We've all been there at some point in our gaming careers. You receive a gift from a friend or loved one,  and it's either a game you already own or something that you don't want or need. You then slap on your best excited "thank you" face and proceed to return the gift in the following days.  This exact scenario happened to one of The Consumerist's readers, where a man's wife went into Best Buy to get her husband a Valentine's Day gift.

Not knowing which console her husband owned, the Best Buy employee (fanboy) said he "probably" had a 360 and proceeded to sell her a copy of Modern Warfare 2 and an Xbox LIVE subscription. The issue here is that the husband owns a PS3. The game was an easy enough exchange, but the Best Buy customer service representative would not allow an exchange of the Xbox LIVE subscription.  So to add insult to injury, Best Buy wouldn't take back the LIVE subscription which was upsold by one of the floor reps because their policy states that items like phone cards cannot be exchanged.  Ouch.

Wife Get's The Shaft At Best Buy [The Consumerist]

Originally posted at Cheap Ass Gamer and later confirmed by Joystiq, a Best Buy in West Jordan Utah is offering brand new sealed games for the same prices their used counterparts retail at from GameStop and Game Crazy. A Best Buy representative confirmed that this is only a local test at the moment and is not available nationwide. I'm not sure what benchmarks the decision makers at Best Buy are looking to hit with this local test, but if rolled out nationally, this could severely take a dent out of GameStop's obscenely profitable used game business. I would also imagine game studios would back this move as well because it would result in more direct sales of their titles.

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As rumors have suggested, it appears Sony is itching to deplete its stock of 80GB PS3 models to make way for a slimmed down version of the original hardware. According to a Kotaku report, citing numerous retail store employees, Best Buy will begin offering a 80GB PS3 bundle containing Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 as pack-ins next Sunday.

While most bundles come with a premium price tag to justify their additions, this particular one will cost $399.99, the same price as a standalone 80GB unit. Seeing as Killzone 2 is still sold at full price, that’s a savings of around $90. If you’ve been in the market for a PS3, now might be the time to jump on one. Then again, if rumors pan out, the PS3 Slim may be right around the corner as well, which makes waiting it out a couple more months another option for prospective purchasers. It’s your choice.

PS3 Value Bundle With Killzone 2, MGS 4 As Pack-Ins Hitting Best Buy - [eXophase.com]

According to an anonymous Best Buy employee, the retail chain will begin marking down a slew of video games down to just $9.99 this coming Sunday. A scan of the advertisement paper originating from a Spanish source has also surfaced, sure enough confirming the aforementioned claim. As of right now, the deal said to be an brick and mortar only affair. If it extends to purchasing done online, we’ll let you know.

For a complete breakdown of all titles primed to receive the price reduction treatment, hit the jump. As you’d expect, plenty of licensed garbage is on it, but there are a few titles that raise eyebrows, such as Soul Calibur 4 and Infinite Undiscovery.