Consumerist
gamestop
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video games
Rumor: Game Crazy To Close 200 Locations
Joystiq reported last night that Game Crazy "plans to close 200 of its approximately 680 locations at the end of October." There's no official list of which stores are closing yet, so feel free to ask your local Game Crazy employees and see if you can scare them. More » -
video games
Toys R Us Muscles In On The Games Trading Racket
Kotaku reports that Toys R Us has gone nationwide with its video game trade-in initiative today. Now the chain is stepping on GameStop's turf. The site's Mike Fahey quotes a Toys R Us bigwig: More » -
blu-ray
A Dagger For Blu-Ray: GameStop Deems Discs Un-Tradeworthy
Blu-ray sales may be on the uptick, with sales up 72 percent so far over what they were last year at this point, but apparently the format isn't so hot at GameStop, which is apparently phasing out accepting the high-definition movie discs in return for cash or store credit. More » -
atari
Backyard Baseball Bonus Codes Hit A Foul At GameStop
Dan's son is learning an important consumer life lesson, which is that sometimes companies promise really fun things that just don't happen. GameStop sent out a promotional e-mail about a really cool contest involving Backyard Baseball '10. Except the contest isn't working, and no one knows who can help Dan straighten it out. More » -
markups
GameStop Jacks Up Wii Accessory Price By 25 Percent
Last week Nintendo released the Wii Motion Plus, a box you stick on to the bottom of a Wii remote to make the cute little video game system's motion controls spaz out less and start obeying to your precise motion commands. Motion Plus only works with new games specifically made for the add-on, including Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis. More » -
bees
Angry Bees Attack New York GameStop
A swarm of bees gathered yesterday outside the GameStop in Union Square, possibly to demand a higher trade-in value for their games. Store employees were trapped inside for hours and eventually hung a sign reading: "Look! ... closed due to bee infestation.'' More » -
recession watch
How Do You Stay Entertained In A Recession? Used Video Games.
Video games are up, and books are down. GameStop says sales of used games jumped 32%, as the retailer posted a 13% rise in fiscal first-quarter earnings. Why is GameStop doing so well while other retailers suffer? Its used video game program has excellent profit margins. More » -
price as marked
Gamestop Decides To Charge The Higher Of Two Sticker Prices, Won't Refund Difference
Matt bought a used game from Gamestop, and there were two prices on the case. Instead of being charged the lower $14.99 price, the cashier charged him $19.99. Matt only noticed this after he left the store, so he returned and asked for an adjustment. The cashier refused, then tried to remove the cheaper tag in front of Matt. Update: Matt spoke with a District Manager and got a full refund. More » -
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anti-gamer
Gamestop Ruins Yet Another Customer Experience
Sometimes we think Gamestop is run by some sort of secret cabal of anti-videogame fanatics, and they use the store as a front to spread hatred of games and game purchasing across America.
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video games
Amazon Announces Game Trade-In Program To Compete With GameStop
If you don't like GameStop, how about Amazon? On Thursday, they announced their new "Video Games Trade-In" program (www.amazon.com/tradeingames), where you send in your used games for Amazon gift card credit. What we like about this is you don't have to spend the money on more games if you don't want to, so you can convert old games into anything Amazon accepts gift cards for. What we don't like is you can't just get cash back—but hey, if you hate GameStop, here's an option for you. More » -
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recession watch
When The Economy Gets Tough, The Tough Play Video Games
As pretty much every retailer imaginable aside from Walmart loses money — one chain is not only doing fine, it's actually growing — GameStop. It seems that when the going gets tough — people just want to play video games. More » -
company scrip
GameStop Pays Its Employees In Hidden Fee "Cash Cards"
Remember our post on student loan debit cards? The cards are pitched as a great convenience, or less expensive to distribute than paper checks, or more secure, when in reality they're germy with hidden fees that slowly nickel and dime your balance. Turns out, GameStop uses a similar system to pay its employees. More » -
gamestop
Gamestop Selling 'Not For Resale' Game Bundle, Overpriced Of Course
This Gamestop somehow ended up with extra bundles of the games that were supposed to be included in holiday Xbox 360 sets (the ones that shipped with Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda). So what do they do? Why, slap a $100 price tag on them and put them on the shelves, despite their "not for resale" labeling. You can buy both games brand new for less than $80 total, by the way. More » -
Hide Your Shame
Gamestop Ad Preys On Adolescent Fears
What were you most afraid of in High School? Getting turned down by that Cheerleader at the prom? Arriving at school naked, just before the big test you never studied for? Or, was it Mom and Dad finding all of your nudie-mags whilst looking for gift ideas? Look inside to see which terror Gamestop chose to highlight in their latest ad campaign. More » -
gamestop
Disgruntled Ex-Employee Wants To Tell The World Not To Shop At GameStop
A disgruntled former employee of GameStop calling himself "WhistleBlowerZero" has created a 9-part YouTube video series which explains quickly, but in exhaustive detail, the many reasons why you, Dear Consumer, should not shop at GameStop. It's modeled after the popular "Zero Punctuation" game reviews, a fact that will probably be lost on anyone who doesn't already know the many reasons not to shop at GameStop. More » -
boxes of crap
What To Do When A Store Sells You Box Of Crap And Won't Take It Back
We get a lot of complaints about people buying things from stores like Best Buy and Target and finding that once they get them home — there's a bunch of bathroom tiles in the box instead of the item, or that the item is used, broken or smashed. When they try to return the thing, the store tells them that they're out of luck. When you ask why they think they can get away with selling you a paperweight instead of an XBOX, they point to some bullsh*t policy and send you on your way. You don't have to put up with this. In this post, we'll tell you a) How to keep this from happening to you in the first place. b) How to equip yourself with tools that will help you in the event that this does happen to you. c) How to take advantage of these tools so that you never get stuck with someone's old broken PS3. More »
10:29 AM on Thu Sep 4 2008
By Meg Marco
159,111 views, 132 commentsMost discussed mdoublej: I'm afraid I may have started this trend in the early nineties. I worked at a software store with a more »
