Zero Originality: The Gamestop Whistle Blower

Chuplayer

Chuplayer

CAGiversary!
Check these videos out. They're lovingly done in the Zero Punctuation style.

Episode 1: Used Games, Trades, and GameStop's shit products:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/263243.html

The rest of the videos are on Gametrailers the last time I looked. I used to have the Youtube links posted here, but they went FUBAR weeks ago. I'd post the rest of the GT videos here, but I'm not sure everybody would appreciate walking into 10 flash video players.

Kudos to I am Sal for bringing this to my attention. You guys probably don't know who he is, but I'm afraid that if I don't give credit where credit's due, he's going to kick my ass.

And I did search for this before I posted it, and I couldn't find it. I'm surprised that I'm the first person to post this here, so it's probably too good to be true, and this topic is going to get locked. I just wanted to let you know that I tried. And for some reason it won't let you search for the word "zero" in the search function. Weird.
 
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is it me or is that guy kinda hard to understand? His words seem to slur together. It's like he's trying to talk really fast to imitate zero punctuation, but failing.
 
[quote name='scsg75']is it me or is that guy kinda hard to understand? His words seem to slur together. It's like he's trying to talk really fast to imitate zero punctuation, but failing.[/quote]

I hear it too. I'd describe it as trying to fight back the urge to yawn and ruin the whole thing while failing miserably at trying to talk quickly.
 
Another crap Zero Punctuation knockoff. *yawn* This guy isn't very fun to listen to, he's kind of boring. Yahtzee is actually entertaining to listen too
 
I'm shocked this hasn't been posted yet (maybe it has?)
http://www.youtube.com/user/WhistleBlowerZero

Looks like an ex Game Stop employee spent nearly a year putting together an hour worth of videos that discusses all the faults Game Stop is. CAG even gets a little mention at the very end (wonder if the guy is a member here?)
 
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Episode 3 Part 1.

Jesus that sounds lame as hell. Can anyone actually vouch for that "Comm data" pay system? That shit sounds horrible, immoral, and a little illegal.
 
[quote name='NismoZZzz']I don't think he was trying to be funny, just wanted to let people know stuff.[/QUOTE]

That is the truth.
He mentions CAG in the 9th video.
 
i've never been a fan of ZP, so i expected this "rip-off" to be terrible.

wow.

not only was it pretty funny most of the time, but it was incredibly informative. i surprised myself by watching every segment.

wonderful videos detailing the horrors of a disgusting company (that far too many CAGs are supporting).
 
That's the first Ive heard of the Comm Data card system. It can't be real...can it? Getting paid through a debit card?
 
[quote name='GizmoGC']That's the first Ive heard of the Comm Data card system. It can't be real...can it? Getting paid through a debit card?[/QUOTE]

It's either that or direct deposit.
 
Can he talk any faster? (maybe he's dumb, but there are a good amount of games you can flip and make a profit on with the right promotions going on)
 
[quote name='Hybrid5006']Can he talk any faster? (maybe he's dumb, but there are a good amount of games you can flip and make a profit on with the right promotions going on)[/quote]

Yahtzee is way faster.

Flipping is only good if you plan on purchasing more videos games in the future. If I have a bunch of games and sell them for cash on Ebay or craigslist
I will come out ahead just because of the fact that I can use my cash on things like groceries, gas, drugs, hookers or anything I damned well please. I am not held at the nuts by Gamestop. Granted there are cases where you can acquire a rediculous amount of store credit to buy consoles and sell those for cash but that takes an incredible amount of dedication and vigilance of BBV/GC that your average joe consumer just doesn't want to invest. The whole point of his video was to inform people of other options. Possibly forcing Gamestop to change for the better. I really like the CAG plug he gave at the end.
 
[quote name='SeanAmI']That is the truth.
He mentions CAG in the 9th video.[/QUOTE]

And that's why I'm surprised I'm the first one to post it here.
 
Brilliant stuff. I worked there for 10 years and everything mentioned in those videos is true (if not worse).

GameStop is a horrible place to shop and an even more horrible place to work.
 
