Hey everyone, like many users on this site, I have experienced many annoyances with Gamestop (known as EB Games is my region) the corporation, that sells a ton of games (mostly) because it's so big. However, a question that always popped into my mind when fuming about this is, "How did it come to this?" At some point, Gamestop must have been a small company comprised of just a few game stores, and it must have turned into a large company (pre-aqcuisitions, of course, because by then it would already have to have been big) by selling alot of games. Therefore, I have concluded that at some point, Gamestop must have been an awesome business to shop at.
To the users: Are there any of you old enough to remember a time when Gamestop was a really cool place to buy games? Do any of you remember a time when Gamestop was still really small and maybe had alot of neat business practices that made you want to shop there? Educate me!
I remember the days when there was no Gamestop and there was Software Etc.
But honestly, my experience with Gamestop has always varied from store to store. Out here in Seattle, there was an EB Games in a mall and a Gamestop located in a shopping center across the street. For several years, I found the EB Games a decent place to shop, but started going to Gamestop more because the store space was larger and the people working there were generally more knowledgable. However, I went back tot the EB Games when I found that the people there had straightened out and after having one too many bad experiences with the employees at the Gamestop. After EB and Gamestop merged, the Gamestop closed and the EB in the mall became a Gamestop. I still do a lot of my shopping there, mostly for games that I almost have to preorder to have any shot at buying, but the quality still fluctuates. It's actually the same mall Gamestop/EB that Tycho and Gabe at Penny Arcade have lampooned in their comic and criticized in their news posts.
The end result is that while I still shop at Gamestop, I generally take my business to the Best Buy across the street.
"I remember the days when there was no Gamestop and there was Software Etc. But honestly, my experience with Gamestop has always varied from store to store. Out here in Seattle, there was an EB Games in a mall and a Gamestop located in a shopping center across the street. For several years, I found the EB Games a decent place to shop, but started going to Gamestop more because the store space was larger and the people working there were generally more knowledgable. However, I went back tot the EB Games when I found that the people there had straightened out and after having one too many bad experiences with the employees at the Gamestop. After EB and Gamestop merged, the Gamestop closed and the EB in the mall became a Gamestop. I still do a lot of my shopping there, mostly for games that I almost have to preorder to have any shot at buying, but the quality still fluctuates. It's actually the same mall Gamestop/EB that Tycho and Gabe at Penny Arcade have lampooned in their comic and criticized in their news posts. The end result is that while I still shop at Gamestop, I generally take my business to the Best Buy across the street. "
So Gamestop used to be Software Etc.? Did they sell just video games, or were they more a PC store?
GameStop is not a bad store. Just don't go in expecting the employees to be expert gamers and don't trade-in games. Is that not simple enough to understand?
@TheBigBeefy: I'm not ignorant to the fact that Gamestop isn't a terrible store by any means. However, I have seen enough dissent among gamers so that if Gamestop was a single store or a very small retailer, it would probably fail. Therefore, when at one point it was a small company, it must have been really great to rise above the competition. Just wondering if anyone old enough remembers such a time.
I used to joke about them being Starbucks after GameStop bought EBGames. Unfortunately the demolishing of the Gamestop there kind of put an end to that joke.
I miss the Electronics Boutique in the mall when they were still selling 3dfx Voodoo cards, even though I was too young to afford them.
I don't really go to the remaining GameStop or Best Buy except to browse pointlessly now. Half the time I'm just walking by and want to take a look.
I remember when they were still Babbages and Software Ect back in the '90's. Employees were much friendlier and they didnt push preorders and other dumb crap. Of course no one really did preorders back then. I actually liked them better than Electronics Boutique( as EB games was known then) Damn im gettin old
@quikDC: Thanks for the link, gives me a good overview :) Did you ever shop there as opposed to other nearby game related stores for any reason? Was there any?
