Is Gamestop Evil? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

[GSZX1337]

Yes, there's a Sony store. It's like the Apple store but with less douchebags.

So it's nothing like the Apple Store?

[CRTGAMER]

Recently a Gamestop employee gave me a hard time, when I asked to swap out cases on a purchase. In my quest to obtain originals, I prefer a PS2 case over a DVD case, there were over 200 PS2 games in the shelf, at least fifty had good PS2 Memory Card holder cases. This Gamestop is not one of my normal visits, perhaps the reason why the bad service for my unusual request?

I found out the quickest way to get a action on a problem. Instead of answering thru the survey at the Gamestop site, go directly from the first screen to the complaint link. I recieved an EMail the very next day from the City District Manager, with a cell phone to call. Returned the call, we talked about how cases are being tossed and the reasons why. It felt good to talk to someone who actually has a say on how to run business at Gamestop. The Manager taking personal action coaching the employee in question.

I met the District Manager in person the following day in my visits to one of the Gamestops. We had a great discussion concerning PS2 tossed cases and manuals on under ten dollar used games. A question of store profit vs shelf space vs the difficulty of finding the product in those yellow envelopes displayed. I pointed out to a wall of generic cases and suggested maybe just toss out those generic cases to make room and keep any case that are original. Too many great games have lost the precious instruction booklets. A hope the under fifteen dollar case toss does not happen any time soon. So far used Gamecube games have been spared. Also a look ahead prevention for the current generation used games as new consoles appear a few years from now.

The Buy Two get One Free on ALL used games is in effect. Around the 18th of this month, the concentration of the Buy Two get Two Free will be on GBA, Gamecube and PS2.

This is another reason for me to keep hitting Gamestops, BEFORE the sale wipes out the remaining PS2 complete games. There are a few Gamestops that still have complete PS2 games, so I am hitting them as often as I can.

[noiseredux]

wow, CRT. So awesome that you got to talk to some higher ups about all this. Did they seem receptive to the notion that some of us might be only buying completes?

[brunoafh]

I too had a run in with Gamestop over their disposal of original PS2 game cases and manuals. It's a damn shame really. It's sad to see a business erase pieces of gaming history for financial reasons (if you're a bit obsessed with having games in their original states like I am).

[noiseredux]

I too had a run in with Gamestop over their disposal of original PS2 game cases and manuals. It's a damn shame really. It's sad to see a business erase pieces of gaming history for financial reasons (if you're a bit obsessed with having games in their original states like I am).

...like quite a few of us!

[FerretGamer]

You can add another one to that obsessive list.

[brunoafh]

Yep, I had a feeling I wasn't alone on that one around here, haha. The merits of game preservation aren't exactly common concerns among most people I'm around though.

[CRTGAMER]

wow, CRT. So awesome that you got to talk to some higher ups about all this. Did they seem receptive to the notion that some of us might be only buying completes?

It is pretty much a done deal at this stage. I mean most of the stores have already tossed the cases. However, some stores still have complete games so maybe now those will be around just a little while longer in my area. The District Manager pointed out an idea of keeping complete cases in the back room. I mentioned that may not work due to logistics of employees leaving the sales floor to grab a case that may or may not be in the back store room.

As I'm typing this, I just thought of a great work around. I called back to the District Manager here and he is very receptive of this idea. He will bring it back up at the Monday Conference Call Staff Meeting. Hopefully this will apply everywhere across all Gamestops.

The Compromise
Some Gamestops here have kept the game Instruction Books with the games at the register in the drawers with the yellow envelopes to prevent theft loss of the game books. Taken a step further, instead of tossing the manuals, place them with the disc in the yellow envelope for all the under ten dollar "Toss Out Cases" games. Not a perfect solution, but not bad either. I didn't want to push too hard and ask to include the covers. The cover inserts can be found on Google Images and printed up as an less desirable alternative. Hopefully the cover inserts will be common sense be saved too along with the game books. Load up on spare PS2 cases whenever you can.

From the phone call
The PS2 ten dollar toss the cases is in effect, some markets is five dollar or less. There are a few locally here that is in that five dollar category.

Fifteen dollar toss out probably will not happen.

[dunpeal2064]

I actually visited a gamestop at the mall near me, and found two games I always see, but never with their stuff

I picked up Wild Arms 5, which had its oversized box. I went up front to ask if there was any chance they had the art book

Believe it or not, in my area, they are actually trying to preserve these older games, and hold things like that art book, the art book to enchanted arms, and the instructions to dragon quest 8, behind the counter.

She said she figured someone would steal it if it was on the floor, and she knew someone would really want to buy it as a whole

Considering they would sell it at the same price either way, I was pleasently surprised by this.

[BoringSupreez]

Yes, there's a Sony store. It's like the Apple store but with less douchebags.

So it's nothing like the Apple Store?

My local Apple store went out of business.