Why do people hate gamestop?

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CaoPi

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I have to mention that my experience with gamestop has been pretty great so far during the following weeks.

They only rape you when you trade in your games! But I stopped flipping games for a while now...Also, there was no mention of a PRE-ORDER anywhere in this video....Anyone get this when visiting their local gamestop? :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onEfmC6HRF4
 
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I don't hate Gamestop. I don't like some of their policies, and often choose not to shop there. But I will if a good deal or promotion comes up or when a game I can't find anywhere else is at Gamestop.

My biggest beef with them is their policy to sell open/display copies as news games. THEY ARE NOT NEW ONCE THE PACKAGE HAS BEEN OPENED. Yes I have heard it all. They do this to have something to display (why not use dummy boxes with print outs?), The games are never touched and are new (discs that have been sitting there longer look used from constant movement), Everything is still intact (nope, cases often shabby looking, have stickers applied to them, and often have manuals and codes missing).

I don't get hassled as much at my local gamestops for preorders. I get asked once, and that's it really. They never really push. Occasionally I get the "More Knowledgeable than thou" employees who treat me like I don't know what I am talking about. But that's really rare.
 
[quote name='wugenius']
My biggest beef with them is their policy to sell open/display copies as news games. THEY ARE NOT NEW ONCE THE PACKAGE HAS BEEN OPENED. Yes I have heard it all. They do this to have something to display (why not use dummy boxes with print outs?), The games are never touched and are new (discs that have been sitting there longer look used from constant movement), Everything is still intact (nope, cases often shabby looking, have stickers applied to them, and often have manuals and codes missing).[/QUOTE]

Cost of dummy box + decent printouts and appearance of the store (if the printout is not of good quality). Not to mention that they'll eventually sell that copy anyway, so it means nothing to them. It means stuff to us (I've openly laughed in peoples faces when they asked if its okay if its open), but some people don't give a shit.
 
1) They don't carry retro games
2) They sell opened games as "new"
3) They give crap trade-in-value
4) They take in games without books/cases and give same value
5) Gamestop.com USED products usually are without books/cases/all scratched
6) Nearly everyone beats them in price
7) Pushing that stupid card/magazine
8) Firing employees who don't sell enough cards/magazine subscriptions
9) Banning people who actually take advantage of their trade-in system
10) Sub-par customer service
 
Then of course there was that time I got sold a used xbox THAT DIDN'T WORK. No biggie, tried to exchange it, and all they had was an UGLY spraypainted xbox. The thing was spraypainted red. I asked for a refund instead and the guy gave me crap about the spraypainted console being fine, otherwise it wouldn't be sold there. I pushed and eventually got my refund.
 
Dont hate them either. I never had a problem with their employees or managers either. I generally dont shop there because I dont like paying sales tax. I have had some good buys there though in the past.
 
I don't hate Gamestop, but I don't like them either. The last thing I purchased from them, and probably ever will, was Catherine (since they were the only physical retailer with the "full" covers. When I got home I realized that the plastic was partially torn open in the corner and that the same corner of the case was cracked. luckily for me it was 8:40 and the closed at 9:00 and they are only 15 min away so I had to speed back and made them give me a another copy. Yeah it all worked out for me in the end, but selling a game like that is pretty damn wrong in my opinion. I can't support businesses like that.
 
They throw away cases and manuals when they are traded in, I don't think all GS stores do this, but some do.

Charging $5 less for a used game, when you can probably get it for less money day 1 if you pre-ordered somewhere else online. Case in Point Newegg's Mass effect 3 preorder for 47.99.

Opened games as new, enough said.

Trading in is obviously optional so I won't mention the trade in values here, I know they are crap but there are also ways to work the system.

GS largely depends on the manager working the store and the district manager. You can have a good store 5 min away from a terrible store.

The GS stores in my area are generally pretty good, however the corporate policies ultimately ruin the good stores.
 
Kinda surprised no one's mentioned the Deus Ex incident. For those who need a refresher, the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution came with a code that'd unlock the game on OnLive. Gamestop took each regular version of the game, removed the code, and resealed it. Once caught, they claimed they didn't want to "promote" a service that would compete with a service they themselves would be offering eventually.
 
