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TalkBack / Re: Stop Going to GameStop
« on: July 16, 2011, 02:40:55 PM »
I have to admit that I have generally had pretty good experiences at Gamestop. I do have an Edge card (or whatever they're calling it now) but I don't tend to take advantage of the "special" offers on pre-played games. I shop at three different Gamestops - two in the South Shore Plaza in Braintree, MA and the one at Downtown Crossing in Boston, and they know my name at all three. I'm not really their ideal customer because I rarely buy used games (which is what keeps them in business) and I never sell used games (I prefer to keep them indefinitely) but I do pre-order just about every a-list title and that helps the employees meet their goals so they like me.
I think the key to a great shopping experience is to make friends with the folks helping you. The key to that is shopping in a place with low turnover and regular staff (so NOT Best Buy) and to understand what the sales people need to meet their goals. At Gamestop I believe that the store tracks pre-orders, edge card sales, and PPGs (which are not a bad idea on used games or games with peripherals.) So, yeah, strike up conversations with the guys (or gals) helping you about games - you'll discover that they're pretty cool people and they'll appreciate your business if you pre-order three or four games every time you drop in. (YMMV - I spend about a quarter of my disposable income on games.)
If you have one of the bigger Gamestops near you (like the Downtown Crossing one) you can also sometimes go to special game demo events and meet game developers - which is ultra cool. I'm hoping they'll have a pre-release event for Bioshock Infinite sometime next year.
P.S. - I love the fact that at the Downtown Crossing store the staff tend to have their 3DS consoles in streetpass mode behind the counter so I can collect diorama pieces every time I drop in.
I think the key to a great shopping experience is to make friends with the folks helping you. The key to that is shopping in a place with low turnover and regular staff (so NOT Best Buy) and to understand what the sales people need to meet their goals. At Gamestop I believe that the store tracks pre-orders, edge card sales, and PPGs (which are not a bad idea on used games or games with peripherals.) So, yeah, strike up conversations with the guys (or gals) helping you about games - you'll discover that they're pretty cool people and they'll appreciate your business if you pre-order three or four games every time you drop in. (YMMV - I spend about a quarter of my disposable income on games.)
If you have one of the bigger Gamestops near you (like the Downtown Crossing one) you can also sometimes go to special game demo events and meet game developers - which is ultra cool. I'm hoping they'll have a pre-release event for Bioshock Infinite sometime next year.
P.S. - I love the fact that at the Downtown Crossing store the staff tend to have their 3DS consoles in streetpass mode behind the counter so I can collect diorama pieces every time I drop in.