28 Confessions Of A GameStop Shift Supervisor
G, a shift supervisor at GameStop, is tired of all the GameStop bashing that goes on on the internet, and has written us a very lengthy guide to shopping at his store. Some of it is useful. Some of it is a defense of GameStop's unpopular policies. All in all, if don't enjoy being harassed for reservations or sold opened, "gutted" games, you should probably just shop somewhere else.
If not, read on:
Here's the skinny with company policies, what's written in stone, and what a friendly employee may/may not actually be able to help you with. I'd going to be as frank as possible, because, honestly, the constant Gamestop-bashing on most newsblogs really hurts sometimes.GUTTED GAMES
1 ) First off, the biggest thing, the 'opened new games' issue. While I admit the practice is messy, I can't stress this enough; to remain a browsable, accessible small shop, 'gutting' a single copy is essentially unavoidable. As many UK commentors on such articles tend to point out, all small game shops over there have done this for years and they don't expect otherwise.Store policy is to gut one copy for display, occasionally two or more for new releases. We're encouraged to keep as many unopened as possible, and at all stores I've worked at this is a is strongly maintained; we only gut multiples of a game if we have MANY copies to go around. The harsh side is the 'checkout' policy. Gamestop policy is, for better or worse, that employees may check out new games that are more than two weeks past their original release so long as they are returned in mint condition. I don't agree with this, personally, as many part-timers and less-dedicated employees simply can't be trusted to take decent care of products. Typically most good stores encourage employees to check out used, even though company policy gives used more weight than new.
The fact is, though, that checking out titles isn't at the top of most employee's to-do lists, and 98% of 'gutted' games have literally never been touched, only slid into a paper or plastic sleeve and put away. If you cannot tolerate an opened case, then insist on a copy in original wrap. This really is overzealous and impractical if you plan to open it yourself; the PRACTICAL thing to do is, if you see you are getting a 'gut', ask outright to see the disc first. Any decent employee will comply, and they have no valid excuse not to show you.
2) If there is anything justifiably wrong with the condition of the disc, ask about a shopworn discount; this used to be a regular (but not advertised) option that was recently taken out of our systems, giving 10% off a product that is in poorer shape than it ought be. This can technically be done manually but is not encouraged, but a seasoned or understanding employee (especially managers) generally shouldn't mind if they see that the product is not in new condition.
3) The biggest misconception regarding gutted games is that we do not allow them returned as new. This is not accurate. A store following CORRECT policy puts a clear adhesive seal on all gutted game cases that are sold, allowing it to be returned as if it were entirely unopened for a full refund so long as the seal is undisturbed. This is sometimes substituted with other stickers or forms of seals, but ALL new games with open cases are meant to be sealed in some way to allow the customer their right to return it as unopened. If you buy a gutted game and they do not put any kind of seal on it, insist on one. They shouldn't be sending you out the door with an unsealed game if it was rung up as new.
With only a few exceptions, the stores I've worked at are staffed by very careful people who know better than to take poor care of any new products. I have been a customer at stores that weren't so gracious or careful, admittedly. There are better stores and some poorer ones; make a point of patronizing the good ones to send a message to the bad. It's simple consumerism.
4) The return policy for games is straightforward. New, UNOPENED products are returnable within 30 days for full refund. An 'opened' new game with an untampered gamestop seal is counted as unopened (emphasis on untampered; its easy to tell if its been peeled back and reapplied.) Opened new merchandise can be replaced for an identical item within 7 days if defective. Used games and game systems can be replaced within 30 days if defective. Used games, though we don't advertise this, can also be exchanged within 7 days for another title if it's simply not what you wanted; it's essentially a 7-day trial period. This is very useful for parents with small children who get picky with games or have trouble with varying difficulty levels. Doing it three or more times without making real new purchases tends to get that privilege taken away (and marked as such on the receipt,) so don't abuse it.
5) Don't lose your receipt and expect us to find records for you, it is quite difficult. If you lose your receipt but need to make a return or exchange, the ONLY way we are likely to pick it out of records is if you know the date you bought it on, which register rang it in, and you can confirm your means of payment and/or other details. This is NOT policy and not all employees have clearance to access register journals, so you can't count on this.
6) Gift receipts are always available at the end of your transaction. Now that all EBs and Gamestops are corporate-managed, your returns can be taken at any Gamestop as long as you have the original receipt and it is within the permitted dates.
