Gamestop, the ultimate con artists

Ducttape said:
I haven't bought anything from gamestoppers for a while; nothing against them, I just haven't been in there for a long time.
Well...I went in Tuesday to buy DeadSpace for the PC. Very friendly employees, they just wouldn't stop trying to sell me stuff!

Gamestop Employee: "Is that all you needed?
me: Yep
Gamestop Employee: "Left 4 Dead is coming out soon. Would you like to reserve a copy now for $5?"
me: Left 4 Dead looks awesome - can't wait to play it! but I've already bought it on Steam.
Gamestop Employee: "Ok. Would you like the strategy guide for Dead Space?"
me: nah, I never use those things. It's feels like cheating to have a guide, you know?
Gamestop Employee: "Some people buy them for every game. Hey, Far Cry 2 is going to be awesome! Can I get that for you?, too?"
me: eh, I can't afford multiple games at once, and I just bought Left 4 Dead and Dead Space. I'll probably get it later though."
Gamestop Employee: "Would you like to reserve your copy? We'll hold it for you till you're ready for it."
me: "Um, no, thanks. Can I just get my game now?"
Gamestop Employee: "Sure, let me ring you up."
Gamestop Employee#2: "Do you a GameStop membership card?"
me: nope
Gamestop Employee: "Well, if you sign up now, it's good for saving for a whole year, and you get a years subscription to Game informer magazine. Can I sign you up?
me: I really don't shop here that often...
Gamestop Employee: "It's gets you discounts on used games. It pays for itself in no time!"
me: mmmm.....I really don't read Game informer mag, and i don't buy used games; probably wouldn't do me much good to have it, so thanks anyway but no thanks.
Gamestop Employee #2: "Wow. I read game Informer mag constantly! You have to read it; it's the best gaming mag out there!"
me: awright, yeah, I guess I'll give it a try. Sign me up.

...and that's why they do it! :o
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Lol, yep Gamestop employees are basically judged on how many preorders they get and how many subscriptions they fill. Your lucky its a new game or they would have tried to throw a used one at you.

P.S. Game Informer is basically a piece of ****. About 40-50% of it is ad space.
 
wow ive shopped on gamestop for years, and the one I go to, listens when I say no, lol I dont think they have ever attempted to get me to get anything I wasnt buying before I went there... but then again the gamestop I go to, used to be an ebgames
 
Ducttape gave the perfect example of a basic visit to gamestop. That literally EXACTLY how it goes.
Few tips:
Power in numbers - Take a friend or two, hand the GS employee your game and chat with your friends, unless the employee's a rude jerk, he wont bother you.

Just say NO - Seriously, "would you li-" NO. just cut'm off, be rude, it'll shut'em up.

Dont give in - Thier like wild animals, as soon as they detect weakness they'll pounce. You have to be clear and stern with your answers.
None of this "well, i dont really buy game guides." cause they'll detect a hint of weakness or unsure-ity? and then just HAMMER you with all the other offers.

ON TOPIC: i guess i can see where your coming from, most people who buy the "collectors" edition are buying it FOR the nice box, because their "collectors" they like to display it on thier shelf kinda like a trophy. So ya if they just threw some stickers on a regular box i can see how you'd be kinda upset.
 
seriously who pays attention to the case after you buy the game , I dont even remember where I put the cases to all my games O.o
 
EVERYONE knows if you bug, and ask enough questions, you'll get the person to agree or say yes to signing them up for something, just to get the person whos asking you to leave you alone. It ranks up there with telephone soliciting, how many people actually seriously talk SERIOUSLY to those people ?!
 
Actually i would have to agree with Ducttape because I don;t play 360 or PS3 games anymore... it's all PC and all games that I like can be done over the internet, so I don't actually have to go to gamestop for anything but a WoW gamecard.
 
What nobody seems to understand is the fact that GameStop really made a big deal of the case. I read in multiple places where they were really pushing the case. And then it turned out to be a disappointment. That's the heart of this issue that I can't quite get across...

Yes, I saw "Collector's Edition" and sort of had high hopes for the packaging. I am a big fan of the original Far Cry series, and I've been looking forward to this game for a while. I really wouldn't mind having a nice case to display.
 
Ok before you head to the checkout counter, make sure you pickup your cellphone and talk to a friend while paying for it. I've done it a lot of times at EBgames and they won't dare interrupt you by selling you junk.

They say Far Cry2 was a fancy box just so they can get you to reserve a copy and buy it but its just a gimmick to drag you in. Guess what? people fall for it all the time. You've been tricked but not treated (oops not Halloween yet, can't pull that joke up yet).
 
To everyone saying "WHY BUY GAMES FOR CASE! YOU CANT PLAY WITH IT LULZ" is missing the point.

Some people like to get special editions of things and keep them. They are called collectors. It is fun to collect things. Baseball cards, special edition DVDs, and even game boxes. When someone says "I collect baseball cards" do you tell them it is stupid because you can't play baseball with them? Doubt it.

Sorry to hear you got ripped off on the case. Maybe write a letter to the headquarters of Gamestop. Usually retail companies will throw you a bone or two to keep you happy because research has shown that unhappy customers are more apt to go out of their way to complain about your business than happy customers are to let people know about your good service.

Retail stores operate on small profit margins. Costco, the almighty Costoc, operates with an average profit amrgin of 17%. WalMart I heard is around 4% profit margin. What that means is if a game sells to you for $59.95 pretax WalMart makes ~$2.94 per game. They would have to sell 4 games per hour just to meet someones $11/hour wage. Walmart can make up for small profit margins by sheer volume alone.

What does this mean?

This is why stores always try to upsell or sell extras. My friend worked at Best Buy and they would randomly make him wear a headset to listen to his sales pitches. They want to ensure he was always asking people who bought a video game or game system if they wanted extra controllers, memory cards, cables, etc... because they make more money on them. He told me that Best Buy made around $2 for every sale of a PS2. But if they sold them an extra controller, 2 memory cards and a set of "high end" component cables they could ratchet that up to about $60 profit on the sale.

I do not know about Gamestop but they may offer commission on every subscription sold, gift card sold or strategy guide sold. They may offer bonuses or perks to those who meet a quota or are the top seller that month of gift cards.

Consumers and retailers need to know they can't bite the hand that feeds them. Consumers feed retailers money and retailers feed consumers goods.
 
Chef- No we do not make a commission off of the sales. There used to be a quota that we have to hit all the time if not our jobs are at risk. They say they have gotten rid of that practice but it is still part of the company why just make it sounds different.
 
Clarko said:
Chef- No we do not make a commission off of the sales. There used to be a quota that we have to hit all the time if not our jobs are at risk. They say they have gotten rid of that practice but it is still part of the company why just make it sounds different.
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That's why i said "I don't know about Gamestop" :D

Some companies have policies like that. It's a way of making extra money.
 
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