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[SenkiDala]

Dunno if you'd count that as "GameStop", but in France we have this video games shop company called "Micromania" and that belongs to GameStop (was purchased long time ago). This is a 40 years old brand in France, they sold the first consoles, 3DO, Jaguar, NeoGeoCD everything you can imagine, anyway.

I've a fucking bad memory with them (well, in fact a lot, but this one is the worst). When the XSX was available to preorder I went there and they had a special offer on the sell in of the One X and One S, and I had 1 One X and 1 One S, so I went there and asked to sell them since the XSX if full backcompat with the One.

Of course they try the consoles on a little tv in the back of the shop, before I went there I erased and factory reseted both consoles, they try my One X, no problem. They try my One S (which was working PERFECTLY WELL 1h before I went to the shop and never had a single issue in the hundreds of hours I used it), and I see the lady testing the consoles struggling to insert the HDMI cable, changing it sides again and again (like it was a fucking USB key) and then "oh sorry your console isn't working", so I was like "wtf? it worked perfectly when I tested it 1 hour ago", she said "sorry but the image keep going on and off and on and off, I dunno why." So I tell her "maybe it is related to you struggling for 10 minutes to insert 1 HDMI cable?" and her "no no it is not that", the boss didn't wanna hear anything. So I went to them with a perfectly functional console and went back home with a dead machine. I searched about how to change the HDMI port and it costs more than the console itself.

 

[Walter Matthau]

One time when I was there I noticed an old, dusty console tucked away on a back shelf. It had a faded label that read “Haunted Console.” Intrigued by the unusual find, I decided to purchase it, thinking it would make for a quirky conversation piece.

That night, I set it up in my living room. As soon as I turned it on, an unsettling chill filled the room. The screen flickered to life, displaying a game I’d never heard of. The graphics were primitive, and the title simply said, “Play With Me.”

The game seemed innocent at first, a pixelated character navigating a haunted house. But as I progressed, the lights in my apartment dimmed on their own, and I heard eerie whispers coming from the TV’s speakers. Shadows moved in the corners of the room, and the temperature dropped drastically. I tried to turn off the console, but it wouldn’t respond.

The game’s protagonist seemed to be trapped in a nightmarish loop, encountering malevolent spirits and solving cryptic puzzles. With each puzzle solved, a haunting image flashed on the screen. The images were gruesome, depicting grisly deaths.

When I finally beat the game, everything vanished like it was all just a dream. I keep telling myself it never happened, but every once in a while out of the corner of my eye I can still see the pixelated man screaming in agony.

 

[Muffdraul]

Gamestop is the reason I stopped going to brick & mortar retail for games. At first they were the reason I got into the habit of always pre-ordering games I wanted, because starting around 2002 or so I got slapped in the face by this bullshit situation where a new game would release and I'd go to Gamestop to buy it. "Did you pre-order it?" No. "Sorry, we only got enough to cover our pre-orders. You should have pre-ordered. Next time don't forget to pre-order. PRE-ORDER PRE-ORDER PRE-ORDER PRE-ORDER." The problem was, it seemed like they were always the only retailer in a 100 mile radius that would get stock in time for release day. Every other store I'd call would give me a variation of "Sorry, no, we didn't get that game in yet. Call back tomorrow. Actually, call back next week." So fucking aggravating. So I said fuck it and just pre-ordered everything.

Then a few years later, they started doing this bullshit where I'd go to buy a new game and they'd tried to sell me an open copy at full MSRP. They had some bizarre explanation, I forget what it was. It was just so obvious they'd gone all-in on used games and were deliberately and strategically trying to wean people like me off of wanting brand new sealed games. They wanted to funnel as much profits into their own pockets and were fucking over publishers to do it. It was just so fucking greedy and scummy, fuck them, I couldn't stop buying from them fast enough. I can still remember the last game I bought from them, it was my pre-ordered copy of Dead Space 1 in 2008. It was right around that same time I'd pre-ordered Chrono Trigger for DS from Amazon, as a birthday present for someone. If it was for me, I would have pre-ordered it from Gamestop. But since I didn't need it until a week after it released, I figured the Amazon order was OK even if it took a few extra days. But Amazon delivered it THE DAY BEFORE THE RELEASE DATE. I ordered all of my games from Amazon from then on and haven't bought from brick & mortar since. Well, except the day I decided to buy Red Dead Redemption on my way home from work. But that was Toys R Us (RIP.)

 

[Unknown?]

Yes, indeed.

