What about all the good stuff GameStop does?

Drclaw411

Drclaw411

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Alright, I know I could be rubbing people the wrong way with this. I completley understand that the vast majority of CAGs are very much anti-gamestop. I can't read a single page of a GameStop thread without somebody complaining about prices, gutting, or stickers. But i'll be completley honest, I just don't get the GameStop hate. In my opinion, GameStop is one of the best options as far as video game shopping.

People have a big problem with used games that come incomplete, or with cases/manuals in bad condition. This is hardly GameStop's fault as they cannot how the previous owners treat their games, or if they trade in the games with cases. The alternative option, to just not accept incomplete trade ins, doesn't help anybody. All that does is make games harder to find. If you only want to purchase complete games, then buy in store. You can see if it's complete before you buy. If you buy online, they even tell you on every single item's product page if it is going to be complete or not, which is more than they have to do. If you don't want to risk it, don't buy it, but don't complain then that it's not in stock or something. And on top of that, they even let you trade online orders for store copies of the games if you aren't satisfied. Again, more than they have to do.

Another issue is gutted games. Same thing. If you don't want a gutted game, don't buy it. Plain and simple. Seriously, this should be a non-issue. Stop asking why they gut. We know why they gut. Don't like it? Don't buy it, but don't come online to complain about it.

People also hate stickers. Guess what? Virtually everything you buy is going to have a price tage on it. What is the alternative to stickers? Having a long ass price list hanging up in the store? Making people ask the clerk about the price of every damn game in the store? I don't like the stickers either, but seriously peeling them off takes 10 seconds and if it's really that big of an issue, then buy replacement cases or goo gone, but there is really no alternative to putting the stickers on the games.

And now that I just talked about everybody's three big (non)issues, what about all the good stuff GameStop offers? How about CAG16? They gave members of our site a freaking 16% off discount! And honestly, cag16+edge is more often than not the cheapest possible way to get a copy of any given game.

There were people complaining about DDEAL. GameStop shipped games for $10 off (sometimes free), even though it was a glitch/error, and wasn't what the advertised sale actually was. They could have easliy just cancelled the orders and sent out automated appology emails. Very few places, and I mean VERY few places would do that. At best, you'd get an "i'm sorry" email and a $5 off a future order coupon.

How about the in store staff? While, like at any store, there will be the occasional douche employee, but from my own experience as well as what i've said, GameStop employees tend to be very good in terms of customer service. How many of them held a game for you before gamedays so you could have a sealed copy? How many times have you bought a penny guide from them with no problems? They always seem to do the best they can to give good service.

People complain about their deals, such as free overnight shipping on games $49.99. Ok...so it's not a B2G1. Big fucking deal. Overnight shipping is $9.99 to most places from their site. Are you going to seriously tell me if are buying a qualifying game that you wont use this deal? They don't owe anybody anything, and they offer several deals a week. Guess what: 'DAILY DEALS' ARENT SUPPOSED TO BE BIG EARTH SHATTERING SALES EVENTS! THEY'RE JUST A LITTLE BONUS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY MAKING A QUALIFYING PURCHASE/TRADE IN, AND A LITTLE EXTRA INCENTIVE FOR THOSE ON THE FENCE. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. So rather than complain because the deals aren't "good enough", use them when they apply to something you're buying, and if they don't, don't bash them.

How about the $2000 worth of gift cards contest going on here right now? If you win, are you going to turn it down because "you don't want to give GameStop your business"? Yeah...didn't think so. And I know Cheapy and CAG have a lot to do with getting cag16 and a contest like this...but ask amazon/walmart/toys r us/best buy/the other "preferred" options to do the same thing. Say "hey can you give me a free coupon code and $2000 worth of prizes if I let you put up a banner on the top of my website?" and see what they say. 9 times out of 10 it wont even be considered.

Look, like any retailer, they aren't perfect. But they certainly aren't the devil worshipping scum bags this community makes them out to be. In fact, when you look at it, they are commonly the best option for any given game at the lowest price.
 
[quote name='addicted2games']OP - and you manage which GS?[/QUOTE]

I'm going to venture none. I managed a Gamestop many years ago, and I'll tell you that anyone working inside that system has just as much dislike for the company as the rest of us. You think it sucks shopping there? Try working there and not develop a drinking habit.
 
Not to get into the whole free market system, but in general, I don't like GS's prices, so I buy from and sell to other locations. GS's high prices and low offers don't bother me since there are alternative options.

However, and this is true at the 4 GS's I go to, I have a serious issue with their employees when they bother me non-stop at the register to buy an Edge card. Since very little of my game sales happen at GS, it is no longer smart for me to spend the money on an Edge card, because I don't buy/sell enough there anymore over the course of the year to offset the price of the card. Unfortunately, those times that I do buy a used, under $10 game, they rarely accept my "No thanks" response.

I know that all stores try to offer their card to customers at the register, and I know that the more Edge cards an employee sells, the better it is for them. But when I say that I understand the benefits of the card, but I don't shop here enough to make it worth it, please leave me alone.
 
Eh, what the hell, I'm bored, I'll bite . . .

[quote name='Drclaw411']People have a big problem with used games that come incomplete, or with cases/manuals in bad condition. This is hardly GameStop's fault as they cannot how the previous owners treat their games, or if they trade in the games with cases. The alternative option, to just not accept incomplete trade ins, doesn't help anybody. All that does is make games harder to find.[/QUOTE]

I call bullshit. People who trade in games to GameStop treat their games like shit because they know that GameStop will take them anyway. If GameStop required that games be in a certain condition, then the majority of people who trade in games would treat their games in such a way to keep them in that condition, in order to be able to trade them in. Sure, you might lose a few here and there, but you know what? We don't need that beat up shit clogging up the system anyway. Set some standards.

Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, GameStop taking in games in incomplete or in poor condition makes them harder to find. As it is, if I see on the GameStop website that a store has a game that I want, I have to either go there and see it for myself, or call and hope that the person that I talk to actually gives me a real answer. Probably somewhere around 70% of the time, it turns out to be a wasted effort, because I won't buy incomplete or beat up games.

Or you know what, at the very least, put some kind of tier system on the trade-in values and pricing -- a complete, good condition copy is one price, and a beat up copy that's missing everything but the disc itself is another, lower price. Then you can still take the beat up shit and sell it to people who don't care, but give people an incentive to actually keep things in good shape.

Cater to the lowest common denominator, and you'll become the lowest common denominator.

[quote name='Drclaw411']If you buy online, they even tell you on every single item's product page if it is going to be complete or not, which is more than they have to do.[/QUOTE]

No it's not. I submit that it's only "more than they have to do" because people like you have no goddamn standards.

[quote name='Drclaw411']And on top of that, they even let you trade online orders for store copies of the games if you aren't satisfied. Again, more than they have to do.[/QUOTE]

Sure, if the store actually has an acceptable copy. If not, hey, guess what, you're out of luck, and at the very least you won't be getting that shipping charge back.

Really, your argument makes no sense.

[quote name='Drclaw411']Another issue is gutted games. Same thing. If you don't want a gutted game, don't buy it. Plain and simple. Seriously, this should be a non-issue.[/QUOTE]

Eh, you know what, I don't really care all that much about gutting itself. I find it to be a little bit of an annoyance, but if they've got the best deal, I'll live with it. What I do have a problem with is that when I go to buy a "new" game and it's gutted, and I ask to see the disc (which I always do), more than half of the time it's all scratched up because the damn GameStop employees couldn't be bothered to handle it with care when they gutted it. I mean, ok, I get why you gut it, but that's still not an excuse to try to sell me a game that's in anything but absolutely pristine condition as "new".

[quote name='Drclaw411']People also hate stickers. Guess what? Virtually everything you buy is going to have a price tage on it.[/QUOTE]

Stickers in and of themselves aren't the problem. The problems are that:

1) They put so many stickers on the case, and use stickers that are very hard to remove. One sticker, I have no issue with. Three or four stickers, and it gets to be a real pain in the ass. Why do they need three or four stickers?

and 2) The bigger issue -- they put stickers directly onto the cover art. I have no real problem with stickers on the plastic case -- a little lighter fluid and those babies come right off. But stickers put directly onto the cover art are an entirely different story. You can't just use lighter fluid or Goo Gone or whatever to remove them, because that shit will also destroy the cover art. And no matter how carefully you try to peel them off, it's likely that they'll take a bit of the cover art with them. Really, what's the excuse? (That's a rhetorical question, by the way -- there is no fucking excuse, but they do it anyway.)

[quote name='Drclaw411']And now that I just talked about everybody's three big (non)issues, what about all the good stuff GameStop offers? How about CAG16? They gave members of our site a freaking 16% off discount! And honestly, cag16+edge is more often than not the cheapest possible way to get a copy of any given game.[/QUOTE]

Utterly useless to me because I can't guarantee what condition the game will be in. Even if it says that it comes complete with case and manual, the disc could still be scratched to shit. I won't buy used from GameStop sight unseen because, as I noted above, GameStop has no standards. When they get some standards, I'll consider it.

[quote name='Drclaw411']There were people complaining about DDEAL.[/QUOTE]

Ok, you're right on this one. Those people are idiots. No one should expect any business to give them an awesome, money-losing deal every single day. A business has to make money, people.

[quote name='Drclaw411']How about the in store staff? While, like at any store, there will be the occasional douche employee, but from my own experience as well as what i've said, GameStop employees tend to be very good in terms of customer service.[/QUOTE]

I don't know where you live, but the douche count at the GameStops around here is high. It's worse in the mall stores than in the ones in smaller shopping centers usually, but it is still quite prevalent. I can't even tell you the number of times I've had GameStop employees give me attitude because I've decided not to buy something after seeing the condition of the disc, for example. You know what, guys? I'm the customer, and if I don't want to pay for beat up shit, then you should just let it go rather than getting snippy with me when I say "no thanks" (because I'm always polite to them until they get snippy with me).

[quote name='Drclaw411']How about the $2000 worth of gift cards contest going on here right now? If you win, are you going to turn it down because "you don't want to give GameStop your business"? Yeah...didn't think so.[/QUOTE]

Nah, you know what, I still give GameStop my business . . . but only when they have a really good deal that I can't find anywhere else. And right there's the issue. A store like GameStop should be my first stop whenever I want to buy a game, but honestly, with all of the problems, I don't like shopping there. Will I? Yes, when I can't find something somewhere else. But if they only had their act together, I would shop there so much more.
 
[quote name='addicted2games']OP - and you manage which GS?[/QUOTE]

I don't manage any gamestops...reread my post if you want to know why I have these opinions

[quote name='thingsfallnapart']Its not gamestops fault the majority of people are stupid enough to pay their jacked up prices.[/QUOTE]

I don't get the problem with GameStop's prices...the new stuff is for the most part MSRP. Big surprise. The used stuff online with cag16+edge+saver is more often than not the cheapest that any particular store is selling any particular game. And i've always thought of the edge card as the bonus offer. Game Informer is now basically the only multi-plat gaming magazine. I'd pay 15 bucks for a subscription to that with or without the edge card.
 
I mostly disagree with everything you stated, op except for the cag16 which is okay but I don't order from their website so it's not a plus for me but it is for others. Everything else bothers me like them placing stickers on game cases which are hard to remove. Even with 'goo gone' or stuff like that you can see where the sticker was before and at times it'll cut through the case and can be noticed. I've never had anyone hold games for me for gamedays and I have yet to see or hear about the results of all their contests & promotions as all the local store managers i've talked to and employees have said that they don't even know who won and it is up to the dm which never tells.I'd say the negative outweighs the positive heavily.
 
