Gamestop - Just let me buy my game(s) in peace.

[t.tocs]

Gamestop employees are a joke...at least at the one I go to. There's a couple kids that work there. One of them is really cool and always talks about the latest demos I got into. He's always envious that I find the strangest ways to get into beta's (like Little Big Planet's EU workaround, etc.) We have a good repertoire.

But then there is this young girl who works there. Every game that passes by the counter she has a comment about to her other coworkers. I picked up Disgaea 3, she hated sprites. I picked up Killzone, she said the PS3 was weak. By the time I got around to buying Gears of War 2 and she mentioned that she hated online multiplayer in the game. Having enough, I called her out on it. "Why do you hate the multiplayer" I said. I guess this was the first time a customer ever confronted her, she got really timid and said "Because people cheat and use the shotgun all the time." Keep in mind, this was before anyone played Gears 2 online and they didn't know that the shotgun was reduced to a normal weapon. I replied with "Did it ever dawn on you that they aren't cheating, but maybe you aren't good." I have never seen someone turn so red in my life. The kid who I have the good repertoire with burst out laughing and the girl said nothing else. I've bought a few games at the store since then and the ***** hasn't said one thing about any game since.

Lesson of this rant? Confront them. Call them out. If you want a new game and not some used one, say it's because you want to support the developer, not Gamestop. You want the people who put their hard work into the game to get due credit. If they switch up the games on you like in scenario 2, walk away. That's the strongest thing you could ever do. Gamestop is nothing without their customers, and if you walk away from a sale, they will feel it. Don't get all timid...remember, they are just petty sales clerks making minimum wage, they aren't any better than you (even if you too are making minimum wage...at the best, you are equals).

 

[seamusotorain]

I worked in Smyth's Toy Superstores (Irish toyshop) in the game section, and almost the exact same thing went on. Constantly. We were ordered by management to "strip" (take out of shrinkwrap, place game and manual in plastic cd wallet) and use the new boxes as display boxes. This despite the fact that we would receive an envelope stuffed with leaflets to be placed in display boxes every week. The problem? We didn't have enough display boxes, ie the shop was too cheap to buy them. We even ran out of cd wallets, and were encouraged to put 3-4 games in a pocket meant for one.

About the stickering on the boxes: our manager was a fat lazy sunbitch, and never bothered to resticker them. The flipside of this was that people could legally claim to pay only the price advertised on the box. Derp.

Oh, and trade-in prices are beyond retarded. GOW2 traded in at E35 the week we got it. We would then sell it second-hand for E55. Conversely, some of the prices are rarely-if-ever updated. For example, I traded in Super Paper Mario (selling @ 14.99) for E35. I lol'd.

 

[ryai458]

I hear alot of bad things about gamestop and i have had a similar experience my mom was buyin stuff im the mall i had no interest in lotions so i went over to gamestop to pick up a gameinformer, now they have these gameinformers laying out on a table like they are selling them but when i go to buy one they are like oh we dont sell those i was like what the hell, they were like you can buy a subscription instead, im like no im buying this long story short i made a fuss they sold the damn magazine after being complete douches..

 

[t.tocs]

I hear alot of bad things about gamestop and i have had a similar experience my mom was buyin stuff im the mall i had no interest in lotions so i went over to gamestop to pick up a gameinformer, now they have these gameinformers laying out on a table like they are selling them but when i go to buy one they are like oh we dont sell those i was like what the hell, they were like you can buy a subscription instead, im like no im buying this long story short i made a fuss they sold the damn magazine after being complete douches..

You need to use periods or take a breath every now and then

 

[CoziestPigeon]

Sorry, but OP, you sound like the kind of customer that makes people who work in retail want to hang themselves every day. If all you want is your purchase and then to leave, don't be so damned picky. Retail workers have to deal with hundreds of people more annoying and pickier than you, so it would serve everyone best if you try not to agitate them further.