I bought 2000 shares for 2,33 EUR each and sold them for 2,55 EUR each because I thought they will become bankrupt.

1 month later a single Share was worth 300 EUR

Wow, diamond hands you are not!

 

[Vandole]

No real horror stories, just encounters with annoying register jockeys who try to push the Pro Rewards or preorders. But irritating video game store clerks are not new. I remember very clearly going to FuncoLand to ask about Harvest Moon for the SNES and the clerk insisted the game had never come to the US.

 

[Northeastmonk]

After working there, it soured me on the entire store. They sit there with a box cutter, opening those new games, pulling the game cover out, and putting a brand new GS sticker on the edge. The attitudes of the employees sucked. The corporate GameStop I knew issued orders. Jimmy John’s and Burger King has better opportunities. I was also paid $5.05 and later $5.15. A whole dime extra for selling their services. I always got weird vibes from customers. You’d get people dropping their kids off while they ran to Walmart. People selling stolen unopened Wii 3-packs in two weeks time.

The obnoxious comments came from just casual conversation. I remember I read that FFVII and FFVIII were coming to PSN. We were discussing the PSP. I mentioned that and the dude working there just about called me a liar. Since then I always feel like a sucker. The store preys on the person not willing to use the internet before heading inside.

I also think they hire bad managers to run a cheap Funko Pop! store. The place looks terrible if you’re there for video games. I never go to the mall with the intent to go inside. The anime store that closed had better stuff. GameStop is cashing in on pop culture and it’s not all that exciting. I liked Babbages and Software etc. Back when they had ShenMue articles, early demos, and even Magic the Gathering decks/boosters. I remember the first time I saw Babbages. They had the PS1 VR goggles with Tomb Raider. They’re not even close to that feeling.

 

[Alex Anderson]

Yeah.

Ordered a couple hundred dollars of used games from their website. Every one had an "item defective" sticker lazily covered up by a blank sticker and most were heavily "resurfaced" by their disc eaters.

This was before blu ray. I have a copy of skies of arcadia legends gc that's just trash condition and probably doesn't play.

 

[drganon]

Not really. The closest was when I was literally the only customer in the store and the sole employee seemed very excited to see me. To be fair to him though, the gamestop was in a dying mall that got turned into offices a year later.

 

[BlackTron]

Before I could drive I was lucky enough to live in short walking distance of a GameStop and would run over there for anticipated releases I had pre-ordered. Despite being their model customer they managed to piss me off and lose even me, the guy willing to walk to fucking GameStop, when they hit me with the selling opened games as new bullshit.

 

[DeepEnigma]

"The beat we can offer is .25 cents and a Pro membership."

 

[iHaunter]

I pre-ordered Shadow of the Colossus Steel box edition. They gave it to someone else.

 

[StylishMGTOW]

Back in 2014: Went in to buy a used Metal Gear: Rising copy, and right before paying the game, the cashier lady kept pushing me to get a disc protection for 1 year.

Her peddling lasted for ~5 minutes, I shit you not.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

How about a horror story on store policy changes?

Back when EB came to Canada for the first time somewhere around 1994-ish, it was a game changer. Walmarts came to Canada the same year. But at the time if you wanted video games, it was mostly small independent shops, Toys R Us, Consumers Distributing, and some department stores. All very hit and miss in terms of games and prices. PC gaming was even worse as most of those stores didn't even carry PC games. You had to go to computer stores.

EB comes around in shopping malls focusing on games, nice stores, shit loads of video and PC games and this:

- Really good low prices
- But if you found it cheaper, they would price match. Just bring in a flyer showing them and they do it
- Return a game for a refund within 10 days
- No upselling about GI Magazine, disc warranty, preorders etc... Just go in, buy a game and leave

Then somewhere around the early 2000s(?) it changed to:

- High prices
- No more price match
- No more refunds
- Upselling 101

They basically turned into Radio Shack. But sold games instead of batteries, printer cables and remote control cars.

 

[TransTrender]

man & girl go out to drive under moonlight. they stop at on GameStop at a side of road. he turn to his girl and say: "baby, i love you very much"
"what is it honey?"
"theyre is grate trade in i forgot the usb cable. i think the cable is required is trade in. ill walk and get it from home"
"ok. ill stay here and look after our playstation. there have been news report of green rats."
"good idea. keep the doors locked no matter what. i love you sweaty"
"I love you take sustainability seriously'

so the guy left to get cable for the USB. after two hours the girl say "where is my baby, he was supposed to be back by now. I fell like he really knows me" then the girl here a scratching sound and a voice say "ENGAGE IN THE ECOSYSTEM"

the girl doesn't do it and then after a while she goes to sleep. the next morning she wakes up and finds her boyfriend still not there. she gets out to check and phil spencer door hand hook car door.

