In case you didnt know. The shop is great but where the real fun happens is on the compas' instagram. Go follow that shit! Its so much fun. The thrill of the first come first serve new things common and rare and even epic! Seeing all the relics that go thru those door when you are unable to go to the store is absolutely the charm and fun about gaming that we all enjoy. Seeing old systems, in box games, toys, seeing our old memories preserved and watching them be relived or passed on. The world needs places more like this. In times of craziness, its nice to unwind and get angry at someone else at online video games and let go of all this random baggage we are carrying. Thanx for keeping salinas up boiz! We all appreciate it. More than our introverted asses will ever let you know! Daniel read more

"Gamers in Control in Salinas--let me tell you, folks, total disaster, absolutely the worst. I've been to hundreds of shops, tremendous shops, the best shops, and this one? A complete mess. The owner--very rude, very nasty, not smart, not smart at all--goes after anyone who leaves an honest review. Sad! You think you're just asking a question, maybe about a card, very simple, very smart question, and suddenly you're under attack. It's unbelievable. People come in, they try to be nice, they try to be reasonable, and this guy--boom!--he's on you like nobody's business. Prices? Terrible. Service? Awful. Atmosphere? You wouldn't believe it. Very low energy. I've seen coffee shops with better vibes than this place. And the owner--he thinks he's running the greatest card shop in America, maybe the world, but really, folks, it's a total disaster. Very sad. He can't handle criticism. Can't handle it. If you leave an honest review, you'll feel like you insulted the president. And I know a thing or two about criticism, believe me. So do yourself a favor--don't go. You'll save your money, your time, your dignity. It's a very dangerous shop for anyone who wants an honest experience. I know the best shops, I have the best shops, people tell me all the time. Gamers in Control? Not one of them. Terrible, terrible, avoid at all costs. Bigly disappointing. And that owner? He needs a lesson in manners. Very sad!" read more

Went here today since I was in Salinas, bought some stuff from them that seemed at fair prices. I didn't think about the total of my bill till when I got home later which I live 1 hour away. They charged me $75 for what should have been under $60 even after tax. Believe their lord of the rings packs were 7.99 from what the store employe told me. I liked this store but this will be the last time I go there especially since I went on Black Friday when you're suppose to be getting deals not over charged. I didn't ask for my receipt since I didn't expect this kind of thing to happen, but make sure to check your receipt when buying from them, could be simple employee error but shouldn't be happening regardless. Not worth the drive to try to go get some money back that would be more in gas. read more

Gamers In Control - This somehow came out to $75 with some cents - Electronics Near Me - Salinas, California

I would not recommend trading your cards here. Came in with about $100 in market value worth of cards and got offered under $40 in store credit. That's 40% value of your cards... not very fair. We always support the store and buy bigger items such as booster boxes... we are gonna go back to buying online and supporting other TCGs. read more

Mid stock, Mid Prices at best for slightly desirable cards, and HORRIBLE customer service including the owner. DO NOT SELL HERE as they will lowball you guaranteed. And Don't even think about asking them simple questions either bc they will give you attitude and a smart*** answer to follow from the owner every time and the other employees don't seem to be as happy to work there either. (Read multiple reviews here with similar experiences) here's my reasoning - I've come to this store multiple times in hopes that maybe it was just a bad day the previous time but they continue to somehow bring a worse attitude every single time lmao I brought in cards to trade and he laughed and said I had cheap stuff. I ended up selling to another store for in Monterey for way more than what he offered. Sucks that multiple people here on yelp had the same experience. Monterey has way better card shops than this guys' or if you're looking for collectibles go to Collectorverse in the same mall. WAY better stock and customer service. read more

Prices aren't even fair. Only rich people can afford this items in this store! Scalpers scalp.

The owner is very inconsistent with how I'm treated when I go. The past few times I've come to trade in a few things and I'll usually end up picking a game to leave home with, and usually the trades are smooth. Only once he didn't take a trade because the game was imported from Japan, but as I was an IG follower before I saw that they did accept Japanese games so I didn't understand why mine was rejected but I let it slide because it was just one game. Recently I tried trading in some games and controllers for cash since I'm in a tough patch right now, and I can understand denying some games because not all were in the best shape, but they denied a Switch controller and PS5 controller which were in great shape, just spares that I didn't need. They gave me no reason to not accept them and that really frustrated me because they recently were advertising, on IG, controllers they were selling. They also didn't even look at games without cover art saying it needs cover art even though they advertise games with cover art they had to print on, so clearly they can take games without cover art. On their website they confidently say you can come in to sell your games and accessories whenever, but I guess not whenever on their own accord. My experience when last trading in was really rough too, all 3 employees helping which I appreciate but they were moving so fast, the owner almost threw my game off the counter, I could barely keep up with them checking and passing cases back to me. Overall as a gamer I'm not enthusiastic about going there anymore and I most likely won't come back, but for TCG enthusiasts, it seems to be the one stop shop. read more

