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Since when did people hate Gamestop?
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onlyCOpunk
Platinum Member
I usually find Gamestops to be hit or miss, as far as experience goes. Oddly enough there are two within blocks of each other around me. One, the employees suck and it's always full of extremely fat nerds talking nonstop about stupid shit and the other is always empty but has 3 cool employees that aren't ubergeeks and actually know what they're talking about.
You can guess which one I go to.
You can guess which one I go to.
blurredvision
Lifer
Eh, after working at Gamestop part-time last summer, I try not to give them a hard time. Each non-manager employee's hours are based on how many preorders and Game Informer subscriptions they are able to "sell" for the company (there is no commission, just the non-promise that you'll get to keep your low-paying job), so that's why they'll sometimes bug you about it. I was always pretty good at selling the shit, so I typically got the most hours if I wanted them. I stayed working there for 3 months because the 3 manager were all pretty awesome and easy to work with. Once 2 of the 3 of them left for other stores, I quit because the new manager was a complete fucking idiot.
As far as what they'll pay you for used game prices, it's kind of retarded to complain about it on a public forum, because you have so many more options. It's not like they're forcing you to sell a game to them. If you think the price is too low, don't sell it to them. Same with the used game prices. If you think it's too close to what a new copy of the game is, either buy the new game or go home.
However, the whole selling of opened games as new is something I really hate. I had quite a few people refuse to buy an opened game as new, but the majority of people didn't give a shit. Personally, I still shop at Gamestop because I like the game-only aspect of it, but if I'm buying a new game, I ask for a shrink-wrapped copy, and if they don't have one, I'll refuse purchase and try another one. It took me 3 weeks to find a sealed copy of the $40 Warhawk SKU because most stores only got one copy, which they would open and stick the box on the shelf. I only got it after I called one of my former managers and asked her to hold one back for me.
As far as what they'll pay you for used game prices, it's kind of retarded to complain about it on a public forum, because you have so many more options. It's not like they're forcing you to sell a game to them. If you think the price is too low, don't sell it to them. Same with the used game prices. If you think it's too close to what a new copy of the game is, either buy the new game or go home.
However, the whole selling of opened games as new is something I really hate. I had quite a few people refuse to buy an opened game as new, but the majority of people didn't give a shit. Personally, I still shop at Gamestop because I like the game-only aspect of it, but if I'm buying a new game, I ask for a shrink-wrapped copy, and if they don't have one, I'll refuse purchase and try another one. It took me 3 weeks to find a sealed copy of the $40 Warhawk SKU because most stores only got one copy, which they would open and stick the box on the shelf. I only got it after I called one of my former managers and asked her to hold one back for me.
mugs
Lifer
None of the boxes out on the floor have games in them. Too easy to steal. They open one, put the disc aside, and (I believe) sell the opened one last. I think what bothers people most is that they let employees "check out" the games and take them home to play so that they'll be more familiar with the games (really, how many $60 games can you afford to buy when you're making $6/hr?). It's understandable that people wouldn't like this, because they're getting an item that has been used for the cost of a new item. But as long as the game is still flawless, I think I'd live with it.
blurredvision
Lifer
Yep, that is what is typically done. When somebody brings you a box from the shelf, you are supposed to check for sealed copies behind the counter, and if there aren't any, there will be a sleeve with the disc in it for you stick in the case and sell to the customer.
There were a couple of times when I worked there when we would get a game in, and I'd take it straight out of the shipping box and take it home, play it for a couple of days, then bring it back, only to stick a white NEW sticker on it and put it up on the shelf with the disc in a sleeve behind the counter. Hell, I played Madden 08 for about 5 days leading up to release, and brought it back the night before so it could be sold at the midnight release. Yes, I will not buy a game that has been opened as new, but I didn't care to take shit home and play it. To my defense, though, if we had a used copy of the game, I always took that one before opening up a new one.
ponyo
Lifer
My cousin recently married the niece of the founder of EB Games. Her aunt started the company back in the 70's in a small mall kiosk selling electronic calculators and such. They sold the company back in 2005 to Gamestop as sort of retirement plan. They pocketed over $250 million from the sell and still own more than 4 million shares in Gamestop worth over $200 million. She sold her shares as well and got a nice pocket change.
beat mania
Platinum Member
EB/GS feels really dirty with their used game bin right in the middle of the store.