 

[AREYOUOKAY?]

The midnight launch of Tears of The Kingdom was a disaster. First one to the store? Too bad that doesn't matter because apparently they somehow set up some group number system they never told you about when you preordered it. The first 3 groups were normal but then they combined the 4 and 5 groups then 6 and 7 groups or whatever together and nobody knew who was supposed to go first even if they were in front of the cashier. So I had to point out that I was a 4 to rightfully go next in line by going to a different empty cashier with nobody there to get mine since the first 3 groups were finished and then everyone starting getting pissed at the workers with how dysfunctional things started to be due to them combining groups together.

I knew it would turn into a confusing mess from the start but I exploited it's flaw and won by an opportunistic technicality.

Don't care in the end I got my wood which I thought would run out by the time it was my turn.

You know what could have prevented all this and saved everyone a bunch of time? Shipping it to our damn houses.

 

[THE DUCK]

Yes, every single time I walk in I get used car salespersoned. It's embarrassing for them amd annoying for me. Just sell your stuff like normal instead of slimy. I just walk by now even though I might be interested in the odd thing.

 

[AREYOUOKAY?]

Yes, every single time I walk in I get used car salespersoned. It's embarrassing for them amd annoying for me. Just sell your stuff like normal instead of slimy. I just walk by now even though I might be interested in the odd thing.

Best Buy workers are also guilty of being annoying as part of their job yet Gamestop workers will always be far worse and take it to the next level.

"Would you like..."

You can help me when I ask for it.

The only store employees that don't pester you the moment they see you when it comes to video games are at Target or Walmart.

 

[ahtlas7]

Yeah, In early 2000’s worked there for 2 weeks before quitting. The worst job I ever had. Megalomaniacal boss

 

[THE DUCK]

Best Buy workers are also guilty of being annoying as part of their job yet Gamestop workers will always be far worse and take it to the next level.

"Would you like..."

You can help me when I ask for it.

The only store employees that don't pester you the moment they see you when it comes to video games are at Target or Walmart.

Must be different there, at best buy I can't get an employee to help me to save my life. They scatter when they see customers.

 

[Varteras]

I worked there once. Some dude got pissed when I asked him if he needed help.

Some clerk kept calling me Sir a few years back. I may have lost my temper.

I'm sorry to hear that, sir.

 

[Aces High]

I went into a Gamestop to get the controller charging station for the DS4.

Price was much higher than Sony's SRP, though.

I asked the guy behind the counter why it is more expensive than the SRP.

His answer: "It's a Sony".

I asked him if he knows what an SRP is and he said that I should have bought an Xbox.

That was almost 10 years ago. Never been to a Gamestop since.

 

[Swagballs717]

My local GameStop got closed down and the location was converted to a smoothie bar. A coworker of mine used to work for GameStop and they said that that location closed because the owner was cooking the books and overreported their earnings on pre owned games.

It was pretty depressing to come back from college on winter break and see the GameStop I've visited for ten years just vanish.

 

[nowhat]

Personally, no, but ChatGPT to the rescue!
---------
In a quiet corner of a forgotten town lay an old strip mall, its fading sign declaring the presence of a GameStop store. The storefront appeared desolate, seemingly abandoned by time and the steady march of progress. The windows were coated with grime, and a layer of dust settled over the display cases, concealing what they once held.

Curiosity led a young couple, Alex and Sarah, to investigate the eerie establishment. They pushed open the creaking door, its bell jingling weakly, and entered into a dimly lit, musty space. Rows of shelves were lined with an unusual sight—the same game repeated in every slot: Skyrim. It was as if the game had taken over the store.

As they moved through the aisles, their footsteps echoing ominously, a voice rang out from the shadows. "Ah, welcome! It's been too long since we had visitors," said a figure emerging from the darkness—an oddly familiar face. It was Todd Howard, the legendary game developer.

Startled, Alex and Sarah exchanged confused glances. "Is this some kind of prank?" Alex asked nervously.

"No prank at all," Todd Howard replied with an unsettling grin. "Would you like to buy Skyrim? It's an amazing game, you know."

Unnerved, they tried to leave, but the door seemed to have disappeared. Panic set in as they realized they were trapped. Todd Howard chuckled softly.