Arcane, your problem seems to be more or less with their quality standards (or lack therof). Like I stated in my original post, there is no such thing as a perfect retailer. But what GameStop does do is gaurentee their games. If they don't work, you get their money back. New gutted games and scratches? Believe it or not, i've opened up the almight sealed game and seen scratches on the disk before. People act like these things are gashed to the point of being unplayable, and that is simply not the case. And to be honest, I could give a shit if a game has a scratch on it, as long as it works properly. That is the point of the game, to be played on a console, and as long as that is what takes place, I see little issue. And as far as you saying that caseless games being accepted by gamestop makes them "harder to find"...that's not true.

When it comes to gamers, while many of them are collectors, that is still the minority. The majority of people want to play the games they buy. When I go to a gamestop, if I am looking for a particular used game and they have one with the cover art/manual, and one without, then yes i'll buy the complete game. But I will still buy the incomplete game if that's the only option, rather than waiting around to maybe find the game complete somewhere else and possibly end up not playing it. And if you ever do find a complete copy, gamestop will let you swap incomplete copy you purchased anyway.

You said you don't buy used games at gamestop, then also said you only go there if other stores don't have the game you want, or there isnt another option. This leads me to believe, if you're indeed only buying new games from gamestop, that you'd rather pay MSRP anywhere else. I really don't get the difference in buying a new game at GameStop vs any other store, unless you REALLY have issue with a gutted game AND the one gutted display game is the last copy.

As for the employees, it might just be your area. I normally live in Chicago, went to college in DeKalb, and am now temporarily living in Arizona. I have yet to have any situation where the asshole gamestop employee is the norm, so again, it might just be your area. The only "issue" (if you can even call it that) is this one guy who thinks his opinions of games are written into the ten commandments. But it's not like he gets rude if you disagree.
 
You might want to mention also that any game that is gutted and labeled as NEW cannot be returned and it would be ymmv if it were accepted as a return. I remember buying a 360 game for a friend then my friend calls me changing their mind so on the way home (20 minutes later) I stopped at the nearest gs and tried to return it and was given hassle but since they knew me they let me return it and was told 'just this 1 time'. It's New, still had the tape on the side and wasn't tampered with so I don't see how they are going to gut a game out, label it new then give hassle about trying to return/exchange it. By the way, there isn't much praise to give to gs except for a few good employees which leads me to shop only at 1 gs store when I have store credit. They don't do giveaways or anything from what i've found out so far so it's not like you can praise them for doing charity or anything positive.
 
[quote name='Drclaw411']Arcane, your problem seems to be more or less with their quality standards (or lack therof).[/QUOTE]

Yup, pretty much. But as far as I'm concerned, when I'm paying money for something, quality standards are everything.

[quote name='Drclaw411']If they don't work, you get their money back.[/QUOTE]

Sure, if you happen to play through the whole game within the seven day return period. If you don't, though, and you find at a later point in the game that it freezes or stutters, you're out of luck. Personally, I don't tend to finish games that quickly -- in fact, things will often sit on my shelf for months until I even get to them, unless they're something that I've really been waiting for. Hell, I've got games that I bought a year ago that I haven't gotten around to playing at all yet.

[quote name='Drclaw411']New gutted games and scratches? Believe it or not, i've opened up the almight sealed game and seen scratches on the disk before.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that happens to some extent with sealed games (shit happens in the factory occasionally), but not often, and usually not really significant. And yes, I have returned games when I've found that.

I've seen some really bad gutted ones, though. And there's simply no excuse for it.

[quote name='Drclaw411']And to be honest, I could give a shit if a game has a scratch on it, as long as it works properly.[/QUOTE]

But see, right there's the problem. Even a minor looking scratch can be a big deal, if it happens to be in the right place, going in the right direction, etc. And as I said, unless you finish the game within the return period, you simply don't know if it will matter.

[quote name='Drclaw411']You said you don't buy used games at gamestop, then also said you only go there if other stores don't have the game you want, or there isnt another option.[/QUOTE]

Um, no, that's not what I said at all. I said that I don't buy used games from their website because they're sight-unseen. I will buy used games in-store if they are complete and in acceptable condition, because I can inspect them there before buying. The problem is that, a large majority of the time, they aren't. And yes, I would rather pay more somewhere else for something that I do find acceptable than lower my standards and give my hard-earned money for something that I don't.

That being said, I also only buy used games when they're actually a deal. $5 below the price of a new copy is not a deal. At that point I'd rather buy new and support the developer. So that knocks a lot of GameStop's used stock out of the running right there, except maybe at B2G1 time or whatever.

What it really comes down to, though . . . You have your opinions, and that's fine. I have mine, and honestly, there's nothing that you're going to say that's going to change them. You asked what people's problems are with GameStop, and I told you mine. There's really no point to debate beyond that.
 
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OP, don't bother with the haters. It is an eternal code that was written before time began that every gamer must consider GameStop the bane of their existence. I however, follow a different code. My code says that any place that sells games must be good for gamers. I will live by this code and die by this code (only to respawn in 3-7 seconds). The dudes at my closest GS are awesome, and are always making small talk with me. I have never been pressured to buy something, only told the benefits of the item from the perspective of a gamer. The only time I have a problem with them is when they don't tell you enough info. Other than that, I consider GS to be the best game retailer out there, and that is my opinion. I always get good deals there, and have almost never had a bad experience.
 
[quote name='arcane93']That being said, I also only buy used games when they're actually a deal. $5 below the price of a new copy is not a deal. At that point I'd rather buy new and support the developer. So that knocks a lot of GameStop's used stock out of the running right there, except maybe at B2G1 time or whatever.[/QUOTE]


$5 below isnt a deal? I'd much rather have an extra 5 bucks in my pocket any day of the week. Heck, $1 cheaper is a deal.

