In-store pick-up
Yes
Jay St Video Games in Albany
Categories
Location on the map
Albany, Albany County, New York, US
Service options
In-store shopping
Yes
Delivery
No
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Planning
Quick visit
Yes
Phone: +1 518-313-7238
Site: http://planetpopculture.com/
Site: http://planetpopculture.com/
Opening hours
- Monday:11AM–7PM
- Tuesday:11AM–7PM
- Wednesday:11AM–7PM
- Thursday:11AM–7PM
- Friday:11AM–7PM
- Saturday:11AM–7PM
- Sunday:11AM–5PM
Comments (164)
There is a super hot blonde girl that works here that is very powerful and a good kisser. Good plush selection
If youre into collectibles or video games, Jay st has it all. Staf is always friendly. They even take in trades of used video games and collectibles.
Came here to purchase and trade some old Pokémon cards. The customer service here is amazing. They took time and care looking at my cards while balancing a busy store! The prices are extremely fair and will be coming here often. My new favorite card shop. Ask for Jen or Matt they were awesome !
Egregiously overpriced for items that can be found for stupid cheap elsewhere. With the over priced items being not even all that rare.
I’ve been going to Jay St video games every year for 8 years now. The owner is fantastic and treats his employees very well. The service from everyone has been exceptional since I’ve been there. You know a company treats their employees right when you see the same faces often! Prices and negotiations are fair.
This is my go to place for retro gaming. Ive also started buying my current generation games from here. Pricing is always fair, trade in prices are always higher than the big box stores. The owner Ryan even takes time out when I message him with questions and prices. Never had a bad experience at Jay St.
Love love LOVE Jay St Video games!!! The owner Ryan is fantastic and goes above and beyond for his customers. Not only that, but hes an active member of the community and always looking for ways to make it better. Albany is lucky to have this local business!!! Wish I could give them 10 stars
Friendly knowledgeable staff, always willing to help. Best prices on games, beats GameSpot by a mile and the owner will stick up for the staff against rude customers, always a great thing.Cant say enough good things. My favorite store in Crossgates!
Very cool place. And if you talk to the right ppl, youre going to get a good customer service as well. I go there for figures to be honest. Theres a slight mark up on them but its not too bad.I said the right ppl because while the majority of the people work there rank from good to downright awesome, a few I honestly dontwant to deal with. The last thing I want to deal with is red tape from customer care especially when being told that simple solvable issues cant be done. Should that continue, the next review will be less favorable.
I love this place. The staff is always friendly, the stuff they have is super cool, and the prices are pretty reasonable. Im a fan of Gunpla so its awesome to see what they have in stock for those. A+.
They’re awesome. When I used to work at crossgates I would go in pretty much every other day to buy a 3DS game, they also sold me the system which is still in great condition. The owner is awesome and I highly recommend doing business with them and supporting local.
Literally the only place worth trading in your games, and tcg. Every staff member is fantastic, and has more patience than a saint. The owner is a fantastic human being, and the rest of the crew are doubly so. Buy your nerd merch and games here, support local!
Best place to go for any kind of pop culture item, or conversation. Need a new Anime to start and dont want to use your bandwidth go to Jay Street, theyll be able to help recommend a good and chances are theyll have it. Looking for that old school to classic game or newer game that you need to complete your collection look no further. Or your on the flip side and need quick cash Jay Street is always there to help out. They staff is also extremely awesome, Ive never meet a group of people who are willing to give more then they ever get.
I have bought a few games from Jay street. Both higher $ value gamecube games. I would say defiantly watch for over-market prices in this store. Staff are friendly and the shop is cool.
Went to Jay St Video Games and there were two games that I was interested that were priced as a great deal; when inquiring further the employee said the actual price was different and that the lower prices tag was old and told me it was significantly more expensive. They bait and switched two products on me which is very sketchy and unprofessional. I recommend going through your products and double check you didnt accidentally price a product two (or MORE) times. I am very uncomfortable by these business practices and believe this behavior is illegal. I will not be buying more products from this business and I suggest that other people looking to collect games are cautious.
