Poll: A random thought to ponder...

[MrMoustaffa]

Ok I'm going to go ahead and say this, even though its reiterated throughout this post. Please, PLEASE, no flame wars, although threads like this seem bound to attract it. To any mods that read this, if this is only going to cause trouble, go ahead and lock it, I'd rather this thread get shut down early than become a firestorm of idiocy.

This is (Hopefully) going to be a serious discussion about Gamestop. Yes, I said it, Gamestop. Now I want reiterate, NO FLAMES, NO CAPS (besides this), and no vulgar threats made to people who disagree with you. Sit down, listen, and actually listen to all sides of the issue in a calm and rational manner. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something.

Now, on to the discussion bit. I've only been on the forums for a short while (lurked for 3 or 4 months, finally made an account a couple of weeks ago) and I've noticed an interesting trend. It seems like the vast majority or this community hates Gamestop with a passion. There are a few that seem to be indifferent, or even like Gamestop, but the vast majority seem to dislike Gamestop and its practices.

However, most of this hatred seems unbiased, or at the very least unexplained. I cant count how many times I've seen somebody say "GAWD I HATE GAEMSTOP, THEY ARE LIEK SUPA BAD!!!111ONehundredELEventYOne". Of course, for all the idiots and trolls, there are several users who explain their feeling with actual sentences, and use actual reasoning. The main reasons appear to be "Gutting" (removing a game from its case to remove shoplifting, thereby making it "used" to certain people) and people running into Gamestop employees who are jerks.

I added a poll for people who didnt feel like going indepth on their thoughts towards gamestop, but as for the people who feel want to join in the discussion, feel free to share stories (good or bad) about your experiences there. I'll post my stories later, as this post is already monstrous, but I hope to see some actual thought provoking conversations, as I know there are intelligent people on this board.


TL;DR, Do you like or hate Gamestop? What makes you hate/Like it? Do you not care? oh, and no flaming please.

 

[Instant K4rma]

I've always had good experiences with Gamestop, and I would say I like them 100%. Hell, every time I go to buy a game I end up shootin' the shit with an employee for damn near 15 or 20 minutes. Tomorrow I'm headed to Gamestop to pick up New Vegas as a matter of fact. So yes, I like Gamestop.

 

[Ryuo]

I have no problem with Gamestop.
At least my Gamestop. I am good friends with ALL the staff, and sometimes go there just to talk to the manager.
It also happens to be the only good game store in my area.

EDIT: Heading there in about 30 min to pick up my New Vegas.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Gamestop doesn't exist in Australia, so I don't really know...

 

[Benmonkey7]

I really like Gamestop. I prefer Best Buy but I have never had trouble with Gamestop. In fact, one of the employees once gave me advice on how to get one of the skulls in Halo 3.

 

[Vivaldi]

I avoid used games, other than that it is usually pretty good.

 

[Hashime]

I like running into other gamers and having a good game talk.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I love gamestop. I know the people there, so i get an 80% discount. On new and used games.

But its not even that. I like the idea of it. I recently traded in my PS2 and all my PS2 games (as well as other assorted items) and got a good 200+ dollars in credit (thought they did offer cash, whihc really surprised me, i must admit). That you can trade in games, then go and buy new ones. Plus its nice to not be distracted by the box arts. I've bought some shitty, and I mean SHITTY games based on box art. Plus, if you ask, most game stop wil have the original box. I got my Persona 3 fes game in the original box, Mint condition, with the music CD and a bonus of the Original Persona 3 game at used price (at 80% of used price) from Gamestop. Thats a STEAL!

So anyway, yeah, I love gamestop. better then the walmart its beside where i live.

 

[ultrachicken]

My gamestop has great staff.

 

[Thunderhorse31]

I don't have a problem with the store as far as being a place to buy used games on the cheap, but they're policies are patently absurd (buying back games for $15, then selling them immediately for $50, though it's your own damn fault if you fall for it) and I'd say about 50% of the time I run into an employee who doesn't know what they're talking about.

I was told last year if I reserved a Veteran copy of Modern Warfare 2 I'd get a sweet infrared scope as a bonus. Another time I was told that Half Life 2 didn't come out on PS2. The first example is a bit more ridiculous than the second, but still, inaccuracies abound.

So yeah, I still go there, but only when I've already done my research first (prices, availability, etc.), and know exactly what I'm buying. Selling or inquiring about games? The internet is a MUCH better resource for that.

 

[Ham_authority95]

I really don't have any shit towards GameStop besides the fact that they aren't giving developers payment for used games.

Which makes developers try to get their dollar in other, stupid(but understandable) ways...

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I hate the way they gut new games, and I hate the way they overcharge for used games -- seriously, they need some competition on that front, because I don't remember a single used game before this gen that went for more than $20, unless it was something rare like Suikoden or Phantasy Star IV. I blame the buyout of EB, personally.

Other than that, I don't hate the stores -- I'd much rather buy a physical item than download something off of steam, and Gamestop generally gives a nice place to do that. It is sad when you can walk into the local Target and find a better selection of PC games than you can at a dedicated game shop, but they at least carry them, and the console game selection is quite good.
[sub](Seriously, my local Target has an enormous selection, I'd be drowning in games from that place if I wasn't already drowning in games bought elsewhere on the cheap.)[/sub]

 

[MrMoustaffa]

wow this is the complete opposite reaction I was expecting. I was on a couple of days ago and all I saw was people bashing Gamestop. Of course, I was looking at those "Behind the scenes: Gamestop" articles, so maybe that had something to do with it...

