post those too

Q: When are items marked down?
A: Once a month, near the middle of the month. Here are some of the dates according to pricing stickers. If you can fill in a ? from one of your stickers, feel free to do so:
Jan 18th
Feb 13th
Mar ?
Apr 18th
May 20th
It is my impression that a lot of the items will not be marked down any further - I will discuss this in the theories section after the game list.

Q: Does this have anything to do with the weekend 50% off sales K-Mart usually runs?
A: No. While some of these games used to be on the list, this is completely seperate. None of these games are on the 50% list anymore and will not be reduced during these sales.

Q: What if I bought a game at a higher price and it gets reduced? Can I get a price adjustment or a return/rebuy?
A: Chances are VERY SLIM. K-Mart does not do price adjustments on clearance items. A return/rebuy might be possible, but most Kmarts do not employee people with the mental capacity to fully understand this concept.

Q:Can I price check the games without getting into the cases?
A: Yes, thanks to this UPC document from TimTucker. You can scan these at self scanners located in most K-Marts, but note that sometimes prices may not be accurate
http://www.timtucker.com/games/kmart_upcs.doc

Q: What do I do with all these games?
A: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...ad.php?t=95481 (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95481)

THE GAME LIST:

**SPECIAL NOTE** - All games at a certain price point seem to drop across the board. So if say one game dropped from $8 to $5, all other $8 games also dropped to $5. I believe this is due to percentages, I will discuss this in the theories section later. Here are some examples for this month:
Apr --> May
$12 $7 (some $12 items dropped to $9)
$16 $12
$8 $5
$5 $2
$3.50 $1.50

XBox
007: Agent Under Fire - $2
Backyard Wrestling 2 - $1.50
Blinx - $2
Blinx 2 - $2
BloodRayne 2 - $3
Conflict: Vietnam - $2
Crash Twinsanity - $2
Dead or Alive 3 - $2
Driv3r - $2
Enter the Matrix - $2
ESPN NHL 2K5 - $1.50
Fight Night 2004 - $2
Full Spectrum Warrior - $1.50
Hitman 2 - $2
Hitman: Contracts - $6
Kill Switch - $2
Lemony Snicket - $2
Medal of Honor Frontline - $2
Men of Valor - $2
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 - $2
Moto GP - $5
Need for Speed 2 - Hot Pursuit 2 - $2
Outrun 2 - $2
Rainbow Six 3 - $3
Rainbow Six Black Arrow - $2
Red Dead Revolver - $2
Riddick - $2
Robotech Invasion - $2
Shark Tale - $2
Spiderman - $2
Splinter Cell - $2
Spyro: Hero's Tale - $2
Star Wars Obi Wan - $4
Street Racing Syndicate - $3
SSX 3 - $2
Thief - $3
Tony Hawk Underground - $2

DS
Zoo Keeper - $2
Sprung - $6 (?)
Feel the Magic - $6 (?)

Gamecube
1080 Avalanche - $10
Army Men RTS - $1.50
Army Men Sarge's War - $1.50
Baten Kaitos - $3
Beyblade V Force - $6
Bomberman Jetters - $10
Custom Robo - $4
F-Zero GX - $2
Killer 7 - $15
Medal of Honor Rising Sun - $2
Medal of Honor Frontline - $2
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes - $3
Mario Party 4/Wavebird - $7
Metroid/Wavebird Combo - $20
Mega Man Anniversary Collection - $2
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 - $2
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 - $2
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within - $2
NFL Street - $2
Shark Tale - $2
Sims - $2
Spyro: Hero's Tale - $2
Starsky & Hutch - $1
Star Fox Adventures - $2
Street Racing Syndicate - $3
SSX 3 - $2
Tak (which one?) - $2
Tiger Woods 2005 - $3
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2 - $2
Soul Calibur 2 - $2
Viewtiful Joe 2 - $1.50
Wario Ware Inc - $3
Winnie the Pooh - $2

Playstation
PSOne/LCD Combo - $10
PSOne LCD Screen - $13
PS1 Car Adapter - $4
PS1 Multitap - $18 (HA!)

Beyblade - $1
Final Fantasy Origins - $10
My Disney Kitchen - $2
Namco Museum 3 - $3
Spyro Ripto's Rage - $3
Spyro Year of the Dragon - $3
Syphon Filter 2 - $3
Twisted Metal Small Brawl $2
Winnie the Pooh Preschool - $1
Winnie the Pooh Kindergarten - $1

