[quote name='Zenithian Legend']I'd talk to Reality's Fringe before working in a game store.[/quote]
Ah, my experience has reached all corners of the globe
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In my experience, working at Gamestop was one of the worst things I've ever done. From their unfair and dubious practices(With intent as well. I've heard things directly from the lie-hole of the DM) to the insane customers you get in these places. Don't let the path I chose to end my....bountiful....employment with the company disuade you from listening to my actual experience. I worked my ass off for that place and played by the book at all times. I was yelled at by my first manager and called stupid in front of several customers (This was after I had only been there for a week and was still shaky on the register), I've been told to lie in order to sell reserves and get MSTs up (Multi-Sku transactions. For example selling a memory card with a game), I've seen them check "new" games out(which isn't against store policy, despite what managers might tell you) and resell them as "NEW", My hours have been cut to less than 3 per week even though I was increasingly productive(and remember they measure productivity by reserves and subscriptions to their now discredited and still mocked rag of a magazine), my manager took frequent on the clock breaks to smoke weed in his car(let us not forget how terribly inept he was in the first place), I've heard the DM tell us that, if it looks good enough, to sell trade in games as "Display copies" for the new price (yeah, I was going to call about it, but guess what, that person got promoted), I was forced to run the entire front of the store by myself when MAdden 2005 was released (I'm not even a key-holder, and we had a line of about 90 angry patrons), I've taken countless trade-ins with game discs only that were all scratched to hell (personal thing of mine), I've been yelled at by customers, accussed of stealing (now fired SM who was the one stealing unclaimed store credits), and had some bratty ass little kid kick me in the shin. All in all, I watched as my favorite hobby was eroded. And for what? A measly $6hr that, often times, would be offset by my awesome 3 hr work weeks (which were often sequential> In fact, I remember a time I was only scheduled for one day for 3 hours, and I got called off).
That was my experience, and terrible as it sounds, is all true. Your results may vary, but remember that whatm you take form this job isn't going to be some paltry paycheck; It could very wll be a nightmare you will find yourself waking up to again and again. Godspeed.