Just don't get upset with them, they are busy hating themselves trying to scrape by while dealing with people like you for endless hours every day. It's not their fault their life sucks, its yours.

HOW is it unreasonable him to ask for something he wants to buy. If you go into a restaurant, order a dish off the menu and they bring you something similar but not what you ordered would you not have the right to complain? What if then after they bring you the wrong dish they overcharge you for it and then berate you on your choice of food?

Same thing.

It's not unreasonable to complain, it's unreasonable to threaten to call their boss's boss's boss because they are just following company policy and offering you shit you don't want.

 

[The Shade]

I was in my local EB Games one day and was shocked by how helpful the guy working there was. Most of the game stores I go into are pretty much like the OP's described experiences.

But I was going to buy TimeShift (didn't know anything about it - just looked cool) and he talked me out of buying it, telling me all about how horrible it was. (Of course, after some research when I got home, I found he was right!)

So it was nice to see a game store employee who was watchin' out for his fellow gamer and not his paycheque.

 

[GonzoGamer]

I admit to going to Gamestop and spending far more than I should within them a lot.

But out of all the stores I have been to, I have come to the conclusion that there are two that I am fed up with, and will never go back to.

The first of the two is actually located in the mall I work at - which made it a convenient place to go to after work hours, but... it seems every time I go there, I end up leaving irritated and-or upset over one thing or another; and it always has to do with the employees.

See, I do NOT go into the store with the desire to be made at all awkward/uncomfortable when all I want to do is go in, peruse and buy game(s).

Yet it seems that's the only thing that ever happens to me with this store.

Latest incident?


I wanted to get this game, and I wanted to get it new - now, as I'm sure everyone more or less knows, Gamestop tends to have on the shelf 'New' games that are out of the shrink wrap and all that jazz; and, while some of them have more copies on the shelf that are in the plastic, still, the shelved copies tend to be their only copy of 'New' games.

The game I wanted, I wanted to get it in the plastic, and so I asked if they had it - It was considered a popular game, so I figured chances were good that they still would. Luck had it that they did.

Yay, right?

Nope.

Instead of just being able to purchase the game and head on home, instead I am forced to endure near ten minutes of one of the employees drilling me and questioning me on why I 'have' to have the game new, and in the plastic.

Cue awkward feelings and a feeling of being just plain uncomfortable.

I tried to explain that, due to some OCD I have, that when I can, I have to get games new (and sealed) if at all possible; Or, if not new/sealed, at least as like new/mint as possible... there's nothing wrong with that, is there? It wasn't hurting him, or anyone...

Yet he had to continue getting on my case about it, making me feel like I'm some idiot because of what I felt more comfortable with, claiming that it's stupid because one could buy the same game used and save money as well as 'get more' out of it.

Blah, blah, blah.

Plus, when the person ringing up my order FINALLY ran it through and all, she made fun of the fact that my PIN number is so long (twelve digits).


Scenario Two:

Happened a while ago, but I'm curious to hear if anyone else has had this happen to them?

Background: I tend to be rather anal/picky/obsessive when it comes to buying games used. If I get it used, the case has to be in excellent/mint condition with original artwork and HAS to come with original manual... Disc also, preferably, is as near mint as possible, meaning little to no scratches.

I know, what's the point in buying used if I'm going to be such a freak about it, right?

Still.

Anyways.

So at this one Gamestop, I picked up a few games including Grand Theft Auto III (It was $4.99 - keep that in mind, it IS relevant.)

I went to purchase them, and wasn't paying too much attention when the person ringing me up went to get the discs and all, paid and headed out to the car.

Once in the car I did my usual check discs routine, when I noticed something odd... The GTA3 game... was not the one I originally picked up.

I know this, because I made sure to get the best, newest looking GTA3 case/manual/poster that I could find, and the one I now had was disgusting (to me) and nothing at all what I would of agreed to go ahead and get.

Plus, I noticed, that the price tag on this GTA3 sported a price of "$6.99".

