I recently picked up Ratchet & Clank Future for the PS3 and was forced to go to a GameStop to find it (since technically it got released earlier than it’s “pushed back” release date — long story). I called to see if they had the game in stock yet and was given the first of my many reminders why I don’t like to shop there. I keep hearing people say “Support your local game shops! Don’t shop at Wal-mart!” but honestly, if I’m going to be dealing with an idiot anyway, let me save a few bucks in the process and pick up my groceries at the same time.
When I walked in, I was immediately asked by one of the clerks if they could help me find something (which is great, because they could and did), but while I was in the process of walking straight to the counter to pick up my game, I was asked if I wanted to preorder any upcoming games. Again, by itself, not that bad. I replied “No thanks.” His next words were some long drawn out diatribe about “If you have any PS3 or Wii games to trade in before <insert some date I’ve already forgotten> you’ll get an extra $10 in credit. Do you have any games you’d like to trade in?” At this point I’m looking at the guy wondering if he’s some sort of animatronic dummy or something. I walked straight in, told him the game I wanted, he picked it up from a stack at his feet, scanned it, I held out three $20 bills and we’re at this awkward “No I don’t have any PS3 or Wii games on me that I’d like to trade in” moment. I replied “No” and gave an irritated shake of my money and he seemed almost defeated as he took it from me. I then left the store. The entire encounter took less than five minutes. Why did I leave so quickly? Because I can’t stand to be in the same room with those guys and the store charges list price for everything, gives crappy trade in values, and sells used games for $5 (or less) off retail pricing.
I would MUCH rather go to a Wal-mart or Target and get a game (often cheaper than GameStop) unless I’m forced to by selection or availability. And yeah, I realize they’re forced to do all of those hard-sell lines and the phone greetings, but that doesn’t mean that I as a customer have to like it. And I don’t. If any GameStop corporate folks are reading this, your pushiness is pushing me elsewhere. If anything, I use your store as a place to see what I want to buy elsewhere. Stop putting your stores in high priced malls where you’re forced to hard sell stuff at full retail price just to stay afloat. I would NEVER buy a $55 used game when the new game is $4.99 more. And I am completely turned off by the “unwrapped” new games or especially “re-wrapped” new games.
At this point, I’d like to hear your (personal) complaints about EB Games/GameStop stores and what you’d change if you could to make them a place you’re more likely to shop at. If you happen to work at one of these stores (or have in the past) give us the “inside scoop” on things… I can totally see this as a fun high school or part time college job, but I can’t help but think it’s gotta suck.
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17 responses so far ↓
1 bboston7 // Oct 30, 2007 at 6:52 pm
I agree, I never shop at gamestop. I go to GameCrazy. They give you a LOT of money for trade ins and the used games are much cheaper. They also don’t bother you with annoying questions.
2 Harmatia // Oct 30, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Wow, everyone needs to lighten up. The more annoying of a Gamestop employee you get, the better of an employee you are dealing with, and the more raises he is probably gotten. They can’t help what they are told to do, and for all you know they were being inspected. Do we honestly think a cop is an ashole when he pulls us over for doing 90 in front of a school? Give some respect to people doing their jobs.
I work at McDonalds, so having to try and get people to buy their meals large sized, apple pies with the aforementioned large meals, and whatever the hell else we’re trying to promote, makes me able to sympathize. haha
3 Deathknight // Oct 30, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Meah.
Stop winging. Its like the “do u want fries with that” thing.
Yer I get it. But u were like in there for what? 5 mins anyway…so whos gives a -
What I hate more..is that we have an EB next to Gameswizards next to JBHIFI. I mean really. # stores within a few shops all SPECIFICALLY for selling games. Basicly I play them off each other. I can get limited edition stuff for about 1/2 price!
4 K-BIT // Oct 30, 2007 at 9:40 pm
First off, I would like to raise the price on used games that you trade in. Probably something like $10 to $15 dollars. And, I would also outlaw reminding customers about the deals at Gamestop, since they tell people so many god-damn times.
5 AriesDog // Oct 30, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Amen brother. One of my biggest peeves is when employees insist that opened copies are still new. If the seal’s broken, it’s not new.
The one part that drives me nuts, and I say this from experience as a former manager, is that most of the employees are hardcore video game fans. Saying that with the negative connotation. Letting system bias creep in. Teen employees who have no idea of value because their parents buy them everything. Just plain making info up. Example, regarding used DVD movies. “They call them B-movies because they aren’t as good and the discs are made of cheaper stuff.” What? Or the old-enough-to-drive guy who felt compelled to ’school’ little kids who did well at Super Smash Bros. Or the genius who came in after hours to steal games forgetting that the mall has security cameras.
I do not miss those days.
6 Kanbei // Oct 30, 2007 at 11:27 pm
I have a much better expirence at other gaming Stores.
1.They let you play ANY game before you buy it, used or not.
2.The employies play the games as your buying, EVERYBODY THERE KNOWS WHAT A VG IS!
7 Sean "rothbart" Workman // Oct 31, 2007 at 12:52 am
Harmatia: How does hassling people hoping they’re going to preorder or trade games in, allowing him to get raises make him “a better employee”? If my “better employee” you mean “someone that hassles people to preorder or trade in games” then yeah, I guess I’d agree. But it doesn’t make him any more useful to me as a paying consumer. What I want as a consumer is a clerk that:
Isn’t an ass
Knows what the hell he’s talking about
Will leave me alone if I’m not expressing any interest in talking to him
And takes the hint when I just want to pay for something I’ve picked out.
Nothing more, nothing less.