[quote name='allyourblood']wonderful videos detailing the horrors of a disgusting company (that far too many CAGs are supporting).[/QUOTE]

You got that right. I don't think I'm going to be shopping at G$ anymore. I've been on the fence about it for months, but these videos are the final nail in the coffin as far as I'm concerned. The way the employees get paid (not now much they get paid) and the "pocket check" strikes me as extra ridiculous, and I'm not going to support any company that does shit like that. Just like Wal-Mart. They get about five bucks worth of business out of me every year, and I think that's about how much G$ is going to be getting from me in the future.
 
[quote name='SNAKE EYES EX']Brilliant stuff. I worked there for 10 years and everything mentioned in those videos is true (if not worse).

GameStop is a horrible place to shop and an even more horrible place to work.[/quote]

Amen on that one i feel your pains on that one worked as a asst manger and hated every minute of it
 
I'm proud to say that I've never bought anything from gamestop. BUt despite this guys intentions he had no part in my avoidance of this store.
 
:bow::bow:i just got done watching all 90 mins worth and i honestly thought it was better then a theatrical movie......crying.....bravo....encore...encore!!!!!:applause::applause:
 
The ComData stuff is entirely true. I still have $8 on my card that I can't figure out how to use because nothing accepts it down here except for an ATM, and no ATM is going to give me $8. And yes, you have to pay ATM fees and ComData fees when you use your card or withdraw money from it. It's like a debit card for 3 year olds.
 
[quote name='probablysober']I'm proud to say that I've never bought anything from gamestop. BUt despite this guys intentions he had no part in my avoidance of this store.[/quote]

i've always been a little... annoyed with GameStop, but i've only been actively "boycotting" them for about a year or two. for a while i thought i'd only frequent them when there was a price error, or some kind of glitch that screwed them over, but i decided that this would make me just as big of a jerk as they are (collectively), and that i'd rather not give them any money, even if it's "shaft" money.

and while i may have already disliked and avoided them, this guy's videos are great, and they offer dozens of reasons to snub GS if one doesn't already. they've definitely helped to further cement my decision.
 
It's sad that convenience (Gamestop's got more stores per square foot than Wal Marts these days it seems) will allow a company like Gamestop to flourish. I used to frequent EB games because I could get decent used titles for a nice price (I got lots of old PS1 RPGs that way...) But Gamestop takes the cake. With stores like Gamestop, Best Buy, and the like clogging up the atmosphere with poor service and even poorer selections, it's going to get worse before it gets better. (I'm amazed that people still believe a $90 HDMI cable is a good deal)

I am guilty of using Gamestop as a convenience... and I'm certainly trying to avoid it in the future, simply because it's become even less of a pleasant place to get used games than it ever has (now that Gamestop's conquered the competition by buying them out...)

It was entertaining and sometimes damning evidence that we all have been guilty of the convenience factor and allowed the faceless crapfests like Gamestop ruin the good stores simply to save a few bucks.... now we don't save a few bucks anymore, and we've lost the good service we had at those stores sold up the river for 3 or 4 dollars. :)
 
damn.. this is good. im not even done with the first video yet. well done. im sure gamestop will just pause for a second (after seeing these vids), nod, and then continue to count their profits.
 
Their coupons are great though. You can't beat getting Too Human, Mercenaries 2, and Infinite Undiscovery for $36 each less than a week after those games came out.
 
Watched the videos, very interesting.

I admit that now I go to GameStop to buy some of the newer games and use some of the coupons to my advantage. (IE: Recent pickup of a used Madden 09 for the Wii for $20 and change). But I used to be a habitual trader to GS.

It got to the point that as soon as a game lost my interest, it would get traded in favor to get a new one. For a good period of time I did this, not realizing just how bad I was getting assfucked for each time I did it. This probably went on for about two years.

It came to a point in my life where I had to get a little cheap in terms of my gaming. In March of last year I signed up here at CAG along with signing up for a subscription for GameFly. Earlier this year I started trading with Goozex, which has saved me a metric assload of cash and got myself some fresh titles in my library. I've also curbed my trade-in habits and now have a lot more money to work with for the important things. Y'know, like food and gasoline.

I'm probably not the only one with a story like that, but I did kinda fall for the sweet-talkings of GS employees to trade my stuff in. Not only did I rip myself off for a significant amount of time, I was helping GS do the same to others who more than likely would've given me a much more fair trade if we had met in person.

