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Gamestop dumpster divers caught by cops, who happen to be Final Fantasy fans

Garraboa

Member
Are the employees not allowed to take home all that stuff? I still can't believe they throw away fully functional 360s and PSPs.
 
I must be the weird one, but I could never see myself digging through a trash dumpster for something...even video games or consoles.
 

simpleton

Member
Are the employees not allowed to take home all that stuff? I still can't believe they throw away fully functional 360s and PSPs.

I'm not sure how that works. I know in some other dive videos I have seen people pull out dozens of game discs that would have otherwise been perfect, if the gamestop employees had not cut them in half to make them unusable. Doesn't make sense to me, but I assume there is some method to their madness. (like keeping people from trading in worthless games that they can't seem to sell anyway.)

I don't understand why they don't just have a bargain bin and throw everything inside for $1 each, but then I guess they'd still get people trying to trade the stuff back in for credit I guess.
 

On Demand

Banned
Ha at the cops attitude. I'm not use to seeing that.

EDIT-

As in if it were "anyone else" i wonder how they would of reacted.
 

Zakalwe

Banned
I used to work for GAME. My manager would trash left over promo items all the time. Games, figurines, limited edition peripherals.

I suggested he run incentives and use then as staff prizes, but he insisted it was against company policy.

Later found out it wasn't and he just enjoyed watching us trash the stuff.
 

Hasney

Member
I used to work for GAME. My manager would trash left over promo items all the time. Games, figurines, limited edition peripherals.

I suggested he run incentives and use then as staff prizes, but he insisted it was against company policy.

Later found out it wasn't and he just enjoyed watching us trash the stuff.

I was about to say something up until the last line. I won so much shit when I worked at Game and windered if that changed since 2003 or something.
 

RoadDogg

Member
I'm not sure how that works. I know in some other dive videos I have seen people pull out dozens of game discs that would have otherwise been perfect, if the gamestop employees had not cut them in half to make them unusable. Doesn't make sense to me, but I assume there is some method to their madness. (like keeping people from trading in worthless games that they can't seem to sell anyway.)

I don't understand why they don't just have a bargain bin and throw everything inside for $1 each, but then I guess they'd still get people trying to trade the stuff back in for credit I guess.

They can write it off as a loss if they destroy it and throw it out. If they give it away or sell it for a $1 I assume they make less then they would get back in tax breaks.
 
Why would you jump into a dumpster so inadequately dressed? Who knows what you could get scratched or pricked by. At least wear gloves.
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
One of the cops favorite FF game = VII

"I like 7"

Sooooooo good
 

Shaanyboi

Banned
Are the employees not allowed to take home all that stuff? I still can't believe they throw away fully functional 360s and PSPs.
We would take posters/standees etc. that would be tossed otherwise. Systems etc? No. Don't recall ever tossing systems. Also my ASM at the time gave me acouple games that we had but were never in the system, despite us having like some extra 6+ extra copies of. I doubt we were supposed to do that but.... *shrug*. We were a store that generally didn't give a shit though lol. Like we did our best to be helpful and kind to people, but we generally ignored our Regional Manager's calls for "Say this line when you answer the phone! Push these Game Informers!" etc. We knew the kind of shit that annoyed people and did our best to avoid doing that. Customers generally really liked us. Got afew comments once in a while from people going "I actually kinda hate the EB by my place so I make the extra trek for you guys." Made us feel good. We generally performed really damn well for the area, despite ignoring alot of corporate's demands so it's not like there was a real reason to fire any of us.
 

bengraven

Member
Awesome.

That said, I'm a bit nervous about that guy with the cigarette so close to a dumpster full of trash.
 
They can write it off as a loss if they destroy it and throw it out. If they give it away or sell it for a $1 I assume they make less then they would get back in tax breaks.

yeah its probably a tax thing. you would think they could give this stuff to poor kids or something whose parents cant afford toys and video games. America is so wasteful no one gives a shit about those who are less fortunate.
 
Are the employees not allowed to take home all that stuff? I still can't believe they throw away fully functional 360s and PSPs.

The thing is we don't. I've worked at GS for over 4 years and not once have we tossed a usable system. Heck, I've never even tossed a broken system, everything gets sent back to the "RoC" to be repaired or recycled. Unless its a regional thing, I don't know where these people get this stuff
 
The dude who's not recording looks like Badger from Breaking Bad. I don't get why they would even bother doing this.

"No dude, I want that Maytag standee advertising $100 off a fridge. Come on, we need that in our house!"
 
I used to work for GAME. My manager would trash left over promo items all the time. Games, figurines, limited edition peripherals.

I suggested he run incentives and use then as staff prizes, but he insisted it was against company policy.

Later found out it wasn't and he just enjoyed watching us trash the stuff.

tumblr_mezy08dbze1qbm00wo1_500.gif
 

fernoca

Member
yeah its probably a tax thing. you would think they could give this stuff to poor kids or something whose parents cant afford toys and video games. America is so wasteful no one gives a shit about those who are less fortunate.
Is not as easy though. There are many possible legal problems (and obstacles) to just give away stuff, along possible bad mouthing from the people receiving them. Retailers and people has been sued for stuff given away.

Then misc. problems around any kind of warranty of said item.

Is why most prefer to give away brand new items...or just nothing..
 
"Is this illegal?"


