well if you online shoppers didn't come into the store thinking you were better than every other customer and somehow get special rights i wouldn't mind helping you
As someone who may or may not work at game stop... I just wish we could penalize the chumps who dont bring games in with boxes, None of you know the agony of some idiot bringing in a stack of games from his bloody pocket and looking to trade for cash so he can get his next cocaine fix.
@Agentmage2012: So is ripping people off with "that's the last copy" when you go in to buy a new game and the 'associate' brings out the open game box and puts the game inside.
@Optimistic Prime: I work at GameStop and I have to be the least loyal employee. My time I've spent with the company (about 9 months now) has been nothing but awful:
- Store manager takes away time I worked while doing payroll, and has been written up / slapped-on the-wrist-and-told-to-stop once.
- Store manager makes us return new games people have played (and even admitted to beating), and put it back on the shelf to sell as new
- Verbally threatened by my store manager after confronting him for breaking company policy.
Every single one of my issues has been with my store manager, but from my experience with the company, the only way to get promoted is to kiss your higher-ups ass and hope he enjoys it. The power seems to go to everyone's head, and the workplace becomes an awful place to work.
The company treats employees like shit, managers are liars and theifs, policies are absolutely awful. Gamestop as a company is run poorly, and I've been stepped on over and over like a doormat.
@choffy21: Call the HeroLine!! It's a federal offense to tamper with your payroll hours. It's confidential and I heard you get money sometimes!
If you don't want to call the line; elevate to or above the district manager; namely, your LP guy. I don't know what region you are in but you should do something. It's stress you don't have to put up with.
@Ebendrath: There's already been a discussion on this on Kotaku. GameStop has what most consider sleezy practices. Not giving nearly enough for trade ins, charging almost new retail price for used games, charging the same amount for games that don't come with the original box and manual, renting out games to their employees who bring them back and sell them as new...
I really wish Gamestop would just let up print cover art in stores. Manuals there's not much we can do about. I understand collector's wanting to be complete, but if you're gonna be picky about a manual you probably won't ever use you should just buy new.
But there's no reason we shouldn't be able to print cover art for blank cases. Then again, I wish Gamestop would actually mark people off for not taking care of their shit and trading in a game without a case. Requiring the case would not only cut back on trades of stolen goods, but it would also just have a nicer presentation overall.
gamestop is pretty sly- i would never buy anything used from them online. ever.
the only thing i've ever ordered from their online store was a new Street Fighter IV FightStick TE (which, in a turn for the awesome- arrived 2 weeks before it was supposed to go on sale).
otherwise, they are totally unreliable. if a game is supposed to come with a pre-order bonus that isn't packed into the game's box and shrinkwrapped by the manufacturer- you can practically guarantee that you won't get the special item in your order. Even in-store, they are really bad about giving out their preorder bonus items. i can't tell you how many times friends have come over to my place and seen an artbook, CD, poster, or figurine for a game that they preordered and bought from gamestop yet never received. i always tell them that they have to ask for their preorder item when they go to pick up the game or they won't get it. i'm sure the employees keep them for themselves or resell them later.
yesterday when i picked up my demon's souls deluxe edition- i almost forgot to ask about my free artbook and soundtrack CD. i was almost out the door when i remembered, turned around and asked for it. the guy gave me a weird look, turned around and pulled one out of a huge stack of demon's souls artbooks (even though there were only like 5 copies of the game in the store and they were all reserved for preorders). obviously the employees hadn't been handing them out to the customers who had come in to pick up their game. it's really lame- and i would like to see gamestop improve this aspect of their business next.
@SacGamer: Yep, if we had ample supplies I typically gave out the preorder schwag to anyone until we ran out, otherwise us employees split the remaining booty amongst ourselves.
@laser beams: You get your pre-order swag more reliably the more the employees at a store like you. If you're mean, condescending or all around unpleasant you can bet that no employee will go out of their way to set something aside for you. There's a little section of customer notes for each person who reserves where we would note down if people were generally nice to us or not.
The soccer mom who brought us coffee for a ridiculously early Wii morning sale? Yup, we liked her and went out of our way to make sure she was taken care of. The rude lawyer constantly on his phone who couldn't be spared three seconds to ask which system he wanted to reserve something on? Not going to feel bad if he doesn't get his pre-order goodies.
Also, if there was an amazingly awesome pre-order something or other, you can likewise bet some get set aside for employees. One of the perks of working at Gamestop/EB, no matter how petty it might seem.