The only problem I've really had with Gamestop was when I went to pick up my preorder for Marvel vs Capcom 3 at midnight. They contacted me to tell me it was ready for pick up. I showed up early and about an hour or so later they had us line up and when I got to the register they told me "Oh actually we don't have the 360 version." I asked them "Why didn't you announce it to everyone that was waiting here for the past hour or put up a sign?" and they said "The manager wouldn't let us."

It was the first time I've ever attended a midnight release because I was really excited for the game. Never again.
 
I still beleive they sell used games as new. To me if it's open it's used. If you reseal it it was still opened/used. To me new is factory sealed.All gamestops may not do it but I beleive alot do.
 
Never understood the desire to pay full price for an open game or pay $5 less for a used game. I go to Gamestop maybe once a year, if they're lucky, for something I can't get elsewhere.
 
This isn't a word I particularly care to use often, but the "Deus Ex incident" is borderline retarded. I don't understand giving Gamestop flack for not promoting a competitor. That's like being mad Burger King doesn't offer coupons for Wendy's. In what world does that make sense? Everyone I saw complaining about it was after something free from Gamestop in return, when, if they actually cared at all about that coupon, they would have bought Deus Ex from absolutely any other store on the planet.

I believe a lot of people just hate Gamestop because it's cool to do. Of course, some people do have legitimate gripes and complaints and that's OK. If you don't like buying gutted games, don't buy them. If you don't agree with their business practices, don't go there. But you're not going to convert anyone by taking every opportunity you can to bash them, either. Just ask any atheist. All it does is annoy everyone else. We all know they gut their games. Really. You don't need to tell us any more. Just ask for a sealed copy, seriously. And if it's so important that you get it sealed, why are you at Gamestop in the first place?

[quote name='leichstein']I don't hate Gamestop, but I don't like them either. The last thing I purchased from them, and probably ever will, was Catherine (since they were the only physical retailer with the "full" covers. When I got home I realized that the plastic was partially torn open in the corner and that the same corner of the case was cracked. luckily for me it was 8:40 and the closed at 9:00 and they are only 15 min away so I had to speed back and made them give me a another copy. Yeah it all worked out for me in the end, but selling a game like that is pretty damn wrong in my opinion. I can't support businesses like that.[/QUOTE]

That's every business. No store will refuse to sell something because the package is a little banged up. And is it really their fault that you waited until you got home to look at the case? They'll always give you a different one, you just have to ask. Or say "hey, can I check that out real quick before I pay for it?"
 
Yeah, the only purpose gamestop serves for me is when I need to find a niche title and the big box retailers don't carry it.

Everyonce in awhile we'll get a gamestop employee that tries to rationalize the whole opening of games thing and how it's illegal or some stupid explanation to use print outs... and then I point out that my Toys R Us has used print outs (exceptionally nice looking ones too) for years.

It gets worse though; I wanted to go snag a copy of AC Revelations (Signature Edition) when it hit $29.99 earlier. They had six of them at my store but they were all opened "new". Why the hell would you need to gut all six copies? If you're going to gut copies and use them as "new" why would you need to do it to more then one f-ing copy?
 
[quote name='Survivalism']This isn't a word I particularly care to use often, but the "Deus Ex incident" is borderline retarded. I don't understand giving Gamestop flack for not promoting a competitor. That's like being mad Burger King doesn't offer coupons for Wendy's. In what world does that make sense? Everyone I saw complaining about it was after something free from Gamestop in return, when, if they actually cared at all about that coupon, they would have bought Deus Ex from absolutely any other store on the planet.

I believe a lot of people just hate Gamestop because it's cool to do. Of course, some people do have legitimate gripes and complaints and that's OK. If you don't like buying gutted games, don't buy them. If you don't agree with their business practices, don't go there. But you're not going to convert anyone by taking every opportunity you can to bash them, either. Just ask any atheist. All it does is annoy everyone else. We all know they gut their games. Really. You don't need to tell us any more. And for the love of God, just ask for a sealed copy. They have them.



That's every business. No store will refuse to sell something because the package is a little banged up. And is it really their fault that you waited until you got home to look at the case? They'll always give you a different one, you just have to ask. Or say "hey, can I check that out real quick before I pay for it?"[/QUOTE]


Really?

Gamestop tried to hide the fact that they were doing it. If Gamestop was so against it they should have decided NOT to carry the PC version of the game or they should have asked the distributer to give them an exclusive version.

