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| What's so bad about gamestop? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 11 2012, 10:00 PM (3,632 Views) | |
| 605506 | Feb 11 2012, 10:00 PM Post #1 |
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To be honest, I'm probably a part of the minority here but I never had any problem with gamestop. Its nice and convenient. The service is great, at least around where I live. They have all the current gen games I want. I never understood why everybody hates gamestop and says "GAMESTOP IS THE DEVIL" or "IF YOU BUY FROM GAMESTOP, YOU SUPPORT THE DEVIL". I'm personally not too picky about my games, so I could care less about the gamestop stickers or the games not having the cover art or even not having any game cover at all. As long as I have the game and it works, everything is fine. They also have a nice buy 2 get 1 free sale every once in awhile. I understand that they have some bullshit policies but I see nothing serious. By no means I am not saying that gamestop is the best or that I support gamestop. But at the same time, I can't see anything seriously wrong with gamestop stores either. Edited by 605506, Feb 11 2012, 10:07 PM.
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| lol_pc | Feb 11 2012, 10:26 PM Post #2 |
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Their prices, here in Denmark atleast Gamestop is by far the most expensive gamestore, sure they have some good discounts every now and then, but both their new and used games are sold at insane prices and can be found much cheaper at other gamestores. And if anyone is to blame for this massive spike in used game sales, it is definetly Gamestop, they make millions and probably billions of dollars selling used games. Not only that, but they screw YOU, the customer, if you sell your games there, they buy it from you for a much, much lower price than you could've gotten on say eBay, and then they resell it at an exponentially higher price than what you got, or even remotely close to what you got. On top of their used game scam, they are monopolizing the market, with physical game sales atleast. But they are undoubtly to blame for the decrease in independent game stores. The local game store where I buy, the owner said that if it weren't for his loyal customer base, the Gamestop less than a mile from him would've been the death of his store, and that's even though his store has much better prices than Gamestop does, it has both retro and modern games, much better service and the guy behind the counter actually knows what he's talking about. There's a couple of reasons why Gamestop is ruining independent game stores. One; They have the money to buy big ad campaigns. Two; Brand recognition. And three; They can give bonus offers which the smaller store cannot. I'm by no means a saint, i've shopped at Gamestop on several occasions, but when I can, I buy at my local store or online. But the bottom line is, Gamestop is like Starbucks, they're sucking the life out of the little guys. |
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| 605506 | Feb 11 2012, 10:57 PM Post #3 |
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Nice points. I've never thought of these things until now. Heres a couple of things though. Maybe one of the reasons why I always go there for current gen games is because there are absolutely no independent stores around where I live. Playntrade is like 20 miles away from where I live. If there are, I here no news about them. I have been to some though. But i'm definitely sure that the prices, at least for current gen games, aren't any different from a target, gamestop, walmart etc. I am definitely aware of the used game controversy. Although I will admit, I buy used games from gamestop most of the time, I never sell my games at gamestop. I always sell my games online at ebay. As for the monopoly and death of independent stores, the sad reality is that at the end of the day, gamestop wants money and its a business. I'm probably just as guilty for not seemingly to care. I always buy current gen games at big retail corporations like target or gamestop walmart etc. and buy retro games online like ebay or amazon. I'm very sorry if i'm making gamers angry at me but I just don't feel the effects of gamestop. |
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| lol_pc | Feb 11 2012, 11:50 PM Post #4 |
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It's probably different from country to country. Let me give you an example; A new game usually goes for somewhere between the equivalent of $80-100 on release here in Denmark, I wanted to buy L.A. Noire on release day so I went to Gamestop because it was near where I was at the time, they wanted the equivalent of $110, that's INSANE even for our prices, so I went to the local game store, what did he sell it for? Roughly the equivalent of $92, that's quite a big difference. And I see that price difference quite often at Gamestop with big titles. I know I may sound like an idealist when I say this, but, the used games you buy from Gamestop, absolutely NONE of that money goes to the people who made the game, and who make a living out of it, but everything of it goes to Gamestop. How is that fair? You might aswell pirate the game, since the only one gaining anything from that deal is Gamestop and you, not the people who actually MADE the product to begin with. Personally, I would hate to see my local game store gone, they have a wide selection of old and new games, and since it's privately owned the owner will sometimes give you a great deal on the spot. And you don't have to go through all the bureaucracy you have to at Gamestop. For instance I wanted to get the Bioshock Collector's Edition a couple of years after the game was released, I could only find it for stupidly high prices on eBay and Amazon, so I went to Gamestop because I figured they're a big chain so they could maybe find it somewhere, the clerk looked at the screen and said "Sorry but I can't get it". Then I went to my local store and asked if they could find it at a decent price, they told me they'd keep an eye out for it, and sure enough 3 weeks later they sent me a text to let me know that they had got it, and even though they went through the trouble of finding it for me, they still sold it to me for a good price. You don't get that kind of service at Gamestop, you just don't. And with the monopolization, that level of personal service gradually disappears. Lastly, the absolute most annoying thing about Gamestop taking over, is that a lot of their stores aren't run by gamers, time after time they can't answer questions about games because they have zero idea what you're talking about. I remember when I went looking for Blazblue: Calamity Trigger about 6 months after release, I went to Gamestop and asked the clerk if they had it in store, he had no f*cking clue what I was talking about and even needed help spelling the name of the game, and if I remember correctly Blazblue was a pretty big hit, and being so close to release he should've atleast seen the title somewhere. Independent game store are usually the complete opposite, because they're run by people who have a passion for gaming, you lose that aspect to a large degree with chain stores like Gamestop. |
