Gamestop stories

[zyo]

If they're rude for whatever reason that's one thing. I've never personally experienced anything of the sort with staff being rude to me simply for declining a purchase. Less work for them.

But the point is that regardless of whatever the store policy is, you're either going to buy the game or not. If you want to pretend the store copy isn't really there and if they're out of shrinkwrapped copies then they're effectively sold out of the game so be it. Call people out for being rude if that's what they're being but other than that nobody deserves a lecture.

I'm going to go out on a limb here based on my own personal experiences and seeing lots of things as a third party observer. I'm not pointing any fingers at anybody specific but I'm going to guess that if somebody frequently gets treated rudely by a store's staff they're probably doing something to provoke it.

I've never lectured the employee about how it bothers me. I just say no thanks, then they insist that it's just as good, I decline again, and they get an attitude. It's a gamestop trademark, at least the ones near me. Maybe you're right though, perhaps I am doing something to provoke it. Not buying "new" opened copies when I can go next door to best buy and get it sealed, but with reward zone points. Asking to see multiple copies of used discs to not get a sandpapered one. Saying in a firm voice "I said no, but thanks" when they ask me about preordering 3 times during checkout. How dare I want my moneys worth and not be hassled like I'm in a car lot.

[jb143]

Just remember there are always two sides to every story.

The annoying customers with an unrealistic sense of entitlement is one thing. Customers making valid complants about stupid company policy is another. Complaning on a forum like this isn't going to do much other than help vent frustration though. Complaning in droves to the higher ups at said companies might however. The problem is though, that takes much more effort than internet complaning.

Sharing amusing stories of different experiences is in a different category all together and that's how I view *most* of these discussions.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The annoying customers with an unrealistic sense of entitlement is one thing. Customers making valid complants about stupid company policy is another. Complaning on a forum like this isn't going to do much other than help vent frustration though. Complaning in droves to the higher ups at said companies might however. The problem is though, that takes much more effort than internet complaning.

Sharing amusing stories of different experiences is in a different category all together and that's how I view *most* of these discussions.

I'm always a big advocate of people being more even keel about these kinds of discussions, especially since a lot of us have or currently do work the retail end of things.

While my tenure with Funco was significant, I only worked for GameStop for a very short time, so I can't speak to a lot of their modern policies, however, as far as the "opened games being sold as new" they've been to court over that and paid out "damages" in $5 coupons.

It may be a stupid policy to gut games and then sell them brand new with no open box discount (I personally think it's stupid and annoying), but the general public has taken that as far as they possibly can and it's pretty much a dead issue at this point.

People can keep bitching about it on the internet as long as they'd like, but it's not going to go away as a GameStop policy unless GameStop decides that it is in some way hurting their bottom line (which apparently it isn't).

As a consumer I avoid it where I can.

There are always other outlets to get new sealed games if I need them. Like, literally every other outlet that sells new games.

[bangtango]

If Gamestop sucks so badly, why not just shop at a competitor instead of doing this for the rest of your life?

Besides, 95% of the people here saying how awesome things used to be when Funco and EB were still in business are judging those companies 10-15 years after the fact with memories that are probably a little fuzzy.

I don't know about the rest of you but I am not good at recollecting how now-defunct companies treated me in the 1990's. I'm lucky if I am able to recall how good their products were with 100% clarity. Meanwhile, doesn't the fact that a company goes out of business or gets bought out mean they were doing things WRONG?

What some of you are forgetting is that the only thing preventing you from finding a bunch of Funco Sucks and EB Games Sucks threads on the internet (if they aren't already there) is that they weren't in business long enough for those threads to start trickling in on more forums.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

If Gamestop sucks so badly, why not just shop at a competitor instead of doing this for the rest of your life?

Besides, 95% of the people here saying how awesome things used to be when Funco and EB were still in business are judging those companies 10-15 years after the fact with memories that are probably a little fuzzy.

I don't know about the rest of you but I am not good at recollecting how now-defunct companies treated me in the 1990's. Meanwhile, doesn't the fact that a company goes out of business or gets bought out mean they were doing things WRONG?

What some of you are forgetting is that the only thing preventing you from finding a bunch of Funco Sucks and EB Games Sucks threads on the internet (if they aren't already there) is that they weren't in business long enough for those threads to start trickling in on more forums.

If you want to get into the nuts and bolts of success/failure, Funcoland Inc. was actually doing record business when the CEO and founder Dave Pomije put it up for sale and a bidding war ensued between Software Etc. (Barnes & Noble Co.) and Electronics Boutique.

It wasn't a matter of a company going defunct due to declining profits or interest, it was a decision by an entrepreneurial company to sell at the peak of success.

