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[Bryank75]

I was thinking that despite Gamestop having higher prices than anywhere else and having terrible terms for their workers, it would still be a shame to see them go.
They are a huge employer and offer a physical space for gamers to congregate and discuss as well as get physical copies of games, collectors editions, memorabilia and buy their consoles.

My first suggestion is to cut down on the number of stores they operate, particularly when they have several within a small geographical area. In my nearest city alone they have three or four, all with the same products and all laid out similarly. There should be only one shop with all the stuff in those shops, minus the stuff that doesn't sell.

Please suggest a plan of action for Gamestop!

 

[DanielsM]

I stopped buying games from Gamestop about 15 years ago, I go to get a game for Xmas present for someone. The clerk pulls the disc out of cabinet and puts it in the box and hands it to me, I'm like WTF. I'm like I want a new game, he's like there isn't any difference, yet they were trying to sell me a used game as new that wasn't even wrapped. Besides that the game is all scratched to hell, I'm like, you can keep it... haven't been in one since. Complete fraud in my book.

 

[angelic]

They can't be saved because they don't acknowledge anything is wrong.

 

[PhillMeCream]

nope
I only go there if i got to offload something but now I find myself using Reddit marketplace now

 

[Sorcerer]

You had several Gamestops in one city, at one time they had 4 stores within one mall by me. Pretty mind boggling.
I don't think Gamestop can be saved. Physical media will continue for a while, but until it fully dies, retail stores like Target and Best Buy can handle gaming as a small part of their overall business. No need for a store to handle games solely and offer no real advantage to buying your games elsewhere.

 

[Badlucktroll]

An online store like steam with crazy cheap prices on preowned and they send them to you in the mail.

 

[keraj37]

1. Open digital platform to compete with Steam etc.
2. Go into publishing games.

Non of those solutions would save majority of jobs tough.

 

[Ban Puncher]

MORE FUNKO POPS

 

[Bryank75]

They can't be saved because they don't acknowledge anything is wrong.

Well, that could be part of your solution.

Step 1: Acknowledge something is wrong.

 

[checkcola]

I went to Gamestop a week or so ago and so many toys, but their amiibo section was so small. That annoyed me. The one thing that I would have possibly bought.

The one thing would be is if they got exclusive pre-order content you can only get from them. You don't have to go to them even if you want the discs.

 

[Bryank75]

I went to Gamestop a week or so ago and so many toys, but their amiibo section was so small. That annoyed me. The one thing that I would have possibly bought.

The one thing would be is if they got exclusive pre-order content you can only get from them. You don't have to go to them even if you want the discs.

They should get exclusive statues made by ArtFX or one of the higher end manufacturers and bundle their own collector's edition. Maybe!?
I was also thinking that they should carry clothes of streamers like Ninja and sell them through the store....l

 

[Sorcerer]

1. Open digital platform to compete with Steam etc.
2. Go into publishing games.

Non of those solutions would save majority of jobs tough.

Gamestop actually tried digital once, I remember they had the first Total War game when no one else had it for download, so I bought a copy.

They still have a digital store apparently, haven't checked in years.

 

[FeldMonster]

Even before the prevalence of digital sales, I avoided Gamestop. When I do want a nice physical copy, I certainly do not want a Gamestop sticker on the actual cover (not the plastic wrap that gets removed, like all OTHER retailers do) that cannot be removed without damaging the plastic.

My goodness they are a poorly run operation.

 

[J-Roderton]

Power to the players, yo.

 

[Winter John]

Cut down the number of stores. Rebrand. Clear out all the shit that has nothing to do with gaming. Reduce prices on used games. Offer a membership which gives deep discounts on new games and one free game after so many purchases. Stop badgering customers at the checkout.
In reality I don't think GS can be saved. They're basically in the same situation BlockBusters were. They can't compete with digital store fronts and they don't have any alternative products to keep customers returning.

 

[Zog]

Put retro games back into the stores. I can go to Wal Mart, Target, etc... for new games but for older games I go to a local game store. I buy more retro games than new games.

 

[Starfield]

Rebrand their stores with "Gamedrive" instead of Gamestop. Boom! Company saved.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

I was thinking that despite Gamestop having higher prices than anywhere else and having terrible terms for their workers, it would still be a shame to see them go.
They are a huge employer and offer a physical space for gamers to congregate and discuss as well as get physical copies of games, collectors editions, memorabilia and buy their consoles.

