The Exchange

I am never coming to this store again! I bought several animé collections at the exchange, since I couldnt find them anywhere else (Wolf’s Rain, Big O, and Cowboy Bebop). I tried watching them today, and NOT A SINGLE DISC WOULD PLAY! I tried playing every single disc in each set, double checked that the disc was clean, tried again, and still nothing! Put in a disc I bought from amazon, worked fine. Tried a bootleg my roommate had, worked fine. Tried one of the disc from The Exchange again… nothing! I’m so pissed I wasted so much money at this stupid store to have nothing work what so ever.
Avoid this store at all cost! Who creates a shitty return policy then doesn’t check any of the product before selling it?! Scam artist at best!

The Exchange SAVED the DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS!!! We placed an online order from Amazon for a pre-​owned Gamecube that our son was SO EXCITED to get and dreamed of spending all Christmas Day playing. But when he opened it, we found the AC adaptor didn’t work, the box didn’t even light up.
A Boxing Day trip to The Exchange produced an adaptor in perfect working order. The EXTREMELY FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL STAFF plugged in our Gamecube to make extra sure that was the problem and their adaptor fixed it, so we were guaranteed a HAPPY ENDING.
Our son’s in the basement now LIVING THE DREAM!!! And I’m the happiest mom on the planet today! No more online, spin the roulette wheel Amazon shopping for games for us. No more Game Stop. From here on in, we make the delightful trip to The Exchange for EVERYTHING GAMING and have the added bonus of talking to real live people who know and love games and gaming and can give us guidance as well as working gear the first time around.
THANK YOU, THE EXCHANGE!!! And Happy New Year!!!

I’ve been a long time shopper here and the prices are always fair. The selection of older games is great too if you are into retro consoles and games.
All the new releases are here too, and definitely great pricing as well. The staff is extremely nice and helpful. On multiple visits, they suggested some titles and they have been spot on.
If you are into gaming make sure to drop in!

The Exchange is hit or miss. Nothing is tested. But the price is usually better than what you’ll get at other stores, like People Play Games. So it’s a risk vs. reward thing. Some items are filthy. Some are pristine.
There is a return policy, but whenever I’ve tried to return defective games, I’ve had to argue with the store manager to get a product exchanged. In each case, they’ve taken the same product and put it back on the shelf.

Stopped in to stock up on some used kids DVDs for along road trip. The staff was very helpful, with two of them proactively taking time to help me on a busy Sunday, and I found a few gems.

I used to go to The Exchange at least once a week to pick up cheap DVDs for my collection. The prices for older movies (at least 2 years old) or games are always very fair, even generous. It’s a bummer that new movies and games are rarely marked down at all– in a world where Best Buy and Gamestop have exclusive content and bonus features, it would be nice to see smaller places like this try to compete somehow. I’ve never traded anything in here, but that’s a gamble anywhere you go. The staff are very accommodating and knowledgeable. I’ve found myself lost in long conversations with them more than once about horror movies or N64 games. A great spot for some surprising deals.

First off I wanted to start off by saying this used to be my favorite game store. Had this review been posted 1.5÷2 years ago I would’ve proudly given them 5 stars easily. Unfortunately through the hiring of many hipsters and elitists this place has gone in the shitter. (Not talking in terms of games, but in terms of customer service) The receipt given with all purchases has a policy disclaimer at the bottom that reads
«Receipt Required, All packaging and contents required, returns accepted at location of purchase only. Returns may be subject to a restocking fee. DEFECTIVES replaced with same item. Return period: 30 days from date of purchase. «
I posted the return policy so everyone would understand I’m not just being an asshole.
Over time I’ve spent a decent amount of money at this establishment, and through many purchases I’ve had returns like anyone has. I bought a game today, decided I didn’t enjoy it, brought it back within 6 hours of the initial purchase. I originally was open to the idea of exchanging for a different game, but the punk behind the counter says they don’t accept returns just because you didn’t like the game. (Since it’s not defective, I didn’t want to lie to them, and isn’t that what a restocking fee is for?) I was given no real options before I started getting attitude from this guy. After he’s shown how «inconvenienced» he is, he asks if I want to trade for something else. At this point I just wanted to spend my money somewhere that actually cares about their customers. He made sure to remind me of my sales history and that it’d be noted in my account that I couldn’t make returns, only get a trade in value. (What???) There is a Gamestop at Clark and diversey that will gladly take my business, whether convenient or not for them. I hope all the employees here eat a bag of dicks. Because you are what you eat I suppose.

