The decline of GameStop

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Other than those two, I've never had poor customer service from a GameStop.

I never had any customer service issues at my GameStop, I don't think I ever got asked if I want to pre-order such-and-such game when buying another game. My problem with GameStop was I could always get better prices elsewhere and only ever went there out of convenience because it's the closest game store to my house. Also, I always sell my games on eBay for way more than GameStop will offer. There was always very little point in going to GameStop over other stores IMO; I'm guessing Disc Replay is better for buying and selling used games.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Other than those two, I've never had poor customer service from a GameStop.

I never had any customer service issues at my GameStop, I don't think I ever got asked if I want to pre-order such-and-such game when buying another game. My problem with GameStop was I could always get better prices elsewhere and only ever went there out of convenience because it's the closest game store to my house. Also, I always sell my games on eBay for way more than GameStop will offer. There was always very little point in going to GameStop over other stores IMO; I'm guessing Disc Replay is better for buying and selling used games.

This pretty much matches my experience. Never had any real problems shopping there, but the prices were just not that great. Why buy a game used for $55, when I can get it on Amazon for $40, or wait for it to go on sale and buy it digitally?

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Preventing the resale of previously owned games was the entire point digital sales and the services that provide them were introduced in the first place.

Pretty sure the fact that online functionality was becoming a huge thing anyways, and eliminating manufacturing costs of discs, boxes and game inserts along with the middle man logistics were the high points of it, but yeah that might?ve been an added bonus for them.

 

[BrawlMan]

I'm guessing Disc Replay is better for buying and selling used games.

A majority of the time. The only flaw is that they don't sell new games. The only thing they sell new are video game accessories, after market controllers for older consoles, and hdmi converters. They sell used games going as far as back as the original Atari 2600. So they have way more variety than GS by default. DR also sales used dvd and blu-rays. Though that area is not as good as their game deals. I got Sega Genesis Mini from Disc Replay for free (it was $40.00 used), because I traded in a bunch mediocre licensed Genesis games. They were paying extra bang for anything Sega. One of the best deals ever made. Game Play is cool too, but they actually sell games at their new price and used. They're nothing, but games and all game accessories. I going to try to see them more often, as I've only visited the closest store to me once.

 

[Squilookle]

Preventing the resale of previously owned games was the entire point digital sales and the services that provide them were introduced in the first place.

Pretty sure the fact that online functionality was becoming a huge thing anyways, and eliminating manufacturing costs of discs, boxes and game inserts along with the middle man logistics were the high points of it, but yeah that might?ve been an added bonus for them.

No- that was the plan from day zero. You've got the two the wrong way around.

 

[BrawlMan]

These are relevant:

snip

This GameStop rant is just as relevant, yet more carthatic and sad. The guy doing the rant used to work at one before 2012. This video was posted 8 years ago.

 

[Yoshi178]

As long as EB keeps giving me cool pre-order promo stuff AND continues to let me price match other stores then i will keep buying from them

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

I hope the one near me doesn't close down.
It's literally the only place in town to ask about new games and merch

 

[Marik2]

I guess it sucks for people living out in rural areas that gamestop is closing down. But I never liked the place, and found Target to be way better for games and electronics. If you want community, then just use the internet.

 

[Lufia Erim]

I just buy my games on amazon. Why would i go to gamestop?

 

[Xprimentyl]

I just buy my games on amazon. Why would i go to gamestop?

Because on its face, ignoring questionable business practices, Game Stops are a good way to browse and gain exposure to what?s available to you. In my younger, more naive days, a trip to Game Stop was like a trip an adult toy store? I mean, a trip to a store for adult toys? no, wait, as a young adult with my own, discretionary income, it was like taking a trip to a place that filled me with an excitement not unlike that I experienced as a child going to a toy store. I might have left the house with the intent of buying a specific game, but I?d invariably wander the used aisles or check out games I might not have heard of, hadn?t given more than a cursory glance elsewhere or find an older game I?d forgotten I was interested in at a steep discount. Game Stops were good places for community, to immerse oneself in a hub of a hobby beyond the clinical exchange of money for a specific good. They were fun. One can scroll through an Amazon interface to ?browse,? but so much goes into the algorithm that dictates what you see without specific searches, it?s hard to gauge if what you?re seeing is actually representative of the breadth of what you?re potentially interested in. Game Stops (and stores like them) have a legitimate place in the overall market; they just need to right-size and back off some of the grimier practices that makes everyone look at them with the side-eye and question their viability. Will that happen? Who knows.

 

[Marik2]

I never really liked gamestop or blockbuster back in the day, due to the stupid practices they both had. It was inevitable they would start to dwindle.

 

[Satinavian]

I just buy my games on amazon. Why would i go to gamestop?

Because on its face, ignoring questionable business practices, Game Stops are a good way to browse and gain exposure to what?s available to you.

Even in the old days i found other stores better for browsing games. Pretty much every store that sold PCs would sell games as well. And there were several electronics ot household appliance stores that had PCs or at least laptops and consoles and games for both. And there were games in toy stores as well.

And then GS stopped stocking a wide selection of PCs because there was no resale money to get and it became utterly useless for me.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I just buy my games on amazon. Why would i go to gamestop?