Good store good people good service could use more Ghost Busters.
I had purchased an older retired LEGO set (about ~ $200) from this store, got home, opened that bad boy up- realized it was missing half of the bags! Normally this kind of story would be some 1-star rant, but nah. Calling them both times to resolve the situation were very pleasant experiences. The people working there felt legitimately bad about what happened and the refund process was really easy. Sucks about the LEGO set, but the politeness of the workers there (and the owner as well) was really something. Next time I’m at Crossgates I’ll be sure to stop in and buy something. Maybe not a 200 dollar Lego set, but, like, a copy of Madden 2007 or something.
Wonderful small business that carries a good variety of games, anime, and manga. Always enjoy shopping there and chatting with the employees. Store owner has gone out of his way to find/get rare games for me in the past.
DO NOT DO BUSINESS HERE. Horrible place to do business with. Trade ins are NOT WORTH IT. Sell it on eBay. They don’t give you half as much as your trade in is worth. They sold us a $800 card they said was in MINT condition and was actually in HORRIBLE condition. Owner lied and said the card he took in was mint, trying to imply we switched cards or something when IN FACT the card he sold us was garbage. Garbage employees and garbage owner. You’d think people would have some sympathy but unfortunately some people are just money hungry.
A far better alternative than Gamestop or any big box retailer. Ryan and crew are good people. Knowledgeable and friendly staff who, gasp, actually enjoy gaming but arent snobby or rude about it. Good selection of new and used games for both modern and older/retro consoles. Better trade in values by far than Gamestop. Youre not going to find aggressively lower prices below MSRP on newest releases, but lets be honest - you wont find that anywhere. For not a big box store, even newer games are competitively priced. Beyond video games, lots of trading cards, collectibles and novelty tees...fun nerdy stuff. Bottom line, dump Gamestop or Walmart and spend five extra bucks to support a small business owned and operated by actual gamers.
I got really cool steel book cases from here and an old copy of the warriors video game which is awesome. Go here
This place is always on the list of stops when we go to the mall.We dont always purchase something, but theres always things worth looking at.The staff is always polite and helpful, never pushy or hovering, and theyre very sociable.
Owner is amazing and helpful, so is the staff. 10/10. Knowledgeable, fair prices and great trade in value. Strives to be LGBTQ+ inclusive and support marginalized individuals
I love Ryan! He is the sweetest guy and is always helpful! So is the other staff. I have gotten so much stuff from him. Never had a bad expirence !
Great staff, good prices. Snagged a rare collectible edition of Gears3 for almost nothing that has all the physical items in it
Anyone giving this place anything less than 5 stars is probably a bitter loser who hates women, staff, products, and customer service here is incredible! After coming here I’ve never gone back to any other video game store!
Fair, honest, and most of all will work with you to make a deal. During the pandemic Ryan was able to set up a safe way to trade games, even when his physical store was not open.
Video games galore! Collectibles from across the geeky spectrum. Bring them trades and walk out with new items. Take the owner a hot dog and youll probably get a friend for life too. Cheers
Spent over 200 bucks on amiibos I got from this very same place traded it back for a lousy $22.20....and thats with their 20% bonus on trades. And then the owner tried to downplay both my rare golden amiibos as common. Place is a scam but I wont deny the fact they do have great products just need better business practices.
ATTENTIONFor anyone that is buying anything electronic at this store please make sure to ask person assisting you to test and show you that what you are buying works. I spent $60.00 Dollars on a game boy advance that unfortunately needs repairs. The guy told me he tested it, but obviously not if I have to put more money into it.
