Gaming Forums => Nintendo Gaming => Topic started by: Hey Einstein! on January 10, 2014, 06:00:11 AM
Title: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Hey Einstein! on January 10, 2014, 06:00:11 AM
I was explaining to my wife the other day that one of the pains of the Nintendo enthusiast is knowing more then the chumps who work in video game retail (both on and off line).
I know, I know, you and your cousin both work for Gamestation and studied Nintendonomics at Yale. But you are the exception or you wouldn't even be on this forum. And if you don't mind me saying so, you're wasted in retail... I digress.
I bring this up now because in the last week alone I have been thwarted in trying to by a Wii fit U meter from Game (clerk: "You have to buy the game, you can't get the pedometer by itself. It doesn't exist" Me: "But it's on your own website!"), Been told by somebody in a store that Nintendo no longer sell eShop vouchers (I guess they meant Wii Shop Channel vouchers. But they had an in store display of eshop vouchers so maybe they just didn't want my money) But my favourite - I ordered a pre owned Motion Plus from CEX and received.... a wireless nunchuck adapter (but no nunchuck). I know some of these were designed with motion plus built in but I've tested it and , nah, Wii Sports Resort says it's a useless hunk of off-white plastic.
Thank you for your compliance in my cathartic release. Now whose got the best 'Dumb Nintendo no-knowing shop assistant' story?
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 10, 2014, 11:26:27 AM
There are so many tales to tell... in fact we used to have a thread on the idiots at one specific video game retailer - GameStop.
I don't have a specific incident in mind at the moment, and haven't had an game related idiot clerk sighting in quite some time, But correcting the dumbasses behind the counter at GameStop (& other game retailers) used to be a hobby for most around here.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Ceric on January 10, 2014, 12:37:23 PM
Welcome to the Digital Age!
I only seem to do any business with Gamestop for Hardware more or less now days.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 10, 2014, 12:44:02 PM
The people who work at the GameStop I usually go to are mostly pretty knowledgeable. They don't all keep up with Nintendo that closely, but they don't talk out of their ass about it. The thing is, I barely go there anymore, having not bought a physical game in over a year and traded in most anything I'd be willing to part with/is worth anything.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: rlse9 on January 10, 2014, 03:24:49 PM
I've never really had a problem with staff. I've heard them saying some strange things to other customers who didn't know much about video games but never had any issues myself. But I don't even know the last time I bought anything at Gamestop, the only time I've walked in there in the past couple years is while walking around the mall to browse for 5 minutes and realize that most of their games are overpriced. Almost every game I've bought over the past 5 or so years has been online, so I just haven't dealt with employees in the electronics/gaming department of any store really.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Ian Sane on January 10, 2014, 04:25:53 PM
Ten years ago I was in stores like Gamestop a lot but my purchasing habits have changed a lot since then. There is a local chain in my area called Willow Video Games that has a great stuff and great prices and is essentially the anti-GameStop and I go there all the time. I always preferred to get games from them but when I was younger it was my impatience that would bring me into GameStop. Willow was a little slow at getting the latest games but by slow I mean like getting a game two days later. But I wanted that shiny new game I had been hyped up about for months RIGHT NOW DAMMIT, so whoever had it first got my purchase. In fact it seemed that during the Cube years it was a crapshoot if any store in my area got a game actually on release date (now it seems to be the norm thankfully).
What's changed is that I rarely buy a game on day one anymore so any advantage GameStop provided is gone. I typically get a game when I feel I have time to play it. Sometimes that's day one but often I have things I have to do so I put off buying the game for a few days until I have a day that I can set aside to specifically play it. And I'm sure as hell not buying that game at GameStop unless I HAVE to. I think the last time I bought a game there was to get a used copy of Phoenix Wright 1, which at that time was hard to find. I didn't even get Xenoblade there, instead ordering online directly from Nintendo.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: smallsharkbigbite on January 10, 2014, 09:55:12 PM
Shiny new games, yes when Gamestop sold new games. Now their games are opened, cases scratched, and full of stickers. I got my first opened game from an online order this Christmas. Awesome.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Adrock on January 10, 2014, 11:22:40 PM
I buy most of my games from sales at Best Buy, Target, or Toys 'R Us so I haven't had an recent run-ins with dipshit clerks who don't know anything. I typically approach those sales knowing exactly what I want to buy so I usually don't have to ask the customer service person anything more than to unlock the case and/or ring me up. When I need a more niche game, I normally go to the Play N Trade my friend manages and he's pretty knowledgeable. If he can't order something, I try Amazon.