They won’t give you shit for trade in value on games or records, but who will? What they will do is provide you with great customer service. These guys/​gals are all familiar with the products they sell and are all very friendly people. Prices on games are consistent with other stores and I love that they sell toys and other nostalgic items related to entertainment.

I’ve been to this location about three times within the last year and each time gets better and better.
I don’t remember the first time too well as I didn’t stay too long, but I do remember buying a DVD or two for my dad. The next time I went, I was with my friend and she wanted to get earbuds like mine because the sound was really clear. Hers on the other hand was not good quality. She did manage to find them for $ 6 – great deal! She was so happy!
The last time I went was on my birthday a few weeks ago and I was with my mom. I was dying to buy some Gameboy games!
I was definitely in for a surprise when I saw Mega Man IV for the Gameboy – a rare steal for $ 30! I almost cried in happy tears seeing it, but I also felt conflicted. I’d hate to spend $ 30 on one game, when I could buy like 5 for that price. At the same time, I know I was going to regret not buying it. When I told my mom the dilemma, she offered to split the cost so we did. :) I was quite the happy camper! :) It’s in great condition and it’s definitely worth the price!
Other than MMIV, I got Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 3 for the Gameboy, except that didn’t work so I’ll have to return it, but hey – at least it gives me an excuse to go back again! ;) I wish I can come every day if I could, but I know I’ll be spending all my money here and not have enough for more stuff.
I’d like to thank The Exchange for making each visit fun! It has great customer service, great selection, and great prices!

This is a great place to see if you still interested in your old video game systems and looking for some retro games. There is also plenty of dvds, blu-​rays, and cds with great prices even better than some brand named stores. I wished though it would look more neater and more room to walk around and not having everything stuck behind a case.

Okay, so not only was I addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I was
also addicted to my Nintendo Wii System.
My son Nick bought this system for me on Christmas 2 years ago
and I was so excited because I loved to play Mario Kart so much.
So, I played for almost a year and then grew bored with it and basically it’s
just been sitting here collecting dust at my place.
So, today I called the Exchange on Belmont and I spoke with John,
and he told me to bring in my system and if everything worked properly
he would buy it from me.
So, I took in my system and 8 games, and John and the other guys were rockin
busy and there were a couple of trades before mine for them to do.
So, I walked around and perused the inventory and Wow! do they have a lot
of Cool Stuff in that store!
Music, Movies/DVD’s, Games and Game Systems.
Really Impressive!
I even saw a Friday the 13^th Jason Voorhees Doll, and I kinda wanted to
take that home with me but thought it may give me nightmares.
I just want to say that John and staff are super nice/​cool guys and they
were so very busy and John still took it upon himself to apologize to me for
the wait. So Nice!
And, yes, my system was in next to new condition and I was offered a fair price
for the system and games.
However, once again, if I chose In-​Store Credit I would have came out with
significantly more…
So, in ending this is a great little place if you are looking to buy, sell, or trade.
Right next to the Belmont Red/​Purple Line, visit the Exchange,
Cool Place and Cool Employees.
Don’t need much more than that.

This place is like a blast from the past with a good dose of today for good measure. NES, N64, Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, and more great gems. They also have the new stuff and have a decent amount of stock, so I’ve never had issues picking up what I wanted. Staff is friendly and the prices are very fair.

Pretty good location, and a very brief visit yesterday night (had been wanting badly to return to this one, after not having a chance to revisit for so long) confirmed I still enjoy this one. Decent selection, good customer service, and better used game prices for the most part than People Play Games and Videogames Etc.(Norridge). Still have to admit the selection at the Milwaukee Ave. Exchange location is a tinge better, over the Belmont one.
Like what I said on my Disc Replay (Skokie) review, it’s almost smart to go into this storm armed with a smartphone, and compare prices vs. other stores, Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon. I saw some prices that definitely seemed excessive, such as Zombies Ate My Neighbors on SNES for $ 35. I’ve definitely seen better prices for this game, than that! But OTOH, I’ve found some steals at this store that I couldn’t believe how darn cheap they were, as well (i.e. Kirby’s Pinball Land on GB for just $ 2 about 2 – 3 years ago). About as fun to browse as Half Price Books, minus the books aspect of HPB.

