The #1 reason I switched my game buying over from Gamestop to Amazon/Best Buy was the fact that they sell used games as new.
If I buy a "new" game from them they give me an open game. If I return a game to them that is open then it's not considered new... it's considered used. Funny how it's a one way street.
My biggest problem with Gamestop is when I am in there and see someone buying a new game and hear the employee try to sell them a used game. I'm not talking about a gutted copy, but telling them that they could save $5 and buy it used instead of new. Really don't know why publishers do so much for them, especially when they would much rather sell used product in the store.
Anslon said:
5) Protection plans
This is an outright scam. It takes a service the company should offer, if something we sell doesn't work then you can replace it, and charges money for it. Most everything comes with a warranty, but the company tries to scare the uninformed into buying an extra one.
This is not just Gamestop, but pretty much all B&M retail stores. ToysRUs, Best Buy, Target (at least tried, haven't been asked in a while). They are all trying to find ways to up profit margins, and these are huge. Also, if you don't mind the time, the one at TRU wasn't too bad. $2 and you could scratch a game up and either get a new copy or a gift card for the price on the receipt. I never bought one and wouldn't really recommend unless you have a teething two year old who gets shit off your shelves.
Anslon said:
6) No cover art
I don't want to display a game in a black DVD case. I don't want it to be displayed with Gamestop branding on it either. If you can take the time to print out a game stop branded cover, then just print out the original. I know it costs money, but guess what, I'm paying for a product. I doubt it costs more than I paying. Gamestop is the one who accepted the game with out a box, that's their fault, not mine. It doesn't cost me any less to buy a game from gamestop no matter what kind of box it comes in, so I shouldn't be charged if you guys start printing out the correct ones either.
If you haven't been to Gamestop in awhile, you might go in sometime and see if this is different. My local Gamestops have started to sell used like they do new, one case on the shelf and others in the back, all in better shape and with manuals. Older games are all out and there are still times they have the same crap cases, but you are buying as-in, with a guarantee it works, and can decide not to.
Anslon said:
7) Accepting stolen goods
I've heard tales from gamestop employees who have processed trade ins from people who they know stole the games. Someone has 10 copies of unopened Madden and they want to trade them in? Fine by Gamestop. Even pawn shops have stricter rules than these guys. Gamestop can say that used game sales don't hurt the industry as much as piracy, but when they sell stolen goods, it's playing both sides of the fence. Employees should be given a right of refusal.
Pretty sure this must just be the store near you. Living in California, when I tried to trade in a new game, the guy wouldn't take it unless I unwrapped it
No, I didn't steal it, but Best Buy was selling it for a little more than half of the trade in value, might as well get $8 to spend on games
If you have been on CAG at all, lots of people on there bitch about not being able to trade in multiple copies, not all thieves.
I shop there mostly when they have B2G1 sales and cheap new games. Picked up Space Invaders for DS for $5 new, Singularity for $15, and some others. Not my primary place to get games, but sometimes they have good deals and when my wife left for a week and I wanted to play Fist of the North Star, they were the only ones that had it and I could play while she was gone.
If I buy a "new" game from them they give me an open game. If I return a game to them that is open then it's not considered new... it's considered used. Funny how it's a one way street.
I actually saw a customer once leave a Gamestop store after purchasing a "new" game, return minutes later for a refund/exchange, and the jackass GS employee would not honor him a full refund, even though the game he purchased was opened and sold as "new".
The #1 reason I switched my game buying over from Gamestop to Amazon/Best Buy was the fact that they sell used games as new.
If I buy a "new" game from them they give me an open game. If I return a game to them that is open then it's not considered new... it's considered used. Funny how it's a one way street.
Know what I dislike about Amazon? Paying for release day shipping and not getting the item until 7pm at night.
I do most of my buying through Best Buy, lately, for new titles. But I swear to God, every time that I get suckered into buying from Amazon, the game is always the last one off of the truck.
First and foremost I'm offended by the value proposition. They sell new-ish used games for only 5 dollar less than retail. For trade-ins, they give you less than half of what they turn around and sell it for. (At least that's how it was last time I traded something, which was a long time ago.)
If they offered a better value for the consumer, I'd probably have a positive view of them and rationalize away all the other shitty things about them.
GrandHarrier said:
Know what I dislike about Amazon? Paying for release day shipping and not getting the item until 7pm at night.
I do most of my buying through Best Buy, lately, for new titles. But I swear to God, every time that I get suckered into buying from Amazon, the game is always the last one off of the truck.
Because I get better prices, a better experience, and better products from Amazon and I don't have to leave my recliner. Why anyone would drive somewhere to get talked down to for not fluffing some idiot's pre-order quota or pay full price for a game thats been opened and played by the employees before release I do not know.
The #1 reason I switched my game buying over from Gamestop to Amazon/Best Buy was the fact that they sell used games as new.
