Wow... My eyes have truly been opened about Gamestop...

[Elsarild]

I dunno, I haven't taken a personal stance in this, to be honest, I doubt they operate that way over here (Denmark) I've known a few who worked there, and know the owner of my local store personally, all love(d) their jobs.

And I've never been screwed over by gamestop, or offered to join a basillion services while buying a game.

 

[rob_simple]

I don't know how things work in the Americas, but in Britain working a cash-in-hand job is equivalent to saying 'I don't pay my taxes!' As I say I can't critique America, but not having a bank account seems stupid.

All I can say about the OP is that employee checks are not at all uncommon, I've had them in every retail job I've worked.

 

[Something Amyss]

Either that or they would sue them .

You mean like they already are?

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

Oh My God...

I didnt even read it (TLDR) but you found the Gamestop rant videos!

Edit:
Skimmed

Well of course Rapestop is evil....sheesh...I could have told you that from trade ins...and the often blog etc etc of Gamestop ex-employees

This has just been the first I've heard ANY of this

Grab your shovel and dig around here on the Escapist and I believe someone wrote about 4 pages worth of Working At Gamestop.. It was early this year I think.

If they are already dicking you on trade-ins whats to stop from the harder dicking of the annoying people behind the counter... Tho I have seen some GS workers who werent annoying or assholes...

Edit:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_273/8145-Confessions-of-a-GameStop-Employee-Part-One it was from 2010

 

[Spandexpanda]

I'm fairly sure most companies consider employees to be expendable (if by that you mean easy to hire & fire), as in reality, they are. Obviously, they have to have a good reason to do so, and if they do, then it's justified. Firing employees isn't entirely a practice exclusive to Gamestop. Similarly, customers ARE walking sacks of money. The company wouldn't exist without customers, and our purchases keep their chain in business. They're hardly running the store as a social exercise.

 

[Jitters Caffeine]

Oh My God...

I didnt even read it (TLDR) but you found the Gamestop rant videos!

Edit:
Skimmed

Well of course Rapestop is evil....sheesh...I could have told you that from trade ins...and the often blog etc etc of Gamestop ex-employees

This has just been the first I've heard ANY of this

Grab your shovel and dig around here on the Escapist and I believe someone wrote about 4 pages worth of Working At Gamestop.. It was early this year I think.

If they are already dicking you on trade-ins whats to stop from the harder dicking of the annoying people behind the counter... Tho I have seen some GS workers who werent annoying or assholes...

Edit:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_273/8145-Confessions-of-a-GameStop-Employee-Part-One it was from 2010

I saw a story about an employee made a habit of increasing his sales numbers by "selling" people games that were incredible cheap, like less than dollar in most cases, whenever someone would bring in games to trade. So the person would never know they just "bought" like three games for $4 when they traded in their stack of games unless they looked at their receipt.

 

[Something Amyss]

I'm fairly sure most companies consider employees to be expendable (if by that you mean easy to hire & fire), as in reality, they are. Obviously, they have to have a good reason to do so, and if they do, then it's justified. Firing employees isn't entirely a practice exclusive to Gamestop. Similarly, customers ARE walking sacks of money. The company wouldn't exist without customers, and our purchases keep their chain in business. They're hardly running the store as a social exercise.

I'll just add that in America, 48 states use "At-Will" employment models. Employers can fire you for pretty much any reason that does not violate state or federal discrimination policies.

 

[Tallim]

I'm not out to defend Gamestop, but in all honesty this all sounds like typical things at workplaces not being properly kept in check by their employees. Except for the card thing. That I've seen at practically every job I've had and only one of those was in retail. In the event that you just can't or don't want to have a bank account, they offer that card to you because overall it makes it easier for them to do monetary transactions. My only recommendation to people who don't like banks is to try community credit unions. I hear nothing but good things about those and am personally thinking about switching.

I actually didn't know that. I've never dealt with anything like it because I've ALWAYS had a bank account or was given cash directly.

That's pretty much how all my jobs have worked, either direct to bank only or cash in hand. there was never a choice. Although I was extremely suspicious of one cash in hand job I had so I left.

Also: I see you tame turtles

 

[Flames66]

There is nothing wrong with searching the employes. They are a Industry of small valuable things. It is Right to search them, But it had better be in the Employe handbook.
But everything else.. Damn, Like Jakko, Id like a Reputable source for it... Wow.

If I was working somewhere and they searched me when I left, I would resign. I will not be treated like a criminal.

 

[TheTim]

I have a few friends who work there and from what i've heard as far a the breaks go, they are forced to go on break and don't have a choice in the matter

 

[Kopikatsu]

Hah! I wouldn't give any of those credence. I used to work there in college, and I fucking hated them when I worked there. In reality, they were a fairly decent employer (when it comes to the lowest dredge of society: retail). No one likes retail jobs, and a lot of this seems to be extremely exaggerated. I will be the first to say that GameStop needs no defense. Terrible place to shop. But any of these claims could be made for any retail job, so I have a hard time believing anyone who clearly hasn't worked at a shitty retail job.