At the very least they should have advertised that they were removing the voucher.
 
my biggest gripe with them is that they sell new games gutted, I dont no how i can buy a used game that looks more new than their "new" games in the same transaction?
 
I hate gamestop because their prices are dumb and mostly just MSRP.

And because they are the most popular place to buy games for most people that is accepted as the right price to pay for games.

I also prefer not to shop at a place that will likely not have new release games unless you make a separate trip to the store to give them money in advance for it.

I also dislike their store organization, the way they train their employees to upsell and be pushy, and how generally messy, disorganized, and sometimes downright dirty and stinky their stores are.

The quality of their used stock is very poor and not priced according to condition. There are 5+ used game stores in the area that pay attention to quality when buying items from the general public and still price their best quality items lower than gamestop's standard used price, whether it was just removed from shrinkwrap, or it's disc only and re-buffed. It makes no sense to buy anything from gamestop.

They are not my ideal place to buy what they sell.
 
I saved a ton of money there last year, never bought an open new game, and the people that work at the Gamestop I shop at are pretty cool.

I'd say they aren't bad. But I'll probably be told I'm wrong. Oh well.
 
[quote name='Ziv']I saved a ton of money there last year, never bought an open new game, and the people that work at the Gamestop I shop at are pretty cool.

I'd say they aren't bad. But I'll probably be told I'm wrong. Oh well.[/QUOTE]


You saved a ton of money at Gamestop buying new games?
 
Shady tactics, terrible "deals", horrible customer service etc...

These are all things I've heard about, but personally have never dealt with. At least, not at my Gamestop. I don't always get the greatest deals there, but I go in there at least once a week and chat it up with the employees. They're all pretty cool and I also have never gotten a gutted new game. I always get sealed copies from behind the counter. It all comes down to personal experiences and it just so happens the bad experiences outweigh the good in this one.
 
I didn't say I saved a ton of money buying new games.

But, yeah, I Never did pay full retail either.
 
I have simple reasons:

Open new games
Shit prices on terrible condition used games
Hardly any sales
Way too many games stay at MSRP for way too long.
No credit when you pre-order stuff (1 or 2 exceptions, BFD)
Absolutely terrible trade in prices
The stickers. Why oh why the bloody stickers.
Some awesome employess to be sure, way too many dude-bros though.

I think that's every reason I despise their existence.

(and for the guy above me... $54.99 on a used game is far worse than paying full retail for a new one =P)
 
In defense of the stickers there is an independent used game store here that actually puts more stickers on their games than I have ever seen anyone do. They put a price sticker then a million other stickers with their logo on them. I would rather deal with removing a GS sticker, as long as they aren't on the artwork, haven't had one that was in a long time they are pretty easy to remove these days.

I have to agree $54.99 for a used game is worse than buying a new one, especially if you are paying $54.99 for a game that would come with DLC new but the used copy doesn't include that DLC. Also because GS would be more than happy to sell you a disc only copy that is scratched to crap for $54.99! I am all for used games, but you shouldn't be paying Gamestop prices shortly after release for them.

I honestly think the used games priced that high are just for people who have traded in stuff and have store credit They kind of manipulate you into the system, you buy games there, play them, trade them back in for peanuts. Then you are forced to shop there with the credit you have, so you take the $54.99 game in any condition because you want it and they have no more new copies in stock because they only stock enough for the preorders. Now you will only be able to trade in that $54.99 game for something like $20 in credit if you are so lucky to even get that much. They know people will buy into this system so there really isn't any need for them to lower the prices on their used games.
 
i dislike that they they don't price match. i usually browse their stores when i get bored. recently bought stranglehold for 360 for about 4 buxs. in retrospect should have got the ps3 version for 10 as it had the hard boiled movie on the disc but then again i own the bluray already
 
Gamestop just became my favorite place to shop for discontinued systems/acessproes. I picked up several new PS2s lately that were converted to used.

lol During my last trip gamestop I literally saw 10 gutted + copies of skyrim out on display! They really like to advertise this game! They must have like 30+copies of this game per platform or something because gutting that many to display is beyond stupidity!

While it's not fun to pay 54.99 on a used title, but with a buy2g1 free going on you can take a pretty good haul. Uncharted 3 and Batman AC for example. Both of these titles gamestop gave a DLC code on the receipt where you can just redeem if you bought them used.

