Do You Like Gamestop? Yes/No and Why?

I only go there for pre-orders (if you get something for it, if not I usually go to CeX)

For the most part no. They are pretty much a rip off. I do pre-order some games there because it is a mile from my house. The employees at my store are pretty decent compare to some of the stores I have shopped at. I usually do most of my game shopping/trading at Amazon.

I am not a huge fan of the franchise.

I understand that for new game releases they base how many units they will receive off the number of pre-orders they have gotten for that game, but it just seems like everytime I go in there for a new release, they are out. Yes I know I could just pre-order the game to avoid this from happening, but I like to check out reviews and get feedback on the game from this forum before I make a purchase.

Compared to other local game stores, their used prices always seem higher.

I hate when I buy the "last copy" of the game, and get a game that is not sealed. I have always heard that those "last copies" the employees take home and play, then bring it back when they are done. If there is any truth to this, then the "last copy" is technically a used game and should be priced as a used game.

Hate Gamestop because they usually cost more, the employees try to talk you into buying stupid crap or out of buying something, they sell used crap as new and then say I get home and it's all scratched to crap then will try to refuse a refund because it's open when they are the ones that opened it, used game trade in values are a scam, the used games they sell are over priced etc. Amazon is better in every way.

They always want you to buy a used game, when it's like $4 more for a BRAND NEW copy.... And when I pre-ordered Black-ops they sold MY copy because I didn't go to the midnight release.

I don't have a problem with Gamestop. I used to pre-order from them a lot, because they were about 10 minutes walk from my place. After I missed a pre-order for Mass Effect 2's collectors' edition because they sold it out, I used Amazon and discovered how awesome they are with their discounts and bonuses. Now I use Amazon every single time because they are reliable and especially since their release-date delivery dropped to 1 dollar.

EDIT: Oh, and the Gamestop employees in my particular store are all polite and never tried to sell games or magazine that I don't want unless I asked for a recommendation.

I don't have a problem with Gamestop, here's why...

First off, I'm a smart shopper, I wait till i can get a good deal on something before i buy it. I went to Gamestop in november when they were having a buy 2 get 1 free used game sale and picked up Fallout 3 GOTY edition, Just Cause 2, and Alan Wake basically for the price of 1 new game. That's a fantastic deal, no one can deny that. People complain that they don't give you you're money's worth on trade-ins. Well guess what? No one is forcing you to trade your games in there, you could just as easy list it on Ebay or Amazon and get $10 to $20 more on it. And people like to hate on employees there but they're just doing there job, their corporate people are dicks and pressure the employees to get preorders and subscriptions and when they don't meet a quota, they are threatened to lose their jobs. So Gamestop can be a good place to shop if you take advantage of the good offers they have.

A lot of people have been saying that Gamestop sucks. They say it has crappy employees that don't care, overpriced games and accessories, New games arn't really "New", they try to sell you a magazine/card every time you walk in there, and i have heard that they don't give you much for trade ins. Then i have heard the complete opposite of that. What are your feelings about Gamestop? PS. What do you think of Amazon?Firebolt059

I hate when I buy the "last copy" of the game, and get a game that is not sealed. I have always heard that those "last copies" the employees take home and play, then bring it back when they are done. If there is any truth to this, then the "last copy" is technically a used game and should be priced as a used game.TheRaiderNation

If a game disc has been played, it is used, plain and simple. There are chances of it being scratched, having fingerprints, etc. If you have to clean a game off before selling it to a customer, it is a used game!

I like them for used games (esp those out of print) and they often have good sales. For new games I am an Amazon shopper.

Ive never had any real issues with Gamestop. I do agree it can be quite annoying to be asked at checkout to buy this strategy guide or that peripheral, but that is their job. However, I have witnessed employees being very "fanboyish" with customers. These people should keep their personal preferences to themselves and sell to the customer what they want. I have myself on several ocassions corrected a Gamestop employee on misinformation he was giving to a customer when asked about the graphics between the 360 and PS3.

