Talk about a crummy way to advertise your trade-in store. Not only do you make the costumer jump through hoops just to get prices ("[c]all us with a list of your games in alphabetical order"), but they don't even tell you the company's name. I looked up and down this advertisement, and nowhere is there a store name. Is this just some dude out of his mother's basement, or is it a real store? Clearly they have enough cash to warrant an advertisement in GamePro, so why all of the secrecy?

What's more, if you're a real company, then why are you only open between 10 and 5? This advert is from the late 1980s, long before every kid on the block had their own cell phone plan. How are all of us West Coast gamers supposed to take advantage of your trade-in values when you close at 2 PM? This is from a national publication, yet this company closes long before most kids get home from school. Again, that doesn't make a lot of business sense.

But the real problem with this advertisement isn't the crummy hours, lack of a company name or the draconian rules. The problem is the fact that it looks like the person on the other end of the phone is a speed freak. And I'm not talking about a guy who likes to drive fast. With his bloodshot eyes and dazed look, I get the feeling that Mr. Top Dollar just got done partying with an eight ball. Maybe it's just me, but I would much rather sell my games to a guy who doesn't look like he's going to melt them down and try and smoke them. Maybe that's just me.

FROM: I'm Bad Advertising ... Get Me Out of Here!