Author Topic: So nobody likes GameStop?  (Read 240548 times)

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Offline rvbykyle

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #700 on: November 24, 2017, 01:31:38 AM »
Couldn't you also just download and play it on an n3DS?


Good point though, not unless someone wants a physical copy or catridge of the game.

Offline ejamer

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #701 on: November 24, 2017, 08:54:31 AM »
Couldn't you also just download and play it on an n3DS?


Sure. If you have a working n3DS.
(I own the physical 3DS game, but my system is broken. Also, I'd rather be able to play on big screen TV when it's available and only switch to the smaller handheld screen when others are using the TV.)
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Offline King of Twitch

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #702 on: December 20, 2017, 07:25:43 PM »
They should call it FunkoStop with all %#)$ bobbleheads they sell now.
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Offline pokepal148

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #703 on: January 09, 2018, 07:48:02 PM »
It's fine in some of the larger stores where they have room for that kind of thing but there's a store in town that's half of the size of the one I usually go to and it's just a mess.

Offline Stratos

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #704 on: January 11, 2018, 12:39:39 AM »
They should call it FunkoStop with all %#)$ bobbleheads they sell now.


That would complete the circle for them, as their original name was FuncoLand.That was back when games were still viewed as "specialty toys".
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Offline lolmonade

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #705 on: January 11, 2018, 01:20:28 PM »
For some perspective. 


In my hometown (Western Illinois area on border of Iowa), has a handful of local places for pre-owned games.


Gamestop - We have half a dozen in the area.  As described, they're half merchandise now, and their selection has actually dwindled quite a bit in recent memory.  They must be pushing hard to have low stock-on hand and only retain games that are going to sell for a minimum of $10+, at least that's the impression i've gotten in my area.


Disc Replay - If you tried to trade-in your Grandma, this place would probably accept it.  This place is known for the sheer volume of offerings they have and is a great resource for games if you have time to look, but it's disorganized because they put every box on the shelf, sell so much stuff that it feels more like an overstocked pawn shop than a game store, and isn't necessarily a pleasant experience.


Local game shop - We have a game store that's been here for over 25 years, that has always been a little more expensive, but usually had a robust offerings of systems and games across time, neatly organized, and friendly staff.  Since I moved back 2 years ago, They've taken a baaad turn to straight-out price gouging, having hardly any games prior to Playstation 1, and the most egregious thing I see is they've resorted to selling SNES carts with ROMS of fan-made games on them.


So...given my options, I don't think Gamestop is so bad, if they have what you're looking for.

Offline King of Twitch

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #706 on: April 03, 2019, 01:59:48 PM »
Gamestop: "I don't feel so good..."

The retail chain projected after U.S. markets closed Tuesday that sales will drop 5 percent to 10 percent this year.

The stock fell as much as 13 percent to $8.82 in New York trading Wednesday, adding to a 20 percent decline so far this year. That’s the lowest level since September 2004.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-02/gamestop-plummets-after-struggling-chain-delivers-grim-forecast


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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #707 on: April 03, 2019, 02:31:24 PM »
Gamestop is doing what I've seen other physical stores doing to try to combat digital distribution and online stores which I see as a dumb strategy.

Last Christmas I got one of my parents a book for Christmas.  It was too close to Christmas for Amazon to ship it in time so I went to what used to be Chapters and is now calling itself Indigo.  Chapters/Indigo is a big book store chain in Canada that I'm not sure is in the States.  Anyway, I hadn't been to the this book store in about a year.  The store was completely redesigned with almost 75% of the store focused on houseware knick knacks.  The actual books were now all crammed in a corner.  I found the book I wanted but the experiences was vastly inferior to what it had been in the past where I had this giant store wall-to-wall with books with clear sections defined.  So to combat eBooks and online stores like Amazon this book store chain came to the conclusion that the key to survival was having LESS of a focus on books, which is the very thing that people would ever go into the store to begin with.

Gamestop is the same thing.  I go into there now and most of the space is for Funko dolls and t-shirts and stuff like that.  What I want to go to is a store that specializes in videogames.  I want new and used games for current systems and used games for older systems.  There are local stores that offer that I frequent them.  I never bother with Gamestop anymore because I'm not interested in what feels like a videogame related gift shop full of useless junk.

