Obnoxious GamesStop employee's

[PhiMed]

By the way, take the OP's story with a grain of salt. If he's actually angry enough about someone stating what's in the game and what a typical XBL interaction in Halo is like to post online, he's probably embellishing a bit.

That part of the story was to let you know he was serious about people playing the games that are for their age group. And then the kicker was when he made fun of my friend for buying pokemon. Although had people interpreted that way this thread would have died a long time ago.

He didn't stop anyone from purchasing anything. He just gave information.

You weren't there when he made the statement about pokemon, and you've already stated your friend likes to make stuff up.

I'm definitely on the employee's side in your story. You got your game. He didn't prevent anyone from purchasing anything, and all he did was talk for (I would guess) less than two minutes in each encounter.

Though honestly, you kind of lost me when you started right off crying about "mature" having an arbitrary cutoff of 17. I don't know what alternative you would prefer. Perhaps an independent counselling session prior to purchase so that the employee can assess the actual maturity of the customer? That way, some 13 year-olds could qualify for purchase, but some 42 year-olds would not, all based on intellectual maturity. Ideal world, right? Waiting time now only 4 short hours!

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Sadly, game store employees asking these questions, are about our only defence in being allowed to have M rated games even exist, as merely having a massive rating on the box, and posters in stores explaining them, and websites devoted to informing parents who actually care enough to spend 2 minutes reading how the ratings work, isn't nearly enough, it'd be easier (and more profitable for Hollywood, hmm wonder why Arnie is anti games) if games were just swept away as 'like porn alcohol and tobacco'.

As someone who worked in a MVC (UK), I warned parents before, and then got bitched at because I sold THEM something unsuitable for their squawling brat of about 6. You try to do the right thing, but you can't follow them home and actually do the parenting for them.

I'm not saying all parents should understand everything about gaming, but just give the clerk a chance, maybe he's not just trying to sell you more stuff you don't want, maybe he's actually giving genuine info. (tho I can see how that would be unbelievable in some Gamestops.)

 

[Caligulove]

Dealing with retail is always a bit of a hassle no matter what store it is, really.

This employee is at least trying to make sure that the parent understands what they are buying for their kid and not just being "the money" in the situation which I think is some bad parenting, it is good to know what your kid is playing.

Not to mention he's helping to make sure that some dumbass parent doesn't come back and demand all sorts of things because 'you people didn't tell me about this sick filth- etc etc' so now it's clearly established what the parent has bought and such.

 

[Dexiro]

its the guys job to sell it to her and shut up

I disagree with that bit. Its the guy's job to make sure the parent knows what is in the game that they are buying for their child.

No it isn't. Its the parents job to know what they are buying for their kids.

But not all parents are tech literate and might not know how to find out about a game other than glancing at the back of the box.

There seems to be some weird psychology where parents will see or hear the warning for questionable content and just ignore them, maybe because they don't feel comfortable judging something they don't know much about, but once they actually see the content all hell breaks loose.

Like I heard one person making a fuss about not wanting her kid playing games that are too violent, while buying MW2. The GS employee described the airport scene in the most graphic detail he could in an attempt to put her off it, but she just paused and said "eh whatever".

Based on stuff like that I can understand someone at GS being a bit pushy to try and nail home what the content warnings are actually saying.

 

[Idlemessiah]

Im with the GS employee on this one. Like any age restricted item the guy has every right not to sell it and if the parents were not present he could have been prosecuted if he did. Its just the same as older people buying booze and cigs for 14 year olds.

 

[WakeTheDead1]

we dont get many gamestops in england but i work in HMV, if i sell a game to an underage person and get caught out i can get a £3000 fine and a criminal record so i always ask, if the parent is with them i point out the age rating but if they say its fine then its fine.
we also have GAME stores, the people who work there stereotypically seem a bit more obnoxious like 15 year olds wearing atari tshirts when they have never touched one in their life, just for the geek-chic image rather than actually liking atari

EDIT - in england we have 2 ratings systems, the BBFC - 12, 15, 18, and pegi 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+, 18+, it used the be that pegi was just a reccomendation and if a 12 year old wanted a 18+ game they could buy it legally, but they recently upped the status to the same as the BBFC and is now enforced by law that they have to be that age or they cant buy it

 

[hooksashands]

i bought gta 3 a year ago at gamestop because i felt like i needed it for historical purposes and the employee asked me if i wanted to get the one dollar guarantee if the game broke or whatever
i said no since i probly wasnt even gonna end up playing it and he started going "are you suree?" (looking at me like im an idiot) its worth it. and i told him no again and he was like "okayyyyyy" like i made some sort of grave mistake

That's an example of a good employee. He tries to make you buy more stuff.

The guy OP described literally tried to talk a customer out of making a purchase. He did the exact opposite of what he was hired to do.

 

[tharglet]

I wouldn't mind if the salesperson gives a quick blurb on the game content (in a neutral tone), and waits for one yes/no answer. Repeatedly trying to get a "no" answer is obnoxious.

Never had any issues myself - rarely have any form of conversation in any videogame store, partially because I rarely buy stuff in stores (internet ftw)

 

[Solid Reece]

God forbid an employee actually give a shit about what oblivious parents are getting for their kids.

The employee has no right say anything about what the parent decides is appropriate for their kids.

Thats where you are wrong. In gamestop stores i have seen a sign saying "We have the right to refuese survice"

 

[ThisIsSnake]

It's probably something he gets told to do by the manager, or he doesn't want to get in trouble for selling a mature game to a blissfully ignorant parent. In the UK they'd have just denied you service for that, as tis the law, so don't ***** when they let you get it.