I went in to sell some Pokemon cards and the staff was very rude to me and said my cards were cheapy even tho I had some rare stuff. plus the owner is rude too from what I read in his replies to other reviews. go somewhere else I hope I save some peoples time read more

My experience was pretty good, the workers were really nice polite and helpful with information, they had games for all sorts of console retro, old and newer. The interior was pretty clean and fun to look around and for the most part everything was priced pretty well and the condition I got my game (dark moon for 3Ds) was pretty nice it came with cartridge as expected but also came with the instruction manual, case, extras like club Nintendo and game recommendations, 8.4 out of 10 would come again if your near the shop read more

Gamers In Control - Came in good condition with extras like the manual just with a small dent,7.3/10 - Electronics Near Me - Salinas, California

Awful store with an obnoxious loser of an owner who sells overpriced games while claiming they are "fair market value". Do yourself a favor and take your business elsewhere. Also, a bit of advice to the owner: try not scratching your fat behind before you hand people merchandise, you think I didn't see you do it but I know you did. read more

Mid everything in here. Dont come here there stock im games is so bad and overpirced sometimes not worth your drive or walk if your looking for good stuff youre better off going somewhere else. They owner acts like hes all that and like his shop is made by god or something. Also i hate how this shop calls themselves a gamer shop when all you do is talk about cards and pure cards and talking about cards if your whole store is based around cards maybe dont have them all the way behind you and put them up infront the shelfs its annoying and alwards how you have to look where their at and then they strt talking to you talking about some if your need anything like yea i need you to move and let me see the pack. Overall dont come here super overpriced, bad stock in games, poor vibes, just poor everything they have so much potential if they got rid of those games no one plays and if they also didnt ignore you when you asked about their stock on instagram. Dont come here not worth you gas and time. read more

Horrible customer service. they and espsecally the owner is an arrogant mean human being. Plain and simple. I went there with my wife and my Daughter, all three of them behind the counter were watching us like hawks and continue staring when I looked back at them like I was bothering them or something. It was weird and awkward. And when I asked a couple questions, I got very short like I'm annoying them answers. I usually always support Mom and pop stores but this place.....it's better to take your money elsewhere. Even GameStop is better than there and GameStop is also horrible. read more

Owner or worker is rude. Went in prepared with TCG app which is the same site they price off and he didn't want to use it then offered less then 50% of the market of my cards. Horrible. read more

I sold them a hand full of cards they can easily resell for 400+ and they only gave me 170 for store credit. I gave them a base set Zard I know they can easily sell for at least 200. don't sell your cards here. read more

Service is amazing , crazy selection from Pokemon, one piece and retro video games too! Personally one of the affordable locations to shop at ! read more

After 10 amazing years with my Wii U, I decided to trade in my system and video games to Gamers in Control. The guy that helped me out was very knowledgeable about video games old and new, and I was able to get a good chunk of money for what I brought in. They also have a great selection of video games and systems, along with memorabilia across numerous gaming franchises. Definitely glad I came here, and will be back in the future to get more games for my Switch OLED. read more

Gamers In Control - Electronics Near Me - Salinas, California

We drove 2 hours for a controller. I called 3 days Ago and then 2 days ago and then 2 hours prior to going to the store about the controller and says he has it. When we reached the store the owner says it's sold. Hmmm that's really nice! read more

Hours are not properly listed here. Store does not open until 12pm. Not a great selection when they are open.

