So I Went to Buy a Game

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Quaidis

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Jun 1, 2008
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I went to GameStop today to pick up a copy of Persona 4 - because something is telling me that it's a game I want to have before PS2 games become harder to find. That and ICO, which I'll also get eventually.

Anyway, I'm there and see two customers at the counter . One guy, one chick. The guy is selling back about five or six used Xbox 360 games. Cashier looks through them all, tells him how much he'll receive, and the guy takes the money and leaves. The cashier then turns to the chick, who has about fifteen or more PS3 games. Following the same scheme, he systematically looks at each game cd.

This look a real long while... I mean, I was just there for the hidden P4 game behind the counter... Another thing to note was the uncomfortable silence that apparently shrouded the store during the game-checking procedure.

Mr. Cashier closes the last box, gives a sigh, looks at the woman square in the eyes, and says bluntly, "These games have never been played. I cannot take these."

The woman gave a tight-lipped look, shuffled the games back into her bag, and took off without another word.




Now presuming that she did steal all the games and tried to get some quick cash, what goes through a cashier's mind over such a moment? I need some input over the transaction as a whole. Have you ever seen someone try to sell stolen games before, then get turned down? Or have you ever been a cashier in such a position, and did you turn someone down for their games looking too 'new'? Even if this is a stretch, I do know of people who would buy a game, beat it in a day, and try to sell it back to the store to reclaim some of their cash. What separates that type of person and their 'too new' game to Thief Chick and her multiple 'too new' games?



Speaking of which, the copy of P4 I purchased, with the case and everything, has beautiful disks without scratches. It had been there for a while and when I asked the cashier about it, he said that it probably came from the warehouse instead of being sold back by someone at that store.
 

krazykidd

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Mar 22, 2008
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Well 15 "unplayed" games is a bit of a stretch . I personally would have taken Them , i mean this is how these guys make money right? It doesn't necessarily mean they are stolen , but it is kinda shady . I think the reaction the lady had was shady too . I mean really if they werent stolen she would 't have just scoffles off right?
 

Tanis

The Last Albino
Aug 30, 2010
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I worked a GS and we had a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
If they didn't TELL you that the the games were stolen, you didn't ask.
All you were suppose to do was tell the person they COULD get into trouble if they were turning in stolen merchandise.

Still, it was AMAZING how folks would come into GS after a NEW (less than 2 weeks old) game out, like Madden 2010, ...and have 10+ copies of the game.

I sometimes think that's why so many GS's are build across from Wal-Mart.

Having worked at Wal-Mart AND GameStop at the same time, I KNEW we were getting 'jacked' stuff but couldn't prove it.

I'd go do inventory at W-M and we'd be missing several games.
I'd go do closing at GS and we'd have several copies of said games.

Fucking magic, how does that work?
 

TrollFase

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Sep 29, 2012
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Tanis said:
I worked a GS and we had a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
If they didn't TELL you that the the games were stolen, you didn't ask.
All you were suppose to do was tell the person they COULD get into trouble if they were turning in stolen merchandise.
We have a similar circumstance at the GS where I live. I've been there several times when people were selling obviously stolen games, and more often than not, the clerk will look the other way.

The worst thing is, we have these 2 guys that will sit up in GS all day, and sometimes outside of it, like some fk'ed up Bizzaro Jay and Silent Bob, and try to undercut GS on game sells. For instance, if someone walks in and has a bundle of games under their arm, you better believe one of these guys is already in his face offering him all kinds of "badass" deals and trades. It was actually funny for a while, but eventually they started kicking them off the property. Probably had something to do with it having been the millionth or so time they had to tell the guys that trying to undercut them on their own property is kinda illegal.
 

Jason Rayes

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I wonder if she will go home and play all the games for a few hours now, then go back to Gamestop?
 

Quaidis

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Jason, it seems easier for her to sit there with a key and scratch up the new games to make it look like they've been played than play each one. However knowing how smart this chick must be, I think she'd try to sell at another GS.