I'm not going to argue any more, but I simply had to point that out. I'm big on saving money and any time I have a chance to pay any amount less for anything, i'm taking it.
 
[quote name='Mr Dude65']OP, don't bother with the haters. It is an eternal code that was written before time began that every gamer must consider GameStop the bane of their existence. I however, follow a different code. My code says that any place that sells games must be good for gamers. I will live by this code and die by this code (only to respawn in 3-7 seconds). The dudes at my closest GS are awesome, and are always making small talk with me. I have never been pressured to buy something, only told the benefits of the item from the perspective of a gamer. The only time I have a problem with them is when they don't tell you enough info. Other than that, I consider GS to be the best game retailer out there, and that is my opinion. I always get good deals there, and have almost never had a bad experience.[/QUOTE]

I wish I could facebook "like" this
 
So if you look at all of the issues here the real issue is mostly the employees. Here is why:

1. ) Of the three stickers that go on a used game, only two are supposed to be stuck to the case. The spine label isn't supposed to use the adhesive and is to be stuck underneath the jacket with the backing still on. One of the stickers shows the price of the used game on the front, the other to cover the "new cost" barcode in the back with the used one. It's not terrible to get these off. If the employees are sick of their jobs they don't take the time do follow these details.
2. ) Treatment of "gutted" copies. Here is the employee again. If they are gutting the game they should be taking care with how they handle it. More than likely the employee doesn't like their job and doesn't take the time to do the job right.
3. ) Edge Card pushing. $15 is not a lot to get 10% off of your game, and guess what? The company monitors how many an employee sells for reviews. They push it because they have to, it can actually benefit you, and let's face it.... you most likely paid the ECA for a membership for their Amazon codes. The EC.. freaking...A.

One of the posts above has me about trade-in standards. This has to be the result of a policy from Gamestop when it was Gamestop vs. EB Games vs. Gamecrazy. I don't remember EB Games having such loose trade-in policies. Still though, their largest trade-in patrons are those soccer moms and their kids that bring in games and they are not going to take the time to teach their kids to take care of their games. Those games are the BABYSITTER.

My policy is I find a Gamestop where I can relate and make friends with at least half of the employees and that's where I do business. They take care of me when I need it. I stay away from those stores where the employees have realized that they are not "in the game business" working at Gamestop.
 
I have very little to complain about because I only go there when there is a good deal or good flip.

For example:
1. I paid with my edge card by trading in Sudoku DS games that I got for free from BB. GS: 0 Me: 1
2. During the 50% bonus, I bought two copies of L4D2 off Craigslist for $20 and $25. Traded them in for $47.61 GS: 0 Me: 2
3. I used said credit to buy two games and one preorder for SCC CE. (since I don't do business at BB unless it is making them lose money or if it's a really good deal, and there is no B&M store to preorder the CE at other than GS and BB afaik) GS: 1 Me: 2.5

Overall, I had the advantage IMO.
 
[quote name='Drclaw411']Alright, I know I could be rubbing people the wrong way with this. I completley understand that the vast majority of CAGs are very much anti-gamestop. I can't read a single page of a GameStop thread without somebody complaining about prices, gutting, or stickers. But i'll be completley honest, I just don't get the GameStop hate. In my opinion, GameStop is one of the best options as far as video game shopping.[/QUOTE]

They have their moments(like when there's a good flipping opportunity going on from somewhere else to GS), but otherwise the mom and pop shops which price stuff lower than GS are the best thing for me as far as video game shopping around here.

[quote name='Drclaw411']People have a big problem with used games that come incomplete, or with cases/manuals in bad condition. This is hardly GameStop's fault as they cannot how the previous owners treat their games, or if they trade in the games with cases. [/QUOTE]

Actually, if Gamestop instituted a tiered trade-in system(like what they apparently try to do by charging 'refurb fees' for scratched/incomplete games at some stores)and gave less for scratched up and incomplete crap like TRU does, then maybe people might start realizing that they're getting less and take better care of their stuff. In the end, that would be good for those of us who are a little more nitpicky than 10 year old Johnny Jackoff and his ignorant, uninformed mom.

[quote name='Drclaw411']Another issue is gutted games. Same thing. If you don't want a gutted game, don't buy it. Plain and simple. Seriously, this should be a non-issue. Stop asking why they gut. We know why they gut. Don't like it? Don't buy it, but don't come online to complain about it.[/QUOTE]

Actually, if Gamestop followed the standard Toys R' Us uses and had slim Blu-Ray/PS3 cases and printed up cover artwork for the newer games, then they wouldn't need to gut new copies of games to use as display cases. God knows GS has enough shit condition cases they could print up a coverart for and slap out on the fuckin' shelf in place of gutting new copies of games.

But this comes down to Gamestop not wanting to lose money on having to possibly pay for the artwork/cases to distribute nationally to the stores in the chain. Plus, as has been mentioned tons of times before, most of their core customer base just don't give a shit.

[quote name='Drclaw411']People also hate stickers. Guess what? Virtually everything you buy is going to have a price tage on it. What is the alternative to stickers? Having a long ass price list hanging up in the store? Making people ask the clerk about the price of every damn game in the store? I don't like the stickers either, but seriously peeling them off takes 10 seconds and if it's really that big of an issue, then buy replacement cases or goo gone, but there is really no alternative to putting the stickers on the games.[/QUOTE]

Everything I've bought recently hasn't had a pricetag on it, not even some of the older games I bought on clearance from Kmart, so that 'everything has stickers on it' thing is total bull.

I do understand why they put three(sometimes more)stickers on the case in the spots they put them on there though. They put the one on the spine in the event the case is sitting spine out on the shelf, they put the one on the front in the event it's sitting with the front cover facing out and they put the one over the UPC on the back so their used price will ring up in their system.

