Retaliation Against Sega:Target, Wal-Mart, Kaybee!!!
SameToYou
>
>I sure hope it happens and Sega learns a hard lesson. Several of our
>customers so far have changed their mind about Saturn and purchased
>3DO instead. Specially after the news and articles about the M2.
>The big boys of this industry need to come down to earth.
I don't think Walmart's refusal to carry the Saturn will hurt them. If
anything it will hurt Walmart. I haven't had any problems gettting any
Sega products even with the limited release. It was a limited release...
I think Sega would have been in trouble if they did this with a full
release (legally), but since only 70,000 units were shipped I don't think
they should have released it to every retailer who wanted to carry it.
It is much easier to distribute the limited units to a few select stores.
It is ignorant to say someone would buy a PSX at Walmart becasue they will
refuse to carry a Saturn. I would drive 3 hours for any system I thought
was something I would enjoy.
Todd
Thomas Kadlec
>
>I don't think Walmart's refusal to carry the Saturn will hurt them. If
>anything it will hurt Walmart. I haven't had any problems gettting any
>Sega products even with the limited release. It was a limited release...
>I think Sega would have been in trouble if they did this with a full
>release (legally), but since only 70,000 units were shipped I don't think
>they should have released it to every retailer who wanted to carry it.
>It is much easier to distribute the limited units to a few select stores.
>It is ignorant to say someone would buy a PSX at Walmart becasue they
will
>refuse to carry a Saturn. I would drive 3 hours for any system I thought
>was something I would enjoy.
>Todd
I have to disagree. I think you underestimate the purchasing influence
Wal-Mart stores have on the general public (here in the south at least).
I would much rather buy from Wal-Mart than any "gaming" store. They are
usually much cheaper and if you have a problem with it, you can just take
it back and get a new one. Given the fact that the PlayStation-x is the
better product, selling it and not the Saturn at Wal-Mart could definately
hurt Saturn sales. I really don't see how not carying the Saturn would
hurt Wal-Mart.
--
==================================================================
Thomas Kadlec tm...@ra.msstate.edu
------------------------------------------------------------------
"When I'm on the road, I'm indestructable. No one can stop me...
... but they try." -Ben, Full Throttle
==================================================================
Swedish Chef
I have to disagree about high-end products at Wal-Mart. Yes WM is very
popular to buy in the South, but not many higher priced products get
purchased. The Sega Genesis and Super NES (after it went down from 200$
to 150$) sold pretty well. The NEC Turbo Grafx-16 did NOT sell (WM
decided to carry it over the Genesis), especially the CD-ROM, which was
400$ (and 300$ depending on the time). The games were just as equal as
the Genesis selection at the beginning, but I've heard a lot of ppl just
say "200$! I don't think so" or something to that effect. I heard that
w/ the SNES when it first came out. WM had a lot during Christmas 91 in
my area. The Sega CD did not sell well at WM either.
Most ppl go to WM because they DON'T plan on spending a lot of money. I
know I'd go to Best Buy or Circuit City for electronics, and BB, Soft
Etc, and EB for video games and systems. Wal Mart is not cheaper than
Best Buy on games. They are usually cheaper than EB and Soft Etc, but
they don't get most games at the time of initial release. They just got
FFIII a few months ago, 64.99$. I'm not cracking at WM, just it won't do
much to the Saturn (or PSX) if they carried it or not. WM didn't sell
Sega Genesis games in my area until 1992. I don't think they hurt Sega
in the least bit. I'm sure they'd change their minds if Saturn sales
were extraordinary, however. I remember getting "Wal Mart will never
sell Sega brand products". That changed once the Genesis became
popular. Of course, I'd be mad about not getting the new system also.
Do you really think that WM would've even made any money w/ each store
getting 2 or 3 systems? I'm blabbing so I'll go... :) L8R
--
Swedish Chef-"Jag lagar god mat!"
_____ ____ gt3...@prism.gatech.edu
|____ | C=8^)X "Bork Bork Bork!" -or-
_____| + |____ + sc...@cc.gatech.edu
(404)SWAPUSA
retailers, has an article about Saturn's early release to only a select
group of retailers.