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| kuroi | Feb 12 2012, 05:54 AM Post #5 |
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A big problem that people seem to have with GameStop is the overselling of their own services. They don't train their employees to take no for an answer, which they may even have a policy for. For a lot of us, though, it could be any number of reasons. My biggest are: 1. Stickers - They put stickers on everything, and at one point it was policy to put stickers on the case art underneath the protective plastic on the case. When that was in place, they were not only ruining product, but they were being inefficient because it takes extra time to remove case art to place stickers on it. At the bare minimum, you're guaranteed 3 stickers on a used game. I've had as many as 11 total stickers (multiple stickers on each other), and 5 unique sticker locations on a case. 2. Asking for pre-orders/edge card/magazine subscription - GS requires each employee to have a minimum amount of pre-orders and subscriptions every week. It's a terrible policy for employees and it's bad for consumers if only because it's annoying. If I go there often enough, they should know not to ask me. My local GS won't ask me because they're actually decent people who have the same complaints. 3. Damaged/Missing Goods - As a collector, I like my games to be complete. As a regular consumer, I like paying for what I'm getting. I think it's insulting that there's no discount for caseless/manualless games. I'm fairly certain they will pay out less for games traded in with no case, so why should they feel the need to charge the same price for one with the case? 4. Lack of Expertise - I like being able to talk to employees about games, bounce ideas off of them, maybe get a recommendation or two. Recommendations are actually something employees get benefits for if you take the time to fill out your survey included on your receipt. A lot of employees are inept and are just retail monkeys, not knowing much about games in general. This is true for all big retailers though, and it's really not GameStop's fault. They have a lot of stores and need to fill positions. However, this leads to my next point. 5. No Local Game Stores - GameStop has done a great job of running local business out of town. A local business will almost always employ someone who knows about games. They also have better deals, a more diverse stock, and are willing to haggle on prices. They're also less likely to rip you off on trade ins and will have a more forgiving return policy. Again, not completely GameStop's fault, because it's the nature of national retailers. It's still something worth holding a grudge over, though. 6. Employee Renting/Used Games as New - If I'm going to purchase a game new, I want a factory sealed game. I don't want something that's opened, I don't want something that's gone home with an employee, I don't want something that was "gutted" to be used as a display copy. Once a product has been opened, it's no longer new. It, at the very least, needs to have a discount on it. 7. The Poor Employees - GameStop employees have it rough. They're graded on their sales numbers, they're graded on pre-orders, they're graded on edge cards/Game Informer subscriptions, and they're graded on how many post sale online surveys they get (and how many of those are positive). On top of this, they're paid at or just above minimum wage, often scheduled 6 days a week to get less than full time, and the management system is tough and uncaring. On top of this, any time a new manager is needed, it's brought in from outside the store. They never promote a new General Manager from the store at hand, even if they're capable. They'll always come from another store, even if the new GM is less experienced than the employees of the current store. Their employees just get a raw deal. Again, a lot of it is business climate as usual, but this time it's actually a really on GameStop as far as fault is concerned. They could easily fix the problems in this one, but they don't want to take a hit to their bottom line. I don't necessarily expect you to agree 100% on any of these, as they're just my personal complaints. However, they're serious business and it causes me to avoid shopping there whenever possible. Unfortunately, all of my local game stores have been run out of business. There's only one within an hours drive of here and they aren't doing so hot. I'm looking to open my own shop, but for now I have to stick to online sales. I'm a big fan of buying from/supporting local businesses over a national retailer. This applies to everything, and while I can't do it 100% of the time, I try to do my best in this respect. |
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| turbogamer2point0 | Feb 12 2012, 07:41 AM Post #6 |
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If the employees are trained to take no for an answer, then the ones over at my local mall are push overs. Why? Here's why GS Employee: Ok that'll be 14.99, Do you have an edge card? Me: Nope GS Employee: ........Would you like one? Me: Nope GS: Ok..... Have a good day sir I gotta disagree with the local stores getting run out of business deal though. My local Replay Games is still alive and kicking only because they have Game Stop's kryptonite... Retro Systems, Retro Titles, and Rarities. Edited by turbogamer2point0, Feb 12 2012, 07:42 AM.
