GameStop Responds to "GTA V Midnight Release Video" Controversy

[RicoADF]

Do you get carded when you buy an R Rated Blu-Ray? Do you think you should be?

Yes and yes. I don't know where you are, but here in Illinois USA a store employee can lose their job for not carding you when you buy R rated movies or M rated games, not to mention IIRC there can be massive fines against the store if someone makes a fuss.
EDIT: Also why would it ever bother you? It takes like five seconds.

OT: The customer here was a massive twat and I'm glad I wasn't there. If one thing pisses me off enough to end up in a fight its people acting like shrieking whiny brats while I'm trying to shop.

It's pretty obvious that most people here are all ready to pull their ID out for any teenager that asks for it so I don't think my opinion is welcome here.

In Australia they can ask for your ID if they think your under age and I agree with it. I saw a few kids at the midnight launch trying to get a copy. If they want it they need their parents or legal guardian to buy a copy.

 

[MrMixelPixel]

Ughhh. I hate watching stuff like that. I don't care who was at fault... if one them just gritted their teeth and ignored it, that stupid scene would have been avoided.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Do you get carded when you buy an R Rated Blu-Ray? Do you think you should be?

Yes and yes. I don't know where you are, but here in Illinois USA a store employee can lose their job for not carding you when you buy R rated movies or M rated games, not to mention IIRC there can be massive fines against the store if someone makes a fuss.
EDIT: Also why would it ever bother you? It takes like five seconds.

OT: The customer here was a massive twat and I'm glad I wasn't there. If one thing pisses me off enough to end up in a fight its people acting like shrieking whiny brats while I'm trying to shop.

It's pretty obvious that most people here are all ready to pull their ID out for any teenager that asks for it so I don't think my opinion is welcome here.

In Australia they can ask for your ID if they think your under age and I agree with it. I saw a few kids at the midnight launch trying to get a copy. If they want it they need their parents or legal guardian to buy a copy.

This didn't happen in Australia.

 

[WittyInfidel]

He literally could of just shown his ID and get it over with.
A arguably 10 minute incident could of been reduced to 5 seconds.

The length people will go to to cause a ruckus is ridiculous.

On the off hand though, she didn't have to say that specifically. But still. All could've been avoided with a quick check of an ID.

Now i firmly agree with this. It is not hard to pull out your ID and show it to someone... HOWEVER the moment she made that threat, joking or not, she had crossed the line. I have no sympathy towards the customer, there is no reason to get upset over something so trivial, but she should not have said a single thing. If she gets fired for it, I'm in complete support of that decision.


You can't place all the blame on the customer, he may have started a scene, but he WAS leaving, but she had ot make a comment, honestly, shes to blame for that part.

Agreed, I'd be interested in weather she could be charged for this. Joke or not threatening to release private info is serious.

Yes, if he or another made an issue of it, she could be. I wrote this earlier in the thread, but nobody seems to have paid it any mind. According to the US Information Privacy laws: "Information collected about an individual cannot be disclosed to other organizations or individuals unless authorized by law or by consent of the individual." This includes mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

Whether she was joking or serious, she did indeed break the law and could look at some penalties for doing such.

 

[Olas]

It's sad that employee will probably be fired over his tantrum. Hope that game is worth messing up someones life.

1. If you really think it's wrong for her to lose her job, you should be mad at her employer for choosing to fire her.

2. That was the calmest "tantrum" I've ever seen. Most days on the job I deal with people way worse, and I do my best to remain courteous even if they're yelling at me, because that's how you act when dealing with customers. You don't treat them like shit, ridicule them behind their back, and threaten to give out their information to random strangers. If I did that I'd expect to be fired.

3. He acted as he did because she threatened to give out personal information to random people without his permission, not because of the game, or his issue with identification.

4. While I don't know her story, I somehow doubt losing a job at Gamestop constitutes having her whole life ruined. You'd have to be in a pretty sad state for that to be the case.

 

[Gezzer]

He literally could of just shown his ID and get it over with.
A arguably 10 minute incident could of been reduced to 5 seconds.

The length people will go to to cause a ruckus is ridiculous.

On the off hand though, she didn't have to say that specifically. But still. All could've been avoided with a quick check of an ID.

Now i firmly agree with this. It is not hard to pull out your ID and show it to someone... HOWEVER the moment she made that threat, joking or not, she had crossed the line. I have no sympathy towards the customer, there is no reason to get upset over something so trivial, but she should not have said a single thing. If she gets fired for it, I'm in complete support of that decision.


You can't place all the blame on the customer, he may have started a scene, but he WAS leaving, but she had ot make a comment, honestly, shes to blame for that part.

