Internal GameStop video on selling to women

[DigitalSpace]

Link (http://consumerist.com/5160369/internal-gamestop-video-teaches-how-to-sell-to-women) (The Consumerist)

[8-bitNesMan]

That has got to be the dumbest video I have ever seen. Just when I think that company cannot sink any lower, they find a way... WOW

[Hitman Tyler]

I'm sorry I watched like 2 minutes, and that British Accent is annoying. :No Offense to British People: :)

[TonyTheTiger]

This is par for the course with any retail chain. The customers in the videos come off like imbeciles and the employees come off like creepy stalkers. I think the one thing this video has going for it that goes above and beyond the call of duty in the "are you serious?" category is that it promotes two stereotypes at the same time. One, that video games are alien to the fairer sex. And two, that male video game aficionados have no idea how to properly interact with females.

I approve.

[FlufflePuff]

Meh. The truth of the matter is selling to women is different than selling to men. The problem here is we see a lot of stereotypes and it simply isn't that funny. The video wasn't meant to be seen by the public but most associates of any predominantly male oriented industry (Home Depot, Best Buy, Gamestop, etc) should know some of this stuff.

[Aussie2B]

I don't really see how the situations in the video are specifically related to women. I'd imagine the average 40-something year old man walking into GameStop doesn't know squat about games either and is just there to buy a game for his kid. Although, I don't know why the video suggests that all women shopping for games are buying for other people. Did they ever think that maybe a woman walking into a store is buying a game for herself? Personally, I'd be pretty annoyed if GameStop employees were bothering me that much. Thankfully I haven't really experienced any especially stupid employees, but sometimes when an employee immediately asks me if I need help as soon as I walk in I get the distinct feeling that they're thinking I couldn't possibly be a gamer myself and that I must be cluelessly looking for a game for my boyfriend or something.

I like their "you're stupid and fat" promotion, though. :P

[TonyTheTiger]

Personally, I'd be pretty annoyed if GameStop employees were bothering me that much.

That's actually the problem with any of these training videos. They seem to exist in some parallel universe where it's normal for this by the books stuff to happen. I remember when I was training to work at Blockbuster. Corporate required everybody go through these idiotic training workbooks. When I was done, the manager sat me down and told me straight up, "Forget everything you read. If I walked into a store and somebody walked up to me wearing a big ass smile and said 'Welcome to Blockbuster, how may I help you?' I'd haul ass out the door." And it's true. What they seem to think looks 'helpful' in these videos is actually annoying and creepy.

[PapaStu]

Games sold to girls!?!

Totally modern gaming cause there were never girls who played in ye old days of gaming!
<_<
>_>

**SHIMMY**

[djbeatmongrel]

I couldn't sit through it but I do enjoy the fact that a picture of Kelly Lebrock was used in the opening sequence

[Push Upstairs]

It must be a slow day at "The Consumerist".

This isn't any different than any other "employee" video I have ever had to suffer through...except this one had some humor.

And a spot on assessment of male video gamers.

[The 1 2 P]

I watched about 3 minutes and couldn't take anymore. I know corporate places have to make dumb ass videos like this but they're pretty much missing the point. I think they should just treat all customers the same. Thinking that women aren't bright enough to find their way around a Gamestop store would be assuming they aren't bright enough to find their way around any store that doesn't sell drapes, groceries or knitting supplies. Women know how to shop and aren't afraid to ask for help when they need it, unlike us guys:)

[j_factor]

Am I the only one who noticed that it's a big joke? The "segment of the species" intro? The fake Animal Planet motif? A bulky appendage known as a purse? Obviously not a serious video.

[Mayhem]

I'm sorry I watched like 2 minutes, and that British Accent is annoying. :No Offense to British People: :)

Don't worry, it was a bit annoying to me as well :p

And yeah, it does look a little bit like a piss-take to me, I wonder if it's real or not?

[Oobgarm]

Seriously, if anyone finds old Funcoland training videos online somewhere, they need to be posted here. They were pretty funny.

[chrisbid]

i cant access the video as i am at work, but i will say that any sales person with an ounce of common sense knows how to qualify a customer (rate a customers product knowledge based on a simple conversation) and how to be helpful to that customer depending on what level of knowledge they have. people without knowledge on the product have questions and need help, while experts simply need to know product location and price.

this is why sales people always ask if you need any help. it may be annoying to DP-type game shoppers, but when i am in a store looking for stuff for my soon-to-be-born baby, im f'n clueless and i appreciate good sales help.

[monkeychemist]

Am I the only one who noticed that it's a big joke? The "segment of the species" intro? The fake Animal Planet motif? A bulky appendage known as a purse? Obviously not a serious video.

I agree, it's a total joke. Hey everyone, you've been punked! I just watched the first 3rd of the video and it's obvious that it's a joke. No corporation would take a risk like that by making a video that would fuel the feminist organizations. Come on, likened to animals?

[Daria]

I agree, it's a total joke. Hey everyone, you've been punked! I just watched the first 3rd of the video and it's obvious that it's a joke. No corporation would take a risk like that by making a video that would fuel the feminist organizations. Come on, likened to animals?

You have obviously never seen a corporate training-video before. They always have corny themes.