According to the article, Sega has shipped 70,000 units so far. It goes
on to say that "while those numbers are impressive, store reps said the
Sony Playstation will be just as hot." "One store manager said some
customers actually returned the Sega Saturn, saying they would rather
wait and buy a Sony Playstation in September."
"Some insiders speculated that retailers such as Target, Kay-Bee and
Wal-Mart, which have strong Sega business but weren't in the initial
rollout, would retaliate against the video-game giant by denying shelf
space."
I sure hope it happens and Sega learns a hard lesson. Several of our
customers so far have changed their mind about Saturn and purchased
3DO instead. Specially after the news and articles about the M2.
The big boys of this industry need to come down to earth.
Mike Mickelson
SwapUSA
swa...@netcom.com
LA Kings Fan
: "Some insiders speculated that retailers such as Target, Kay-Bee and
: rollout, would retaliate against the video-game giant by denying shelf
: space."
As far as Wal-Mart, I remember when they only carried SNES games,
and refused to carry Genesis games. They were only hurting themselves. A
couple of months later they got the hint.
Personally I hate buying games from the big chains. The employees
can answer few questions, returns are nonexistant, and thet rarely have
the latest releases.
brandon koo
explain to them that they refuse to stock saturn product, who is getting
hurt at the end? the store lose a sale and a customer!
if they still refuse to stock the product, then the consumer always can go
to TRU, Software etc, babbage and EB.
since all of them is national chain, nobody would have problem finding
saturn product.
Van Hoang Nguyen
True, if the consumer were going to the store specifically to buy a Saturn.
There are plenty of Sega fans, and people who just want a Saturn, who will go
out looking for a Saturn. Any store that refuses to stock the Saturn simply
loses business.
However, there are plenty of people who go to the store undecided. If they go
and don't see a Saturn, they may buy the PSX or 3DO or whatever. Sega will
lose many consumers this way.
I think businesses are mad right now, and rightly so. But once Sega starts
shipping Saturns to everyone, they'll all forgive and forget. Remember that
they're in the business to make money, not to form alliances.
The question is when Sega will start shipping Saturns everywhere. Until that
time, Sega will have to live with some bad PR from these businesses.
=============================================================================
Van H. Nguyen
va...@ocf.berkeley.edu
University of California at Berkeley
"Awoooooh!"
=============================================================================
signia
>
>In article <3sotqg$1...@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>, t...@mail.utexas.edu says...
>>
>>I don't think Walmart's refusal to carry the Saturn will hurt them. If
>>anything it will hurt Walmart. I haven't had any problems gettting any
>>Sega products even with the limited release. It was a limited release...
>>I think Sega would have been in trouble if they did this with a full
>>release (legally), but since only 70,000 units were shipped I don't think
>>they should have released it to every retailer who wanted to carry it.
>>It is much easier to distribute the limited units to a few select stores.
>>It is ignorant to say someone would buy a PSX at Walmart becasue they
>will
>>refuse to carry a Saturn. I would drive 3 hours for any system I thought
>>was something I would enjoy.
>>Todd
>
>
>I have to disagree. I think you underestimate the purchasing influence
>Wal-Mart stores have on the general public (here in the south at least).
>I would much rather buy from Wal-Mart than any "gaming" store. They are
>usually much cheaper and if you have a problem with it, you can just take
>it back and get a new one. Given the fact that the PlayStation-x is the
>better product, selling it and not the Saturn at Wal-Mart could definately
>hurt Saturn sales. I really don't see how not carying the Saturn would
>hurt Wal-Mart.
>
$400+ dollars on a video game system? Not many.
(404)SWAPUSA
: In article <swapusaD...@netcom.com>, swa...@netcom.com ((404)SWAPUSA) says:
: >
: >I sure hope it happens and Sega learns a hard lesson. Several of our
: >3DO instead. Specially after the news and articles about the M2.
: >The big boys of this industry need to come down to earth.