Traded in games at “Jay St Video Games” a while back, apparently it was a different store under different ownership, so the current shop wouldn’t accept my lousy $17 in store credit. They proceeded to tell me the new owner bought the “store”, but did not receive any inventory, and was using a different system to track their inventory so therefore could not honor my store credit. So I’m curious, what exactly did the new owner buy if he received no inventory, or software by which to track his own inventory? Did he just buy the name - “Jay st Video Games”? Not sure what businessperson with any wherewithal would purchase that?But additionally, I went in on 12/23 to scope out and see if they have a used Playstation 1, which they did for $29.99. I go back on 12/26 and suddenly the price jumped up to $39.99 for the same unit. So they wouldn’t honor my store credit, and they arbitrarily price things probably based on the latest Amazon deals they’re trying to compete against. Very shady business. I’d buy my products on amazon or ebay. I wouldn’t be surprised if this place closes up shop soon and then reopens under another name.
Great place to shop for everything gaming with extras such as comics and statues. Staff is always willing to help track down that game youve always wanted or can let you know when it comes in. Plus, great trade deals running all the time!
Nice little retro and need shop. Pretty interesting stuff, not all of it is for sale some are just display
If youre looking for older games like nintendo 64 and that kind of stuff than this would be the place to go. Ive never actually bought something here yet just because I usually had what I needed at the time but the staff here are always helpful in checking if I need anything and they also give good suggestions on what might be a good pick. Overall this is a neat out of the way video game shop that also sells various figures, movies, and I believe manga as well.
Awesome place. Ryan was super friendly to talk to and gave us more than a fair deal with what we were trying to do. I love shopping local and having the opportunity to support the community again, I will one hundred percent shop here again. Ten out of ten recommend.
Music was so loud it was nearly impossible to have a normal conversation or even shop reasonably. Mentioned it to the staff and they just kinda shrugged it off. Woman working the counter was very nice and polite and appeared to be doing the best she could given the horrible environment. A man was working on displays( manager or owner maybe?) And he was incredibly rude and dismissive. When asked about a product, he completely disregarded the question and went on a rant about how we shouldve bought it from him instead of GameStop and we couldve avoided the problem, instead of offering a product or solution for our current problem.Would give zero stars if it was an option.
Great store where you can buy all of the old classic Xbox 360 games for very cheap, better than trash GameStop
I bought an NES cart at Jay St one day, took it home and realized it wasnt working anymore no matter what I tried. I bought it back and the associate was happy to help me exchange it for the same title with no questions! Thank you guys so much
I am leaving a 1 star as I had bought a game from them a month ago as a gift for someone. I was unable to check that the game worked for 3 weeks as it was a gift. We found out the game cannot be read! They have a 7 day return policy. I spent 50 bucks for a trip down memory lane for someone and it doesnt even work... You take in games and dont check that they work and have a garbage return policy.... I will not be purchasing anything from you and will make sure friends and family know you guys dont check things before selling them
Everytime I stop by the store, even if I do not make a purchase, Im always greeted warmly by the staff and engage in some conversation about the game Im looking for or about gaming in general.
Overpriced used items and the new board game selection is a nightmare. They say the pieces in the games are accounted for, but when you open them, the pieces and cards are thrown about and all mixed up. So yeah.... Did I say overpriced? Haha, oh yeah I did. Please reconsider before buying from them, check eBay and gauge for yourself.
The staff is incredible and helpful! And the stores selection of figures games all for fair and resonable prices! Love this place!
Bought a 3DS and a few Pokémon games a while back and had a great, experience. Everything worked, price was good, and its still going strong.
Jay st has always been my go to place for video games and video game related items. Ryan and his staff have always gone above and beyond, making sure we find what we’re looking for.
This place is a scam. They tried to sell me a defective $80 gba game. Luckily I had my gba on me and was able to test it before it was too late. I’ve bought defective products from here before. Bottom line is that this place is an overpriced scam. Do not go here, you will end up regretting it in the future.
**WATCH OUT AND MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE CHECK YOUR STUFF BEFORE PURCHASING FROM HERE**Literally sold me a broken Xbox one. They wouldnt even take a look at it or let me switch it out due to me throwing away my receipt days earlier because the console seemed to be working fine at first. Pretty sure all Xboxes come with their own individual serial numbers to make sure this is actually the one I bought from you guys...but whatever. The Xbox didnt come with its original power cord (this ones wattage was VERY low compared to a standard Xbox one power cord and the console would randomly turn off/over heat). AND it also wasnt even factory reset! Thank God I have a friend whos good with consoles whos going to TRY to fix it and is letting me use his in the mean time. Maybe next time you sell a pre owned item - make sure it actually works and you give people the right stuff with it. Ill be going to Past Time Legends and other BETTER local places from now on for my gaming needs. Very disappointed considering I always went here for games and such.
