Today I entered my local gamestop to purchase a copy of DIRT 3 because of the coverage I had seen on GB and due to the fact I was pretty tired of shooters. Now I am by no means a frequent customer of gamespot and the number of game purchases I make per year has signifigantly decreased over the last few years. That being said I generally buy my games wherever I can get them at a reasonable price (generally online). My reason to go into the physical store was simply on impulse and the fact that I had been laid up from work for a week.
Upon entering the store I was greeted with that traditional "dude bro" attitude of the man behind the counter who I knew was the manager of the location. I asked him if he had a copy of DIRT 3 used (having called earlier to confirm there was) and was told "I'm pretty sure I sold the last one yesterday. When I said that I called earlier he shuffled through the drawer of cd's put in paper sleeves and found a copy. At this point he placed it on the counter and recieved a phone call. This call must have been from another manager or boss, because he walked away, and then paced behind the counter talking about other employees and continued the conversation for 18 MINUTES! That is not an exaggeration. He ignored me for almost 20 minutes, I walked away very breifly then I came back and was still ignored. At this point I was filled with the same warm tingly feeling I get while being stuck in holiday traffic. After I flashed him a rather impatient look he began telling me (after swiping my credit card) that I should really buy the new version because "they don't like us making money off the used versions and to get online I would need to purchase an online pass" . At this point I was already fed up with the lack of service and my impulse buy would have been better spent purchasing it at another store. Even after this point he just took the paper sleeved game and threw it into the bag. When I asked him for a case he stated "I'll have to get one out of the back" and waited to see if I really wanted one and he really had to walk the ten feet.
Please Gamestop! Listen, I like supporting my local game store and I would buy from your retail location if you fixed a few things.
1.) PRICE: your prices are consistently more than any other store. When I can purchase a brand new copy of Batman AA for $5 cheaper from walmart than a used copy at your store, your not competitive. This is only one in a long list of titles that are the same way.
2.) Fix your trade in system: Best Buy consistently gives a better value and incentive to turn in used games. Understand I'm not selling you my old copy of GTA IV for less than what I would get for the recycled materials.
3) Improve the retail experience. Make it comfortable for people who are slightly older, but still into gaming to walk into your store and not be embarrased. I buy online more because I feel like I'm being judged walking in, like its the swinging salon doors at the rear of the old video rental store.
Finally, train your staff and give me an incentive to come in. Give me a reason I should drive to your store and spend money. NO I DON'T MEAN A REWARDS CARD! part of the reason walmart works is that everyone gets the savings.
Maybe I'm jaded. Ah bah humbug
Good Riddance Gamestop!
Amazon is the reason that whenever I walked into a store, that isn't a clothing or grocery store, I feel weird now. Anything I need that I can buy from them, I usually do.Get your stuff from Amazon, thats what I do. No need to worry about GameStop employees there!
It's not lately it's been like this forever.There has been so much Gamestop hate around here lately.
I really wanted to enjoy my visit to the store, I know the big box stores do not have very much in the way of personality and customer service however I would still rather know that I can get a fair value and be treated like my business is appreciated than be another person they have to deal with that interrupts their fun time. As I said before, I would pay a premium if there was added personal value that i couldn't get somewhere else. You could at this point replace the employees with a red box esque kiosk and they would be more helpful.
3) Improve the retail experience. Make it comfortable for people who are slightly older, but still into gaming to walk into your store and not be embarrased. I buy online more because I feel like I'm being judged walking in, like its the swinging salon doors at the rear of the old video rental store.
Hahah, I so remember those days. After turning of age you still felt really awkward walking back there.
Well he clearly had you pegged as a pussy and the fact that you waited 20 minutes (exaggerated?) seems to imply he was right ;-)
Seriously though, after 30 seconds I would have either walked out or got right in his face about him being a rude fucker. Then again, I wouldn't have set foot in a GS in the first place.
Your paragraph is almost unreadable. GameStop is a terrible company though. I always preferred Play N Trade and independent stores for games.
Amazon used games + prime shipping is great. If you fish around you can get some amazing deals. Not game related but I got Western Civ's album for 2 dollars shipped. I don't know who made money out of that deal, I mean the shipping alone is around a dollar.