RESERVES
There are two sides to the reserve issue, one more valid than the other, but both important.7) Everybody decries the nature of the Gamestop employee to push reserves on the uninterested consumer. Please understand, no matter how dedicated an employee may be, on the district level and higher, he is of no value beyond his reserves and Game Informer subscriptions. Nearly any employee is the sum of their reserves, and unfortunately good people who treat customers well will see their job fade away because of poor numbers. A Gamestop worker pushing a reserve on you is trying to keep their job, literally.
The other half is much more important to you, the customer, however. Gamestop is a massive company, yes, but every individual store is a very small niche. A store's allotments are based on its net sales figures and, among other things, reserves. A particular title that isn't guaranteed to fly off shelves may not be sent to a store at ALL if no interest is shown in it. A simple example is Odin Sphere, a fantastic title that slipped under the radar but got rave reviews. My own store at the time got about a half-dozen copies of the game, as I had preordered it myself along with one friend and one regular customer. Other stores adjacent to us got a single copy or, at most, two. This is not some faceless abusive policy, this is fair business; video games are expensive, and no company wants to order excess stock for a store that seems disinterested in it.
Preorders are only taken when their allotment can be guaranteed. I cannot stress this enough. There are burps in the system here and there, but for every one or two preorder gaffes you read about online there are literally thousands of beneficial ones. Preorders do not cost any additional fee (only a base 5 dollar deposit) and are fully (though reluctantly) refundable for cash at any time. Yes, cancelled preorders count against the employee ringing it in and they will be reluctant, but it is your right to cancel for cash refund if you choose to and they can't decline it.
On another hand, preorders really do save stress. Guitar Hero bundles in particular cause trouble because people assume that, as a hot title, they will be in mass supply. It's true that Halo 3 was easy to find and perhaps not really worth preordering, but when Guitar Hero II came out for Xbox360, at most stores it was a nightmare. In my home area in particular, the common attitude is 'I'll just come in the day it comes out,' but the large GH bundles were not in huge supply, and those that we DID have were all reserved out by people who had paid deposits on them. We accepted preorders on the game for months and plenty of people passed on it and got angry with us afterwards.
It's as simple as this. If you know you plan to buy Game X, then place a deposit on it. It will
A) ingratiate that employee to you, whether or not they show it immediately
B) guarantee that store gets sent at least a few copies as opposed to one or none
C) keep one copy held with your name on it when it arrives.8) Policy is to hold preorders for 48 hours after the title's release, and then we are ordered by corporate to start selling unclaimed ones to the public. Most stores are compassionate enough that they will readily hold yours longer if you cannot make it within the first two days. If you know you won't be there within 48 hours to pick up your order, call ahead and ask for a manager to earmark it for you. Tell them when you intend to get it if possible, so they can mark it as such.
9) Preorder gaffes are a big deal to us. It does help to keep your receipt from your deposit, although all information is stored on the store computers and should be safe from issue. If you have multiple reserves you can have a list reprinted with your current deposits at any time. If the company loses your preorder or accidentally (or stupidly) sells it, raise issue with it immediately. Talk to the store manager or, if they are unwilling to assist, get contact information for the district manager. We take preorders seriously and stores that do NOT need to be called to our attention.
10) As shameful as it may sound, regular customers that preorder often earn employee gratitude quickly. We can't help but appreciate them! Customers that order and pick up titles regularly are very likely to get extra help or attention from employees and managers when they have a problem or need help finding difficult items.
SUBSCRIPTION / DISCOUNT CARD
11) The card is really a matter of personal utility, but, like reserves, are part of what determines an employee's worth to the company.The discount card is, in full, a hand-in-hand offer with one year of Game Informer magazine. If gives you a 10 percent bonus on trade-ins of games, accessories, and (at some stores) DVDs, and 10 percent off the purchase of used games, accessories, and DVDs. Customers buying a strategy guide at time of the game's purchase get 20% off the guide with the card as well. The card is only good if you have it with you! It is not locked to your name or phone number and we do not yet have a means of retrieving it. Most directly, it's actually a service of the GI magazine and can be replaced by them. It is 14.99 for one year of the card and magazine. Officially, you are buying the magazine and the card is a bonus.
The card is useful if you buy used games or trade them in often. It's that simple. Admittedly, used game prices are geared towards cardholders; a typical recent release is 60 new and 55 used, but 10 percent off means 49.50, which is a palpable difference (and recoups a third of the original price of the card.)