Plus the "gutted as new" deal is bullshit, too. I've had that happen a few times. While it is the same-old excuse time in and out, it looks to be either their way or the highway.
 
[quote name='btw1217']The ComData stuff is entirely true. I still have $8 on my card that I can't figure out how to use because nothing accepts it down here except for an ATM, and no ATM is going to give me $8. And yes, you have to pay ATM fees and ComData fees when you use your card or withdraw money from it. It's like a debit card for 3 year olds.[/quote]


Haven't watched all the episodes (just the one posted on Kotaku), but more and more companies are starting to use ComData as a means to pay their employees.

However, in your case, I've head that by contacting ComData, they will send you a check to write to yourself for the amount. It's a retarded system, but it still works.
 
as bad as gamestop is and as much as i hate them we have to remember that there in business for one reason to make money and not be the local gamer welfare agency. Many people if given the chance to give some dumb kid little to no value of what a game was worth,and most likely turn around and sell it on ebay if they could.Gamestop just did it at a retail level with a chain of stores. I will give them credit for one thing the reservations are a big rip and the simplest thing to upsell. When i worked there i whould tell alot of partents that they chould use it like a layaway system and add money to it everyweek so when the game came out it was paid for. Many other cashiers do this and is no inside secret but it does help people with limted incomes who are worried about getting little johnny that new copy of mario or whatever come xmas morning
 
[quote name='bubbafett4hire']as bad as gamestop is and as much as i hate them we have to remember that there in business for one reason to make money...[/quote]


not only is it safe to say that people remember this fact well, i think it's basically the main complaint. other companies are out there twisting the knife, but they're at least being mildly accommodating while they do it, with sincere sales staff, fair prices, and a reasonably comfortable shopping atmosphere. they're also fair to their employees more often than not (yes, really). Gamestop is none of these things.

the silliest trend i see is tons of individuals (especially CAG members) who bitch endlessly about the facist and faceless corporate machine that is Gamestop and its ludicrous business "ethics", but turn around the next day and post about how awesome they are for flipping seven sealed copies of Game X (that they bought at TRU for $3.98 each) to GS for $60 in credit, and now they can afford Game Y. they laugh at the fact that now GS will charge $44.99 for each of those copies. that's just shameful.
 
here's my nightmare. a long ago, when virtua tennis 3 was about to be released on the 360, i went to one store to buy it. and the clerk told me 'if you didn't preorder, then we can't sell it'.

i mean its fucking 'virtua tennis'. no straight guy would 'preorder' that game. not that i am a fruit or anything but i did enjoyed the game since the original on DC and still has the original game.

gamestop is bad for game industry and to prove it, i forced to fucking preorder MGS4 LE because im a big mgs nerd and had to get it on launch day and did pay a full price when if i had bought it like circuit city, i wouldve saved the receipt, seen mgs on sale at cc a week later and buy it 50 bucks plus a 10bucks giftcard.

gamestop has also killed my local small videogame store that had been there 10 plusyrs. i just hope for some better business practice at gamestop or any other places design to rip ppl off./
 
[quote name='heyheyhey11'] i just hope for some better business practice at gamestop or any other places design to rip ppl off[/quote]

i doubt that will ever happen things have been like that for years the new conquers the old and the profit margin can never be to high
 
awesome video, the pictures he used were hilarious, and just think how long the video would have took if he spoke slower...
 
Instead of making youtube videos to appease hardcore gamers and their pre-determined mindsets on Gamestop, how about he contact the Better Business Bureau to investigate what he's complaining about?
 
I'd also like to add fuck GameStop.

If you are a hardcore gamer and shop there you truly hate your hobby. Go ahead and shop there and keep new games at $60 MSRP (which they mandated in the first place). Go ahead and restrict Sony from lowering the price of PSN games because of pressure from GameStop. Go ahead and bitch about the price of Braid when games like that can't even exist in a retail space. Go ahead and try to keep interactive entertainment as a niche industry becuase you want to feel like you're saving a buck. fuck you and fuck GameStop.

It's painful to hear the GameStop ads on the CAGcast every week. Wombat can bitch and moan about how he feels every game should cost $7 because he thinks he's such a discerning consumer, yet he'll gladly take the pennies he gets from GameStop every week to pay a single utility bill.
 
