Should Game Store employees offer "this game sucks" advice?

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captaincold

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This question really pertains only to casual-gamer's & parents who buy games for themselves or kids.

When someone comes to the counter with a game that "sucks" should the employee steer the person to another game that's better?
Now i know people are gonna say, "all they should care about is getting the money" but that's what i think is a SERIOUS problem in this industry.

Now let me explain:

Assume the person goes ahead & buys this crappy game.
When they play the game & realizes that it's terrible how likely are they to be a repeat customer at a game-store/section?

If your a parent & you buy a game that your child never plays will you spend more money on games?
 
It depends on whether or not the game is a game that actually sucks and that the general opinion is that is sucks (ie: Drake) vs a game that one person thinks sucks (ie: Final Fantasy VII). I think to the consumer, there is a huge difference between someone saying "I" think this sucks vs "everyone here has played this and we didn't care for it".
 
I think that a game store employee should keep their opinions to themselves unless they are asked for them. Not everyone likes the same games. The "helpful employee" might just end up steering someone in the wrong direction anyway. An employee should just let a person purchase what they would like to without giving their personal seal of approval to anything someone wants to buy.
 
I dont work at a game store but I have told people in line about how good or bad a game is while they are waiting to buy it, and once got kicked out of a Gamestop for doing so.
 
[quote name='captaincold']
If you're a parent & you buy a game that your child never plays will you spend more money on games?[/QUOTE]

Ha ha ha! A huge number of people on this site buy games that never get played - by themselves! :lol:

Edit: Also, please learn the difference between "your" and "you're"
 
I don't think they should straight out say a game 'sucks' [except, of course, for those few that by definition *do*], but I would have no problem with an educated, courteous, non-biased store employee offering suggestions, and even saying "Hey, if you're looking at that game, you should check out this one, it takes the combat from that one and improves on it."
Of course, the game manufacturers might not like either of those--"Why are you telling a customer *not* to buy our product?"
 
In an era where customer service sucks ass I would not expect the employee to care. I would expect them to make fun of the customer after they left.

When I managed two separate game stores over two years I learned that if you cultivate a customer base youll enjoy your job a lot more. Hocking video games to cranky children and their bossy parents is not a dream job, but if you genuinely show an interest in matching a game to their interests, they WILL come back and they WILL be thankful (and most likely will buy more from you).

So I pray that employees would take a more active role, and would tell a parent that the game they are buying for their child is "bad", or inappropriate, or generally looked upon to be low quality. If they are resolved to buy the game, they will buy it, but at least your input can help them make a btter informed decision.
 
No, they shouldn't voluntarily offer opinions on games. DEVELOPERS SHOULD JUST MAKE BETTER GAMES, so that people come back to play more, ya know? :lol:

for one thing, it's all subjective and an employee can't know how a random customer will like/hate a game.

Not to mention, a lot of these employees can be douchebags(though a lot are nice) and should just keep their mouths shut, unless they are asked a question.

If they are asked their opinion on a game, they should give it, by all means, but that shouldn't be the first thing out of their mouths when someone brings a game to the counter.
 
I never tell a customer that a game sucks. If it really does, I try to find a way around it, like "oh, you're buying this for your friend? is he a big matrix fan? well, this is a good game but it really doesn't follow the storyline too well so he may be disappointed"
 
[quote name='vietgurl']I never tell a customer that a game sucks. If it really does, I try to find a way around it, like "oh, you're buying this for your friend? is he a big matrix fan? well, this is a good game but it really doesn't follow the storyline too well so he may be disappointed"[/QUOTE]

... That's out of the blue, it'd be weird to ask someone that they're buying a game for a friend and then saying the game sucks.

You could just say the game sucks.:)
 
If someone behind the counter told me X game sucks and I shouldn't buy it, I would question why they carry it in the first place.
They should perhaps discuss the type of game, but opinions need to stay out of it. "I really enjoyed this game" and stuff of the type is okay but not "This game sucks, you'll hate it" stuff.
 