: I don't think Walmart's refusal to carry the Saturn will hurt them. If
: anything it will hurt Walmart. I haven't had any problems gettting any
: Sega products even with the limited release. It was a limited release...
: I think Sega would have been in trouble if they did this with a full
: release (legally), but since only 70,000 units were shipped I don't think
: they should have released it to every retailer who wanted to carry it.
: It is much easier to distribute the limited units to a few select stores.
: It is ignorant to say someone would buy a PSX at Walmart becasue they will
: refuse to carry a Saturn. I would drive 3 hours for any system I thought
: was something I would enjoy.
: Todd
From your comments I can say that you live in a big city where you
enjoy the luxury of shopping malls and every major and minor retailer.
Do not forget that the strenth of Wal-Mart, which by the way is the
world's number one retailer, is in the rural areas.
The amount of games and systems that mall stores like Babbages,
EBX, and Software Etc sell is only peanuts compared to that of
Wal-Mart. Here are some stats about Wal-Mart, taken from Page 29 of
June issue of "Comptuter Retail Week:"
Total 1995 Sales $82.5 Billion
Discount Store Sale $58 Billion
Sam's Club Sales $19 Billion
Hardware Sales $175 Million
Software Sales $80 Million
Computer Sales per Store$200,000
Stores (U.S.) 2153
Markets (U.S.) 339
Add to the above the international divisions in Canada and Mexico. Plus,
this year alone, Wal-Mart is opening more than 90 "Supercneters" each
covering over 150,000 square foot, and it is testing a 220,000 square
foot format.
Now, lets look at Neostar group (Babbages & Software Etc.), and EBX
(formerly Electronics Boutique). Together, the three above chains
operate around 1100 stores (a close guess from my readings) and
per store sales of around 1.1 million per store, making the total sales
of all three around 1.1 billion, which is about 1/80th of Walmart
sales. Granted, a small fraction of Wal-Mart sales is software,
hardware, and games, but it is still a very very significant figure
and it is growing much faster than Neostar or EBX can even dream of.
Also, don't forget Sam's club.
When you don't live in a big city, you buy from Wal-mart and if
Wal-mart does not carry certain video game product, you don't even
hear about it. You buy what Wal-mart carries.
Add to that Target and you will see that Sega can get hurt, easily, and
deservingly so!
Mike Mickelson
SwapUSA
swa...@netcom.com
Mark MacDonald
: SameToYou (t...@mail.utexas.edu) wrote:
: : >I sure hope it happens and Sega learns a hard lesson. Several of our
: : >customers so far have changed their mind about Saturn and purchased
: : >3DO instead. Specially after the news and articles about the M2.
: : >The big boys of this industry need to come down to earth.
(whining and more bitching deleted)
look, sega only had so many of the things to get out to a helluva lot of
people...whats the best way to do that? Give em to the chains....if they
gave a few to every mom and pop store that wanted them they wouldnt reach
the majority as well as they have, ok? They brought the machine out
earlier, which is only good for the gamers, and they had to do things
differently. If that hurts your little business well gee thats just
horrible, but dont expect a bunch of gamers to cry over your lost
business when the move was for them.
Mark
Flynn
SameToYou <t...@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
>In article <swapusaD...@netcom.com>, swa...@netcom.com ((404)SWAPUSA) says:
>>
>>customers so far have changed their mind about Saturn and purchased
>>3DO instead. Specially after the news and articles about the M2.
>>The big boys of this industry need to come down to earth.
>
>anything it will hurt Walmart. I haven't had any problems gettting any
>Sega products even with the limited release. It was a limited release...
>I think Sega would have been in trouble if they did this with a full
>release (legally), but since only 70,000 units were shipped I don't think
>they should have released it to every retailer who wanted to carry it.
>It is much easier to distribute the limited units to a few select stores.
>It is ignorant to say someone would buy a PSX at Walmart becasue they will
>refuse to carry a Saturn. I would drive 3 hours for any system I thought
>was something I would enjoy.