My first suggestion is to cut down on the number of stores they operate, particularly when they have several within a small geographical area. In my nearest city alone they have three or four, all with the same products and all laid out similarly. There should be only one shop with all the stuff in those shops, minus the stuff that doesn't sell.

Please suggest a plan of action for Gamestop!

Gamestop's prices are mostly on par with everyone else. New games cost $59.99 and they do have sales like everyone else.

Their used prices aren't great, though. Although, whenever other retailers have dipped their hands in the used market their prices are often higher than Gamestops!

 

[rabbity-thing]

Can it be saved, sure. Will it happen? No. The entire Gamestop business model has always been built around rather toxic ideas. As a game retailer, they need to respect two things above all else. The first is the customer and the second is the games. Both are treated poorly by the model.

Customers:
* Instead of simply giving them what they want, Gamestop is overly concerned with selling them a bunch of garbage services that they don't need.
* Individual employees CAN make a difference, but I've heard too many horror stories about employees being forced to act in ways that make the experience worse for the customer due to company policy.

Games
* By constantly pushing used games, they put themselves in a position where they devalue new products and the people who buy them.
* They simply don't care all that much about the condition of their used products. If I buy a used product, the price should be based on multiple factors. One of those is the condition of the item. If it is missing components, I should get a discount. If it's scratched, I should get a discount. That's how it works on ebay. If they don't want to be bothered with scaled pricing, they should only accept games that are in perfect condition.
* Buying used online is a crapshoot because of the aforementioned lack of quality control. If they could fix that, then their online sales would go up.

Really, I think Gamestop's problem can be best seen with their already open new games. The fact that this is still a policy after so long is an embarrassment. They KNOW customers hate it. They have known this for a very long time. It would be a very easy change for them to make to no longer gut the games to put them on the shelf. However, it still happens. It's an insult to the games and it's an insult to the customers. If they can't be bothered to use a bit of creativity to fix a rather simple part of their model then they're screwed.

 

[JORMBO]

Reasons I stopped shopping there:
1) New games that were already opened.
2) Used games are usually only $5 cheaper. A lot of the used section also has generic cases for older stuff, but they don't lower the price at all if it's missing the orginal case.
3) Shitty services they keep trying to sell.

Suggestions:
1) Stop gutting games.
2) Used games should be cheaper then they are. If the game is missing it's original case/book/etc. it should be even cheaper.
3) Don't ask me 5 questions when ringing something up. One or two quick ones are fine because most retail places do this anyways. If I say no don't keep pressing me and asking why.


Not sure how much all that would help at this point as things push towards digital.

 

[The Snake]

This story is why GameStop is failing. TLDR: Shopping there is a pain in the ass that no one but out-of-touch moms wants to deal with.
--

One day, fairly recently, I decided I wanted to buy Dark Souls for Switch. So I can play it while I poop. So I look up who's got it in stock. Oh, GameStop is nearby, I'll get it there, whatever.

Well, first I'm looking around, and an employee will not stop hassling me. I'm not a dick so I'll respond to his awkward questions. But I am starting to get annoyed when he whips out a tablet and is asking me for my store account, what games he wants me to preorder, telling me about trading in games repeatedly (even though I literally just told him I never trade in games).

Anyway, I tell him I'm looking for Dark Souls. It's $39 new, $37 used. I tell him I'll get it new, but I need his help because it's not on the shelf. So he goes around the store looking for it. He then opens a drawer and pulls a Dark Souls game card from a paper CD case. I remind him that I asked for a New copy, not an opened one, and he tries to assure me that it's new, never been played, just removed from the case. But then, he can't find the case. So he tries to pack it up into a generic GameStop case. That's not what I want. He insists. He tries offering it to me at the Used price. He's practically begging me to buy it at this point. I leave, weaving in and out of racks of Clearance Overwatch merchandise no one asked for.

I went down the street to Target, where it was new and sealed for $29.

Fuck GameStop.

 

[Bryank75]

Can it be saved, sure. Will it happen? No. The entire Gamestop business model has always been built around rather toxic ideas. As a game retailer, they need to respect two things above all else. The first is the customer and the second is the games. Both are treated poorly by the model.

Customers:
* Instead of simply giving them what they want, Gamestop is overly concerned with selling them a bunch of garbage services that they don't need.
* Individual employees CAN make a difference, but I've heard too many horror stories about employees being forced to act in ways that make the experience worse for the customer due to company policy.

