The Real Deal with EB and Gamestop

godsown-drunk

Hi All,

I see all over the net people with questions and comments (mostly negative) concerning eb/gamestop and whats going on, etc. etc. To tell a little about myself I am a manager with eb (oops, i mean gamestop now) and have been with eb for 2 years before that i worked for gamestop back when they were funcoland and also when it was babbage's and software etc. I work in PA and have been in Videogame store Mgmt for 7 years running now. I welcome any questions anyone might have and would like to tell you something.... I will never be a District Manager because I care about games/gamers and my employees and customers. I will not BS you and I will not lie/cover up info. I will give you the straight poop! I take it personally when people bash all eb/gamestop managers and employees. If the employee is doing a bad job there is only 1 thing you can do to help... call customer service and report their ass! Don't get tricked into calling the DM because chances are the DM is gonna cover their friends ass. And no not all managers are friends with the DM and not all DM's are bad. (there are 1 or 2 good ones.... JR Messina for example.) I hope to talk with you guys and answer any questions or hear any complaints, offer any advice I can. and in case you can't tell... I am a Gamer first and and EB/Gamestop Manager 2nd!

-Godsown

airbornflght

Why do you all only give me minimal ammounts for trade ins and turn around and put a sticker on there for 5-8 times what you gave me for it. Seems like I'm getting the shaft on that deal, which is why I havent traded any games in there in about 2 years.

godsown-drunk

Corporate sets the price of all trade-ins and they update the computers every night. Unfortunatly it goes on supply and demand and not on whether it is a good game or not. 20 million copies of madden made = $2 trade in, digital devil saga 1 million copies made $12 trade in. The best thing to do is wait until there are trade in specials (like now trade 4 get extra $10). Still hurts tho....

Leonardo

20 million copies of madden made = $2 trade in

I can only comment on very limited experience. I used to take my son to a video retail/trade-in store several years ago. I don't remember the pricing, but I do remember boxes full of used sports games that just wouldn't move - hockey this, football that, Madden this, Madden that. I think every new gaming console at that time came with free sports games...that no one wanted. Seems like everyone wanted to get rid of them, but no one wanted to buy them. This was back in the N64 and Sega days. I have no idea what those stores are like now.

profdlp

I know that with the sports games, a lot of the attraction is to have the current team rosters, not the one from last year or the year before.

Djinon

Here's something I hope will help with all the damn questions we get every damn day:

We have no f-ing clue when we're getting PS3 reserves. We've heard to look for the September/October timre frame but, after working there for only a bit over 6 months, nothing corporate tells us EVER comes out right so the real answer, again, is WE DON'T KNOW.

Same goes for the Wii.

Another thing: When a game is just starting development and there's no way in hell there can logically be a release date for it, DON'T ASK. Halo 3 is the biggest example. I've been asked about it since December when I started working and I bet there were questions longer back. Go read a f*cking magazine. Go look online. Most of the time that's where we get our news since we aren't given any information from corporate, at least not us poor-timers. Use your brains.

WuGgaRoO

why do you guys sell used games without booklets and instruction manuals? Don't you feel there should be some standards in order to accept used videogames or setup a program with the game companies so that you can purchase the booklet?

Thrax

Okay, that's a peeve of mine. Who actually needs the stupid manual?

tmh88

just wondering, where in PA did you work. I have a couple friends that work at eb/gamestops

Djinon

I'm a bit of a collector when it comes to games as I imagine a lot of the other employees are and, yes, it really annoys me when someone comes in with a CD case and starts trading in games. That right there stops me from wanting anything in there. Also, now we have to go through the work of making a case and slip for each game after having to look it up in the computer instead of just scanning it. Trust me, I don't want to even consider games that are brought in like that. It makes the shelves look ****ty when a quarter of what's there all have the same generic cover with no art and a weak case to hold it in.

However, the only thing that actually matters here is what Gamestop wants and what they tell us is that the game is all that matters. No book? Fine. No case? Whatever. I guess whoever's making that decision is thinking that the game's all that matters and to some effect they're right, but that in no way represents the whole of gamers, if that person even is one. It's the same as your job, we have to do as we're told. If we turn people away because they don't have anything other than the game then we can get fired, that simple. Hell, we can't even turn people away when we know the games/whatever have been stolen. Pretty rediculous, isn't it, when I have to go ahead and accept TWO pristene copies of Kingdom Hearts II 2 days after it's release.

WuGgaRoO

Thrax wrote:

Okay, that's a peeve of mine. Who actually needs the stupid manual?

i do! and I guess its one of my dealies or whatever, but it annoys me to get a video game and no instruction booklet..
also to Mr. Gamestop, why can't people get a price break if they don't have the booklet or case... i mean it just seems slightly unfair...also WHO THE HELL LOSES THE BOOKLET! my lord, there is a specific place for it within the box..and the box,...MY LORD! who in the lord's good name has the ability to hold onto a dvd, which is totally smaller than the box itself...and another thing...why the hell did we suddenly change the box standards? why must I have a gamecube game, about the size of my thumbnail taking up the space of like 2 cds in my rack

TheSmJ

Dude. You have a big thumbnail.

godsown-drunk

I wish that we couldn't take in games without boxes and instr. but corporate's policy is to take back everything. You have to remember that all trade ins are pure profit for the company. they don't want to turn anyone away. In my store I charge a refurbishment fee for those who don't keep their boxes and instructions. you lose $2 on each trade. (my small incentive to people to take care of their stuff. it works for a lot of people.)

Djinon

I didn't know you could charge that fee for that. Maybe it's the manager's choice. I'll ask if we can start doing that.

Also, to all those peeps asking questions to the effect of 'why can't we...': BECAUSE WE CAN'T THAT'S WHY. We were hired by a company that makes the rules, stop asking us lowly employees to do something we can't.

drasnor

I bought a used game at GameStop today and felt like I was ripping them. I've been scouring the local game stores for copies of Phantasy Star Collection and finally found one out here in Podunk-ville College Station, TX. Last time I hit up eBay for the thing it was going for $75-$200 based on whether or not it came with manual or case. I got mine for $12 after verifying it wasn't bootleg.

Another one of my gripes: I bought bootleg import music at a Gamefellas for full retail price. Pissed me off to no end when I found out three months later. Not much I can do about it now but never buy anything there ever again.

-drasnor

airbornflght

I just think that EB rips the customer on tradeins, therefore I do not trade in games there, I make hella more money selling them on ebay.Not to bash EB or anything, they are just trying to do one thing, make the most money, and if they can get the games for nothing and mark them sky high, then it is all profit almost.