Full disclosure: GameStop and I have a history. I've never made a secret of my less-than-stellar customer service experiences at several of its stores, and while I wouldn't say I have an axe to grind, I'll readily admit that I'm not a GameStop fan and generally avoid their stores like the plague. I pre-order from them only when they have exclusive swag, and enter their stores only when absolutely necessary. The brief anecdote I'm about to relate did nothing to alleviate my disdain.
Upon entering the store, I figured that I might be able to find the discs somewhere in a floor display, thereby skipping the lengthy cash register line entirely. I had no such luck, so I took my spot in line to wait to ask if they had them behind the desk. Aside from the clerk manning the cash register, there was another clerk standing around on the "public" side of the counter doing nothing. Was he on his lunch break? I have no idea. However, he seemed perfectly content to stand there and watch customers wait in line while he assumedly "worked the floor". To his credit he did eventually open up a second register (maybe after he was off of break?), but this was only after the line became ten customers deep and we'd all been waiting there for at least fifteen minutes.
I had a couple of friends with me, so I stepped out of line to walk over and ask him about the demo's availability. He told me that I had to place a pre-order to get it. This was noteworthy on two fronts: First, it was flat-out wrong. The demo has been a known freebie since it was announced, and was always intended to be that way. Second, I can only deduce that he was deliberately trying to mislead me in the hopes that I would mistakenly place $5 down on the game in order to get the demo disc. When I challenged him on the pre-order caveat, he played dumb and asked the other clerk for confirmation. Without looking up from her checkout duties she replied, "Yeah, it's free," in a dull monotone. I walked up to the front of the line, grabbed my disc from the cardboard holder on the counter, and left.
All of this could be excused if it were an isolated incident. Maybe a clerk in a store here and there didn't listen or didn't care, so when asked about the disc they didn't really know and erred on the side of their commission. I could understand that. However, according to an informal poll taken by NintendoGal, this "mistake" is happening at Gamestops all over the country. In the Seattle area alone, over a dozen stores apparently denied customers the free demo altogether without a pre-order, and based on my own experiences here in Atlanta, I can believe it.
The only explanation I can come up with for this sad state of affairs is that store-level managers are tacitly endorsing this behavior, or at the very least looking the other way. I can't see GameStop corporate encouraging the willful misleading of their customers, but the cynic in me can't see them discouraging it either. After all, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, right? And certainly all Gamestop head office cares about at the end of the day are the pre-order numbers coming in from each store, so if a manager decides to "misinterpret" the price tag on a demo disc, the ill-gotten pre-order money will certainly make it all better.
However, the long-term damage on the customer end is an aversion to the company and an expectation of shady behavior by its staff. I typically expect GameStop employees to be fountains of misinformation, pushers of overpriced used games in poor condition, and hustlers that seem like they're going to get beaten by their pimp at the end of their shift if they don't secure a pre-order. No, I don't want a strategy guide. I don't want "protection" for my game. I don't want to have to pay $5 for something that we both know is free. I will, however, take a one-way ticket out of your store as quickly as possible.
GameStop needs to start treating its customers with respect instead of trying to squeeze them for every dime. They need promotional instructions clearly articulated across their organization to prevent individual store staff from becoming an obstacle to the game-purchasing process. With online shopping becoming easier and easier and digital distribution looming just over the horizon, poor retail service like this will ultimately result in GameStop's retail outlets becoming a thing of the past. I, for one, wouldn't miss them.
Also, and don't take this the wrong way, is there a specific criteria on NWR as to what is a blog post and what is an editorial?We're going to be merging and reorganizing these two sections soon. The Editorial label will mean they've been fully edited and are meant to provoke deeper discussion.
My Gamestop must also be one of those rare "good" stores, because I was in it a couple days before the "official" release date for the demo picking up a strategy guide for an RPG I was playing. I just walked up to the counter, bought my guide, and took one of the demo discs with me without a single word out of the cashier.
My Gamestop must also be one of those rare "good" stores, because I was in it a couple days before the "official" release date for the demo picking up a strategy guide for an RPG I was playing. I just walked up to the counter, bought my guide, and took one of the demo discs with me without a single word out of the cashier.
Apparently, "good" GameStops aren't hard to find. Out of the three GameStops I attend to out of town none of them have given me any trouble. Sure they ask if I want to pre-order stuff, warranty etc. but they were always courteous to me and have yet to see any incompetence from the employees.
If you don't mind my blunt opinion, while I do agree that the whole chain is guilty of some dubious practices it seems that most horror stories are caused by the employees and not the store itself. And like I said before even the best companies hire the worst employees.
Also, and don't take this the wrong way, is there a specific criteria on NWR as to what is a blog post and what is an editorial?