Software Etc. made a cash offer of several millions in cash and EB made an offer of less millions in cash and the equivalent difference in stock.

Software Etc. made the winning bid, and then a few years year later bought EB and all of their branding as well.

[bangtango]

... some people need to keep in mind that most GameStop (and similar game retail store) employees deal with a huge HUGE HUGE amount of ignorance/grating personalities/behaviors from customers on a daily basis and while that's no outright excuse for bad service or bad company policy, that kind of thing rapidly wears away on the tolerance level of most sane, reasonable people and has a tendency to make them short-tempered, bitter, and apathetic despite their best efforts to avoid that kind of behavior.

Just remember there are always two sides to every story.

I agree completely. It is a given that a lot of people who complain about the way certain retail companies do business have never actually worked for that type of company before, whether it is a fast food company, thrift store chain, catalog company or video game store.

I work in retail (catalog) and constantly have to deal with people trying to order products that were discontinued 7-8 years ago, delibrately trying to goad employees into mistakes just to get compensation for the "error" by a manager, trying to get something for nothing, trying to come to grips with the idea of "processing" time, trying to understand why orders called in at 8 pm don't ship out later that day, etc. Not to mention credit cards. One customer is furious we don't already have their credit card on file while a customer ten minutes later is incensed that we do still have it on file.

You can never win.

With the constant complaining you see about retail, it makes me think most of the people doing the shopping are living off of unemployment checks, disability checks, lottery windfalls, lawsuit settlements or a spouse/parent's income because I think you wouldn't see half of the complaints about retail employees that you are seeing if the people doing the complaining actually made some sort of honest living 40+ hours a week.

I don't expect people who make their living solely by writing blogs, writing for web sites, reselling on Ebay, working in a cubicle for Facebook, posting videos on YouTube or any other job in which they never have to see consumers in person or talk to them by phone to have any sort of background on what it is like to be working at the retail level.

[Diatribal Deity]

.....

[duffmanth]

I'm not going to pretend I'm still an active member of any gaming scene or that the medium still interests me the way it once did, but I'd be remiss if I didn't share this gem...
I loved funcoland back from 2000-2003ish. During that time I enjoyed browsing their NES and SNES collection, looking for hidden gems and talking to a mostly knowledgeable staff of 20 or 20-somethings about games. I noticed that when Gamestop bought out funco and EB, the employees got much younger, and the stores mantra seemed to shift to pre-orders and edge cards. This was a business decision and Gamestop is a business, so that was fine with me. Anyway, around the time Wind-Waker was released, I happened to be in line behind a mother and her young son. The clerk was delivering the pitch of their reward card and touting the free subscription to game informer. The Mom seemed hesitant and asked if it had anything to do with Wind-waker. The clerk than responded with "This magazine will teach you all the codes in wind-waker as well as how to beat the game." At this point I just smiled thinking how ridiculous the whole thing sounded when I then overheard the employee say "you wont be able to beat the game without this."

It was at that point I realized that gamestop was now no longer any different from a used-car dealership filled with creepy salespeople who would lie to their mother if it made them a buck.

Sorry for the novel up there, but that story has always stuck with me, and is the chief reason why I've entered a gamestop maybe three times in the past seven years.

This is exactly how I feel about Gamestop. They tell people anything they wanna hear to make a sale, cuz there's a whole lineup of managers breathing down their necks. It's just too corporate, it was never a cool atmosphere to shop in and it's even less so now. For me going into a Gamestop is like going into a Best Buy. Half of the employees don't know their head from their ass, then the purchase of the a game is only the beginning of your adventure with them. They start trying to shove these stupid warranties and other shit down your throat.

[TonyTheTiger]

Just be thankful they're not commission workers. I can't walk into a P.C. Richard & Son without finding myself participating in the running of the bulls.

Honestly, I'm not sure why GameStop is being singled out for the clerks offering people stuff, sometimes more than once. McDonalds seems intent on pushing fries out the door, Micro Center always wants my last name, and Radio Shack seems to be awfully interested in my zip code. Let alone all the major retailers looking to get you to sign up for "their" credit card.

I think GameStop offering a magazine subscription and a preorder is par for the course. It's certainly not obscenely above and beyond what's normal.

Seriously. If you guys are freaking out about a clerk asking if you want a Game Informer subscription and a preorder for Madden you best not ever walk into a Micro Center. They ask for my last name, email address, and I'm pretty sure somebody offered me a colonoscopy.

[NaturalChemical]

Seriously, why can't Gamestop just put games in those plastic security cases like every other game store? Alternatively, just use generic cases for display and keep the sealed ones behind the counter.

That's what the shops around here have started doing; I went to pick up Tatsunoko vs. Capcom the other day, and they actually swapped the display case for a sealed one. 'Twas a pleasant surprise.