"Once you enter Skyrim, you never really leave. It's a world of its own."

Desperation gripped them as they tried to make sense of the situation. The shelves seemed to stretch endlessly, displaying only Skyrim copies. The store's walls transformed into towering mountains, the floor into cobblestone streets.

Sarah whispered to Alex, "We have to find a way out. This can't be real."

Todd Howard's voice echoed in the surreal landscape. "In Skyrim, the path is yours to choose. But remember, you can't escape."

They ventured deeper into the store-world, facing dragons, quests, and endless shouts of "Fus Ro Dah." Each attempt to escape led to more Skyrim, more Todd Howard.

Days turned into months as they wandered the never-ending store, trapped in an endless loop. Every moment was an unending nightmare of dragons and shouts, a twisted mockery of the game they once enjoyed.

In this cursed realm of Skyrim, Todd Howard's laughter echoed eternally, a chilling reminder of the true horror lurking within the seemingly abandoned GameStop.

 

[F31 Leopard]

I pre-odered a game and only copy they got. I came to pick up the worker said he used it as the display copy. I told him why did he do that. Said it's the only copy they got and have to use it for display. Told why would you display my copy that I pre-ordered for pick up? Told him that literally makes no sense. He had the nerve to ring me up. Told him no I want refund and to check your pre-orders next time.

 

[BlackTron]

I pre-odered a game and only copy they got. I came to pick up the worker said he used it as the display copy. I told him why did he do that. Said it's the only copy they got and have to use it for display. Told why would you display my copy that I pre-ordered for pick up? Told him that literally makes no sense. He had the nerve to ring me up. Told him no I want refund and to check your pre-orders next time.

Yeah they did this to me too. Even gave me the game in a cracked jewel case. At first I dealt with it because I really wanted the game (I was 16) but I couldn't process what had just happened and came right back to raise hell for the poor employee. They were my main source of games right up until this BS.

 

[RoboFu]

Just the normal watching the person try to take the display case and put the disc back in and sell it as new.

Every-time they tried to do that to me I just said “ umm no.. give me a sealed copy or I am not buying “

Eventually I just stop going all together. Wow it’s been at least 9-10 years since I’ve been to a GameStop!

 

[SmokedMeat]

Only two occasions where they gutted my preordered game to use as a display copy until I picked it up.

Other than that, no. I’ve had some good stories though.

 

[Winter John]

I was in a GS once and the chick behind the counter asked if I wanted to go for a drink sometime. Bitch was about 200 pounds and had a lazy eye. She looked like a character in one of them Hollywood movies about tard struggles. I never been so insulted in my life.

 

[StylishMGTOW]

Gamestop is the reason I stopped going to brick & mortar retail for games. At first they were the reason I got into the habit of always pre-ordering games I wanted, because starting around 2002 or so I got slapped in the face by this bullshit situation where a new game would release and I'd go to Gamestop to buy it. "Did you pre-order it?" No. "Sorry, we only got enough to cover our pre-orders. You should have pre-ordered. Next time don't forget to pre-order. PRE-ORDER PRE-ORDER PRE-ORDER PRE-ORDER." The problem was, it seemed like they were always the only retailer in a 100 mile radius that would get stock in time for release day. Every other store I'd call would give me a variation of "Sorry, no, we didn't get that game in yet. Call back tomorrow. Actually, call back next week." So fucking aggravating. So I said fuck it and just pre-ordered everything.

Then a few years later, they started doing this bullshit where I'd go to buy a new game and they'd tried to sell me an open copy at full MSRP. They had some bizarre explanation, I forget what it was. It was just so obvious they'd gone all-in on used games and were deliberately and strategically trying to wean people like me off of wanting brand new sealed games. They wanted to funnel as much profits into their own pockets and were fucking over publishers to do it. It was just so fucking greedy and scummy, fuck them, I couldn't stop buying from them fast enough. I can still remember the last game I bought from them, it was my pre-ordered copy of Dead Space 1 in 2008. It was right around that same time I'd pre-ordered Chrono Trigger for DS from Amazon, as a birthday present for someone. If it was for me, I would have pre-ordered it from Gamestop. But since I didn't need it until a week after it released, I figured the Amazon order was OK even if it took a few extra days. But Amazon delivered it THE DAY BEFORE THE RELEASE DATE. I ordered all of my games from Amazon from then on and haven't bought from brick & mortar since. Well, except the day I decided to buy Red Dead Redemption on my way home from work. But that was Toys R Us (RIP.)

