Does anyone even shop at Gamestop anymore?

Now with websites like Amazon.com, does anyone seriously use brick and mortar retailers like Gamestop anymore?

They charge you a pre-order fee, give you extremely terrible trade-in values, and charge a lot of tax. This while Amazon gives you free shipping on most games, same day pre-order release shipping, no tax, better customer service, tons of promotions, actually low prices on used and older games, and great trade in values. In my state (California), buying from Amazon saves me around 10% every single video game purchase.

A few months back Amazon offered $100 credit for a $300 Xbox 4gb w/ Kinect. I've never seen Gamestop do any promotion similar to that at all.

Heck, even Best Buy does good trade in value.

Is there any reason to use Gamestop?

Where do you guys shop?

I still go retail, because I don't have a debit/credit card.

I purchase most of my games second-hand from my local Cash Converters.

I don't know how any brick and mortar shops are still open. Before getting my flight back to England, I grabbed The Time Traveller's Wife from Chapters in downtown Montreal for $20+, when sitting in the airport, I checked Amazon and saw it on the front page for under £4. I get that prices need to be more for a shop than a wholesaler like Amazon, but not every consumer can be blind buying and need items immediately.

It's pretty much all Amazon all the time for me.

I generally buy stuff at shops, I've had to many pre-order experiences go bad and I end up having to wait.

I still buy a lot of my games from retailers, unless there's a rare game I want that's basically out of print.

Generally, I go to a Walmart or Best Buy. Gamestop/EB Games can go eff themselves, because they don't shrink wrap their games, even the new ones, so the pricing sticker is always right on the game case, and then even when I peel it off it still has all this adhesive on the case, and then it sticks to the other games beside it on my shelf, SO I HOPE EVERYONE AT THOSE COMPANIES DIES AND BURNS IN HELL.

I go to EB Games for niche titles that Best Buy doesn't carry. It's hella rare but it still happens sometimes.

The two big stores here in the UK (Game and Gamestation) seem relatively non-scumbaggy and fair compared to the horror stories I always hear coming out of the US.

Sometimes because they're cheaper but most of the time no, because Gamestop is more expensive than Amazon.

I'll only go to GameStop for trading in games if they had a decent promo (like +50% trade value and i have a game that would be $20 or more normally) or for those older titles they sometimes mark down to $5 used as I've managed to pick up quite a few good games off that. Other than that I'd rather go to anywhere else to buy games.

The local GameStop just up the street from where I live has been pretty good to me in the past. Very few times have I had bad experiences with their staff. Almost every other one I've been to has been terrible.

It's either gamestop or walmart for me. I've never had a problem with either and I don't mind walking to the store.

I've already had 2 legit strikes against Game Stop.

First I try to buy GTA 4 and they weren't selling the game even though they had promo cases on display. So I went to Best Buy and bought it and went back to GS and told them to fuck themselves after showing them the game.

Second, I try to buy God of War 1 and 2 and the dumbass clerk forgets to put the GOW 1 disc in the case. I could've totally left with no game and paid 10 bucks for an empty case. Luckily I noticed this before exiting the parking lot. Out of rage, I returned my games and got my money back. They don't give me my games, they don't get my money.

I don't even wait in line if it's more than 3 people. Seriously I just want to buy these games and get the hell out of there. Then they bother you with preorder and discount shit. It's even worse when they're trying to deal with parents. Ugh.

3 strikes and I'll no longer shop there regularly. If I can't get a game cheaper somewhere else then Game Stop is the fallback.

Didn't for a long time and recently I wanted to purchase Pikmin 2 and Zelda TP for GC. Amazon merchants were asking way 2 much so I went ahead and ordered from gamestop. Both ran me at 88 bucks total and really the quality of these games were such trash its ridiculous.

I went ahead and looked on amazon again and the amazon warehouse had it in stock so I pick it up and bit the bullet with a merchant on ZTP. Total went to like 90. Returned gamestop's trash and hopefully I relearned my lesson.

You'd think after buying Rule of rose from them and they sent it to me in pieces I would never shop from them again huh.

Amazon Prime for life. I haven't shopped at Gamestop/EB in years. I can't stand their crappy selections and their pushy staff. I also don't like their used game practices and how they gut new games for display boxes and try to sell them as new. I don't understand how people are dumb enough to sell their used games to Gamestop while there while you can get more for your used games online. I look forward to the day when they go out of business.

I pretty much only get from amazon now, the only time I see myself getting something at retail is if I really wanted something at that moment.