...
Check my receipt, and yup, I got charged $6.99 for GTA3, even though the case I picked up (and all others in the displays) stated that it was $4.99.

Not cool.

Of course, when I went back into the store to question this, all the employees would tell me is this: Oh, well, the game was $4.99 at one point, but that was the old price and the new price is $6.99; we just haven't gone through and changed the prices of the games on display yet.

...
...
...
The whole switching the cases on me and charging me more than what I thought something was? Not right at all, and made worse to the fact that they NEVER BOTHERED TELLING ME.

I don't know about what everyone else thinks, and I hate to sound like some entitled ***** here, but it was NOT right of them to pull that crap. What they SHOULD of done is, at least, TELL me about the price change and ASK me if I still wanted to purchase the item.

Even better, they should of honoured the pricing it stated on the display - It isn't the customer's fault if THEY didn't update matters.


Blah, blah, blah.
I wish I wasn't so... weak, when it comes to confrontations and stuff.


Uh, all ranting and rambling aside, I guess the main point/question of this is:

Has anyone else had bad experiences with Gamestop or buying games in general?

That's gameslop.
Seriously, don't shop there.

As for the price thing? They are legally required to stand by the price posted. Because they didn't have the time/were too lazy/stoned to change it back isn't your fault. It's illegal for them to change the price at the register, not telling you about it is probably a whole 'nother law they're breaking.

Just be happy they put A game in the case.

 

[The Shade]

Also, here's something you can do that will totally help you out with dealing with game store employees:

Travel in a pack. Go in with a friend or six (I usually do) and they won't give you shit. Also, having a wing man makes sure they won't talk your ear off for an hour - they see you actually have a life to get back to.

Basically, my strategy involves outnumbering the employees, so I have a team backing me up when the shit hits the fan. (Which it never does, because the employees aren't gonna give you shit when you have a bunch of people with you.)

Honestly, though, the people at the EB Games where I live now seem pretty nice. They seem pretty knowledgeable about the hardware and software, but without giving you way too much information about Assassin's Creed II when you ask. (All I wanted to know was if you could swim, and all I got in response was "Yep. Finally.")

 

[antipunt]

Has anyone else had bad experiences with Gamestop or buying games in general?

1. Chatty lady starts drilling us about why we wouldn't preorder SC2. 'are you suuuurrreeee' 'are you surrrree gais?!'. holy crap woman!

2. "can we HELP YOU!" x 10,000x (when we were clearly just browsing)

2. Sold us a burnt disc that now currently crashes 30% of the time during a live-match.

 

[MaxRaine]

Meh, I've stopped shopping at our only local (I live in a rather small town in Sweden) GameStop (or EB Games) after I realized that their prices on USED games were about 10-20% more expensive than the price on the same game NEW including s/h from a store on the net =P Having to wait one or max two days to get the game delivered through the mail isn't that big a deal =) And for pre-orders, you get the game in the mail on the release day, and to me it's not a matter of life and death to get to play it at midnight =P

Actually I don't see how stores like that can even survive when the net prices are so much cheaper...

Edit: I'd like to add though that the employees at our GS are actually quite nice =) They might ask you if you need help but only once. If the price tag says one price that's what you pay even if it would turn out that it was registered at a higher price, if the registered price is lower you get to pay that of course =P Was actually pleasantly surprised by that when I was gonna buy Kessen 3 for PS2 way back, then the price was only half of the one on the box =P Only thing I dislike, other than the prices, about our GS is the stickers they put on all used boxes that just wont come off =/

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

The only real problem I've been having with my "friendly neighborhood EB" lately is that they don't seem to get things in on time anymore. In fact, nowhere in this city does anymore, it's always 2, 3 days, sometimes a week later that I'll actually get the game.

Still most of the folks who work at the EB's I go to are gamers who realize they work for hte Evil Empire of Videogame stores and have a sense of humor about it. They understand people DON'T want to buy a gutted game unless that's all there is left and they're okay with it and they don't try to push used games on you.