Playstation 2
Nyko Airflow Controller - $6 (June --> $3.50?)
Logitech Wireless Controller - $12
Eye Toy Camera ONLY - $9 (--> $4)
Eye Toy Groove (no cam) - $3
Amplitude - $10
Alias - $15
Athens 2004 - $3
ATV Offroad Fury - $2
Backyard Wrestling 2 - $1.50
Beyond Good & Evil - $10
BloodRayne 2 - $3
Conflict Desert Storm II - $7
Conflict Vietnam - $2
Dark Cloud - $6
Dark Cloud 2 - $3
Destruction Derby Arena - $10
Devil May Cry - $15
Driv3r - $2
Duel Masters - $1.50
DBZ Budokai - $2
FFXI w/HDD - $10 (!!)
Final Fantasy X - $2
Gran Turismo 3 - $2
Hitman Contracts - $6
Hobbit - $6
Jak II - $5 (?)
Jet Li - $5 (?)
Jimmy Neutron Twonkies - $2
Karaoke Revolution volume 2 - $2
Kill Switch - $2
King of Fighters MI - $10
Lemony Snicket - $2
Lord of the Rings Two Towers - $2
Mark of Kri - $21
Medal of Honor Frontline - $2
Mega Man Anniversary Collection - $2
Mega Man X Command Mission - $2
Mega Man X8 - $2
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 - $2
MLB 2005 - $3
Monster Hunter - $3
Monsters Inc - $2
NBA Ballers - $2
Outlaw Golf 2 - $2
Onimusha 3 - $2
Poweer Rangers Dino Thunder - $1.50
Rumble Roses - $1.50
Shaman King - $2
Silent Hill 2- $10
Silent Hill 3 - $10
Shadow Hearts: Covenant - $3
Sims - $2
Soul Calibur 2 - $2
Sphinx - $3
Splinter Cell - $2
Starsky & Hutch - $1
SSX3 - $2
Star Wars Jedi Starfighter - $10 (?)
Street Fighter Anniversary - $2
Tekken 4 - $2
Terminator 3 - $10 (?)
TMNT 2 Battle Nexus - $2
Vietcong: Purple Haze - $2
Viewtiful Joe - $10
Winnie the Pooh - $2
X Games Skateboarding - $15

NEW - Game/Comtroller Combo (Terminator 3, Prince of Persia, etc.) - $3.50
E-Reader
E-Reader - $12

Donkey Kong 3 - $.40
Mario Bros - $.40
Mario Party E - $2
Pokemon Ancient Ruins - $1.50
Pokemon Freezing Ray - $.60
Pokemon Iron Defense - $.60
Super Mario Series 1 & 2 - $.60

Gameboy Advance
Battlebots - $3
Beyblade G Revolution - $2
Beyblade VForce - $.80
Bionicle - $2
Boktai - $8
Bookworm - $2
Bubble Bobble - $2
Castlevania NES - $3
Circle of the Moon - $8
DBZ Taiketsu - $2
Dora Super Spies - $8
Dragonball GT - $1.50
Duel Masters Kaijudo - $1.50
Excitebike - $3
Eye of the Beholder - $5
F1 2002 - $2
F-Zero GP - $3
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - $4
Final Fight One - $10
Galidor - $3
Gradius Galaxies - $8
Gulden Nugget - $1.50
Hamtaro - $3
Kim Possible 2 - $2
Lemony Snicket - $2
Lilo and Stitch 2 - $2
Lord of the Rings ROTK - $3
Mario Golf Advance Tour - $3
Mega Man Battle Net 4 (Red or Blue) - $3
Metal Slug Advance - $10
Metroid Zero Mission - $3
Midway Arcades Greatest Hits - $1.50
Oddworld Munch Oddyssey - $3
Operation Armored Liberty - $2
Pokemon Pinball - $7 (?)
Powerpuff Girls - $10
Prince of Persia - $6
Reign of Fire - $2
Rugrats Grown Up: Express Yourself - $2
Super Hornet FA-18 - $1.50
Samurai Jack - $15
Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed $3
Shaman King Master of Spirits - $1.50
Sonic Adventure 2 - $3
Sonic Battle - $3
Sword of Mana - $3
Tak & Power of Juju - $2
Top Gear Rally - $3
Wing Commander - $3
Winnie the Pooh - $2
Xevious - $1
GBA VIDEOS - Fairly Oddparents, Spongebob, Dragonball GT - $1.50

If I forgot anything from the other threads, please notify me and I'll fix it.

Theories:

Theory #1 - $.x0 vs $.x9: There seem to be two different clearance methods going on. Method #1 seems to based on making the game a certain percentage off: January was 30%, Feb 50%, Mar 60%, Apr 75% May 90%. Games like Zoo Keeper and Midway Arcade 2 fit this perfectly, as the price tags show it going $14, $10, $8, $5, $2. Games like NHL 2K5 also fit this, as the tags go $10, $7.50, $6, $3.50, $1.50. The percentage seems to go off the price of the game when it was added to the clearance list, not the original MSRP.

Method #2 seems to follow a set schedule if the price ends in a 9. The prices go $14.99, 9.99, 7.99, 5.99, 3.99, 1.99. I'm not sure when they get marked down, but it sure isnt monthly. I remember getting Mario Party E for 7.99 a few years ago, and its taken that long to get down to 1.99. metal Slug Advance has been 9.99 for at least 9 months according to my receipts when I first bought it for that price. So don't expect these games to go down monthly.

Theory #2 - How long will the markdown last/How low will they go? I don't imagine anything going past 90%. Xevious is only $1 because it was $10 when it was put on the list. There seem to be new games being added to the list per month, so not every game is on the same schedule. For example, the $7 price range of games seems to be at 75% off (of a 29.99 price when it started, I guess they rounded the number). These should be $3 for next months markdowns (Eye Toy Groove followed this markdown pattern. This also means next month, if there are any MP4/Wavebird combos, they will be $7!!). Hopefully they keep adding games or converting the .x9 games, so each month there will be a staggered set of markdowns.

Anyways, I'll keep the lists updated, so feel free to add or discuss. Hope this helps everyone.

Dave