275: Confessions of a GameStop Employee - Part Three

Scott Jones

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Mar 17, 2010
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Confessions of a GameStop Employee - Part Three

In part three of our four-part series, Ben the GameStop employee has a showdown with Soccer Mom.



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PayneTrayne

Filled with ReLRRgious fervor.
Dec 17, 2009
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Fantastic read. I deal with crazy soccer moms all the time seeing as I work at a Chuck E Cheese, and like your place. Most people are only doing it cause they don't have many goals, are in between school, or are simply just goddamn bored.

I always wanted to work at the local EBGames, but after reading these, I may change my mind.....then again these stories do seem like they'd be funny to tell.
 

Ruairi iliffe

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Sep 13, 2010
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Having Worked in GAME for half a year, i Can Agree with everything here. Game Retail Drove me Mad >.<
 

TheSkaAssassin

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Oct 12, 2009
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I had plenty of run ins with soccer mom types in my days at GameStop, but my district manager would have NEVER screwed me like that.
 

SoulChaserJ

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Sep 21, 2009
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So I can get full credit for turning in a "used" game and all I need to do is throw a tantrum..gotcha. I'll remember that next time I want to trade up.
 

coldfrog

Can you feel around inside?
Dec 22, 2008
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Here's a nice "observed" story that I was reminded of reading this. I was shopping in a Gamestop when a little kid comes in, probably 12, with his brother who is even younger, asking for COD4. Naturally (well, I don't know how well most do it, but to me this was an easy choice) he refused. The kid offered his mother's ID and credit card. He told the boy he could not give him the game, he could only give it to someone who is at least 18. The kid says OK. He walks out the door to a minivan parked and idling right in front of the store. He comes back with his mom, who of course left the van there, running, and then begins to berate the employee for making her get out of the car. She tells him to just give him the game, which he says he still can't because of the rating, he can only accept payment and hand the game directly to her. She tells him that he can decide for himself if it's appropriate or not, but it takes a few more minutes of her being pissed off before she just grabs the credit card to buy the game like she's been greatly inconvenienced. It was utterly ridiculous, and of course, the worst part is that the kids were both just standing there the whole time watching this ridiculous display. I rather feel sorry for those kids, though I felt the one at least handled it rather better than his mother did. Hopefully he'll grow up smarter.
 

JeanLuc761

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Sep 22, 2009
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GeneticallyModifiedDucks said:
It's like people are deaf... I can only imagine what working for a store like that must be like.
It's often very frustrating, but I don't think any more so than any other retail job. The general public has an almost astounding lack of respect for retail employees (or so it seems). You just find ways to cope.

Easiest way I deal with it is to focus on the customers who are actually there to enjoy themselves. Parents who smile graciously when I help them out, kids who walk out of the store saying "Thank you!" while clutching a new DS game, or the occasional regular who chats up the staff for fifteen minutes about the newest games. That makes the job worth it, even though I occasionally want to take an Xbox and crack it over the head of some of our customers.

I still have yet to forgive people for their inability to put game cases back where they found them.
 

danielsharpe1634

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Oct 28, 2009
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Man, I've got some CRAZY stories from working in retail. Some people are actual scientifically-categorized MORONS. Do you actually think we're going to back away from policy because you claim to shop here often?
 

Guthie

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Oct 12, 2009
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Heh, I learned to use an even more elaborate version of the shrink wrap machine while working in chemical manufacturing. We got pre-perforated, flattened plastic sleeves to go around bottle caps and a real, honest to God heat gun (not a hair dryer, this thing looks and feels like an industrial face melter). You had to finagle the stupid sleeve open and shove around the bottle cap at just the right place and then hold it there while you blasted it with heat. But you couldn't hold it too tightly or it would wrinkle; and you couldn't hold it too loosely or the top would shrink faster and the sleeve would go flying off into space; and you had to keep moving the gun closer and further from the sleeve or you'd melt holes in it and have to start all over again.

Of course, if that wasn't enough to make it fun, you also had to worry about the fact that the chemical in the bottle you were sealing was heat sensitive and would melt if you didn't give it time to cool off between screw-ups. Also, if you kept your fingers in the path of the heat gun too long they would feel like they were melting too and you'd drop the (glass) bottle, destroying it along with about $1,000-worth of chemical. It was an exciting job, lemme tell you.

Also, this series is exactly why I could never, EVER work in retail. I would literally punch someone out - I just don't have that kind of tolerance for real-time idiocy on a daily basis. x.x
 

Jedoro

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Jun 28, 2009
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He's upset his District Manager did that to him? My DIRECT SUPERVISORS do that to me at the movie theater, and it pisses me off to no end. My employees better be happy I back them up even though my boss doesn't.
 

Chad Brumfield

Zombie Apocalypse Specialist
Mar 29, 2009
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JeanLuc761 said:
It's often very frustrating, but I don't think any more so than any other retail job. The general public has an almost astounding lack of respect for retail employees (or so it seems). You just find ways to cope.
The things I've read about in this series are exactly the same for any retail job. I've sold men's clothing, computers, worked in a book store and worked at a Target. The only thing that changes are the details concerning what you sell, the services your company offers customers and what clothes you're required to wear. Retail is a millstone for the human soul.
 

JeanLuc761

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Sep 22, 2009
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Chad Brumfield said:
JeanLuc761 said:
It's often very frustrating, but I don't think any more so than any other retail job. The general public has an almost astounding lack of respect for retail employees (or so it seems). You just find ways to cope.
The things I've read about in this series are exactly the same for any retail job. I've sold men's clothing, computers, worked in a book store and worked at a Target. The only thing that changes are the details concerning what you sell, the services your company offers customers and what clothes you're required to wear. Retail is a millstone for the human soul.
Case in point ;)
 

Eddikins

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Jul 1, 2010
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The more of these i read the more i question what i could be in for everytime i call up my local GAME asking if they have vacancies yet.
 

LordIce

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Sep 19, 2010
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well....I think that it's her fault for not heeding his advice about used video games.....I mean that what keeps gamestop in business....anyway I don't think that I would be able to handle that situation....especially when his district manager stabs him in the back! I would be more than beside my self with anger I might even quit on the spot!
 

BrionJames

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Jul 8, 2009
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I've had that exact same scenario happen to me before. Only thing is we had a really kick-ass crew on staff at that store and I miss working with 'em a lot, but I sure as hell don't miss the dumbass customers.
 

Moriarty70

Canucklehead
Dec 24, 2008
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He's a better man than me. A lady once showed up at noon (the time becomes important later) looking for a seafood platter she had ordered, but the department head hadn't ordered from the distributor.

I was the only one on in the department, so the next thing you know I'm running all over the store getting the stuff together to make one, recruiting two other guys from the meat department to help get it together ASAP.

The whole time I'm getting flack from this woman saying "I've got company coming at noon" in other words, when she showed up. The only reason she walked away with the platter is because I hadn't heard her last dig at us as I handed it to her. Kind of wished I'd sneezed all over the tray at that point.