@laser beams: how is it dishonest to take a pre-order bonus for a game that's a few months old? or if its out of the holding peroid...we hold games for the first 2 days, if you dont come and get it within the first 2 days then tough luck. there's nothin dishonest about it, the only way it would be "dishonest" is if we took the stuff before the game came out, but at the store I work at, the employee's only take the stuff if its for a game thats already been out and we either got way to many pre-order bonus's for it, or we forgot to give it to the people and they diddnt care enough to come back for it (which we do sometimes forget to give it to you, we are human afterall)
@D3m0n1k_Ang3l: Bull, you pre order the game, you get the extra swag. You PAID for that extra swag, you pre ordered BECAUSE of that swag. And no employee tells you "we only hold for 2 days."
@laser beams: It's not dishonest when it's extra stuff. Note that he said "ample supplies" meaning more than enough to cover the preorders. If there are extras then anyone should be able to take the schwag. People who don't preorder shouldn't get the extra stuff imo, since they didn't care enough to make the effort in the first place.
I never understood why they buy used games from customers without cases or manuals.
And I really don't understand how people lose cases or instruction booklets.
And I really, really don't understand how some used games look like they were found in a garbage dump. How difficult is it to keep a game case clean, and a disc from getting scratched. I realize accidents do happen, and people do have children, but man.
Either I'm a clean freak, or people are enormous slobs and don't take care of their shit.
And why is it whenever Gamestop has a post, it makes me realize what a horrible company they really are?
Yes a horrible, horrible company. What they need to so is test every controller they buy from a person works. Ive been seeing my broken controllers to them for years and have not once been rejected.
@bakagaijin: They take them without cases or manuals cause they know people will still buy them. Hell, I was guilty of this today. I was on my quest throughout the ENTIRE GODDAMN NORTHERN VA/DC METRO AREA looking for Demon's Souls today (which, by the way, after visiting around 50+ locations such as GameStops, Best Buys, Targets, various department stores, and even goddamn Walmarts, did not result in me having Demon's Souls), and I saw that one of the GameStops had a copy of Shadow of the Colossus. I'd been meaning to pick this up and couldn't find it, so I was jazzed. Problem was...no case, no manual. I still got it cause the disc was in good shape and I didn't know when/where I'd find it again, but I see why they do it.
However, yeah people need to take better care of their shit.
@bakagaijin: While I love my cases and keep everything neat and organized in my bookcases, my brother used to, and probably still does, always discard the cases/manuals for games and DVDs and keeps the discs in a disc binder.
@bakagaijin: It pisses me off to no end that Gamestop gives the same trade value regardless of whether the person has a disc or not. If you don't trade a complete product, you shouldn't get full value for your trade. It's not that fucking hard.
@bakagaijin: I lose instruction manuals sometimes. Usually I take them out to read, put them down somewhere, then forget, and eventually they just disappear.
Or I find them years later like I did last week with my MGS3 manual.
@Sir-Lucius does anything for Dethklok: Yeah, EB Games used to do that. Not only does it makes sense for the customer, but also for the company. Spare cases, template paper and ink aren't free.
@bakagaijin: I don't work for Goozex.com, but I love that site.
You just pay for shipping to send your games to people, earn points, spend points, and pay $1 to goozex! With packaging from WM, that comes to about $4 to trade a game, rather than being screwed over selling games to Game Stop. Oh, and the games I receive from people are generally in really good condition.
Now that's "power to the players" that I can believe in.
@DigitalHero: When it effects whether or not I'll purchase a used game, or when I see some game case beat to hell with no instructions, I think I'm allowed to ask, "wtf?"
I'm going to assume by the tone of your comment though that you're one of those enormous slobs.
@SacGamer: Also the Edge card gave you that 10% off used items, which typically paid for tax and then some. I've also always loved the trade-in promos Gamestop does or the Buy 2 used, Get 1 Free weekends.
@Sharkey1337: Too bad you don't even pay tax in Amazon (except if you're in New York), or else the Edge Card MIGHT'VE been worthwhile.
I love trading into and buying from Amazon. No tax, (mostly) no shipping, marketplace prices on games are almost always cheaper for the buyer AND larger for the seller. Really, the only possible disadvantage would be having to wait for shipping, but if that's the case then just buy with a few days of anticipation. Is playing a game EXACTLY on day X that big a deal that you're willing to put up with a piss-poor company with extremely sleazy business practices? I don't think so. I'd rather wait and deal with a company that deserves my business rather than pay a company that doesn't just so I can have instant gratification.
