Annoyed with Gamestores, GameStop, EB, GameCrazy etc....

Work in retail and your patience for these things multiplies, take a moment to understand where they're coming from and why they ask you questions and if you don't understand then it's your own fault if you have an anurism and die because someone reminded you that the store you just walked in does trade ins.

the reasoning behind that "hi did you bring any trade ins today" is quite simple:

1. People honestly don't know they can trade stuff in, it's ridiculous, but people don't read signs. Seriously.
2. It's a manner of greeting, which usually happens in every store within a certain time of you entering, it's a customer service thing, the little, "I'm here" bit.
3. It's a loss prevention/saftey thing, the little, "I'm here" bit.
4. Profit on new games is very very small, sometimes negative on big release games that have to be paid extra shipping to get, and pretty much ANY EA title isn't making your used game selling store any money these days because they are $#%@. Trade ins are the life-blood of your store, and the only way they're going to get more and a variety of games to sell during those nice sales and stuff.
 
[quote name='tauruskatt']Work in retail and your patience for these things multiplies, take a moment to understand where they're coming from and why they ask you questions and if you don't understand then it's your own fault if you have an anurism and die because someone reminded you that the store you just walked in does trade ins.

the reasoning behind that "hi did you bring any trade ins today" is quite simple:

1. People honestly don't know they can trade stuff in, it's ridiculous, but people don't read signs. Seriously.
[/QUOTE]

God, that is the truth. We always get people asking when the last day for Financial Aid purchases is and we ALWAYS have it on the door and the counters.
 
I've never really had much of a problem with the Gamestops in my town. Employees seem laid back for the most part, and being one of the managers at the KFC in the mall, they tend to recognize me. (Side note: one of them always comes up for snackers; I don't even ask his order, I just go "How many today?" :) ) They usually just ask if I need any help. Haven't had a 360 preorder pushed on me yet (like I'd buy that at launch, anyway; I'll wait for all the next-gen consoles to be out for a few months each before making a solid decision), and if they do, I'll simply mention that I could have bought my DS somewhere else but I decided to give them some nice business for a change. :)

Surprisingly, I picked up a used game for a gift yesterday and expected to have a GI subscription pushed on me, yet it never happened.

Still need to shop at GameCrazy one of these days...

As for Best Buy, all I go in there to look at are the anime DVD's. They still have some good prices on those. But someone ALWAYS asks if I need help. Yes, most people my age staring at the anime section have no idea what they're looking for. I head right for it with a look of determination in my eyes and you think I need help? Whatever, buddy. I know more about anime than you do; if I need help, I'll flag someone down and ask a question. Otherwise leave me the hell alone. I respect its your job to do so, but it's a major annoyance.
 
This is a very depressing topic. Now I'm not sure where to buy my games. I HATE that these corporations force their employees to push stuff on the consumers, but I also hate paying a price for a game, knowing it's cheaper at one of these shitstores. When a game is new it isn't too bad because I can pricematch websites at my local Circuit City, but I almost exclusively buy used because it's often incredibly cheaper and supporting these companies sucks. The only way I feel really comfortable supporting these companies is when I buy some shit games at GS and trade them in for far far more than I paid at EB. I do love CAG and it's POX lists... God I love the POX lists.
 
[quote name='jkam']It can be annoying but just make up stuff like you work for Microsoft so your'e getting a free one. As for Best Buy yeah I too have noticed everyone asks you if you need help every 2 seconds. fuck off![/QUOTE]

I work for microsoft and am getting a free one. it will hold my beer.
 
The only thing that bugs me about GameCrazy is that their prices can sometimes be higher. For example, they charged $29.99 for CSI on XBox when it retailed for $19.99, and they're currently charging $49.99 for Indigo Prophecy when everyone else is charging $39.99.
 
[quote name='Machikunas']This is a very depressing topic. Now I'm not sure where to buy my games. I HATE that these corporations force their employees to push stuff on the consumers, but I also hate paying a price for a game, knowing it's cheaper at one of these shitstores. When a game is new it isn't too bad because I can pricematch websites at my local Circuit City, but I almost exclusively buy used because it's often incredibly cheaper and supporting these companies sucks. The only way I feel really comfortable supporting these companies is when I buy some shit games at GS and trade them in for far far more than I paid at EB. I do love CAG and it's POX lists... God I love the POX lists.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately for you, buying used is supporting the company more than buying new. Most of their profit is on used games, very low margin on new games. Or at least, I can't see how it would be otherwise.
 
[quote name='mrpotatohed']Ug, I HATE that. The worst (although not a game store) is Radio Shack. They ask for my full name and address every time I make a purchace. I hand the guy my money and he goes "Full name and address please." When I ask why I need to give that information out I get a huffy look and they say "It's so we can give you the best possible coustomer service"

B.S.!!

