GameStop to Close 120 Stores - Expand Into Non-Gaming Fields

[Strazdas]

Cue millions of gamers cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

...By celebrating the decline of the retail gaming market, you see.

...Because if Gamestop is closing stores and branching out, it probably doesn't speak much to the viability of the market, you see.

Oh hell, Gamestop's evil and closing stores, so who cares?

Or perhaps your missing the crucial part of the story. the one where you realize that Gamestop is actually holding down the viability of the market. With outdated selling models and bullying publishers into pricing deals and exclusive content (read: holding content hostage).
The sooner such retail juggernauts die the better it is for the gaming market as a whole. all they do is add extra expenses to games, as if they werent expensive enough.

Most people don't have such easy access? Saying "pfft, you can go elsewhere" is out of touch with the reality. It's like when Bush asked why all the poor people impacted by Katrina didn't just hop in their range rovers and wait the storm out in their second home in the Hamptons.

i cant speak for every city out there obviulsy, but the places i lived in was usually infested with electronic stores (that also sold games) all around, nto to mention the retail copies are being sold in supermarkets as well at least here (though their selection is usually the garbage bin one).

 

[JimB]

I feel quite bad for the folks who are going to be losing their jobs in all this, and I hope they manage to find alternative employment soon.

Quoted for truth. How this affects anyone's ability to look at screens and press buttons with the thumbs seems fairly irrelevant compared to how it will affect the people who needed the jobs.

 

[Ghadente]

Honestly Gamestop is downright awful and would advise any/all consumers to look elsewhere for their gaming or other products. You can easily find cheaper prices online and better customer service anywhere. Do not shop at GameStop, you will most likely be disappointed one way or another eventually.

 

[busterkeatonrules]

I have always been a fan of buying games from Gamestop/EB Games. Yes digital downloads means that you don't have as much of your space taken up on your shelf, but I have always enjoyed that day your game that you pre-ordered has come in, you get to pick it up and crack it open to that new game smell .

Seconded. Ripping off the plastic and holding the disc in my hand - that's an integral part of the 'new game' - experience for me. Also, screw shelf space - I say it's more important to conserve hard drive space!

 

[Something Amyss]

Or perhaps your missing the crucial part of the story. the one where you realize that Gamestop is actually holding down the viability of the market. With outdated selling models and bullying publishers into pricing deals and exclusive content (read: holding content hostage).
The sooner such retail juggernauts die the better it is for the gaming market as a whole. all they do is add extra expenses to games, as if they werent expensive enough.

Or, since that's completely false, I'm not missing it. Gamestop doesn't get a significant markup on games, so the profitability has little to do with them, same with pricing. Standard markup is less than a couple bucks, which is not much for retail markup on a 60 dollar title.

i cant speak for every city out there obviulsy, but the places i lived in was usually infested with electronic stores (that also sold games) all around, nto to mention the retail copies are being sold in supermarkets as well at least here (though their selection is usually the garbage bin one).

And I'm sure every place you've lived is still as you imagine it.

Otherwise, that sort of anecdote would be fairly worthless.

what?...I DON'T UNDERSTAND

ooooohhhhhh

riiiiiight

Glad we're clear now.

So don't quote mine me next time.

 

[Strazdas]

Or, since that's completely false, I'm not missing it. Gamestop doesn't get a significant markup on games, so the profitability has little to do with them, same with pricing. Standard markup is less than a couple bucks, which is not much for retail markup on a 60 dollar title.

And I'm sure every place you've lived is still as you imagine it.

Otherwise, that sort of anecdote would be fairly worthless.

Its not false. Retailers dictate market prices even for direct downloads on Xbox Live because they throw a fit every time somoen tries to compete with them and the big boys are afraid of them not stocking their games. which is of course a silly circle of fear but it is what it is. Its nto about markup, its that if the other place lowers the price they are going to sell it at a loss to compete so they try to bully companies into not doing that by refusing to stock theirp products.
They also do it because digital sales do not allow them their biggest profit bringer - used games. so they triy as hard as they can to keep it physical.

Well, i cant speak for one of the cities, the others i still visit and there are plenty of electronic stores around.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Physical copies doesn't just mean physical stores. There are digital ways to obtain physical goods, and they're often a better deal. I haven't bought from a store in years and most of my game purchases are physical.

I've seen a few posts where Gamestop is the only option, and that's a pity. But really it's to be expected. Online services can be more competitive because they don't have the massive expense of a chain of buildings.