I tried looking for Metal Gear Solid 3 one day, every single disc they have is scratched to hell and kind of smells too.
I think people sell their scratched and stained games to GS when they can't sell it on ebay. Used games can't be all that dirty. Even though they have that 7 day return policy for used games I wouldn't put one of those dirty discs in my machine.
I got too used to used games in Japan, just about every used game you can find in store is almost pristine. I never feel the need to buy new games in Japan. They take care of their things over there.
But anyway, GS need to hide those used bin in the back of the store or something.
I tried looking for Metal Gear Solid 3 one day, every single disc they have is scratched to hell and kind of smells too.
I think people sell their scratched and stained games to GS when they can't sell it on ebay. Used games can't be all that dirty. Even though they have that 7 day return policy for used games I wouldn't put one of those dirty discs in my machine.
I got too used to used games in Japan, just about every used game you can find in store is almost pristine. I never feel the need to buy new games in Japan. They take care of their things over there.
But anyway, GS need to hide those used bin in the back of the store or something.
I've only bought one of their "new" games. It was the last copy in the store, and no one else in town had a copy. I guess I could have ordered it online, but I wanted to play it bad enough I paid a new price for a opened "new" copy. I hate that they do this, and its one reason i don't shop there much anymore.
The prices they give for used games has gotten really bad too. Unless the game is a new release, your better off selling it online or just keeping it. Like others have said the constant pressure to pre order, or buy a guide/magazine is annoying. I just want to go in, buy the game, go home and start to play it.
Except for the bad prices. And that the online store tends to sell GARBAGE!
I bought three used games from GameStop online once. Of the three, only one actually worked. I sent two back. When I got back replacement copies for those two games, only one of them worked properly. At that point, I gave up, because fighting with them over a $8 game just didn't seem worth my time, and they were getting into the "blame the customer mode" when talking to support. At least with the B&M stores, returns aren't a huge, delayed hassle.
AstroManLuca
Lifer
And use coupon codes.
Yreka
Diamond Member
I dislike gamestop because of the XB360 fiasco, where instead of meeting the demands of the pre-orders, they decided to cash in on the bundle-craze.. Loyal customers who gave them cash several months in advance stood there with their d*cks in their hands, while G$ used the limited supply of consoles to sell 1k+ bundles of worthless crap to mothers of spoiled children.
I still buy games there, but I will never pre-order again. Whats the point ? If demand is high enough to actually justify the need to preorder, your going to get screwed over anyway. Might as well take your chances after launch.
I still buy games there, but I will never pre-order again. Whats the point ? If demand is high enough to actually justify the need to preorder, your going to get screwed over anyway. Might as well take your chances after launch.
zerocool84
Lifer
I was an ASM at one and I don't like them for personal reasons. I only use them for coupon codes like many other now.
my take on gamestop...
Last year, I bought about 100 used games from gamestop and everytime I did, they kept telling me to buy the fucking edge card to save 10% and I kept putting it off... Every purchase was like 'nah... this will be my last purchase for the year... i'll stick to ebay...' sure enough I kept buying used games.. damn. After about 50 games in, I was dedicated to reject them every time they asked because I was thinking 'well if I haven't purchased it already, why do so since this will probably be my last game purchase...' So I never did get the edge card and never saved about $300.....................
Anyway, what I love about Gamestop is that you can get used games for $5-10. You can see what you get and have a return policy if there is a problem. Those prices alone are the same prices on ebay for JUST the shipping cost. A great game like Viewtiful joe would sell on ebay for around $10 after shipping but is $4.99 at GS. Plus you get it that day and not have to wait like a week.
What I hate about Gamestop is that the trade in prices are a slap in the face.. with a sweaty ballsack. But I'm not pathetic enough to find myself trading in used games. If I have good games worth value (Fire Emblem Gamecube) I'll sell it on Amazon for $100 before Xmas. The cheap games I would rather toss out before trading in for $1. I could see how they take advantage of stupid walmart moms and 10 year old kids who trade in games who don't have the brainpower to set up an ebay account.. or they're so fscking rich, they don't give a shit one way or another and throw games out to save shelf space.. I love the look on kids faces when they trade in a like-new ps2 for $20 with a game inside and two controllers that they don't even care about. I swear these kids turn emo after leaving the store after trading in their stuffs. But what do I care? I am buying games from that store, not selling them so LOLOLOLOLOL.