If you don't mind my blunt opinion, while I do agree that the whole chain is guilty of some dubious practices it seems that most horror stories are caused by the employees and not the store itself.
I don't think this is an employee issue. If GameStop instructed everysingle manager to be brutally clear that the demo disc was free, and itwas made clear from the top-down that B.S. like this wasn't tolerated,nobody would have a problem. It's pretty obvious from thepreponderance of people being denied a FREE ITEM that Gamestop, as acompany, promotes - whether directly or indirectly - an atmosphere oftolerance for this behavior, and a "get money by all means necessary"mentality in its employees.
There are certainly "good" Gamestops out there, but the very fact that there are "good" and "bad" stores is a problem in itself! I never hear people creating blogs that track "good" and "bad" Best Buy stores. It's unheard of. If Best Buy was offering this demo disc, they'd have people handing it to you at the door with a smile! Why? Because if they didn't, their manager would chew them out.
Funcoland is what turned into Gamestop. I remember those days.Actually, GameStop ate all of the other game retailers: Funcoland, Babbage's, Software Etc., EB Games, Rhino Video Games (and several other international retailers). Those other stores used to be a lot more interesting before GameStop took over the entire market.
Best Buy was a not a good example to use there, Lindy. Go to any consumer warning type site like Consumerist and everyone bashes Best Buy worse than we all bash Gamestop.
Indeed. The only place I avoid more than GameStop is Best Buy. I have my own set of horror stories regarding that place.The sad thing? At least with Best Buy, you can walk in, grab the game you want, say "No Thank You" to the warranty plan they offer, pay for the game, and leave. Best Buy actually orders large volumes of their games, and a few copies of obscure games, so there's no "We only have enough for the people who preordered it." stuff going on with things like Halo 3 or Brawl. So yeah, even though everyone hates Best Buy, I've found they're leagues ahead of my personal experiences with nearly every GameStop I've been to.
If I need a large-volume game immediately, I'll just go to Target where I don't have to put up with any of that crap. Or, I know it's not an option for most people, but I can go to Fry's and get the game at a discount, even new. If I need an obscure game, I'll use Amazon or eBay (I've never been able to find any obscure games at Best Buy).
One example regarding Best Buy: My roommate tried to get a laptop during a Black Friday sale. After waiting for hours in line, they try to give him a laptop with a bunch of extra software he didn't want preloaded. And he would have to pay for all of it. The alternative was to wait for several more hours for them to uninstall it. On top of that, the return policy wasn't standard because they had opened the computer to install the software. Bait-and-switch bullshit.
I've had problems with Best Buy too, mostly in regards to sales and getting games in on time. I actually don't like Target at all. They have an extremely limited selection (at least, mine does), worse than Wal-Mart, and the stuff I actually go there in search of is never, and I mean NEVER on sale for more than like $5 off.Yeah, I'm a CAG, so I very rarely actually go to Target, I was just saying if you're going to pay full price, it's an option where they don't treat you like ****. I buy the large majority of my games online, where better deals are usually found.
If Nintendos "DEMO" service was worth any thing or at least somewhat mirrored PS3/XBOX 360's service, would Lindy ever had to go into Gamestop?(http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/Smileys/default/huh.gif)? We can only wonder
Funcoland is what turned into Gamestop. I remember those days.Actually, GameStop ate all of the other game retailers: Funcoland, Babbage's, Software Etc., EB Games, Rhino Video Games (and several other international retailers). Those other stores used to be a lot more interesting before GameStop took over the entire market.
Funcoland is what turned into Gamestop. I remember those days.Actually, GameStop ate all of the other game retailers: Funcoland, Babbage's, Software Etc., EB Games, Rhino Video Games (and several other international retailers). Those other stores used to be a lot more interesting before GameStop took over the entire market.
It would seem that this would violate anti-trust laws because Gamestop has a monopoly on selling games. Or would Wal-mart and Target be competitors to gamestop.
Funcoland is what turned into Gamestop. I remember those days.Actually, GameStop ate all of the other game retailers: Funcoland, Babbage's, Software Etc., EB Games, Rhino Video Games (and several other international retailers). Those other stores used to be a lot more interesting before GameStop took over the entire market.
It would seem that this would violate anti-trust laws because Gamestop has a monopoly on selling games. Or would Wal-mart and Target be competitors to gamestop.
Here in Louisville, KY we have a second hand game store called Bokk and Music Exchange.
Funcoland is what turned into Gamestop. I remember those days.Actually, GameStop ate all of the other game retailers: Funcoland, Babbage's, Software Etc., EB Games, Rhino Video Games (and several other international retailers). Those other stores used to be a lot more interesting before GameStop took over the entire market.