 

[Spade Lead]

Cue millions of gamers cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

...By celebrating the decline of the retail gaming market, you see.

...Because if Gamestop is closing stores and branching out, it probably doesn't speak much to the viability of the market, you see.

Oh hell, Gamestop's evil and closing stores, so who cares?

Or perhaps your missing the crucial part of the story. the one where you realize that Gamestop is actually holding down the viability of the market. With outdated selling models and bullying publishers into pricing deals and exclusive content (read: holding content hostage).
The sooner such retail juggernauts die the better it is for the gaming market as a whole. all they do is add extra expenses to games, as if they werent expensive enough.

Most people don't have such easy access? Saying "pfft, you can go elsewhere" is out of touch with the reality. It's like when Bush asked why all the poor people impacted by Katrina didn't just hop in their range rovers and wait the storm out in their second home in the Hamptons.

i cant speak for every city out there obviulsy, but the places i lived in was usually infested with electronic stores (that also sold games) all around, nto to mention the retail copies are being sold in supermarkets as well at least here (though their selection is usually the garbage bin one).

Let me tell you a little tale of "Iowa Cities." Iowa is not a large state, and certainly not a populous state. The largest city, Des Moines, the capital, has just over 200,000 people. I live in Ames, Iowa, with a population of just over 60,000 people, many of whom are college students. There are Four locations in town that sell games. Gamestop, of which I am a member; Gamers, a slightly overpriced used game emporium, Walmart, which has shitty and terrible selection of every post Wii system; and Best Buy which is overpriced. There used to be a fifth store that dealt mainly in used games (and was located just one city block from my house), but for some reason late last month it closed.

So yes, I can get a great selection of overpriced New games at Best Buy, with no trade in value for my old games, or try Walmart's three week old trade in system (I don't know how long they have been accepting trade-ins, but they are way more strict about rules for a trade, and god knows how much they actually give you for a game), or I can go to a place that takes trades, but doesn't give you special member's only bonuses like Gamestop does. Also, unlike Gamestop, they don't have a "Try it, hated it? Return it" Policy like Gamestop does. They charge you $1 for every day you have a game. If you take six days to beat it, and hate it, well, you eat that six dollars and now you get that much less money back when you return it. Gamestop on the other hand has no such stipulation on their one week "Hate it? Return it" policy.

So, from my point of view, I only have one decent choice for used games, and especially trading them in.

Now yes, when I lived in Los Angeles, I had a million choices for buying and selling used games. But most of the country doesn't live in Los Angeles, or San Diego, or Seattle, or New York, and you need to think of those poor people when saying casually "Just go somewhere else." Many of us can't.

 

[Strazdas]

Let me tell you a little tale of "Iowa Cities." Iowa is not a large state, and certainly not a populous state. The largest city, Des Moines, the capital, has just over 200,000 people. I live in Ames, Iowa, with a population of just over 60,000 people, many of whom are college students. There are Four locations in town that sell games. Gamestop, of which I am a member; Gamers, a slightly overpriced used game emporium, Walmart, which has shitty and terrible selection of every post Wii system; and Best Buy which is overpriced. There used to be a fifth store that dealt mainly in used games (and was located just one city block from my house), but for some reason late last month it closed.

So yes, I can get a great selection of overpriced New games at Best Buy, with no trade in value for my old games, or try Walmart's three week old trade in system (I don't know how long they have been accepting trade-ins, but they are way more strict about rules for a trade, and god knows how much they actually give you for a game), or I can go to a place that takes trades, but doesn't give you special member's only bonuses like Gamestop does. Also, unlike Gamestop, they don't have a "Try it, hated it? Return it" Policy like Gamestop does. They charge you $1 for every day you have a game. If you take six days to beat it, and hate it, well, you eat that six dollars and now you get that much less money back when you return it. Gamestop on the other hand has no such stipulation on their one week "Hate it? Return it" policy.

So, from my point of view, I only have one decent choice for used games, and especially trading them in.

Now yes, when I lived in Los Angeles, I had a million choices for buying and selling used games. But most of the country doesn't live in Los Angeles, or San Diego, or Seattle, or New York, and you need to think of those poor people when saying casually "Just go somewhere else." Many of us can't.

so what your saying is that progress of whole industry should stop because there exist locations that are small and does not have better deals?

 

[Spade Lead]

so what your saying is that progress of whole industry should stop because there exist locations that are small and does not have better deals?

No, all I am saying is that Gamestop closing stores is going to be bad for people who live in small (what Iowa calls "Urban") towns. That is literally all I meant.