Some suggestions for GameStop: - Stock more games and less FunkoPops - Offer reasonable trade in values - Sell games cheaper than other stores to provide a financial incentive for consumers to shop there - Stock more retro games, including a non-repro guarantee - Allow online pre-orders to be shipped or picked up in store. - Stop up selling and pushing services and warranties we don't want nor need.
My grip with them is buying something from them for full price and not even getting it new like they advertised even if the game just came out and it not even the original case, that leaves a terrible taste in my mouth.
I'm in Canada and I can pickup online preorders in store. My idea would not for them to charge less per game but to actually charge a bit more. With the other things you're saying, it would make sense. Make it a premium store with a slightly premium price. Then offer a membership card that gives a discount which will be offset by the higher regular price normies will pay.
It really does kind of suck how GameStop runs as a company because the employees at my local GameStop are really cool and I legitimately enjoy coming in and talking to them, but then when they ask all the required upselling questions or try to sell me a game in an opened box with stickers on it as “new”, it always makes things a little awkward.
I also used to work at GameStop and I'm not sure if this was the case when you worked there, but for the store I was at, this is basically the explanation for the unwrapped new game. So whenever we got new games in, we'd remove the wrapper from ONE copy. That disc/cartridge would go into one of those dumb yellow envelopes, and the empty case would be put on the shelf. The idea was that the only way someone would get the unwrapped one is if they're buying the LAST new copy we have in the store. Which...KINDA makes sense, but I also don't get why we couldn't just use dummy cases for the wall. Though I actually have a bad story about that too. I had to work on Black Friday so there was a huge line. One couple was like "I wanna buy a new copy of Overwatch!" and the only new copy we had was the one in the envelope, so my boss told me to go grab the empty case off the wall for them. But here's the thing, the empty case wasn't ON the wall, because another customer who had been waiting in line to buy it had grabbed it. So I basically had to take the case from the customer who actually grabbed the "game" and was waiting to buy it and give it to a customer that hadn't, and I absolutely hated that. I hated having to do that. I still think the one who actually grabbed the case was 100% in the right and that my boss was a jerk for making me ask them for the case.
They did because that’s generally how GameStop works, but still, I think it’s reasonable to assume that if you’re the one who grabs the empty case off the wall, you’re going to be able to buy it
As a serious physical game collector, I have almost no reason to shop on Gamestop. I tend to wait for games to go on sale before I pick them up and Gamestop is not usually that place. As a father however, I do frequent the store often with my two daughters as they love to go around and see all the cool merchandise. A very kind gentleman actually bought my daughter a hat this week when she said she wanted and I told her we couldn't afford it. She had the classic "maybe if I stand by the thing I want looking sad, someone will buy it for me" moment.
Okay, sorry, one more GameStop horror story. This one is pretty recent and just irked me. I pre-ordered Endless Ocean: Luminous, which came out on May 2nd. So on May 2nd, I went to pick it up, because as far as I'm concerned, the one advantage that pre-ordering at GameStop is SUPPOSED to offer is that you can get and play the game ON release date. So, the clerk tells me that they don't have it. Which is frustrating, but perfectly fine. Like I kinda get it. May 2nd was a Thursday, which is a day games don't normally come out so maybe they didn't get the shipment yet, or maybe just a mail delay. I wasn't really mad. BUT THEN the guy tells me "Yeah, they delayed it until Saturday to fix some issues with the Switch version." ...what? "We only got the PS5 versions in stock today." and for those of you that may not know, Endless Ocean is a Nintendo published IP and there is no PS5 version. It's a Switch exclusive game. Knowing this, I asked him if I could see one of the PS5 versions because I knew he was just lying to me at this point. He told me "We haven't unpacked them yet, sorry." and then proceeded to just start helping the next person in line. Like again, if he'd just told me "Sorry, we didn't get it in yet. Shipping delay" that would've been fine. I get it. I've worked enough retail jobs, including GameStop, to know that can happen. But to just feed me a lie so obvious it'd be in the tutorial case of an Ace Attorney game was just insulting.
Yes it's stupid that they open the games, for ANY reason, even though they're supposed to be new, but to be fair, if you're buying a game NOT to ever open it, why not just mail order from the company rather than go to gamestop?
I hate what they did to Game Informer. Basically ran it into the ground making them fire their staff until they had a skeleton crew them shuttered them. How about a story about GI, the longest running game magazine having to shut down and all the history/stories/interviews on games they've gathered just be lost now.