The way the other posts are, it sounds like a GameStop employee turning someone's game trade down is rare. I hope the same employee contacts the other GS stores in the area and spreads the word.
 

Shoggoth2588

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Aug 31, 2009
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...The only way I would know if a game was unplayed would be if the boxes they were in still had an in-tact factory seal. If the cashier was able to open and close the game boxes, look at the discs, etc then there should be no way to tell if the game was or wasn't played. When I worked at gamestop the only time I turned people down were when they brought in games that looked like they were used as sand-paper, a disc couldn't be nice enough in my opinion. Never encountered someone try to trade in a brand new game.
 

neonsword13-ops

~ Struck by a Smooth Criminal ~
Mar 28, 2011
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You went to get Persona 4? I like you already.

OT: I've actually been in a similar situation like that before.

About 2 years ago, I had received 2 Playstation Move Controllers along with their Nunchuck counterparts for Christmas. I didn't know how practical these items would be in the coming two years so I only opened the two wands and one nunchuck. By not opening the other nunchuck, I thought to myself "Hey, maybe Gamestop'll give me more money if this is still packaged!". So I left it packaged for the next two years.

About 2 months ago, I decided that I didn't need those gimmicky pieces of shit that I only used about 3 times. I went to GS to see how much they would offer me.

I go through the checkout. Everything is fine and dandy. The guy at the counter rings up all of the items except the one unopened Nunchuck. After he's done, he tells me that he can't take the nunchuck. "Why not?" I say. And he gives me no proper answer as to why he can not accept it other than "We don't take unopened things".

It got very awkward from there. I knew he genuinely thought I wasn't a thief, but I suppose local store policy dictates that they can not take unopened games and accessories.

So that was that. I take my money and head out.

I come back a few weeks later with the same nunchuck, unpackaged this time, along with a few games that I didn't need. So that problem was easily solved.

But yeah, that's my story.

...

Completely off track again, but I hope you have a great time with P4, OP. I know I did. :D
 

Ratimir

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Sep 29, 2012
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Seems kinda weird to me. What distinguishes an unplayed disc from one that has just been handled very carefully? Don't stores generally prefer used products to be in as good condition as possible?

And there are legitimate reasons to trade in an unplayed game. I have one on my shelf that's still wrapped and sealed that I'm thinking of trading in: at the price I've seen the GOTY recently, I'm pretty sure trading in the basic game for the GOTY would cost me less than keeping the basic version and buying the DLCs seperately. Or there was one I traded in a couple of years ago: I bought my console as part of a package deal including a couple of games. Six months later, when I still hadn't played one of them, I realised it just didn't interest me enough to justify keeping it.

Of course, it's harder to picture someone having legitimate reasons to trade in fifteen games at once...
 

CannibalCorpses

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Aug 21, 2011
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lol, you should be glad you weren't behind me the last time i traded games in. 87 ps2 games and 31 xbox 360 games...took the poor lass over an hour to check them all.
 

Jason Rayes

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Sep 5, 2012
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Quaidis said:
Jason, it seems easier for her to sit there with a key and scratch up the new games to make it look like they've been played than play each one. However knowing how smart this chick must be, I think she'd try to sell at another GS.

The way the other posts are, it sounds like a GameStop employee turning someone's game trade down is rare. I hope the same employee contacts the other GS stores in the area and spreads the word.
A key does much more damage than common wear and tear would. Ive bought second hand games before and you can see its been played, but Ive never encountered anything as severe as that. Indeed, if I did I wouldn't buy it, I've had problems with disks not reading before.

Besides, when I made the suggestion that she might go home and play them all I was being facetious. :)
 

Fiad

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Apr 3, 2010
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I know pawn shops that buy stolen stuff lose the merchandise and dont get any money back. So if something has the potential to be stolen it is safer to not. buy.
 

lacktheknack

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Jan 19, 2009
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We're 99% certain some douche at my grocery store tried to return stolen meds.