When I was on the EB/Gamestop work scene, I would only direct people to better games if they asked me what my honest opinion was. After a while, people that shopped there frequently knew I'd give them the 411 on a game good or bad. Because of this, they would not ask me about a game when they came in now, but asked what games were out that were good. And you know what? My customers would buy games SOLELY on my word. Back when I worked there, EB's policy was a lot more liberal back in those days. So the way I see it, we were both saving each other time by not having to process a return.

If However they were in line already and did not ask, then I assume that they willing want to buy the game and keep my mouth shut. As far as I'm concerned, the selling is done when they're in line (unless it's ESA/ESP's). :D
 
It's not the job of the employee to tell you which games are good and which ones aren't, their job is to sell products. Now, if a customer asks an employee's opinion about a particular game, then the employee is obligated to give their opinion. However, if an employee isn't a particualr fan of the game, they could ask the customer what kind of game they are looking for, and based on that answer from the customer, direct them towards a game that might better suit their needs. That's how you get customers to come back to your store.
 
I, as a former employee in a Toys R Us R-Zone, did my best to warn customers away from bad games. We get mostly parents/grandparents/relatives shopping for children, and often they gladly accepted such advice and ended up buying something anyway (no business lost). However, if the child had specifically asked for a certain game, I'd give a little warning but explain that at a certain age, it doesn't really matter; the kids just want to play with familiar characters.

So I gave my personal opinion, but also understood sometimes people DO want sub-par games.

God, you don't know how good it felt saving Christmas for kids whose parents were going to buy drek like Rugrats Go To Hell Part 5.
 
I worked at a game store part-time for a little extra spending money. I would rarely offer my personal opinion on a game, but I would cite what I had read on metacritic or gamerankings if asked. The only exception was when Driver 3 came out - a lot of people were determined to pay $50 for that on day one no matter what anyone said, but I let everyone know that they should probably rent it first (I can't recall whether we had a demo of it or not). The anticipation for that game was pretty high so I didn't want too many to go home and be disappointed. I think we must have gotten 50 copies of that traded back in within a week or two.
 
If it actually sucks like Catwoman, Driv3r, and other games that have hype but have bombed I think that the store rep should warn potential buyers. Not only will their customers be happy but publishers that work on crappy games will lose money and will think twice (hopefully) before releasing crappy games, and start making and investing in quality games.
 
the guys at the eb i go to generally tell the customer what the review ranking at www.videogames.com was for that game and mention that if it got below a 7.0 it probably isnt a very good game. I think that is a pretty safe route for them to take,

you mean should they stop someone from buying a really bad game(maybe that matrix sequel) well, i dont think they should stop someone from buying a game, if the customer asks if the game is any good and they can tell them its review score, then that is enough.
 
I work at a Gamestop and here's how I work it:

If someone goes to buy a game without asking me anything about it, then I won't say anything. They didn't ask my opinion, therefore I won't give it.

Now if they ask me if a game is good or not, I'll tell them my honest opinion if I have played it. If it's good, if it sucks or if I haven't played it at all, I will give as much information as I can.

Customers from what I've seen, really appreciate that. I've had customers look at me and go "I didn't expect to hear that? This game really does suck? What do you suggest?"

It's how I believe it should be, not a person going "GET MADDEN BECAUSE IT'S MADDEN!"
 
[quote name='Backlash']Ha ha ha! A huge number of people on this site buy games that never get played - by themselves! :lol:

Edit: Also, please learn the difference between "your" and "you're"[/QUOTE]

Please put a period at the end of your sentences,thanks. :)
 
I agree with the fact that they shouldn't just spout off unsolicited opinions, or badmouthing a game that a person is going to buy [and 'wants' to buy.] But I guess I'm assuming too much--when I was in retail, I would greet every customer when they came in, and sometimes you could tell what sort of customer they were; did they want to ask you for help, or would they take unsolicited help? And if a customer was clearly browsing aimlessly, I might say, "Can I help you find something" or something like that, which is a nice seque into, "Oh yeah, a good game like that is XXXX." Or, of course, being honest and helpful if a customer says "I need help finding a good racing game." That's what I'm talking about.
 