I will always shop at GameStop for many reasons. I like trading in my games, they treat me special cause I'm always there, it's cheaper than the local places, and it's instant, unlike ordering online. I have no loyalty to them, but for now they're the best. They're no more "evil" than most of the publishers, so I'll never stop shopping there just because of some mock outrage.

Still Brick and Mortar shops right now, not by choice but because there's no good online stores here in Australia. As soon as I find an online store that gives consistent next day shipping, I'm all over it.

I mostly buy my games from GameFly or Amazon unless I'm buying a game I want on release, then I usually just go to the only place in town to buy games: Walmart. The nearest GameStop worth visiting is in Albuquerque, which is an hour away, so it's rare that I go there.

Normally NO! I did take advantage of their 50% off MOVE sale this week.

@Athadam: They don't charge a "pre-order fee" That 5 dollars goes towards the pre-order and they don't charge a lot of tax the state of California just has one of the highest tax rates in the country. (Which sucks and is one of the reasons why I switched from Brick and Mortar to amazon.)

It's a quicker service. Most of the time I don't feel like waiting a week to get a new game.

Even though I pretty much buy everything from Amazon now, I doubt brick and mortar stores would ever go away. Its all a matter of convenience really, you go to the store, pay cash, and you get the game. No waiting for the game to ship, not fiddling around with credit cards, you get the game and that's it. Some people prefer it that way even though it makes more sense from a financial point of view to always get stuff online. Furthermore it's about the atmosphere as well. Admittetly I don't live in the states so I haven't experienced the cthulian horror that is shopping at gamestop but there are some shops (especially indepentent ones) which have a cool vibe in them, and are clearly run by people who love gaming and now how to serve you when you ask for something that isn't tha latest military fps.

All the time.

I use Amazon a lot but my local GameStop isn't too bad. So I usually stop in to see what used games they have there.

I buy games from Best Buy or Futureshop. I still feel like a tool stepping into those stores so maybe I should try this Amazon you speak of.

If there's a good sale, sure. Also, I have few friends that work at gamestop, so another reason to visit. Also, @OP you obviously haven't preordered anything at Gamestop... there is no such thing as a "preorder fee" .... you just pay for the game + tax.

Amazon mostly for me as well

@Athadam: Well first off, "they charge a pre-order fee" that's massively misleading, you put 5 on the game, which then comes off the price of the game. So...yeah not really. But anyways, they have a lot of good promotions on trade ins. Don't get me wrong, if I don't want a game day and date, I'll get it at amazon when it comes down to 40 two weeks after release, but for day 1's like BF3 and Skyrim, I go to gamestop. I traded in Portal 2 and Modern Warfare 2 and got 40 bucks between them because of gamestop's trade in promotions that gave me an extra 40%. Best Buy won't do that. Sometimes they even have 50% promotions, 60% if you're a member.

If I could afford to hang onto my old games when I bought new ones, then I'd probably choose Amazon, but since I can't...I choose Gamestop.

Depends realyl. I only buy from Steam now but when i do play my xbox i will go in and see what they have, but there is a HMV here that sells the new games about 5 euro cheaper.So i take full advantage of that.

 I use Amazon.
 
Gamestop is still open because they still get business. So yes, people still buy games from brick and mortar stores. The answer's pretty obvious.

I do most of my business at the local Gameslap because:

1. It's a few blocks away.

2. I prefer to do business face-to-face, instead of at home.

3. Most importantly, the people that work there are awesome.

If the folks employed there were shitheads, I'd definitely shop elsewhere. (ex. local Best Buy)

Yes, stupid people and little kids still shop at Gamestop.

About a week ago I went in to a Gamestop for the first time in a few months out of boredom, and found a "new" copy of the Mana Khemia Premium Edition for $30. Thankfully I was smart enough to check the disc at the register before I paid. Let's just say I was a bit disappointed.

It's pretty obvious that I'm not missing out on anything by not shopping there.

i shop at EB Games, Best Buy and Future Shop whenever i buy video games. my EB Games is cool, and Best Buy + Future Shop just happen to be in convenient locations. plus, they don't put the price sticker on their games, unlike EB which happens to do it sometimes. i'm kinda picky with that kinda stuff. it's why i have a raging hatred for my used copy of Ninja Gaiden II

I'm probably going to today.

I buy my stuff where it's the cheapest, usually on the internet. Unless it's like clothes. I've only done that a few times

I'm incredibly impatient and am unwilling to wait the extra 24 hours to get a game in the mail, so I still buy all my games in stores, unless I'm getting something on Steam.