Toys R Us still exists here in Canada, so not RIP.

 

[GamesDontSuck]

Not a horror story but greed I guess.

Went to the gta5 midnight launch 10 years ago. Was waiting for 90 minutes to get a copy. So when it was my turn to buy they were charging 5 euro more than advertised on their website. What was I gonna do? I waited so long so I bought it.

Never again to a midnight launch and never again buying anything in GameStop. There were 100s of people all buying copies so they got greedy. Soured me on them.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Not GameStop but a gaming facility, interesting the worker thought I was “in a rush” (I wasn’t) got heated temporarily and then I traded in a GameCube controller for like 5 bucks.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Must be different there, at best buy I can't get an employee to help me to save my life. They scatter when they see customers.

Best Buy used to be very pushy about selling you protection plans for everything. Not sure what it’s like now because I don’t even remember the last time I bought something at Best Buy lol.

I remember in ~2003 I bought an Xbox + controller + game and for each item the clerk went into her sales pitch like “would you like to buy a protection plan? It covers accidents blah blah blah” “no thanks, I take good care of my stuff”.

Then after my 3rd denial her manager (who was standing behind her) steps in “sir, do you know that sometimes new electronics can break and these protection plans cover even accidental damage say if your disc gets scratched blah blah blah …..” I told her yes I know that and I don’t want it, then she and the cashier gave each other this look like “wow can you believe this guy? His loss”


They also used to try and trick you into subscribing to magazines if you paid with a credit card. They’d tell you to pick your free magazine (the choice showed up on the credit card reader) but you were actually signing up for a trial subscription that would auto renew and charge you when the trial was up.

 

[Gamerguy84]

Wouldn't call either a horror story but once had a total bitch for an employee and I was performing a few transactions (probably why). I was the only customer.

Second was when I went in to buy a PS3 way back. Dude tried and tried to get me to buy a 360 instead. Finally lost some patience and said look I'm not getting a 360.

 

[AREYOUOKAY?]

protection plans

The bastards at GameStop can charge you for that if you aren’t paying attention to their usual scam script at checkout. I doubt that’s even legal in the first place but they did it to me and I had to get a refund.

 

[Muffdraul]

Toys R Us still exists here in Canada, so not RIP.

The original company is dead and gone. Since then any third party entity can legally use the name.

 

[Robb]

I don’t know if this was common everywhere but they used to sell unsealed copies of new games where I live. And one time I bought a game for the Nintendo DS that had the wrong game cartridge in the box - which I only noticed when I got home.

Naturally I just returned it, but I always asked for a sealed copy whenever they handed me an unsealed one after that.

Not really horror, but it’s the worst thing that’s happened to me.

 

[_Ex_]

They like to sell "brand new" games that are unsealed.

 

[akaFullmetal]

My only real bad experience was 20 years ago. Trying to buy a used Xbox and it kept failing to boot or get anything on my TV when I brought it home Went back to the store and got it exchanged, and 2nd had some boot issue as well. Brought it back and getting mad, made sure 3rd one worked before taking it home.

 

[SOME-MIST]

I preordered demon's souls and after the preorders went up they announced that there's going to be an additional art book that wasn't a part of the original package. I went to pick it up late in the evening after work and the employee handed me the game and I asked isn't there an additional art book that is supposed to come with it? he said everything was included in the package, so I left and opened it up in my car and of course the art book wasn't included. I walked back in to let them know and he said uhhh let me check on that for you while he fumbled through a drawer under the cash register. he found the art book and handed it to me, but it made me wonder how many people got duped out of their preorder bonus.

the last time I went to gamestop I purchased assault suit leynos online and stopped by the store to pick it up, they did the ole walk over to the display shelf to grab the case, pull out a cd and slide it into the unsealed case. I said I don't want that, and she replied are you serious? that plastic wrap must mean a lot to you. I said yea I paid full price and the factory seal is what determines if a game is new, this feels like buying a used copy at full price. she was irritated but processed my refund and that was the last time I went to a gamestop.

 

[BlackTron]

I like their explanation of how they "have to" put out a display copy, like there is literally no way to solve this problem and achieve their goal without damaging goods already paid for by real customers who are trying to send their business in good faith.