The last time I had to deal with someone at GameStop outside of being harassed as soon as I walked into the store was when Xenoblade Chronicles was up for pre-order. If I remember correctly, the person ringing me up never heard of it then the other guy explained in full know-it-all fashion that it was a sequel to Xenosaga. I wanted to say something, but I just let it be then promptly left when transaction was completed.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 10, 2014, 11:30:08 PM
Shiny new games, yes when Gamestop sold new games. Now their games are opened, cases scratched, and full of stickers. I got my first opened game from an online order this Christmas. Awesome.
The last game I bought from there was a "New" opened game that they kept the case on the shelf and the game behind the counter in a cardboard sleeve. I almost walked away with out it, and I wish I had, but for some reason I felt like I needed it on day 1... hardly even played the game. It was that Final Fantasy CC game for Wii.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Oblivion on January 11, 2014, 04:42:13 AM
Lawl. They do sell new games. On release day and up to a week after, when they have a fuckton and need to put them behind the counter. But when the game you are buying only has one or two copies in the store, they need to display the game without having the game inside for security reason. So they open the game and when you buy it they put a seal sticker on it. I don't understand the big deal. They don't have the glass cases that the larger retailers have -- including the backstock.
Is the game scratched? Tell someone. If the disc is in pristine condition I don't see the problem.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Adrock on January 11, 2014, 07:52:47 AM
It's dumb as **** when GameStop opens a game if there's more than one copy. Sure, I understand that one is the display case, but then the rest (even if there's only one additional copy) is still taking up space behind the counter or in the backroom because it has to go somewhere and no one is buying a new game without the case, inserts and whatnot. So they're just opening the additional copies because ?? This is the exact reason I didn't buy Tales of the Abyss on 3DS from GameStop a few months ago. If a new game is opened, I don't buy it from GameStop. I'll still buy used games there if I can't find it new anywhere, but that's only on the very rare occasion when I realize I didn't buy a game I wanted. I think the last used game I bought from GameStop was A Boy and His Blob a few years ago.
If the games are opened, there's no way to tell if they're actually new. I wouldn't mind them doing this if they would sell the opened new game for the used game's price (which they would never do) unless they can prove without a shadow of a doubt that no one even play-tested the game (since that would ultimately mean it was used). Unfortunately, they cannot and my solution, again, is to just not buy new games from GameStop. Also, that seal sticker is total bullshit. I understand the purpose of it; I just hate that it doesn't come off clean.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Stratos on January 11, 2014, 11:57:43 AM
I ask them to not 'seal sticker' the games I buy. It is not a seal. If the game is a gift the sticker makes me feel like I'm pretending I got the person a new game that obviously looks used.
I only buy from Gamestop if I need a game fast (crap! sister's B-Day tomorrow!) or if they have an awesome deal (Monster Hunter U for $18 'new'). They could bother to invest in glass cases or even those plastic lock cases Toys'R'Them use. I remember when games came in cardboard boxes and Gamestop just used a demo cardboard box on the shelf and the games were all nice and sealed in their drawers. With the cheap price of DVD cases and the ability to reuse them with different printed sleeves, I don't see why they don't just do that instead. Would make the picky gamers like many of us here happy and be a cheap and secure way to display them.
I know of a local independent game shop that survives by also being a LAN cafe, arcade, billiards hall and PC repair shop. I've meant to go there for years to support them but I was like Ian and was impatient when I was younger. I wanted to play online at launch or ensure I got my preferred username before someone else took it. Then later when I stopped worrying about when I got games I became a price conscious consumer and sadly will rarely buy games at full price anymore. Amazon is the only way to got for me now outside of ridiculous sales.