I feel the same way as you do, but a bit different. The local gamestops where I grew up actually did all of these things when I was little. Had a kiosk that showcased new releases, selections of older consoles and games, proper trade-in values, regular card game tournaments, ect. As a kid I was excited to go to gamestop and would beg my parents to take me any chance I got, even if I knew I wouldn't get anything. It's the complete opposite now. I went to my first GameStop in several years 2 months ago just because one so happened to be in the mall. It was one of the few that still has games from the Wii and backwards. The location where I grew up said they no longer carry that generation since its retro now, and refuses trade-ins. The one at the mall had entire sections for the Wii, Ps3, 360, Nintendo Ds, GameCube, you name it. Felt like I walked into a mom and pop gaming store. Best part was no funko slop either from what I could see. The location where I grew up was a fairly large store. 3/5 of the store was funko slop by 2017 replacing the once large wall of Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox games, which was now condensed into a single wall and 2 round shelves in the floor. Absolutely saddening
I never have a bad time in GameStop, although, my trips are usually short because I'm there to preorder something or pick up the preorder. Even if I don't find what I'm looking for, I usually ask about it. I do also buy games or plushies from there, when I find something I'm looking for or if I see something I want. I get not everyone has the same experience, but, I saw my local GameStop carrying N64 titles again. Also, I do sometimes chat for a bit while they look up something for me. I wouldn't say I'm an extrovert or introvert.
GameStop really forgets that they’d be out of business by now if not for Reddit, if the community saves your butt, you owe it to them to give them focus, not yourself
I completely agree with this. There are several reasons I stopped using gamestop. Some of the main reasons were among them almost selling me a visibly hard scratched disk, the bombardment of trying to sell me product I didn't come there for and lack of retro supplies like they used to have.
Thing I hate most about GameStop nowadays is how overstimulating the experince is. Game trailers dont need to be blaring over the speakers while I peruse the merch. Only ever go now to get pre order bonuses (which tbh have gotten so much worse in the last decade)
As a retail worker, stores will be asking if you want to sign up to membership discounts and things. I make an effort to word the question in a way that offers customers the ability to just say "no" and that's the end of conversation. I also don't ask regulars who I know don't want one. I don't work there, but in the UK, we have a GameStop-esque chain called CeX which does games and tech trade-in. The cases on the shelves are often empty, and the games are behind the counter. There's a huge shoplifting issue across the UK and empty cases are clearly the preventative measure; I've actually been in a CeX before when some guy ran off with a whole GTX/RTX graphics card, the staff were just trying to be helpful and let him measure the dimensions to see if it would "fit in his case". I suppose a fix would be to have sealed copies in the back which people could opt for, but I don't know how feasible that is. CeX is mostly second-hand, but I could see this working in GameStop.
Wow GameStop sounds very corrupt with how they treat their employees and you're right that anxiety always falls down to the consumer as well. I personally hate it when worker have to try and upsell products and services to me. I agree with you one every point here. I'm also intensely introverted. I just noticed the guitar in the background, I had no idea you played guitar. Do you do covers and possibly compose your own music?
When I was at GameStop, they kept insisting on me to make a subscription with them and I kept rejecting it, but they almost wouldn't stop insisting, I never felt comfortable going back there again.
I bought Deadly Premonition 2 for the switch from gamestop and the guy put the cart inside the case, then slapped a sticker on it which damaged the jacket that kept the label on the box. The nagging feeling that there was paper inserts it came with that were discarded by their practice of shucking everything never went away. I never went to that location again and ended up buying a sealed copy online so that I could know whether it came with anything else / have an un-damaged copy.
