As many of us know the fate of GAME stores nationwide have been sealed. And stores like DSE have followed the trend of limiting their stock or removing themselves from the gaming market entirely (Myer).
Like everything in the US, bigger is better. Every sector of retail appears to have a 'massive cousin'; Costco for groceries, Bed, Bath & Beyond for home furnishings and Best Buy for electronics. Our stores down-under seem to be following a similar trend, but perhaps not exactly to that extent (JB Hi-Fi would be the closest store that I can think of)
Should we have more competitors in our markets? And if so would this big box model work in Australia? It seems to have for Bunnings, but then again there isn't much choice for hardware out there anyway... Honestly, I would love stores like Best Buy to open up in Sydney (you end up hopping all over suburbia to find what you need). I visited Best Buy on a trip to Arizona a few years ago and probably ended up spending a third of my trip in one
:P Like JB, they offer everything electronic under the sun, it's got the choice of JB mixed with the layout of DSE, an interesting combination which seems to have bought me over at least.
I've noticed that games on average are becoming cheaper, and that's also assisted with an onslaught of sales offered by both JB and EB, but the narrowing of video game competition is becoming more apparent, and it is only a matter of time before prices rise again leaving an even wider gap between older and newer gaming titles.
So are we heading in the right direction in the retail world of gaming? Or is it becoming crazier than Woolworths offering Mobile plans and Coles selling life insurance? (which bizarrely enough, both do)