True.
I do wish however, the Facebook and to extension the Escapist posted the full uncut version. You can tell it was cropped for a short attention span audience.
Notice how many of the other customers were throwing insults his way.
It's clear that the was causing a lot big of a ruckus than the video lets on.

At the end of the day, I don't want her fired at all. This supposedly went on for a full 10 minutes. At that point, I would've called security and he could be led out the door. However this is Gamestop. Security doesn't exist there.

Do you have a link to the whole video? I tried searching and all I got was the edited version. I don't know who originally posted the video and what the purpose behind the editing was. It does show the manager in a bad light, because her job as a manager is to defuse a situation, not escalate it. From what I can see she didn't do her job, so there should be some consequence for that. What that should be I can't say, but firing isn't out of the question, what happens should take into account past performance. What's her history with the company? It obvious that she let the crowd's comments encourage her to be a bit flippant, which is understandable but again isn't professional or proper behaviour for a manager.

Don't think I don't sympathize with her, I do. I've worked in retail most of my life. I currently have a job in the produce department in a supermarket, and I've had customers freak on me for the most stupid and silliest reasons. I had a women come in and freak because the type of bag she liked was 6 feet from the produce she wanted. When I explained that it was designed by people at head office, and we couldn't just change it because of a customer so she needed to put a comment card in, she refused and started talking about a "male conspiracy". I had another women spend a entire conversation yelling at me about the fact that our peaches weren't local. I mentioned that we would have local, they were just late this year and she stormed off. Other customers were commenting about how it wasn't my fault and she over heard came back and apologized, but was still yelling as she did it. Or a guy freaked because we didn't have "buttermilk" squash. When he first calmly asked I explained that I had never heard of that type of squash and it might be butternut he was looking for but we were out. I explained this a couple of times and thought he understood so I went back to what I was doing. 30 seconds later he's in my face yelling about how I'm lousy at service because I won't help him find his "buttermilk" squash.
I've got a ton more, but as you can see I more than understand what she was dealing with.

There are a lot of people who see anyone in retail as either a lesser being or a roadblock to their getting what they think they deserve as a customer. But this case has one additional fact that changes things, she's a manager. She sets the tone for the entire staff. While she did her best keeping her cool with a very difficult customer and I commend her for that, she let the crowd dictate her behaviour and paid for it. And that's not proper behaviour for a manager. If she'd been a clerk she might have more wiggle room. But she isn't and will have to face whatever happens because of it. It's sad really that ahole customers have that much power, but that's the way it is and the world we live in.

 

[GAunderrated]

The customer was a perfect example of an angry and lonely nerd who is inconvenienced for 2 seconds because they needed to follow the law and he felt that justified his shit attitude.

The Manager made the mistake of the "threat" or just a bad comment. Many years of retail suggest that you say those types of things after the customer has left. Hell if she would have waited 5 more seconds I bet she could of had a nice laugh with all those in line, taken her shots at him, and pressed on without issue.

She will probably get written up at the very least or possibly fired depending on how deep the shitstorm goes. At the same time that person is revealed online (name or not) as being an angry prick to people doing their jobs.

Both sides are reaping what they sow. My point is where is the controversy? Usually controversy implies an issue that is unresolved.

What law?

Well since you did nothing but just ask a simple question here is a simple answer. I should have replaced law with policy. The employees were following policy since they could lose their job if they don't.

http://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-sell-an-m-rated-game-to-a-minor-enjoy-unemployment-29690.phtml


However, seeing as how hostile you were to other posters I would venture a guess that you have no retail experience and that is why you cannot empathize with the manager of that video.

Also your little tirade about why you should not be inconvenienced to take 10 seconds and show your ID is probably the best example of the phrase "first world problems".

Normally that saying is washed out and not used properly but you actually embody the real meaning of that phrase. Someone who is living such a comfortable life that they start to make big deals out of any little small inconvenience.

 

[Eri]

Incidents like this make me wish I was rich so I could start a store up. Then, when asshole customers come in, I would let my employees tell them to fuck off. Hell, I'd give them a highfive for doing so. I guarantee I'd have repeat business from the non assholes who know how it feels to work in a retail or similar environment and have to deal with absolute tools all day.

 

[Ishigami]

Not knowing the full story I tend to the side of the customer.
Yes he seems like a prick arguing over the necessity of showing his ID.

Where I come from retailer have to check your ID to verify your age when you buy 18+ stuff. So this is a normal procedure for me even so many retailer don?t do it when they are sure you are of age. (Which could lead to trouble with the authorities but those often don?t care either?)
Also there could be some database stuff going that they have to check you really are the customer who paid for the game? I don?t know I don?t buy games at GameStop.

In any case: Yes arguing over this minor inconvenience is pretty stupid. However that is no excuse for her to ridicule him in front of other people nor joking/threatening to release his personal information.
That was utterly misplaced of her and gave him a serious reason to file a complaint. A complaint GameStop has to look into.