>Todd
The other thing people need to remember is that the gamers out there
already know about the Sony Playstation, but the majority of casual video
game players only know that the Saturn is out there, and that it's made
by Sega, one of the giants in the video game industry. It's almost like
a new brand of jeans coming out, that are supposed to be fanstastic, but
you like your levis, and you see a new kind on the shelf, and you buy
them, because you know that brand name.
Sega is able to survive doing what they have done because of that name
recognition... now, I'm not saying that what they have done is ethically
right or any of that, basically I think their sneak attack plan of
releasing their machine was irresponsible and maybe even stupid, but they
can fall back on that name recognition. Naturally Sony has a big name,
but they are not typically associated with video games, and if a game
player does happen to recognize that Sony name in relation to a game
cartridge... well, we all know that they haven't exactly produced stellar
video game carts. So, I'm not sure that Playstation will really benefit
from a name recognition factor in the video game marketplace. One thing
is for sure, they are going to have to bombard the media in all it's
forms with advertising in order to surpass Sega. I know that all we hard
core gamers, as well as most 'mom and pop' operators, are more than a
little sore at Sega for their bonehead plan of attack, but hey it's their
foot, if the wanna shoot it, let 'em!
--
******* Visit Flynn's...on the Web! *******
Video games, movies, television, and the Denver Nuggets!
Also Buy/Sell/Trade your used video games... Check it out..
http://www.nether.net/~flynn/
Michael Mullis
>on to say that "while those numbers are impressive, store reps said the
>Sony Playstation will be just as hot." "One store manager said some
>customers actually returned the Sega Saturn, saying they would rather
>wait and buy a Sony Playstation in September."
>
And who is this "One Store Manager", no name, no store. Well, that's it,
I'm convinced. Come on.
>"Some insiders speculated that retailers such as Target, Kay-Bee and
>Wal-Mart, which have strong Sega business but weren't in the initial
>rollout, would retaliate against the video-game giant by denying shelf
>space."
>
>I sure hope it happens and Sega learns a hard lesson. Several of our
>customers so far have changed their mind about Saturn and purchased
>3DO instead. Specially after the news and articles about the M2.
>The big boys of this industry need to come down to earth.
>
Guys, have you heard of that thing called TEST MARKETING. Dd you recieve
Jaguars when Atari was test marketing them. If the Saturn doesn't sell
well in EB, Babbages, Software Etc: and such, what makes Sega think it
would sell well in Target, Wal-Mart, or even with you. That's what a
test market is.
It's their decision not to sell Saturn. 1) It will only decrease their
amount of sales they do, and 2) It's not going to hurt Sega's sales
because you can always go right down the street to the local mall, and
get one from the above mentioned stores.
We're all sorry your company didn't get Saturns. A lot of companies
didn't. But when the "official" release of the Saturn comes out, then
I'm sure you'll get your share. In the meantime, don't cry about it. So
your customers went 3DO. Big deal. I'm positive for every one who went
3DO there is one who went Saturn.
Mike Mullis
"The road less traveled, is normally
where the cops have their radar set."
XAK...@PRODIGY.COM
Michael Mullis
>Wal-Mart stores have on the general public (here in the south at least).
>I would much rather buy from Wal-Mart than any "gaming" store. They are
>usually much cheaper and if you have a problem with it, you can just
take
>it back and get a new one. Given the fact that the PlayStation-x is the
>better product, selling it and not the Saturn at Wal-Mart could
definately
>hurt Saturn sales. I really don't see how not carying the Saturn would
>hurt Wal-Mart.
>
Easy. In the first place, people keep with this "Psx is the better
product" crap. We've all proven that's not true. 2'nd, Walmart has no
power over the market of gaming. They are not a gaming store. These are
the same people who stick video games in with their Electronics dept. I
wouldn't buy my Saturn from Wal-mart.
And it will hurt Wal-mart. That's 400 bucks a customer they wouln't get.
Kinda adds up after a while.