I'd like to share the horrendous experience that I had with GameStop regarding the game Persona 5 Tactica, and how much of an absolute nightmare that ended up being. Warning in advance...this is kind of a long one. Okay, so I ordered Persona 5 Tactica on the PS4 on GameStop's website. The reason I ordered from GameStop instead of Amazon, VGP, Best Buy, or any other retailer was because GameStop was the only one that promised some extra swag in the form of two Persona 5 Tactica coasters. Nothing too fancy, but hey, free stuff for the same price, right? GameStop's website specifically said that the launch edition of Persona 5 Tactica would come with these coasters. The game came out on November 17th, 2023. GameStop promised "release date shipping" which I acknowledge is not the same as "release date delivery" so I was fine with waiting an extra few days to play it. No biggie. But then...they just kept...not shipping it. Several days passed and the game hadn't even shipped at all. Eventually I said screw it and ordered a copy from Amazon. The Amazon copy shipped out and arrived at my house before the GameStop one shipped at all. ALSO it turns out that those coasters, yeah, they're not included with orders placed through GameStop's website. Yeah, after reaching out for some answers from their support page on Twitter, they informed me that since they're not officially a pre-order bonus, you can only get them in-store and only if your store had some available. They recommended that I call nearby GameStops to ask if they have any (so I called every GameStop within 20 miles and of course none of them did) So basically, GameStop promised me release date shipping, and failed to deliver, their website promised coasters that you DON'T get through online orders (I checked very thoroughly, NOTHING on the page for the game said anything to indicate online orders wouldn't get them) and on top of all of that, I ended up getting a copy from Amazon that I ordered nearly a week later before GameStop even shipped out my game. BUT IT DOESN'T END HERE, FOLKS! When I finally did get my copy in the mail from GameStop, Persona 5 Tactica for the PS4...THEY SENT ME THE SWITCH VERSION! The paper in the package even specified that I'd ordered the PS4 version, but they still sent a Switch copy. So I called my local GameStop, explained the situation, and asked if I could come in and return it. They said Yes, so I drove up there and tried to return it...TRIED. See, apparently GameStop recently implemented a new policy that's supposed to be better for their employees, which frankly, they deserve. I worked at GameStop, and it can suck. Basically, because returns hurt store numbers, they can no longer accept returns for online orders in stores. The GameStop clerk printed me out a shipping label for the return and instructed me that I'd have to go to my local FedEx store and return it through them by shipping the game back to the GameStop warehouse where THEY would handle my return. Fortunately the closest FedEx was only like a 2 minute drive down the road, but that still sucks. But I did it and another week or so later, finally got my refund. TL;DR version: GameStop shipped the game so late that I'd already gotten a copy from Amazon instead. They didn't give me the coasters their website promised, which was the only reason I'd ordered from them in the first place. When the game finally DID arrive, they'd sent me a version for the wrong console. And when I tried to return it they sent me on an unnecessary errand to FedEx to be able to return it. First and last time I will EVER place an order through GameStop's website. Absolutely crapshow from start to finish.
The horrendous experience cannot be understated someone can have and they wonder why they’re not people’s first option. My last experience with them was with a digital copy of tears of the kingdom since I didn’t have much money at the time but someone gave me a $60 gift card for GameStop near my birthday that was lining up with the release of the game and I knew I wasn’t gonna be playing it on release but I went in person on release date to see if I can buy a copy but they only had copies for people that pre ordered, like okay fine my fault for not coming in sooner could say but remember they stop taking pre orders a week before release. so I was out of luck but decided what if I get it digitally only to find out it took a week for them to send me the code cause apparently it’s not generated via machine, NOPE. It’s done by a person and is done at a chaser like if your buying a physical game in store until someone saw the order on the system
I had nearly the same experience with the Mario All Stars 3D collection. It took forever to ship and the preorder bonus that was advertised didn't come. I chalked it up to pandemic complications at the time. I learned my lesson and preordered Kirby at Target and picked it up in-person and got my bonus swag
I've had my share of normal experiences at GameStop, but I've also had a LOT of experiences of sexist behavior from their staff. More than any other store. From staff ignoring me and only addressing male customers, to staff outright laughing at me for asking questions about a game's additional content, to the fact that I almost never see women represented in the GameStop work force, sexism very much seems to be integrated into their system.
At least you still have a shop to go to. In the uk our equivalent is just called Game and they now no longer stock physical video games and now has become a toy shop an expensive toy shop. Forcing us to shop online for physical games which I personally prefer.
I remember walking into a Gamestop, or EB Games as it was called in my neck of the woods... and I saw Polly Pocket toys there... That alone should tell you how much my opinion on Game Stop changed...
I really don't trust a company that throws away genuine game cases just to put things in a generic store brand case. They also don't take pictures of the actual game you are buying online--so you're better off using eBay where you can evaluate the condition of the box, cartridge/disc, etc.
You didn't mention the worst upsell they push on us - "game play guarantee"!! "What about when you scratch up your disc?!?" Some of us take care of our media so it's a few extra dollars every game that would give no value to me, just up your profit. Stop making your employees push it on us
Not once in my life have I damaged a game to the point it doesn't boot. It's a scam and they know. To be honest, I'd be better with them flat out charging the extra $2-3 dollars up front instead of them questioning my ability to take care of my stuff.
Sadly I feel like these suggestions may be moot since it looks like they’re doubling down on the collector scene for TCGs. It really feels like they want to move away from games; They’re just looking for that right replacement.
Last time I went into a Game Stop to get a Pokemon Legendary Card a while back the cashier would... not... stop... pressuring me to Pre-order Legends Arceus. I have not been back to a game stop since... So i feel ya
If they want to sell physical games let me just say what kind of games you can only get physical; retro games. Yet what do they do not sell retro games.