I'm a pretty honest dude so I basically tell it like it is. If someone asks i'll let them know what point ( 1 of 10 ) rank the game got.
 
I worked in a game store years ago, and would not usually offer up my opinion. After all, different people like different types of games, and there are plenty of games I would say suck but a lot of people really enjoy. The only times when really you need to offer an opinion is when someone asks you point blank if you had played said game and what you thought, or perhaps a parent wanted to find a particular type of game for their kids ("what's a good multiplayer game? good sports game? etc.). In that case, I felt free to simply honestly tell people what I enjoyed or what I thought were good games in those categories. But there is no need to hoist your opinion on someone else. Maybe they want the game because they already played it at their friend's house and liked it, and now you're in a position of insulting their taste.
 
The problem is people saying what sucks. Music and games are just alike in the sense that people only like a few different genres. A game may suck to that employee or the mainstream but that person may be buying cause little jimmy asked for it. My point drake is not a bad game. It is still playable. But if it is a tomb raider angel of darkness or one thats made so bad that you can't finish it. That is a game that sucks where you have to work around the glitches to play. mainly I'm saying that no game sucks and an employee or any person has a right to tell another person what sucks. Cause like music or food we all have different tastes.
 
People ask me at Circuit City all the time. "Have you played this game? What do you think?" and if I have played it I will tell the basic "Its great, Its average, its bad" -- The only time I told someone not to buy a game was this kid who brought up 'Celebrity Deathmatch' for the PS1 and I said.... "I'd get something else. Trust me!" ... so he went back and got Driver... "Much better!"

Heh.

Or to not put the pressure on me incase they don't like the game but I did, I'll mention the reviews.... "It's gotten great reviews, good reviews, average reviews, bad reviews." And sometimes I'll load up GameRankings.com and let them see for themselves, I've sold many people on games thanks to GR. Heh.
 
Absolutely. Especially if there is something actually WRONG with the game. Some games are just bad, and maybe not so much on those, but several game are actually broken to the point of being basically unplayable (Drake of the 99 Dragons, Iron Phoenix, Nightcaster II, etc.). You should ALWAYS steer people clear of those. You will make a hell of a lot more money gaining people's trust, then you will selling 1 copy of one shitty game.

What they should NOT do, however, is assume their taste is the end all be all. For instance, a guy at gamestop (big surprise) tried to talk me out of buying Summoner 2 and into buying Kingdom Hearts. I loved the first Summoner and hate Disney so he was not successful. For the recond I eventually bought both games. I love Summoner 2 and feel it is even better than the first one and I HATE Kingdom Hearts. It is the worst thing square has EVER done. X-Squad was a better game. At least it didn't make light of the entire FF canon and put fucking Goofy in a scene with Squall. God I hate that fucking game.
 
[quote name='Kuros']I work at a Gamestop and here's how I work it:

If someone goes to buy a game without asking me anything about it, then I won't say anything. They didn't ask my opinion, therefore I won't give it.

Now if they ask me if a game is good or not, I'll tell them my honest opinion if I have played it. If it's good, if it sucks or if I haven't played it at all, I will give as much information as I can.

Customers from what I've seen, really appreciate that. I've had customers look at me and go "I didn't expect to hear that? This game really does suck? What do you suggest?"

