273: Confessions of a GameStop Employee - Part One

[Scott Jones]

Confessions of a GameStop Employee - Part One

In the first installment of a four-part series, Scott Jones relates the story of "Ben," an employee from a New York City-area GameStop and finds out exactly why they operate the way that they do.

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[Rawle Lucas]

Quite an informative perspective. I've only bought a few games from GameStop, but they seem like an all-right store.

 

[bimbley]

Interestingly this is very different from my perception of the games retail industry in the UK. I've known a few people who've worked in Game and Gamestation shops, and all of them have been keen gamers. A friend working for Game also told me about how employees were encouraged to take the new releases home, for free, to play through so they knew what they were talking about to customers. For those who didn't own a particular console, (despite the decent hardware discounts) each of the current generation static and portable machines were there in the staff rooms to be used on breaks. Finally, I don't think I've ever encountered an employee in one of these stores who wasn't able, and willing, to engage in a reasonable conversation on games. Very often they'll express an opinion, be it 'Buy Arkham Asylum now' or 'Yeah I'm not surprised you're trading Haze in'. It would quickly become apparent to me if someone had played nothing but Madden and Dead or Alive.

As for the whole 'gutting' thing, I can't see what the hell people's problem is. It's not like there isn't a very, very good reason for it. Thieves are arseholes, anything that prevents theft is a good thing. In the long run, prevention of theft keeps costs down for all of us. And what, you think those disks were born inside the box? Of course it's still a new game, long as it hasn't been played/scratched/pissed on by anyone! Long as it works, no issue.

Edit: Oh, I guess the whole 'gutting' thing is pretty dull for the employee, but what are you expecting when you take a low grade position in high street retail? It's really no different from stacking shelves. The narrator even starts out saying he wanted something low-pressure, low-effort, low-responsibility. I'm not being snobby, these are the jobs most of us start out in and build up from. Hell, I wish mine had been in a games shop rather than a burger bar!

-Bim

 

[Infernoshadow211]

I understand the gutting thing. It makes sense to me. What I don't understand is why people complain that a game isn't new when only the shrink wrap is off. To me as, long as the disc is pristine, I get an instruction manual, and the box isn't dented, it's new.

 

[sniperworm]

I'm actually a fan of Gutting, stops dirty thiefs as mentioned but more importantly, saves me having to rip it all off!

 

[Ze_Reaper_Of_Zeath]

Intresting read.

I never buy from local game stores, because mines all sell pirated disks, which suck arse, because I can't find any legit games.

I have to buy from Steam.

 

[Doughboy0]

I can't wait to read more.

I've noticed that often with those games that have been "gutted" the DLC codes are missing.

Most of the time you can ask for a wrapped copy and you'll get one, unless they're out.

 

[Adultratedhydra]

Being someone who works in an EBgame (Australia's evuivelant. Funnily enough owned by gamestop) i cant wait till te subject of game guarentee's comes up. im always at odd's with my area manager because i feel if someone spends an extra 3-5 bucks on a game to basicly insure it with us, we should not give them a "USED" game as a replacement.

its ridiculous. I personally dont mind gutting but then im in one of few stores with a very small staff contingent in a rural area with a suprisingly large back room and its nice to relieve the tedium of dealing with hicks whom i have to explain why thier ps3 game is not working on thier computer.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Gutting makes sense to me. The disc is still new, just put in a sleeve. You're only going to tear the shrinkwrap off later, anyway.

 

[-Torchedini-]

Yeah as long as the disks are pretty and shiny, I don't care about wrappings.
Whats the problem. You are in need of plastics ?

 

[azzurro27]

I worked at EB games for 5 years, thisi isn't shock/horror.. this is just retail. As for the hiring requirments, it comes down to the manager but to be honest your ability to play games takes a back seat to your ability to sell games. You dont need to play it to sell it; read a review, get a few key points and pass them on to a customer with an enthusiastic tone of voice and bingo, job done. If you want to talk to a hardcore gamer, talk to a member of the escapist community. As an EB/Gamespot employee you have to talk to a huge range of people and you arent going to play the same games as all of them, by extention you dont need to play the same games as any of them so long as you keep up to date and the lingo. Anybody upset by this needs to move on, its retail and its life.