I love this place! So much stuff to choose from and the prices are downright cheap! Being a game collector I come here quite often and never walk out disappointed. The staff are friendly and helpful too. A lifelong fan.

This place is simply amazing
I am not a game nerd but when I had to sell an old system I first went to GameStop thinking that they could help me.
Well I was wrong-​GameStop is full of nerds who probably never talk to real humans unless over a headset.
I decided to try The Exchange, and OMG-​not only were they able to buy it but they were some of the nicest employees. One named R. Kelly && Jessica Lopez were super friendly.
I will never go to GameStop but tell everyone how great The Exchange is, nice staff over all and great customer service.

I really like The Exchange. They have a pretty good selection on DVDs for really cheap. It is also located in a great location and is right off the Red/​Brown Line Belmont stop.
Customer service is alright. They’re friendly to you when you’re buying rather than selling stuff. Even then, I love this place. I recommend checking them out if you’re just in the mood to walk around and kill some time OR looking for specific DVDs/​CDs/​video games/​gaming consoles.

Holy window shopping, Batman!
I seem to find myself here on every trip to Chicago and I have no problem with this. They have a fantastic selection of video games from pretty much every era, and the customer service team to help you with any questions. This is the media library I wish I had as a kid, and the nostalgia rush a few seconds after walking in was almost too much to handle. I’m tempted to buy out their stock almost every time I’m there, and if you like movies, music or video games, you owe it to yourself to browse these stacks.

The location in Wicker Park on Milwaukee is THE BEST location!
I will never come back the Belmont location again on account of the b*tch associate Monica that works there. She’s extremely rude.
I was in there w/​my family and my mom and grandmother wanted to see some CDs from the case. We didn’t come in there knowing exactly what we wanted just browsing so she opened up the case but they’re looking at the backs on the CD covers and checking out other albums they we unaware of and she seemed impatient with us and continued to say «Do you want that?» or «Is that all?» and we’re like «NO! We’re still looking…» I should have reported her to the manager while I was in there w/​my family bc I’m not the one. You’re not going to treat them like that in front of my face, I don’t get punked, you’ll reap what you sow; on the other hand I wonder if she was that way b/​c we are black and she wasn’t interested in standing w/​a family that was into r&b and soul (LOU RAWLS) unlike her alternative rock though we like that too. She better get her attitude in check. KARMA!!!
She rings us up at the register and she was very short w/​my grandmother w/​saying «sign this…» when she had used a card to purchase and my grandmother goes «You’re pretty aggressive aren’t ya?» Monica goes «Excuse me?» w/​this fake a** smile and my grandmother goes «You’re extremely impatient, you were rushing us over at the case…» and Monica being the fake rude b*tch that she is goes «Well if I came off that way I apologize…» I rolled my eyes and gave her the dirtiest look while my mother pulled my arm to walk out the store b/​c I was ready to snap.
HER NAME IS MONICA!
NEVER AGAIN!

Great place to go for unusual or mainstream CDs and DVDs. Clean and well organized. LOTS of hard to find movies, CDs, band promotional stuff and box sets. Even some vinyl in the back!
Super friendly owner, gives my favorite kid a lot of attention and guidance for his mad, fabulous obsession with heavy metal music. Encouragement of young and fabulously talented musicians is so metal.

Awesome selection. Love anywhere I can get a vintage game from $ 1! After coming here I’m very tempted to purchase a super nintendo console and a gameboy.
My boyfriend and I bought The Bigs for PS2 and it worked great.
I currently have a PS2, Nintendo 64 and Sega so I’m definitely coming back to stock up on old games.
Competition wise, it has more selection and better prices than People Play Games.
They also sell old/​used dvds (great selection) for good prices.