Games
* By constantly pushing used games, they put themselves in a position where they devalue new products and the people who buy them.
* They simply don't care all that much about the condition of their used products. If I buy a used product, the price should be based on multiple factors. One of those is the condition of the item. If it is missing components, I should get a discount. If it's scratched, I should get a discount. That's how it works on ebay. If they don't want to be bothered with scaled pricing, they should only accept games that are in perfect condition.
* Buying used online is a crapshoot because of the aforementioned lack of quality control. If they could fix that, then their online sales would go up.

Really, I think Gamestop's problem can be best seen with their already open new games. The fact that this is still a policy after so long is an embarrassment. They KNOW customers hate it. They have known this for a very long time. It would be a very easy change for them to make to no longer gut the games to put them on the shelf. However, it still happens. It's an insult to the games and it's an insult to the customers. If they can't be bothered to use a bit of creativity to fix a rather simple part of their model then they're screwed.

Are there any products that you'd like to see them offer from their stores?

 

[CrankyJay™]

I don't think you can save it. There's nothing they do, or can do, that another brick & mortar store or online presence couldn't.

 

[Bryank75]

What if Nintendo bought them and turned them into Nintendo stores where you could buy merchandise, amiibos , toys, games and consoles?

Oh, also authentic soundtracks, not pirated by eurogamer workers...

 

[NahaNago]

At most I could see them publishing games. Their best bet I would think is making physical versions of usually digital only games.

 

[Sacred]

Do we really want it to be saved? All their shady tactics and pushy preorder gimmicks. Not to mention giving used games as new and the abysmal trade in prices. I'll be okay if that is the end of that company.

 

[KeepersDome]

I don't know what they can do, maybe not having their collectible merchandise not look so unorganized...

One time I went in and picked up Assassin's Creed Revelations used in the PS3 section. There was a nice box, I took it to the counter to checkout. The clerk took it, put it to the side, and gets out a different box and the game from the drawer. The box looked like someone spilled a soda on it and was sticky. I politely asked if I could have the box I picked out. The clerk looked immediately really annoyed and told me that was the display copy (not a real thing I get the ones off the shelf all the time). I nicely asked if I could have that one as the one he tried to give me was really dirty. He let out a very audible sigh and said fine, and then was super annoyed the rest of the transaction while slamming everything (the box closed once the game was in, putting the box on the counter hastily and hard). I smiled and thanked him, paid and left. All because I didn't want a gross, yucky case for my game...

 

[juliotendo]

No. GameStop is a dead business, circling the drain. Like BlockBuster, Radio Shack, Circuit City, and Toys R Us before it — it is only a matter of time before they abruptly shut stores and liquidate everything.

There's no reason to go to GameStop anymore. Digital game sales are soaring and the amount of used games on the market is drying up, rendering GameStop useless. You can get far better service and pricing either online or at Best Buy or comparable for new hardware or accessories.

GameStop is dead. Would be surprised if still around in next 24 months.

 

[The Snake]

At most I could see them publishing games. Their best bet I would think is making physical versions of usually digital only games.

I'm very surprised they haven't teamed up with Limited Run like Best Buy has (or so I read in an email blast from LRG). They seem so intent on embracing the "digital future" we've doomed ourselves to, but I bet they'd do well to treat physical collectors a lot better.

 

[synchronicity]

Can it be saved, sure. Will it happen? No. The entire Gamestop business model has always been built around rather toxic ideas. As a game retailer, they need to respect two things above all else. The first is the customer and the second is the games. Both are treated poorly by the model.

Customers:
* Instead of simply giving them what they want, Gamestop is overly concerned with selling them a bunch of garbage services that they don't need.
* Individual employees CAN make a difference, but I've heard too many horror stories about employees being forced to act in ways that make the experience worse for the customer due to company policy.

Games
* By constantly pushing used games, they put themselves in a position where they devalue new products and the people who buy them.
* They simply don't care all that much about the condition of their used products. If I buy a used product, the price should be based on multiple factors. One of those is the condition of the item. If it is missing components, I should get a discount. If it's scratched, I should get a discount. That's how it works on ebay. If they don't want to be bothered with scaled pricing, they should only accept games that are in perfect condition.
* Buying used online is a crapshoot because of the aforementioned lack of quality control. If they could fix that, then their online sales would go up.

Really, I think Gamestop's problem can be best seen with their already open new games. The fact that this is still a policy after so long is an embarrassment. They KNOW customers hate it. They have known this for a very long time. It would be a very easy change for them to make to no longer gut the games to put them on the shelf. However, it still happens. It's an insult to the games and it's an insult to the customers. If they can't be bothered to use a bit of creativity to fix a rather simple part of their model then they're screwed.

Yes.