 

[Project_Xii]

I work at EB Games (Gamestop in Australia basically). Strangely, I get a complaint about unshrink wrapped games about once every 2 months. And that's generally from someone who wants to give it as a gift.

I understand where he's coming from; I'm actually surprised more people don't complain! But they don't. No one seems to care.

I quite enjoy gutting, but that's cause it's not my one and only delegation. We do all our work at the counter with work mates, which lets us break up the task with talking, selling, or other stock. I really enjoy my job. But I think it's as they say: it's not where you work, it's who you work with. A crappy boss and crappy team mates make for an all round crappy experience.

 

[Fenixius]

[...] i feel if someone spends an extra 3-5 bucks on a game to basicly insure it with us, we should not give them a "USED" game as a replacement. [...]

Wait, what? If someone puts EB's disk guarantee on their game, their mint copy of Halo Reach, and returns it with an Xbox Ring Burn, you'll replace it with a used copy of the game if one is available? Is that correct? Please tell me it's not, because that's ridiculous. New should be replaced with new, preowned with preowned.

As seems to be more common than I thought, I also work in the gaming retail industry. I don't have gutted games in my store. The shrinkage is pretty bad. I can see why other retailers do.

Overall, though, nothing to see here. Retail is boring. This is how we prevent theft. Let me know when the next post is here...

 

[WittyInfidel]

I've noticed that often with those games that have been "gutted" the DLC codes are missing.

I have noticed this quite a bit. Also, other small things that are sometimes added into the case (posters, maps, stickers, ect) also tend to be missing. I've gone so far as to ask about it, and had the manager give me the blank stare of a cow. Then, while browsing the shelves, see same manager pass fistfuls of the stuff to his slacker highschool pals. It was a great day, indeed, when that neckbeard was fired.

My other complaint is thus; If I'm buying a brand new game for the brand new price, don't try to pass me a disc with a fuggin burn ring. I know what they are, what they look like, and it pisses me off to no end when the store managers acts worse than the guy who runs the pawn shop down the street.

Needless to say, the local Gamestop here has shut down. I consider it mission accomplished. You spread the word of this enough, and it won't be long before their sales show the reflection of their deeds.

 

[TheSkaAssassin]

I am The Ska Assassin, and as a former Gamestop employee, I apporve and enjoyed this article.

 

[Monshroud]

But I don't want to wait next week... I want it all now!

Really interesting article. I have been pretty close with some EB Games managers and staff for about 10 years now. It is really amazing the stories you hear about and the things I have seen happen at those stores.

 

[Xanthious]

Double Post grrrrr!

Deleting this one just to be different!

 

[bimbley]

as for the gutting thing? I have a very real issue with it. I've been forced by a gamestop employee (lets call him Mr. Duche) to get them at times.

Fair enough that sounds like a shitty situation, but it seems to me that your problem was with Mr Duche rather than gutting in general. Say I go to the coffee shop and order an espresso and the server chooses that moment to snap, (his missus left him this morning, his boss made him clean up the shitty toilets, his Mum rang to tell him his Dad had gone nuts and shot the dog and himself because Mum's been shagging the neighbour and incidentally she caught AIDS off the neighbour, etc) and throws hot coffee in my face. I hate that guy, I don't hate coffee!

-Bim

 

[Xanthious]

My main problem with gutting new game is that it reeks of hypocrisy. If I buy a game and open it, even if I never put it in my console, it becomes used as soon as the shrink wrap comes off. However, if Gamestop opens it as a means of preventing theft, well then it's still a new game even though DLC codes, maps, stickers, and god knows what may have been removed by store employees.

However, what I will say is that Gamestop has an awesome return policy on used games. Seven days, no questions asked. If you can't find a way to turn that into week long free rentals then you are doing something wrong.