Yeah goddammit I buy all my tickets to the concerts I go to at the gate all the time. Why the hell should I get special treatment ordering them online in advance so that they're all ready to go for me and it doesn't involve me wasting both my own time and that of some employees wandering around asking questions about the games I want... er, I mean, concert tickets.
that i don't believe online customers should get dibs on cover art and manuals?
or
that online customers shouldn't get cuts in line
online shopping shouldn't entitle you to either
on a side note
i don't think you can compare the two
since the "ticket" would be the game
the gaming experience would be the "concert"
where does original cover art and manual fit in? don't you dare say "it's part of the gaming experience"
so i guess i'm trying to say that we'll get you your game as soon as we can but we're not going to do flips to make sure your "ticket" isn't folded the way you don't like it.
but if you come into the store i can personally guarantee i will give you the best copy of our store and if you're not happy with the condition of that i would happily call other locations to see how their copies compare.
to be fair i genuinely like to help the customers in store
i don't sell them on crap i know they don't want
if i can tell you're not interested i won't give you a subscription speech
i tend to steer people away on the gamestop branded stuff because i know it's crap.
so come on down to the gamestop in san diego where it's filled with a bunch of guys who game and are just plain cool and want to help you find a great game in your budget
I wont buy a game without cover art and/or manual. Simple as that.
And theres MANY people like me. Some of us like to have a nice little neat collection of games. They're pleasant to look at. Souvenirs, trophies, collectibles whatever you want to call them.
Gamestop guaranteeing that you'll get them online means I don't have to go into your store and start opening up every case to every used game that I see hoping to find a manual inside.
That 'ticket' I paid for entitles me to everything the concert has to offer. Getting my ticket stub back would be something a lot of people would want, just because. You can't very well tell them 'no'. That would be a pretty big kick in the balls to everyone who keeps their ticket stubs, no?
Also, I sincerely hope anyone from your store or area doesn't recognize you. Because for all your backpedaling, you sure are giving gamestop a pretty bad name by publically whining about a courtesy they are offering to customers.
@Komrade Kayce: don't get me wrong i genuinely like to help people in store
ask anyone that works with me or even the regulars at our store
i love helping people find games they will love
and i really feel accomplished when people come back and tell me that the game i recommended was awesome
or when they say they come 10 miles away from a closer gamestop just to ask me questions.
just because i work for them doesn't mean i have to believe in everything they do
i mean i hate that we give the same amount of trade in credit TO THOSE people who come in with JUST discs and no cases or manuals (the source of why we are arguing about this) and i hate that a game that gets full trade in credit as opposed to getting a refurbishing fee tacked on is dependent upon which employee takes in the games.
i on one hand am very anal about the games i take in (i go by the "if i wouldn't buy it" rule)
but i have noticed that one employee who will remain nameless has in the past taken in HORRIBLE discs, ones that NO ONE will buy.
I also disagree with their pricing of used games solely on popularity or an apparent demand. a used pokemon emerald for the GBA is $39.99 i shit you not.
so as you can see i'm not whining about their policies i just disagree with some of them
that courtesy is only for online shoppers
i'm sure the in store customers who can complain in person to employees who really have no say in the matter will be happy about no covers or manuals on in-store cases
o and just checked the site and it actually doesn't say anything about a guarantee on cover art
just a case and manual. haha
@Komrade Kayce: oh and i know what you mean about keeping ticket stubs i do the same thing
but I'm not going to be pissed if the guy handing it to me bent the corner or something
which is essentially the same as the whole no manual thing
"not perfect condition"
ah, but you still can't enjoy the smell of a fresh new instruction booklet by flipping the pages in front of your face, taking a deep sniff, and going "Ahhhhhh..."
Here's a tip from a veteran instruction booklet sniffer: if you don't open the case too much after getting the game, the smell stays there for a while. I just did it with my Scribblenauts that I got weeks ago.
This is a wonderful bit of news. One thing I always felt that was wrong that they'd charge the same price for a used game, regardless if everything is included or not.
Every time I visit a gamestop and look at the used game areas, I can never get how so many people can constantly lose the case and everything inside besides the game itself, outside of theft.
I've always hated the generic covers. They look ugly and make browsing the used games slower since you have to read each one instead of scanning the covers. Not to mention the evil price stickers that gum up the case when you try to remove them.
10/08/09
10/08/09
Yeah, how DARE those "online shopper" elitists come into MY store and demand good quality products for a competitive price! How absurd!