"It's so you can spam my mailbox full of junk isn't it?"

"No sir! we only send out quality deals and information on a weekly basis that you the consumer can use and bla blah bla blah bla blah.....only share your address with trusted buisness partners.....blah blah blah"

No thanks. Take my cash, give me my overpriced-yet impossible to aquire anywhere else gizmo and let me go in peace. :p [/QUOTE]

Yeah I hate that at RadioShack too.. Especially since they STOPPED DOING IT IN NOVEMBER 2003!

When was the last time you shopped at a RadioShack? Complain about something that needs complaining about.
 
[quote name='piscian18']I work for microsoft and am getting a free one. it will hold my beer.[/QUOTE]
for fucking 400 dollars it better...

no i only have mom and pop places (well 2 pawn shops and a mom pop VG store that is just adicted to Halo 2 and won't play any other game there.. but they have good prices on SNES carts and occasionally some XB games) but the Pawn shop is the way to go for me.. they save all the GB and XB games and let me have first picks when they get them.. i love it.. i just recently got a First party xbox S controller for 10 bucks.

but even the closest GSs and EBs are cool.. found a copy of Threads of Fate and the girl was like "yeah this a cool game" and the other two guys are like "whats that?" she said "its not a well known and pretty rare square title.. well obviously he knew he's getting it" then i informed her of the edge card and how it stacks online and she didn't know that. so yeah.. nice all around ended up buying the disc replacement from her (i normally don't because my closest EB is 60 miles away) but i did because she didn't treat me like crap. (and she didn't try to sell me any preorders)

then at the GS i go to.. the guy there doesn't bother me that much and when i check out I always say "i already get game informer and i'm not interested in the discount card today thank you".. that way it gets all the trouble out of the way.. and of course if all else fails tell them to get their manager.
 
RadioShack stopped the mandatory mailing address policy awhile ago. They might still ask for it but they won't refuse a sale over it anymore. Although their check writing policy is really nuts.
 
[quote name='Scorch']The only thing that bugs me about GameCrazy is that their prices can sometimes be higher. For example, they charged $29.99 for CSI on XBox when it retailed for $19.99, and they're currently charging $49.99 for Indigo Prophecy when everyone else is charging $39.99.[/QUOTE]

Just to update this, I stopped in at a GameCrazy yesterday. They had an Indigo Prophecy used for $41.99. This pisses me off greatly, the used price is higher than the normal retail price.
 
[quote name='Quillion']Yeah I hate that at RadioShack too.. Especially since they STOPPED DOING IT IN NOVEMBER 2003!

When was the last time you shopped at a RadioShack? Complain about something that needs complaining about.[/QUOTE]

LOL I love how you are the expert at everything. So, you've been to my radio shack and can verify that they don’t do this? Arrogant aren't we? Well LET ME TYPE IN ALL CAPS TOO SO MY OPINION SEEMS MORE VALID!

Feel better now?
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']No they don't. The only commission they get for this shit is keeping their JOBS. They don't do this shit because they like it. They do it because if you don't have enough preorders/subscriptions to Lame Informer, you're fired. This bullshit is the company's fault, not the employee's. Please don't blame them, blame the company. Hit them where it hurts; take your business elsewhere if you see these tactics.[/QUOTE]


I couldn't agree more and it pisses me off. I worked at Sears for over a year selling electronics. We had to sell these Protection Agreements; our goal was to sell 8.22% (in dollars) of warranties to our sales. If we sold $5000 worth of stuff that month, we were expected to have $411 in warranties. Since Sears isnt very busy it would only take 1 or 2 big screen customers leaving without a warranty to set you back for the month. On some products the warrany was over half the price of the item, needless to say we didn't see many of those. I rarely ever made my month on the PA's but I did usually make it on the smaller replacement warranties and credit applications. I would always hate to see the manager coming down because they always bitched at me for not meeting the quotas; they even threatened to fire me. I did quit a couple of months ago and I have never felt better, fuck working retail.
 
[quote name='mrpotatohed']LOL I love how you are the expert at everything. So, you've been to my radio shack and can verify that they don’t do this? Arrogant aren't we? Well LET ME TYPE IN ALL CAPS TOO SO MY OPINION SEEMS MORE VALID!

Feel better now?[/QUOTE]

Well, he is just telling you the overall corporate policy. Maybe its just your store being an ass. Just be happy they havent forced a cell phone down your throat.

Speaking of that, Radioshack and cell phones... The Sales Reps at my store have litterally pushed a little old lady to the side to start their cell phone pitch. Hell, I worked there (Stock, not sales) and I been on the receiving end of the pitch hundreds of times....
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Here's an idea.