Gamestop is a store without a purpose these days. Online storefronts like Amazon have totally replaced Brick and Mortar for many consumers. If you want to go into a store to get a new game, you could probably go into any old Wal Mart, or other department store these days, find the game you're looking for, and get thru the experience without anyone trying to upcharge you on anything. Gamestop has no real niche that only it can fill, and it's outclassed by other stores at the niche it was created to serve. idk how they pivot. Retro games seems like the obvious answer, but big companies are less flexible than independent sellers, and collectors are thrifty and willing to search for better deals. The idea of tournaments, swap meets etc seems cool, but are most Gamestops even built for that? Every Gamestop I've ever visited was already pretty compact. What else could they do? Repair? Peripherals? PC Components? idk. I think Gamestop has probably just reached its natural end.
I live in a small town without a real gameshop, so for me shopping online is the way to go. Though when I go to a city I love to browse through the games (and music).
I shop rarely but it's really nice to go when I need a used accessory quick. Got my usb switch controller on discount after talking to the manager about a deal that couldn't be honored due to some stock inconsistency. I like a physical specialty store. Doubt I could do this at a bigger box store,
All GameStop had to do was go to the indies and AA's and become their publisher. Instead of sitting down and working out deals to continue to have product to sell, they decided to become a half-assed Toys R Us. It's not like they're doing terribly or anything, right? Competition is always good, but realistically, companies like Limited Run and Super Rare didn't need to exist. None of these companies existed when I started saying GameStop should do exactly what they came in are succesful for doing.
I'm an ambivert, so I don't completely agree with all of the "I don't wanna talk to someone" points that were made, but I understand introverts who do want the person-free experience. Anyway, when I first saw those Gamestop tweets, I had a completely different reaction. I actually smiled and liked it, not because of the whole "physical > digital" thing (both have their perks, but I'm team physical) but because of the midnight release thing. It just hit me with a huge wave of nostalgia. I used to go to those midnight releases, and I have nothing but good memories of it. Pokemon X&Y. Super Smash bros. 3DS. Pokemon ORAS. Kingdom Hearts DDD. Mostly 3DS games now that I think about it. Anyway I remember going with friends to those events, waiting in line with other excited fans, meeting new people who were also Nintendo fans, making new friends, doing all that Streetpass stuff, they had raffles and giveaway, it was a whole big deal! But it's been years since I've even heard of a midnight release event. Last one I went to, Smash Ultimate, it was just waiting in line, picking up the game, and leaving. No big hoorah. No big celebration. And it wasn't even at midnight. Not gonna lie, I do miss those big fancy midnight releases, and now that I think about it, as much as Gamestop is right that people will remember those, it's kinda... I don't know, hypocritical or something, that they don't even do them like they used to.
Shesez really suggesting Gamestop try and rebrand itself to function more like an LGS does for card and pen-and-paper games...And that would be really cool, actually! One of the used game stores near me does that already, and there are almost always people signing up to use the gaming space in the store.
when you say collectors do you mean speculators who buy sealed games slab it and hopping that is value goes up. or you meant collectors who buys games with out a box/case and Manuel cause they have been condition to impulsive complete a collection or a collector that wants all the games they have from their childhood,
I am sorry, but i hate physical media. Gamestop can act like if we lose the online stores we lose our games, but considering how many abandonware games i have on a hard drive, i can tell you that is objectively not true. People forget that the fiction of ownership goes both ways in an all digital age. Legally speaking a company is in their right to hoard a license, bit if they donmake it possible to buy their goods, i will pirate them and feel no weight on my conscience.
I’m really thankful for physical media. I remember a couple years ago my 3ds breaking unexpectedly and instead of repairing it, I just bought a new one instead. All of my digital games and data were lost besides the photos on my SD card. Physical media has its pros and cons, but I believe it’s better for when there’s unpredictable stuff that could happen like that.
“no one will remember online stores” as if the Wii Shop Channel music wasn’t such a bop that people STILL use it in their videos
🎶Super mario RPG...🎶
Some suggestions for GameStop:
- Stock more games and less FunkoPops
- Offer reasonable trade in values
- Sell games cheaper than other stores to provide a financial incentive for consumers to shop there
- Stock more retro games, including a non-repro guarantee
- Allow online pre-orders to be shipped or picked up in store.
- Stop up selling and pushing services and warranties we don't want nor need.
I'm fine with buying a repro as long as the price takes that into account.
"Offer reasonable trade in values"
Considering their financial situation they probably can't afford it.
@@TheRealBatabii That's totally fair.
My grip with them is buying something from them for full price and not even getting it new like they advertised even if the game just came out and it not even the original case, that leaves a terrible taste in my mouth.
I'm in Canada and I can pickup online preorders in store.
My idea would not for them to charge less per game but to actually charge a bit more. With the other things you're saying, it would make sense. Make it a premium store with a slightly premium price. Then offer a membership card that gives a discount which will be offset by the higher regular price normies will pay.
If a game has the wrap removed its no longer new, its now a used game.