Step 1 buy a printer

 

[Chronos24]

None honestly. I may be in the minority but GameStop has always been fine for me. Their service especially their warranty type service has been absolutely great. They exchanged ps4's for me no charge because of the stupid fan issue and with Xbox controllers. Trade in could always be better of course but overall I still like gamestop

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Overall, I'd say my entire EB/GS experience ranges from normal (just like any stores) to annoying (upselling and vultures eyes on you when you step foot inside).

But there have been good service outliers. My One X didn't work on first update. I tried everything with MS CSR online doing all the usual stuff like power down, reboot, check the cables etc.... It got stuck downloading at like 98% or something.

We eventually gave up and I returned it back to the GS I bought it from. They had no normal One X lefts, so he gave me a Project Scorpio edition. Same shit in a way, but that was a special edition. He could had said come back another day when they got the standard systems. So whomever that was, thanks dude.

 

[docchicken]

I've also had great experiences at GameStop, not just the painful awkward ones I posted, or the ripoff nature of the store.

I do have another amazing experience. Walked in and asked for a steam link and controller during a mega sale that was going on nationwide. The kid working there had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for it, and when I clarified, he said "oh, you should have just said PC!" No, I don't think I should have had to clarify it to a game store employee what "steam" is.

 

[tr1p1ex]

just the usual 2nd in line to buy 1 item but get out of the store 30 minutes later frequently reoccurring horror story. Or the shower I have to take after leaving the store from the sliminess of the business - including the corporate policies, upsells, promotions, gotchas and the germs on the used games and hardware that fill the air as well as all the basement dwelling mouth breathers.


But maybe my most exciting or unusual or my unique tale is from when I was buying GC games by the dozens from the website 5 yrs ago or so. I had to make frequent in-store returns because 1/3rd of the discs they sent me were defective. I was buying $100s if not 1000s of dollars worth at a time. Eventually I got my name put on a piece of paper as a customer to look out for and it was posted on the register that you could see if you leaned over the counter. Just me on it. lol.

I even got a call from a district supervisor.

Never quite sure what it was all about. They wouldn't outright say. I could only guess that it was excessive returns of the excessive defective GC games they were sending me. Also sometimes they would f up the return in store and give me too much money back. Not my fault. Not a regular occurrence. I considered the few times that happened a wash because whenever I returned the defective games I never got sales tax back anyway. I probably came out on the losing end overall on the returns...except for the fact I was reselling the working GC games for a decent profit so I didn't worry about it.

That's probably why I got flagged. But never was sure and part of me didn't like the "in-store" libel that people could have seen if they leaned over the counter.

 

[StylishMGTOW]

The original company is dead and gone. Since then any third party entity can legally use the name.

 

[anothertech]

Once, in a small, forgotten town, there stood an old GameStop store. It had been there for decades, with dusty shelves of forgotten games and a creaky sign that flickered ominously at night.

Locals spoke of a curse that surrounded the store. They said that anyone who dared to work there would be doomed to a life of perpetual minimum wage, unable to escape the clutches of the store's relentless trade-in policies.

One rainy night, a young man named Mark, desperate for a job, applied to work at the cursed GameStop. He was hired on the spot, and as he entered the store for his first shift, he felt an eerie chill run down his spine. Mental images of his poor family starving in front of him flashed before his eyes.

As the weeks went by, Mark began to notice strange occurrences. His paycheck became smaller and smaller. Game cases moved on their own, whispering voices echoed through the empty aisles, and the dimly lit back room seemed to stretch into eternity. Mark couldn't shake the feeling that the games themselves held malevolent secrets, and he couldn't remember the last time he ate a meal.

One evening, while closing up the store, Mark found an old, dusty game cartridge with no label. Curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to play it. The game booted up with a haunting melody, and Mark found himself trapped in a nightmarish digital world, unable to escape. His wife and children starved to death waiting for Mark to come home.

Legend has it that Mark is still trapped in that cursed game, endlessly trying to trade in his soul for a better deal, while the old GameStop store stands as a warning to all who dare to enter, its flickering sign serving as a beacon of doom for those who seek employment within its haunted walls.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I like their explanation of how they "have to" put out a display copy, like there is literally no way to solve this problem and achieve their goal without damaging goods already paid for by real customers who are trying to send their business in good faith.

Back when it was Electronics Boutique and Babbages, they would just put the full game on the shelf. You would then take the entire game to the clerk to buy.

And, yeah, my friend and I stole a few PC games due to this. We would calmly walk out the door with a game in our hands.

 

[saintjules]

Here's one

Pembroke Pines GameStop worker accused of shooting shoplifter

The injured man was taken to an area hospital where he died

www.cbsnews.com