It's how I believe it should be, not a person going "GET MADDEN BECAUSE IT'S MADDEN!"[/QUOTE]

That's what I used to do. It's no use getting in omeone's face about it, but if they ask, it's your duty as a gamer.
 
while working at gamestop i would tell people that a game isnt good, mostly it was parents, most of the time they would change their mind, but almost as much they didnt seem to care, they had made up their mind, or they heard from a friend, or they just had to see for themselves...

anyway, i think they should say something if its truly and awful awful game, but for the most part its subjective
 
[quote name='Kuros']I work at a Gamestop and here's how I work it:

If someone goes to buy a game without asking me anything about it, then I won't say anything. They didn't ask my opinion, therefore I won't give it.

Now if they ask me if a game is good or not, I'll tell them my honest opinion if I have played it. If it's good, if it sucks or if I haven't played it at all, I will give as much information as I can.

Customers from what I've seen, really appreciate that. I've had customers look at me and go "I didn't expect to hear that? This game really does suck? What do you suggest?"

It's how I believe it should be, not a person going "GET MADDEN BECAUSE IT'S MADDEN!"[/QUOTE]

You are a hero. Not only avoiding giving unsolicited advice, but also giving *reasoned* explanations for liking/disliking a game (rather than some generic "it sucks" treatment).

Now, if you can get your superiors to stop having you ask me seven questions ("Did you bring in any trade-ins?"; "Can I help you find anything?"; "Have you called your mother lately?") each time I walk in the store, you deserve to own every GS, ever.
 
I think they should keep their opinions to themselves, but if the person asks for their opinion, they should 'em.
 
I would say dont give it unless asked to. Even then if you say the game sucks it must truly suck (Not like Enter The Matrix. I enjoyed it and know many people that did, its just people's opinions about the game that say it sucks...its not a truly bad game).
 
So at the same Gamestop I bitched about in another thread had another awkward moment

Dad comes into the store and asks for the game The Bouncer. I'm sure it sucks a lot of ass but whatever his little kid was with him. So GS employee scowls and says "let me check." He finds it and says, "You sure you want this?" Dad says, "Yah, it's a fun game, my kids enjoy it." GS employee says, "wel it's not a very good game." Dad says, "Come on man, it's for my kids." GS reluctantly sells it to him. WTF??

Maybe it's because I'm in New York but this seems to be an issue everwhere. GS employee, SHUT THE fuck UP AND DO YOUR JOB WHICH IS TO SELL SHIT.
 
Indeed, I am in the camp of don't offer your opinions of the game unless people ask you for them. I know I would be incredibly annoyed if I brought up an average game such as Evil Dead to purchase and the employee starts ragging on it.
 
[quote name='KillingMachine']I think that a game store employee should keep their opinions to themselves unless they are asked for them. Not everyone likes the same games. The "helpful employee" might just end up steering someone in the wrong direction anyway. An employee should just let a person purchase what they would like to without giving their personal seal of approval to anything someone wants to buy.[/QUOTE]

agreed. I used to work at blockbuster, and I did the same thing. No matter how bad the movie was, I didn't say anything. Because even some of the worst movies were liked by at least someone. If they asked me, I would give them an honest opinion. I would usually say something positive if someone wanted to rent a movie i particularly liked.
 
[quote name='vietgurl']then again, i'm a girl so if someone asks me about a game, i can always be like "i don't play games"[/QUOTE]

that could potentially make the guy feel dorky.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']You are a hero. Not only avoiding giving unsolicited advice, but also giving *reasoned* explanations for liking/disliking a game (rather than some generic "it sucks" treatment).

Now, if you can get your superiors to stop having you ask me seven questions ("Did you bring in any trade-ins?"; "Can I help you find anything?"; "Have you called your mother lately?") each time I walk in the store, you deserve to own every GS, ever.[/QUOTE]

You'd be surprised at my store then. Only a couple of the ASMs give the "Have you brought in Trade Ins?" question because they have to and even then they don't do it all the time. We really hate asking everyone "DID YOU BRING GAMES FOR US!?!?" because it's annoying. Personally, when someone walks in, I greet them and then ask if they can use any help in finding something. No and No? Fine then, I'll go do something else. Although I do admit, if there is nothing pressing to do for me, I will walk around and talk with people.
 
