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

[avrame]

Sad thing is I did preorder the game. I missed the launch day due to weddign stuffs, and did not get a chance to pick up my copy. I figured 'meh, i'll be able to find it elsewhere later'

You realize that you have, I believe 48 hours to pick it up if you preorder it - otherwise it goes on the shelf and you lose your deposit. (I may be wrong on the specifics, but that's what I remember an ex-GS employee telling me..)
Which is fishy, since the store you were going to drive 2 hours out of the way to pick up somebody's else's 'no-longer-wanted' copy, decided to sell it to the original customer anyway once they changed their mind...

My bad, I forgot to mention, Hyperdimension Neptunia came out Feb 15th, I preordered it then, and I'm hunting a new copy now (August- September).

[CRTGAMER]

I read recently that GameStop will start selling iOS devices. See this article for details:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392460,00.asp

A Car Enthusist Rant
There used to be six speed shop stores in town. I don't mean Auto Zone or Kragen, but actual dedicated hot rod shops such as Super Shops and Chrome Barn. I miss being able to walk in and seeing stacks of huge racing tires, blowers and the pallet of B&M Trick Shift. A passing fad, now there are car stereo specialist shops and of all things, a store that rents a set of chrome wheels for your ride.

Posted here first
It seems like everything will be going digital including movies and games, Gamestop is just trying to stay ahead with the iPod and iPad support. I think it will be a losing battle though, Best Buy and Frys has Home Entertainment covered with a much larger sales floor. A sad day when only hardware and download purchase cards will be all that is left in a game store

Enjoy all the Gamestop multiple locations while you can. Even with all the ugly stickers and tossed cases, still the best local source for used games. However the days are numbered as DLC and DRM becomes too cost affective for the manufacturer. Gamestop has been already leaving the shopping mall. Eventually most will close down (remember Game Crazy), maybe Gamestop will resort to online orders of downloads, a "Game Netflix" as in Gamefly?

[isiolia]

Gamestop has been already leaving the shopping mall. Eventually most will close down (remember Game Crazy), maybe Gamestop will resort to online orders of downloads, a "Game Netflix" as in Gamefly?

Gamestop already purchased the Impulse service from Stardock, and is planning to turn it into a hybrid Steam/OnLive service (which is why they got their panties in a twist over the OnLive coupon in the DXHR box). The current iteration mostly seems to want to be Steam really, really badly.

I'd say the bigger angle for the future, provided that network infrastructure is increased to allow for it, is the possibility of streaming games. You can already, as an example, pay $9.99 a month for access to a library of 90 games on OnLive, accessible from a variety of different devices. While that might not appeal much to those of us who enjoy collecting shiny plastic discs, it's a potentially awesome development for actually playing games - kinda like Netflix streaming won't tend to wow home theater buffs in quality, but having tens of thousands of titles at their fingertips has an appeal nonetheless.

[CRTGAMER]

Gamestop Rant 1
I asked the employee to look it up a game for me, after checking the computer he found one in the drawer behind the counter. The game was complete but had NO GAMESTOP STICKERS. Now for the strange part, he scanned the FACTORY barcode off the cover insert and it popped up the correct price as a used game. I knew the game was available used only when I looked at the site before going to the store. So what is the deal? The lookup screen did have the game listed, but the employee had to scan the factory cover barcode to get a price on the register.

Wait a minute, all the years I spent cleaning Gamestop UPC stickers and the original factory barcode works?!!! I know Gamestop has to identify used games over a new game with a unique SKU. So how come Gamestop does not follow every other retailer and use the original bar code printed on the product for new games?!!! Especially since it already can be scanned and pop up in the register inventory!

Gamestop Rant 2
I am still hating how Metroid Trilogy got a limited release. One of the few times Gamestop is matching EBay prices. I can't blame them, it is good business sense, but the same price if disc only with a generic case!

Stupid lazy bums selling used games disc only to Gamestop!