Though, I remember a time when a Gamestop clerk tried to tell me that Nintendo recalled the DDR: Mario Dance Mix title.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: UncleBob on January 11, 2014, 12:46:36 PM
The funny thing is, if you suggest that GameStop uses dummy cases for games instead of opening new ones, you get blasted on how that's not cost effective.
Meanwhile, GameStop will print up and display about 36 dummy cases for the next Call of Duty game telling everyone to pre-order it.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Stratos on January 11, 2014, 01:04:08 PM
As a former manager of a shift-work establishment I think it is a waste of time to have employees sit there and open product that does not need to be opened. They could better spend their time going through customer service and product training manuals or actually paying attention to the customers.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: smallsharkbigbite on January 11, 2014, 03:33:47 PM
I don't think glass cases are a poor investment. Best Buy and almost everyone else uses them. They are re-usable so it's a one time cost and you never have to worry about this nonsense again. Like Stratos said, the man hours to open games is idiotic and the space you have to hold to file the discs behind the counter serves no point. I don't actually know another store that opens games to sell them new so it can't be a great idea.
To Oblivion - I had never got an opened "new" game via Gamestop.com before so I didn't think it was an issue buying from there but obviously they had store stock to clear. I can't even list the game as like new on ebay because of the scratches on the case and the stickers and I haven't even played the game yet. The disc was in pretty good shape, but being a collector I keep my games in immaculate condition and often keep my games sealed until I either play them or resell them and they sit on shelves where they are visible to everyone. I buy used games all the time and I've gotten better condition used games than the condition of that game they sold as new. I think it's a terrible practice and I would rather buy a new game elsewhere or a game on ebay for cheaper if I wanted to buy a used game. I also think it's a terrible way to gift because the person I'm giving it to is going to assume it's used and think I paid less on it than I did or I'm giving them a game I thought wasn't worth keeping.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 11, 2014, 06:32:17 PM
They should do like Target and have the security game case with the retractable security cord. It allows them to put out an unopened display copy that the customer can hold and read both sides of without risk of the game being opened or tampered with. and when it comes time to sell the last one, they just open the individual display game case.
(http://i.imgur.com/lPP1BV8.jpg)
opening a brand new item and then still trying to sell it as new is misleading. How do I know you didn't use the game? test it out? I don't care if you took really good care of it and didn't scratch it. How do I know you didn't lose a pamphlet inside or some special offer I wasn't aware of at time of purchase? It's best to leave a brand new unopened copy as a brand new unopened copy.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Stratos on January 11, 2014, 07:47:13 PM
opening a brand new item and then still trying to sell it as new is misleading. How do I know you didn't use the game? test it out? I don't care if you took really good care of it and didn't scratch it. How do I know you didn't lose a pamphlet inside or some special offer I wasn't aware of at time of purchase? It's best to leave a brand new unopened copy as a brand new unopened copy.
In other areas of retail, they call it 'Scratch And Dent' or 'Floor Model' and you get some pretty nice deals out of those items. But apparently Gamestop is the only area of retail where I can think of this being the norm.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 11, 2014, 08:39:27 PM
Well they should knock $5 off for using it as a display model, therefore making it technically used. Open box = discount. GameStop doesn't get to rewrite that rule.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Adrock on January 11, 2014, 08:45:26 PM
Well they should knock $5 off for using it as a display model, therefore making it technically used. Open box = discount. GameStop doesn't get to rewrite that rule.
If the games are opened, there's no way to tell if they're actually new. I wouldn't mind them doing this if they would sell the opened new game for the used game's price (which they would never do)...
