Do you buy at GameStop?

[GonzoGamer]

No. There's a local store that has better prices.

Anywhere else has better prices.
Last few times I bought used games it was online, either from Amazon, ebay (but you have to watch out for anything out of Hong Kong), or keeping a gamefly rental. What's the point in buying used if you're only saving $2-3. Why not get it from amazon or ebay where you can save $20-30. That's a whole decimal point's difference.

But that's not even the best reason to avoid gamestop: slow lines, sales pitches, and pants-on-head retarded clerks keep me away.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

When I buy a new game and pay a new price, I do not expect to receive an opened copy in return. That, my friend, is what I'd call a used game. The trouble is compounded by the fact that it is all but impossible to return the game if you have second thoughts later since an opened game is, according to Game Stop, used.

Isn't that a media usage law now anyway? Works for any media that is opened in the US. Movies, music and games.

Probably given that it applies across the board as far as I've experienced. Of course, a Hastings has never sold me a new game with the box already opened nor has Best Buy sold me a movie or a CD that was opened and called it new.

Also when shopping at Gamestop I tend to request an unopened game, and yes they do have them. What they try to sell you is the store "take home" copies. At least the ones near my house always have unopened copies.

 

[aLivingPheonix]

I used to, but then I went to my local indie game store, and now I do all my shopping from there. Easily the best game store I've ever been too.

Now I only shop at Gamestop when they have good deals. Like the one a month or two ago where all EA games were discounted from 10% to 50%

 

[CrustyOatmeal]

i just hate when you can buy a game and get some special in game item that buffs you in some way. like how in MoH if you pre-order you get a weapon nobody else can have, that is BS. pre-orders should maybe give you something for a cosmetic purposes like a new skin, and avatar item, or something like that. i hate when i play games where there are certain strategic unlockables i can never get just because i didnt but the game at a certain store

 

[meglathon]

no i don't buy gamestops, i buy games. you need to work on your grammar. PC games are not sold at games stop either.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

I don't have a problem with them. The friendly associates have gotten me some awesome deals more often than not, and trade-ins + discount + new game is a substantial amount off at times. But, more often than not, I shop at Bestbuy, or online.

 

[meglathon]

Nope. I just got sick of their atrocious customer service and stupid attitude towards PC games. Seriously, I went in there once and bought a PC copy of Bioshock. The fat fuck behind the counter spent 20 minutes trying to convince me that PC gaming was dead and that I'd be much better off getting a 360. I said no, and he called me stupid, so I told him to go fornicate himself with a wasps nest. And that's hardly an isolated incident. Plus, their PC games library amounts to about half a shelf, of which half of that is taken up by WoW.

I shop at GAME instead. They're cheaper, have better customer service, a bigger PC games range, and their labels actually come off properly instead of sticking to the packaging and leaving that horrible residue, like Gamestop's ones do.

I'm going to assume that you live in the UK, because the people at an american gamestop are trained to have absolutely no opinion until knowing yours, at that point they will smile, laugh and agree with everything you say, no matter how ass or against the grain it is. Once I went in and complained about how much I hated Halo, dude behind the counter did the smile nod and agree, only to turn around (after I started browsing) and talks to another customer about how awesome Halo is, he didn't really betray me or nothing (not like he started making fun of me) but since then I don't totally trust their people, a sales rep is a sales rep, there to make money for the company and nothing more. That all aside, most of PC gaming is dead, because the level of intelligence in the world has dropped to an astonishing new level of stupidity. I've almost never played a PC game, the one I did play was Vampires:The Masquerade:Bloodlines, and it was so awesome it broke my shit of a computer. Nothing has compared since, I can only fill the void until I get a worthwhile computer and reinstall it.

OT: yeah, I buy at gamestop, mainly used so I can return all my shit 7 days later, get my money back and pick up 3 more used PS2 games from the 10 and under rack.

 

[emeraldrafael]

would i buy a game stop? No, i cant see why. You have to pay developers and get their games in, then you have to have insurance and hire people who know what they;re doing and....

OH!! AT Game Stop. sorry.

Yeah, i do. Its a good place to get used games. Hell, I got my copy of Persona 3 fes in the original box and had the original cover art (guess no one wnated to take a chance, god knows whys), for only $15 Thats 70+ hours of gameplay, plus 30+ hours additional stuff, plus deep involving characters, and an awesome story to boot, for fifteen bucks.