Marty Chinn
: look, sega only had so many of the things to get out to a helluva lot of
: people...whats the best way to do that? Give em to the chains....if they
: gave a few to every mom and pop store that wanted them they wouldnt reach
: the majority as well as they have, ok? They brought the machine out
: earlier, which is only good for the gamers, and they had to do things
: differently. If that hurts your little business well gee thats just
: horrible, but dont expect a bunch of gamers to cry over your lost
: business when the move was for them.
Then what about the LARGE chains who got screwed over by Sega such as
Good Guys, Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart?
: Mark
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marty Chinn Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Genesis, Sega CD,
Video Source Mega Drive, Mega CD, Sega 32X, Mega 32X, Saturn,
973 Foxglove Dr. Turbo Duo, PC Engine, Arcade Card, Playstation,
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Neo Geo, Jaguar, 3DO, Game Boy, and Game Gear.
<408> 736-1133 Voice Mailing List, Ordering, and Preordering info at:
<408> 699-7584 Pager vids...@netcom.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swedish Chef
Marty Chinn <vids...@netcom.com> wrote:
>Then what about the LARGE chains who got screwed over by Sega such as
>Good Guys, Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart?
I haven't ever bought a system from any of these (never heard of Good
Guys where I am). I always buy them from Software Etc or EB. When I
think of getting a new system, I don't have Wal Mart or K Mart in mind.
None of them have yet to carry the 3DO in this area I am in. I was told
that the cost was too much for the area (or course, I don't always trust
the sales clerks, but I know this one). I guess the fiasco with the
Turbo CD kept them from getting any high priced system -- they didn't
sell a single unit as long as they had them. I don't think Sega screwed
anyone over however. I mean, w/ 70k initial units out, how many could go
to a single store? With so many WM, KM, and Targets (and Good Guys must
have a lot too) around, it might be that a store would get 1 or none
anyway. Then ppl would be running around looking for a Saturn. I know I
went crazy looking for it. All the Soft Etc's moved every Saturn coming
into Atlanta to the one at Lenox Square -- a single store! I was lucky
enough that this was the closest one to me. However, this makes it hard
for the consumer to get the product. Now, what if Soft Etc chains in
Atlanta had to dea w/ WM and KM? THey only got 10 anyway (whole city).
They'd probably have gotten 2 or 3 then w/ a Wal Mart in some are getting
1 and maybe a Target in another area getting one. I think it would've
been completely confusing since Atlanta maybe got 25 Saturns total. I
don't know if I even would've bought one cos it would've been too much
trouble finding it. I'm sure every store in the city would be angry
having to deal w/ ppl calling for a Saturn and their 1 machine being
taken. If the Saturn had more distribution, then giving more chains the
machine seems reasonable. This was the way the Sega CD was. No Wal
Mart, K Mart or Target anywhere I know got it before Christmas (it was a
limited release as well). Does this make it a little clearer of what
might happen if all of those chains had to share w/ the current ones?
I'm probably being over-dramatic, but it probably would've been a pain
for the consumer to get one.
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Marty Chinn Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Genesis, Sega CD,
>Video Source Mega Drive, Mega CD, Sega 32X, Mega 32X, Saturn,
--
Mark MacDonald
: Mark MacDonald (to...@crl.com) wrote:
: : look, sega only had so many of the things to get out to a helluva lot of
: : people...whats the best way to do that? Give em to the chains....if they
: : gave a few to every mom and pop store that wanted them they wouldnt reach
: : the majority as well as they have, ok? They brought the machine out
: : earlier, which is only good for the gamers, and they had to do things
: : differently. If that hurts your little business well gee thats just
: : horrible, but dont expect a bunch of gamers to cry over your lost
: : business when the move was for them.
: Then what about the LARGE chains who got screwed over by Sega such as
: Good Guys, Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart?
: : Mark
: --
Like I said, they only had so many of the things, so they chose what they
thought would best get saturns into gamer's hands. I dont see alot of
people complaining here they cant find a saturn, I see a bunch of
disgruntled small business owners whinning about why they were left
out....Im sure the larger outlets are just as po'ed but, again, releasing
the saturn early is good for the gamer even if not for businesses.
Again, why the hell should -we-, the gamers, not the small business
owners, care? It was done for our benefit.
