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EB games/Gamestop = Worst video game store ever?
- Thread starter domokunrox
- Start date
So many of you who are in shock and dismay over people shopping at GS have yet to come to terms with a simple fact.
The vast, vast majority of people don't give a shit.
Sucks, I know. Yeah a lot of things there suck. Yeah it'd be nice if it would change. And some things probably could change.
But for every one of you who are angry because you don't have a factory sealed, pristine copy on your shelf there's a shitload more moms out there who are buying Spongebob for their 10 year old and couldn't care less if the disc came out of a sleeve or it has a yellow sticker on it.
At the end of the day there are way too many people who only just want a good disc that will run in the system.
Unless this suddenly changes, you aren't going to see much difference in the way game retail handles its business.
The vast, vast majority of people don't give a shit.
Sucks, I know. Yeah a lot of things there suck. Yeah it'd be nice if it would change. And some things probably could change.
But for every one of you who are angry because you don't have a factory sealed, pristine copy on your shelf there's a shitload more moms out there who are buying Spongebob for their 10 year old and couldn't care less if the disc came out of a sleeve or it has a yellow sticker on it.
At the end of the day there are way too many people who only just want a good disc that will run in the system.
Unless this suddenly changes, you aren't going to see much difference in the way game retail handles its business.
monkspider
Member
Evander said:
:lol
You are definitely the most charming member of the GDF by far. Weren't you the Dr. House of Gamestop guy? That was a great story.
dskillzhtown
keep your strippers out of my American football
I have never had terrible experiences at GS/EB. It is kind of good to buy a game from someone that is an enthusiast as well. The only time now that I buy something from there is when I want to trade-in some games. But if I am buying a game and trade-ins are not involved I generally will hit Best Buy as it is on my way home.
I remember back in the day I was a GS/EB fanboy almost. I bought everything there, the managers knew me, etc. But as my desire to get a game FIRST has died down, I don't mind going somewhere else.
I remember back in the day I was a GS/EB fanboy almost. I bought everything there, the managers knew me, etc. But as my desire to get a game FIRST has died down, I don't mind going somewhere else.
chaostrophy
Member
So Amazon is actually good for games now? I remember trying to preorder something from them a couple of years ago and it was a confusing mess.
I don't shop at Gamestop anymore.
On Saturday I went into one and doublechecked if Brawl was coming out on Sunday.
The clerk is like "Yea it's coming out do you have a pre-order? If you don't there aren't enough copies." :lol
I'm like "No thanks, bye."
I pick up the game at the Target store in the same mall the next day. They had plenty of copies.
Fuck Gamestop.
On Saturday I went into one and doublechecked if Brawl was coming out on Sunday.
The clerk is like "Yea it's coming out do you have a pre-order? If you don't there aren't enough copies." :lol
I'm like "No thanks, bye."
I pick up the game at the Target store in the same mall the next day. They had plenty of copies.
Fuck Gamestop.
KTallguy said:
I'm just quoting you because everyone is saying this so its not just towards you Tall....but you guys must realize they push pre-orders to know an idea on how many copies to order. Every store gets a few extra copies on top of their pre-orders, but stores like Target, Best Buy, etc. they aren't afraid of over-ordering how many games they need because they sell more than just games. GameStop sells games and thats it..its their only form of making money. If they randomly order say 40 copies Frontlines...it sells 20 and then the store sits on 20 copies...they are screwed. By pre-ordering they know to order 16 for the pre-orders and give an extra 4-6 copies and then re-supply from there. Its common sense.
Ariexv said:I never said it was badI was just answering someones question about Pre-order bonuses for the employees. Infact I almost always shop @ Gamestop purely because atleast some of the people who work there know about games.
Only Store Managers get bonus's btw and their bonus's are not based on pre-orders or subs anymore as of this year.
General117
Neo Member
How hard is it to make a copy, or just print the box art off of the internet and put it in a DVD case?
Somnia said:
It's common business sense, sure, but it's not good for me, the consumer.
I don't care what the store is trying to do. It's a negative customer experience.
When I walk into a Gamestop/EB, I don't have any intention of doing a preorder, but I'll get the same lines from the employees over and over again.
From what I understand, GS is making record profits from used games. That's fine, but maybe they could also clean up their stores and stop pushing pre-orders on people.
There are alternatives to Gamestop/EB out there, and I've continued to use them without incident or problem. The last time I went to GS was to buy a Wii. I bought it for Mario Galaxy. When I mentioned that to the cashier, he said "Oh, why don't you pre-order it?".