Customers that have embraced digital downloads and online stores are not going to come into your physical store to buy stupid junk.  If they want stupid junk they can still buy it online.  A physical store is going to be more for someone that wants to go to a physical store to browse before buying and wants a physical copy.  Having less books or less games is going to turn those people off because the store doesn't have what that person wants.  And the online-only customers aren't going to show up at all aside from the odd scenario where they need something today and it can't be shipped in time (and if you don't have the product because the shelf space went to a knick knack that's not going to work for them either).

Gamestop at this point should be embracing being a used videogame dealer and try to be the place to go for people that want physical games from multiple generations.  Instead it's the place for people that want Funko dolls and physical releases for current systems.  That's a pretty narrow market and its no surprise they're struggling.  The whole strategy seems like a move of desperation where you're just trying whatever in vain hope that it works out.  I saw the same thing from HMV which was losing ground due to digital music and filled their store with band related merchandise and less CDs and they no longer exist when they probably should have embraced vinyl and positioned themselves as the store for people that want physical media for music.

One problem with all this though is that being a physical media specialized store doesn't generate the level of revenue that these stores used to generate 15 years ago and probably doesn't justify the sheer amount of these stores across the country.  Instead of scaling back to be the smaller specialized chain they going to die trying to be a large chain with no purpose or identity.

Offline nickmitch

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #708 on: April 07, 2019, 12:46:10 AM »
I think the deal with your bookstore example is that the books aren't selling like they used to, so the store has to fill itself with things people will actually buy.  They're in an adapt-or-die scenario.

GameStop, on the other hand, also has bad sales practices bringing it down.  But they've had those for years.  Gamers now having more options than ever other than GameStop means they're strategy has to shift just as much, which is why they're a knickknack shop now. But they could certainly try and be better in the used video game sales space, even if that well is slowly drying up.
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Offline UncleBob

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #709 on: April 07, 2019, 02:28:46 AM »
A (small) part of the issue with GameStop and collectables is that some of their stores just flatly aren't big enough to stock all the crap they squeeze into them.  We have a mall location that is basically a rectangle with the counter in the center, off to the side.  From the customer edge of the counter to the opposite wall isn't even wide enough to squeeze two shopping carts going opposite directions (yes, I know they don't use carts, but one of my pet peeves is aisles in stores that are too narrow for passing carts).  In the middle of this is Some kind of display with crap on it that is supposed to divide this area between an area for customers to check out and an area for customers to pass between the front and rear halves of the store.  I seriously doubt this store is ADA compliant due to this... but it's just a hassle.  Unless the other two are out of a thing I really want, I will skip this location every time.
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Offline broodwars

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #710 on: April 07, 2019, 09:57:20 AM »
So GameStop went to all the trouble of securing the exclusive rights to the physical version of the Borderlands remaster...and then proceeded to not stock it at their stores in my area. I recently attempted to acquire a copy after being literally bored to sleep (yes, I actually fell asleep once playing the game) by Yoshi's Crafted World, but apparently management only sent 2-3 copies to any store, and there isn't one in my area that has one in stock.

Stuff like this is why no one shops at GameStop anymore. There's just a total lack of competence.
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Offline nickmitch

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #711 on: April 07, 2019, 09:01:49 PM »
Gamestops were always far from future-proof.  The small retail footprints were great at first, I'm sure, since the main product was basically smaller and smaller boxes.  But yeah, the knickknack business model does not work for their retail space in most locales.  There are some standalone gamestops in my area, but I never go to them.  There's no reason to other than the Gamestop and there isn't even a reason for me to go to the Gamestop in the mall next to the Target that I visit on a weekly basis.
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Offline Stratos

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #712 on: April 07, 2019, 09:45:52 PM »
I think there is a potential for the physical goodies Gamestop offers. A lot of folks love that stuff. Just not as prolific as their stores currently are. A Gamestop in a popular mall could fare well. Places like Spencers and Hot Topic do well in those settings selling fancy knick-knacks. And Disney has a number of retail locations. Haven't we all longed for physical Nintendo merch from time to time?

Another route they could go is with imports. Japan has a lot of great gamer-centric merch and there is a nice market for importing those goodies over here. They could try their hand at that to broaden their appeal.
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Offline Super KYTim89

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #713 on: May 26, 2019, 07:22:40 PM »
Gamestop has about a year, two at the most, before it goes the way of Blockbuster video. I just buy my gamessage digitally now, so Gamestop is useless.

Offline kaijugamer

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #714 on: May 26, 2019, 11:11:49 PM »
I felt guilty that I only go to  GameStop whenever they have a Pokemon code giveaway. I do hope they offer more Japan-exclusive merchandise so I wouldn't mind going there for some stuff from time to time.