10/07/09
10/07/09
Fuck you.
10/07/09
Please refrain from commenting until you've learned how to use that organ in your skull called a brain.
10/08/09
10/08/09
- Store manager takes away time I worked while doing payroll, and has been written up / slapped-on the-wrist-and-told-to-stop once.
- Store manager makes us return new games people have played (and even admitted to beating), and put it back on the shelf to sell as new
- Verbally threatened by my store manager after confronting him for breaking company policy.
Every single one of my issues has been with my store manager, but from my experience with the company, the only way to get promoted is to kiss your higher-ups ass and hope he enjoys it. The power seems to go to everyone's head, and the workplace becomes an awful place to work.
The company treats employees like shit, managers are liars and theifs, policies are absolutely awful. Gamestop as a company is run poorly, and I've been stepped on over and over like a doormat.
10/08/09
If you don't want to call the line; elevate to or above the district manager; namely, your LP guy. I don't know what region you are in but you should do something. It's stress you don't have to put up with.
10/07/09
Sometimes I just don't get the hate Gamestop gets. I'm a gamer, I buy from them ALL THE TIME, and I have never had any issues.
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
But there's no reason we shouldn't be able to print cover art for blank cases. Then again, I wish Gamestop would actually mark people off for not taking care of their shit and trading in a game without a case. Requiring the case would not only cut back on trades of stolen goods, but it would also just have a nicer presentation overall.
10/07/09
the only thing i've ever ordered from their online store was a new Street Fighter IV FightStick TE (which, in a turn for the awesome- arrived 2 weeks before it was supposed to go on sale).
otherwise, they are totally unreliable. if a game is supposed to come with a pre-order bonus that isn't packed into the game's box and shrinkwrapped by the manufacturer- you can practically guarantee that you won't get the special item in your order. Even in-store, they are really bad about giving out their preorder bonus items. i can't tell you how many times friends have come over to my place and seen an artbook, CD, poster, or figurine for a game that they preordered and bought from gamestop yet never received. i always tell them that they have to ask for their preorder item when they go to pick up the game or they won't get it. i'm sure the employees keep them for themselves or resell them later.
yesterday when i picked up my demon's souls deluxe edition- i almost forgot to ask about my free artbook and soundtrack CD. i was almost out the door when i remembered, turned around and asked for it. the guy gave me a weird look, turned around and pulled one out of a huge stack of demon's souls artbooks (even though there were only like 5 copies of the game in the store and they were all reserved for preorders). obviously the employees hadn't been handing them out to the customers who had come in to pick up their game. it's really lame- and i would like to see gamestop improve this aspect of their business next.
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
please stop doing that. it's dishonest and it engenders hatred for your company within the gaming community.
10/07/09
The soccer mom who brought us coffee for a ridiculously early Wii morning sale? Yup, we liked her and went out of our way to make sure she was taken care of. The rude lawyer constantly on his phone who couldn't be spared three seconds to ask which system he wanted to reserve something on? Not going to feel bad if he doesn't get his pre-order goodies.
Also, if there was an amazingly awesome pre-order something or other, you can likewise bet some get set aside for employees. One of the perks of working at Gamestop/EB, no matter how petty it might seem.
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
[www.amazon.com]
10/08/09
10/10/09
10/07/09
And I really don't understand how people lose cases or instruction booklets.
And I really, really don't understand how some used games look like they were found in a garbage dump. How difficult is it to keep a game case clean, and a disc from getting scratched. I realize accidents do happen, and people do have children, but man.
Either I'm a clean freak, or people are enormous slobs and don't take care of their shit.
And why is it whenever Gamestop has a post, it makes me realize what a horrible company they really are?
Too many questions!
10/07/09
Yes a horrible, horrible company. What they need to so is test every controller they buy from a person works. Ive been seeing my broken controllers to them for years and have not once been rejected.
10/07/09
10/07/09
However, yeah people need to take better care of their shit.
10/07/09
10/07/09
That is why you don't worry about what other people do...
10/07/09
10/07/09
Or I find them years later like I did last week with my MGS3 manual.
10/07/09
10/07/09
You just pay for shipping to send your games to people, earn points, spend points, and pay $1 to goozex! With packaging from WM, that comes to about $4 to trade a game, rather than being screwed over selling games to Game Stop. Oh, and the games I receive from people are generally in really good condition.
Now that's "power to the players" that I can believe in.