I mean, what's the point? So you can get my money earlier before it depreciates in value? It's Mario Galaxy and fucking Super Smash Brothers. You're gonna have copies, right? Don't try to make me feel like "I'm not gonna get a copy". That's straight bullshit.
I can see preordering a game if there's an awesome preorder bonus. But I don't want a Mario Galaxy poster in my room.
I just don't get this preorder thing. It's sort of understandable for hardware where long supply lines it could take months for supply and demand to level out. But it is very easy to produce more games if demand is high.
Besides I can walk into any store in Ireland on launch day for any game and I am bound to find it. In the extremely unlikely event that I can't find a game anywhere, I can wait a few days for the manufacturers to stamp out another load or just order it online.
It doesn't stop the likes of GAME / Gamestop from advertising preordering but I have to laugh that anyone falls for it. They're already taking preorders for GTA IV which is still over a month away from release.
Besides I can walk into any store in Ireland on launch day for any game and I am bound to find it. In the extremely unlikely event that I can't find a game anywhere, I can wait a few days for the manufacturers to stamp out another load or just order it online.
It doesn't stop the likes of GAME / Gamestop from advertising preordering but I have to laugh that anyone falls for it. They're already taking preorders for GTA IV which is still over a month away from release.
Why do they pre-order Books at book stores? Why pre-order Harry Potter like the millions out there did? Its to gurantee themselves a copy on day one...thats it. The MAJORITY of consumers don't mind pre-ordering. They are going to buy the game/book/movie anyways so why not just plunk down the $5 at the store they plan on getting it at anyways since most people stick to shopping at the same stores over and over just for security sake. I understand if you don't want to pre-order thats your desire, but some people don't want to take that risk.
Well, I'd say that the overwhelming majority shop at stores like Walmart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, and the like....since....you know...they are the overwhelming majority.Google said:
They might not have the selection and they only sell new sealed products...so maybe the consumer experience really does have something to do with it.
I'm sure Gamstop are expanding their consumerbase...but they're still fighting for the scraps.
They're the largest Videogame retail chain in the US...but that's about as accurate as saying that Michael Jackson's Moonwalker is the best Michael Jackson videogame
Like the hat?
Banned
i preorder games so i can slowly pay them off instead of paying them all off at once. I generally have 2 or 3 preorders for different things, and every paycheck I go and put a little bit more money down for them.
i just do not for the life of me understand why people get so upset about being asked if they want to preorder something. If you don't, say "no thanks" and move on.
i just do not for the life of me understand why people get so upset about being asked if they want to preorder something. If you don't, say "no thanks" and move on.
Gattsu25 said:
Ok this argument is mute because obviously the vast majority goto walmart, bestbuy, target,etc. because they you know...sell other stuff besides games?!?!?! I mean come on...of course they are going to goto those stores more than GameStop...when GameStop starts selling washer/dryers, tvs, grociers then I bet our user base shoots through the roof also...
Google said:
And I'll take my business elsewhere.
Somnia said:
There's a difference. Borders has never pushed me to preorder anything. If I walk into Borders, I'm never chastised for not reserving a book if it's on the shelf. Also, if I want a book, I can ask them to order it and when they get it, I can pick it up in the store, all without paying a dime beforehand.
My reaction is a direct response to the GS/EB system where employees get rewarded for getting preorders. I hate it, so I'll never shop at GS/EB.
The thing that's really annoying about the whole situation is if you say "no" once, it's not enough. They'll follow up with something like "we're probably not going to have enough unless" or "you better preorder just in case" or "well, it's your choice", or some condescending bullshit. You mean to tell me that I have to preorder Mario fucking Galaxy? Brawl? This isn't some special edition, this is the normal version.
And I've also had the experience of coming in a GS/EB the day of, and wanting a game, and them saying: "I can only sell to pre-orders", when they obviously have more than enough of the product on shelves. Punishing customers into preordering? WTF?
Yes, so anyway there's no excuse for GS/EB. They are not helping anyone but themselves. If I want a game on release, I can go to Best Buy/Target or whatever, and get it. If it's obscure, I can order it online, and get it a few days later, for cheaper usually.
Hmm..KTallguy said:
Did you found everything you were looking for? ....Yeah.
Would you like to preorder the next Harry Potter (or insert any book here) book?.....No.
Do you have the Rewards Card?..Yeah.
Can you lend me it for a sec?..I don't have it here.