It would seem that this would violate anti-trust laws because Gamestop has a monopoly on selling games. Or would Wal-mart and Target be competitors to gamestop.
I think, all things considered, Walmart has like 35% of all new game/hardware sales. I seem to remember reading that a few years ago when GameStop was buying EBGames.Here in Louisville, KY we have a second hand game store called Bokk and Music Exchange.
I don't know about Bokk and Music Exchange, but there's two Book and Music Exchange stores in Evansville, IN. Great places, but they tend to overprice their crap. Love their tent sales though.
Well I haven't picked up the demo yet so I can't comment on this situation from first hand experiance but if you got the demo without any hassles or if you did have some problems check out this link.already linked in the OP
Http://nintendogal.com/2010/03/16/dubious-gamestop-practices-or-monster-hunter-mix-up/ (http://nintendogal.com/2010/03/16/dubious-gamestop-practices-or-monster-hunter-mix-up/)
In the comments section post the store and address of it and the phone number of the store and if you had a problem or not with that piticular store.
However, according to an informal poll (http://www.nintendogal.com/2010/03/16/dubious-gamestop-practices-or-monster-hunter-mix-up/) taken by NintendoGal, this "mistake" is happening at Gamestops all over the country.
Don't forget Game Crazy. Game Crazy is the closest thing in the States to a direct competitor for Game Stop. Unfortunately they are starting to follow similar practices to GS from what I hear.I forget Game Crazy because I have never even SEEN a Game Crazy.
I thought the preorder came with free Wii points, and the demo was just the demo, Sundulous. Can anyone who picked it up actually say if it came with anything aside from the disc, the packing, and whatever control scheme stuff they needed?Others have answered this, but I think that she meant that they're using the Wii points to justify requiring a pre-order in order to obtain the demo.
It would seem that this would violate anti-trust laws because Gamestop has a monopoly on selling games. Or would Wal-mart and Target be competitors to gamestop.
QuoteIt would seem that this would violate anti-trust laws because Gamestop has a monopoly on selling games. Or would Wal-mart and Target be competitors to gamestop.
Any place that sells games would be a Gamestop competitor. And I think for anti-trust laws to take effect Gamestop has to not only have no competition but be in a position where they actively block others from attempting to compete. You're not an illegal monopoly if you just happen to be the only company in your field because nothing stops someone from creating a competing business if they want to.
I mentioned a local chain I go to named Willow Video. The sheer fact that that even exists shows the Gamestop has no monopoly. Hell with eBay how could anyone truly claim that Gamestop has a monopoly on used games? There would always still be an alternate way for Americans to purchase them.
One thing I've learned over the years is that freedom isn't free, it costs folks like you and me, and if you don't throw in your buck o' five who will?
Once I went into a Gamestop and the person behind the counter asked if I wanted to preorder a game. Being courteous (it's part of the scout law, man) I replied, "No thanks, I would rather decide if I want a game after it comes out and get it then." The man told me that, "Dude that is the stupidest thing I've heard, how the hell are you going to get a copy of Halo 3 when it comes out." I responded, a bit more tersely, "I am sure that you will have plenty of copies, I think it would be dumb to not order enough of the biggest game coming out this year." His idea of a witty response was to imitate a crying baby, smashing his fists into the counter and screaming (really, yelling), "Whaaaahhh I am such a baby! I am too scared to pre order a game and I cry when I can't find it when it comes out!" As people turned their heads, he continued his show. I walked out, disgusted.
...
Yet another time, I purchased a brand new copy of the PC game Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Not having seen one in stores for a while, I bought it. Turns out, when I went to buy some deodorant (or something) at the Target that shared a parking lot I found a copy of the game a full twenty dollars cheaper. Needless to say, I bought that version and went to return the more expensive copy I had bought at Gamestop. The person working there refused my return, saying they had the right to do so. I don't look like a criminal, at least I hope not, and there was no way in hell that I had copied the game within fifteen minutes and managed to do so without even breaking the seal on the game. So I was stuck with that copy and had to drive to two cities away to return it, because the guy had called his friend at the closer gamestop to warn him of the "thief".
Yes, i agree with this sentiment about Game Stop. I favor Play-N-Trade. I f-ing hate that there's always the chance that going into Game Stop that I'm going to run into this clique of arrogant insensitive assholes who arent interested in helping me, answering questions, nor have any patience for anyone "not at their level".
Has anyone filled out those customer serveys?
One thing I've learned over the years is that freedom isn't free, it costs folks like you and me, and if you don't throw in your buck o' five who will?
Demo disc - not available in Canada (it seems)
So y'all can quitcher bitchin'!
:D
Demo disc - not available in Canada (it seems)
So y'all can quitcher bitchin'!
:D
And whose fault is it that you live in Canada? Get a better country, eh? ;D