Remember Xenoblade for the Wii?
It really does kind of suck how GameStop runs as a company because the employees at my local GameStop are really cool and I legitimately enjoy coming in and talking to them, but then when they ask all the required upselling questions or try to sell me a game in an opened box with stickers on it as “new”, it always makes things a little awkward.
"Sorta like RedBox" which recently went bankrupt and removed access to everything people had "purchased" on their app.
I also used to work at GameStop and I'm not sure if this was the case when you worked there, but for the store I was at, this is basically the explanation for the unwrapped new game.
So whenever we got new games in, we'd remove the wrapper from ONE copy. That disc/cartridge would go into one of those dumb yellow envelopes, and the empty case would be put on the shelf. The idea was that the only way someone would get the unwrapped one is if they're buying the LAST new copy we have in the store. Which...KINDA makes sense, but I also don't get why we couldn't just use dummy cases for the wall.
Though I actually have a bad story about that too. I had to work on Black Friday so there was a huge line. One couple was like "I wanna buy a new copy of Overwatch!" and the only new copy we had was the one in the envelope, so my boss told me to go grab the empty case off the wall for them. But here's the thing, the empty case wasn't ON the wall, because another customer who had been waiting in line to buy it had grabbed it. So I basically had to take the case from the customer who actually grabbed the "game" and was waiting to buy it and give it to a customer that hadn't, and I absolutely hated that. I hated having to do that. I still think the one who actually grabbed the case was 100% in the right and that my boss was a jerk for making me ask them for the case.
Did customer #2 not realize the case was just empty?
They did because that’s generally how GameStop works, but still, I think it’s reasonable to assume that if you’re the one who grabs the empty case off the wall, you’re going to be able to buy it
As a serious physical game collector, I have almost no reason to shop on Gamestop. I tend to wait for games to go on sale before I pick them up and Gamestop is not usually that place.
As a father however, I do frequent the store often with my two daughters as they love to go around and see all the cool merchandise. A very kind gentleman actually bought my daughter a hat this week when she said she wanted and I told her we couldn't afford it. She had the classic "maybe if I stand by the thing I want looking sad, someone will buy it for me" moment.
I’ve never had a bad experience at GameStop. I LOVE going there.
Okay, sorry, one more GameStop horror story. This one is pretty recent and just irked me.
I pre-ordered Endless Ocean: Luminous, which came out on May 2nd. So on May 2nd, I went to pick it up, because as far as I'm concerned, the one advantage that pre-ordering at GameStop is SUPPOSED to offer is that you can get and play the game ON release date.
So, the clerk tells me that they don't have it. Which is frustrating, but perfectly fine. Like I kinda get it. May 2nd was a Thursday, which is a day games don't normally come out so maybe they didn't get the shipment yet, or maybe just a mail delay. I wasn't really mad.
BUT THEN the guy tells me "Yeah, they delayed it until Saturday to fix some issues with the Switch version." ...what? "We only got the PS5 versions in stock today." and for those of you that may not know, Endless Ocean is a Nintendo published IP and there is no PS5 version. It's a Switch exclusive game.
Knowing this, I asked him if I could see one of the PS5 versions because I knew he was just lying to me at this point. He told me "We haven't unpacked them yet, sorry." and then proceeded to just start helping the next person in line.
Like again, if he'd just told me "Sorry, we didn't get it in yet. Shipping delay" that would've been fine. I get it. I've worked enough retail jobs, including GameStop, to know that can happen. But to just feed me a lie so obvious it'd be in the tutorial case of an Ace Attorney game was just insulting.
I would have called him out for that. That makes me mad.
@@IDark_IHammer same, no way i would have let that slide so easily
Yes it's stupid that they open the games, for ANY reason, even though they're supposed to be new, but to be fair, if you're buying a game NOT to ever open it, why not just mail order from the company rather than go to gamestop?
I hate what they did to Game Informer. Basically ran it into the ground making them fire their staff until they had a skeleton crew them shuttered them. How about a story about GI, the longest running game magazine having to shut down and all the history/stories/interviews on games they've gathered just be lost now.
I feel the same way as you do, but a bit different. The local gamestops where I grew up actually did all of these things when I was little. Had a kiosk that showcased new releases, selections of older consoles and games, proper trade-in values, regular card game tournaments, ect. As a kid I was excited to go to gamestop and would beg my parents to take me any chance I got, even if I knew I wouldn't get anything. It's the complete opposite now. I went to my first GameStop in several years 2 months ago just because one so happened to be in the mall. It was one of the few that still has games from the Wii and backwards. The location where I grew up said they no longer carry that generation since its retro now, and refuses trade-ins. The one at the mall had entire sections for the Wii, Ps3, 360, Nintendo Ds, GameCube, you name it. Felt like I walked into a mom and pop gaming store. Best part was no funko slop either from what I could see. The location where I grew up was a fairly large store. 3/5 of the store was funko slop by 2017 replacing the once large wall of Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox games, which was now condensed into a single wall and 2 round shelves in the floor. Absolutely saddening
They say that experience shapes perception, and thankfully I’ve had nothing but positive experiences going to GameStop.