As a cashier, my mind kind of froze. I didn't want to take the meds for a return, as everything about the guy screamed "I STOLE THIS", but I didn't want to tick him off. So I just delayed as long as possible and threw protocol at him to stall the issue.

Eventually, my brain started working again and I handed the problem to someone else.

He threatened to sue us, but we never saw him again.

So that's what many cashiers are thinking: "Fantastic. How do I tell her these aren't returnable without getting shrieked at?" Also, stalling.
 

Saregon

Yes.. Swooping is bad.
May 21, 2012
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TrollFase said:
Tanis said:
I worked a GS and we had a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
If they didn't TELL you that the the games were stolen, you didn't ask.
All you were suppose to do was tell the person they COULD get into trouble if they were turning in stolen merchandise.
The worst thing is, we have these 2 guys that will sit up in GS all day, and sometimes outside of it, like some fk'ed up Bizzaro Jay and Silent Bob, and try to undercut GS on game sells. For instance, if someone walks in and has a bundle of games under their arm, you better believe one of these guys is already in his face offering him all kinds of "badass" deals and trades. It was actually funny for a while, but eventually they started kicking them off the property. Probably had something to do with it having been the millionth or so time they had to tell the guys that trying to undercut them on their own property is kinda illegal.
I'm wondering where you live, 'cause being outside anywhere and offering to buy something is not illegal at all (unless the item itself is stolen, illegal such as drugs, or otherwise) anywhere that I know of. Shady maybe, business ethically, and if they are on Gamestop property, that is, inside a fence or their walls, they can be booted, but it's not illegal, and they can't do anything if they don't own the ground these people are standing on.

OT: The police can seize any and all stolen property, no matter who is currently in possession of it. This is why it's smart to inquire where the items are from, at least if they look new. This is also common policy in a lot of second-hand stores, because the police are not required to reimburse you for the seized items, meaning you lose money. They cannot punish you for taking them, unless they can prove you knew, or reasonably should have known, they were stolen (that is, you didn't buy them in good faith), but still, better safe than sorry, right?
 

Smeggs

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Saregon said:
TrollFase said:
Tanis said:
I worked a GS and we had a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
If they didn't TELL you that the the games were stolen, you didn't ask.
All you were suppose to do was tell the person they COULD get into trouble if they were turning in stolen merchandise.
The worst thing is, we have these 2 guys that will sit up in GS all day, and sometimes outside of it, like some fk'ed up Bizzaro Jay and Silent Bob, and try to undercut GS on game sells. For instance, if someone walks in and has a bundle of games under their arm, you better believe one of these guys is already in his face offering him all kinds of "badass" deals and trades. It was actually funny for a while, but eventually they started kicking them off the property. Probably had something to do with it having been the millionth or so time they had to tell the guys that trying to undercut them on their own property is kinda illegal.
I'm wondering where you live, 'cause being outside anywhere and offering to buy something is not illegal at all (unless the item itself is stolen, illegal such as drugs, or otherwise) anywhere that I know of. Shady maybe, business ethically, and if they are on Gamestop property, that is, inside a fence or their walls, they can be booted, but it's not illegal, and they can't do anything if they don't own the ground these people are standing on.

OT: The police can seize any and all stolen property, no matter who is currently in possession of it. This is why it's smart to inquire where the items are from, at least if they look new. This is also common policy in a lot of second-hand stores, because the police are not required to reimburse you for the seized items, meaning you lose money. They cannot punish you for taking them, unless they can prove you knew, or reasonably should have known, they were stolen (that is, you didn't buy them in good faith), but still, better safe than sorry, right?
Incorrect.

If they are just hanging around right outside the door all day for no reason it is considered loitering.

If they are attempting to make monetary deals with the people trading in the games on Gamestop's property, it is called soliciting.