EDIT: The "comdata" card is easily avoided by having a fucking bank account. And since you need to be 17 to work there, don't you dare give me something about not having one. It is essential.

Slightly off topic, but retail isn't the lowest dredge of society. It's the second lowest.

The lowest is working at a non-restaurant food place. All the horrors of retail, but so many more potential problems...SO MANY. After working at Haagen-Dazs for a year, I've sworn off food places forever. If there was a choice between being homeless and working at another food place, I will gladly pack up my things and go sleep on the street.

Edit: It wasn't that Haagen-Dazs was a bad place to work specifically, but the customers are...ugh.

Customers are never right.

There is nothing wrong with searching the employes. They are a Industry of small valuable things. It is Right to search them, But it had better be in the Employe handbook.
But everything else.. Damn, Like Jakko, Id like a Reputable source for it... Wow.

If I was working somewhere and they searched me when I left, I would resign. I will not be treated like a criminal.

Good luck getting a job then.

 

[Louis Horens]

Best Buy is just as bad if not worse, the stories I could tell after working at 4 different stores...

The thing is, after working for them for 5 years you kind of just go "meh" cause you get so used to it. I just assumed all retail stores where doing the same thing.

 

[Whateveralot]

Criminal record checks on customers?

I have a hard time believing this. Why? Well: Why on earth would they..

 

[VanityGirl]

Criminal record checks on customers?

I have a hard time believing this. Why? Well: Why on earth would they..

Never heard of that one and I worked there. (Also because it's not true. ;P)
Honestly I think this all goes down to where you worked. I had NO problems when I worked at Gamestop. Nothing illegal, nothing even fishy happened there.
I don't doubt that SOMETHING illegal may have happened at other gamestops, because I see illegal stuff happen at other places as well. Wal-mart, Best Buy, Target, ect. Sadly being part of such a big corporation means that they mean not even hear of some actions taken by their employees in the workplace. It sounds crappy, but in all reality, it's the truth. Think GameStop is the only place with workers who are upset with stuff that goes on there? No, far from it.

I think Gamestop is getting more press for it because it has a bad rep here at the Escapist. Even though, if we had to compare, Best Buy has been doing equally cynical things (anyone remember Geek Squad going through people's personal files?).

*shrug* Everyone's work expeirence is different I guess.

There is nothing wrong with searching the employes. They are a Industry of small valuable things. It is Right to search them, But it had better be in the Employe handbook.
But everything else.. Damn, Like Jakko, Id like a Reputable source for it... Wow.

If I was working somewhere and they searched me when I left, I would resign. I will not be treated like a criminal.

Please don't take this to offense, but you're going to be jobless quite a bit with that attitude. They don't think YOU are a criminal. It's just to ensure that NO employee steals. Imagine if you did work there and weren't checked. Suddenly, stuff goes missing. Well maybe they'll fire you and everyone else since they can't pinpoit who's been stealing stuff. Gamedisks are small and can easily be places in purses, backpacks and pockets. It makes sense to check everyone.

If you work a jewelry stores, you better believe they're going to check you EVERY time you leave the store. Why? Because it's small and easily stolen.

Working in retail means you're going to be checked. There's nothing wrong with it and saying you'd resign is a bit rash.

 

[xDarc]

Kinda sad that those videos were put out a couple years ago and there's really been no noticeable difference in the gamestop machine, nor the emergence of a more competitive middle man.

 

[AstylahAthrys]

Gamestop is actually the best retail place I've worked. If you want to look at a place that treats their employees like shit and doesn't give a damn about customers and charges up the ass for products, look at OfficeMax. That store is evil and owned by evil people. Gamestop is saintly in comparison.

 

[moh21]

Gamestop is legally classified as a pawn shop, that is why you need to be 18 to trade in games. I can see why they might do a thorough background check on their employees, and they have to make sure people aren't trading in stolen games, that is why they ID people on trade in.

 

[Jitters Caffeine]

I'm not out to defend Gamestop, but in all honesty this all sounds like typical things at workplaces not being properly kept in check by their employees. Except for the card thing. That I've seen at practically every job I've had and only one of those was in retail. In the event that you just can't or don't want to have a bank account, they offer that card to you because overall it makes it easier for them to do monetary transactions. My only recommendation to people who don't like banks is to try community credit unions. I hear nothing but good things about those and am personally thinking about switching.

I actually didn't know that. I've never dealt with anything like it because I've ALWAYS had a bank account or was given cash directly.

That's pretty much how all my jobs have worked, either direct to bank only or cash in hand. there was never a choice. Although I was extremely suspicious of one cash in hand job I had so I left.

Also: I see you tame turtles

My last job paid me EXCLUSIVELY in cash. I ended up quitting because they had trouble paying me ON TIME.

And yes, I do in fact tame turtles.