12) If you don't own a next-gen system, don't trade in often, or simply never buy used, the card isn't for you and you can tell an employee so. Game Informer is still a fairly good magazine and offers occasional bonus coupons that stack with the card, so don't write it off entirely.
TRADE-INS
13) This is a really harsh point to people. This is the source of more shouting and anger (and even threats) than any hot-title shortage ever. All of our trade-in values boil down to two factors; sellability and demand for that title.The Gamestop trade-in business is based on on key tenet; we hardly turn down ANYTHING. For all the rage and screaming we take from people getting one dollar for years-old Madden games, you need to remember one key fact; we are taking in games that are often unlikely to EVER resell.
Most trade-ins we ever receive are not recent or desirable games. We take games in awful shape, without original cases, and that are years-old and so saturated that they will never, ever sell. Every gamestop is drowning in used Madden NFL 2001-2007's as we speak. Old sports titles have no resale value, and we offer a small amount for them with the understand that we will probably never make that back on its sale. The point here is, simply, that there is no sense in decrying Gamestop's trade-in values for games that you are unlikely to sell anywhere else.
Not all trade-ins are like this, however. Games in high demand are, appropriately, worth much more. This doesn't just mean RECENT games like Bioshock and Halo 3. Super Smash Bros for the Gamecube is still trading in for fifteen dollars at the time of this writing; much more than any other Gamecube game. Games or items we are likely to resell are worth far more than ones that are incomplete, in poor shape, unpopular, or overly plentiful. Always bear this in mind. Some tips for trading in;
14) Many Gamestops don't take DVDs any more, and the company as a whole is phasing them out. DVDs are worth very little and you shouldn't bother.
15) Used accessories are split into two values; one for the official first-party versions (Sony, Nintendo, etc official controllers and parts) and one for off-brand models. First-party accessories and parts are always worth much more; they are generally higher quality, always more compatible and faster to sell. Some name-brand controllers are worth up to twice as much trade-in value as their off-brand counterparts.
16) Sports games come out annually and decline in value instantly. Never count on a good value from them.
17) Outdated consoles are traded in every day. Almost every gamestop literally has fifty or more used Xboxes and Gamecubes in stock at any time. They do not sell and we get one at least every day, so they are worth very little. The new slim PSP is in much higher demand than the original, and so the trade-in value on the old model has since dropped. If you want the hot new version of anything, trade in as far before its release as you can stand so you can get the peak value.
18) We can't simply 'trade' one game for another in stock. I know it sounds silly, but its a very very common misconception from children to adults that we simply swap one for another of your choosing. It simply can't work that way.
19) Don't be afraid to sell things on your own! The going resell rates for any current games or accessories online is usually close to what we resell for. If its a much newer title and you don't mind listing and shipping it, you could make a small handful more selling it online yourself. Ebay and Amazon.com are obvious choices, but you may find other outlets that work for you.
20) Most importantly, take good care of your games! We simply can't take mangled games, and games with some damage or no cases generally aren't worth as much because they either need repairs or will be unlikely to sell without case/manual. I'm always grateful to anyone who brings in a trade of good products in good condition, because it always nets them more value and is better for the store all around.
OTHER TIPSHere's a few tips to get the most out of your local Gamestop;
21) When buying used accessories, always go first-party. Official accessories are consistently more durable and longer-lasting, even when pre-owned. Off-brand PS2 memory cards, even if licensed by Sony, are notoriously unstable. Pay the extra money for Sony or Microsoft brand, it's worth it in the long run.
22) When buying NEW accessories, off-brand or Gamestop-branded accessories can be reliable and much cheaper alternatives. While I'd still recommend official first-party controllers, some products, like Gamestop universal AV cables / AC adapters are very convenient and incredibly cheap by comparison. When buying ANYTHING wireless, go for first-party or Logitech brand; all other brand wireless controllers are simply inferior in response and durability.
23) Many Gamestop employees are good at what they do and are knowledgeable enough to help you out of the occasional technical snafu, but we simply are not tech support and can't be counted on as such. This sounds condescending, but you really need to read the instructions for new merchandise in full before calling for assistance or declaring it defective. We lose plenty of good product every week from people buying wireless Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 controllers, not bothering to sync them to their systems at home, and returning them as 'defective.' It seems silly but it's a constant, almost daily problem. If you bought a used item that does not have instructions, inquire at the time of purchase if there is any information or documentation that you may need.