If I buy a "new" game from them they give me an open game. If I return a game to them that is open then it's not considered new... it's considered used. Funny how it's a one way street.
Yeah the only issue I really have with Gamestop is way they overprice many of their used games. It is difficult for me to give them my business when I can buy the exact same games for significantly less money on eBay/amazon.
The last time I was in gamestop was to purchase Crysis 2. I had pre-ordered Socom4 and traded in BLOPS when they had that 50% extra trade in credit deal going around and got $37 for BLOPS and then I paid socom4 off in full. When I asked to cancel socom4 and use that money to purchase Crysis 2 he accused me of "gaming the system" and that he "has my eye on you." The 50% extra credit deal didn't involve trading in a game towards a pre-order. It was any game, shithead didn't even know gamestops own previous deals.
I can't speak for the US Gamestop, but the Irish one feels like a ripoff from the moment you step in the door. The price of new games is high, the price of used games is high, the (utterly redundant) pressure to preorder is high. Given that you can obtain virtually any game for less online or walk into any store and obtain a game without preordering, I wonder who buys there. Clearly some people do but I don't count myself amongst them except in very rare circumstances where they actually offer something for less than elsewhere.
They don't pay me enough.
I hate GS customers who act like dicks when I ask them about the power up card.
I hate that my DM is pretty damn clueless most of the time.
I don't think I've ever bought a new game at Gamestop since amazon is always cheaper.
Used games though are great during a sale.
B2G1 sales as well as those 30-50 percent off on used game coupons. That plus the 10 percent off card makes their used game substancially cheaper than anywhere else.
Even their trade ins are good if you take advantage of the 50 percent extra trade in deals(60 with card). Old Sport games will always be bad but hey want to you expect from a trade in that the store itself is selling for under 5 bucks.
Which is also great. When I got my PS3 I got 6 sport games for under 15 buck (NBA (3.99), NHL(4.99), Madden(2.99), NCAA FB(2.99), College Hoops (3.99), MLB(2.99) with NBA and Madden being free). Plus got VF 5, Motorstorm, and some other cheap game for 10 total. For under 25 buck I got 9 games.
Yeah their attempt to over sell is annoying but hey takes like a few seconds to refuse them.
No. We're consumers who want more for their money, and are tired of getting fucked over. You're probably someone who goes with the first deal they can find. I.e. sucker.
- Gutting New Games.
- Purposely getting in fewer new copies in order to push used copies. If it's a ridiculously niche game I don't expect much. However, the largest EB games store near me got four copies of Okamiden that weren't preorders. After this and similar experiences, it became overwhelmingly clear to me that EBG/GS is more of a pawn shop than anything.
- Overpriced / crappy selection of used games.
I only go there when I'm in the area and want something that came out that day, usually. Unfortunately if you don't preorder it can be hard to walk in and buy some new releases.
I hate going seeing a game is on sale online and thinking about going into the store to buy it. The first thing that pops into my mind is "is this game going to have the original case/artwork/manual in good condition?"
Why does Gamestop accept games without these things? Who the hell wants to buy them without it? I can understand if like 15-20% of their used games don't have original artwork or manual, but when you stand back and look at their used game wall for say PS3.. it's just a wall full of generic cases. 75% of their used stock has generic cases. WHAT DO PEOPLE DO TO THEIR CASES THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THEM WHEN TRADING IN!?!? God I hate that. Back in the PS2 days, even near the end.. I never had to worry about trying to find a used game with the case/manual.. it was all about the condition of the discs. Now, discs seem to be perfect but apparently the original packaging is the devil.
People always bring up the reasoning as "it's easier to carry all your discs in a CD folder" or "kids lose their cases".. so why when I go to Gamestop and look at their Wii section (the one most younger kids probably play, and are more likely to have their parents carry all the games in a CD folder) Why do all the shovelware titles have mint, complete cases? PARADOX.
My biggest problem with Gamestop is when I am in there and see someone buying a new game and hear the employee try to sell them a used game. I'm not talking about a gutted copy, but telling them that they could save $5 and buy it used instead of new. Really don't know why publishers do so much for them, especially when they would much rather sell used product in the store.
This is not just Gamestop, but pretty much all B&M retail stores. ToysRUs, Best Buy, Target (at least tried, haven't been asked in a while). They are all trying to find ways to up profit margins, and these are huge. Also, if you don't mind the time, the one at TRU wasn't too bad. $2 and you could scratch a game up and either get a new copy or a gift card for the price on the receipt. I never bought one and wouldn't really recommend unless you have a teething two year old who gets shit off your shelves.
If you haven't been to Gamestop in awhile, you might go in sometime and see if this is different. My local Gamestops have started to sell used like they do new, one case on the shelf and others in the back, all in better shape and with manuals. Older games are all out and there are still times they have the same crap cases, but you are buying as-in, with a guarantee it works, and can decide not to.