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| lol_pc | Feb 12 2012, 07:46 AM Post #7 |
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So does my local store, but as he told me the retro sales only goes so far, the rest has to be covered by modern sales. He told me that about half of his sales come from retro games and systems, the other half from modern games. If he lost the modern sales, he'd only gain a very small profit every month. That doesn't sound like a lot of fun for someone who's trying to run a business. |
Fin moron do Taazokaan fen kod zeim ul ![]() | |
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| EqwanoX | Feb 12 2012, 08:17 AM Post #8 |
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-their prices are shit. you can get any game off amazon cheaper, brand new, and shipped right to your door. - the used games are only like 2$ cheaper than the new ones! - the employees are iether assholes or like car salesmen - they used to always sell me the shelf case of a game when i would buy it new and say its the "last one", they use so many annoying tactics theres really no advantage to going to gamestop, or any store for that matter when amazon prices are cheaper Edited by EqwanoX, Feb 12 2012, 08:19 AM.
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your resident douchebag
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| 605506 | Feb 12 2012, 01:47 PM Post #9 |
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-There are probably better prices when buying online than going to gamestop. But heres the thing, sometimes when I buy online, theres a greater risk of getting a damaged or poor quality product. There was one time when I did find a cheaper used game online rather than gamestop. The seller promised that it would arrive in the next day or two and that the game was nearly mint. I ordered from that seller but bad things happened. It took 18 days for the game to arrive and when I recieved it. There were big scratches everywhere on the disk. wtf after the seller claimed that it was nearly mint condition. The game was so laggy and choppy as well. I called emailed the seller about my complaints but instead he acted like a bitch and blamed me for the game. There were other times when I bought online and had shitty sellers and products. At least with my experience, the used games work whenever I buy at gamestop. I will admit though that I've also had great sellers and games when buying online as well. -Convenience is also another reason why I just buy from gamestop or any other retail store. Most of the time I want to play the game on the day I buy it. I really don't want to wait a few days or more just for a game to arrive. -The gamestops around my area actually have great service and have true gamers as employees running the store. Whenever I have a question about games, they know what their talking about and their willingness to help is great. Hell, the employees actually are willing to start conversations with their customers. Then again, my local gamestops are just minorities. Maybe its just me but a lot of the legit complaints about gamestop just don't bother me all that much (stickers, edge card offers, used as new, not factory sealed, etc). Like I said earlier, the sad reality is that gamestop is a business. |
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| CarsAndGames | Feb 12 2012, 02:36 PM Post #10 |
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There is literally no independent store by me where I'm at in South Florida. As a matter of fact I'm buying out the inventory of a retro/independent store just because the retro game market is so down. And like other people said with Gamestop around they couldn't make the money off the newer stuff because of gamestop. My fiancee keeps telling me to start my own retro/new gaming business. But I've very business minded and I know how much it will REALLY take to start something new and compete with Gamestop. Hell within a 15 mile radius of me right now I can think of 5 different Gamestops, which means it would be very difficult for me as I'd be in the middle of 2 or 3 of them at any time. I know I could make "Enough" to get by with a small profit. But even though gaming is a huge thing in my life, at the end of the day bills still have to be paid. I've thought about it and turning it into a store/shipping out around the country business but it would take a large investment from 1. Getting the storefront 2. Putting money into website development 3. Putting money in advertising. Profit turnaround to break even of my original investment would definitely take a while when you realize you're making $15 here...$10 there...$50 here....etc |
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| Mamonuth | Feb 12 2012, 02:57 PM Post #11 |
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My experience (I live in Finland) with Gamestop has been ok. The thing that keeps me away from there are their prices. Compared to how big they are in US they aren't that big in here anyway and don't in my opinion offer anything special. |
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| appletsauce | Feb 12 2012, 04:20 PM Post #12 |
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3DS
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Most disc based games I've ever bought there never work. Their guarantee to play means nothing. I don't worry as much about cartridge-based games though. I only buy the rarer ones there, like Etrian Odyssey 2, Gamecube version of Mega Man X Collection (surprisingly works, although the inner plastic has lots of white foamy bubbles in it). And also, they quit carrying "retro" games, so I don't have much use for them since I don't like modern consoles much. I mainly go now just to see if they have any good DS games. |
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| JohntheGameCollector | Feb 12 2012, 04:30 PM Post #13 |
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I don't have a problem with used games at gamestop, as long as the artwork is there and the game works I'm ok with it. New games on the other hand, I'm a bit skeptical about. How do I know if the game I'm buying is new is they don't keep them sealed. I only buy new games from gamestop if the game is still sealed, like FFXIII-2 CE or MW3. I like to know that the club nintendo code or watever has not alredy been used when i buy a new game at gamestop. |
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| dewdenelite2 | Feb 12 2012, 05:34 PM Post #14 |
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Stoner
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i dont have a problem with gamestop anymore, i used to hate going there becuase none of the workers knew anything about games or how to used the fucking cash register but that was then and now they have new people their that know what their doing. |
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HIT ME UP ON XBOX LIVE. AWWWW SHIT!!!