I always ask opinions first. They play everything and get all sorts of feedback. For example, I'm in the market for a handheld right now. I went to the GS where I spotted the manager who's been there forever. I was all hellbent on grabbing a PSP but he urged me to go online and do some research first. He also pointed out that he had 15 used PSP's in stock, 7 coming just that past weekend. He left it at that. I did the research online and found all the neg posts concerning the PSP. I also found some positive posts but the neg stuff scared me away. He was subtle in telling me that he felt the PSP was crap. I appreciate that sort of thing and will be grabbing a DS this afternoon.

RC
 
when i worked at tru, i used to always tell people if the game was awful and try to advise them to a better one. I hated seeing people waste their money on crap when they could get something better.
 
[quote name='wildnuts02']So at the same Gamestop I bitched about in another thread had another awkward moment

Dad comes into the store and asks for the game The Bouncer. I'm sure it sucks a lot of ass but whatever his little kid was with him. So GS employee scowls and says "let me check." He finds it and says, "You sure you want this?" Dad says, "Yah, it's a fun game, my kids enjoy it." GS employee says, "wel it's not a very good game." Dad says, "Come on man, it's for my kids." GS reluctantly sells it to him. WTF??

Maybe it's because I'm in New York but this seems to be an issue everwhere. GS employee, SHUT THE fuck UP AND DO YOUR JOB WHICH IS TO SELL SHIT.[/QUOTE]

Yup, I have a similar story, also involving Gamestop (and god help us, they're about to ALL be Gamestops... :whistle2:( ). Anyway, was in with a friend of mine a few years back, and he was there to buy R.A.D. for the PS2. It hadn't been out long, but it was still a relatively obscure game and I believe this GS was one of the only local places at the time he had found it at. When he gets up to the register, the GS guy starts doing everything he can to talk him out of it. My friend tells the guy, "Look, I have the demo, my kids have played it to death" - the guy didn't care. He almost had to fight him just to buy the game. He told me later that if he had known of another place that had the game, he would have left it there.

I had to do almost the same thing when the same store marked down Spawn on the DC to around $10. "Are you sure you want it? This game really sucks." Yes, you asshole, I've played the fucking game - shut up and sell it to me.
 
[quote name='captaincold']This question really pertains only to casual-gamer's & parents who buy games for themselves or kids.

When someone comes to the counter with a game that "sucks" should the employee steer the person to another game that's better?
Now i know people are gonna say, "all they should care about is getting the money" but that's what i think is a SERIOUS problem in this industry.

Now let me explain:

Assume the person goes ahead & buys this crappy game.
When they play the game & realizes that it's terrible how likely are they to be a repeat customer at a game-store/section?

If your a parent & you buy a game that your child never plays will you spend more money on games?[/QUOTE]

now I realize most people don't live in reality, they are in some place that makes them happy and they do whatever they are told, but I ain't like that, I keep everyone in reality, if it's something I don't like at my job I don't use it and let people know about it, that's why customers return to me, and the jokes I crack... DON'T EVER FALL INTO THE CORPORATE trap! please run from it!
 
My take is that if the person buying the game asks for the employee's opinion they should give an honest one. Something like "Well that game didn't review very well and I personally didn't really like it. But GAME X is also a strategy RPG/whatever, it got great reviews, and I really liked it." would be great IMO. If their eyes haven't glazed over by that you might even go on to give a few reasons why you think it's better.

If the customer doesn't ask for advice and they have a game in hand they want to buy, the clerk should just STFU and ring them out.
 
[quote name='captaincold']Please put a period at the end of your sentences,thanks. :)[/QUOTE]

Ah, touche. Still, I'd say your gaffe was much worse than mine. :)
 
Thank goodness for the internet. Back in the old days the only easy way to tell if a game sucked was to buy it.
 
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