Nowadays we have a Best Buy, but for years the only convenient place to buy games was the four Gamestops in my area. In that time, I got to know most of the people that work there, so while I definitely don't like Gamestop as a company, I feel a little more okay about occasionally supporting the better of my local Gamestops because of those people.

Steam is the only place to buy games that have any halfway decent prices. Here amazon blows because it takes weeks to get games delivered, even if you preorder, so there is no point in ever buying new games from them because you will never see them launch day. Outside Steam, if you want a game the day it comes out you will have to go to an actual brick store, preorder them there, and then drive to pick them up yourself when they come out. There is just literally no options available to preorder new release games and actually get them launch day through an online store. As for Amazon, they never have anything but the newest new main stream crap in stock, and even if they do happen to have the game you want in stock they never have good deals to make it worth buying from them. Most of the "instock" items are from people registered as dealers that ask full brand new price for 2-3+ year old games. On top of that it's impossible to sort through actual amazon stock and these idiot dealers. As a result you are constantly getting to checkout only to find half your order isn't covered by the free shipping and you get charged out the ass in shipping fees if you actually want to go through with the order.
 
You know when your store is complete garbage when it's cheaper/the same price to order from the US amazon even when you add the metric crap ton of border taxes and shipping fees. For example, Amazon.com had an Atlus sale months ago and I picked up Persona 3 FES  and Persona 4 together brand new never opened for around $40-$45 with shipping and taxes. The same games would have cost me anywhere from $60-$80+ if I bought them through any of the online stores in my country.
 
As for other places, the only ones I know of are big box retailers like Walmart, Futureshop, Best Buy etc, and they are even worse.  Futureshop and Best Buy are the same company so they all overcharge the same way on their online stores, and Walmart is just a terrible place. They don't have an online store, and any time I go to their actual brick stores the video game section is in shambles. The last time I went they had last gen/5+ year old games still sitting on the shelf for full price.
 
If I wasn't a PC gamer and had to play all my games on consoles EB Games would be my only choice for buying games. As bad as they are, outside of some super rare deals in the other stores, they are the only place that actually lowers the cost of their games as they get older and keeps them at some kind of relatively sane pricing.

Amazon for 98% of the time. I will sometimes use Play.com or Tesco if they are having a cheap weekend. Steam for pc if they get close to the Amazon prices.

Yup. I only go to Gamestop if I really need money to trade in games. Amazon practically throws money at you when you buy games. $20 credit for pre-ordering Gears of War 3? How the fuck can I say no?

Not to mention when I pre-ordered Dead Rising 2 and got not only a credit, but some dumb hat for my avatar. I never got the code for the avatar thing, but I never gave a fuck, so I forgot about it. Amazon ended up not able to get me the hat so they gave me a $10 credit for being late, and then a few months later gave me a 50% off coupon for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 before it was even out yet. They have the best customer service I've ever seen.

As soon as I use up my last store credit at Gamestop (for AC:R & Battlefield 3), I am switching fully to Amazon and Steam.

Retail is Retail. I buy my games wherever.

i havent used gamestop in about 4 years. i now buy almost exclusively from amazon and have saved a ton of money in the process. back when GTA vice city stories came out i went to gamestop and asked for a copy. did you pre order? nope, sorry we only have enough for people who pre ordered. (in my head, this is weird a store that only sells games doesnt have enough games on launch day....thats like going to a grocery store thats all out of food) anyways i went down the street to walmart where they had about 50 copies. little things like that started making me dislike gamestop not to mention all the reasons listed above with taxes etc. with amazon i have the game shipped directly to my house on launch day for less money than it would cost to go pick it up at gamestop or any brick and mortar retailer for that matter.

I usually stop at a Gamestop just to look. While they've pissed me off in the past I know its not the employees fault for following corporate policies. If they have a used game i want I pick it up but its been a long time since that's happened. Luckily about 3-4 blocks away from me a Korean couple own a small game shop. I get some used games there and try to support when I can. Mostly its Amazon and Steam for me. Love the Amazon credit back towards your next game deals and Steam Sales are just amazing. I'm still playing through games I've purchased last year. Amazon even sells digital download games these days as well. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was on for $35 a week after release. After the purchase you download it and register on Steam.

Really depends on the pre-order bonus

I do, but the people that work at my local GameStop are cool as hell.

I stopped long ago. The last game I got at gamestop was persona 4 because Amazon didn't have it.

I still buy games in retail but not from GameStop. Here in Sweden their pices are insane compared to the biggest electronic retailers. They are almost always 20% or more expensive.