Pretty sure this must just be the store near you. Living in California, when I tried to trade in a new game, the guy wouldn't take it unless I unwrapped it
No, I didn't steal it, but Best Buy was selling it for a little more than half of the trade in value, might as well get $8 to spend on games
If you have been on CAG at all, lots of people on there bitch about not being able to trade in multiple copies, not all thieves.
I shop there mostly when they have B2G1 sales and cheap new games. Picked up Space Invaders for DS for $5 new, Singularity for $15, and some others. Not my primary place to get games, but sometimes they have good deals and when my wife left for a week and I wanted to play Fist of the North Star, they were the only ones that had it and I could play while she was gone.
I'll be honest. I have not been in a gamestop in a long time. My used games go to Amazon depending on their deal of the day. What I heard about people fencing stolen copies comes from ex employees who I've known, not current, because I don't go into gamestop. The bottom line is, if I seem outdated or outright wrong, it's cause I don't go into gamestop.
I hate all the exaggerations and hate for hates sake. I mean, really, they are just a business and nowhere near as bad as people make them out to be. I'm on pretty good terms with some of the people that work for my local gamestops; You know what? They're just guys and gals, like the rest of us. Professional, but friendly when you get to know them.
Anyone else wana see a Domino's style commercial with a GameStop CEO reading a printed version of this thread? Now that would be power to the player.
Also, I dislike how they handled the launch of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. The tournament that lead up to it required that everyone play with a wii mote and chuck with a 2 minute timer in the first round. I'm still sore over loosing to a ba-bomb.
When I visited NYC (I'm British), I shopped at Gamestop a fair few times and I found it a breath of fresh air compared with the UK's Game, Gamestation and the like. Well-stocked, polite, helpful and pleasant shopkeepers. Yet, I rarely see a good word said about them.
Someone told me recently with a straight face that I should probably preorder Uncharted 3 today if I don't want to miss out, it's going to be pretty popular you know.
Amazon, Steam and Best Buy 95% of the time, the local GS is a 15 minute walk away and good for impulse weekend buys only. It's that sales pitch.. some employees can read you and know to play it down or drop it altogether, others just don't know when to quit. Also, their in house ad loop is some of the most embarrassing shit this side of Spike TV.
I'm tall and have very dark skin.
If they ask me If I want to preorder Madden or Live one more time, I will crash the moon straight into Gamestop Headquarters.
Someone told me recently with a straight face that I should probably preorder Uncharted 3 today if I don't want to miss out, it's going to be pretty popular you know.
Well, he was probably right. If you want to buy a new copy of U3 from Gamestop, you had better pre-order. What? Other stores will have plenty of copies? I dunno, bro. I don't think you know the industry as well as an employee from a store that sells videogames.
8) Their purchase database is worthless.
If I buy a used game and loose my recipt, it's done. There's no way for them to look it up by my credit card. For all the info they take down when I trade in a game, none of it is used to help better my experience. Lose that pre-order receipt that you paid in full for? Good luck with that. It wouldn't even be so bad if it were not for the fact that they use heat paper that will eventually wear out in just a few months time. You have to scrapbook those receipts if you have any hope of retaining the information.
When I pick up a preorder, I just tell them I preordered, tell them my name and phone number, show them my driver's license, sign something, then leave with the game. I haven't needed my receipt as proof of a preorder in probably ten years now.
They even have it now so the Gamestop card can act as a proof of purchase if you don't have your receipt. I mentioned earlier in the thread that a guy at Gamestop used this to basically refund me $20 because Portal 2 went on sale after I bought it, but I've also used it to exchange a game that was scratched (yeah yeah, "Typical Gamestop selling you a scratched game, LOL!" But you know, it happens) for a new copy at a different Gamestop from the one I bought it.
Obviously the next argument is, "But that requires a $15 card!" but I have to say it's a much better option than what most stores have. Most other stores, you don't have a receipt, you're not returning or exchanging shit.
I don't hate Gamestop. Yes I've meet my fair share of douche clerks, but the same could be said for all stores really. Still they have thier fare share of solid employes.
The thing I hate is the usual. Crappy used game conditions and the occasional opened new copy. Still they do carry games that Best Buy and others do not. For that I do not mind them.
They always try to get me to preorder the latest dudebro/killemdead games when I have no interest in those sorts of titles. Either they have to push a certain game or they are just judging me from my appearance.
How hard is it to ask a person what kind of stuff they like?
If I initiate conversation, sometimes they still try to push those dudebro/killemdead/space marine stuff on me. I'd rather go to an independent game store if I'm not doing my shopping online already.
I'm tall and have very dark skin.
If they ask me If I want to preorder Madden or Live one more time, I will crash the moon straight into Gamestop Headquarters.
1.) That doesn't hurt CONSUMERS at all. It's the publishers' fault for not finding a good reason to make a new product more valuable. This is called economics.
2.) That video basically describes every business practice designed to make money as a "dick move."
Seriously people, video games are a business. They are subject to the same supply/demand principles as everywhere else.