The staff is rude and unprofessional. instead just buy from EBAY and dont waste your time visiting this store. Best decision you will make read more

Gamers In Control - Rude unprofessional owner responding to my google review. - Electronics Near Me - Salinas, California

Already posted a review on Google, but the man who owns the store is the most miserable and desolate man on the planet. Never once has he greeted me nicely or handled questions politely. It has always been very rude and negative no matter how he may seem to feel. Hates interacting with customers unless you treat him as if he's president or buy at least a mortgage worth of product. Once had small talk with the other worker who is his friend and he was nice enough until he instantly turned off and ceased talking like a robot when his boss walked in. Also, he will insult you and boast of his success if you comment anything remotely critical on any review site. Overall customer service: Horrible Product: Okay at best Prices: Most the time too high Owner: Genuinely hated read more

DONT BUY OR SELL HERE!!!!! Went in to sell some games and they lowballed me thinking I didn't know what anything was worth. Wanted to give me less that half of market value. I understand trying to profit but this is absurd. A game the goes for 85-100 depending on condition. Told me 35 cash or 40 store credit. Since he's the the only game store in the are besides GameStop. I feel like he has an ego about over pricing and under paying for games that people sell to him. NEVER GO HERE IF YOU WANT SOLID DEALS!!!!!! Your better Off hunting for good prices on eBay or mercari. read more

The owner has terrible customer service and should be ashamed of himself. He is welcoming to his returning customers and could careless about everyone else. He has no patience and willingness to help newer customers and he's very unprofessional as well. In front of the entire store, he was talking rudely about one of his employees. If you're trying to sell cards, he prioritizes his returning customers. He only cares about making money. Will not be returning or recommending read more

Good selection of products, from video games to trading cards. You can find many things that are no longer at big box stores. However, the customer service is lacking at times. When asking questions the staff can come off as "rude" for lack of a better word, it makes you feel like a nuisance when speaking to them or asking them to get a card from the sealed container. I brought in trade in items to get a quote, once they did research and gave me an offer, I decided I'd rather hold on to them. The employee under their breath says "wasted my time." The store has a great selection but staff could be more polite. read more

Don't believe those reviews that say they are amazing lol yeah they have a good selection form games, trading cards etc. but they have some attitudes that come with all that also they wanna seem cool af on instagram but they really aren't so ima keep it short f*ck them and they store. read more

Aaron is super nice and fair with his trades. He doesn't take garbage and he doesn't sell garbage. He's very responsive on IG and he's honest when you ask questions about something you're not sure of. I love going here and always walk away with a smile on my face. I love doing business at GIC and can't recommend them enough. read more

I was tracking down a game for my kids and these guys were great! I am totally clueless when it comes to tech and gaming and the guys here totally helped me out and made it very easy. Very thankful. Great customer service and selection. read more

the worst place to sell cards and buy any yugioh, pokemon, and magic . the owner compa will upcharge the tax rate and won't let you know on anything you buy and when he buys cards from someone , he will not go off eBay and choose his price so 50% of the time, he will laugh in the back and give you 10% period . please anyone do not go here . worst service in the word read more

I sell them my games often i would have given 5 stars if i dealt with the owner all of the time but I unfortunately had the misfortune of dealing with Robert. If you see Robert run. He offers about half as much as the owner and he does it with a horrible attitude, when I asked his name he resorted to name calling. I would have given 5 stars just because the owner pays good prices for games but my experience was tainted. If you have items to sell it's worth it to wait until owner is working he has been great to deal with. read more

I made a long drive to this place from good reviews I heard but I was really let down by the prices and the service

For more honest reviews visit my profile Shout out to my boy with the beard, been visiting him since he was in front of Sears. Always pick up my Sega games here. He has those old arcade games! Stop by check him out. read more

I love taking my boys to this store and showing them what mommy used to play (Super Mario and Contra, baby!). Support local businesses and shop at Gamers In Control! read more

Best place for new and used video games. The entrance is on the outside of the mall, so no need to even go inside. Makes it super easy to go in and out quickly if you're there to pick up a game. But worth checking out their shelves too, you might find a rare item! Everything is organized neatly and the store is very clean. read more

Came in here just to check out what the store was all about they pretty much had all games starting from regualr nintendo the 360 and ps3 games. what i really liked was how cheap their 360 games were, i usually buy games on amazon.com but this guy was selling them for just about the same if not cheaper, definitely a score. they also had Arcade machines for 25 cents to play!!! what? marvel vs capcom too! dope! its not a big place but they do have a good selection of games at great prices and its always goot to see the games you used to play back in the day, definitely a cool place to at least swing by! read more

Very glad I found this place even though it set me back a couple hours and meant driving to San Diego in the dark. I mention that because it proves how worth your time it is for any new gamer or veteran collector. The prices are not ridiculous and often below Amazon or eBay, with just a few going above the online rate. The NES, Snes, Genesis selections seem to get updated frequently and they even had some rare Dreamcast titles. I didn't get the guy's name, but he was very cool and unpretentious. Never trying rush you while looking or trying to push a sale. I spent over $100 on good games at great prices and I got a free Nintendo brand shirt and a Donkey Kong race car for my daughter. It was like #winning twice. read more

