Topic: tbh i might (somewhat) miss gamestop

[pokepal148]

yes the preorder stuff is a bit stupid but i picked up excitebots for 5$
i am happy that digital distribution is going to make these hard to find games a thing of the past but randomly stumbling upon a copy of the game created such a feeling of joy...
im going to miss that

[Oblivion]

I paid for Spec Ops the line, ended up trading my way to Far Cry 3, Dishonored, and FE: Awakening. I love that place.

[nickmitch]

It's the only national gaming chain in the US. It fills a pretty niche market that it somehow managed to piss off. No one is gonna fill that void, if they go under. Margins are too thin, and if you try to stretch them, you get hated fot it.

[Oblivion]

Yeah. I've found some very hard to find and niche titles Gamestop, usually for cheaper than a place like Amazon. Gaming companies make HD releases to combat this and to make some extra dough on the side.

[Ian Sane]

I've been spoiled.  In my local area there is local chain called Willow Videogames that has three locations.  It's actually primarily a video rental store but since they were already renting games they moved into selling used games and eventually new stuff as well.  They have better prices than Gamestop and have a used selection that covers anything.  Gamestop usually just has used games for current systems while Willow routinely has used games for the NES, SNES, etc.  I just don't have to put up with Gamestop like other's do.

Even limiting things to Gamestop, it is a lot of fun to be on the lookout for an old title and to just one day find it at the store.  Like that morning you had no idea you would even buy a game that day and in the end you ended up landing that title you had been looking for for years.  That's cool.  That's part of the joy of collecting old games.

My SNES collection is only missing a few key titles that I want.  Some might say "well just get them on eBay" but that's not the point.  Part of the appeal is finding the game out "in the wild".  For the more obscure games that story of finding them is part of it.  Since Gamestop doesn't carry that old of games, it doesn't create these sort of moments the same way a flea market will, but it creates moments just the same.  For many it's the only way to experience them.  Losing that would be a shame.

But then I did find I had more a connection to "gamer stores" when there were multiple chains.  As Gamestop took over it lost the feeling of being part of a sub-culture and more of just some big corporate chain.  Back in the 90's I saw a place like EB as a place for "my people" but now it might as well be Sears.

[BranDonk Kong]

*Insert slow clap GIF*

[pokepal148]

Even limiting things to Gamestop, it is a lot of fun to be on the lookout for an old title and to just one day find it at the store.  Like that morning you had no idea you would even buy a game that day and in the end you ended up landing that title you had been looking for for years.  That's cool.  That's part of the joy of collecting old games.
Some might say "well just get them on eBay" but that's not the point.  Part of the appeal is finding the game out "in the wild".  For the more obscure games that story of finding them is part of it.  Since Gamestop doesn't carry that old of games, it doesn't create these sort of moments the same way a flea market will, but it creates moments just the same.  For many it's the only way to experience them.  Losing that would be a shame.

it would(and will) be a shame but in the end its for the best. i shouldn't have to choose between digging around at gamestop and paying 200 dollars at gamestop for xenoblade, excitebots was pure luck on my part.

digital distribution will end that, and while i will miss that sudden thrill for me its for the best

[Shaymin]

I'll miss EB Games because the other two stores around here that do game trades are owned by the same company, so there'd be no competition if they went under.

[lolmonade]

I think there's sometimes a lot of misguided hate at Gamestop.  People may dislike them selling used copies for $5 less than new, and the fact that you'll get 1/2 or less of the retail value of a trade in, but it's not like they're forcing those people, or that it's customer's only recourse to sell used games. 
 
My miles have varied with the chain depending on what store I go to.  The Gamestop by my home has very helpful employees that don't push subscriptions or pre-orders much, while the one in the Mall is terrible in that they hound you while you're looking around constantly, but then take their sweet time ringing people up at the register to the point where I had to walk out without buying the game I had in my hand because I had been in line for 15 minutes and I was going to be late for an appointment if I was there any longer (the clerk was busy flirting with a girl at the front of the line).
 
 

[Oblivion]

They do this so they don't lose their job. Certain people take it more seriously than others. If you start a preorder, they get a good score. You cancel one? It dings them a point. Also, they need to have at least 12% of people signed up for the paid version of their pro card or else their hours get cut and eventually fired.


Just like every other damn retail chain in the country. I have the same thing with Kmart and the Show Your Way Rewards Program. If I don't have 70% or higher usage per day, I get fired.


Because Gamestop has less employees per store compared to a place like WalMart or Kmart, the atmosphere to get someone to sign up for a preorder or pro card is much more tense and desperate.


But yeah, sometimes there are dumbasses that work the counter.

[Ian Sane]

They do this so they don't lose their job. Certain people take it more seriously than others. If you start a preorder, they get a good score. You cancel one? It dings them a point. Also, they need to have at least 12% of people signed up for the paid version of their pro card or else their hours get cut and eventually fired.


Just like every other damn retail chain in the country. I have the same thing with Kmart and the Show Your Way Rewards Program. If I don't have 70% or higher usage per day, I get fired.


Because Gamestop has less employees per store compared to a place like WalMart or Kmart, the atmosphere to get someone to sign up for a preorder or pro card is much more tense and desperate.


But yeah, sometimes there are dumbasses that work the counter.

