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

[SpoonyBard]

He told me it was only available at a store that was kind of far so that I'd buy it at his store.

Unless you were pre-ordering something with that, or renewing your powerup card, i'm sure he would rather you bought it at the store 9 miles away.

[oxymoron]

He told me it was only available at a store that was kind of far so that I'd buy it at his store.

Unless you were pre-ordering something with that, or renewing your powerup card, i'm sure he would rather you bought it at the store 9 miles away.

Please explain. Wolfenstein is basically shovelware for them. Why wouldn't they want me to buy it?

[isiolia]

I would seriously report that Manager to the Gamestop site and at the same time let corporate know how the assistant took care of you and got chewed out for doing the right thing. Employees are not supposed to stash merchandise for their own purchase let alone letting customers know they are doing something like that.

On the flip side, what if it was being held for another customer? As long as employees are subject to the same "rules" as others, then it shouldn't matter. They're customers too. If they'd have held it for anyone else, but not that guy because he happens to work there, then that's not right.
Assistant should have just said they had one on hold, but offered to take his information in case it wasn't picked up or they got another one in.

I don't think the employees get commission on it, only the managers. I know it's a good deal. My card expired a week ago. I've just been being cheap. I mean, I could a good game for $15.

Managers may get incentives, I dunno. Regular employees are (or at least used to be) expected to sell a certain number of them per hours worked or they could be fired.

[CRTGAMER]

I would seriously report that Manager to the Gamestop site and at the same time let corporate know how the assistant took care of you and got chewed out for doing the right thing. Employees are not supposed to stash merchandise for their own purchase let alone letting customers know they are doing something like that.

On the flip side, what if it was being held for another customer? As long as employees are subject to the same "rules" as others, then it shouldn't matter. They're customers too. If they'd have held it for anyone else, but not that guy because he happens to work there, then that's not right.
Assistant should have just said they had one on hold, but offered to take his information in case it wasn't picked up or they got another one in.

The difference is the employee pulled it for himself, did not phone in. Yes the employee can be a customer, but as the employee representing Gamestop it is bad business to stash merchandise for themselves while on the clock. The hold only applies if phoning in such as driving from home or another store. Definitely don't tell other customers they cannot buy a product because it is reserved for an employee.

Gamestop will not hold an item and wait for a price discount as that employee was trying to do.

Went to the clerk and just for the hell of it I asked the clerk if he has the gold Zelda motion plus controller and he said yes he does but a employee really want's it and was working something out with the manager.

[isiolia]

The difference is the employee pulled it for himself, did not phone in. Yes the employee can be a customer, but as the employee representing Gamestop it is bad business to stash merchandise for themselves while on the clock. The hold only applies if phoning in such as driving from home or another store. Definitely don't tell other customers they cannot buy a product because it is reserved for an employee.

Gamestop will not hold an item and wait for a price discount as that employee was trying to do.

Well, it's hard to say since the actual details from the employee side aren't necessarily accurate. They could just be the clerk making assumptions, or misinterpreting something.

Policies may have changed, but I know when I worked there years ago, they'd hold things for anyone if they asked. Not for too long, but they would. 'course, they also held preorders for a week and it's like three days now, so maybe it's different.

Point being, kinda like you said, you don't tell a customer stuff like that. Since the clerk already said it, what the assistant did was correct - but as a result the whole exchange got posted here/etc. It was poorly handled.

[BurningDoom]

Last time I was in GameStop, some kid bought the copy of Bionic Commando I had wanted only a couple hours before. (I went in on the crazy GTA V release day, and stood in line for an hour, saw BC on the way out, didn't want to stand in line for an hour again so I went back a couple days later).

The manager told me that I could now do this thing on the GameStop website that would not only tell me if they have a game in-store, but I could also click an option that has them hold the game behind the desk for me for up to 2 days.

Next time, do that. And then there's record of the employee purposely keeping the game from you if he still goes through with it. Then send that to the distict manager if you're that pissed about it.

[mas]

I would seriously report that Manager to the Gamestop site and at the same time let corporate know how the assistant took care of you and got chewed out for doing the right thing. Employees are not supposed to stash merchandise for their own purchase let alone letting customers know they are doing something like that.

On the flip side, what if it was being held for another customer? As long as employees are subject to the same "rules" as others, then it shouldn't matter. They're customers too. If they'd have held it for anyone else, but not that guy because he happens to work there, then that's not right.
Assistant should have just said they had one on hold, but offered to take his information in case it wasn't picked up or they got another one in.

The difference is the employee pulled it for himself, did not phone in. Yes the employee can be a customer, but as the employee representing Gamestop it is bad business to stash merchandise for themselves while on the clock. The hold only applies if phoning in such as driving from home or another store. Definitely don't tell other customers they cannot buy a product because it is reserved for an employee.

Gamestop will not hold an item and wait for a price discount as that employee was trying to do.

Went to the clerk and just for the hell of it I asked the clerk if he has the gold Zelda motion plus controller and he said yes he does but a employee really want's it and was working something out with the manager.

I go to another gamestop by my work and told the store manager about what happened. She told me that I was completely right and that If a employee puts something aside for himself lets say gta v pre owned. The employee can put it on hold for himself and has till the end of his shift to purchase it but if a customer ask for a gta v pre owned then the employee looses out. That's what the store manager by my work says. An employee cannot keep something for themselves if a customer ask for the same item that employee has on hold. Besides it was after the employee's shift and he wasn't even there. He had the chance that day when it came in to purchase it.
Also from what I was told that was a new store manager so he probably didn't know the policies.

[oxymoron]

If you already got it, then I don't think it's worth going threw all this. I mean, it's not a good idea to form a grudge with your local GS.

[Luke]

HOLY SHIT! A COMPANY GIVING OUT FRINGE BENEFITS? WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?

[SpoonyBard]

Please explain. Wolfenstein is basically shovelware for them. Why wouldn't they want me to buy it?

Every transaction they complete without a pre-order and or power-up basically counts against them.

I don't think the employees get commission on it, only the managers. I know it's a good deal. My card expired a week ago. I've just been being cheap. I mean, I could a good game for $15.

They technically don't get commission, just a bonus. But as said before, the amount of power-up cards they sell each day in relation to the amount of transactions they complete is how they determine employee worth.

Assistant should have just said they had one on hold, but offered to take his information in case it wasn't picked up or they got another one in.

This is definitely how that situation should be handled. Every time.