Of course I?m against GameStop penalizing her severely (like firing her) since this seems like a trivial matter but maybe someone should explain to her that this is not how to handle stuff like this.
Next time keep your sarcastic comments and bad jokes to yourself.

 

[WeepingAngels]

The customer was a perfect example of an angry and lonely nerd who is inconvenienced for 2 seconds because they needed to follow the law and he felt that justified his shit attitude.

The Manager made the mistake of the "threat" or just a bad comment. Many years of retail suggest that you say those types of things after the customer has left. Hell if she would have waited 5 more seconds I bet she could of had a nice laugh with all those in line, taken her shots at him, and pressed on without issue.

She will probably get written up at the very least or possibly fired depending on how deep the shitstorm goes. At the same time that person is revealed online (name or not) as being an angry prick to people doing their jobs.

Both sides are reaping what they sow. My point is where is the controversy? Usually controversy implies an issue that is unresolved.

What law?

Well since you did nothing but just ask a simple question here is a simple answer. I should have replaced law with policy. The employees were following policy since they could lose their job if they don't.

http://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-sell-an-m-rated-game-to-a-minor-enjoy-unemployment-29690.phtml


However, seeing as how hostile you were to other posters I would venture a guess that you have no retail experience and that is why you cannot empathize with the manager of that video.

Also your little tirade about why you should not be inconvenienced to take 10 seconds and show your ID is probably the best example of the phrase "first world problems".

Normally that saying is washed out and not used properly but you actually embody the real meaning of that phrase. Someone who is living such a comfortable life that they start to make big deals out of any little small inconvenience.

I love how people who don't defend the manager are assumed to have no retail experience. I do but I am sure you don't believe that and I really don't care what you believe, you who think that laws and policies are the same.

 

[WeepingAngels]

The customer was a perfect example of an angry and lonely nerd who is inconvenienced for 2 seconds because they needed to follow the law and he felt that justified his shit attitude.

The Manager made the mistake of the "threat" or just a bad comment. Many years of retail suggest that you say those types of things after the customer has left. Hell if she would have waited 5 more seconds I bet she could of had a nice laugh with all those in line, taken her shots at him, and pressed on without issue.

She will probably get written up at the very least or possibly fired depending on how deep the shitstorm goes. At the same time that person is revealed online (name or not) as being an angry prick to people doing their jobs.

Both sides are reaping what they sow. My point is where is the controversy? Usually controversy implies an issue that is unresolved.

What law?

Well since you did nothing but just ask a simple question here is a simple answer. I should have replaced law with policy. The employees were following policy since they could lose their job if they don't.

http://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-sell-an-m-rated-game-to-a-minor-enjoy-unemployment-29690.phtml


However, seeing as how hostile you were to other posters I would venture a guess that you have no retail experience and that is why you cannot empathize with the manager of that video.

Also your little tirade about why you should not be inconvenienced to take 10 seconds and show your ID is probably the best example of the phrase "first world problems".

Normally that saying is washed out and not used properly but you actually embody the real meaning of that phrase. Someone who is living such a comfortable life that they start to make big deals out of any little small inconvenience.

I love how people who don't defend the manager are assumed to have no retail experience. I do but I am sure you don't believe that and I really don't care what you believe, you who think that laws and policies are the same.

Oh so you do know how pointless it is complaining about policy to an employee and give them hassle over it? You must just be unpleasant so.

I simply believe that things won't change if no one opens their mouth. I also believe that sometimes employees pass information on to their manager and that sometimes managers pass things on to corporate. Not every time but your chances increase if you say something instead of nothing.

I don't ruin any employees day, I just let them know that I don't appreciate being carded and then proceed to show my ID. I will tell you that I have bought M Rated games at Wal Mart instead of Gamestop to avoid being carded.

Like I said though, it's obvious that most people here are more than happy to hand over their ID to any teenager who asks for it.

 

[Agayek]

Yes, if he or another made an issue of it, she could be. I wrote this earlier in the thread, but nobody seems to have paid it any mind. According to the US Information Privacy laws: "Information collected about an individual cannot be disclosed to other organizations or individuals unless authorized by law or by consent of the individual." This includes mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

Whether she was joking or serious, she did indeed break the law and could look at some penalties for doing such.

Actually, no. She didn't break the law, or at least not that specific law.

She threatened to break that law.

She distributed no personal information whatsoever to anyone, only made a statement that could be equally validly interpreted as a biting final jab or a threat. The question then becomes, is threatening to violate privacy laws a legal offense?

I would imagine it is, but if it does end up going to court, the final verdict would very much come down to who has the better lawyer.

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

The customer was a perfect example of an angry and lonely nerd who is inconvenienced for 2 seconds because they needed to follow the law and he felt that justified his shit attitude.