8 sinisterff // Oct 31, 2007 at 2:57 am
Well, I never buy new games from Gamestop, just used old PS2 games that I won’t find anywhere else or “new” games that have discount. If Costco has it, I buy it there, because they have it 5 dollars cheaper, Otherwise is Target, Walmart or Best Buy.
I actually have seen a few Gamestop employees that are *gulp* somehow friendly, but they ALWAYS ask you if you want the $15 Gameinformer Mag subscription. I guess that can’t change.
9 Inexile // Oct 31, 2007 at 6:04 am
Sorry i have to sypathise with the employee in this case , i know they can be annoying and hard to deal with sometimes , but they are only doing their jobs and what they make their money that way , upselling is 33% of their business and some of these places pay their employees bonuses for their upsales .
i’d also like to point out that most of you folks who complain live in the U.S.A , the land of the free and the land of Choices , dont like gamestop?……. Dont go , so hike up your skirt , finish your dance , and buy a pair of panties one size bigger
10 half manbot // Oct 31, 2007 at 6:40 am
I would generally agree with everything the article says, but since I moved the closest Gamestop to me have very un-annoying employees and don’t pressure you like most other Gamestops, which is kind of ironic, since this would technically make them bad employees of the company, yet their attitude makes me more likely to go their.
11 Pegasus15 // Oct 31, 2007 at 6:49 am
I was lucky enough to have worked in my local GameStop store (yes, they have them outside of America, too) on a sort of work-experience programme (and boy, was it an experience!).
Firstly, the whole broken seal thing. In the shop I worked, there wasn’t much storage space. After games being out a while, the discs would be taken out of the case and placed in a plastic sleeve and then stored in a drawer behind the desk. The case would then be placed on the shelf. Unfortunately, nothing they could do about it, but annoying nonetheless.
As for answering the phones with “Hello, GameStop “x” location, home of “Latest Stupid Game ‘08″, “y” speaking, how may I help you?” that’s a must. Managers are told by head offices that between this and that date, you MUST answer the phone with this (generally for a week after the release of “Latest Stupid Game ‘08″). Same goes for asking you (when you phone or are there in person) if you have anything to trade-in. It must be done.
As for games you trade-in. Well, this is where the real money is. Firstly, here’s something to note. Check what you have in the case before you trade-in. Items that have been found include exam papers, a concert ticket, vouchers, etc. Anyway, once a game is scanned the system tells the employees how much to pay for your game. The price does suck, and the profit is mighty. But that’s not the employees fault.
Sean, you’re right, the job did suck. You got parents asking ridiculous questions such as “Do you stock, and where might I find, Nintendo DS games?”. You’d be tempted to say “Under the big sign that says DS”, but you have to be nice and say “Right this way, and I’ll show you”. You also get people ringing up “Hello, I bought Dead or Alive 4 and the game won’t work. What do I do?”, and you reply “Did you set your console to PAL-60?” (You guys don’t have this problem in the US, I don’t think), and they reply “Er, do what now?”.
These are just some of the things that go on in GameStop.
12 Scism // Oct 31, 2007 at 10:02 am
I think I must be one of the lucky ones. I love my local gamestop. I don’t think I’ve ever really experienced the “typical” gamestop employee. Every now and again they try to get me to buy game informer, but they don’t even do that anymore. That whole, new opened games is news to me. I think here they open one or two. When you take it to the counter, they pull a new game, still sealed, out of their cabinet and then replaced the opened one back on the shelf. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a new game there that wasn’t sealed. Or if it was open…it had already been out a few months.
We have 2 others here..EB games and Game Exchange. EB Games is a sister company to Game stop right? I can’t stand going in there. Here, EB tends to hire that 16 year old that’s drunk too much Jolt or Vault. Always on that caffeine high…telling me how he can frag me on the newest FPS. Whatever…go sit down. As for Game exchange…I kinda like them, but their set up is a little tooo…umm…flea market-ish for me. I still go in there when I’m looking for something they don’t make anymore. They’re hte only ones i’ve seen that still sell Dreamcast’s and Genesis. I saw a couple Atari in there the other day. Anyway…my 2 cents…I tend to ramble. Gamestop isn’t too bad here.
13 cmcafee // Oct 31, 2007 at 10:33 am
I think a few of you are missing the point. Correct me if I am wrong, Rothbart, but I don’t think he is laying the blame at the employee’s feet, but at the management that demands their employees act like idiots. It is just as ridiculous to ask somebody with money in their hand if the have any PS3 or Wii games hidden up their sleeves to trade in as it is to try to sell me a protection plan on a $10 DVD, which happened to me last night at Circuit City. Asinine.
I play video games because they are fun, and a video game store should be a cool, fun place to be, not a giant pain in the ass.
14 cmcafee // Oct 31, 2007 at 12:45 pm
As a matter of fact, today’s Penny Arcade comic sums this rant up nicely. http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/10/31
15 saphira963 // Nov 5, 2007 at 4:29 pm
i havent actually bought anything at a gamestop. ever. but i did go to walmart for a ps2 game once. anyone know if theyres any new titles for ps2 and rothbart? go tell them that saph thinks there all a** holes
16 Irapotato // Dec 6, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Wow. I just came back from buying guitar hero 3, and I am NEVER going back to a game stop again. I freakin picked up the game, paid 90 freakin bucks for it, and the manager or whoever has the balls to say, “If you’d like to trade it in, we can give you $50 for the game and the controller. $50??? Freakin retards. I hope they go out of buisness.
17 xero // Oct 26, 2008 at 5:56 pm
As a GS employee, we should get a few things straight. The crap the associates at gamestop have to say, is quite irritating, no one disagrees there. However, the amount of money one gets on their trades, isn’t determined by ANY of the employees. It’s automatically preset in the computer. I really hate all the stupid crap I have to say on a daily basis, but it’s an EASY part time job.
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