24) Courtesy-wise, please, bring in your trades before 8pm if at all possible! A game or two here and there isn't hard to organize, but all too often a person will carry a duffel bag of every game they ever owned into the store ten minutes before closing. Sorting out sellable/defective games, relabeling them, making new cases, alphabetizing them into displays and all other work requires time and effort that we don't muster well when we're trying to close our store without going over our allotted payroll! If you have a lot to trade in, save it for a day that you can go in earlier. You'll get better, less rushed service and your cashier will be more likely to help you find the best offers or promotions to bring up your trade values.
25) We ID for M-rated games. Typically we ID anyone who appears to be under 30, but I have seen managers who ID any and all customers for M and R rated products. You need to accept when doing business with Gamestop that we have to enforce the ratings for safety of our own jobs and the industry as a whole. An employee will likely refuse sale if you can't provide picture ID with date of birth for an age 17+ title. We are all warned regularly by corporate and the punishment for slip-ups is generally immediate termination.
26) If we don't have an item you're looking for, we can pretty easily check in with nearby stores so long as they are within our district. Some Gamestops even have an "On-hand Lookup" function that will allow them to search a larger area of stores for hard-to-find items. Ask if your store has this and take advantage of ones that do when trying to find specific games. The Gamestop website's locater is also useful, but limited to items in the online catalog.
27) Wiis sell out within hours of shipments arriving consistently. If you want a Wii from Gamestop, contact the nearest and most convenient shops to you and ask what time of day they receive their weekday shipments. Call them around that time every weekday, and when they have one, get there promptly, because we cannot hold them for anyone. We rarely get more than one shipment of Wiis in a week, but it never hurts to call every weekday. We'd rather get multiple phone calls than see you waste a trip out to the store or, even worse, miss a shipment because you didn't call that day!
28) More important than anything else I've said, a Gamestop is its employees, not its company or policies. This is capitalism, so vote with your patronage! Some Gamestops are definitely better than others, and they deserve to be rewarded with your business. If any one Gamestop is consistently poor, avoid them. Word spreads fast, and bad stores learn to shape up if pressed.
(Photo:cmorran123)
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Comments:
We all know the reason they push reserves is to collect interest on the money sitting in the bank.
I love that this article is dripping with BS. Not that I hate gamestop as much as most, but I've had multiple friends who have worked for that company and abused the heck out of the system.
I can understand pushing the reserves and discount cards. They do that at most huge retailers. I don't care if an employee asks about them. I just hate it when they saw "are you sure" like three times. Recently when I was reserving Super Mario Galaxy, the even asked if I would like to pre-order any others. I was thinking "NO, YOU IDIOT, IF I WANTED TO I WOULD." The better part is that I know more about most games than the employees do because I am on blogs all the time (Kotaku, of course)
Don't take it too hard Mr. Dude, We have to deal with Ignorant people all the time. At least we get to make fun of them too.
I read all of that even without having to buy the strategy guide!
Psh. It is fine for THEM to open the games and sell them at full value, but if you dare open the game, play it and don't like it enough to return it the same day, you're definitely not getting anything near the full value back.
@dorylomorphs: Don't forget the abandoned reserves. I'm sure it doesn't happen incredibly often, but it's going to happen where someone's forgotten where they've reserved a game or moved or something and that reserve (and cash) is going to be abandoned to the company.
I worked at a Gamestop for about a year. The guide is dead on about the "value" of the employees. It was a reasonably casual workplace, but there was always that looming pressure to get numbers. By the time I quit, working there was as bad as people say shopping there is.
Be patient with the part-timers. Odds are they hate being there just as much as you do.
Gamestop/EB really aren't specialty retail shops anymore, they are pawnshops. None of the local shops near me carry actual NEW game content beyond the guaranteed pre-orders and the places are run with the sort of surly gruff attitude you might expect from a guy named Sid who works behind bulletproof glass offering you $50 to hock yer wedding ring.
I will, on occasion, try and shop at the places and everytime I regret the experience. That having been said the online version of each store is pretty darn exceptional in terms of quality and customer service and I use them extensively.
I just got hired on to a store as a 3rd Key a few weeks ago, and I can pretty much agree with all of what was written.
It is true that reserves and subscriptions are pretty much the only thing that determines your worth as an employee. However, our area has the policy that if the store is doing well for the week, they don't even look at individual numbers, helps build a bit of teamwork when at the store.
Don't write off the reservation system as just a quick buck for GameStop, I've had many many people ask about a coming soon game, not preorder it, and then get furious when we don't get any sizable allotment.