I agree. I understand the reasoning for opening a game to display the box (even though I would rather they didn't), but I'm not buying an opened product at full price.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: smallsharkbigbite on January 11, 2014, 08:51:07 PM
Honestly, I think it's part of the diabolical plan. I think they want you to see there is "no difference" between the used and new version and then you buy the used version for a few bucks cheaper. They make more money on used versions and have little reason to emphasize buying new.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: UncleBob on January 11, 2014, 08:56:47 PM
They should do like Target and have the security game case with the retractable security cord. It allows them to put out an unopened display copy that the customer can hold and read both sides of without risk of the game being opened or tampered with. and when it comes time to sell the last one, they just open the individual display game case.
As someone who works for the competiton, let me say.... yes, yes, yes, 1,000x yes. I love Target's set-up.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 11, 2014, 09:34:06 PM
Seeing as how there it's a viable alternative to GameStops consumer training exercise (see Target pic), selling an opened product at full price as "new" should be illegal.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Oblivion on January 11, 2014, 10:25:51 PM
They should do like Target and have the security game case with the retractable security cord. It allows them to put out an unopened display copy that the customer can hold and read both sides of without risk of the game being opened or tampered with. and when it comes time to sell the last one, they just open the individual display game case.
As someone who works for the competiton, let me say.... yes, yes, yes, 1,000x yes. I love Target's set-up.
Do you know if that's also the best way for lost prevention? Or is the classical "all games behind a glass case" still the best method?
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: smallsharkbigbite on January 11, 2014, 10:51:04 PM
My guess would be Target's way is better. Employees make mistakes. I've seen employees not lock glass displays before which could potentially give access to all the games to a thief. Plus, sometimes they will let the customer reach into the case to look at games giving a potential opportunity for someone to shove games under their clothes.
With Target, most of the product is out of reach of the customer at all times and you aren't exposed to employee error. Plus, those a steel cables. It may be possible to break the game out but it would be pretty loud and would certainly draw attention.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: UncleBob on January 12, 2014, 12:27:38 AM
They should do like Target and have the security game case with the retractable security cord. It allows them to put out an unopened display copy that the customer can hold and read both sides of without risk of the game being opened or tampered with. and when it comes time to sell the last one, they just open the individual display game case.
As someone who works for the competiton, let me say.... yes, yes, yes, 1,000x yes. I love Target's set-up.
Do you know if that's also the best way for lost prevention? Or is the classical "all games behind a glass case" still the best method?
I wouldn't know for sure one way or the other, but as a balance between loss prevention and customer experience, I say Target wins, hands-down.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Mop it up on January 12, 2014, 03:13:38 PM
I don't really have experiences with moronic employees, but boy do I hate those stickers. I remember when they used to put those smack on the label of cartridge games... A nightmare!
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: lolmonade on January 13, 2014, 12:25:53 PM
I've found it's really contingent on which Gamestop you go to as to whether or not you have a good experience. When I lived in Illinois, I had a litany of different small video game shops to choose from, and yet, every Gamestop I went to had garbage employees that didn't know anything about how to be a good customer service rep OR would force me to say no 3-4 times when asking if I wanted a "protection plan", Power-Up Rewards, or to pre-order games that there'll be dozens of copies of at any store not named Gamestop (or Target, lately).
Since moving to North Carolina, there's nothing but Gamestops & a similar chain called Play-N-Trade. My local Gamestop has mostly kind, knowledgeable, and accomodating reps. The ones in the malls are terrible, probably because they care more about taking care of the ridiculous amount of foot traffic they get.
You'd think the ones in IL would be forced to hire people that would make Gamestop the most approachable choice given all their competition, but just goes to show you a Gamestop is only as good as the people in that particular store.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Oblivion on January 13, 2014, 12:49:47 PM
They ask you like that because they have to. Hate the company, not the wage slave.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: Kyle98632 on January 13, 2014, 01:42:18 PM
First off I have to say I actually love my city's Gamestop. The people there are pretty nice and usually are helpful. And they all have DS's so I know I get to streetpass at least 4 or 5 people, even on a slow day there lol.