Both are illegal. I work at a mall and we constantly have to get security to move people along (Usually large groups, as they make shoppers uncomfortable and weary) or boot people off of the property who are trying to sell stuff without going through proper channels like all of the retailers and kiosks in the mall have to.

Y'know those jokes in old shows, "Do you have a license to sell lemonade on this street corner?" Well, in some instances that isn't a joke.
 

Saregon

Yes.. Swooping is bad.
May 21, 2012
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Smeggs said:
Saregon said:
Incorrect.

If they are just hanging around right outside the door all day for no reason it is considered loitering.

If they are attempting to make monetary deals with the people trading in the games on Gamestop's property, it is called soliciting.

Both are illegal. I work at a mall and we constantly have to get security to move people along (Usually large groups, as they make shoppers uncomfortable and weary) or boot people off of the property who are trying to sell stuff without going through proper channels like all of the retailers and kiosks in the mall have to.

Y'know those jokes in old shows, "Do you have a license to sell lemonade on this street corner?" Well, in some instances that isn't a joke.
I stand corrected. Now, I know of loitering laws, but I have never heard of them being enforced, not in Norway anyhow. That would be a misdemeanor, I believe? What is the penalty for it?

And as long as it's on public property, here in Norway, at least, no one can stop you from going up to someone and offer to buy their hat, say, or their coat, or indeed the game they have with them. You can decline to sell it, but they are fully within their rights to offer. This actually happened to me at a festival, where a guy just came up to me and went "Cool hat. Can I buy it?" Of course, this is only for small-scale stuff. If you do it enough for it to be considered any kind of business, you need a permit from the city/county authorities, but for small private deals, it would take a lot for this to be enforced.
 

Leemaster777

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Quaidis said:
First of all, I hope you enjoy Persona 4. It's one of the best RPGs ever, and you're a man of good taste for picking it up.

OT: This happened to me once. As in, a GS cashier wouldn't take a game I was trying to trade in.

When I first bought my PS3, they were actually pretty hard to come by in my area. The only one I could find was one from GS that came packaged with MGS4. I've never had any interest in MGS, but I wanted the PS3, so I bought it, a few games, and went home.

I think you can figure out where it went from there. Took my sealed copy of MGS4 back to the same GS, and they wouldn't take it. So I went home, took off the packaging, and tried again the next day. Didn't have any problem the second time, though.

I'm curious how a cashier could tell if a game had never been played before.
 

Superlative

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May 14, 2012
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something like this being done so often seems like a corporate level policy.

while GS does not want to be seen as a fence, it is in their best intrest to function as one, assuming they can get away with it.

they don;t take factory sealed stuff because there is a good chance that it is stolen (most gamers open there stuff to try it before selling it).

if it is opened but in perfect condition then it could be a game they played once and hated or the owner may actually take good care of their games. either way, those games can be sold immediately and it is in their best intrest to sell it.

that being said, not every empolyee follows policy all the time. on top of that, if the people working there know your a thief then the manager may say 'don't buy anything from person X' knowing what they sell is more then likely stolen.

thats the nature of big box retail. corporate says operate strictly within the letter of the law, but store level management may or may not operate within it's spirit.
 

Quaidis

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Some real good points were brought up while I was out, and that was centered around how the police could confiscate the items and GameStop would lose money should they have been thief trades.

And that makes sense. Maybe there was something about the stack of PS3 games (like retail store tags) or a watch list for the woman in general that set the guy off. I wouldn't think it would be a watch list because why would he look through all the games first?

Another thing that lends to the theory is that there is a grocer (not a Walmart, but they sell games) and a Target on opposite ends of this GameStop. Then again, that leads me to ask, "How could someone steal 15 odd PS3 titles and not be stopped before they left the store?" Has the retailing market really gone that downhill, or is there some other theft situation I haven't considered yet?
 

Gennadios

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Aug 19, 2009
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Gamestop actually have really tight security for used games. I had to give ID and everything. Very similar rules to Pawn Shops to make it more difficult for people to fence stolen goods.