But what irks many of us are when the employees are lazy and peel the spine sticker off the backing and slap it right on the coverart. Many CAG's are collectors and seeing torn/damaged coverart due to a sticker is just unfathomable to most. As for me, I no longer keep my games for very long after beating them, unless they're something that has little to no real value anywhere and I can't get back a reasonable amount of what I paid for them.

Goo gone leaves a smelly, oily residue behind and when the stickers are on the coverart the Goo Gone/lighter fluid/etc removes part of the ink from it when trying to remove the residue from the sticker. The only method I've found that works decently is using the removed sticker and reapplying and quickly removing it to get rid of residue.

[quote name='Drclaw411']And now that I just talked about everybody's three big (non)issues, what about all the good stuff GameStop offers?[/QUOTE]

Define 'good stuff'. If you mean this Gamedays 'sale' that's currently going on, then you are sadly mistaken as many of those prices are pretty much either MSRP or probably soon will be MSRP. But if you have some extra credit lying around and don't know what to do with it and want some of those games, then it might be a deal.

[quote name='Drclaw411']How about the in store staff? While, like at any store, there will be the occasional douche employee, but from my own experience as well as what i've said, GameStop employees tend to be very good in terms of customer service. How many of them held a game for you before gamedays so you could have a sealed copy? How many times have you bought a penny guide from them with no problems? They always seem to do the best they can to give good service.[/QUOTE]

The in-store staff at the closest GS store know me by name from all of the flipping I've been doing to them thanks to the HWV $5 sales and the Best Buy coupons making games free. They may never see me for months otherwise, since I only go in there when guides drop to a penny to try for some. As for them holding games before Gamedays for me, since they gutted every copy of every game to toss in the bin(I checked on the first day of the sale), I want nothing from that sale from their store until the games from the sale go on clearance at the end of the sale.

As for penny guides, I never get them at the closest store anymore and when I do, it's usually after they rip the fuckin' cover off.:roll::bomb: At which point I just tell them to dumpster it.

[quote name='Drclaw411']How about the $2000 worth of gift cards contest going on here right now? If you win, are you going to turn it down because "you don't want to give GameStop your business"? Yeah...didn't think so. And I know Cheapy and CAG have a lot to do with getting cag16 and a contest like this...but ask amazon/walmart/toys r us/best buy/the other "preferred" options to do the same thing. Say "hey can you give me a free coupon code and $2000 worth of prizes if I let you put up a banner on the top of my website?" and see what they say. 9 times out of 10 it wont even be considered.[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately, it always seems like some total newbie or lurker wins these contests on CAG for gift cards. I've never seen a name I recognize as a long time poster or contributor come up as a winner. But if I won, you better believe I would use my current EDGE discount and buy as close to $200 worth of merchandise as I could. I'd make sure it was stuff I really wanted or that had flipping potential either somewhere else or back to GS.

As far as the CAG16 code goes, I've never ordered from GS' website(and I doubt I ever will), so I can't speak on that. It is a nice gesture, but usually if you look hard enough there are cheaper alternatives. When you become a CAG, you learn that patience and perserverance will pay off with cheaper prices for games.

Many of us wait till stuff is uber cheap before we buy it or until we have cheap credit from flipping even cheaper games, so that even if we're paying MSRP for a few titles(four so far this year for me:cry:), then in our minds we're still not paying full retail even though we are.

[quote name='Drclaw411']Look, like any retailer, they aren't perfect. But they certainly aren't the devil worshipping scum bags this community makes them out to be. In fact, when you look at it, they are commonly the best option for any given game at the lowest price.[/QUOTE]

But the thing is, they are the lowest common denominator in the used gaming market, with FYE/Transworld being the highest, since they turn away TONS of business because stuff is scratched or incomplete. THAT is why Gamestop can offer what you consider to be the 'best option at the lowest price'. Well....that and they pay jack shit for what they turn around and resell.

And the devil worshipping scumbag company award goes to WalMart. Always the worst.....ALWAYS.
 
Gamestop has its uses. Aside from the various craigslist sellers, it's almost always the cheapest way to get a used game.

I honestly think a majority of the hate for the store comes from two main things:

1. It's probably the last place ever you should buy a new game. It's more than likely gonna be messed up somehow and it can be had cheaper elsewhere.

2. The store probably has more germs and smells in it than a gas station bathroom. Sure you can find that one cheap mint copy of Ico but not before you thumb between 500 greasy copies of Madden 2005.
 
[quote name='Drclaw411']$5 below isnt a deal? I'd much rather have an extra 5 bucks in my pocket any day of the week. Heck, $1 cheaper is a deal.[/QUOTE]

Well, ok, but I meant $5 below MSRP. Honestly, I can't even tell you the last time that I actually paid MSRP for a new game, unless I had a gift card to kill somewhere or something like that. $5 off of MSRP may seem like a great bargain to the masses who only know GameStop and the cases at Target, but anyone who has spent any time at all on this site should know that it's possible to do as well as that or better elsewhere with very little effort.

Hell, just by way of example -- for a new release game, I can either buy a brand-new, unopened copy on the release date from Amazon for $56.99 (Amazon's average asking price for a new game with a $59.99 list), or I can wait around for a used copy to turn up at GameStop for $54.99. For $2 more, I get an unopened copy that hasn't had some kid's grubby hands all over it, I support the developer, and I get the game sooner. Add to that the fact that Amazon frequently throws in other deals like credit toward a future gaming purchase . . .

Or if I'm willing to wait just a little bit longer (often not much longer than it takes for the used copies to start rolling in), the games actually go on sale for even less than that. It seems like most major new titles end up going on sale for $40-50 at Target, Best Buy, or Amazon at some point within the first few months after release lately. So if I'm willing to wait anyway, I might as well just wait for one of those deals.

So why would I buy a used copy at GameStop for only $5 below MSRP?