I watched had to watch one at work on sexual harassment that was themed like a Hitchhock parody. And my husband brought home a 13-disc series of banking videos filmed in a local park by a guy dressed up as Indiana Jones.

There's nothing like being assigned to create an in company amateur video that can suddenly turns the head of your department into a George Lucas Prima Donna.

[TonyTheTiger]

I watched had to watch one at work on sexual harassment that was themed like a Hitchhock parody.

That sounds like something I'd watch for fun.

[rbudrick]

It's a joke? Ok....I didn't get any ha has out of it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was offended 30 seconds in. That, and the video was probably the most annoying thing I've seen in ages. I could barely watch 2 minutes of it.

Anyway, if it's a joke, it's not very well executed...certainly not the British humour I'm used to.

-Rob

[smork]

I agree, it's a total joke. Hey everyone, you've been punked! I just watched the first 3rd of the video and it's obvious that it's a joke. No corporation would take a risk like that by making a video that would fuel the feminist organizations. Come on, likened to animals?

Oh, I've been through alot of these sorts of videos, and it's pretty clearly not a joke. They always use some weird conceit to make the training more 'interesting'. You should have seen some of the sexual harassment videos I had to watch at my old company!

[The 1 2 P]

I agree, it's a total joke. Hey everyone, you've been punked! I just watched the first 3rd of the video and it's obvious that it's a joke. No corporation would take a risk like that by making a video that would fuel the feminist organizations. Come on, likened to animals?


You have obviously never seen a corporate training-video before. They always have corny themes.

Daria is right. As someone who has had the displeasure of watching training videos from McDonalds, Toys R Us, Home Depot, Dollar Tree, Wawa and other stores with 80's era videos(despite the fact that I was watching all of these in the mid 90's)--these things can be craptastically corny. I use to always ask my manager why I had to watch this when real people don't even act like that or speak like the videos portray. I've always thought these videos were injokes like a freshman hazing to make us lose precious minutes from our lives. But sadly they are real.

[SegaAges]

That chick was pretty hot. She can sell me something, but I am not talking about a video game. It will sharpen my mind and shape my body if she sells it to me enough times.

Yeah.

[bangtango]

I don't mind these training videos at all. A couple of times a year, everybody at our company has to sit through them. The way I look at it, I'm earning 2-3 full days of solid pay without lifting a finger to do any work.

[mnbren05]

I think it may be real, I've worked retail for quite some time now and you would not believe some of the videos they put out. I had to laugh about the "Sharpen the mind shape the body" promo. When I would ask people to sign up for 12 free months of entertainment weekly at Hollywood Video or mention it as a bonus I go either save your speech, I don't want that crap, or no thanks.

A few interesting points: Funny the one associate mentions the fitness magazine to the larger woman and the associate upsales a woman from a giftcard to a Nintendo DS ftw.

[HYB]

I don't know if I should be offended or laugh my ass off.

At least in Finland the guys in the Gamestop counter know me well enough to give me the best condition cd's and only sell whenever there's a manual as well.

[Daria]

On the other hand I was at Gamestop Thursday and the girl behind the counter has clueless. A customer was trying to figure out if the PS2 he was buying was PSone compatible. She had no idea. And then she tried to sell me a one year warranty on a $20 DS game. I think she may have been hired for assets besides her "bright mind".

At least she didn't launch into the magazine promotion.

[Nature Boy]

I refuse to believe it's a real video until I hear someone from Gamestop say they were actually shown it at some point.

It might not be as over the top as the Onion "Sony Piece of Spit" video that's made the rounds lately, but IMO it's just as fake...

[s1lence]

Well, considering they shot it in a Gamestop it has a good chance of being real.


Stupid ass video though.

[Jimid2]

I don't really see how the situations in the video are specifically related to women. I'd imagine the average 40-something year old man walking into GameStop doesn't know squat about games either and is just there to buy a game for his kid. ... {snip}
"40-something"?!? Oh give me a fekkin' break, junior... I was playin' original NES games on release, long before your daddy was sniffin' 'round the chicken coop. I built my first computer, held the high score on Asteroids at the pizza parlor, and took dates to ARCADES! I've seen every darned piece of console hardware rise and fall, and I've owned them all... Basically sonny, I've forgotten more about video games than you'll ever know!!

...and most of my friends have got a clue as well...

signed
the geezer gamer ROFL

[smork]

I refuse to believe it's a real video until I hear someone from Gamestop say they were actually shown it at some point.

It might not be as over the top as the Onion "Sony Piece of Spit" video that's made the rounds lately, but IMO it's just as fake...

I don't understand this. It looks exactly like every other corporate training video in style and tone, and even the low quality of video production. It's not even controversial like some are making it out to be. Why is it so hard to believe it's a real video?

If someone was to fake a corporate video I'd suspect they'd make it either funny or controversial, if not both. This is neither.

[Howie6925]

I couldnt watch it, got to where the guy introduces himself as as she walks into the store then goes all charlie brown and shut it off.

[Nature Boy]

If someone was to fake a corporate video I'd suspect they'd make it either funny or controversial, if not both. This is neither.

You don't think this is controversial? Okay....

I guess I do.

[Smirk]

Quite basic shop marketing rules. Better late than never. But daaamn that woman is annoying.