Play N Trade Video Games

When I took my mom shopping this past weekend in Clairemont Mesa, I happened to see Play N Trade. Seeing how I had some games in the car that Gamestop couldn’t accept (the chain stopped accepting PS2 games last year for trade), I decided to come here to see how much I’d get for them.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised… the amount I was quoted (and which I accepted) was higher than I expected. Granted, it was in store credit, but given how I don’t think anywhere else would accept my games, I figured it was good enough.
Not many new games for sale here; Play N Trade deals primarily in used titles. However, unlike Gamestop, they carry used PS1 and even Nintendo 64 games here! (Somehow, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a box of Atari 2600 titles somewhere in the building.) Also, they sell munchies and gaming merch as well.
Friendly staff, and you can indeed test games out as well here. I think that as I whittle down my collection, Play N Trade will be a viable option to sell my titles (and even pick up new ones)!

They have 4 – 5 game station for you to try out games of all systems. Price is not that much different compare to gamestop up the road but you can rent the game if u wanted. Staffs are polite and do try to meet your needs but one game was checked out and it still on the shelves so I couldn’t get it. Not a whole lot of titles available.

First impression of the place is greeted by a few hoodlum types guys just loitering outside, upon going inside and somewhat greeted by a group of rowdy kids talking smack to each other I found the section I was looking for.
The sales person was too busy to pull himself away from the group of kids to then only continue conversation about the hoodlum types outside saying flat you that they have stolen items and were trying to steal more today and that he refused to «deal» with them.
As I was leaving I ignored the people outside as they were only trying to get my attention to harass me.
On top of all that!!!
The games selection was overpriced and very few titles to choose from.
Will not come back or recommend to anyone for any reason.

The staff was awesome and helpful and even though they didn’t have what I was looking for, I would go back again because of the service.

LOVE THIS PLACE!!! Wish I knew about them a long time ago. If you are a gamer STOP going to GAMESTOP. THEY ARE RIPPING YOU OFF. The guys that run this place are so nice and the price is right on everything. And I am not just saying that because I am all about the small business. I’m saying it cause this place is rad; you walk in and they have the best set up. They have a nice part of the store set up so kids or whoever can not only check out your game before you buy it, but also every time I go in, there are always people hanging out gaming. So parents, I encourage you to help support this store with your business. It’s a safe place for your kids to hang out.

I am the occasional video game player. After I left this store– I wanted to play all the time! The staff was super helpful, especially for someone who doesn’t want to buy a game without knowing exactly what Im getting into. They walked me through the whole thing, getting me the exact system I wanted, games, and I saved money on all of it!!! Thanks Play N Trade– I would recommend this store to anyone in SD!!!

I wanted to come home right away and Unilocal this place after running errands. First things first, I am not a gamer… and I called with questions about rentals, games, etc. They were beyond helpful and friendly on the phone. When I got to the store, they were really welcoming, helpful, and did everything they could to accomodate what I was looking for. Even when they weren’t able to offer what I wanted, they helped recommend where to go for it. If this makes anyone who owns or manages this store upset at their employees, they should know right away that this has made me a customer for a long, long time. I will always come to this store before Gamestop or anywhere else, because businesses like this should survive. I will alway recommend you guys to my friends and others as well. Thank you guys!

Play and Trade is amazing! All the employees are super nice and friendly! Great customer service from the time you walk in the door! The owner is super nice too, he’s very hands on at his store which is good. The prices are awesome, and you can even try a game before you buy it! They offer so many things at play and trade even birthday party’s! They fix phone screens and so much more! All at an affordable price.
FIVE STARS HANDS DOWN FOR THESE GUYS!

Friendly and helpful staff. I came in hoping to get a scratched Xbox 360 game fixed and they were able to get every scratch out! It looked brand new and plays flawlessly! I’ll be back to try out some video games before I Buy them.

Came in here and everyone was helpful and friendly. I buy two games religiously, Fifa and Madden and had only really purchased those but the guy working their suggested, and let me play a few other games I might like, and I did.

Great staff led by a manager who runs a business how it should be conducted. Really helpful staff that assists your every gaming need. Go here, not Game Stop. Thanks guys for the great service!

Great staff and lots of fun. You can try any game before you buy it! Thats awesome.

Love this place. Awesome trade in value for his games. Ended up getting back more than twice what I expected.
Over Spring break I dropped my son off to play video games and he didn’t want to leave. Their arcade price was very reasonable ($ 8/​hr) to play whatever he wanted to and they were running a special buy 1 hr get 1 free deal. I felt comfortable with him hanging out and playing and the employees were great. Even made sure he didn’t get anything rated above what I allowed him to play.
Can’t wait to have a birthday party there!

Brought my daughter’s DSi here to get fixed. All the workers are extremely nice and helpful… waaaaay better than game stop. I was thinking about buying a kinect game and they let me try it out to see if I liked and I bought it. They also had the need for speed game that I’ve been searching for! I became a member so no more game stop for me!!!

friendly, neat, good customer service

I went into Play n Trade for the first time ever and loved it! They allowed me to try out any game i wanted before having to buy it! The people that work there are very nice and cool. Great concept and better prices than Gamestop!
Recommend this place to everyone! So fun!

In the multimillion dollar video game industry, the Play N Trade franchise is looking to take some of that lucrative market share from local monopoly chain store, Gamestop. Never heard of P-​n-​T? Me neither, until I stumbled across them during my midnight release quest to find the shortest line (…but that’s another story:
).
I stopped here late night because there was no line; only a guy out front talking on his cell phone. The doors were unlocked and the Open light was on, so I went in and chatted up the store manager in my attempt to buy the video game several hours before the actual midnight release time. No luck [boo hoo], but I looked around the store and asked him some questions about what currently makes Play N Trade uniquely different from Gamestop:
* Try-​Before-​You-​Buy concept
* Video game tournaments (locally and nationally)
* Birthday parties, LAN parties, etc.
* Diagnostics & repair for consoles/​discs
* Convenience store snacks & merchandise
* Loyalty program for new and repeat customers
Would I shop here? Uhh… maybe? I still have my favorite store and [probably] won’t cheat on them, but I appreciate the setup at Play N Trade and hope others near the Clairemont neighborhood will at least check them out and maybe add them to their shopping rotation. Gamestop is currently The big dog on the block, but they’d better sit up and notice if they want to keep their competitive advantage because I suspect other franchises will be popping up in the future.