I never have a bad time in GameStop, although, my trips are usually short because I'm there to preorder something or pick up the preorder. Even if I don't find what I'm looking for, I usually ask about it. I do also buy games or plushies from there, when I find something I'm looking for or if I see something I want. I get not everyone has the same experience, but, I saw my local GameStop carrying N64 titles again. Also, I do sometimes chat for a bit while they look up something for me. I wouldn't say I'm an extrovert or introvert.
GameStop has 3,000 stores & new leadership that wants to make all better. This is a good move.
GameStop really forgets that they’d be out of business by now if not for Reddit, if the community saves your butt, you owe it to them to give them focus, not yourself
I had over $200 of in store credit vanish. That was the day I stopped being one of their customers.
I completely agree with this. There are several reasons I stopped using gamestop. Some of the main reasons were among them almost selling me a visibly hard scratched disk, the bombardment of trying to sell me product I didn't come there for and lack of retro supplies like they used to have.
Thing I hate most about GameStop nowadays is how overstimulating the experince is. Game trailers dont need to be blaring over the speakers while I peruse the merch. Only ever go now to get pre order bonuses (which tbh have gotten so much worse in the last decade)
As a retail worker, stores will be asking if you want to sign up to membership discounts and things. I make an effort to word the question in a way that offers customers the ability to just say "no" and that's the end of conversation. I also don't ask regulars who I know don't want one.
I don't work there, but in the UK, we have a GameStop-esque chain called CeX which does games and tech trade-in. The cases on the shelves are often empty, and the games are behind the counter. There's a huge shoplifting issue across the UK and empty cases are clearly the preventative measure; I've actually been in a CeX before when some guy ran off with a whole GTX/RTX graphics card, the staff were just trying to be helpful and let him measure the dimensions to see if it would "fit in his case".
I suppose a fix would be to have sealed copies in the back which people could opt for, but I don't know how feasible that is. CeX is mostly second-hand, but I could see this working in GameStop.
yeah they need to respect people's time & privacy.
When I go to buy something in person, I generally don't wanna be bothered at all.
I'd say the same for MOST stores. If I want help, I'll ask for it.
Wow GameStop sounds very corrupt with how they treat their employees and you're right that anxiety always falls down to the consumer as well. I personally hate it when worker have to try and upsell products and services to me. I agree with you one every point here. I'm also intensely introverted.
I just noticed the guitar in the background, I had no idea you played guitar. Do you do covers and possibly compose your own music?
When I was at GameStop, they kept insisting on me to make a subscription with them and I kept rejecting it, but they almost wouldn't stop insisting, I never felt comfortable going back there again.
I bought Deadly Premonition 2 for the switch from gamestop and the guy put the cart inside the case, then slapped a sticker on it which damaged the jacket that kept the label on the box. The nagging feeling that there was paper inserts it came with that were discarded by their practice of shucking everything never went away. I never went to that location again and ended up buying a sealed copy online so that I could know whether it came with anything else / have an un-damaged copy.
I'd like to share the horrendous experience that I had with GameStop regarding the game Persona 5 Tactica, and how much of an absolute nightmare that ended up being. Warning in advance...this is kind of a long one.
Okay, so I ordered Persona 5 Tactica on the PS4 on GameStop's website. The reason I ordered from GameStop instead of Amazon, VGP, Best Buy, or any other retailer was because GameStop was the only one that promised some extra swag in the form of two Persona 5 Tactica coasters. Nothing too fancy, but hey, free stuff for the same price, right? GameStop's website specifically said that the launch edition of Persona 5 Tactica would come with these coasters.
The game came out on November 17th, 2023. GameStop promised "release date shipping" which I acknowledge is not the same as "release date delivery" so I was fine with waiting an extra few days to play it. No biggie. But then...they just kept...not shipping it. Several days passed and the game hadn't even shipped at all. Eventually I said screw it and ordered a copy from Amazon. The Amazon copy shipped out and arrived at my house before the GameStop one shipped at all.
ALSO it turns out that those coasters, yeah, they're not included with orders placed through GameStop's website. Yeah, after reaching out for some answers from their support page on Twitter, they informed me that since they're not officially a pre-order bonus, you can only get them in-store and only if your store had some available. They recommended that I call nearby GameStops to ask if they have any (so I called every GameStop within 20 miles and of course none of them did)
So basically, GameStop promised me release date shipping, and failed to deliver, their website promised coasters that you DON'T get through online orders (I checked very thoroughly, NOTHING on the page for the game said anything to indicate online orders wouldn't get them) and on top of all of that, I ended up getting a copy from Amazon that I ordered nearly a week later before GameStop even shipped out my game.