Sorry- this just basically says one thing to me:
"The customer should conform to our practices" instead of the other way around.
i work for gamestop germany. many people don't even know we have more than one shop. nearly no one knows that gamestop is multinational.
Good article. We tend to forget, as consumers, that many things are set in stone not by the poor guy at the desk but by someone in a suit far far away.
Jeez, guys. People that complain about GS policies are the minority, even if it looks different online. Did you ever think that maybe it's you that's being unreasonable. The gamestop employee you are talking to didn't make the policy and, if you're cool to them, they'll be cool to you. It's not some special sort of reasoning... it's humans. For example, since a bunch of you guys are douches, I simply don't care what you think. Amazing, that.
Arlo
I worked at gamestop for 5 years... pretty much everything he said was true. And that employee game borrowing policy, yeah, I never agreed with it either. Took advantage of it, absolutely, but never agreed with it.
Hmm, no wonder the employees at my local shop are so nice to me and even bothered to learn my name. I help them keep their jobs!
I really dont' care what this guy says about the preorders. I've heard of stories of employees literally ransoming games for pre-orders ( [preorderpushers.com] )
I've only had a few bad experiences at a Gamestop (Back when they were called Babbages), but the way some employee's treat customers to "keep their jobs" disgusts me enough to stop shopping there all together.
I wouldn't mind buying a "gutted" game if that is all that is left but please, don't call it brand new. It isn't brand new and there should be a 10% discount attached. Every other store I've been in sells their "Demo" cameras, TVs, or whatever for 10% off normal retail value. Call it what it is -- a demo or "open box" game and discount it appropriately. I guarantee far less people would complain if this became practice for these "gutted" games.
Here is the problem with "Gutted" games.
In every city/state/place where you find a GameStop, you'll find a gamer who goes out and buys a game on launch day. That gamer will beat the game, return to the store and "Trade in" his game.
If GameStop sells me an open package, how do I as a consumer know if I'm paying the $59.99 for the "Used" version of the game when I should be paying $54.99?
The sealed package with all the security labels and the like on it is the only "proof" the product is new, if you remove the packaging for any reason that "proof" no longer exists. GameStop could be selling me a used product at an inflated price and pocketing the $3.00. As a consumer I can only take GameStop's word that they are not doing that.
For a company that posted record profits last year mainly off the reselling of used games I'm having a very difficult time believing that they do not occasionally do this. There is no way for a consumer to prove it's not "newly opened" vs "used". Only the computer system at Gamestop knows this and it's not telling the customer anything.
Very interesting, and only one quibble. Trade-in values for newer games are often _much_ lower than what you can get for them on eBay. As an example, Gamestop recently offered me $20 for Bioshock - I got $40 ($37 when all the fees were taken out) for it on eBay, so that's a pretty significant difference.
@Squeegoth: They have a list on the computer that shows how much you've given them. I reserved a game before and forgot about it. The next time I was in and bought something they just took the reserve money and put it towards my purchase. They're not going to steal your money (Federal laws and such). I have no problem reserving a game if I want it really badly. Anymore I just don't get all that excited by being first so I just wait a few weeks and get it on sale. Also, a lot of places (including GameStop) are offering $5 discounts on games for pre-ordering. There you go. You just made 100% return on your $5 down and that beats the $0.0001 in interest they made off you. ;)
@jwrose: Exactly. This is why i never shop there anymore. I hate games stores. I went to a games stop a few weeks ago just to look for something. The girl working there was on the phone on a personal call. I stood in there for 15 minutes while she was on the phone. She finally hung up and never said a thing to me. I walked out.. never to return.
It's exactly as Jerros says. I've been given "New" copies of games that were gutted from this chain of stores and they're scratched to hell. Then I turn right back at the fellow and I ask him "What the hell is this?"... Thus, I have stopped making many of my game purchases from there, as the chances are - I can find the game I am looking for in a greater number of copies at the local Wal-Mart.
Why, when I went to buy Tenchu Z. I first went to the Gamestop, being in a city that was an hour from where I lived - I didn't know the surrounding stores as much. I walked in and asked for it and they told me "We had no pre orders for that game so we didn't bother with ordering any." I was baffled, I walked out after saying a polite g'bye.. I walked 2 stores down to the Circuit City and lo and behold, there the games were...
I find it quite pathetic that I have better chances lately of finding the game that I want at basic electronics dealers rather than specialty stores..