This actually makes me think "well good fucking riddance to Gamestop".  Gotta love a policy that encourages employees to make the experience unpleasant for the customer.

Reminds me of the grocery store I typical shop at.  Every once in a while I get asked by the cashier (who usually has a "sorry they make me say this" look on their face) if I want to buy the "item of the month".  And it's not even like an impulse buy, like a chocolate bar, but something completely random.  Okay, I'm already buying something at the store or I wouldn't be at the cashier in the first place.  You don't need to rope me in I'm already a customer and I'm already giving you money.  And this is a grocery store, not some car dealership, so you can expect a lot of repeat business.  Now I'm leaving the store pissed off that you pushed this crap on me.  Is that worth it?  Does the occasional "item of the month" sale (and I personally have never seen ANYONE buy it) make up for having a large portion of your customerbase annoyed at you?  People aren't loyal to stores that piss them off.  I can't help but think that these policies come from out-of-touch executive types who fake their way with a fancy degree and haven't put in a day of real hands-on work in their life.

Getting back on topic, an employee getting dinged for someone cancelling is pretty harsh.  The customer could have found a better deal somewhere else and cancelled his pre-order on that basis and you get dinged if you're just the unlucky guy he talked to.  It doesn't make you responsible for his cancelation.

It seems that Gamestop got by a lot on a lack of competition.  We all bitch about it but would inevitably run into a situation where it was the only place to get the game we wanted.

[Stogi]

Last time I went to Gamestop, I bought probably about 11 used PS3 games, ripped them, then returned them. "Wrong platform."

I'm a scumbag.

[Oblivion]

They do this so they don't lose their job. Certain people take it more seriously than others. If you start a preorder, they get a good score. You cancel one? It dings them a point. Also, they need to have at least 12% of people signed up for the paid version of their pro card or else their hours get cut and eventually fired.


Just like every other damn retail chain in the country. I have the same thing with Kmart and the Show Your Way Rewards Program. If I don't have 70% or higher usage per day, I get fired.


Because Gamestop has less employees per store compared to a place like WalMart or Kmart, the atmosphere to get someone to sign up for a preorder or pro card is much more tense and desperate.


But yeah, sometimes there are dumbasses that work the counter.

This actually makes me think "well good fucking riddance to Gamestop".  Gotta love a policy that encourages employees to make the experience unpleasant for the customer.

Reminds me of the grocery store I typical shop at.  Every once in a while I get asked by the cashier (who usually has a "sorry they make me say this" look on their face) if I want to buy the "item of the month".  And it's not even like an impulse buy, like a chocolate bar, but something completely random.  Okay, I'm already buying something at the store or I wouldn't be at the cashier in the first place.  You don't need to rope me in I'm already a customer and I'm already giving you money.  And this is a grocery store, not some car dealership, so you can expect a lot of repeat business.  Now I'm leaving the store pissed off that you pushed this crap on me.  Is that worth it?  Does the occasional "item of the month" sale (and I personally have never seen ANYONE buy it) make up for having a large portion of your customerbase annoyed at you?  People aren't loyal to stores that piss them off.  I can't help but think that these policies come from out-of-touch executive types who fake their way with a fancy degree and haven't put in a day of real hands-on work in their life.

Getting back on topic, an employee getting dinged for someone cancelling is pretty harsh.  The customer could have found a better deal somewhere else and cancelled his pre-order on that basis and you get dinged if you're just the unlucky guy he talked to.  It doesn't make you responsible for his cancelation.

It seems that Gamestop got by a lot on a lack of competition.  We all bitch about it but would inevitably run into a situation where it was the only place to get the game we wanted.

Like I said, that's the case for every single retail store in existence. Ask anyone who has worked in retail for longer than a month at any store, they will tell you. This is not unique to Gamestop, only because it's about our life's passion and hobby. If you say good riddance to Gamestop, you might as well say good riddance to every chain store on the planet.


Mind you, I'm not defending this practice, I just think that you shouldn't blame any one employee or company for what it an industry standard at this point.


I was the type of employee that hated what they made me do so much that I hardly abided by those god-awful rules unless the manager was watching. You can see why I got fired, but at least I tried to uphold my standards.

[Caterkiller]

Walked into GameStop today, waited half an hour for those goony guys to open up a cubbard and switch on their Pokemon distribution device. They could see a few of us piling in waiting with our DS's in hand and just took their good and sweet time. There was a very modest break in customers as well so it wasn't like there was someone at the front desk at every moment.

It's funny that Ian brings up GameStop being a place for "us." Back when I was under worked and over paid with 2 hour plus breaks daily I would walk into the nearest GameStop and just hangout and talk with the employees all the time. G4 guys would come in and always interview me for that top ten show Filter, I think it was. Despite being a pure Nintendo guy it did feel like a place I was accepted at and it was just for me. Now I only walk into a GameStop when my wife is doing boring wife stuff in her stores just to see the games on the shelves. I try to make it quick because I absolutely hate talking to any GameStop employees, which I don't actually like about myself because in any other environment I'm the exact opposite. GameStop honestly brings out the worst in me.

[Oblivion]

And I have a wonderful experience every time I go in there, talking to employees about video games. Everyone has a different experience. People are assholes, they aren't exclusive to Gamestop.