Do you have an email address? ..Yeah...
Is it the same one did you used to register your card?...I don't know..
It doesn't appear registered, would you like to create a new one just in case?? ..I just want to buy this chocolates..
Etc..etc..etc..
You know...
I should start making threads about how much Borders employees bother me.....that'll show them.
Love Borders.. 
fernoca said:Hmm..
Did you found everything you were looking for? ....Yeah.
Would you like to preorder the next Harry Potter (or insert any book here) book?.....No.
Do you have the Rewards Card?..Yeah.
Can you lend me it for a sec?..I don't have it here.
Do you have an email address? ..Yeah...
Is it the same one did you used to register your card?...I don't know..
It doesn't appear registered, would you like to create a new one just in case?? ..I just want to buy this chocolates..
Etc..etc..etc..
You know...
I should start making threads about how much Borders employees bother me.....that'll show them.
Love Borders..
Don't forget that they let employees rent out books. And then dare to pass them off as new. The sleazy sons of bitches.
They don't even shrinkwrap the books.
Somnia said:
How much did it cost to pre-order Harry Potter? Not one dime. How many copies were there at midnight when it released? Hundreds, if not thousands. The pre-order did one thing and one thing only. It moved you to the front of the line for release. If you didn't pre-order you had to wait for the people that did. Nothing else. And there was no shortage of stock. Every Barnes and Noble, Borders, Walden Books, and every other store than even thought of selling books had a literal mountain of copies at the time. None are still there, and it's not because of excess stock.
fernoca said:Hmm..
Did you found everything you were looking for? ....Yeah.
Would you like to preorder the next Harry Potter (or insert any book here) book?.....No.
Do you have the Rewards Card?..Yeah.
Can you lend me it for a sec?..I don't have it here.
Do you have an email address? ..Yeah...
Is it the same one did you used to register your card?...I don't know..
It doesn't appear registered, would you like to create a new one just in case?? ..I just want to buy this chocolates..
That's laughable, I've NEVER had this experience at Borders.
"Did you find everything all right?" is perfectly fine. I've never heard that at GS/EB.
I've been asked all those questions at Borders, though not usually all at once. It comes down to the cashier and the store you're at. Same with Gamestop. Some go through the whole mess, and some give you the abridged version.KTallguy said:
And I've been asked or not asked if I "found everything alright" everywhere I've ever shopped. All hinges on who ends up checking you out. Gamestop is not the Borg.
straydog1980
Banned
I don't know, I get along pretty well with the guys at my local gamestop / eb. They are all pretty cool and eager to help, plus they talk about games but not in a pushy way, just a gamer kind of way. "i heard this was good", or whatever. Plus one of the reps there is really into SMT games so I know I can trust his judgment when it comes to RPG's. I go in there regularly and buy new games, used games, and preorder the games I want to preorder. I really don't see why all of you have your panties in such a twist.
In fact, two days ago I bought Bully. It was the last copy so I had to take the "shelved" version (non shrink wrap).
I almost fainted from not caring about it.
In fact, two days ago I bought Bully. It was the last copy so I had to take the "shelved" version (non shrink wrap).
I almost fainted from not caring about it.
KTallguy said:
I believe you're missing the point, sir.
You're complaining about a business practice that precludes a certain service that you believe you should be getting.
Why you believe you should be receiving said service is debatable, but exists nonetheless. The fact that you only just realised that your business is not particularly important to the vendor tells me that you've been missing a big part of what's going on in retail.
I agree Gamestop has no idea what the hell they are doing. I went into pick up my reserved copy of SSBB and they asked me if I wanted to pre-order Mario Kart Wii. I debated and thought about it, so I finally said yes. I asked when it was suppose to come out....and they said April 1st!!!! Is that really the date? because I looked online and it isn't april 1st
angrysurprisedfacefernoca said:Nooo!!
My mint books!!!
Not to mention the people that sit in the store and read the entire books....while eating!!
F' Borders..I'm so not going to buy there anymore...
Those $20 I spend there..sometimes..are surely going to take them out of business..forever!!!
jetsetmario
Member
The thing everyone should realize is that Gamestop is a used videogame store.
They do not want to sell new games as profit margins are much better on used goods. On average retailers make roughly $10 off of a new game where the same game used can bring in 2-3 times that.
Ultimately, they are a glorified pawn shop, not the destination for new product.
They do not want to sell new games as profit margins are much better on used goods. On average retailers make roughly $10 off of a new game where the same game used can bring in 2-3 times that.