Also thanks to this forums deals, I picked up quite a few hot arcade sticks for PS2 that were posted years back when CAG was running.
 
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Seeing as the reasons not to go to Gamestop are basically covered, the main reason I do shop there- online inventory. When you have half a dozen stores within 20 minutes of you, it's handy to know which games are at what store before you leave the house.

Of course, if any of the pawn shops or mom n' pop stores around here offered any sort of online inventory, I'd jump ship in a heartbeat. I suppose it's good louck for me that I enjoy cleaning up slightly mangled games, gives me something fun to do with the GS stuff once I've confirmed the game works.
 
[quote name='sdragon']1) They don't carry retro games
2) They sell opened games as "new"
3) They give crap trade-in-value
4) They take in games without books/cases and give same value
5) Gamestop.com USED products usually are without books/cases/all scratched
6) Nearly everyone beats them in price
7) Pushing that stupid card/magazine
8) Firing employees who don't sell enough cards/magazine subscriptions
9) Banning people who actually take advantage of their trade-in system
10) Sub-par customer service[/QUOTE]

Basically this. Honestly, though my Gamestop experiences recently have been more positive.
 
I don't hate them, but I pay them no mind. There are so many better deals out there that I consider GameStop very low in the pecking order.
 
I would say that the majority of people around CAG simply ignore GameStop, because it's not an entity that really helps us save that much money, at least not on a consistent basis. It's the extremely, extremely, extremely vocal minority that makes it seem like EVERYONE hates GameStop. And really, the problem is that GameStop has gotten what they do down to a science. They take advantage of the ill-informed and lazy. There is a reason, after all, that they have survived all these years, while gobbling many of their competitors. What they do works. And frankly, if I could come up with a system that could make me billions of dollars, I'd milk it for all it's worth, too. And so would everyone else, including the people who post things like "teh G$ suxs!"
 
Kind of a stupid question so heres my stupid response. Gamestop usually sucks.

Not to say they won't have a better deal some times then other retailers. The majority of the time they suck. From their prices to their policies they all suck.
 
Open games as new, bad pricing, and employees seem to be worse there than at other places. I've been to GS once in the last six or seven years when they were the first to mark down all the move stuff. The guy practically had a temper tantrum because he new nothing of the sale and had to change the transaction four times before I walked out with only 1 of the 4 things I wanted. I will only go if they have an outstanding sale and I can't match elsewhere.
 
My only issue with gamestop is gutted games. Other than that I love my store. I throw them some pre-orders and I get lots of promo material, leftover pre-order bonuses.

I never get the pre-order spiel minus the new girl they have who keeps on trying to get me to pre-order a vita, which I will not do. I think she got the clue last time when I said "Sony Sucks" don't ask again. I honestly don't believe that they suck, I just love my 360 way more. Hopefully that gets her to shut up though.

I also get along and know the manager of my store. So I always get first dibs on standees and posters and shit. :D
 
wow i never expected some serious answer from people; i like having gamestop there even though some of their policies suck but when they have a deal i can always appreciate that; i never really had a painful experience with GS, just peculiar ones at worst
 
[quote name='Tsel']Shady tactics, terrible "deals", horrible customer service etc...

These are all things I've heard about, but personally have never dealt with. At least, not at my Gamestop. I don't always get the greatest deals there, but I go in there at least once a week and chat it up with the employees. They're all pretty cool and I also have never gotten a gutted new game. I always get sealed copies from behind the counter. It all comes down to personal experiences and it just so happens the bad experiences outweigh the good in this one.[/QUOTE]

That's because you are buddies with the employees. I shouldn't have to become buddies with any store employee just to buy a fucking game without it being gutted. If I want a new copy then sell me a new copy that is UNOPENED. Or better yet I'll just go to the near by Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy.. or even order it online from Newegg, Amazong, etc. Nor should I get told "you should of pre-ordered it" if I walk in two hours after the game has been released and suddenly the store is "sold out." I don't get why so many people sheeple to Gamestop and continue to let Gamestop get away with its horrible practices.

In regards to the Deus Ex debacle that's very d-baggy of Gamestop to do that. Either work out a deal with the company to have a different edition available without the coupon (and maybe even with some Gamestop exclusive to make up for it) or don't carry the game. But don't take out stuff that's included just because you don't like it. That's absolutely reeks of horrible customer service in the end.

So yeah fuck Gamestop. Power to the players my cheap ass.
 