I thought they were just rumors, but wow thats amazing.

nah-not unless the dumpster has a sign that says the contents are private property or there is a lock they had to bypass to get to it-its legal

edit:from my personal experience dealing with people rummaging through our dumpsters at work for copper wire-we had to put signs on them and locked gate around them
 

JDSN

Banned
nah-not unless the dumpster has a sign that says the contents are private property or there is a lock they had to bypass to get to it-its legal

I meant the part of people telling that to the cops straight to their faces without getting their heads bashed in,
im a minority.
 
yeah its probably a tax thing. you would think they could give this stuff to poor kids or something whose parents cant afford toys and video games. America is so wasteful no one gives a shit about those who are less fortunate.

It works in multiple capacities. Similar to the restaurant biz and large box stores, destroying returned, worthless, or improperly crafted products eliminates the opportunity for employees to purposefully damage or alter items to then claim them as their own.

Mom and pop's do a lot more of the generous side you are referring to. Large chains have to look at everything from risk and cost management. Makes them look ridiculously cold. If you really wan't to see the dark side ask a Walmart employee about their processes. They have massive binders/compactors that destroy perfectly good items such as clothing that should be donated.
 
I used to work for GAME. My manager would trash left over promo items all the time. Games, figurines, limited edition peripherals.

I suggested he run incentives and use then as staff prizes, but he insisted it was against company policy.

Later found out it wasn't and he just enjoyed watching us trash the stuff.
That's just cruel. It pains me to think about throwing away things that people would want or buy. It seems wasteful (and spoiled in a way).
 

th4tguy

Member
Wife used to be an AM at eb/GS. The policy was the items had to be thrown out because they weren't even worth the shelf space. They weren't given to employees because it would encourage employees to say an item was damaged to an extent that it needed to be tossed (when it wasn't), then take it for themselves. They further destroy useless items to further prevent employees from grabbing them from the dumpster later.
It's all done to prevent employees from scamming the store in different ways. They didn't invent these scenarios. They came up with these rules because these scams were happening across multiple stores.
It may seem like a waste but there is a cost associated with keeping old or damaged items that could potentially be sold or fixed. When that cost outways the potential money made from selling that item, it's tossed because it's more financially smart to cut your losses at that point.
My wife's manager would oversee this process and if he knew something still worked or could be fixed and knew you wanted it he wouldn't fully destroy it but would still put it out back by the dumpster for you to grab after your shift. It was his way of preventing scams but still keeping the employees happy and not wasting good things.
 

th4tguy

Member
yeah its probably a tax thing. you would think they could give this stuff to poor kids or something whose parents cant afford toys and video games. America is so wasteful no one gives a shit about those who are less fortunate.
Individuals and small stores can do this without much issue but chains don't normally do because it's too much risk. They or other large stores have done that and been sued when someone got hurt due to the donated item. Being a large store makes you a larger target for lawsuits. Money spent on lawsuits and the negative publicity outweighs any tax or good will benefits seen from donating old and broken items. That's why when chains donate anything it's either money or brand new items. If anything goes wrong with the brand new item, the blame can be passed to the manufacturer of the item.
 

Beartruck

Member
My default policy with dumpster diving is to put an empty box or two in the back seat, and if anyone approaches or asks, I say I'm moving and just looking for boxes for packing. Luckily in the 2 or 3 times I've done it, I've never had to use it.
 

Phased

Member
Are the employees not allowed to take home all that stuff? I still can't believe they throw away fully functional 360s and PSPs.

Technically they need to destroy it when the home office tells them to, but I'd be absolutely floored if the employees don't take home some stuff before that happens.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Technically they need to destroy it when the home office tells them to, but I'd be absolutely floored if the employees don't take home some stuff before that happens.

Or hide it somewhere outside and call a friend over to pick it up.
 

Arkeband

Banned
I like how bashful video game conversations start.

"Yeah uh.. <testing the waters> have you played that uh, Realm Reborn, or uh, you know, whatever?"

"I played the one on PS2." <working backwards now>

"I liked 7" <Here we go...!>

"1 was the best" <NERD CRED ESTABLISHED>
 
Makes them look ridiculously cold. If you really wan't to see the dark side ask a Walmart employee about their processes. They have massive binders/compactors that destroy perfectly good items such as clothing that should be donated.
As someone who works at Walmart I only know a few things about it.
1. Stuff like toys that are not salvageable at all(no box etc) go to the trash/compactor.
2.Expired food obviously gets dumped, even if its something like cereal a day over.
3.Salvageable items such as damaged packs of coke or damaged packs of water bottles are put out for employees.
 
Technically they need to destroy it when the home office tells them to, but I'd be absolutely floored if the employees don't take home some stuff before that happens.

They would be caught most likely.

Was a Gamestop store manager for a couple of years. Those items that are being thrown away are called "field destroy" which is determined by corporate. Usually systems and items that are defective and aren't worth the money to fix. Items are supposed to be destroyed by district manager himself or if he/she trusts them enough, the store manager. It's very easy to tell whether or not people are just taking them home unlike things like promotional displays which aren't tracked at all. "Pennied out" items are also things some people get away with like strat guides we no longer longer display. When I worked there I would throw those in for customers a lot, especially when it would compliment what they were buying. No tit-for-tat. Just because. Seemed like a better idea than just throwing those away.
 
It's mostly a dead concept now, but a few years ago I got really into penny guides (game guides that were reduced to 1 cent); learned over time that they were reduced like that and meant to be destroyed to recover the cost for the company in some weird accounting way, but so many stores didn't care and left them on the shelf. Most of the employees would let you buy them because they weren't super concerned about the policy. It's mostly dried up now. One cent hardcover collector guides were a fun grab, though!
 
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