 

[Rajin Cajun]

I would prank call Gamestop and ask them if they have battletoads...thats how I would get back at them.

That is always fun or ask them if they have Rapelay the Japanese Rape Simulator and make sure you mention the words need further training.

 

[noctifyre]

Woo, way to bring a thread up from a month's demise ~

Nice, coming back on these forums to find that out, then to read some of the most recent responses.


1) "I take it you are a young male with confidence issues, and perhaps you felt most insulted by the fact it was a girl asking the questions (in the first instance)."

First off, there's about one thing right about that statement, and that's the bit about confidence issues. Yes, I lack confidence, buuuut. I am not male (It even states on my profile that I'm female, imagine that!), but it was a male that I had to deal with in scenario one - the only female I dealt with throughout the entire transaction was the one ringing up my purchase and who made the comment regarding my PIN number. Otherwise, aside from that, she said and did nothing.


2) To the people making any jabs at having OCD or anything like that: You think I like having it? I would love to be like those people who don't care much about anything, but I'm not. There are many issues I have to deal with (OCD among those) that I would give anything to not have to deal with in every day life. If there was some easy cure to get rid of all of them that I could afford then by golly wouldn't I be willing to give it a shot.


3) Sorry, but OP, you sound like the kind of customer that makes people who work in retail want to hang themselves every day. If all you want is your purchase and then to leave, don't be so damned picky. Retail workers have to deal with hundreds of people more annoying and pickier than you, so it would serve everyone best if you try not to agitate them further.

Just don't get upset with them, they are busy hating themselves trying to scrape by while dealing with people like you for endless hours every day. It's not their fault their life sucks, its yours.

Um, okay? In scenario one, all I wanted to do was purchase the friggin' shrink-wrapped version of the game and leave. It was one of the sales associates on duty that was giving me trouble over it.

Scenario two, I think I had a right to be concerned - because what they pulled wasn't right.

As it is, for both I never said or did anything against them for what they said or did to me, aside from writing up this post.

I didn't go demanding managers.
I didn't go demanding corporate numbers.
I didn't take any recourse against them.

So how does this make me such a shitty customer?


4) Yeah, the PIN issue - No matter what, I don't think it's right to say anything about a person's PIN number, even if it's just as a joke or comment. It's not a person's place. So maybe I am 'overreacting', but. My opinion.


I'm sure there are a lot of other things said about me or my post, but to be honest I'm just tired of slagging through what seems to be 934859 responses that seem more like not-so-veiled attempts of insult/personal attacks.

As it is, I haven't been to a Gamestop ever since the original post so, whatever.

eta: However, I did enjoy some of the newer responses and insights given.

 

[McBurks]

And this is why I don't shop at Gamestop. Ever see Zero Originality's rant about them? You should check it out.

 

[TheMushroomClub]

Gamestop sounds horrible. I've heard so much about it here. In England, we have gamestation. All the games (even preowned) are in boxes and are cleaned by the special machine. I suppose it's the price you have to pay for paying too little for Rock Band.

 

[Clashero]

The most horrible thing about it was that the employee doubted your OCD. It's a very real, sometimes a bit serious condition, and this person was bugging you, so that you could get an inferior product.
I don't clinically have OCD, but I am very obsessive. If my disc doesn't look like it was forged by God, then I won't buy it. If I'm paying a ridiculous amount of money, the least I expect is a perfect disc, with a perfect manual that will never give me any trouble.
However, when I lived in the US, the Gamestops had good employees and pretty bad management. I went to buy Allied Assault. The box looked perfect, so I bought it. I open it in the car and see that it has no discs in it. No, madam, no discs at all. I go to get it changed, and they give me a new box. Showing signs of improvement, this box has one of the two discs in it. Third time's a winner, though, and they gave me the full game (finally) plus a perfect used copy of Max Payne for all my troubles ("Don't let management see you with it, though")