Because of that, the vast majority of my used purchases from GameStop are for older, harder to find titles. And don't get me wrong, they're great for that. When the game is actually in decent condition, anyway.

[quote name='WormFOODx']One of the posts above has me about trade-in standards. This has to be the result of a policy from Gamestop when it was Gamestop vs. EB Games vs. Gamecrazy. I don't remember EB Games having such loose trade-in policies.[/QUOTE]

Right there, really, is the biggest problem of all. Through a variety of factors -- better advertising and market penetration from GameStop, poor management at their competitors, etc. -- GameStop now has essentially no significant national retail competition in the used game market. And it has allowed them to get lazy.
 
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Yeah, most CAGs don't buy a lot of games at full retail, and if they do, they are likely going to buy them the moment they come out...not wait for GS to get a used copy. Now, having an EDGE card, $50 for a mint, mint copy of a game that just came out isn't terrible, but still, as was pointed out, someone generally has some kind of deal running when the game came out, so we probably already picked it up. I mean, right now, I have Madden 11 and Halo Reach pre-ordered on Amazon, and they both have $20 giftcards attached. No reason to wait for GS to get a used copy to save a few bucks.
 
The Goods:

The E-rewards program, it gets me free games for taking a survey, which is pretty much the only reason I shop at GS anymore. When I have giftcards to kill I am using them to buy the latest Pokemon RPG title that has been preordered and usually comes straight out of the shipping box with no stickers on it. Or some other new release game I want. I rarely buy new release games but when I do this is how I do it.

The price drops, most stores don't carry the inventory they do for games, and those rare and obscure games do get price drops. These are the games I like. No one in my area buys these games, so they sit on the shelf until they drop to $10 or less. This is a winner for me and the second reason I shop at GS, if they have a game I want and its cheaper than ebay for me to buy it there. Target and Walmart have only full priced games, the Target clearance is a joke for me and Walmart's idea of clearance is making a game from 29.99 down to 29.97.

Rarely do I buy a used game, and if I do it better be 9.99 or less and complete. They are probably taking a hit on the ones I do buy anyways because I wait till they get to rock bottom prices before buying. I am sure they are just glad to get those games out of the store.

Another problem I have is how GS employees scowl at you for buying one used GBA game that is 3.99, its like since you are in the store they have an expectation that you should be dropping every penny you own at their store. Its a retail store with products in it, I should be able to buy a $2 game and walk out peacefully since those 2$ games are on the shelves waiting for a customer to buy. Walmart doesn't scoff if I walk in and buy one bottle of soda for $1 or less.
 
The only good thing Gamestop does is employ mainly teenagers and young adults for minimum wage at their brick and mortar stores.
 
Like any organization, GameStop is going to have it's good and bad apples and positive and negative policies. But what I don't like about the company (opened games sold as "new") is far outweighed by the benefits I get from the existence of the retailer.

I honestly wonder how any people complaining about GameStop have actually attempted to build relationships with the employees at their local brick-and-mortar store. I have three local locations and I'm on a first name basis with all the managers and at least half of the employees; all of them good folk. I don't do that in order to con my way into free pre-order stuff, updates on upcoming sales, dates on future deliveries of used games, and other benefits. But I get extras like that because I have the decency to treat the people like, well...people.

I've always found the GameStop experience to be more rewarding than the other game retailers I've visited. Jeez...if we want to complain about used game prices, FYE is a great place to start. Selection? They have tons of stuff that's easier to find than just about any other brick-and-mortar retailer. Love the fact that GameStop rarely cares about whether or not a used game is a regular or collector edition. I like the Edge card program quite a bit. What's 15 bucks for a yearly subscription to a decent game mag plus an extra 10% off on used games/accessories plus an extra 10% on trades? If trade in values are the problem, then just find another venue. However, at times, the trade in specials are actually a better deal than flipping a game on eBay or via other available venues. And if you're losing a battle with stickers on cases, I'm not sure there's much hope for you in the first place. They're inanimate objects after all.

GameStop doesn't at all suck unless you want to somehow demand that they should be something they're not. They're in business to make money and do a good enough job of it to keep a lot of folks employed and to keep us hunting for deals. Like any other business, if you're considering using GameStop for something, then do your research and find out if they're any good at it. If not, go elsewhere. Pretty simple, really.
 
[quote name='SteelSD']Like any organization, GameStop is going to have it's good and bad apples and positive and negative policies. But what I don't like about the company (opened games sold as "new") is far outweighed by the benefits I get from the existence of the retailer.

I honestly wonder how any people complaining about GameStop have actually attempted to build relationships with the employees at their local brick-and-mortar store. I have three local locations and I'm on a first name basis with all the managers and at least half of the employees; all of them good folk. I don't do that in order to con my way into free pre-order stuff, updates on upcoming sales, dates on future deliveries of used games, and other benefits. But I get extras like that because I have the decency to treat the people like, well...people.

I've always found the GameStop experience to be more rewarding than the other game retailers I've visited. Jeez...if we want to complain about used game prices, FYE is a great place to start. Selection? They have tons of stuff that's easier to find than just about any other brick-and-mortar retailer. Love the fact that GameStop rarely cares about whether or not a used game is a regular or collector edition. I like the Edge card program quite a bit. What's 15 bucks for a yearly subscription to a decent game mag plus an extra 10% off on used games/accessories plus an extra 10% on trades? If trade in values are the problem, then just find another venue. However, at times, the trade in specials are actually a better deal than flipping a game on eBay or via other available venues. And if you're losing a battle with stickers on cases, I'm not sure there's much hope for you in the first place. They're inanimate objects after all.

