actually EB/GameStop Managers do have a reason to try to sell the PS3. Sony is holding a reward contest. For each console sold they get like 10 points, the manager at the end of the contest with the highest points in the state gets rewarded like 500 more points, and the the manager who sells the most in the whole country gets like 5000 points and a new car. The points can be redeemed for prizes on a rewards site. I forget the link but I talked to the manager at my EB Games. He said the prizes range from CD Players to Car Audio to a PS3 to Extreme Gaming PCs ($5000+ computers). 

I didn't mean like behind the scenes featurettes, I meant like look at the Theatrical Trailers on Chicken Little then the movie, or did the commercials always look bad too, or take a look at the special features on Blazing Saddles, the IN-MOVIE clips they use are EXACTLY them same as the original movie, then switch over to another scene, it's really amazing. I do have to question what BDs you've seen, most are now encoded with MPEG4 with AVC, or VC-1. Yeah, some of the first BDs weren't great but neither were the first HD-DVDs(any that were MPEG2), they had the exact same issues.

I would have been all, ya know the Wii comes with 5 games and is only $250. I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find one. But that is just because I am a jerk.

Interesting though. You would think that even if the clerks don't get any kind of spiff or bonus they would still mention some of the additional features. Even if this guy didn't have the other $70 to get a game he could have been sold on the BR alone. Theres always blockbuster.

 That is true. The manager. However, unless he is providing some incentive to his/her employees in the store....

 I'm going to take a wild guess and say the clerk just didn't care if he made a PS3 sale or not.  I'm actually guessing he probably preferred not to since it meant less work (dealing with warranty, trying to push more games, getting information, ect).

 Hence why your normal employee doesn't give a crap if they don't sell another PS3.  The managers can't bribe them with anything to sell more and they more than likely don't care if the manager gets bonus points.  Most people who work at Gamestop/EBGames are fairly miserable and just don't care (after the initial excitement of OMG I work in a game store!!!!!).

 lol then they EB games and Gamestops by you are really really bad. The store by me is awesome. The manager lets his employees rent things from the store. So basically they get to play every game and never have to spend a dime. 

What the hell is their job, to tell me the wrong release dates?

@DonWii, sorry but I never say IMO, because EVERYTHING on here is IMO, it should be a granted. though I guess it may rub some the wrong way... anyways I've taking this thread way off topic, sorry, outta here.

Exactly; there are rather perverse incentives at work. Without a meaningful incentives program, employees are only going to try to do well enough to not get fired. If they work their asses off selling consoles, they make minimum wage. If they're surly, lazy, and generally unhelpful, they make minimum wage and they don't have to do as much.

From a "what's good for the consumer" standpoint, I could see a clerk trying to convince someone who seems to want a PS3, but who doesn't know much about it, to buy a 360. It's simple fact that it's a more popular console in the US market, and size of the difference between the two means that it's almost certainly more popular among former PS2 casuals. It's apparently the case that knowledgeable casuals tend to opt for the 360, so it's entirely justifiable to try to convince ignorant casuals to go the same way.

I think Chad Warden's brother was working at the sprint store yesterday. I was in there getting a new cell phone, and I was a ways down the line so I was just relaxing in a corner, then I pick up the word "PS3." I start to get interested, as public conversations about video games often result in hilarity. The 2 discussing it were a Sprint customer service rep, and a random customer. Here is how the conversation went down:

Sprint rep: So man you hear about them Playstation 3s?

Customer: Is it like the PS2?

Sprint rep: Yea dude, it's ballin. It's got like 1000 games and they all look like real life.

Customer: Damn sounds tight.

Sprint rep: Yeah man, it's got this Blu-Ray shit, which makes the graphics pimpin!

Customer: How much them things cost?

Sprint rep: I dunno man, my buddy was tellin me they only like 200 bucks(yes, this is actually what he told him).

Customer: Man, I'm gonna go pick me one of them badboys up after this.

Sprint rep: Yeah man, the PS3 is ballin.


I would have loved to keep listening in on this intelligent conversation, but after "the PS3 is ballin" I couldn't help but think of that Chad Warden video on youtube and started cracking up. I tried to cover it up with a cough and walked across the room. The whole conversation just killed me though.