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

[TEKTORO]

Noticed some stores have the screens turned around while the transaction takes place. Are they training the customer for soon to be kiosk time. Lol

[Tanooki]

I've been cruising into the chain lately for the first time in a fairly long time. Honestly I think my opinion of them has softened a good bit.

I've been into a fair many in the area and one out of town as well and I've noticed that they're not hammering the high pressure upsales and harassment angle at the counter. Few even bother to ask me if I want in on their little discount card or the rest which I found refreshing.

I mean they're still bad when you get into tossing out old game cases to save space and leaving open cases/papers on the shelf and having the balls to still call that game 'new' when selling it. They still sell some used games for over their original price which is stinky too, but other than that it's not a bad situation as it was not all that long ago. Even then that higher value isn't as bad as ebay, gaming forums, local used game shops, and amazon by any means which is nice.

The manager at one 40~mi out of town of here held something I wanted for me while I drove out there, would have mailed me it, but my wife needed to go that way anyway so I went along. They held it until I could make it which was nice.

[Gunstar Green]

Noticed some stores have the screens turned around while the transaction takes place. Are they training the customer for soon to be kiosk time. Lol

I asked them about this because I thought it was extremely strange, they said they're preparing to shift to using tablets instead of registers and it's a step to getting employees used to being more involved with customers instead of behind a counter.

[Fragems]

Really when it comes to game stops it all seems to depend on the store manager. In Ashland, KY there are two stores within a mile of each other. The one that is a standalone building has a very good layout, seems to always have the best inventory of harder to find and older games when I browse online, and has some of the best clerks around. The one in the mall on the other hand is the complete opposite. There seems to be very poor management there since every time I am in there the employees are either talking with each other or on there phones, the layout is always cramped, and it usually takes them 5+ minutes to find games due to misplaced discs. I only ever bother going to that one in the mall when I happen to be shopping with someone else .

[CRTGAMER]

The PS2 is 15 years old today (first launched in Japan on March 4th, 2000).

Only the best console of its generation. I still play mine on a regular basis.

So much so that Gamestop is allowing trade ins on PS2's again

Considering how Gamestop has destroyed all the PS2 games by going disc only in the past, that is shocking and ironic at the 15 year anniversary of the PS2 console. Here is an older post of how Gamestop used to merchandise PS2 product:

Seen this yet?
In a real touch of irony, Gamestop has been creating generic cases of the PS2 "Best Sellers". Okay I'm confused, I thought PS2 cases were being tossed out to make room. Now empty Generic Cases with no Manuals take their place.

The local Gamestop is tossing out PS2 manuals, cases and covers and then merchandising only the game discs in yellow envelopes in a cardboard display. Not just under five dollar games either, what a waste of gaming history. All games should be sold complete when possible, part of gaming experience, even the rare five dollar games.

Let corporate know thru the Gamestop site. You don't even have to take the survey, just a direct comment.

http://mfisurvey.marketforce.com/GameStop/IndexCC.aspx

The Good or Bad Or Ugly or Pure Evil
I spoke with an employee concerning the buyback of the PS2 consoles. He confirmed that Gamestop WILL NOT offer the console for resale in the store. The tradein PS2 consoles are to be sent back to the Gamestop Refurbish Center for parts and possibly might be offered for resale as used consoles at the Gamestop online site only. I won't hold my breath; the same was said for a massive Gamestop buy back of older cartridge games a couple years ago, many still locked away from resale.

The employee and I conversed on why the turn around on the PS2, neither of us believing the official statement by Gamestop. Perhaps another buyback push to get the consumer to move up to newer consoles? Bastards are reducing the numbers of PS2 consoles in the gaming community thru the tradein program and NOT reselling them!

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamest ... 0-6425619/

The retailer stopped accepting trade-ins for the system, the best-selling home console of all-time, back in June 2013. But now, GameStop is getting back into the business due to "high" demand.

"The video game console that had captured millions of hearts around the world continues to breathe life," GameStop said in a statement. "The Sony PlayStation 2 is known for its vast library of games and being the top selling video game console of all-time. GameStop knows that a demand for this iconic piece of video game history is still high and will once again buy back PS2 consoles."

As of March 1, all United States GameStop stores will offer $25 in store credit to shoppers who trade in a system with a power cable, AV/cable, and one controller. If you've lost these accessories over the years, GameStop will still pay you $20 for the console itself.

Does anyone actually believe the statement put out by Gamestop Corporate?