So i dont see why not. WHo cares if they're bending the game industry developers over and giving them a healthy dose of giant spiked... well, i wont paint that picture any more, but suffice to say, I dont care if game stop is scrweing the gaming industry. They;re doing what is good for business, THEIR business, and its something that i guarrentee develops would do given the chance.

 

[bak00777]

it really depends, i dont buy used games that often, but i will pre-order from there if the bonus is good enough. Other than that i buy games at Walmart or Target, because i get a 10% discount at Target since i work there.

 

[chainer1216]

i do. though i usually buy new. CUZ I'M CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Deguasser]

Yes I do buy at gamestop.

also there is a nice weekly article about the life of a gamestop employee.

 

[meglathon]

I'm going to assume that you live in the UK, because the people at an american gamestop are trained to have absolutely no opinion until knowing yours, at that point they will smile, laugh and agree with everything you say, no matter how ass or against the grain it is.

I'm Irish, but the UK and Ireland generally have a different approach to customer sales than in the US. In the US, it's usually focused on the theory that "The customer is always right", whereas over here, it's somewhat more honest. This can be a good thing (For example, if you're looking to find whether a game is actually worth buying), but can also lead to situations like the one I described.

The guy I mentioned in my local Gamestop is a prick though. Real arsehole, I doubt most Gamestop employees are like him, but my experiences with Gamestop employees have ever been great generally.

 

[meglathon]

I do. I always buy at GS for new games.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but Gamestop just implemented their new "Rewards" program called Power Up Rewards. As with most store rewards programs, you earn "points" for money spent in the store. I was already an "Edge Club" member, which I typically do for the Game Informer subscription, though occasionally they have trade in deals which are actually worth it (such as the ones where you get an extra ten or twenty bucks for trading in three or more games or whatnot), so it comes in handy then as well.

So today I was picking up Atelier Rorona, and they switched over my membership to the new Power Up thing, and so far I'm not impressed.

First of all, you get twice as many points for buying used as you do with new. So that's not surprising, but it is pretty blatant. Like, I never really paid much attention to whether they came right out and admitted their priority was used games or whether it was just one of those unspoken things, but this is pretty loud and clear.

And of course, you have to spend a boatload of cash to get anything. For 10,000 points, you get a $10 off coupon. In order to earn those 10,000 points, you have to spend 1,000 dollars on new stuff or $500 on used, or trade in $500 worth of used stuff. No lie, you get 10 points per dollar spent on new, and 20 points per dollar spent or traded in on used.

Granted, they start you off with 750 easy points, but you still have to spend a truckload of cash to get anything substantial.

And thus was my temporary enthusiasm extinguished. On the plus side, you can catalogue your collection on the site, and anyone with OCD will know how much fun that is. (I have my collection catalogued at no fewer than five websites right now; Gamespot, Gamestop, IGN, Backloggery, and Blu-Ray.com, and partially catalogued at GameFAQS)

 

[Lolth17]

You guys do know that if you go up to the counter and ask them for the new game, they will give you an unopened, pre-sealed one, right?

Well, no. The point is that they usually don't have unopened ones. They keep so little in stock, and so few copies of those they do stock, that most of what they carry ends up being gutted copies. Which, as I've said repeatedly elsewhere, the employees handle carelessly, resulting in anything from light scuffs to blatant scratches. Since most people don't even look for scratches when buying disc media, most people don't seem to care about this policy.

Huh, the one I go to always has sealed copies available if you ask for them. Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

You guys do know that if you go up to the counter and ask them for the new game, they will give you an unopened, pre-sealed one, right?

Well, no. The point is that they usually don't have unopened ones. They keep so little in stock, and so few copies of those they do stock, that most of what they carry ends up being gutted copies. Which, as I've said repeatedly elsewhere, the employees handle carelessly, resulting in anything from light scuffs to blatant scratches. Since most people don't even look for scratches when buying disc media, most people don't seem to care about this policy.

Huh, the one I go to always has sealed copies available if you ask for them. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Could be, or you're just buying super recent releases, which are typically the only games they try to keep in stock.

 

[Legendairy314]

I usually Pre-Order at gamestop. Other than that I'm more of a renter who occasionally buys one or two games.

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

No, I prefer getting my games at Costco where I can usually get them $10 off MSRP, and return it within 90 days if I don't like it. If they don't have what I want, then I go for Target or Walmart, or good ol' Ebay.

 

[runnerbelow]

The only games I find myself buying are games for the DS because they have a tendency to disappear quickly.

 

[Spy Killer]

I accidentally the whole Gamestop