On a side note, Wii Conduit Limited Editions were Gamestop exclusives. The Limited Editions have the exact same SKU as the regular edition. I would have thought unique Gamestop (not DLC exclusives) limited editions would have their own SKU. This has worked well for the customer though, a lot of Special editions have the same SKU. Still ironic how a Limited Metroid set jumped so high in price and there are a ton of inexpensive Metroid M crap clogging the shelves.

[BurningDoom]

Gamestop Rant 2
I am still hating how Metroid Trilogy got a limited release. One of the few times Gamestop is matching EBay prices. I can't blame them, it is good business sense, but the same price if disc only with a generic case!

I completely agree. If a game is sold incomplete, it should be at a lower price. You're not getting the complete package that you're paying for. I'm sure they could sell caseless games for 10-20% less than ones with the package and still make plenty of profit.

[BoringSupreez]

Gamestop Rant 2
I am still hating how Metroid Trilogy got a limited release. One of the few times Gamestop is matching EBay prices. I can't blame them, it is good business sense, but the same price if disc only with a generic case!

Stupid lazy bums selling used games disc only to Gamestop!

On a side note, Wii Conduit Limited Editions were Gamestop exclusives. The Limited Editions have the exact same SKU as the regular edition. I would have thought unique Gamestop (not DLC exclusives) limited editions would have their own SKU. This has worked well for the customer though, a lot of Special editions have the same SKU. Still ironic how a Limited Metroid set jumped so high in price and there are a ton of inexpensive Metroid M crap clogging the shelves.

The way the Metroid Prime Trilogy set jumped in price makes me glad I'm not super into Metroid. I'd never have thought that game would become so valuable.

[wip3outguy7]

I haven't seen it posted here but I found a damned good article from gamerswithjobs.com while surfing NeoGAF.

I was working for the company during the NeoStar collapse in the mid 90s. This really struck a chord.

[pakopako]

The way the Metroid Prime Trilogy set jumped in price makes me glad I'm not super into Metroid. I'd never have thought that game would become so valuable.

US$60 is still around MSRP isn't it?

I completely agree. If a game is sold incomplete, it should be at a lower price. You're not getting the complete package that you're paying for. I'm sure they could sell caseless games for 10-20% less than ones with the package and still make plenty of profit.

I'm not saying I disagree, but if they can sell a game without a manual (or charge extra for the manual) then they'll be making maximum profit.

... Put simply, were I a board member on this company and responding to the complaints of gaming’s elite, I might say, “We tried it your way, and you guys ran us out of business.” This modern incarnation of the retailer may be a lot of things, but you can’t say that they aren’t disciplined or didn’t learn from their mistakes.

Cold hard capitalism.

Slightly off topic: wip3outguy7, it's a bit small, but is your avatar from the new Bloodrayne?

[CRTGAMER]

I haven't seen it posted here but I found a damned good article from gamerswithjobs.com while surfing NeoGAF.

I was working for the company during the NeoStar collapse in the mid 90s. This really struck a chord.

Great article! One paragraph stood out:

However, in the modern gaming retail environment, GameStop’s actions and decisions deeply impact the course and policies of the industry and market at large. They are virtually unchallenged in North America as a gaming boutique shop, and even much larger companies are impacted by and in some cases driven to try to match their policies. Where goes GameStop, so goes video gaming retail.

So true, look at all the preorders for new games. PS3 ICO/SOTC is cheaper at Frys for example.

[isiolia]

The way the Metroid Prime Trilogy set jumped in price makes me glad I'm not super into Metroid. I'd never have thought that game would become so valuable.

US$60 is still around MSRP isn't it?

It's $100-135 new on Amazon (well, and higher for some...one seller lists it for $250). $55+ used (Gamestop lists at $69.99 used) reflects a bit more than MSRP I think.

While I think it's stupid for a recent game to be allowed to get that pricey (seriously, print more, bastards)...that particular game is one that I saw the announcement they were ceasing production, rushed to buy a copy at the "normal" price, and then felt stupid every time I walked into Best Buy and saw ten copies sitting there (not for buying it in general, just at my rush to acquire it). Looking at price now... I don't. Might make me think twice about breaking the shrinkwrap on it though :/