As for Craigslist............................
I bought used stuff exactly 3 times off craigslist. The first two times were flawless. Great deals, bundles on games at cheap prices. Cheaper than GS for lots of rare titles. My last encounter............
So I email this guy and he said to meet me at a supermarket for a great gaming deal for some games I was searching for. I asked him the condition and it was flawless with boxes and instructions. I met him and he drove up in some broken down truck. He was some 300lb 40 year old spanish guy with pretty much rotten teeth. The guys hands were covered in dirt and then he took out the games from the back seat.
The boxes smelled like dog shit and smoke and the game manuals were soaked in piss.. or beer or both. The game discs were scratched up (beyond working condition.. which would explain why he didn't 'conveniently' trade them in to GS) and then he started to haggle me about giving him more money or he would leave. 'I'm like Okay, these are terrible and I don't have more money (lie)' and I wanted to call the whole thing off but I was afraid of getting raped so I gave him the original money minus 2 or 3 of the games which he didn't want to sell anymore.... which didn't matter because they all looked broken anyway. After he left and I was just thankful for that.. I discarded the manuals/boxes and just took the game discs and sold them on ebay in 'acceptable' condition with a full return policy. Nobody complained.... but I didn't get any positive feedback from any feedback request either..hmm.. and I even managed to profit like $20.
Back to GS...
Most people hate them because they are taking money away from Devs. The same 1 game would be traded over and over again up a dozen times without any profit going to the Devs. but with multiple sales profits going to GS. Don't compare the average buy bartering games on ebay/CL with a massive corporation fueled by systematically selling and circulating the same used games in the community (whole world) raking in billions in profits taken away from publishers and developers. Something about this system has to be done.
Technically you are paying for the license to play the game and not the actual game disc. This license should be non transferable and the game disc should be worthless without a registration key which is only given out with each purchase to the purchasers name. This is why when you D/L a game on PSN or XBL you can't sell it to someone else or trade it in. Everyone who wants to play it has to buy it and then D/L it and that's that. In the future, if you want to play any older games you can go to the dev website and d/l it and pay to play it for a period of 1 year or something. I see that happening in the future and gamestop will die off. It's really unfair to devs. Yet they still manage to make Billions. I suppose if Gamestop died off, they would make trillions but hey, maybe we would see a drop in game prices from $60 to $20-$30???
Last year, I bought about 100 used games from gamestop and everytime I did, they kept telling me to buy the fucking edge card to save 10% and I kept putting it off... Every purchase was like 'nah... this will be my last purchase for the year... i'll stick to ebay...' sure enough I kept buying used games.. damn. After about 50 games in, I was dedicated to reject them every time they asked because I was thinking 'well if I haven't purchased it already, why do so since this will probably be my last game purchase...' So I never did get the edge card and never saved about $300.....................
Anyway, what I love about Gamestop is that you can get used games for $5-10. You can see what you get and have a return policy if there is a problem. Those prices alone are the same prices on ebay for JUST the shipping cost. A great game like Viewtiful joe would sell on ebay for around $10 after shipping but is $4.99 at GS. Plus you get it that day and not have to wait like a week.
What I hate about Gamestop is that the trade in prices are a slap in the face.. with a sweaty ballsack. But I'm not pathetic enough to find myself trading in used games. If I have good games worth value (Fire Emblem Gamecube) I'll sell it on Amazon for $100 before Xmas. The cheap games I would rather toss out before trading in for $1. I could see how they take advantage of stupid walmart moms and 10 year old kids who trade in games who don't have the brainpower to set up an ebay account.. or they're so fscking rich, they don't give a shit one way or another and throw games out to save shelf space.. I love the look on kids faces when they trade in a like-new ps2 for $20 with a game inside and two controllers that they don't even care about. I swear these kids turn emo after leaving the store after trading in their stuffs. But what do I care? I am buying games from that store, not selling them so LOLOLOLOLOL.
As for Craigslist............................
I bought used stuff exactly 3 times off craigslist. The first two times were flawless. Great deals, bundles on games at cheap prices. Cheaper than GS for lots of rare titles. My last encounter............
