Poll: Gamestop Employees general: Like them or despise them?

[JeanLuc761]

You know who also does stuff like that, strippers. You know why they do it, to get your money. Do they actually give a shit, no.

Did you seriously just compare retail employees to strippers? What about those of us who actually have an interest in talking to the customers because it's fun, helps our day go by faster, AND helps our job.

The way you're talking, you think retail should have no employee-customer contact whatsoever beyond the employee staying perfectly silent as you pay for your item.

 

[ddrfr33k]

I'm a GA (peon) at GameStop, and I've been on both sides of the counter for many years. For Game Advisors like myself, we're lucky to get 4 hours a week. I don't work there for the money. Never have, probably never will. I work there because I like talking to people about games and translating geek to common for bewildered parents.

As far as the trade-in "rip-off," It's not always quite the way you think it is. GS gives between 30-50% of what the game sells for used, not new. The acutal amount given is based on supply and demand, just like everything else. While it's not exactly as much as you would get from, say, selling it on craigslist, you also move it out of your residence faster than the turn-around on CL. Also, you are more than welcome to decline trading in a game at any time before the transaction is finalized. For all intents and purposes, GS operates like a specialized pawn shop. Both have to make their profits somehow. That's just the nature of the beast.

I hope I've shed some light on the topic. If you're in my neck of the woods, you can find me at store 534 in Minnetonka, MN. I'm the really tall one with the red hair. I'm impossible to miss.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

Impossible to answer. I really like some, I really loathe others. How do you come up with an "in general" answer to that?

 

[TehCookie]

Depends on the location. The one nearest to me and the one in the mall are quite friendly and nice, but the several in between those two have terrible service.

 

[DustyDrB]

They're too damn pushy. 'What systems do you own.' Dude, shut up.

It's a conversation starter, not only to help you find a game you'll enjoy but also to strike up a conversation. If you're seriously hating on them for something that trivial, then I think there's a deeper issue at play here.

Hell, regardless of the store, I appreciate when employees make the effort to come out on the floor to either help me or to just chat for a bit on *insert item of mutual interest*. Yeah, it might be part of the job but a good employee will make it a more pleasant experience.

You know who also does stuff like that, strippers. You know why they do it, to get your money. Do they actually give a shit, no.

Well sounds like they are really missing out when they are denied a conversation with you...

 

[GonzoGamer]

My experiences (in the NYC area) have been so poor, I don't even shop there anymore: except at the Rockefeller Center where they seem okay.

Most of them seem really stupid...for retail clerks. I mean, I've never bought french fries at McDonalds and had the clerk hand me an empty carton. Something like that happened to meat gamestop (with a game case instead of a fries carton).
At the same store my wife's friend was actually laughed at when she asked if she could buy a wii fit. Sure, it was rare at the time but she's not a gamer and would have no way of knowing that.
It's the closest game store to my house (3 blocks away) but I never shop there anymore and I don't think anyone else does either. They Always have a banner for one sale or another out front leading me to believe they're overstocked.

In other words, they seem to be obnoxious douche-bags.

 

[DVS Storm]

The employees in the nearest Gamestop are really nice. They seem to know what they are doing and they are really helpful.

 

[ddrfr33k]

Most of them seem really stupid...for retail clerks. I mean, I've never bought french fries at McDonalds and had the clerk hand me an empty carton. Something like that happened to meat gamestop (with a game case instead of a fries carton).

I've done that on more occasions than I care to admit. When the store is really busy, it's really easy to forget to put a game in a case. If you bring in your receipt while I'm still there, I'll gladly give you the game you rightfully deserve. My coworkers will also gladly oblige. We're all human, after all...

At the same store my wife's friend was actually laughed at when she asked if she could buy a wii fit. Sure, it was rare at the time but she's not a gamer and would have no way of knowing that.

Okay, I'll agree that that's a blatant violation of Wheaton's Law. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton%27s_Law#Wheaton.27s_Law] Send feedback with that online survey on your receipt. The District Managers sit down and read through every comment that gets submitted with the surveys. Those clowns will learn quick or get the boot in the arse.

It's the closest game store to my house (3 blocks away) but I never shop there anymore and I don't think anyone else does either. They Always have a banner for one sale or another out front leading me to believe they're overstocked.

There's always sales at GS, no matter what time of year it is. That's nothing new at all.