The used PS2 game and Gamestop is synonymous as the first round of games that got the case toss out. Older games also got the package toss in the past, but the PS2 games were the highest amount of titles that were destroyed to disc only.

Oh and here is a recent picture of that same collection of PS2 games at that one Gamestop store. Still quite a few PS2 disc only games on the shelf! You can see the buyback promo for JUST the PS2 console signs at the top. Yeah, Gamestop you screwed up tossing out all those cases!

Gamestop (the only store left in my city with PS2 games) in a desperation move has been selling the PS2 game orphans at ten for ten bucks. I like God Of War II for a buck, but prefer CIB for five bucks at BookOff! Good luck trying to sell all those disc only Guitar Hero games.

This display is ridiculous and shows the evil of Gamestop. "We will buy back your PS2 Console and treat it like the PS2 games"

[Tanooki]

I don't see much of a problem here other than you could get a lot more probably for the PS2 elsewhere. So what, they take in an old system for $20-25. They'll just use them for parts, get others in good working order and flip them on their online site to back up all their games they're stuck with. The crime they committed was throwing out thousands of cases and manuals and using those insipid stupid yellow slips. Lots of people will not buy a used game that way, far more than a cartridge and those displays show it.

[dsheinem]

I recently bought a stack of about 15-20 of those $1 PS2 disc games and stuck them in a CD binder with other loose games, burns, etc.

I am sad to learn that I made a poor purchase. I guess I will not be able to have any fun with them whatsoever.

[wclem]

Games for a buck, wish my store was doing it. I have hundreds of lose PS1 and PS2 games. Binders full of them. Sometimes I spend an afternoon just sampling games in them. Do not get me wrong, I have way more complete games but those lose games are fine. Especially for those less fortunate. Someone who is has less disposable income can get one five dollar game or five one dollar games. I would take the 5 and I am not even broke LOL.

Dont get me wrong, complete is nice but who knows there may be a Rule of Rose in one of those for a buck!

[CRTGAMER]

Someone who is has less disposable income can get one five dollar game or five one dollar games. I would take the 5 and I am not even broke LOL.

Don't get me wrong, complete is nice but who knows there may be a Rule of Rose in one of those for a buck!

The games are regular used price unless you buy ten, which then is ten bucks. Even at disc only, I was curious what was there so asked for a printout. Only outstanding title is God Of War II, two copies showing in the printout inventory. Just maybe there might be a rarity expensive game such as that Rule Of Rose not on the list, but too many yellow envelopes to dive thru.

Hopefully Gamestop will resale the consoles online at a decent price and not just a ploy to push gamers to buy a newer system. How many have bought the cart games that were reported to be sold at the Gamestop site? How many of those carts were lost from gamers that wanted to buy them?

Gamestop considering an online store for vintage cartridges and discs
http://www.vg247.com/2012/08/30/gamesto ... cs-online/

Gamestop is considering adding a destination to its retail website for shoppers looking for classic game cartridges and discs that are no longer carried in their brick-and-mortar stores.

In an interview with Polygon during the first-ever public Gamestop Expo in San Antonio, CEO Paul Raines explained the company sees the opportunity in classic, sought-after titles, many of which are still in the company's possession after being traded in long ago.

"We've got them," Raines explained. "We think there's a vintage sales opportunity, so we're accumulating some inventory. It's a big idea, and there's a few problems with it. The first one is sourcing the product, the condition, the refurbishment, all that stuff. But there's a customer for it. And we're working on some stuff we haven't announced yet.

"If you go to eBay and look at all of the gaming stuff that's on there, it's unbelievable. Collector's stuff. We've got to be in that business. We will be."

Raines added that the retailer's website would be a perfect home for vintage titles, as they wouldn't demand the overhead of shipping the product to stores. More importantly, it would give the site a unique element that its competitors wouldn't easily be able to match.

"Our website is becoming unbelievably rich," Raines said. "We can't just be trying to go head-to-head with Amazon, beating each other to death on delivery dates. We do plenty of that. But we've got to be a destination for gamers where, for cool stuff for gaming, you've got to go to Gamestop."

Gamestop has failed in the past trying to cash in on older desired games of the season, notably with Wii games such as Metroid Trilogy, Xeonoblade, various other XSeed titles and more recently The Calling. Most stores I visit have an overpriced copy of Calling along with the other mentioned titles on the shelf now.

[dsheinem]

I. Can't. Even. Today.