So I email this guy and he said to meet me at a supermarket for a great gaming deal for some games I was searching for. I asked him the condition and it was flawless with boxes and instructions. I met him and he drove up in some broken down truck. He was some 300lb 40 year old spanish guy with pretty much rotten teeth. The guys hands were covered in dirt and then he took out the games from the back seat.
The boxes smelled like dog shit and smoke and the game manuals were soaked in piss.. or beer or both. The game discs were scratched up (beyond working condition.. which would explain why he didn't 'conveniently' trade them in to GS) and then he started to haggle me about giving him more money or he would leave. 'I'm like Okay, these are terrible and I don't have more money (lie)' and I wanted to call the whole thing off but I was afraid of getting raped so I gave him the original money minus 2 or 3 of the games which he didn't want to sell anymore.... which didn't matter because they all looked broken anyway. After he left and I was just thankful for that.. I discarded the manuals/boxes and just took the game discs and sold them on ebay in 'acceptable' condition with a full return policy. Nobody complained.... but I didn't get any positive feedback from any feedback request either..hmm.. and I even managed to profit like $20.
Back to GS...
Most people hate them because they are taking money away from Devs. The same 1 game would be traded over and over again up a dozen times without any profit going to the Devs. but with multiple sales profits going to GS. Don't compare the average buy bartering games on ebay/CL with a massive corporation fueled by systematically selling and circulating the same used games in the community (whole world) raking in billions in profits taken away from publishers and developers. Something about this system has to be done.
Technically you are paying for the license to play the game and not the actual game disc. This license should be non transferable and the game disc should be worthless without a registration key which is only given out with each purchase to the purchasers name. This is why when you D/L a game on PSN or XBL you can't sell it to someone else or trade it in. Everyone who wants to play it has to buy it and then D/L it and that's that. In the future, if you want to play any older games you can go to the dev website and d/l it and pay to play it for a period of 1 year or something. I see that happening in the future and gamestop will die off. It's really unfair to devs. Yet they still manage to make Billions. I suppose if Gamestop died off, they would make trillions but hey, maybe we would see a drop in game prices from $60 to $20-$30???
Here's a good reason (Tycho and Gabe Interview):
http://blog.wired.com/games/20...4/exclusive-inter.html
The relevant part is the last question:
Are you looking to kill GameStop?
Tycho: Well, I don't think that we're looking to kill GameStop, no. The reality is that there are just a lot of games that belong in a GameStop that they'd never allow there.
Gabe: Robert said we could talk about that deal with GameStop.
We had a meeting with GameStop to talk about selling a boxed version of the game. Once we had a bunch of episodes together, we would collect them and put them in a box, you know? And GameStop said, oh, that's fantastic. We'd love to do it, we'd love to carry the game... but it's not going to be available anywhere else, is it?
And Robert said, well, we're going to digitally distribute it first.
They got really upset. And they said, no, you can't do that. We can't have it in our store if it's coming out digitally first. And he said, well, I'm sorry, that's the way it works. We're publishing our game and we can say where it goes. And so the deal that they tried to strike with Robert was okay, well, listen: If you cut us in on the profits from online distribution, and XBLA, and everything it comes out on, then we'll think about carrying it in the store. Just, what assholes.
http://blog.wired.com/games/20...4/exclusive-inter.html
The relevant part is the last question:
Are you looking to kill GameStop?
Tycho: Well, I don't think that we're looking to kill GameStop, no. The reality is that there are just a lot of games that belong in a GameStop that they'd never allow there.
Gabe: Robert said we could talk about that deal with GameStop.
We had a meeting with GameStop to talk about selling a boxed version of the game. Once we had a bunch of episodes together, we would collect them and put them in a box, you know? And GameStop said, oh, that's fantastic. We'd love to do it, we'd love to carry the game... but it's not going to be available anywhere else, is it?
And Robert said, well, we're going to digitally distribute it first.
They got really upset. And they said, no, you can't do that. We can't have it in our store if it's coming out digitally first. And he said, well, I'm sorry, that's the way it works. We're publishing our game and we can say where it goes. And so the deal that they tried to strike with Robert was okay, well, listen: If you cut us in on the profits from online distribution, and XBLA, and everything it comes out on, then we'll think about carrying it in the store. Just, what assholes.
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