Mark
Kelly Bradley
>Jaguars when Atari was test marketing them. If the Saturn doesn't sell
>well in EB, Babbages, Software Etc: and such, what makes Sega think it
>would sell well in Target, Wal-Mart, or even with you. That's what a
>test market is.
Jaguar wasn't released to Target or Wal-mart during the "test market" but
then, I don't think it was ever stocked by them later either. Jaguar is a
very poor example of a "test market" because the supposed national rollout
never happened. Every time someone commented, "Where are the games?" the
fanboy reply was "Wait for the national rollout!" shhyeah
Ok, so Saturn rolls out early - not really a suprise for most of us, but
they say the games are coming, they say Bug is coming soon from day 1 and
inform people via their 1-800 # that more games are coming. They state in
the press release that more stores will be added as soon as production
allows, but the response from everyone at Sega (including the internet
email) is that they won't get them until September 2nd.
>It's their decision not to sell Saturn. 1) It will only decrease their
>amount of sales they do, and 2) It's not going to hurt Sega's sales
>because you can always go right down the street to the local mall, and
>get one from the above mentioned stores.
And who pays the price for this? Smaller businesses. It also makes Sega
look as if they can't do anything unless it's half-assed, and I'm not sure
how far from the truth that is.
>We're all sorry your company didn't get Saturns. A lot of companies
>didn't. But when the "official" release of the Saturn comes out, then
>I'm sure you'll get your share. In the meantime, don't cry about it. So
>your customers went 3DO. Big deal. I'm positive for every one who went
>3DO there is one who went Saturn.
That one that went Saturn went Saturn somewhere else and a possible return
customer was lost to another national chain.
Jason Livingston
- Players hate Sega because the system costs too much, is too hard to
find, doesn't have many games, and the games it does have seem rushed
and low quality. Also, many players aren't ready for the next generation
of games, and the Saturn may be a bad first impression.
- Game makers hate Sege because Sega games are sold now while they
have to wait until the official release, reducing sales
- Stores hate Sega because it costs to much to sell, and those stores
that can sell it don't have enough, plus there aren't enough games and
accessories to make it worth the shelf space.
- Nintendo, Sony, and Panasonic hate Sega because they lied about their
release date, and because it makes players think that all 32-bit+
systems will suck like the Saturn.
So, IMHO, it was a BIG mistake to release the Saturn early. Of course, if
they had released it later they wouldn't have sold very many because of
the Playstation. In conclusion, the Saturn is too little, too late. Sega
got itself stuck between a rock and a Playstation.
Marty Chinn
: Like I said, they only had so many of the things, so they chose what they
: thought would best get saturns into gamer's hands. I dont see alot of
: people complaining here they cant find a saturn, I see a bunch of
: disgruntled small business owners whinning about why they were left
: out....Im sure the larger outlets are just as po'ed but, again, releasing
: the saturn early is good for the gamer even if not for businesses.
: Again, why the hell should -we-, the gamers, not the small business
: owners, care? It was done for our benefit.
I dunno about Mike from Swap USA, but I think a issue to me is that Sega
threw the system out in the market well before it was ready. Very little
production, only a handful of games, and the retailers and developers
total clueless of what was going on. They're still clueless too. Sega
threw it out there probably in fear of the PSX, not to please the
customer. Actually I've heard people complaining that Bug isn't available
or trouble finding a second controller and so forth. Some just total
confused to why they can buy the Saturn in some places, and not in
others, while some stores used to having it but total sold out which I
think applies to most stores. In short, Sega threw it out before it was
ready and retailers and developers get hurt by this. This is the whole
point, and without us retailers and also the developers, Sega is screwed.
: Mark
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marty Chinn Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Genesis, Sega CD,
Video Source Mega Drive, Mega CD, Sega 32X, Mega 32X, Saturn,
Gregg Giles
generally only carry items which they recognize as being profit-earners.
If it won't sell, Wal-Mart generally doesn't carry it.