GameStop doesn't at all suck unless you want to somehow demand that they should be something they're not. They're in business to make money and do a good enough job of it to keep a lot of folks employed and to keep us hunting for deals. Like any other business, if you're considering using GameStop for something, then do your research and find out if they're any good at it. If not, go elsewhere. Pretty simple, really.[/QUOTE]

:applause::applause::applause:

Yeah, I didn't even think of the special edition thing. Many times i've picked up a complete special edition of a game for a low used price. Try that anywhere else, especially fye, and your effed. Heck, one time I went in there and was going to grab a used copy of a game, I think it was obilivion. I saw all they had left was a special edition. Brought it to the counter and they refused to sell it to me because they had mislabled it. It was a special edition but they had the price of the regular on it. They then of accused me of switching the price sticker and asked me to leave the store..except for there wasnt even another copy for me to switch the price sticker with in the first place. Needless to say, i've never been back in that store.
 
I was going to write something very similar to this, but you said it way better. I wanted to address some of these points separately.

[quote name='SteelSD']Like any organization, GameStop is going to have it's good and bad apples and positive and negative policies. But what I don't like about the company (opened games sold as "new") is far outweighed by the benefits I get from the existence of the retailer.[/quote]

Agreed on all counts.

I honestly wonder how any people complaining about GameStop have actually attempted to build relationships with the employees at their local brick-and-mortar store. I have three local locations and I'm on a first name basis with all the managers and at least half of the employees; all of them good folk. I don't do that in order to con my way into free pre-order stuff, updates on upcoming sales, dates on future deliveries of used games, and other benefits. But I get extras like that because I have the decency to treat the people like, well...people.
Click to expand...

Great observation. I'm on a first-name basis with the managers of the store near my office, which I frequently visit on my lunch hour. You don't need to pre-order every single game, but make a few purchases and treat the people respectfully. I've even written a letter to GS corporate and the local district manager to compliment the store because they're cool folks. By tossing them a few bones, I was able to put Game Days sale games on hold a few days before the sale started. When I bought my PSP Go, the one manager said that if I had any problems during the warranty period to bring it back to the store. He would take care of it, rather than me having to deal with Sony or buying GS' extended warranty.

I've always found the GameStop experience to be more rewarding than the other game retailers I've visited. Jeez...if we want to complain about used game prices, FYE is a great place to start. Selection? They have tons of stuff that's easier to find than just about any other brick-and-mortar retailer. Love the fact that GameStop rarely cares about whether or not a used game is a regular or collector edition. I like the Edge card program quite a bit. What's 15 bucks for a yearly subscription to a decent game mag plus an extra 10% off on used games/accessories plus an extra 10% on trades? If trade in values are the problem, then just find another venue. However, at times, the trade in specials are actually a better deal than flipping a game on eBay or via other available venues. And if you're losing a battle with stickers on cases, I'm not sure there's much hope for you in the first place. They're inanimate objects after all.
Click to expand...

Yeah, FYE is a pretty awful place to buy games. There are few independent/mom and pop stores in the Chicago suburbs, and they all suck, with either exorbitant prices, piss-poor service, or both. The only places that are decent are either in the city, which is a major hassle, or out in Rockford, which is 70 miles away.

As far as the Edge card, I more than make up its cost every year buying and trading in games, so the $15 is no big deal. GI isn't the greatest gaming magazine, but it's solid bathroom material.

GameStop doesn't at all suck unless you want to somehow demand that they should be something they're not. They're in business to make money and do a good enough job of it to keep a lot of folks employed and to keep us hunting for deals. Like any other business, if you're considering using GameStop for something, then do your research and find out if they're any good at it. If not, go elsewhere. Pretty simple, really.
Click to expand...

:cool:
 
[quote name='saturnotaku']As far as the Edge card, I more than make up its cost every year buying and trading in games, so the $15 is no big deal. GI isn't the greatest gaming magazine, but it's solid bathroom material.[/QUOTE]

That's basically what I have been saying on these boards for a long time. $15 for the 10% and something to read on the toilet is quite good.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']That's basically what I have been saying on these boards for a long time. $15 for the 10% and something to read on the toilet is quite good.[/QUOTE]

Who says we READ GI on the crapper? I almost never find anything of value in the magazine, so it'd be better off used as tp.:D
 
[quote name='darkslime']Even if you don't like the magazine can't you fill out the subscription card and get one for $2?[/QUOTE]

I don't think that $2 EDGE card thing has worked in a while. They still have it as an option on the subscription cards in GI, but I think it's $10-15 on the card now too. So you might as well just go make some GS employees day and pump up their numbers by buying the card in store.:cry:
 
I have only had awesome experiences with Gamestop employees. One time when I was checking out I complained to my mom about a cut I got on my finger when I was in the car earlier. When the cashier overheard me he ran to the back and got me a band-aid! Another time at a different store I was looking for a PS2 memory card and the cashier helped me look through the box of them for about 10 minutes to find a 32mb one mixed in with the 8mb ones. I don't know why but I've had nothing but good experiences every time I go any Gamestop in the area.
 
eh.......the employees at mine are usually very nice to me, maybe it's cause I'm quiet. They don't bother me about edge cards either.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Who says we READ GI on the crapper? I almost never find anything of value in the magazine, so it'd be better off used as tp.:D[/QUOTE]

You really are the cheapest gamer! lol

[quote name='Ye0ldmario']eh.......the employees at mine are usually very nice to me, maybe it's cause I'm quiet. They don't bother me about edge cards either.[/QUOTE]

Most of the employees at the store I frequent have been there for awhile, and they usually give me no issues, either. They know me, they know I have an EDGE card, they know I'm not going to trade a game in for a quarter, etc. They just greet me, ring my stuff up, and that's that.
 
the only thing i can say about gamestop thats good is their employees. I will not lie, they're annoying with the asking of pre orders and edge cards but at least at mine they ask nicely
 
[quote name='saturnotaku']Yeah, FYE is a pretty awful place to buy games. There are few independent/mom and pop stores in the Chicago suburbs, and they all suck, with either exorbitant prices, piss-poor service, or both. The only places that are decent are either in the city, which is a major hassle, or out in Rockford, which is 70 miles away.[/QUOTE]

Well, and that's the thing. FYE has its uses, but it's not a place I think either of us would go if we're looking for major game values. Every once in a while I'll find something worth buying, but my haul at FYE pretty much boils down to a Blazblue LE used for $23 and a brand new MGS 80GB backward compatible PS3 for $299 right after the overall "fat" PS3 price drop (I made over $200 on that purchase). Don't ask me why that was in stock, but it was right next to a new Gamecube they wanted nearly 100 bucks for, so I'll assume it's because customers don't go there looking for game systems (as they shouldn't).