If people don't like shopping retail, go shop off of the Internet. :roll:[/QUOTE]

What about popups?
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']What about popups?[/QUOTE]

It just shows that the bottom line is be you a B&M store or an online store you have to make sales and make money. People just need to realize this and deal with it. Unfortunally the world revolves around money. These companies have shareholders to please and they are gonna do everything they can to get more sales. It's a very competitive market out there.

People always need to step back and be in someone else's shoes.
It's easy to say "oh so and so's sales tactics are annyoing, I would not do it, etc, etc, etc"

BUT if you owned your own business when it came right down to it you would do whatever it took to increase your bottom line. Lets just say you decided to go open your own game shop and your motto was gonna be total no pressure, no interaction with the customer sales. You just sit there and wait for the customer to ask you something or buy something.

That would get you nothing but that small percentage of people that know exactly what they want and find the harder sales tactics annoying. As you sit and look at your financials every month and see your store going in the red and your family at home and bills to pay, you would quickly change your sales tactics to the more aggressive. It's just part of selling. A lot of consumers are on the fence about spending money. It's a sales person's job to go in there and get that consumer to part with that money. Getting them to bring in those trades and getting them to preorder is all part of that.

My point is just again, these store's dont do anything differently than anyone else would do given the chance. Everyone all complains about it, but you dont all own your own store do you ? If you did, your argument would quickly turn around.
 
Ya know, I feel really weird reading these threads- I frequent 2 Gamecrazys, 2 EBs, and a Gamestop. I sometimes visit another 3 Gamestops and another Gamecrazy. 1 EB askes me to buy the used game warranty. 1 Gamestop asks for pre-orders. I've been asked for my trade-ins once.

I dunno if I'm in the middle of a very laid-back game community, or if people assume the girl in the glasses is shopping for her BF and doesn't know what an Xbox 360 is or why she should pre-order it. As long as they keep letting me be, I'm OK.
 
I love how people complain about all these stores, but still frequent them whenever they want a new game.

Tip: Go to Wal Mart. Their employees are dead inside, and won't hassle you with pre-order BS or strategy guide sales pitches. I NEVER buy new games at an EB or GameStop, unless it's the only store that carries it (somewhat rare or niche games).
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']I love how people complain about all these stores, but still frequent them whenever they want a new game.

Tip: Go to Wal Mart. Their employees are dead inside, and won't hassle you with pre-order BS or strategy guide sales pitches. I NEVER buy new games at an EB or GameStop, unless it's the only store that carries it (somewhat rare or niche games).[/QUOTE]


We could have a whole threat on peoples hatred of walmart.
 
[quote name='alonzomourning23']We could have a whole threat on peoples hatred of walmart.[/QUOTE]

Why? Ask the sales person (usually an old man or a mexican chick) to open the case, get your game, pay for it (I always write a check, Wal Mart doesn't cash checks for a couple days after they get them), then leave. You don't have to deal with dsiplay copies, stickers all over the games, or any of the BS you deal with at GameStop or EB.
 
[quote name='alonzomourning23']We could have a whole threat on peoples hatred of walmart.[/QUOTE]

Im thinking the typo was intentional.... Threat indeed.
 
[quote name='jkam']It can be annoying but just make up stuff like you work for Microsoft so your'e getting a free one. As for Best Buy yeah I too have noticed everyone asks you if you need help every 2 seconds. fuck off![/QUOTE]

And then when you DO need help you either..

A) Can't find anyone.
B) Find the most dumbest clueless robot on the salesfloor that doesn't know his ass from his head.
C) Find the one person who doesn't even want to help you.
 
[quote name='Graystone']Yea another gaming store sucks thread. :roll:[/QUOTE]

They are becoming like clockwork. I especially enjoy when we have 2 going at the same time.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']Why? Ask the sales person (usually an old man or a mexican chick) to open the case, get your game, pay for it (I always write a check, Wal Mart doesn't cash checks for a couple days after they get them), then leave. You don't have to deal with dsiplay copies, stickers all over the games, or any of the BS you deal with at GameStop or EB.[/QUOTE]

The sex discrimination, bullying tactics, refusal to allow unions (including shutting down a canadian store, and moving down the street, when employees actually unionized), violating labor laws, destroyed downtowns, insistance on increasingly cheap good driving products to countries that are willing to pay their workers next to nothing etc. The rude/clueless walmart store clerks aside, the problem with walmart is the corporation and how it runs itself, not the clerks so much.

I'm glad walmart is just another store around here. It's where old, slobby, fat people congregate.
 
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