Offline ejamer

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #715 on: May 27, 2019, 07:31:50 AM »
I still go to the stores when one is nearby... then wonder why I waste my time afterwards.
(Granted, part of the problem is that I'm mostly interested in retro games at this point in time - which likely isn't a viable business model for them either.)
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Offline Adrock

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #716 on: May 27, 2019, 09:28:47 AM »
I sometimes go into GameStop for the hell of it. Occasionally, it’ll have a decent hardware trade offer which helps when upgrading. Maybe I shouldn’t look for places that will enable this behavior? As far as games, I’ve been pretty good about only buying games I intend to keep. The exception was Fire Emblem Warriors, and I didn’t buy that for myself.

GameStop dug its own grave by just being so shiesty to customers and employees. Who doesn’t have their own personal GameStop horror story? It was only a matter of time before that caught up to the company. As the industry started moving toward digital downloads, GameStop couldn’t even fall back on its goodwill or superior customer experience because it had neither. I was in a GameStop several years ago and I witnessed a district manager really give it to the employees. I’ve worked in customer service before so personally, that’s a huge turnoff. The district manager then harassed me with overbearing customer service while I was browsing the store (I was trying to find some Wii games I missed out on like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories). Leave me alone, bro. NO ONE FUCKING LIKES THAT.

I’ve had a few great experiences with GameStop employees though those always felt in spite of GameStop, not because of it. They were genuinely good customer service people, and I hope they find/found better employers that truly appreciate what they bring to the table. When people don’t have to go to your store anymore for your primary product, how do you get people in the door? It has to be the customer experience. Best Buy figure that out, but it typically had good customer service before it restructured. It hired a CEO from a hospitality and travel company, downsized and focused on its strongest market (North America) then really leaned into its customer service. GameStop, on the other hand, now sells a bunch of fucking knick-knacks that take up a large portion of its floorspace. Not going to get it done, guys.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2019, 09:30:46 AM by Adrock »

Offline broodwars

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #717 on: May 27, 2019, 10:32:11 AM »
The irritating thing is that we NEED a retail space gaming specialty store like GameStop. Amazon and Walmart can't be allowed to control everything. GameStop has just consistently managed to **** everything up, and with great effort at that.

I don't buy anything at GS anymore if I can help it just because of all the bad experiences I've had there, not to mention the lack of price competition with online sites like Amazon. They have made some changes of late that could push them towards a better experience, such as shelling out $5 off coupons for members every month (no longer $5 off used coupons) and allowing game returns again. However, at this point it just feels like too little too late. There's an Amazon locker more or less on my way home, so I can usually have new or long-sought releases just sent there for free or cheaper than retail so I tend to do 99% of my entertainment shopping from there just by default.
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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #718 on: May 27, 2019, 12:40:28 PM »
GameStop dug its own grave by just being so shiesty to customers and employees. Who doesn’t have their own personal GameStop horror story? It was only a matter of time before that caught up to the company. As the industry started moving toward digital downloads, GameStop couldn’t even fall back on its goodwill or superior customer experience because it had neither. I was in a GameStop several years ago and I witnessed a district manager really give it to the employees. I’ve worked in customer service before so personally, that’s a huge turnoff. The district manager then harassed me with overbearing customer service while I was browsing the store (I was trying to find some Wii games I missed out on like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories). Leave me alone, bro. NO ONE FUCKING LIKES THAT.

I really wonder who in management comes up with this sort of stuff.  Have they never been in a store themselves and been annoyed by a pushy salesperson?  Does this tactic actually drum up enough revenue that having effectively no costumer goodwill is worth it?  My local grocery store does this thing where they will have some random product each week at the till and the cashier has to do a little spiel each time asking us if we want to buy it.  Sometimes it is topical, like sunscreen in the summer, but often it's something random like toothpaste.  It's always some item small enough that the cashier can have a little stack of them and oddly enough they're never impulse buys like snacks.  All this does is slow down the process of paying for my groceries and the poor cashiers always look so embarrassed in bringing it up.  It irritates the customers so I don't know why they think this is a good idea.

Why do I go to that specific grocery store when there are several of them in my town?  Well this one is geographically the closest and often has the lowest prices.  That's it.  There is nothing else compelling me to go to this store.  If they raised the prices in such a way that it financially made sense for me to drive a few more blocks to a different grocery store to save money, I would.  There is nothing that personally connects me to the store but there are things they do that specifically annoy me.  So why wouldn't the store try to make a personal connection and make me like the store and the way it treats its customers?  Instead they do the opposite so I have no loyalty.