But hey, if I'm looking for cheap clearance action figures, statues/busts, anime, and ok prices on used Blu-Ray discs (not new for sure), or semi-rare used DVD collector sets (like the Blade Runner Ultimate Edition I grabbed last week for $39.99), yeah, I'll happily stop into FYE.

So I'm not going to complain endlessly about FYE because, like all other stores, they have their uses and at times they're cheaper than the next retailer for something I might want. The way I look at it, the more sources we have for what we want, the better off we are. Capitalism, free markets, supply/demand and all that jazz. There are always other options if we don't particularly like this or that or something else about a certain retailer.

To me, the important thing is that while retailers are in business to make money, at some point each of them becomes the dumbest one on the block and will sell us something we want for less (sometimes far less) than we're actually willing to pay. IMHO, CAG exists because of this phenomenon and it's how I've built my game and electronics collection for a pittance versus what I would have spent had I not waited for the dumbest retailer on the block to deserve my business. More retailers equals a higher occurrence of "dumb" and I'm SO completely ok with that.
 
[quote name='nycmetsfan']the only thing i can say about gamestop thats good is their employees. I will not lie, they're annoying with the asking of pre orders and edge cards but at least at mine they ask nicely[/QUOTE]

I won't lie either. I've actually sold Edge cards to customers while shopping in GameStop. I don't work for GameStop, but I feel it's a really good deal and, if anything, I don't think their employees do a good enough job of actually promoting them to customers. And by "promoting" I mean "actually make an honest effort to explain the benefits". Instead, they generally just assume the customer won't be interested and go about it half-heartedly.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Who says we READ GI on the crapper? I almost never find anything of value in the magazine, so it'd be better off used as tp.:D[/QUOTE]

Translation: "This magazine would be pretty cool if it was in no way associated with GameStop!"
 
[quote name='SteelSD']But hey, if I'm looking for cheap clearance action figures[/QUOTE]

FYE really is great for clearance action figures and such stuff. They had a ton of decent stuff the last time I swung by, but nothing I was interested in. Mostly Guitar Hero, Star Trek, and a few others. But they were definitely cheap. In the past, I've gotten some of my DC Figures there for about $5 each. Not bad.
 
[quote name='WeaponX2099']well, they dont sell crack to the kids.[/QUOTE]

Best response by far...may be one of the few actually good things GS does

on another note My brothers being stupid recently sold my Xbox 360 to GS to get a refurb Wii and still had to dish out extra cash damn I wish they weren't stupid/ i didn't leave my backup xbox 360 at home
 
[quote name='Drclaw411']Translation: "This magazine would be pretty cool if it was in no way associated with GameStop!"[/QUOTE]

Actually yes. When they were associated with I believe Funcoland, the magazine was thinner and glossier, but I honestly believe there was more content and less fluff and ads in it back then.

It seems like the longer that GS has had GI, the more ads and the less actual articles I'd like to read it has in it.

I can remember when Funco had it, you had 5-10 page full on strategy guides for various games. Now if you're lucky, you get a half page of some half assed guide and every 'major' game seems overhyped like crazy in the magazine.

Not every 'AAA' game is truly AAA. I wish they would learn the damn difference.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Not every 'AAA' game is truly AAA. I wish they would learn the damn difference.[/QUOTE]

This i'll certainly agree with, and I think the reverse holds true for them as well. When they reviewed SSBB, they gave it a 10/10. But this was one of the most hyped games of this console generation and, in my opinion, one of the top 50 of all time, and before the release, they didn't even have as much as a side story on it. Literally EVERY other publication and website had numorous big articles before it came out (some even had MORE THAN ONE cover story on it). Hell, even Tips and Tricks did a larger article cover story on it called "Is Super Smash Brothers Brawl the Best Game of All Time? Yes. Yes, it is!". For a game as hyped as it was and great as it turned out to be, they pretty much ignored it.
 
What "good stuff" gamestop does to me:

- some stores are repository for old gems. theres alot of hard to find games that can be had at $20 to even as low as $5 at times.

- some of the new games they sell actually makes more sense than buying it used. for instance, the Naked Brothers bundle for the Wii and PS2 are priced at $4.99 and $3.99. i dont care much for the game, but i do like the to get a brand new microphone at that price. they sell those logitech mics for $9.99.

- its easier to find hard to find titles because you can search their inventory online to see who has them. this is a big plus.

- some stores actually care about gamers in general and does not stick the barcode sticker directly onto the case art's spine. i was told they're not supposed to do this.. one of the biggest gripe i have with gamestop is that alot of their stores do this. its fuckING ANNOYING i tell you when you have to fucking remove that shit. most people dont even try. but, if you try to resell that game later on it devalues the game. i actually know someone who absolutely hate going to gamestop because of this reason and when its the only place to find the game hes looking for, he'll try to remove the sticker and if he couldnt he'll walk away.

- convenience is not an easy feat to accomplish. gamestops in nyc are like starbucks or dunkin donuts, theyre everywhere.

they do have a rep who regularly visits CAG so give them what they want to see. if you like what they do, be vocal about it. if you dont like what they do, again be vocal about it. thats what the internet is most famous for anyways..
 
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