 

[Dragonclaw]

As a former Gamestop store manager I'd say most of the statements here are spot on...My crew knew that there was pressure to get numbers and that it wasn't coming from ME...I went to bat for everyone, especially if I saw consistant effort...you can't FORCE people to buy into pre-orders and magazine subscriptions. But effort didn't matter, only results counted with my DM and we heard so LOUDLY (Not to say we understood and agreed...just that he was a really LOUD guy!). There are secret shoppers who watch for staff and grades them down if they leave customers alone, seriously. "What system do you have" and "What can I help you find today" are almost required 'conversation starters'. As for the hiring cute girls...yep...we were certainly 'encouraged to make sure our staff was diverse' wink, wink / nudge, nudge...and if you're going to hire a couple girls, hiring 'cute' ones do help sales. It sounds bad, and it IS bad, but some of the gamers who are a bit shy as well as the stoner crowd (and we had PLENTY of that) were pretty much wrapped around the little finger of "the cute girl" whenever they came in. It really looked like the scene with 'Raisins' from South Park. Come into my store stoned and you might walk out with several pre-orders for games you don't want, insurance for your new games, and another subscription to Game Informer....just like when you came in last week if the girls had their way...

 

[triggrhappy94]

The ones at my local GS are friendly.
One of them even got me Homefront for free (back when a used copy was $40(US))
Thanks to a coupon though, I didn't steal it or anything. I'm not a pirate.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I have nothing against the employees of Gamestop. At least not the rank and file who inhabit the stores.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Generally I don't talk with them much. They all try to sell me stuff but really that's their part of their job so I don't blame them. I don't ask them on advise for games but from what I overhear they know some stuff but everything but not a lot about anything in particular. The quality varies from place to place obviously but the ones I have meet have ranged from bland from above average.

 

[Strain42]

Contrary to the popular saying, a few bad apples don't always spoil the bunch. I'm sure people have had their bad experiences with GameStop employees, but the guys at the one I work at have always been cool.

So yeah, no complaints from me.

 

[Irridium]

Really nice. Then again I also used to work at a retail store(we rented out games/movies), so we understood each other.

Great to talk to though. I remember one time I went in, and spent 30 minutes just talking with a dude there about stuff. It was awesome.

Hehe, I remember when I was young, my friend and I went to buy Halo 2(or a replacement copy for him). Sadly they couldn't sell it to us because we weren't 18. So one of the guys working there, who loved Halo, bought it himself, and gave it to us.

We were dumbfounded.

Damn that guy was awesome. Wonder how he fares these days...

 

[pixiejedi]

They've been helpful to me, pretty much regardless of location. Even got hit on once there. Its like service and an ego boost in one stop.

Of course the mall in my area had a disgruntled gamestop employee burn down a big chunk of the mall along with that store, which is both funny and understandable. More points for them.

 

[silver wolf009]

At my Gamestop I know a woman named Ms. Anita. A long time ago, back when I had a PSP, she forgot to ring up a copy of Metal Gear: Anthology on the reciet. I told her about it, and I payed for it in full. We've been good friends ever since. I like them.

 

[emeraldrafael]

They're workers doing their jobs. I have friends who are employees and they're awesome. and then Iv'e seen bad ones. Just like any job, it all depends on who wants to work there and how serious they are about their job.

 

[-Samurai-]

I've never met one I didn't like.

I've never really understood the hatred for GameStop employees.

 

[elcamino41383]

To quote myself, from a thread a few months ago, this is the worst I've dealt with at any Gamestop:

My only bad Gamestop experience really is that the closer one to me has a manager that doesn't get it. I mentioned to him several times during one purchase that I didn't want to pre-order anything, yet he kept insisting. What was even worse, the first thing he suggested was a first person shooter, I said "I'm sorry, I don't like FPS" then he lists more FPS games I should reserve. Had to say no a few more times before he got it.

My friend got a used game from there and decided he didn't like it and they have a 7 day return policy, no questions asked, on bought used games. So if it turns out you don't like it you can return it and get your money back, or get another game, etc. This same manager I dealt with (this actually happened BEFORE my experience) gave my friend shit for bringing it back. It was day 6 and my friend hadn't had a chance to get it back to the store but he was still within his rights of returning it for his full refund. The manager said something like "Well if you didn't like it you should have brought it back right away and not wait till your time was almost up." My friend replied "Well I'm sorry that life has kept me busy, but I'm still within the 7 days." The guy gave my friend a little more crap but took it anyway.

Now we complain about this manager to the other employees all the time because the other guys are awesome and know us pretty well.

Aside from that, the 3 main guys I deal with at local Gamestops, I love them. Pat, Mike and Karl are just awesome. Mike and Pat know me so well by name and know what games to recommend me and what games to completely steer clear of. When I found out that Mike knew me this well from just a few visits I was blown away. It took Pat a little longer, and Karl is certainly getting there. If ever in my area (which is unlikely) you HAVE to visit one of the 2 Gemstops near me, because for the most part the guys are just plain awesome. And over all, I really don't "hate" Gamestop like many here seem to. I actually quite like it.

 

[LetalisK]

The majority of the gamestop employees have been nice to me and sometimes have even hooked me up. There are a few with really silver tongues, but I can't really blame them for it.