I don't like gutted new games and they don't offer any discounts to pre-order games, but I do shop there when it's to my advantage... when they have trade-in deals that give me the most money (which are not that rare), when they have B2G1 sales and when it's convenient.

Some benefits of GameStop: lots of convenient locations, no tax when using trade-in credit in "most" states, a rewards program that offers points on all transactions whether using credit or not (unlike Best Buy). And they have an occasional good sale: Buy 1 RB/GH game get 2 free, Blood Stone 007 for $10 last July, Borderlands GOTY for $20 in last April.
 
you just need to know how to take advantage of that system, for instance did you know you can return a opened new game but claiming you got it elsewhere and it was marked new yet opened?
 
What everyone else said! O_O I actually ignored most of the issues I had with them for a while and went there anyway but my local shop's staff acquired a new douchey "I'm so fly" employee that made everyone (staff and customers) visibly uncomfortable. I went to another GameStop after that and the open games are new thing finally turned me off from going there anymore.

I doubt Mr. Mc Douche is at my store anymore and I know I can preorder games from them and it won't be opened but with games being cheaper other places, why not just shop there? :whistle2:s I don't hate GameStop or anything if they have an awesome sale I'll go there, I just found a sexier place to jam my plastic into.
 
[quote name='Zaku77']I have simple reasons:

Open new games
Shit prices on terrible condition used games
Hardly any sales
Way too many games stay at MSRP for way too long.
No credit when you pre-order stuff (1 or 2 exceptions, BFD)
Absolutely terrible trade in prices
The stickers. Why oh why the bloody stickers.
Some awesome employess to be sure, way too many dude-bros though.

I think that's every reason I despise their existence.

(and for the guy above me... $54.99 on a used game is far worse than paying full retail for a new one =P)[/QUOTE]

spot-on, why anyone (especially those here on CAG) continue to shop there is beyond me :roll:
 
It seems like the through line is that they sell open games as new. The only time I have seen them do this is when it is the last one.

If you get Game Informer, you can get 10% of used games, so it puts most new games down to $50. Add that to a buy 2 get one free sale and you can end up with 3 new games for $100.

I don't understand all the hate. They may not be best retailer, but there are plenty of stores that have bad policies. I usually shop Amazon, but it is nice to know Gamestop is around for the older games that may be hard to find.
 
Personally, I've not had any poor issues with them. The ones we have here (Homestead, and Florida City Fl.) are real good. If they have one gutted copy left they tell us in advance, and we can choose to buy it or not. I always choose not to buy it and move on to something else.

As for trade ins, I wait for the +50 % promotions, and then take in my stuff. I'm in no hurry, so it isn't going anywhere in my case. So it works out nicely for me.

In the last year I've stacked 115K in reward points, and that added up to a lot of promotions and $10 off any purchase coupons, we also use left and right.

Never had an issue with any returns, and they are always willing to set something aside, if I call in. I've also seen this with other customers as well.

I do wish some stores were bigger though, but that's no reason for me to hate them.
 
[quote name='razgriz24']spot-on, why anyone (especially those here on CAG) continue to shop there is beyond me :roll:[/QUOTE]

Obviously, you are only listening to the things you want to hear. A true CAG does not dismiss a retailer out of hand, but instead shops where they get the best deal... sometimes that means shopping at GameStop.
 
[quote name='cheapfrag']Obviously, you are only listening to the things you want to hear. A true CAG does not dismiss a retailer out of hand, but instead shops where they get the best deal... sometimes that means shopping at GameStop.[/QUOTE]


Yeah i made a order with GS today just because the game isn't cheaper any where else. But gamestop still sucks donkey dike.
 
[quote name='razgriz24']spot-on, why anyone (especially those here on CAG) continue to shop there is beyond me :roll:[/QUOTE]

Because a true CAG never shuts off an avenue for deals. When they have deals like the fat 360 hard drives for super cheap or converting new PS2 slims to used, I honestly don't care that they rip off soccer moms and grandparents. Not my problem. I'm an informed shopper, and I will use them to my advantage.

EDIT: Just noticed that the guy right above me made the same point. Good show.
 
I'll find my deals anywhere and everywhere, but for the most part, GS doesn't have the best deals.

Overall though, my biggest beefs with them have already been mentioned with selling used games as new being the biggest sin.
 
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