The Saturn has only been out for a month or so now. Getting product
into the retail channel can take a bit. Give it time. The same thing will
apply to the PlayStation, so just give it time.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gregg Giles The truth is out there.
Associate Producer, Acclaim Entertainment Trust no one.
All opinions expressed are my own. Believe.
Dmitheon
> Mark MacDonald (to...@crl.com) wrote:
>
> : look, sega only had so many of the things to get out to a helluva lot of
>
> Then what about the LARGE chains who got screwed over by Sega such as
> Good Guys, Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart?
>
> : Mark
I've watched this one for a while, and I'd liek to throw in an idea.
How many Saturns have been sold/shipped? Have enough been shipped to
adequately supply every Goodguys, Target, Walmart, K-Mart and every
store that wanted them??? Some how I doubt it. My theory ( and to flame
happy idiots this is a theory, and NO I don't have proof to back it
up, I'm hoping someone else will have that info,) is that is Sega had gone
and shipped to everywhere early..:
1. they would have had to have had ALOT more unit made
and
2, lost the element of surprise because if that many people knew
there's no way they could have kept it quiet for as long as they
would have needed to to pull off the shipment of that many units.
On a side note it's interestint how the only people who are whining so
much about this are the net mail-prder places. To you I say, please save
your whining,. you have a legitimate grief, so why don't you take it to
Sega rather than whinig about it here on ALL the rgv news groups.
(note follows set to advocacy :)
==Dmitri "Dmitheon" Lenna: a closed mind is its own worst punishment======
|len...@micro.ti.com http://www.rpi.edu/~lennad RSFA = Anime at RPI !! |
| DOOM-PhantasyStar-DOOM-PrimalRAGE-DOOM-GabrielKnight-DOOM |
| " The Masquerade", because vampires don't exist >:) |
==========================================================================
Mark MacDonald
: Mark MacDonald (to...@crl.com) wrote:
: : Like I said, they only had so many of the things, so they chose what they
: : thought would best get saturns into gamer's hands. I dont see alot of
: : people complaining here they cant find a saturn, I see a bunch of
: : disgruntled small business owners whinning about why they were left
: : out....Im sure the larger outlets are just as po'ed but, again, releasing
: : the saturn early is good for the gamer even if not for businesses.
: : Again, why the hell should -we-, the gamers, not the small business
: : owners, care? It was done for our benefit.
: I dunno about Mike from Swap USA, but I think a issue to me is that Sega
: threw the system out in the market well before it was ready. Very little
: production, only a handful of games, and the retailers and developers
: total clueless of what was going on. They're still clueless too. Sega
: threw it out there probably in fear of the PSX, not to please the
: customer. Actually I've heard people complaining that Bug isn't available
: or trouble finding a second controller and so forth. Some just total
: confused to why they can buy the Saturn in some places, and not in
: others, while some stores used to having it but total sold out which I
: think applies to most stores. In short, Sega threw it out before it was
: ready and retailers and developers get hurt by this. This is the whole
: point, and without us retailers and also the developers, Sega is screwed.
Still, the gamer can now decide to buy it or wait......no one is being
forced to buy it, at least they can if they want.
Mark
Mark Rathwell
: couple of months later they got the hint.
Might have had something to do with Nintendo pressuring the
Walmart brass into not carrying products by the competition. When Toys R
Us took Nintendo to court over this monopoly tactic, they lapsed a bit.
Even a year ago, a distributor told me that Nintendo offered him a bunch
of extra credit if he stopped carrying Sega Genesis stuff. This is of
course illegal.
>> Mark <<
--
=============================================================================
Mark Rathwell = "Gentlemen ... we can rebuild him. We have the
The University Of Guelph = technology! We can make him better than he was
= was before. Better ... stronger ... faster!"
mrat...@uoguelph.ca =
= Look for my web page, coming soon!
=============================================================================
Mark Rathwell
Could you elaborate?
