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

[Luke]

...store policy.

That would explain it. Covering your tuckus is a good thing.

[Hatta]

That's when you turn around and walk out. Preferably after speaking to the manager. The only way to get them to change a ridiculous store policy is to demonstrate to them that it is costing them customers.

[noiseredux]

That's when you turn around and walk out. Preferably after speaking to the manager. The only way to get them to change a ridiculous store policy is to demonstrate to them that it is costing them customers.

WTF? Really? You'd walk out because you got carded? Who cares? How long does it take you to show someone your license?

[FerretGamer]

That's when you turn around and walk out. Preferably after speaking to the manager. The only way to get them to change a ridiculous store policy is to demonstrate to them that it is costing them customers.

WTF? Really? You'd walk out because you got carded? Who cares? How long does it take you to show someone your license?

Agreed, that's bit extreme and to be honest it rarely happens at Gamestop.

[Luke]

WTF? Really? You'd walk out because you got carded? Who cares? How long does it take you to show someone your license?

Yeah, I didn't give a crap that I got carded, I just don't know of many 17 year olds who wear suits on their "lunch break" to pick up a game.

"We reserve the right to not to serve anyone" is a fine store policy.

I can guarantee you had I been a jerk and said "I'm not going to show you my id" all I would have accomplished would be not getting a game I wanted in mint condition.

[ninjainspandex]

I still get carded and I went to high school with the guy who works there...

[isiolia]

Was the wool pulled over my eyes? Isn't the esrb rating a guide, not a law? Has this happened to anyone else who is obviously a grown man?

It doesn't usually happen to me, but when I worked at Software Etc, it was policy. It's a voluntary compliance, and, like you said, the entire ESRB system is voluntary to begin with. However, I think the reason they stick with it is so that it doesn't get pushed into actually being law, like MPAA ratings (also a voluntary system) are in some areas.

I actually had more people complain when asked to produce ID when using a credit card, as that was also policy.

I've been carded plenty of times, as Gamestop is far from the only retailer to voluntarily restrict sales like that - some POS systems (I think Target, might be mistaken) will actually halt and wait to scan a driver's license in to allow the cashier to ring up M-rated stuff. So it'll happen to anyone.

[KDub]

A lot of places do it as a customer relations thing. The parents of a 10 year old that got sold a very graphic M game can be some angry people, not that I blame them sometimes.

Entering a birthday/scanning a licence is usually better than dealing with an angry Mom or bad public relations "They are corrupting out children" garbage.

[Hatta]

The jerk is the party that is making the ridiculous request. Not the party objecting to it.

[Jmustang1968]

Or covering their ass from future lawsuits or bad PR. Say a minor buys an m rated game and commits some act of violence. They could then potentially get a lawsuit from victims or parents and or bad press for doing so.