Also an addition to the comments about "Gutted"... I've even been given games that were supposedly gutted and all and simply placed in the paper and plastic... And they tend to ALWAYS be scratched. Did they not think for one moment that rubbing a disc around on a hard paper surface would not start to make scratches over time?.. And depending on the store and how they handle these paper "protectors", this can happen over a month, a week, or even a couple days *As it is around where I live*.
Decent report.
However, the "How to Get a Wii" should be a post of its own.
EG, a similar thing can be applied to Target.
As opposed to the customer telling the company how they will conduct business? This "The customer is always right" bull crap was invented by customers to make them feel empowered. Nor should the "big evil corporation" screw over the common man. There has to be a balance between company and customer.
As a former GameStop manager I'm going to let you know that there is no reason to reserve games unless it is an obscure game. In my five year experience as a manager I always received more than enough games to cover my reserves. The only items you should reserve are new consoles...period! Other than that he is spot on with his assessment of the daily lives of gamestop employees.
I have a policy of my own: don't buy anything from Gamestop (EB Games up here in Canada). They've screwed me over and over again. Worst example (that has happened multiple times) is that I'll walk in and ask for a game. The clerk will tell me 1. they're sold out, 2. EVERYONE is sold out and 3. the only way I'll get the game in the next month is if I reserve it with five bucks now. Every time I've walked down the mall and found the game at another store. I don't even get why these guys are still in business.
I really appreciate and respect this guy for doing this and trying to clear up some common misconceptions and frustrations. However, I do have an issue with #27. When I was looking for my Wii, I did just that, calling all the GameStop and EB stores around me every day. After a few days I started getting extremely short answers, and in response to the "when do you get your shipments" question, the answer became "we never know when it's going to come in". Any store that gets regular shipments tends to at least know the day when they usually show up. I understand that the quality and attitudes of people working at these places can vary pretty wildly, but I think if I'm following the recommended procedure then I shouldn't be treated with contempt and lies to get me off the phone.
I got my Wii at WalMart. The only gaming store I use now is a GameCrazy an hour away with employees that have become good friends.
I fully support this post! Admittedly, I've never worked for Gamestop or EB Games... Though I've applied many times... I guess past experience in the field doesn't count for anything these days as our local gamestops/EB's (all four of them!) hired a bunch of hot girls who are great to look at but know nothing...
Anyways, I still support this post. There is one thing I feel you forgot though... The fact that many "good" employees will try to recommend or attach at least one accessory or more to the sale. The reasoning for this is that accessories offer more of a profit for the store and company as a whole than selling consoles or even games.
For example: An average game may sell for $60 brand new, but the store only profits about $1 to $2 off of that on average (last I checked). A Controller may sell for $50, but the store may profit up to $15 dollars of of that sale. Accessories almost ALWAYS bring in more gross profits than any software.
People may get irritated when accessories are recommended or offered... but they really shouldn't. You know those nice demos and displays you're always messing with and wasting time on while you're in the store? Those wouldn't be there if not for the profits the store brings in.
I don't know. I never shop at gamestop; I get most of my games from Steam or from some online shop. So I really have no idea what the store's policies are, etc.
But this article sounds like some retail schmuck complaining that his customers aren't bending over nicely enough for him.
I appreciate the post, but this just confirms that GameStop/EB corporate treats both its customers and its employees as mindless servants to the executive whim.
If the only way you can guarantee browsing stock in a retail store is to force me to pre-order everything—in other words, to promise to buy it before I even browse it—then there's something fundamentally wrong with GameStop's business model. The company needs to find a way to keep an expansive inventory of new games, or work out a deal with developers to return unsold games (sort of like bookstores and publishers, but—I hope—not as ass-raping as the deal publishers have to contend with). It seems to me GameStop has intentionally throttled its supply chain down to almost zero and passed the inefficiencies off to the customers and the employees who have to deal with their frustration.
The only thing I can see GameStop offering over, say Amazon or Half, is instant gratification, yet that's the one part of their business model they seem intent on ruining (by forcing customers to pre-order or else).
Frankly, I wonder if the retail game outlet, at least how GameStop has conceived it, is even a sustainable business model.
Maybe the bashing that occurs on news sites and blogs isn't 100 percent legitimate, but I am sure that some of it is.
However, if I am required to a 3400+ word guide containing rules top adhere to when frequenting your store, I will go elsewhere. Mainly BestBuy, Wal-Mart, or Target.