Ultimately, they are a glorified pawn shop, not the destination for new product.
I've never gotten any reward for getting any reserves or subscriptions, the most I get is a "hey good job" or a "Yeah! We're kicking ass in numbers" from the managers. I'm going to take a quick example from Saturday night's SSBB launch.
So before sunday we recieved 150 copies of brawl in stock right? That's all we had for Sunday's launch. However, Saturday we got to about noon before the last 6 were reserved. Which left us with 150 reserves and 150 copies which meant all 150 customers had to be guaranteed a copy and held for 48 hours regardless of whether they come in or not.
So you may go and see 150 copies of brawl behind the counter, but they are all reserved by people who got to it before you did.
I'm not saying this is how it works in ever case. This is just how it works at my gamestop.
Yeah the service varies from store to store (where I work there a 3 different stores one is friendly, the other is pretty much deserted and the 3rd is like walking into a funeral)
Personally, I try to get customers to do a reserve just so they can come pick it up without having to worry about whether we are sold out or not. It's really silly that people get upset that they can't get a copy of a game at a particular store, call the reserve system a piece of crap and think get furious that we didn't have it in stock but the bestbuy across the street has them. All they had to do was but 5 bucks down a couple days earlier when they were buying whatever they were in the area to buy.
If we do happen to be sold out, we usually give them a good list of places to visit, call our other stores which are literally 5 minutes walking distance and pretty much do everything we can to make sure they get there copy. Though like I said, the service varies from store to store.
So before sunday we recieved 150 copies of brawl in stock right? That's all we had for Sunday's launch. However, Saturday we got to about noon before the last 6 were reserved. Which left us with 150 reserves and 150 copies which meant all 150 customers had to be guaranteed a copy and held for 48 hours regardless of whether they come in or not.
So you may go and see 150 copies of brawl behind the counter, but they are all reserved by people who got to it before you did.
I'm not saying this is how it works in ever case. This is just how it works at my gamestop.
Yeah the service varies from store to store (where I work there a 3 different stores one is friendly, the other is pretty much deserted and the 3rd is like walking into a funeral)
Personally, I try to get customers to do a reserve just so they can come pick it up without having to worry about whether we are sold out or not. It's really silly that people get upset that they can't get a copy of a game at a particular store, call the reserve system a piece of crap and think get furious that we didn't have it in stock but the bestbuy across the street has them. All they had to do was but 5 bucks down a couple days earlier when they were buying whatever they were in the area to buy.
If we do happen to be sold out, we usually give them a good list of places to visit, call our other stores which are literally 5 minutes walking distance and pretty much do everything we can to make sure they get there copy. Though like I said, the service varies from store to store.
FordStang said:
Oh, it's not the "official" date, it's more like an assumption as to when it should be released. The estimations get tinkered with as more news is released until it's generally pretty accurate until an official statement is made.
So for something like Mario Kart, it's probably just a dated release estimate. You can always just check online for news or call the store and keep track of your reserves and upcoming release dates.
mambadragon
Banned
I started to write a long thing about the problems with and the changes I'd make to EB/GS, but really all I'd like is to be able to walk into one of the stores without feeling like I'm going to catch some disease. The stores are disgusting and filled with dirty used games with sticker goo and lint that have been who knows where, and the stores always have a terrible smell. The Apple stores manage to keep clean and new looking even with their high geek traffic, so there's no excuse.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
Why does every gamestop suck but mine? I read about how shitty it is but whenever i go its a good experience. I guess assholes dont work at mine.
General117 said:
What is funny is that is exactly what they do for pre-orders. In my local GS/EB they have a coming soon wall. They put mock-up boxes with art int ehm to advertise what you should be looking forward too. I don't see other then ink/printing expenses, why they would not do it.
Plus all the fake covers for the used games that they have without offical boxes.
I went to my local gamestop Saturday night, and got there around 11.58 or so. There were about 20 people in line. The manager opens the door, and starts letting people in 3 at a time, which I understand, as it would be unmanageable with everyone in there at once. I went in on my turn, traded in 2 shit games I don't play, and ended up picking up Smash for $8 after tax, they had plenty of copies. I got home around 12:15. I didn't pre-order, and I never have.
If this store gave me a shitty experience, I wouldn't go there, but they're cool so far. Sorry the rest of you got screwed.
If this store gave me a shitty experience, I wouldn't go there, but they're cool so far. Sorry the rest of you got screwed.