The thing is, they don't care about their customers. They care about their customers' money.

It's a subtle, but important, distinction.

 

[KeepersDome]

Yes.

The thing is, they don't care about their customers. They care about their customers' money.

It's a subtle, but important, distinction.

It is possible to do both.

 

[RavageX]

Deleted: weird posting error.

 

[synchronicity]

It is possible to do both.

Yes, but they don't.

 

[RavageX]

This story is why GameStop is failing. TLDR: Shopping there is a pain in the ass that no one but out-of-touch moms wants to deal with.
--

One day, fairly recently, I decided I wanted to buy Dark Souls for Switch. So I can play it while I poop. So I look up who's got it in stock. Oh, GameStop is nearby, I'll get it there, whatever.

Well, first I'm looking around, and an employee will not stop hassling me. I'm not a dick so I'll respond to his awkward questions. But I am starting to get annoyed when he whips out a tablet and is asking me for my store account, what games he wants me to preorder, telling me about trading in games repeatedly (even though I literally just told him I never trade in games).

Anyway, I tell him I'm looking for Dark Souls. It's $39 new, $37 used. I tell him I'll get it new, but I need his help because it's not on the shelf. So he goes around the store looking for it. He then opens a drawer and pulls a Dark Souls game card from a paper CD case. I remind him that I asked for a New copy, not an opened one, and he tries to assure me that it's new, never been played, just removed from the case. But then, he can't find the case. So he tries to pack it up into a generic GameStop case. That's not what I want. He insists. He tries offering it to me at the Used price. He's practically begging me to buy it at this point. I leave, weaving in and out of racks of Clearance Overwatch merchandise no one asked for.

I went down the street to Target, where it was new and sealed for $29.

Fuck GameStop.

In this guy's defense, what more than likely happened is this....

The gutted copy was the last new one, and for some reason depending on how disorganized the store is the original case seems to always disappear.

The company really doesn't have a set up that favors anyone, not the employees or the customers.

And that damn tablet, I don't know if it is still a thing but you were harassed by higher ups to have a certain amount of usage with it per day and per employee(if I am not mistaken). It apparently was some marketing persons idea, probably to be like some of the AT&T stores that use tablets and it failed, but in order to justify it they try to force you to use it since they spent so much money on the set up.

The company COULD work, but they need to get rid of who ever comes up with stuff like that, and stop harassing employees to harass customers.

I remember that our district manager would visit, and harass customers themselves. The idea was to hit several points in one conversation. Problem is, asking and informing a person of a bunch of random bs when they really just wanna be left alone to browse is annoying.

I could go on and on about that company. (I'm sure you can tell I used to work there) I liked it only because of the people I worked with, most of our customers, and the deals I got from being an employee.

When stuff started changing for the worse and the bad started to severely outweigh the good, I took it as a sign and left.

 

[The Snake]

In this guy's defense, what more than likely happened is this....

The gutted copy was the last new one, and for some reason depending on how disorganized the store is the original case seems to always disappear.

The company really doesn't have a set up that favors anyone, not the employees or the customers.

And that damn tablet, I don't know if it is still a thing but you were harassed by higher ups to have a certain amount of usage with it per day and per employee(if I am not mistaken). It apparently was some marketing persons idea, probably to be like some of the AT&T stores that use tablets and it failed, but in order to justify it they try to force you to use it since they spent so much money on the set up.

The company COULD work, but they need to get rid of who ever comes up with stuff like that, and stop harassing employees to harass customers.

I remember that our district manager would visit, and harass customers themselves. The idea was to hit several points in one conversation. Problem is, asking and informing a person of a bunch of random bs when they really just wanna be left alone to browse is annoying.

I could go on and on about that company. (I'm sure you can tell I used to work there) I liked it only because of the people I worked with, most of our customers, and the deals I got from being an employee.

When stuff started changing for the worse and the bad started to severely outweigh the good, I took it as a sign and left.

Nah yeah, I totally understand why everything happened the way it did. I used to work at Hollywood Video, which was in many ways very similar to GameStop (in fact almost the same damn place) and we'd get in so much trouble if we didn't do X, mention Y, offer Z. I always felt bad for the customers who clearly just wanted to get in and out with their copy of King Kong ASAP.

 

[RPGCrazied]

I'd go more if they didn't open new games and sell them as new after employees take them home to play. Since Amazon is so convenient a discount on new games would be nice. Give more incentives for wasting time and gas to one of these stores.