Hands down the highest trade in values and best prices in the area. 20% more than GS pays, and they will always price match or even lower prices to accommodate customers. Friendly staff and fun environment
Great staff, helped me find exactly what I was looking for, very knowledgeable and I got more for my trades than I was expecting. Theyre my first (and usually only) stop.
Super good collection if u cant find what u want at this spot then stop looking lol they had everything from single cards to PSA cards a must stop for avid collectors
Staff is the only redeeming factor of this store, everything is over priced, but the people are nice and personable so if you are not familiar with retro games and are willing to pay more in exchange for great customer service and help finding exactly what you are looking for, then this is the place to go.
Small store yet it feels huge on the inside with so many selections (modern games, classic games, comics, pokemon cards, figurines, and so much more).
I would give this place negative points for its over priced garbage, salty staff, and the peer pressure to buy or get out and not letting their customers browse. The icing on the cake is their blatant attacks on other local business and their attacks on customers that shop other places. This place seems like a really over priced D&D cult than a place of business.
Cool independent store focused on video games of all generations and merchandise around such, also some trading cards and posters
Amazing store with plenty of goods for the gamer/nerd in all of us. 10/10 would recommend to anybody.
Great stop for all your nerd needs. Fair pricing and always offers more on trade ins than others like gamestop.
Shady store practices, sold me a sealed transformer and claimed it was new but found out after opening it was resealed and not new. Also charged 4% extra for paying with a credit card, dont do business here.
Buyer Beware!!!! We bought some original PlayStation games here. Brought them home and they were both scratched to the point you cant play them. We brought them back the next day and the manager refused to give us our money back on them, even though their policy clearly states you can return them within 3 days for your money back. There werent any games to exchange them for as they are rare Spyro and Crash Bandicoot games. I WILL NEVER BUY FROM HERE AGAIN!!
Great gaming store, great prices, respectable staff. All around good place to shop 🙌🏼
BEST PLACE TO BUY USED VIDEO GAMES CAW CAW
Ive been going to Jay Street for years whenever I need my retro gaming fix. Knowledgeable and friendly staff who are as passionate about gaming as we are.
The best video game store I have ever been to in my sad miserable life.
Bought a dreamcast from them, as well as some other games. Staff was super cool, definitely going back :D
Ive been buying and selling items for years and I would 10/10 buy my statues and collectibles from Ryan and the crew at Jay Street everytime.
They have a selection you just cant find anywhere else. They also offer comic books, which could be organized better but are all in great condition with backboards and plastic.
Excellent store, fantastic selection, great customer service, and a welcoming vibe there. I definitely will be back.
Awesome local small business. Offer a great selection with the best prices around. You can find vintage video games , as well as comics, posters, collectables, and more.
Definetly recommend this store for any gaming and anime fan all kinds of hidden gems
Yeah they have a Dwarven Gaming Smith who was very helpful. Custom made the disc too from obsidian. P cool guy. Forgot his name tho.
Great place. Guy is fair and honest! He runs a business through and through ! Also throw him a follow for some 🔥 memes!
The people here was so nice. I like the anime poster I bought from there. Sadly, that is the only store they have. So, if I want to go to that store again Ima have to leave the city and go upstate.
Staff are very willing to answer questions and I never feel rushed. Ryan, the owner, is very knowledgeable and helpful, although a bit quirky.
Always grade A service when I get to come in, thank you guys for the CIB Banjo Kazooie! Love yall!
Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great selection. This place is a must-stop whenever Im in the mall.
Great place with a friendly staff. Im not saying the owner Ryan is heck of a salesman but I walked in with one kid and walked out with two.
