GAME staff buy 3DS stock from Tesco

Store staff at GAME were sent to Tesco during last week’s launch of Nintendo 3DS in order to buy hardware and software stock at the supermarket’s reduced price.

An internal document uncovered by Eurogamer shows that GAME stores were encouraged to take advantage of Tesco’s 175 offer for the new handheld using money from the tills.

Whilst we are unable to competitively match this offer in terms of a mint price, it offers a great opportunity to gain 3DS consoles and games for your store’s pre-owned stock” the document says.

Staff were given 209.90 – the price of a 3DS and a game under Tesco’s deal – and then told to trade it in to their own store as pre-owned stock. Multiple trips of 1049.50 were authorised – the equivalent of five bundles – and the document featured a list of priority software, including LEGO Star Wars III, Super Street Fighter IV and Nintendogs + Cats.

The purchased 3DS units were then sold to customers at the same price as mint due to expected supply shortage”, according to the document. However, stores were instructed not to sell this pre-owned stock before the mint supplies ran out.

Some of our stores wanted to move quickly last weekend to build their pre-owned stocks of 3DS at the same time as their local competitors, so we gave them a process to do that,” said a GAME spokesperson told Eurogamer. It was not mandatory, and happened in small volumes.”