But, one really frustrating lack of Nintendo knowledge on their part happened not too long ago with me. My visiting mom brought her dog over to my house. A dog who thought it would be a good idea to crew through the cord that recharges the Wii U's gamepad. Asking them at Gamestop if they had any new ones, one employee told me that the recharging cord is the same for the gamepad as for the 3DS. I was fairly sure that was not right and when I said I think the plug in was much smaller for the 3DS another employee them jumped in and said that he personally uses the same cable to recharge his 3DS and Wii U gamepad all the time.
I go home and sure enough find that the cords are not the same. So I head back over there with the game pad and 3DS cord and showed them they aren't the same. After doing some "research", another employee told me that you can not buy the cord to recharge the game pad, and the only thing I could do is buy this recharging station made by Energizer. So like a fool I gave in and bought it for $30. It stunk given the short battery life of the Game Pad as you can not use it to charge and play at the same time. After about 2 weeks of this hell I did what I should have done in the first place, go to Nintendo's website, and literally the next day had a cord at my front door for $19.
So when it comes to the Wii U I think I will skip their advise in the future.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 13, 2014, 02:29:37 PM
You should always bypass their advice regardless of the system and do your own research first. Only once you know what you are looking for and that they have it available at the best price you could find, should you wander into that store.
That's pretty much how i shop at every store nowadays when it comes to electronic related items (games, cords, hardware).
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: lolmonade on January 13, 2014, 04:18:51 PM
They ask you like that because they have to. Hate the company, not the wage slave.
I understand it's the company policy. I worked in retail, and hated that they rated me on how many credit card applications I could pull every month, even though I worked as a stock & display worker who only was at a register to help check-out a catalog order (people who 99% of the time already had a store CC).
That said, there's clearly something about an individual store's environment that can make those transactions either 1) tolerable, quick, & painless or 2) ongoing, frustratingly persistent, & almost antagonistic in approach. And anecdotally, I personally won't go back to a Gamestop (or any store) that takes the car salesman approach to it (#2).
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: pokepal148 on January 13, 2014, 04:26:55 PM
You should always bypass their advice regardless of the system and do your own research first. Only once you know what you are looking for and that they have it available at the best price you could find, should you wander into that store.
That's pretty much how i shop at every store nowadays when it comes to electronic related items (games, cords, hardware).
Either that or if you are basically digging through the used game collection.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on January 13, 2014, 04:44:18 PM
I don't buy used. /snob
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: pokepal148 on January 13, 2014, 08:16:09 PM
You should always bypass their advice regardless of the system and do your own research first. Only once you know what you are looking for and that they have it available at the best price you could find, should you wander into that store.
That's pretty much how i shop at every store nowadays when it comes to electronic related items (games, cords, hardware).
Most people should be able to educate themselves at a moments notice. Smartphones can look up most any product for prices, reviews and comparisons. I always cross reference my purchases on Amazon. The one time I didn't was an impulse buy of Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm at Frys. I get home and discover it was cheaper on Amazon with free shipping. So I ordered that and returned the Frys game the next week.
They ask you like that because they have to. Hate the company, not the wage slave.
And I do not blame the company. People's attitude make all of the difference. If it were exclusively the company's fault then EVERY Gamestop would be a trash heap. But everyone I've ever talked to here and elsewhere usually know of at least one GS that has awesome people there. This shows that it is not the policy, but people's interpretation and execution of the policy. So really, I blame the person behaving poorly (because they are choosing to behave that way) and local management. Local management can make or break a store. I've seen this in the restaurant biz when I was a manager there. Have an awesome group of leads and everything works better. But have mediocre leads (or people who choose to be tools to the letter of the law instead of the spirit in which it was written) and the store reflects that in it's team and the customer suffers for it.
In the end, the human element will make any experience vary despite how much corporations try to standardize everything.
Title: Re: Let's moan about stupid wit less staff at video game retailers - ah come on!
Post by: smallsharkbigbite on January 14, 2014, 10:18:25 PM
That's life in general. You can choose to believe that you get shortchanged and screwed in things you do and there is nothing you can do and take it out on others. Or you can choose to work hard, have a positive attitude, and be kind to others because they are people too.
Most people choose the former and there is always a variety of reasons they use for their behavior.
