Nostalgia Alley — Attraction in Petaluma

TL;DR This place is great and the staff will go above and beyond for you.

Story time:

I called in to ask if they had a copy of a game and they said that they had 2 copies: one in-box and one just the cartridge. I really just wanted the game and didn't care if it had the case/booklet or not, but I asked for the price on both. The price on the loose cart seemed fair and was less than ordering it online elsewhere, so I thanked them for their time and drove over.

I arrived and asked about the game (just the loose cart) and they said that they would need to find it because it came in on a recent shipment and hadn't been placed in the store, yet. I told them, 'no problem' since I love looking around the store and I told them to take their time.

After a few minutes, I was told that they couldn't find it, offered the in-box copy for $10 off, but that was out of my price range. They were very sorry and they told me that if I gave my contact info, then they would call me when they found it; not if, when. The gentleman that was helping me was more upset than I was about not being able to find it and promised that he would.

I gave my info and thanked him for being so great.

I walked to my car, which was a few blocks away, and by the time I got in, they called me and told me they found it. But, there was an issue.

When I initially called them, I was told it would be a loose cart (the less expensive option), and it initially would have been when I inquired earlier. But, they had a case and manual for the game that they were able to combine the game with, so it has now gone up in price.

The gentleman felt so bad for the trouble of the whole interaction up to this point that be dropped the price of the game (case and booklet included) to only about $10 higher than it would have been for only the cart. The other in-box copy was going for about $30-$40 more than just the cart. Note that I didn't ask for him to lower the price or try to haggle him down; he offered that upfront with no request from me. I took him up on the offer and left happily with my game.

I think this is the best customer service I've received. I was a little annoyed at first, but mistakes happen. However, they more than made up for it with working specifically to help me and compensated for the initial interaction.

I will only shop here for used games in the future....

What a gem! I've been visiting Nostalgia Alley occasionally over the last couple of years when I pass through Petaluma for work. The staff are some of the most passionate people I've met across any discipline. While I'm usually just shopping for holiday gifts or things for the kids, I always find myself in deep conversations with the staff about almost any video game-related topic imaginable, and more. They always have an answer to your questions and on the rare occasion they don't, they will find out! The owners who are at the shop with their puppy and adorable little boy every day are incredibly kind and considerate. I've seen them go above and beyond for customers to ensure they get good, fair value for their games and trade-ins, and of course truly know the community they serve. It really feels like the family business that it is. Nostalgia Alley is really the most stocked used game store I've ever seen, and it is also so easy to shop due to the cleanliness and organization. Staff can help you locate a game or console you're looking for in seconds, and browsing is convenient and comfortable. I've picked up a few of my favorite retro games and always enjoy coming back because you never what new nostalgia blast they've uncovered, and again at what feels to be a good value, especially for how rare some items they have are. If you're in the area, I highly...

Having been to multiple “retro game shops” throughout the Bay Area, Nostalgia Alley is the only one I will be back to! From the second I walked in, I couldn’t stop smiling. The walls are all lined with game galore. The best part was the people who work there and the owner. I talked games with them all, it didn’t feel like I was a customer, felt like I was catching up with old friends. Everyone was legitimately friendly and knowledgable in games. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular when I came, but I left with a good stack of games for different systems. As someone with a sizable game collection already, it was great to be able to buy stuff that I still don’t own. Their selection is really vast, they don’t just carry all the big games that you already have. Their pricing is also SUPER competitive. Expect to pay market price for games, they don’t have crazy mark ups like other shops do on their stuff. I had to restrain myself from purchasing all the stuff I wanted. I picked up two grail items, a CIB gamecube Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, and an original case for Metroid Zero Mission— again for market fair prices, if you like to support local this is huge! The shop is truly a treasure I can’t...