A question for anyone who's worked at GS: lately I've noticed the employees pushing used game sales harder, especially on recent games where the price difference is ~$5. Is that another thing management is trying to push, or do they just think they're being helpful?

[JerseyDevil65]

A question for anyone who's worked at GS: lately I've noticed the employees pushing used game sales harder, especially on recent games where the price difference is ~$5. Is that another thing management is trying to push, or do they just think they're being helpful?

They make more money on used games, I'm guessing thats why they push them over the new ones.

[megasdkirby]

That's what the shops around here have started doing; I went to pick up Tatsunoko vs. Capcom the other day, and they actually swapped the display case for a sealed one. 'Twas a pleasant surprise.

A question for anyone who's worked at GS: lately I've noticed the employees pushing used game sales harder, especially on recent games where the price difference is ~$5. Is that another thing management is trying to push, or do they just think they're being helpful?

The bulk of their revenue comes from used game sales, not new games or consoles. The profit margin is much larger selling a used console or game than it is selling it new. They will claim that it's a better offer, since the customer will be saving a few bucks, but underneath the statement the real truth arises, as stated above.

[Mayhem]

Gamestop pretty much makes nothing on hardware and first party accessories, but until the hardware manufacturers find a way to distribute their hardware themselves, they will always need retail outlets of some sort. Hence they need the shops.

I wonder how Gamestop will see 2011 given that Amazon are now accepting used games to buy in, and possibly at better rates...

[megasdkirby]

Gamestop pretty much makes nothing on hardware and first party accessories, but until the hardware manufacturers find a way to distribute their hardware themselves, they will always need retail outlets of some sort. Hence they need the shops.

I wonder how Gamestop will see 2011 given that Amazon are now accepting used games to buy in, and possibly at better rates...

How much does a retail outlet make per unit sold? I know they (retail) have to be making profit, else the product would not be sold...specially at work where employees get a commission from the sale (1%).

So a store has to make some profit, but how much? Probably like $20 or so per console?

[Leo_A]

That's what the shops around here have started doing; I went to pick up Tatsunoko vs. Capcom the other day, and they actually swapped the display case for a sealed one. 'Twas a pleasant surprise.

I assume you barely ever shop there or I misunderstood your message. But they always swap the display copy out for a sealed one, unless the display copy is the last one available. It's not a new policy, at least up here in upstate NY. It's been standard operating procedure since the ones up here were Electronics Boutique years ago.

Are you saying the display case wasn't a gutted new game? I've only seen that when they wanted a physical game case on the shelf for preorders of big games.

[diskoboy]

My assistant manager was HOT.

That's my Gamestop story!

[Icarus Moonsight]

My assistant manager was HOT.

That's my Gamestop story!

Was? Dude, ya shoulda preordered! Five dollar... Well, ya know.

[Voliko]

Yeah, rule of thumb is trade nothing in there. However, that trade 3 get one free deal that's ALWAYS running and they don't advertise is awesome. Trade any 3 games worth $8 or more in credit in and get a brand new preorder up to $70 fully paid for, no tax? Always a steal if you can get decent trade stuff cheap enough.

Wait a minute... That deal is ALWAYS going on?

[NaturalChemical]

I assume you barely ever shop there or I misunderstood your message. But they always swap the display copy out for a sealed one, unless the display copy is the last one available. It's not a new policy, at least up here in upstate NY. It's been standard operating procedure since the ones up here were Electronics Boutique years ago.

Are you saying the display case wasn't a gutted new game? I've only seen that when they wanted a physical game case on the shelf for preorders of big games.

Huh. The last few times I've bought a new game there, they didn't always give me a sealed copy; usually putting the disc in the gutted copy instead. It might change based on the store, but out here it hasn't been consistent.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

truthfully i think alot of you people exaggerate or walk in with the mentality that the workers there are automatically going to be dicks because of threads like this


maybe i just have good luck, at the gamestops i've been to, usually they guys are cool and knowledgable, once in a while i'll get some fucking jackass trying to tell me a game didnt come out for whatever system i asked about, like "beyond good & evil was a ps2 exclusive" which i can kind of forgive seeing as it wasnt a very popular game



only stories i have were the managers routinely wearing their xbox fanboy badge in front of me and playfully telling me to cross over into the darkside whenever i bought something for the ps3, but it was never done to the point where i would feel genuine anger for it, lol i'd just laugh and tell em go fuck himself (playfully of course, i was a regular a few years back)


they would even do me favors, like if they didnt have the game, they'd call a couple other stores until they found 1 with it and tell them to hold it for me, i guess my only complaint story ever was a new employee who was a dick about that, and when i asked if he could check other stores in the area for me he just bluntly said no and walked away to the backroom