[quote name='SNAKE EYES EX']If you are a hardcore gamer and shop there you truly hate your hobby.[/quote]

I almost shop exclusively at GameStop, but I guess I'm a somewhat more educated gamer with regards to promotions. I buy a new game or two every week and probably spend less than $100 a month on games.

Not to mention there was a stretch of about 4-5 months last year where I wasn't spending any money at all. Found a loophole where I was getting about $60 in profit from trades. Did that and probably got closer to $1500 in store credit for not spending any cash.

If you dismiss GameStop automatically without looking at their promotions, you probably hate your hobby, too.
 
Wow. I can't applaud those enough. Props to this guy for blowing the whistle. The internet is the great union of the people.

We live in a world of greedy, money-grubbing bastards at the top, who'll do whatever it takes to keep their money train going. The least we can do is make sure that money ends up in the hands of the slightly more benevolent ones.

I'm definitely showing these vids to all of my gamer friends.

I always shop around for the cheapest price. Occasionally (but almost never) that price has been at gamestop, in which cases I've purchased the games there. However, I think I might just start spending the extra few bucks to buy them elsewhere.

This guy needs to start an actual website for people to register their complaints formally. The complaints could then be displayed publicly, while keeping their personal information privately stored. The abundance of complaints will encourage other employees with similar experiences to contribute their experiences. Once you have a nice fat list of grievances, file the class action lawsuit. From the sound of it, the labor violations alone would be enough to get them in SERIOUS trouble.

Something like "GameStopProblems.com" would work nicely.
 
I hardly shop at Gamestop as it is, but I think these few videos outweigh any thought of dropping by again. I am primarily a PC gamer, so I have less reason to shop there than most, but I did like to randomly browse now and then.

My personal reason for stopping was the attitude of the employees. I must have run into the ones the video mentioned were idiots to begin with. Being a female gamer, any time I walked into the store I was treated like an idiot who didn't know a single thing about games. One time I was even looking a few FPS games, but I was again treated like a lost customer and pointed to an entirely different genre. I have been playing since I was around four or five, I think I have a clue. :bomb:

It really turned me off from the store, and how pushy they were about quite a few things. At least I understand the pushy part a bit more after these videos. I also know there are good and bad employees, similar to what he mentioned, but my experiences have generally been bad.

Kudos to the guy blowing the whistle though, and I hope something comes of it. I know my rant above isn't very related, but I felt like ranting anyways. :whistle2:|
 
[quote name='Kurina']I hardly shop at Gamestop as it is, but I think these few videos outweigh any thought of dropping by again. I am primarily a PC gamer, so I have less reason to shop there than most, but I did like to randomly browse now and then.

My personal reason for stopping was the attitude of the employees. I must have run into the ones the video mentioned were idiots to begin with. Being a female gamer, any time I walked into the store I was treated like an idiot who didn't know a single thing about games. One time I was even looking a few FPS games, but I was again treated like a lost customer and pointed to an entirely different genre. I have been playing since I was around four or five, I think I have a clue. :bomb:

It really turned me off from the store, and how pushy they were about quite a few things. At least I understand the pushy part a bit more after these videos. I also know there are good and bad employees, similar to what he mentioned, but my experiences have generally been bad.

Kudos to the guy blowing the whistle though, and I hope something comes of it. I know my rant above isn't very related, but I felt like ranting anyways. :whistle2:|[/quote]

i am surprised you didn't mention the 100's of eye's you felt watching you while you were in the store i had some people work for me at game stop when any girl walked in the store they'd follow her around like a lost puppy dog. i know a lot of female gamers who have said how there were treated like idiots while in the store and most of those girls can kick most guys asses at games.
 
Have to go to work now but will check this out when I get back. However it looks like the guy could have done his own thing and not used the animation style of Yahtzee.
 
The one thing that video did remind me is that Zero Punctuation was better when he used proper music.

I must admit I smiled at the face lighting up on the discovery of the Britany Rears disc. But his points about Ebay are hardly valid now they're charging 15% on final value for videogame sales.

Also I don't really feel like playing the muder/ass rape lottery that is Craigs List.
 
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