I don't have a problem with Gamestop, here's why...

First off, I'm a smart shopper, I wait till i can get a good deal on something before i buy it. I went to Gamestop in november when they were having a buy 2 get 1 free used game sale and picked up Fallout 3 GOTY edition, Just Cause 2, and Alan Wake basically for the price of 1 new game. That's a fantastic deal, no one can deny that. People complain that they don't give you you're money's worth on trade-ins. Well guess what? No one is forcing you to trade your games in there, you could just as easy list it on Ebay or Amazon and get $10 to $20 more on it. And people like to hate on employees there but they're just doing there job, their corporate people are dicks and pressure the employees to get preorders and subscriptions and when they don't meet a quota, they are threatened to lose their jobs. So Gamestop can be a good place to shop if you take advantage of the good offers they have.

LtDan1989

Summed up my thoughts exactly. As far as trade-ins go, Gamestop is a business and needs to make profit. To people who actually take the time to sit down and think about it, they'll realize that they were never, NEVER get as much money trading in games than if they were to sell it on there own. Some places might give more credit, but it still won't be near what you could sell it for yourself.

As far as employees go, it's the same at every store. Some know what they're talking about, some are decent people, and others should be fired. Just because you go to a store that has a bad employee doesn't mean that all stores of that brand are bad as well.

As for pushing on pre-orders and such, if you've worked in retail, you know that you get in trouble if you don't follow company rules. If you needed to ask the same questions they do, and your manager could potentially fire you for not doing so, wouldn't you want to keep your job?

And for the last point, used games. I can say flat out that GS has some stupid rules considering letting employees 'rent' new games and sell them as new when they're used, but at the same time, they don't hold a gun to your head and force you to buy them. When purchasing, you can ask to see the condition if it's a used game, or if it's 'new' and out of the case, request one in the case. If they don't have one, you could ask for a discount considering that it's been opened. If they don't want to give it to you, then you just say you don't want it then and look elsewhere.

When you really think about it, Gamestop does have it's problems, as with any other company. However, customers are too quick to start pointing fingers when in fact they could have done something themselves about their situation.

I personally hate GameStop. Crappy customer service, insanely high prices and exclusive add-ons for people who buy their games from them. I've only once bought something from a Gamestop and it was sure as h_ll the last.:x

Being an employee of gamestop, I have to say, working there rocks. Being a customer there sucks. What you guys gotta understand is that our managers track how many pre-orders, membership cards, and subscriptions we sell, so if we dont push them, we get fired. I hate doing it, but I have to.

gamestop sucks--if your looking for a new copy of an older game, they'll try to sell you an opened "new" game--but when you look at the back of the disk its scratched and the clerk will just be like "i dont know how that happened"

stay away from the thornwood and white plains new york gamestops

I don't mind them, but they aren't my first choice for games.

I resent being bombarded with upsells when I'm at the till - at least they don't ask me if I want to buy a strategy guide any more. But now it's "Do you want Game Insurance on that? It's only $3, good for a whole year. You know how that 360/Wii/PS3 drive loves to scratch discs."

"Did you bring any games to trade in today? No? Well, here's a list of our most wanted titles at the moment."

"Do you want to buy this game used? We have a few copies, they're $5 cheaper."

"Have you preordered this random game we've been sponsored to promote this month? Notice my ID lanyard and my shirt, and our bags? Yeah, it's Activison month. Did you want to preorder the new Call of Duty game? It's a pretty limited run, you never know how many copies we'll have."

The trade-in values are insulting. If I'm going to trade something in I'll go Future Shop, who offers two games in for a free new release. But I generally don't trade games in because I only buy games that I want to play (and keep playing) or I buy cheap games that are fun for a while but aren't worth trading in at all because I'd get (maybe) a dollar for them.

EB Games is, however, a necessary evil when it comes to older or more niche titles like Persona, especially with Amazon.ca's slow-ass free shipping speeds.