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Very bad customer service I walked in and said hello was not greeted was ignored by the short dark chubby guy the owner kool but the other was just talking to his friend when I asked him something about a game Don't come here thank u read more

Great little store, really digging the newer location on the outside of the mall. They always seem to have new product when I visit. Not just the same old faded labels on NES sport games, but some solid titles. As for price, it's retail. They have overhead like rent to pay so deal with people. If you want a deal hit up yardsales and haggle away. Same with trade ins. It's a retail store, you're not getting what it's worth. The store will be lucky to sell it for that. That being said, I always leave with something worthwhile from this place and that keeps me coming back. Check them out for sure! read more

Definitely not professional they don't care about customer service they only care and give you attention when you have money ready to spend right away. They will not try to work with you. They Pretend to be your so called "COMPA" what a scam their attitude sucks. You're better off buying gems on EBAY than to support these price gougers who only care about the money at the end that's what is all about anyway right? read more

I wish there was another option and I wish that the proprietor and owner of gamers and control, Aaron, had a little more social Grace and a little more patience and value of his customers their property and their time. But, he doesn't. He is rude, very patronizing, has no filter and is one of those people that will say what he thinks about you and immediately follow it up with well just joking. No you're not joking, your passive aggressive, and you don't seem to understand that your customers are your livelihood. In the 10 plus years that I have known Aaron and been a patron of his company I have spent perhaps 200 maybe $300 and traded for store credit several hundred dollars worth of gaming memorabilia. However to this day he responds to me as if I am a burden, a waste of his time, and A Mir ror trifling or artifact that comes with owning a business and something that just needs to be gotten through to get to the end of the day. I hope and I pray that this man has a change of heart. I do not have any faith in him as a man or human being that he will have any desire or understanding of his need to grow and emotionally mature. However that is how things go in this world I can only be sure as to how I handle situations, walk through them and decide to internalize the results of my actions. That being said, I don't own a business and proceed to s*** on all the people who have helped build my livelihood. This man does. So if you're doing a value proposition and you don't want to go to the franchise monsters like GameStop, but would instead prefer to reinvest your memorabilia and games into the local economy through an independent game store, don't. Aaron and his company gamers in control will not value your business or your memorabilia. What's worse is he lacks the social graces to politely decline your business and you will probably leave feeling insulted at best and in an angry rage at worst. Not one time, but while riding this I realize I must be a glutton for punishment because by my account more than five times I've gone to do business with this man and his company despite the fact that my previous experience had been so traumatizing and painful. I almost feel guilty for continuing to return to this man despite his obvious lack of respect and value of me as a customer. But not just any customer, a returning customer recidivism is important and this company has not grown or expanded in over 10 years so I imagine profit is not made however there is no loss so a status quo exists within this company and it shows there is no desire to help, there is no desire to engage with customers and clients. Video games should be something that brings everybody to the table for a moment of respite and engagement with fellow people. It should be something that gives us things to talk about and similarities as opposed to differences. Sadly gamers in control is void of any of these simple ethics and rather seems to be completely fettered with an autistic and narcissistic self bloated and aggrandizing perception of itself and what service it is that it provides to its community. To sum it all up, if you have trading card memorabilia or video game peripherals that you would like to trade or sell or buy don't go to gamers in control unless you want to leave feeling grateful that you didn't lose your temper hurt somebody and now find yourself under the bondage and weight of legal recourse from this man and his company. read more

I love gaming and especially retro gaming but it's hard to recommend this place they have a good selection of games but the customer service is bad. Don't expect to be greeted or chop up a conversation with these employees they have a buy something and leave body language. if you just want to buy a game go for it but like I said don't expect a friendly environment or a place to meet someone with similar interests Wich would be awesome for the local game scene. read more

The place is great for finding old games. Dreamcast, Super nintendo, n64, playstation. You name it, it's there.. There's just one thing that i have a problem with. CUSTOMER SERVICE. Now, i work for a video game store, so maybe it swayed his opinion, but when my wife and i went in there, the guy was incredibly rude. He didn't seem to care about anything I had to say, and he never once looked up from the movie he was watching on his laptop. Personally, I would rather get my old games elsewhere, because their customer service leaves something to be desired.. read more