 

[Eldarion]

God forbid an employee actually give a shit about what oblivious parents are getting for their kids.

The employee has no right say anything about what the parent decides is appropriate for their kids.

Thats where you are wrong. In gamestop stores i have seen a sign saying "We have the right to refuese survice"

Yhea, that doesn't mean what you think it does.

 

[Griffolion]

I think Game is the UK equivalent to GameStop and we kinda have the same problem. A year or two back i was ID'd to buy Resistance 2. I was 20 years old and still ID'd, the way the manager asked for ID in her tone of voice implied very strongly "i'm doing this because i can". I subsequently stopped going to that store.

 

[-Samurai-]

God forbid an employee actually give a shit about what oblivious parents are getting for their kids.

I assume you are being the devil's advocate. He is 16. Have you ever played Halo? Honestly any mature 14 year old could play Halo without any shocking results.

If the parent is buying the game (a individual who is an adult and the child's guardian) should immediately allow the parent to purchase the game. He has no legal obligation to inform and pester the parent on a decision they have already made.

But that being said if a parent is trying to buy a 12 year old GTA then any caring employee should inform the parent...these scenarios are really situational.

While that's true, it isn't the child(or teen) in question that would come back screaming at the GameStop employee if he had failed to warn them about the purchase, and they were actually offended or against the content in said game.

He covered his ass while doing the parent a favor. If it takes him being slightly annoying to get parents to pay attention to what their kids are playing, so be it. As long as we don't have another parent screaming that GameStop sold their child a murder/rapist trainer, we're all happy.

Game Stop employees have no legal obligation to explain the reasoning behind ratings, only to enforce them when underage children try to buy M rated games.

Good parents take the responsibility to research the games their children want and not expect to have their information handed to them.

Under that definition, how many "good" parents do you think there are out there? Clearly not enough.

I'm glad that the employee provided the service of informing the parent what she was buying for their child. There's no way she could go back, screaming that the employee sold her child a violent video game without her knowledge.

 

[EHKOS]

Yeah I had this asshole at my store piss me off a couple times. One time, because I was exhausted at the time humbly asked if about a system requirment when I still was naive about those things. I said 2.3MHz instead of 2.3GHz and he just jumped on it. But meh, I got my Oblivion and he got to close at 10 PM.

 

[Fappy]

I'm not entirely sure what the topic at hand is, but whatever I'll give it a shot. From what I have heard Gamestop is a pretty debilitating retail chain to work for, so I can understand why people have consistent issues with poor customer service. However, this obviously doesn't apply to every employee or Gamestop for that matter.I've dealt with some obnoxious Gamestop employees and some really awesome ones. Red fish blue fish.

 

[moretimethansense]

I understand many adults on the escapist are all for M rated games for "mature audiences"

Though being 16, I feel that maturity isn't defined by age.

I have met children who were exposed early to "mature" content. And the kind of person they are is effected negatively.

Anyway, while buying halo reach the man working at gamestop was determined to not let me purchase the game. I had my mother with me to actually buy it for me. He first said the standard, "This game contains mature content are you sure you want to buy it." And she replied "yeah it's fine". Then he's talked about how all I'll be doing is killing things. Still my mother said it was fine. Then he went on about how people will be swearing at me online. Then he began giving the topics they will be discussing. At which pont my mother interrupted him and said "It's fine." for the final time. He reluctantly said alright, and finally let me purchase the game.

A friend of mine went to buy black ops and the same employee talked his parents out of it. I'm not saying this is a problem if someone's parents don't think they could handle such a game I respect that. Though the same friend went to go buy the new pokemon game. At which point this same employee said "Really, you're buying pokemon?!"

Then my friend allegedly said "You're thirty and you're working at gamestop."

I'm not sure if my friend actually did this as he has a bad case of being unable to differentiate from things he wishes he did and things he actually did.

Up until the Pokemon thing he was doing his job, there are far too many parents that buy things like that then storm back in an hour later screaming at them for selling such "trash" to their little ones.

As for the Pokemon thing?
What a douche.

 

[ryai458]

God forbid an employee actually give a shit about what oblivious parents are getting for their kids.

The employee has no right say anything about what the parent decides is appropriate for their kids.

No, but they have every right to let them know what is on the game.

 

[Jatyu]

For those complaining about being under age to purchase a game, just come to Australia. A fifteen year old can purchase whatever game they want. Also, they'll sell you r18 movies if you're 15, we seriously don't care.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

its the guys job to sell it to her and shut up

I disagree with that bit. Its the guy's job to make sure the parent knows what is in the game that they are buying for their child.

No it isn't. Its the parents job to know what they are buying for their kids.

And its the employees job to inform them.
The guy was doing his job. It might not be a legal requirement in the US, but its still company policy, and if he doesn't explain it, bam disciplinary.
And you keep harping on about how its the parents job, but how many parents actually sit down at a computer and research the games their children want? you can bet the answer is not many.
you've obviously never worked in a game store have you. if you had, then you would know, to put
it simply, you're wrong.

 

[Addicted Muffin]

as a gamestop employee... i can say, sometimes this is the best course of action...

everyone in my store is a young gamer who is concerned about the future of the medium...
if mommy and little billy of age 9 walk in and want CoD, we try our hardest to talk her out of it, because it is a mature title, the kid's mind is still developing, and shit might be implanted in his molding mind....

but if timmy of age 16 or 17 walks in, we sell them the game... they're old enough not to know to go to the mall and try to get a high score...if you get my drift...

ESRB is there for a reason.. though sometimes it's a bit rediculous