BUT IT DOESN'T END HERE, FOLKS!
When I finally did get my copy in the mail from GameStop, Persona 5 Tactica for the PS4...THEY SENT ME THE SWITCH VERSION! The paper in the package even specified that I'd ordered the PS4 version, but they still sent a Switch copy. So I called my local GameStop, explained the situation, and asked if I could come in and return it. They said Yes, so I drove up there and tried to return it...TRIED.
See, apparently GameStop recently implemented a new policy that's supposed to be better for their employees, which frankly, they deserve. I worked at GameStop, and it can suck. Basically, because returns hurt store numbers, they can no longer accept returns for online orders in stores. The GameStop clerk printed me out a shipping label for the return and instructed me that I'd have to go to my local FedEx store and return it through them by shipping the game back to the GameStop warehouse where THEY would handle my return. Fortunately the closest FedEx was only like a 2 minute drive down the road, but that still sucks. But I did it and another week or so later, finally got my refund.
TL;DR version: GameStop shipped the game so late that I'd already gotten a copy from Amazon instead. They didn't give me the coasters their website promised, which was the only reason I'd ordered from them in the first place. When the game finally DID arrive, they'd sent me a version for the wrong console. And when I tried to return it they sent me on an unnecessary errand to FedEx to be able to return it.
First and last time I will EVER place an order through GameStop's website. Absolutely crapshow from start to finish.
The horrendous experience cannot be understated someone can have and they wonder why they’re not people’s first option.
My last experience with them was with a digital copy of tears of the kingdom since I didn’t have much money at the time but someone gave me a $60 gift card for GameStop near my birthday that was lining up with the release of the game and I knew I wasn’t gonna be playing it on release but I went in person on release date to see if I can buy a copy but they only had copies for people that pre ordered, like okay fine my fault for not coming in sooner could say but remember they stop taking pre orders a week before release. so I was out of luck but decided what if I get it digitally only to find out it took a week for them to send me the code cause apparently it’s not generated via machine, NOPE. It’s done by a person and is done at a chaser like if your buying a physical game in store until someone saw the order on the system
I had nearly the same experience with the Mario All Stars 3D collection. It took forever to ship and the preorder bonus that was advertised didn't come. I chalked it up to pandemic complications at the time. I learned my lesson and preordered Kirby at Target and picked it up in-person and got my bonus swag
I've had my share of normal experiences at GameStop, but I've also had a LOT of experiences of sexist behavior from their staff. More than any other store. From staff ignoring me and only addressing male customers, to staff outright laughing at me for asking questions about a game's additional content, to the fact that I almost never see women represented in the GameStop work force, sexism very much seems to be integrated into their system.
At least you still have a shop to go to. In the uk our equivalent is just called Game and they now no longer stock physical video games and now has become a toy shop an expensive toy shop. Forcing us to shop online for physical games which I personally prefer.
I remember walking into a Gamestop, or EB Games as it was called in my neck of the woods... and I saw Polly Pocket toys there...
That alone should tell you how much my opinion on Game Stop changed...
I really don't trust a company that throws away genuine game cases just to put things in a generic store brand case.
They also don't take pictures of the actual game you are buying online--so you're better off using eBay where you can evaluate the condition of the box, cartridge/disc, etc.
I like these vids. You have great, relatable opinions on the industry.
Sad way is the pre-order experience is horrible. I preorder for the gift but they truly horde the releases and also gave it a day before street date.
You didn't mention the worst upsell they push on us - "game play guarantee"!! "What about when you scratch up your disc?!?" Some of us take care of our media so it's a few extra dollars every game that would give no value to me, just up your profit. Stop making your employees push it on us
Not once in my life have I damaged a game to the point it doesn't boot. It's a scam and they know. To be honest, I'd be better with them flat out charging the extra $2-3 dollars up front instead of them questioning my ability to take care of my stuff.
GameStop? Once upon a time they had games... now it feels more like they care more about Funko Pops
I really wish that pc games where still physical but no modern pc games are on disk
Sadly I feel like these suggestions may be moot since it looks like they’re doubling down on the collector scene for TCGs.
It really feels like they want to move away from games; They’re just looking for that right replacement.
I'll never forgive gamestop for purchasing thinkgeek and shutting it down.