Excellent staff and owner. Honest and polite. Amazing inventory! Always friendly and helpful.
My son loves this place. More for looking than buying. Got super cool vintage toys and games if your a collector.
Love this place. Always friendly, always helpful. My first stop for video games and accessories.
Jay was incredibly kind and helped me get what i need. hes always been a great giy since high school.
Video games, toys, cool employees, very personable ownership, great prices buying and selling, active on Facebook with regular deals postedThe place to buy games at the mall trulyThey will price match GameStop store credit value in cash on tradeins I believe
Fantastic place, great service, cool nerdy stuff and fair prices. Locally owned too!
Just a treasure trove of items. It always feels good finding a gem for a price that wont break the bank here!
They great prices and dont listen to vegetable Oil because he doesnt know what hes talking about j street games is not a scam and is a great store in general
Great prices for games and better trade in prices then gamestop
Jay St rules. I always find something interesting, and the place is run incredibly well. Truly a gem in our local community!
Staff always seem like youre bothering them when inquiring about anything in the store, despite there being signs telling you to ask about prices. I was ready to make a sizable purchase but was put off by the attitude from the employee towards me and the product. Not surprised their other location closed.
The staff are friendly and the owner is amazing! This is my go to stop for anything video game related!
The service and selection is good. The prices are aggressive but I realize they have to pay the rent to Crossgates somehow...
Great shop owner and staff are pretty cool, knowledgeable and the owner does a lot of pro community works which is great.
Great place for collectors. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Always been a pleasure.
These guys really have a passion for games. There really nice and the guy was supet chill. Im dropping game stop and coming here from now on!!!!
Weird business practices. Every time I go there.. they have wrestling figures but, cant sell them yet. Months apart..same story.
Traded in multiple games and systems over the years and always got a good fair price.
Great selection of items.
Great place for video games and all varitey of gaming systems. Fair in prices for trade ins and lots of collector memoribilla too
Really great store with phenomenal ownership and staff. The jewel of Crossgates Mall!
Incredibly friendly staff, awesome owner, amazing inventory/collection!! A+++
I would sell my first born to Ryan and the gang at Jay St.
Kinda pricey but but overall customer service was pretty good 👍
Friendly staff and amazing owner, 10/10 will deal with again when im back in town! Thanks again guys!!
My daughter was looking for a hard to find figurine for her son. Not only did they have it, the price was exceptionally good.
Shopped there many times, great selection, good prices, great staff!
Love being able to find all the old games and platforms! Staff is always courteous and welcoming!
Way too overpriced, they wanted $80 for an item that sells everywhere else for $50
Great prices nostalgic games retro and newer so, Good Good Good all around Good!
All the games from any system that you can ask for with other cool toys and figurines.
Good small local business. Fair prices and fair dealings.
Great, locally owned game store. Highly Recommended!
Guy was just trying to tell me what he thought I wanted to hear to get me to buy. It didnt work, instead it drove me to leave the store without a purchase.
Very Over priced on old games and on other stuff RIP off store wont be in business long with the price of stuff
Good selection of games. Easy to get to. Good prices.
Amazing selection and decent prices
Its sad to see old games sold at gouging prices. Sentiment has value, but nothing near these extremes
Bought some posters at this location the reg person was really nice :)
Many classic old video games for the ps2, xbox, even nes. Pretty good variety
Sold me a defective PS4 and didnt apply my trade in towards the purchase
Great owner, great deals, great staff 👍
Absolutely atrocious trade prices. Do not bring your stuff here.
Great staff and owner! Very friendly.
Always chill people and good products.
Friendly and knowledgable staff!
Full price for broken games/items. Kinda garbage
Lots of used games. Nice staff.
Sorta like MR. Dealz but smaller same concept.
Get the feeling of shady business everytime my son ask if we can stop in.
Really helpful staff, go above and beyond
Good products ,friendly staff
Awesome store & staff!
Excellent service and prices!
That tall one with the glasses is helpful and sexy
Take a trip back into time in this kool.place
A+++ service and quality products
Always knowledgeable and genuine.
