Topic: So nobody likes GameStop?

[Chozo Ghost]

One could go to gamestop.com if they want to do business with gamestop. That way you don't have to deal with the jerk wads that you do when you go to the brick and mortar establishments.

[Stratos]

One could go to gamestop.com if they want to do business with gamestop. That way you don't have to deal with the jerk wads that you do when you go to the brick and mortar establishments.

But will they send me my free Monster Hunters Tri game disc?

[BlackNMild2k1]

One could go to gamestop.com if they want to do business with gamestop. That way you don't have to deal with the jerk wads that you do when you go to the brick and mortar establishments.

But will they send me my free Monster Hunters Tri game disc?

Sure, if you put down $5 on a Pre-Order for Monster Hunter Tri.

[Stratos]

[BlackNMild2k1]

I forgot to mention that you would also have to pay shipping and handling too. (~$5)

[vudu]

The new GameStop two blocks away hasn't opened yet, so $90 of April game purchases have just gone to Amazon via the affiliate link in TJ-Spyke's forum signature.

This reminds me I still need to get around to removing that link from his sig.  Thanks!

[Stratos]

I thought you said that it was OK to have it in the sig so long as he wasn't plugging it all over the forums?

[Mop it up]

I think Vudu was joking.

[KDR_11k]

I had pre-ordered the Sega PS3 RPG Resonance of Fate, which supposedly released this week.

So anyway, what's it like?

[vudu]

I thought you said that it was OK to have it in the sig so long as he wasn't plugging it all over the forums?

I'm pretty sure TJ Spyke is a bot.

[EasyCure]

One could go to gamestop.com if they want to do business with gamestop. That way you don't have to deal with the jerk wads that you do when you go to the brick and mortar establishments.

Until upon clicking "check-out" you're asked if you'd like to pre-order anything

[MegaByte]

They also have ridiculous handling fees for anything larger than a standard game.

[broodwars]

Figured I'd use this old topic instead of making a new one.  In any case, I was in my local Gamestop today trading in some games to pay off the rest of what I needed for my Donkey Kong Country Returns pre-order, and the cashier did something I've never seen happen in any store before: she made me fill out a police report.  Oh, ok, it wasn't really a police report, but it sure as hell felt like it.  Apparently, they've been having problems with people stealing games and then bringing them into Gamestop for cash, so apparently Florida's police department have decided that now is the time to enforce certain pawn shop laws on Gamestop.  So from now on, whenever you trade-in games at my Gamestop (and presumably others in at least the central florida area), you have to write down your employer and sign two paper documents verifying that you owned the games, and then you have to stamp the documents with your thumb print.

Now, I realize that this isn't entirely Gamestop's fault, but it is not only incredibly annoying but embarassing.  I felt like a crook selling off my own games.   

On the bright side, I was so irritated by this that I ended up using the last of my trade-in credit to put a severe dent into the price of Kirby's Epic Yarn, so I'm playing that now.  But I might very well be done purchasing stuff at Gamestop for the near future while this policy is in practice.

[Morari]

You gave your fingerprints to a random corporation in exchange for a low ball trade-in price? **** that. The only people that would ever get my prints are the police, and only if I was being arrested and had no other legal choice. Freedoms are not easily acquired once given away...

[that Baby guy]

Wow, that's incredible.  I'm going to have to put that on my to-do list of stuff to check out.

[Chozo Ghost]

Thieves can just sell their stolen games online through Ebay or whatever, so enforcing that on a brick and mortar store like Gamestop doesn't really solve the problem completely (although it may help a little). I hate thieves with a passion and games aren't cheap so it really sucks when someone steals your games that you had to pay $50-$60 for with your hard earned money, so I can see where the law is coming from.

You gave your fingerprints to a random corporation in exchange for a low ball trade-in price? **** that. The only people that would ever get my prints are the police, and only if I was being arrested and had no other legal choice. Freedoms are not easily acquired once given away...

Actually, it was the police who are getting the prints. Did you even read his post?

so apparently Florida's police department have decided that now is the time to enforce certain pawn shop laws on Gamestop.

You should try spending a little less time with your Michael Moore political ranting (which by the way does not in any way belong on this site) and more time actually reading what people say. You've done this before and I believe you've been warned for it. Please knock it off.

[BranDonk Kong]

Easy there, buddy. Morari's just adding to the conversation. If there's any Michael Moore political ranting (btw, saying that is waaaay more political than anything he posted there), then I'm certainly blind to it. I wouldn't go give my fingerprints to GameStop either. I don't want to be treated like a potential criminal just because someone else robbed a GameStop, same thing with the whole airport thing, but that's for another (probably not allowed to be posted) thread.

[Morari]

Thieves can just sell their stolen games online through Ebay or whatever, so enforcing that on a brick and mortar store like Gamestop doesn't really solve the problem completely (although it may help a little). I hate thieves with a passion and games aren't cheap so it really sucks when someone steals your games that you had to pay $50-$60 for with your hard earned money, so I can see where the law is coming from.