 

[The Snake]

To actually properly participate in the topic as asked, here are my thoughts:

• Keep games sealed, as others have mentioned.
• Sell used games at a lower cost.
• Introduce a discount program for new games, like Best Buy or Amazon did.
• Bring back support for legacy/retro games
• Condense their wildly out-of-control merchandise inventory
• Totally re-brand. The current store, the ads, the videos they play in-store, none of it appeals to their target consumer. GameStop is currently like a brick & mortar store version of The Big Bang Theory. It's clearly being controlled by a bunch of suits who don't know their market.

 

[KeepersDome]

Yes, but they don't.

Yep, agreed!

 

[theHFIC]

Franchise the stores and let the employees to be invested owner/operators. Allow the stores to have unique styles, selections, events along with the "core" GameStop product lineup (new games, preorders, that subscription to game informer they keep pushing).

or

Do a reverse rebrand back to Babbages / Software Etc.

 

[The Snake]

Do a reverse rebrand back to Babbages / Software Etc.

Recall those halcyon days.

"Welcome to our store, here are some games. Enjoy."

 

[Orta]

They could help themselves by not charging €60 for two year old pre-owned games for starters.

And then harrassing you to the point of walking out for you to buy insurance on their games.

'But Sir, these Switch cartridges scratch very easily"...

I have Atari 2600 games almost forty years old that are still working so give me my fucking game now and you can stuck your insurance up your arse you swindling cunt!

 

[Afro Republican]

No OP, let people keep saying GS is doomed so their stock price drops to .01 so I can buy thousands of shares and get rich when a big company gives too much in share conversion when they get bough out, and it will be a company with big value who wants the prime real-estate and distribution network.

Gamestop is doomed OP. It's too late. *wink* *wink*

 

[RokkanStoned]

I like dedicated game shops like Gamestop, they're like the only ones left in Norway (after GAME was shut down). The selection of games in those stores are always better than normal stores and they sell other "geek" stuff as well. The problem is that they overpriced new releases to the point that it's hard to justify a purchase there depending on the game. Even used copies of new games have like barely any difference between the used and the new as well, making it hard to justify why you should buy the used version. With online stores it has certainly made it even harder for them to compete. Then it's the digital sales as well.
Honestly, I don't mind paying a bit extra for a game from a place like Gamestop, but it's never "a bit extra", it's almost always 20-40% more. Games in short supply and high demand this works with, but widely available games makes this pretty much a failure.

 

[Animagic]

Close 1/3 or more of their brick and mortar stores

Stop opening new games and selling them as new (they can print dummy copies or something, or use the old toys r us model with flat panels with the boxart printed on them with a receipt in a pocket that you take to the register

Sell retro games and consoles

Get rid of all their weird toys that take up half the store and no one is buying

In a five mile radius around my nowhere town there are 6 or 7 GameStop's around here. Insanity.

 

[wipeout364]

I think it could be saved. The problem is it cannot be saved in its current form which in the stock market is the kiss of death. It needs to be reorganized into a much smaller business with less expensive rental properties.

The malls are dying anyway so get out of the malls and find lower priced rental sites. Focus on limited edition, hard to get physical editions, open up a solid game art section and collectibles ( and by that I do not mean funko stuff exclusively). Organize the stores so they look good; not like a yard sale or a dollar store.

Get the corporate feel out of the stores, the staff are cold, distant, smug at times and generally look miserable.

None of this will happen though, the stock will drop, stores will close and somebody like Mitt Romney will buy it all out and strip mine any value left in it.

 

[Owari]

a physical space for gamers to congregate and discuss as well as get physical copies of games, collectors editions, memorabilia and buy their consoles.

No, no, no, no, no

All of those things died in 2008

If you have to do the last 4 things, amazon.com

If you feel the need to "congregate" with gamers (your gross words) go to a gross con.

 

[goldenpp72]

More funko pops. Rename to Funkoland as a homage to their old name.

 

[shaddam]

I'm suprised that nobody posted the gamestop_toilet.jpg

 

[Zimmy68]

Gamestop only survived because of they always got a new bumper crop of morons who delved in their used game business model.
Give you nothing for your game and charge new prices for used.
Now those salad days are over.
They have nothing unique anymore.
Games are readily available anywhere including digital.
Best Buy GCU killed them in my eyes, and now with a foot on GS's throat, Best Buy was able to kill that program.
They don't price match.
I hope they stay in business but I don't think they can be saved.

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

How about less stores but larger stores? Then, increase the selection of games. Not just video games, but board games, retro games, more clothing, etc.

The ones near me are really tiny.