These stores have much more understanding policies and if it comes to a used game, I'll pass and rent one.
Mostly I find myself buying from Amazon anyway.
How about this gripe. Many games lately and in the past are advertised on gamestop as having some extra bonus item included if you reserve. (IE) I reserved a silent hill game on the original Xbox, It was advertised to include a soundtrack of the series on a seperate cd if reserved, well when the game came out they (Gamestop) had no idea what I was talking about. I must have hit a nerve with them when i accused them (the employees) of hoarding and not mentioning to customers the little extras that may be included with a presell. I told them they must be keeping them for themselves and friends to sell the bonus items on ebay. When I got home i had a message on my answering machine that said "this is so and so from gamestop and we found your silent hill soundtrack cd"
when I went back to gamestop I was handed a opened CD with no sleeve. This has happened to me with several games, I was supposed to get a Navy Seal hat with the reserve of navy seals for the ps2, and i was supposed to get a copy of the movie THE THING, with a reserve of the Xbox game The Thing. I no longer shop at Gamestop, The last straw was some relentless punk telling me that if I didnt pre-order Halo 2, back when it came out I would not have got it until after that Christmas anywhere. Well on launch day I purchased two copies of Halo 2 from K-Mart and walked right into that gamestop and made that punk eat them, Kidding of course. The point is I gave up on Gamestop years ago. I have no incentive nor should anyone else have an incentive to buy from them only. Let them prey on the soccer moms, not us gamers. I know whoever wrote the above article would respond by saying "well If I managed the gamestop you went to that would not happen" But I say that maybey that is correct however many many soccer moms and uninformed gamers are being denied free extras for two reasons
1) they ( the average not so knowledgeable customers)
dont know they may have a free Assasins creed T-shirt, coming to them.
2) the little weasles at gamestop are not going to tell them " Hey here is your free bonus item with that reserve"
I think that this is a widespread Gamestop problem.
Seriously. When a store that I shop at has a manual for proper conduct, rule and regulations, and all sorts of tips and hints in order to get good service, I'm probably just going to take my business elsewhere.
Reminds me a lot of a Seinfeld episode we all know and love.
"You forgot to give me bread...."
These kinds of write-ups always confound me. Why do I need to be taught how to retail, if you will. Maybe this Gamestop manager is a good one, but that doesn't excuse the rest of them for being assholes.
I just have to say that the whole thing about customers making more preorders and being treated better is true. I can say that from experience. But I can also say that just because I can be considered a regular, and just because I do make a lot of preorders (I'm going to buy the game anyways...) doesn't mean that as soon as I walk through the door to pick up COD4 today, doesn't mean everyone employee should line up offering me preorders.
I'm so annoyed at Gamestop's policies on pushing pre-orders and selling gutted games that I now go to Wal-Mart and purchase my games there.
Good read, some new things I didn't know.
I rarely have a bad experience at my local gamestop. The staff is friendly and they know their stuff.
Not ALL gamestops are bad, like all things it just depends on the staff. I mean if people are saying all gamestops are bad isn't that just stereotyping?
I've worked for EB Games so I have a litle insight:
1. Why the fuck should we conform to your policies when all we wanna do is buy a game?
2. Your company is just as bad as Wal-Mart when it comes to shady practices. I've lost track of how many times I was made to work OFF the clock because I went over on hours.
The only reason I dont like going into EBgames and gamestop in my area is that they never have the games even when I preorder. There is always some excuse and they get it 2-3 days later. I just order my games online (liongames, buy.com, amazon, etc) and I always get my game the day of or the day after.
Also there is no way in hell I am going to preorder a game MONTHS in advance unless there is some kind of incentive. I ordered Halo 3 from liongames months in advance because the price was $40 and it was worth it. I think if they offered incentives to preorder in advance other than not getting the game at all they would see more preorders.
Employees can checkout new games? Opening them is one thing, now they're taking them home with them too?
Taking them home and using them is the VERY DEFINITION OF USED.
I'm disgusted. Thanks for this article though, as I will never EVER purchase a non-sealed copy from GameStop again.
Also, accepting caseless/instructionless games, wtf GameStop? Quit promoting child theft. It's kiddie's first chop shop. Nobody wants that stupid hoodlum-covered gamestop case anyways.
@GIIRyudo: Ocarina of Time was the last game that was "hard to get". There have been zero since then that I could not find in the very first store I visited. Perhaps it's just different here, but I doubt it.