@Brendan: There really weren't any other game stores around back then in my area. It was pretty much one of the stores that eventually became Gamestop or Walmart, Best Buy or some other big box store
I have liked my one and only local EBgames for a long time and never had any problems there. Other then the last time i went the guy was rather rude but it just looked like he was having a bad day so i didn't take it personally. I used to be a regular there trading in over $600 worth of games one time when they had on a super deal that gave you like 75% extra cash per game or some such thing. I just think they have feel victim to the well now that they are a success we gotta hate them because it is the cool thing to do. By no means are they perfect, i understand the whole trade in scams are fucking nuts-- unless you did like i did and caught some rare awesome special they are having-- but i just think its one of those things where it is cool to hate ebgames now so everyone does. I can count on one hand the times i have had a bad experience with them, but perhaps my store is the exception rather then the rule and they just have awesome friendly guys working there, who do by the way play games and generally know what they are talking about.
I dont really have much of a choice where i buy my games though because the only other alternatives i have are a Futureshop that over prices EVERY game $10-$20, a Wal-Mart that has all the newest and greatest games of 4 years ago, a Toys R Us that has some of the greatest games of 4 years ago, or a Zellars that might have a couple PS2 games sitting in a bin in some hidden corner of the store, maybe. Or online which i have been doing a lot more of since the Canadian dollar is on par with the US and Steam is not a fucking rip off anymore. I tried to use amazon.ca since they have a few good deals from time to time but they rarely have the games i want and it takes way to long for them to ship to me.
I'm not part of the gamestop-hate-train. Sure people have bad experiences with the employees, but that can happen anywhere. Misery loves company, as they say, so it's natural that you'll find people bashing on Gamestop on the internet. I've yet to see any picket lines outside of the store, and every time I go in there I'm not the only customer - so believe it or not, majority of the people out here don't hate them. That's right, the internet bashers are the minority, although I'd imagine they don't realize it.
I can remember Babbages, and of course EB Games. Other then that I know nothing of their history, and truthfully I don't care about it. They sell stuff that I want, so I go there when it's convenient.
When I was a kid, the stores were Babbages, Software ETC., funco land, and toys r' us was really good for video games at the time. They had pictures of the games all over the wall, and you would take a little ticket from under the game that you wanted. Then you went to a magical window that was built into the wall and you give them the ticket and they go into the backroom and get it for you. Wish they still did that, made the game you were buying feel special.
Funcoland was great too, they used to give you cold hard cash for your trades, no strings attached. They would even have a paper with a list of all the trade in values, didn't even have to ask anyone. They were also the first place I remember being able to buy used games.
funcoland use to be a good place. i remember one time saying if i could go and when we got there it was a gamestop. eb games use to be good. they merged with gamestop and now they are decent.
they are meh, i hate when they ask me if i want to preorder something. a lot of times they ask me if i want preorder this preorder that.
Gamestop used to be a branch of Barnes and Noble but later broke off. They ended up buying EB Games, Planet X, Funcoland and a few other franchises. At a lot of these stores they kept the orginal signs up but still offer the same prices as all of their other stores.
I'll never forget seeing this store called "electronics boutique" when waiting in line to see santa claus as a young lad, and having to read the sign again cuz it was in that weird old font, then noticing the posters in the window and marveling that there were entire stores just for video games (at first glance I thought it might be another brand of radio shack), rather than that crappy counter near the children's clothing section of sears. Had some near magical times in that store around the time of the Dreamcast launch. But alas it is no more... But at least there's a gamestop closer to where I live now...
when i was younger and went shopping for games it didn't matter if the clerks were jackasses cause i was shopping for games. Now however if i want something i could go anywhere i want to get it so if i walk into gamestop and the guy bugs me I go elsewhere. However even not liking the place I still stop in my local gamestop to look around and see if anything jumps out at me. otherwise i preorder anything i know i'm buying elsewhere, mostly blockbuster.
I think that once they found the recipe for making money like maniacs ( used games gets them 2 to 5 times more profitthan new games) that is when they started buying other small video games stores. As they got bigger they either bought everybody else except best buy, walmart, etc. and those last small ones that did get bought probably starved to death
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