The Manager made the mistake of the "threat" or just a bad comment. Many years of retail suggest that you say those types of things after the customer has left. Hell if she would have waited 5 more seconds I bet she could of had a nice laugh with all those in line, taken her shots at him, and pressed on without issue.

She will probably get written up at the very least or possibly fired depending on how deep the shitstorm goes. At the same time that person is revealed online (name or not) as being an angry prick to people doing their jobs.

Both sides are reaping what they sow. My point is where is the controversy? Usually controversy implies an issue that is unresolved.

What law?

Well since you did nothing but just ask a simple question here is a simple answer. I should have replaced law with policy. The employees were following policy since they could lose their job if they don't.

http://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-sell-an-m-rated-game-to-a-minor-enjoy-unemployment-29690.phtml


However, seeing as how hostile you were to other posters I would venture a guess that you have no retail experience and that is why you cannot empathize with the manager of that video.

Also your little tirade about why you should not be inconvenienced to take 10 seconds and show your ID is probably the best example of the phrase "first world problems".

Normally that saying is washed out and not used properly but you actually embody the real meaning of that phrase. Someone who is living such a comfortable life that they start to make big deals out of any little small inconvenience.

I love how people who don't defend the manager are assumed to have no retail experience. I do but I am sure you don't believe that and I really don't care what you believe, you who think that laws and policies are the same.

Oh so you do know how pointless it is complaining about policy to an employee and give them hassle over it? You must just be unpleasant so.

I simply believe that things won't change if no one opens their mouth. I also believe that sometimes employees pass information on to their manager and that sometimes managers pass things on to corporate. Not every time but your chances increase if you say something instead of nothing.

I don't ruin any employees day, I just let them know that I don't appreciate being carded and then proceed to show my ID. I will tell you that I have bought M Rated games at Wal Mart instead of Gamestop to avoid being carded.

Like I said though, it's obvious that most people here are more than happy to hand over their ID to any teenager who asks for it.

And this is an example of your situation isn't the rule. I have never avoided being card at a Walmart for M/R rated stuff. Hell I have been carded for buying a strategy guide for The Elder Scrolls IV.

 

[WeepingAngels]

The customer was a perfect example of an angry and lonely nerd who is inconvenienced for 2 seconds because they needed to follow the law and he felt that justified his shit attitude.

The Manager made the mistake of the "threat" or just a bad comment. Many years of retail suggest that you say those types of things after the customer has left. Hell if she would have waited 5 more seconds I bet she could of had a nice laugh with all those in line, taken her shots at him, and pressed on without issue.

She will probably get written up at the very least or possibly fired depending on how deep the shitstorm goes. At the same time that person is revealed online (name or not) as being an angry prick to people doing their jobs.

Both sides are reaping what they sow. My point is where is the controversy? Usually controversy implies an issue that is unresolved.

What law?

Well since you did nothing but just ask a simple question here is a simple answer. I should have replaced law with policy. The employees were following policy since they could lose their job if they don't.

http://www.destructoid.com/gamestop-sell-an-m-rated-game-to-a-minor-enjoy-unemployment-29690.phtml


However, seeing as how hostile you were to other posters I would venture a guess that you have no retail experience and that is why you cannot empathize with the manager of that video.

Also your little tirade about why you should not be inconvenienced to take 10 seconds and show your ID is probably the best example of the phrase "first world problems".

Normally that saying is washed out and not used properly but you actually embody the real meaning of that phrase. Someone who is living such a comfortable life that they start to make big deals out of any little small inconvenience.

I love how people who don't defend the manager are assumed to have no retail experience. I do but I am sure you don't believe that and I really don't care what you believe, you who think that laws and policies are the same.

Oh so you do know how pointless it is complaining about policy to an employee and give them hassle over it? You must just be unpleasant so.

I simply believe that things won't change if no one opens their mouth. I also believe that sometimes employees pass information on to their manager and that sometimes managers pass things on to corporate. Not every time but your chances increase if you say something instead of nothing.

I don't ruin any employees day, I just let them know that I don't appreciate being carded and then proceed to show my ID. I will tell you that I have bought M Rated games at Wal Mart instead of Gamestop to avoid being carded.

Like I said though, it's obvious that most people here are more than happy to hand over their ID to any teenager who asks for it.

You could maybe open your mouth to the right people? There's a thought.

Well actually in Ireland movie and videogame certs are legally enforced so yeah I don't mind showing my id to buy these things. I'm sure most of us would refuse if we were, for example, buying a Snapple. But no clearly you have some kind of point with this whole "teenagers" thing you keep going on about.

If there was a store policy to card you over a Snapple, you would probably have no problem showing your ID.

My point with teenagers, there are alot of them in retail.