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| turbogamer2point0 | Feb 12 2012, 05:57 PM Post #15 |
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there is but one advantage. you can actually see what you're buying. amazon it just says "XYZ Game: New!!" and from then on its just a gamble because you don't even know if the game is actually New or poorly damaged. Mind you I never had a problem with amazon *knock on wood*. However, for me at least, NOTHING beats actually going out to a store and actually seeing what you're going to buy before you buy. and to lol_pc, I still don't fear that my local Replay is going to be out of business anytime soon. 3 stores in my local area of Central New York (one of them freshly opened up) so I think they're doing something right. |
![]() ![]() Don't wait for answers, Just take your chances, Don't ask me why -Billy Joel | |
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| CarsAndGames | Feb 12 2012, 05:58 PM Post #16 |
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Anybody want to start a business? lol jk |
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| appletsauce | Feb 12 2012, 06:04 PM Post #17 |
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A store focusing on Nintendo handhelds and sure, the PSP too, would be nice. |
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| kuroi | Feb 12 2012, 06:07 PM Post #18 |
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Welcome To Warp Zone!
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I've been trying to do it for years. It's the raw funding that gets me. I'm sticking to online sales for at least another year and a half before i do anything. |
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| kuroi | Feb 12 2012, 06:09 PM Post #19 |
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Welcome To Warp Zone!
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Amazon has excellent buyer protection, so at the very least you'll get inconvenienced and a full refund. More than likely you'll end up with an Amazon.com credit in addition to your refund. There's no big disadvantage to buying from Amazon as long as you have the time to wait. |
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| CarsAndGames | Feb 12 2012, 06:12 PM Post #20 |
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Yeah I hear ya 100% |
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| turbogamer2point0 | Feb 12 2012, 06:42 PM Post #21 |
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Well that's exactly like I said, I've never had a problem with Amazon. I just like holding the games in my hand before I go to check them out at the counter. I mentioned the rarities in one of my posts on this thread. That's another reason why I go. They have a glass counter with rare games and there seems to be different titles each time I go in (they rotate them around their chain of stores every few days) so there's also the excitement factor of going to Replay as well. |
![]() ![]() Don't wait for answers, Just take your chances, Don't ask me why -Billy Joel | |
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| lol_pc | Feb 12 2012, 06:56 PM Post #22 |
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For rarities I always go to the internet first (Depending on how rare we're talking), when I was hunting down a complete copy of TES: Arena Deluxe Edition, literally the ONLY place I could find even a single copy was eBay and even then I had to wait about a year before a complete copy surfaced. In my experience, very rare games and hardware is usually in private collections. |
Fin moron do Taazokaan fen kod zeim ul ![]() | |
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| turbogamer2point0 | Feb 12 2012, 07:12 PM Post #23 |
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In other words, you need to know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy |
![]() ![]() Don't wait for answers, Just take your chances, Don't ask me why -Billy Joel | |
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| lol_pc | Feb 12 2012, 07:16 PM Post #24 |
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Exactly, or search eBay 3 times a day xD |
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| 605506 | Feb 13 2012, 01:13 PM Post #25 |
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Level 4
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I agree with that point. One of the main reasons why I buy current gen stuff used or new from retail corporations. |
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