Good selection of collection
Good prices and lots of stuff
Don’t recommend
Awesome place with awesome staff!
Great service!
Loved it. Funkos
Better than GameStop 🎮
Ok video game store.
Always have something new and different
Store is kinda small
Best pickles in town
Cool retro collections
Good selection of games
Great selection
Wish had more products
Very awesome and helpful
Awesome store
Awesome experience
Ran by trash
Awesome!
Great store with a lot of cool items. The employees are also very friendly and welcoming.
😋
Total reviews rating 4.3
164 Reviews for Jay St Video Games 2023:
Review №1
2022-08-13Jay St Video Games 🎮 Is the Best. I have Known Them since they First Opened up on Jay St in Schenectady Years Ago. I Would recommend this Store to All My Family and Friends. They Have the Best Slection and Prices for Games 🎮 . This is the Only Place You Can Find Old Games Systems. 😀
Review №2
2022-05-15Visited today to trade in some games I had lying around and thought it’ll be better to support a local business than a GameStop. One of the games was God of War: Ascension for PS3, along with a Call of Duty game for PS3, and two PS2 sports games (NBA Street and Madden 05). Sales associate tallies it all up and gives me my total back for the trade ins: 52¢.I didn’t argue it as I know next to nothing on used game values, and the games were collecting dust anyway. I bought a couple games while I was in there though, and as I was leaving, I saw God of War: Ascension on the shelf in similar condition to mine, available for purchase for $19.99. I know it wasn’t my copy as the associates were busy with other tasks/customers while I was in there.First time in the place, and certainly my last. If you have old games, just sell it on eBay or Craigslist rather than get robbed by this place.
Review №3
2022-08-22This place has turned into a real joke. For starters, every time I walk in here, the layout of the store seems to get more and more crowded with toys and other random collectibles instead of the real item it should be filled with: Video games. When walking in, it’s borderline claustrophobic trying to fit into the small aisles, and it’s extremely stuffy and hot to the point it makes shopping unbearable.Next, there is little to no PS2/PS1/GameCube/Xbox games, when I remember they used to have at least one wall full of each; when they opened. The shelving is now filled with PS4, Xbox One, and switch titles, however the pricing is priced higher than GameStop; I understand they are a small business and need to pay employees/overhead/etc, but at the consumer’s expense; it makes more sense to go to GameStop across the mall and get current generation games cheaper. I thought this was supposed to be a classic game store, not anymore.Collectibles aren’t my thing, but I thought a classic videogames store would be just that; classic games, with a good mix of new/old.I decided to shop here yesterday as I was in the Albany area for a family reunion and I figured I’d stop in; never again.On top of all that, the staff is extremely rude and would not acknowledge any customer in the store unless you actually walk up to the counter.Never again: I’ll stick to my local classic game store in Johnstown to me, the Game Guys. Night and day experience compared to this joke.
Review №4
2022-07-26Charges 4% fee for using credit card, staff is rude. According to NYS department of state Businesses are not allowed to advertise a price and add a surcharge at the point of sale when a consumer elects to pay with a credit card.
Review №5
2019-02-16Selection and trade values have improved with the addition of newer management. A pleasant surprise to see a local business get in hard to find/import goods. A decent spread of higher end goods and used video games. Comparatively priced versus national chains, check here before spending more somewhere else.
Review №6
2022-05-01Wide variety of old school games and consoles plus old and new toys and collectibles. Prices on some stuff run a little high but its definitely worth stopping in and checking out what they have
Review №7
2021-10-15Awesome place with a lot of great stuff picked up a ps1 myself definitely recommended stopping in
Review №8
2022-05-29This place scams you. They never make their return policy Clear to the consumer and you end up stuck with your purchase. They couldve atleast offer store credit.
Review №9
2022-04-15There arent a lot of places left to find classic plastic and Jay Street is thriving in one of the most commercially competitive places.. The Mall.Staff is always friendly and knowledgable.Keep it up
Review №10
2022-05-10They have classic video games, from old gen consoles to next gen. But the store it really small. Limited selection.