Last time I went into a Game Stop to get a Pokemon Legendary Card a while back the cashier would... not... stop... pressuring me to Pre-order Legends Arceus. I have not been back to a game stop since... So i feel ya
I just uninstalled the app after I saw them trying to convince people to trade in graded TCG cards 😂 , they completely lost their way.
My GameStop just closed in town & I really just don’t care
I mostly just buy physical games off Amazon. I know Amazon isn't the best either, but at least they're convenient
I was able to buy a steam key for Ghostbusters the video game after it was delisted from GameStop’s website.
If they want to sell physical games let me just say what kind of games you can only get physical; retro games. Yet what do they do not sell retro games.
they should just downsize and focus on retro gaming
What is the background music at the beginning of this video?
sonic 3 carnival night zone
Gamestop is a store without a purpose these days. Online storefronts like Amazon have totally replaced Brick and Mortar for many consumers. If you want to go into a store to get a new game, you could probably go into any old Wal Mart, or other department store these days, find the game you're looking for, and get thru the experience without anyone trying to upcharge you on anything. Gamestop has no real niche that only it can fill, and it's outclassed by other stores at the niche it was created to serve.
idk how they pivot. Retro games seems like the obvious answer, but big companies are less flexible than independent sellers, and collectors are thrifty and willing to search for better deals. The idea of tournaments, swap meets etc seems cool, but are most Gamestops even built for that? Every Gamestop I've ever visited was already pretty compact. What else could they do? Repair? Peripherals? PC Components? idk. I think Gamestop has probably just reached its natural end.
I live in a small town without a real gameshop, so for me shopping online is the way to go. Though when I go to a city I love to browse through the games (and music).
I shop rarely but it's really nice to go when I need a used accessory quick. Got my usb switch controller on discount after talking to the manager about a deal that couldn't be honored due to some stock inconsistency. I like a physical specialty store. Doubt I could do this at a bigger box store,
All GameStop had to do was go to the indies and AA's and become their publisher.
Instead of sitting down and working out deals to continue to have product to sell, they decided to become a half-assed Toys R Us.
It's not like they're doing terribly or anything, right?
Competition is always good, but realistically, companies like Limited Run and Super Rare didn't need to exist. None of these companies existed when I started saying GameStop should do exactly what they came in are succesful for doing.
I'm an ambivert, so I don't completely agree with all of the "I don't wanna talk to someone" points that were made, but I understand introverts who do want the person-free experience.
Anyway, when I first saw those Gamestop tweets, I had a completely different reaction. I actually smiled and liked it, not because of the whole "physical > digital" thing (both have their perks, but I'm team physical) but because of the midnight release thing. It just hit me with a huge wave of nostalgia. I used to go to those midnight releases, and I have nothing but good memories of it. Pokemon X&Y. Super Smash bros. 3DS. Pokemon ORAS. Kingdom Hearts DDD. Mostly 3DS games now that I think about it. Anyway I remember going with friends to those events, waiting in line with other excited fans, meeting new people who were also Nintendo fans, making new friends, doing all that Streetpass stuff, they had raffles and giveaway, it was a whole big deal!
But it's been years since I've even heard of a midnight release event. Last one I went to, Smash Ultimate, it was just waiting in line, picking up the game, and leaving. No big hoorah. No big celebration. And it wasn't even at midnight. Not gonna lie, I do miss those big fancy midnight releases, and now that I think about it, as much as Gamestop is right that people will remember those, it's kinda... I don't know, hypocritical or something, that they don't even do them like they used to.
Shesez really suggesting Gamestop try and rebrand itself to function more like an LGS does for card and pen-and-paper games...And that would be really cool, actually!
One of the used game stores near me does that already, and there are almost always people signing up to use the gaming space in the store.
Well said!
I won't miss them.
Listen GameStop is useless to me now since I only play pc games now
when you say collectors do you mean speculators who buy sealed games slab it and hopping that is value goes up. or you meant collectors who buys games with out a box/case and Manuel cause they have been condition to impulsive complete a collection or a collector that wants all the games they have from their childhood,
You play on that guitar? 😃
Not great but I know some songs and messing around brings me joy
Cool!
I am sorry, but i hate physical media. Gamestop can act like if we lose the online stores we lose our games, but considering how many abandonware games i have on a hard drive, i can tell you that is objectively not true. People forget that the fiction of ownership goes both ways in an all digital age. Legally speaking a company is in their right to hoard a license, bit if they donmake it possible to buy their goods, i will pirate them and feel no weight on my conscience.
all well and good to like digital media but I see no reason to hate physical media personally
I’m really thankful for physical media. I remember a couple years ago my 3ds breaking unexpectedly and instead of repairing it, I just bought a new one instead. All of my digital games and data were lost besides the photos on my SD card. Physical media has its pros and cons, but I believe it’s better for when there’s unpredictable stuff that could happen like that.