The gamestop I used to go to sucks, upselling jerkwads that'll make you feel like a cheapskate if you don't pre-order everything under the sun. Dude, I'm here to purchase buy two get one free used games. Anyways and my friend from school works at gamestop and that guy knows nothing about games. I mean it's staggering the amount of not knowing this guy knows about video games. I was hanging out with him at work and I made a joke that the only game I'm going to get on 3DS release date was Nintendogs. He laughed and said that game isn't even a launch title. I look over his shoulder and his manager just sighed and shook his head. This was mid-February, how the hell would you not know this?
@alternate said:
Well he clearly had you pegged as a pussy and the fact that you waited 20 minutes (exaggerated?) seems to imply he was right ;-) Seriously though, after 30 seconds I would have either walked out or got right in his face about him being a rude fucker. Then again, I wouldn't have set foot in a GS in the first place.
Yeah I get the same vibe, the OP sounds like a weird dude if he waited 20 minutes? (doubt it)
My gamestop is pretty awesome. They help out with whatever, and if it takes a long time they make sure you aren't angry. Of course the manager at my store is a pretty great manager in general. Once I called in for a game they said they had online. They couldn't find it so they ordered one from another store. It sucks that poor managemnet has ruined your location.
My gamestop is pretty good. The employees are always nice and friendly. Maybe it depends on the location of the gamestop and the pool of workers they have to choose from.
sounds like that retailer/cashier thought himself as being to important to care esp. about a small purchase. Why is gamestop selling that used game if they don't want people to buy that used game. He gave you a your purchase is valueless to me so I'll ingnore you maybe you'll go away. Sounds like someone has to big of an ego but I'm sure he thinks he should get a raise/promotion.
Hey ..we all hate gamestop . it doesn't stop people from trading in seamen incrusted games to them.Why are there a bunch of sailors stuck to your game? Unless you mean semen but in all honesty it may be easier and less embarrassing to explain the first scenario than the second one.
@Hector said:
Get your stuff from Amazon, thats what I do. No need to worry about GameStop employees there!
I should note that the last time I tried to order a game from Amazon, I had to wait a month before I finally just got my money back. Sometimes if I'm in the area, just getting it immediately and in front of my face isn't a bad thing.
@sopranosfan said:
@Juicebox said:Hey ..we all hate gamestop . it doesn't stop people from trading in seamen incrusted games to them.Why are there a bunch of sailors stuck to your game? Unless you mean semen but in all honesty it may be easier and less embarrassing to explain the first scenario than the second one.
It's also encrusted, not incrusted, but I just showed up to join the pile-on.
Where I am theres three Gamestops all within 30 minutes of each other. They're all pretty good if only for the fact that if the one you walked into doesn't have the game you want the staff is helpful and respectful enough to check if one of the other two have the game and hold a copy for you if they do. So at least in my case game stop is pretty conveinent and the staff is actually cool with the customers.
Also to the guy that mentioned Wal-Mart being cheaper with games. Over here, it's the other way around. :/
I cant blame you for not wanting to go back there. I boycotted Circuit City for all of 5 years because of one bad shopping experience. I am on the verge of boycotting Best Buy for similar reasons, if I can just get my head around ordering tech items online (i know it's cheaper, but I love buying and playing with it, immediately, dammit). That said, the Gamestop I frequent is really cool and the clerks are always fun to talk to.
Well he clearly had you pegged as a pussy and the fact that you waited 20 minutes (exaggerated?) seems to imply he was right ;-) Seriously though, after 30 seconds I would have either walked out or got right in his face about him being a rude fucker. Then again, I wouldn't have set foot in a GS in the first place.
Well, you guys are both pussies cause a real man would've jumped the counter and repeatedly smacked him in the mouth with the receiver--which is what I'd have done-- whilst berating him for being a rude fucker to gossip about co-workers like some queen. Guess I'm just alpha like that.
I'm not even going to bother reading more than one sentence in the OP. Ditch Gamestop and Best Buy and go Amazon.
The main thing that I don't like about buying at gamestop are the $15 guides they try to sell me. If I want to know cheats or need a walkthrough I'll use this awesome thing they the the internets
You should of gotten angry with the retailer for making you wait 20 minutes after 5 minutes you should of gotten loud and asked him if was going to run the purchase/not.
You can't always run away from problems but have to stand your ground and use your mouth. Don't judge gamestop on some employees because those kind of employees always exist in McDonalds, Macy's etc... If they are rude you get rude back and get a smart mouth and they as a employee know they can't say much cause they will get fired.
Yet you wonder how those people get into job positions though to get a job they ask you alot of questions, interviewing, resumes and testing esp. in attitude.
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