I dont expect alot out of them. I expect that when I new game comes out they will have reasonable stock for non-preorders. I have never found that to be the case. I expect that If I do preorder, that my order will be waiting there for me. This is often not the case. Even when paid in full. 48hrs isnt enough. I expect the employees to display some knowledge of games and be polite to me. This is often not the case.
So as far as I'm concerned they fail on many levels for a store that says its primary business is games. I generally have nuch better luck getting the titles I want at release with no attitude from big box stores.
Oh one more thing on the gutted game phenom.
why is it that more often than not when you buy a new game it is a gutted copy. It must be an amazing coincidence that more often than not the game purchased just happens to be "the last copy"
hmmmmmmm
I'm sorry but corporate is full of themselves. This is what GS/EB should be doing (when I worked there my store did the following and never had problems:
A) make sure you shrinkwrap your gutted copies, both shelf displays and the the actual guts. Use CD sleeves to make sure that the disc is in perfect condition.
B) Tell me why do we even need to gut in the first place? Ask MS, Sony, Nintendo to provide the jacket sleeves / boxes for games, reuse old DVD cases for these displays.
C) Agressive price matching. My store did this (and by my store I mean all the smart people in the store minus my dooche manager). We did the shopping for you. We'd bring in the weekly fliers, scoured the other big stores or local stores to make sure we were the best price.
D) If a customer buys a gutted copy, you shrinkwrap it. After selling one game with those stupid stickers, I decided to not do that anymore. They are big, and ugly and leave residue.
E) Pre-orders - Not much you could do about it. Use to be easier when you offer those bonuses up front.
As a former EB Games (turned GameStop) employee, yeah, that article is 100% accurate. On the store level, you have bad stores and good stores (gosh, like at any chain!) and ones that are so-so.
And honestly, some customers are just plain stupid. I had a guy try to use the warranty he bought for his PS3 after he had popped open the whole console and removed the blu-ray drive. He didn't even both to put it back in. Why? To save his copy of Call of Duty 3. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Then there was the group of (little) kids who destroyed one of our display cases (gameboy games) while the mother was ignoring them. I mean, the list goes on.
As for all you people demonizing those employee's who do thier job by pushing pre-orders and subscriptions? Go ahead and work a seasonal position at your local GameStop. Then you can see how GameStop corporate likes to muscle it's retailers into pushing those reserves and subs. It can turn some stores bad.
Defense of sir article writer aside, I'm also very, VERY glad I no longer work for EB Games.
28) More important than anything else I've said, a Gamestop is its employees, not its company or policies. This is capitalism, so vote with your patronage!
And I do, by shopping at Gamestop only as a last resort. What a horrible place to spend money.
@Dennen:
It's so true that now pretty much any big box retailer is better at providing new games then these so-called specialty stores. And if you want used games, try going to a real pawn shop, the prices are MUCH better for buying (although they may or may not have been stolen) and they aren't browsed as often so you can find some real gems. As for selling games, you can just use eBay or Half or something. There's no real reason for Gamestop brick and mortars to exist anymore.
I rarely go to Gamestop, and will only go there if I absolutely "HAVE" to (i.e., preorder swag). But truth be told, I can't think of a time in recent memory where I actually bought the game that went with the item, since Fry's, Best Buy, or Circuit City is almost guaranteed to have it cheaper. I'll then roll the preorder credit into a strategy guide or something cheap. And honestly, I'd rather go to a brick and mortar electronics store where they don't bug the heck out of you for preorders or used games.
The last time I tried to buy a "new" game, I was given a gutted copy; when I asked for a wrapped one, the employee made a snide comment to the effect of "Are you even going to play it?" When I told him my reasoning, he got pissed, and said "I can take the damn thing in the back and shrink wrap it, would that make you happy?" Really professional.
All of this post was common sense to me, but I use EB's trade-in policy almost weekly and I love it. I'll go out of my way to go to the "good" EB where at any given time I have 1-3 games pre-ordered - I'll even overlook the guy behind the counter calling me "ma'am" 3 times a transaction because they give good service and don't mind talking shop with me. Your mileage may vary, though - I go through enough video games to make their trade-in policy extremely worthwhile for me and I am not a dickhead customer to boot, so I get great service.
Everyone that is complaining about GameStop & their policies = Douche!
Man I sure wish that my company had a bad reputation so I could write a long winded guide to how to shop correctly at my store.