Gamestop has been like that for years.  I only go there if no one else has the game I want.  Literally it is the last place I look.  Around the Gamecube era, Canada's release dates were unreliable so maybe on release date it was in stores or maybe you wouldn't see it until days later.  Back then Gamestop often got my business for new games because they often had it first.  But Canada's release dates became standardized with America's and Gamestop no longer had that advantage and they had done nothing but irritate me in terms of customer service so they became my last resort, even though the other stores don't get games in earlier and have the same price.

Offline Order.RSS

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #719 on: May 27, 2019, 04:36:22 PM »
I really wonder who in management comes up with this sort of stuff.  Have they never been in a store themselves and been annoyed by a pushy salesperson?  Does this tactic actually drum up enough revenue that having effectively no costumer goodwill is worth it? 

It has to be worth it for them in some regard. Either economically (accelerated pace of pushing out these products they overstocked on/noticeable upticks in sales when something is being actively promoted), or it's worth it for someone's job. ("See Mr. Manager, we're trying for one extra sale on every purchase, which we didn't do before. Look how we're definitely innovating, please don't fire me.")

Admittedly I think this is probably most effective in grocery stores - what are you gonna do, just not buy groceries? They know their customers come in for low prices, so as long as they have those, you're gonna be coming back every week to listen to their newest upselling pitch.

I'd assume with video games, this is kinda borne out of the presumption that a lot of customers are relatively tech-inept and are thus easy marks for upselling. Sure you don't want our store warranty on this expensive gift for your kids which they might ruin? Can we interest you in this plastic tennis racket to attach to your Wiimote? Etc.
Similar to how computer stores often try to push a new mouse/monitor/keyboard etc. on families, because some people don't really get that different brand devices can work in unison.
Is that an outdated notion? Probably slowly becoming one, certainly in gaming (although the bloat in various online services must be a minefield for parents), but I think that might have been the reason such practices were introduced.

Offline nickmitch

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #720 on: May 27, 2019, 10:08:56 PM »
Pushing magazine subscriptions probably worked for them.  If you get one sale out of 100 asks, you generally keep asking.  But I have to wonder if anyone there is monitoring their foot traffic and looking at reasons why it's going down, if it is (it should be).  Like, it shouldn't cost much to have someone browse the internet to get a feel for GameStop's public perception.

Of course, there's always the possibility that they are and just concluding that people would rather buy games digitally.

I felt guilty that I only go to  GameStop whenever they have a Pokemon code giveaway.

That's 90% of my GameStop trips and I don't feel a thing.
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Offline King of Twitch

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #721 on: June 22, 2019, 09:52:14 PM »
Gamestop is going after a youtuber that tells the ridonkulous stories of what he went through there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRxR68wS-uE
https://twitter.com/NerdLair/status/1142274800976449536
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Offline nickmitch

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #722 on: June 22, 2019, 10:11:26 PM »
People telling stories of your shitty business is bad press, but it's worse press to go after those people.
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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #723 on: September 11, 2019, 04:47:15 PM »
https://www.engadget.com/2019/09/11/gamestop-to-close-over-200-stores/

Quote
Just two months after GameStop announced ambitious plans to breathe new life into its stores, the company has announced that between 180 and 200 stores around the world will be closing their doors for good before the year is out -- and more closures are coming.

The company's stock price is at $4.59 right now--it was $11.58 in mid-March, an outstanding ~2/3 drop in only 6 months. It was at $27.09 three years ago, about a ~5/6 drop: https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/gme

Camelot331 (mentioned in a previous post above) just did a video going over their recent losses: a magnificent 415mil L O S S for the quarter that ended August 3: https://youtu.be/k4ARilbqv4I

Quote
Despite these closures -- and efforts to revamp the better-performing stores -- it's unlikely that GameStop's fortunes will change any time soon, thanks largely to the end of the current console generation and subsequent weaker title launches. As a result, Bell said, the company expects its year-over-year sales to be down for the next three to four quarters.

I need to pick up a few things from Party City before GS completely implodes. You all are welcome to drop by for my funeral-party.
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Offline UncleBob

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Re: So nobody likes GameStop?
« Reply #724 on: September 11, 2019, 05:34:26 PM »
I watched some of Camelot's videos.  From things I absolutely know to be the definitive truth, he is either absolutely misinformed or is a complete liar.  I'm not sure which.

And I have no love for GameStop.  But those videos are just... meh.
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