Because on its face, ignoring questionable business practices, Game Stops are a good way to browse and gain exposure to what?s available to you.

Even in the old days i found other stores better for browsing games. Pretty much every store that sold PCs would sell games as well. And there were several electronics ot household appliance stores that had PCs or at least laptops and consoles and games for both. And there were games in toy stores as well.

And then GS stopped stocking a wide selection of PCs because there was no resale money to get and it became utterly useless for me.

I remember the last time I went to a GameStop to buy a PC game. Clerk asked what I was looking for, and I said Far Cry 2 which was just released.

?Xbox 360 or PS3??, he asked

?PC?, I replied

?...PeeeCeeee...?, he said creepily, like I had just committed a sex crime.

 

[BrawlMan]

I just buy my games on amazon. Why would i go to gamestop?

Because on its face, ignoring questionable business practices, Game Stops are a good way to browse and gain exposure to what?s available to you.

Even in the old days i found other stores better for browsing games. Pretty much every store that sold PCs would sell games as well. And there were several electronics ot household appliance stores that had PCs or at least laptops and consoles and games for both. And there were games in toy stores as well.

And then GS stopped stocking a wide selection of PCs because there was no resale money to get and it became utterly useless for me.

I remember the last time I went to a GameStop to buy a PC game. Clerk asked what I was looking for, and I said Far Cry 2 which was just released.

?Xbox 360 or PS3??, he asked

?PC?, I replied

?...PeeeCeeee...?, he said creepily, like I had just committed a sex crime.

Sounds like an asshole. I rarely had those type of guys at the GameStop's I went to anyway. But I've met only about two of them. this one employee hated all things Raiden from metal gear. He refused to touch metal gear rising, because kojima gave the development to platinum. Another was a guy that seemed to hate almost anything Japanese. He seemed to have an inferiority superiority complex. Both didn't last that long at the GameStops I went to anyway.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I just buy my games on amazon. Why would i go to gamestop?

Because on its face, ignoring questionable business practices, Game Stops are a good way to browse and gain exposure to what?s available to you.

Even in the old days i found other stores better for browsing games. Pretty much every store that sold PCs would sell games as well. And there were several electronics ot household appliance stores that had PCs or at least laptops and consoles and games for both. And there were games in toy stores as well.

And then GS stopped stocking a wide selection of PCs because there was no resale money to get and it became utterly useless for me.

I remember the last time I went to a GameStop to buy a PC game. Clerk asked what I was looking for, and I said Far Cry 2 which was just released.

?Xbox 360 or PS3??, he asked

?PC?, I replied

?...PeeeCeeee...?, he said creepily, like I had just committed a sex crime.

Sounds like an asshole. I rarely had those type of guys at the GameStop's I went to anyway. But I've met only about two of them. this one employee hated all things Raiden from metal gear. He refused to touch metal gear rising, because kojima gave the development to platinum. Another was a guy that seemed to hate almost anything Japanese. He seemed to have an inferiority superiority complex. Both didn't last that long at the GameStops I went to anyway.

Same. At least during my gaming peak (360/PS3 gen,) I rarely if ever had a significantly bad Game Stop experience. I tended to frequent the same two or three, and even became familiar with a lot of the staff. I rarely sold them games back, so never really had to deal with their ?buy low/re-sell high? tactics that grind so many other?s gears, and I bought new or used (provided the disc, case AND booklets where in an acceptable condition) at my discretion without an urging from the employees one way or the other.

Then they got on the aggressive push to sell used over new, Game Stop exclusive offers, shoving preorders down our throats, etc.; it just became a place much unlike I?d known. I still opted to shop there because I like physical copies and because, imho, Games Stops are still more convenient than shopping online, i.e.: if I want a game right now, I can get to a Game Stop and back within 15 minutes versus order ?now,? and waiting a day or two for delivery. But my transactions became focused, not fun and passionless: ?here?s my money for THAT game and leave me alone with anything else.?

Now? Haven?t bought a game for myself from ANYWHERE in almost 3 years; couldn?t be more disaffected. I?ve been to a Game Stop twice in the past 3 years, both time to buy something for my gf?s son, an when I say ?no nonsense,? I mean I?m in and out within 2 minutes; the amount of time it takes my debit card to go through taking up 80% of the time I spend in the store.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

My experiences at EB Games have always been fairly positive ones. They do ask about pre-orders and the like but most of them are friendly and casual about it and having worked a variation of retail sales before I understand they're doing because they have to so I don't hold it against them.

Don't get me wrong, I'll got the JB Hi-Fi if their price is better, but since I rarely buy my games physical these days unless that's the only option - Hey there, Pokemon - because I'm 99% a PC gamer, its rather moot. Although sometimes they'll both beat Steam/Origin/uPlay if the sales are on and by a significant margin.


I get the feeling the difference in service quality has more to do with the differences in sales culture between the US and most other countries. Or maybe its something utterly different that can't be pinned down.

 

[McElroy]

Not too many GameStops here in Finland, but I think they had a bit of a surge in the 00's. There was a tax-loophole that made buying games online rather cheap up until 2012 when it was shut up, and so small game shops with their online stores cruised past actual on-the-spot shopping. Physical copies became useless in the PC world anyway. I'm rather detached from the core console gamer demographic GameStop tries to cater to (I guess).