GameCrazy

Infobox_Company
company_name = Game Crazy
company_
foundation =
company_type = Subsidiary Movie Gallery
industry = Computer and Video Games
homepage = [http://www.gamecrazy.com www.gamecrazy.com]

Game Crazy is a video game retailer in the United States and is a fully owned subsidiary of Movie Gallery. The stores are often, but not always, located adjacent to Hollywood Video rental stores, also owned by Movie Gallery. As of December 31, 2006, there were 634 Game Crazy locations next to Hollywood Video stores.http://www.investor.reuters.wallst.com/stocks/company-profile.asp?rpc=66&ticker=MOVI.O] The store specializes in used games by offering trade-in credit to its customers, but also sells new products. Game Crazy contributed 13% to Movie Gallery's revenue for 2006, with 70% of its revenue coming from new and used software and 30% from new and used hardware products. ]

Competitors with a similar business model include GameStop and their subsidiary EB Games, which also specialize in new and used video games. In addition to customer trade-ins, the store sells used games once offered for rental in Hollywood Video stores.

History

To compete in a growing video game market, Hollywood Entertainment launched a store-within-a-store concept called Game Crazy which features the ability to buy, sell, and trade video games, systems, and accessories inside of Hollywood Video stores, while Movie Gallery launched a similar initiative called Game Zone. Game Crazy/Zone offers gamers the ability to try any game before they choose to purchase or rent. Most of these locations offer all newer platform games, both in brand new and used conditions, as well as some stores offering older systems and games for sale, ranging from the NES to the more recent Dreamcast.

At certain locations within the country, Game Crazy/Zone does offer cash for trades. Game Crazy also offers "wishlist" and "special order" features. Wishlists merely hold the next copy traded in at that store, which is automatically flagged by the POS system. Special orders have copies shipped in from other stores (for an extra $6 fee) to allow customers to request copies of games that may not be in stock. They sell and buy games for basically all gaming systems such as Gamecubes and Wiis, Playstations 1, 2, and 3, and Xboxs and Xbox 360s. They also offer the MVP customer membership. For $9.99 annually, customers get an extra 10% discount on used games and accesories and an extra 10% on trade-ins as well as free disc buffing services. Game Crazy MVP accounts are separate from Movie Gallery/Hollywood MVP accounts.

Both Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video brands have rolled out special store within store videogame areas. These areas are similar in nature to EB Games or Gamestop stops in both offers and designs, with Game Zones being within Movie Gallery, and Game Crazy being within Hollywood stores. While some stores operate these areas as completely separate brands (i.e. the Game Zone/Crazy has a separate manager and staff from the Hollywood or Movie Gallery stores itself), others have smaller versions of these concepts, with a focus remaining on the sell and trade in of video games and systems. However, the section is operated by the normal store employees and are smaller than "separately" operated divisions. It should also be noted that there are several Game Crazy locations that are operated as stand alone businesses with no Hollywood Video nearby.

References

External links

* [http://www.gamecrazy.com Game Crazy Official Site]