10/07/09
I'm going to assume by the tone of your comment though that you're one of those enormous slobs.
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/08/09
I love trading into and buying from Amazon. No tax, (mostly) no shipping, marketplace prices on games are almost always cheaper for the buyer AND larger for the seller. Really, the only possible disadvantage would be having to wait for shipping, but if that's the case then just buy with a few days of anticipation. Is playing a game EXACTLY on day X that big a deal that you're willing to put up with a piss-poor company with extremely sleazy business practices? I don't think so. I'd rather wait and deal with a company that deserves my business rather than pay a company that doesn't just so I can have instant gratification.
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/08/09
it should stay first come first serve for all customers
10/08/09
Yeah goddammit I buy all my tickets to the concerts I go to at the gate all the time. Why the hell should I get special treatment ordering them online in advance so that they're all ready to go for me and it doesn't involve me wasting both my own time and that of some employees wandering around asking questions about the games I want... er, I mean, concert tickets.
10/08/09
that i don't believe online customers should get dibs on cover art and manuals?
or
that online customers shouldn't get cuts in line
online shopping shouldn't entitle you to either
on a side note
i don't think you can compare the two
since the "ticket" would be the game
the gaming experience would be the "concert"
where does original cover art and manual fit in? don't you dare say "it's part of the gaming experience"
so i guess i'm trying to say that we'll get you your game as soon as we can but we're not going to do flips to make sure your "ticket" isn't folded the way you don't like it.
but if you come into the store i can personally guarantee i will give you the best copy of our store and if you're not happy with the condition of that i would happily call other locations to see how their copies compare.
to be fair i genuinely like to help the customers in store
i don't sell them on crap i know they don't want
if i can tell you're not interested i won't give you a subscription speech
i tend to steer people away on the gamestop branded stuff because i know it's crap.
so come on down to the gamestop in san diego where it's filled with a bunch of guys who game and are just plain cool and want to help you find a great game in your budget
don't fire me Jason
10/08/09
I wont buy a game without cover art and/or manual. Simple as that.
And theres MANY people like me. Some of us like to have a nice little neat collection of games. They're pleasant to look at. Souvenirs, trophies, collectibles whatever you want to call them.
Gamestop guaranteeing that you'll get them online means I don't have to go into your store and start opening up every case to every used game that I see hoping to find a manual inside.
That 'ticket' I paid for entitles me to everything the concert has to offer. Getting my ticket stub back would be something a lot of people would want, just because. You can't very well tell them 'no'. That would be a pretty big kick in the balls to everyone who keeps their ticket stubs, no?
Also, I sincerely hope anyone from your store or area doesn't recognize you. Because for all your backpedaling, you sure are giving gamestop a pretty bad name by publically whining about a courtesy they are offering to customers.
10/08/09
ask anyone that works with me or even the regulars at our store
i love helping people find games they will love
and i really feel accomplished when people come back and tell me that the game i recommended was awesome
or when they say they come 10 miles away from a closer gamestop just to ask me questions.
just because i work for them doesn't mean i have to believe in everything they do
i mean i hate that we give the same amount of trade in credit TO THOSE people who come in with JUST discs and no cases or manuals (the source of why we are arguing about this) and i hate that a game that gets full trade in credit as opposed to getting a refurbishing fee tacked on is dependent upon which employee takes in the games.
i on one hand am very anal about the games i take in (i go by the "if i wouldn't buy it" rule)
but i have noticed that one employee who will remain nameless has in the past taken in HORRIBLE discs, ones that NO ONE will buy.
I also disagree with their pricing of used games solely on popularity or an apparent demand. a used pokemon emerald for the GBA is $39.99 i shit you not.
so as you can see i'm not whining about their policies i just disagree with some of them
that courtesy is only for online shoppers
i'm sure the in store customers who can complain in person to employees who really have no say in the matter will be happy about no covers or manuals on in-store cases
o and just checked the site and it actually doesn't say anything about a guarantee on cover art
just a case and manual. haha
10/08/09
but I'm not going to be pissed if the guy handing it to me bent the corner or something
which is essentially the same as the whole no manual thing
"not perfect condition"
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
Here's a tip from a veteran instruction booklet sniffer: if you don't open the case too much after getting the game, the smell stays there for a while. I just did it with my Scribblenauts that I got weeks ago.
Ahhhhhh...
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09
Every time I visit a gamestop and look at the used game areas, I can never get how so many people can constantly lose the case and everything inside besides the game itself, outside of theft.
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/07/09