As for me, my gamestop was originally Funcoland (anybody remember that place?) Several of the employees have been there since the Funcoland buyout, and as a result, are really cool guys. While I'm not a big fan of Gamestop's bussiness policies, the fact that great guys work at my local one makes it much easier to deal with.

I once had a nightmare scenario where I got FOUR broken used games in a row from a different Gamestop. I went to my old one, explained the situation, and the employee behind the counter told me "they gave you 4 broken games?!?!?! Thats bull@#$!!!" He then went to the back, grabbed a new copy of the game, and exchanged it for my old one. They also helped me with hardware questions all the time, and always gave me advice on how to set up my stuff the best way possible.

If it wasnt for that, I would probably just buy games through amazon or Walmart.

 

[Aqualung]

I like Gamestop because they usually have friendly staff, (aside from the ones who berate me for being a girl) have all the games I want and have a good gamer atmosphere.

However, this does not stop me from hating Gamestop due to the way they treat the developer's money through used games sales, claiming 100% profit off a resold game. They're damaging the industry.

 

[badgersprite]

...I honestly don't even know if Gamestop exists in my country, but I've heard the arguments. It's about stuff like overpricing for used games, am I right? Well, I just have one question that I'd like to hear people's thoughts on, because this has been bugging me.

Considering that used games don't seem to be nearly as big of a market in my country, and my country also has ridiculously overpriced games, do you think that part of the reason why games might be so cheap in America and the UK might be because stores can make all their money on used games? If they aren't expecting to make money on initial sales, but on used games and trade ins, maybe that's why they don't have to charge nearly as much when a game is first released.

Correct me if I'm totally wrong. I'm no economics student or anything. I just think it seems interesting.

 

[FalloutJack]

I'm completely indifferent about all of this.

 

[Dxz5roxg]

I like Gamestop. I've never had a problem with them. Plus all the bonuses you get for reserving games are pretty sweet. I've never bought a used game that didn't work and the employees are all really nice and seem like cool people at the one I go to. My only complaint would be how much they give you when you trade in a game but that's what you get for the convenience.

 

[MrMoustaffa]

...I honestly don't even know if Gamestop exists in my country, but I've heard the arguments. It's about stuff like overpricing for used games, am I right? Well, I just have one question that I'd like to hear people's thoughts on, because this has been bugging me.

Considering that used games don't seem to be nearly as big of a market in my country, and my country also has ridiculously overpriced games, do you think that part of the reason why games might be so cheap in America and the UK might be because stores can make all their money on used games? If they aren't expecting to make money on initial sales, but on used games and trade ins, maybe that's why they don't have to charge nearly as much when a game is first released.

Correct me if I'm totally wrong. I'm no economics student or anything. I just think it seems interesting.

The prices new appear to be set by the game companies, as the price of the games new seems to be at a standard rate across all stores at release.

For example, a brand new copy of Halo Reach would be $59.99 at Walmart, Target, Gamestop, or Amazon all at the same time. After its been out a while the stores then begin to diversify their prices depending on how badly they want it off the shelves. Gamestop will hold out if the game is popular (I think COD MW2 is still over $50 there even though its over a year old) but places like Walmart seem to drop the prices faster to make room for new games. This is how it is around here though, it may be different elsewhere

 

[newguy77]

I don't hate them, the ones I have been to have been quite nice actually, but the trade in prices are terrible unless you turn the game in less than a week after it's brand new, and even then you'll probably only get a little over 50% of what you paid for them. I don't trade in games though so not a problem for me. Lastly, yes I do understand that they are a business and want to make money.

 

[badgersprite]

...I honestly don't even know if Gamestop exists in my country, but I've heard the arguments. It's about stuff like overpricing for used games, am I right? Well, I just have one question that I'd like to hear people's thoughts on, because this has been bugging me.

Considering that used games don't seem to be nearly as big of a market in my country, and my country also has ridiculously overpriced games, do you think that part of the reason why games might be so cheap in America and the UK might be because stores can make all their money on used games? If they aren't expecting to make money on initial sales, but on used games and trade ins, maybe that's why they don't have to charge nearly as much when a game is first released.

Correct me if I'm totally wrong. I'm no economics student or anything. I just think it seems interesting.

The prices new appear to be set by the game companies, as the price of the games new seems to be at a standard rate across all stores at release.

For example, a brand new copy of Halo Reach would be $59.99 at Walmart, Target, Gamestop, or Amazon all at the same time. After its been out a while the stores then begin to diversify their prices depending on how badly they want it off the shelves. Gamestop will hold out if the game is popular (I think COD MW2 is still over $50 there even though its over a year old) but places like Walmart seem to drop the prices faster to make room for new games. This is how it is around here though, it may be different elsewhere

Wow. I wish it were like that here. I honestly have no idea why my country is so different. Maybe it's just because demand for games here is proportionately high? Or because we don't have our own games industry? Or maybe just because all our stores seem to set their own prices, as opposed to having equal pricing across the board? Maybe because there's less competition since fewer places seem to sell games, resulting in more of a monopoly?

Hmm. I don't know. I've just been thinking about this a lot lately. Back to the drawing board, I guess...