I don't think there isn't a person on the planet that does like thievery. This tactic doesn't help solve the problem at all however. It's more security theater for the fear fueled society that we've been developing for the past decade or so. My advice? Save up some of that hard earned money. Skip four or five of those game purchases and put it towards a nice shotgun instead. That's going to help you out a lot more than the police ever will.

Actually, it was the police who are getting the prints. Did you even read his post?

I read it. You assume that taking down the information is the only cooperation between GameStop and the police. The police don't even deserve that level of participation from your typical citizen. Being treated like a criminal for selling your goods is demeaning at best. The long term repercussions of allowing this behavior is obvious, as the children frequenting GameStop will grow up learning that it's "just the way it works". Then you and I will have to put up with an ever-increasing loss of civil liberties because no one thinks it's abnormal... you know, like we have now with archived nude body scanners and all too impersonal pat downs at airports.

[TJ Spyke]

you know, like we have now with archived nude body scanners and all too impersonal pat downs at airports.

I assume that's a joke since I don't think you would be that misinformed.

Unless you did something illegal, I don't get why anyone would care about this. It's well known that thieves often try to sell stolen games to GameStop and pawn shops (I remember talking to somebody who worked at a GameStop, and the day after Walmart got rid of their security guards, somebody came into the GameStop next door with a stack of unopened games and the guy was forced to let him trade in the games even though they were obviously stolen).

[King of Twitch]

It's well known that thieves often try to sell stolen games to GameStop and pawn shops

That's the point Morari is making: we should not all be treated as thieves and criminals for simply going about our business whether at the airport or Gamesnot.

The line must be drawn HE-YEH

[BranDonk Kong]

Exactly. The only people that should not care about giving their thumbprint are the people selling stolen goods. I imagine this process is going to lead to a few lawsuits. Also, I don't see why Morari is misinformed about the pat-downs and the body scanners either...the scanner can see your junk, and the TSA employees are basically free to molest you as they please. One woman was forced to remove her prosthetic breast, another guy had his urostomy bag torn open by a TSA employee which caused him to board the plane soaked in urine.

[TJ Spyke]

Try actually finding out what is involved with body scans (hint: not what you claim) rather than listening to what propaganda news channels have to say. For example, the pat-downs are basically the same as they have been for years and nobody made a fuss until recently.

[broodwars]

Exactly. The only people that should not care about giving their thumbprint are the people selling stolen goods. I imagine this process is going to lead to a few lawsuits.

We'll see.  It depends on whether this is a nationwide initiative on the part of the Federal Government and Gamestop, or just my local Florida police deciding they've had enough of dealing with stolen goods purchased and sold by Gamestops in the Central Florida area.

[BranDonk Kong]

TJ are you kidding me? I've seen actual videos people have taken from people getting the pat-down done, and I just told you of two specific occasions that completely demeaned the people being harassed by TSA. The scanners (as has been noted some quite some time) can see you junk. Sure it's not a photograph, but it will still show, in gray scale basically what kind of heat your packing. The TSA employees are allowed to pat the inside of your thigh all the way up to the seam of your pants (AKA, your balls), touch your chest (including a woman's breasts, which is why the woman was forced to remove her prosthetic breast), and basically molest you. Imagine being a parent and telling your kids to never let a stranger touch their private parts, and then being forced (you'll be arrested if you refuse) to have that very thing happen.

BTW, here's what the scanner can see (at least in one example). Pretty sure that's a dick in the third image.

[Ian Sane]

If this was a nationwide thing it might have the pleasant side effect of killing off Gamestop's used game model and severely hurting Gamestop's business outright.

I wouldn't willingly give up my fingerprints and it isn't because I'm a criminal or anything.  A law-abiding citizen should not have anything to fear and I am a law-abiding citizen.  The thing is I'm a law-abiding citizen now but might not be in the future.  No, I'm not planning on switching to a life of crime, but laws can change over time.  I'm a law-abiding citizen not because the government says so but entirely because the laws of today either tend to fall within my own personal moral values anyway (I don't need the law to tell me not to murder people) or breaking the law is of such minor value to me that I'm willing to play ball even if I'm not cool with the particular law.

But things can change and unjust laws can be created and enforced.  Hopefully it will never happen but things could always change where something that is part of my day-to-day life becomes illegal.  It could even be something that I could not change or would refuse to change under any circumstance.  If that day comes do I want the police to have my fingerprints, particularly when they obtained them without just cause?

That's the ultimate problem with the "honest people have nothing to fear" attitude because overnight the definition of what an "honest person" is can change.  Suddenly Ian Sane went from a law-abiding citizen to a wanted criminal and the police have his photo, fingerprints, DNA, retina scan and address, can track his position by his car or cellphone, can spy on his phone conversations and emails, can search for him on public security cameras, and know who all his friends and relatives are who may be hiding him.