Rendered1
it's not profitable. It would be very profitable (especially games and
accessories), but Sega currently doesn't have the inventory to supply a
huge chain like ours (2000+ stores). Also, we got burned on the 16 and
8-bit video game scene. Go to your local Wal-Mart and you'll probably see
tons of OLD games with HIGH prices compared to all the clearances going on
at the software stores. When a company gets so big, it takes time for the
"hot item" to make it in. By the time it does...it's often too late.
It'll be interesting to see which systems we'll be carrying. I KNOW we
will carry Virtual Boy, as it's listed on our computers at work. Will we
have the VB for the Aug. 14 launch...doubtful. Anyway...happy gaming!
smith gregory h
CH> EBX (formerly Electronics Boutique). Together, the three above
CH> chains operate around 1100 stores (a close guess from my
CH> readings) and per store sales of around 1.1 million per store,
CH> making the total sales of all three around 1.1 billion, which is
CH> about 1/80th of Walmart sales. Granted, a small fraction of
CH> Wal-Mart sales is software, hardware, and games, but it is still
CH> a very very significant figure and it is growing much faster
CH> than Neostar or EBX can even dream of. Also, don't forget Sam's
CH> club. When you don't live in a big city, you buy from Wal-mart
CH> and if Wal-mart does not carry certain video game product, you
CH> don't even hear about it. You buy what Wal-mart carries.
CH> Add to that Target and you will see that Sega can get hurt,
CH> easily, and deservingly so!
I'm afraid I missed something here... Just why is Wal-Mart
so mad at SEGA? I also wanted to point out that you picked three
stores for your sales comparisons that I think are kind of unfair.
I have barely even heard of those stores, and I live in a city
with a lot of businesses to choose from (Champaign, Illinois to
be exact). True, it isn't Chicago or NYC or Washington, but it
has a lot of stores to choose from. Wal-Mart happens to be very
low on my list. If I want video games, I go to Best Buy. I don't
know their national/international sales figures, but they have
consistently had lower prices than Wal-Mart, better selection than
Wal-Mart, better service than Wal-Mart, etc. etc. I also saw a
documentary on T.V. about just how big Wal-Mart has gotten, and
what it's done to some of those poor rural areas. When Wal-Mart
moves in to a small town, it puts all of the smaller family-owned
businesses out of business, so of course they don't shop anywhere
else! It kills all the jobs and has a monopoly on trade in that
town. Of course they have the lowest price then! They can do
whatever they want with the price and it will still be the lowest.
I'm not saying they DO jack up the price like that, though. They
could still have fair prices. The point is that it really
destroys the other businesses in the area. After a while, all the
other stores are dead, and there is little or no income unless you
work at a Wal-Mart or have an unrelated job like a doctor or
an automechanic. And with those Wal-Mart "Superstores" or whatever
they are, some of those even have autobody shops, car washes, and
automechanics, so those die too. They showed several towns that were
nothing but sun-dried buildings with practically no life, sort of like
the traditional "Old West Ghost Town". I say Wal-Mart should stay in
areas where the city or town can support the business, where they have
competition, and not where "You buy what Wal-Mart carries, or you don't
buy".
Marty Chinn
: : Then what about the LARGE chains who got screwed over by Sega such as
: Could you elaborate?
Sure I can it was not only the small stores that got screwed over by Sega
which you said were the only ones complaining but larger chains as well.
: >> Mark <<
: --
: =============================================================================
: Mark Rathwell = "Gentlemen ... we can rebuild him. We have the
: The University Of Guelph = technology! We can make him better than he was
: = was before. Better ... stronger ... faster!"
: mrat...@uoguelph.ca =
: = Look for my web page, coming soon!
: =============================================================================
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marty Chinn Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Genesis, Sega CD,
Enrique Conty
>
> I'm afraid I missed something here... Just why is Wal-Mart
>so mad at SEGA?
Sega didn't ship Saturns to Wal-Mart.
--
Enrique Conty
co...@cig.mot.com
Eric Pobirs
writes:
Sega was probably considering where early adopters were most like
to see the machine. The software stores are physically much smaller
and more specific to Sega's business as is Toy R Us. It would be hard
to make the same kind of splash when you're competing with a blue light
special on cheese puffs.