1Up Video Games — Local services in North St. Paul

Supporting local game stores (LGS) is important in an era where you can just pick games and cards up off the internet, usually at cheaper prices.

Supporting LGS's during a pandemic is even more important.

I chose to preorder 2 Pokemon Elite Trainer Boxes from this store in January. When I asked about the price they refused to tell me how much it would cost. I waited and called every few weeks to check on the price but was never given an answer.

Come release day for the cards I'm told the price is equivalent to that of scalpers online (125). The store tried to reason that "well our price was cheaper by 20 dollars yesterday (citing tcgplayer having users selling for 145-160), and we're still (single digit) dollars cheaper today.

The owner attempted to talk about how they're cheaper on everything else in the store (used games) and their philanthropy with other customers (giving away xbox 360s).

I refuse to believe that the store needed to scalp their customers for this card set. When you preorder something, you're agreeing that you want to purchase at item at or around MSRP. That's how it works at LGS's, despite the demand for whatever the item is.

To the owner, a pre-order is not me signing up to be scalped. Don't try to talk about how you're only doing it to make sure your store stays open. You're abusing your customers trust.

I sincerely hope your policies on pre-orders change in the future, until then I'd advise everyone to find another LGS. I was able to get the same box of cards from Source for $55. I asked Source staff and they agreed that this owner is just being greedy.

Vote with your wallet

Edit since the owner responded.

I had an inkling that the owner might respond similarly to how he did. I have a recording of our interaction here. This was recorded in accordance with Minn. Stat. § 626A.02.

YT video ID - aXl7ciyqiO4

My voice was not raised. I didn't ask for any sort of discount. I made my case and I attempted to leave 2 or 3 times.

As mentioned in the video, you as a business can and should make a profit from things you sell. 125 on something that costed you (I'm assuming 30-50 at most) is taking advantage of your customers. And if you really wanted to be the sort of guy you say you want to be, charging less than online, then the price should probably move when the online price does. You said yourself you saw the price change between launch day and the day before, so you should have lowered it in accordance with that.

As I said, I'm sure you had no problem moving the boxes for the price you chose to charge, but I won't support that sort of business.

I was only really interested in the trading card portion of your store. Giving away this, and donating that is great. It really is. But it won't make a difference in where I spend my money. It just makes it seem like you're trying to give yourself points.

Making false claims about what I did and did not do in your store kind of speaks volumes about what sort of person you are. I hope that also changes with time.

Thanks.

----------9/30/2024 - 3 years later edit------------

They have not changed over time. I shop at...

Disclaimer: My review may seem negative in nature but the flaws, I feel, should be pointed out as such to help better the experience for others. I am not hating, I just want to see better.

Whilst the game selection and console variety were better than expected, the overall atmosphere was not as welcoming as I would hope. The walls and shelves are lined with AI generated images in place of actual art framed on the wall, a lot of the products are Chinese / third market knockoffs, (such as figures, plush toys, fake LEGOs, and posters,) makes the trip a disappointment and not at all fun to look at. I would expect better from a game store, ESPECIALLY regarding the use of AI generated images. I, as an artist, would even personally offer to redraw the "art" used myself for use in the store, free of charge, just to see it replaced with the work of a real person, who put real time and effort into the pictures lining the walls. I would hope that people as enthusiastic about pop culture as the owners should be, would have enough heart to give real artists the time of day and replace the awful pictures that were generated in seconds by a machine.

Not that the whole experience was bad. I purchased a console and a couple other things, which, I have not checked just yet, but were told to be working, even if the console is very flawed cosmetically.

Though another complaint I have, the PlayStation 3 controllers on display state they're officially licensed by Sony, but are actually 100% knockoffs, which is absolutely illegal, and while I'm not fully faulting the store, it should still be in their best interest to outright show they're not officially licensed.

The store does offer a nice 1 year warranty regardless of the damage and does not require a receipt, which is a good practice, and offers free water, which, again, is a positive. The arcade section is also very decent with a good selection, and the consoles they DO have are very very impressive, and, for the most part, decently priced.

Overall, I don't think I had a bad experience, but the flaws are glaring and very fixable, and I feel as if putting in that extra work to at the very least replace the AI generated artworks and work to better the experience. I'm not trying to dog the store, I just want them to do better, and am eager to return as long as, once I'm able to test what I did purchase and make sure it works, to see them expand...

This place is heaven. This entire store is an absolute labor of love--from the free retro arcade games (with classics like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and TMNT) to the massive collection of clean, well-organized video games from every era and Yu-Gi-Oh/Magic The Gathering cards, everything at 1Up is clearly the product of the owner and his staff pouring their hearts and souls into bringing their dream store to life.

The staff carefully refurbish and clean every single video game before it goes on sale. The collection of 'complete' older titles (ie, original box/manual, etc.) on sale is impressive, and if you're interested in purchasing one of these items, the staff will usually let you inspect the item. The prices for 'loose' cartridges are INCREDIBLY reasonable, and the prices for items in their original boxes are exactly what they should be! They know the value of the items they are selling, but don't use this information to jack up the prices.

This store is NOT for resellers, and that's fantastic. It's a place where collectors can go and find items for their collections at a fair price.

Unlike some video game stores, the staff are friendly, passionate, and welcoming--they have absolutely no interest in being snobby or elitist. They're happy to answer questions (no matter how 'stupid' you might worry it is!), chat about the games you're interested in, and will go above and beyond to make sure you leave the store happy and satisfied.

Also, I brought in my Sega Game Gear to see if they could repair the faulty screen, and Scott, the owner, put me in touch with the person who handles repairs for the store. Super grateful for that!

....I'm going to spend so much money here. I hope my wallet...