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The Horrors Of Working At GameStop

January 15, 2010 in Blog comments 17

Damnlag.com's Mark Swan talks about the time he spent as a Gamestop employee, why it isn't as good a job as some gamers would like to believe, and why no gamer should ever bother applying there...

I have about two years of GameStop employment under my belt. I don't currently work there, and I plan to never work their again. GameStop was the first job I ever had, and I went into the store with high expectations. I was, at heart, a gaming nerd entering a normal person's job market. Of course I wasn't expecting saving Princess Peach or to fighting waves of alien invaders to be part of my job description. But, at the very least, I was hoping that a job in the gaming market would give me the opportunity to discuss my favorite hobby with like-minded peers in a comfortable environment. However, I was quickly disappointed to learn that GameStop was, in its futility, was just another damn job.

My tenure at GameSpot gave me an inflamed bitterness and an experienced begrudging for corporate gaming. In merely two years, I've saw it all, heard it all, and cleaned it all up. Any rumors you've heard about the store's business is probably true. So, to anyone interested in finding employment in GameStop, I ask you to heed my warning and offer this guide to what your experience would be like.
Miss Razz via damnlag.com »
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  • 1
    Play ISDF Jan 15, 10
    Omg! I worked at GameStop for two years and because I had a bad experience then EVERY store around the entire f@#!ing globe is BAD! And the company is BAD right!? RIGHT!?!?

    I just could not stand to read that entire thing. Don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for the guy if he had that bad of an experience. But that just sounded like the biggest, epic, whine I've heard in such a long time. Of course GameStop is just another retail shop. Of course it's not about knowing games but rather how to sell them (obviously a little background knowledge comes in handy though). What do you expect for a business?
  • 5
    Miss Razz Jan 15, 10
    I wish I could agree that the guy is whining about nothing, but the reason I submitted the article was because I've come across these people in every (and I mean, every) EB Games store I've ever been to. Sadly, it seems to be a common thing. Would it kill them to hire people who at least know something about the products they're selling? I don't care if they're gamers or not, as long as they have a basic knowledge on what they're selling. D:

    I shouldn't have to explain to an EB Games employee what "80GB" means, or that the Wii and DS are two compeltely different consoles, or that yes I'm a girl who is buying a PS3 for its games and not the goddamn Blu-Ray player. Ugh, frustrating.

    I love you, ebay
    • 0
      Play ISDF Jan 15, 10
      Maybe I'm just really lucky then. Basically the EB Games we've got here has a great time. They know their stuff fairly well, are easily friendly, and are a pretty cool staff. None of them really meet any of the steroetypes there. The GameStop two hours away from where I live isn't too bad either from what I've seen though I've only been there four or five times admittedly. All my friends in various places who also like to play games haven't had anything like that either.

      From my perspective it just seems like this guy is crying about an entire global company based on a few rotten eggs. It's like saying Microsoft is a completely shit company just because Vista wasn't up to scratch. Can't expect things to be perfect.
      • 1
        Dark Arcanine Jan 15, 10
        You must be really lucky. The people who work at my local EB Games are several names that I can't post here. They don't have any knowledge, whether it be about games or specs for example. They don't have a clue what's going on in the gaming world, completely clueless to all the news out there. And yeah, they really dish it on females when they try to buy things, the store disgusts me.
      • 0
        Gamesta100 Jan 16, 10
        Same with our EB Games.The people there are all nice and at least one of the guys actually knows about games and consoles and stuff.

        We usually end up chatting when I go there and sometimes he even takes a little off the price of a game for no reason.
    • 1
      chautemoc Jan 15, 10
      I was interviewed by EB Games, and the manager flat out told me they want salesmen -- knowing about games is just something of a bonus. Basically if you're a great salesmen, they don't care if you know about games. They he proceeded to make me sell a random object to him as a test.
      Naturally I didn't get the job. And thank god for that.

      Conversely I was interviewed by a sweet Canadian game retailer called Microplay some time after that. They're a small franchise and they're awesome in every way. The entire interview we talked about our favourite games, playing games, and favourite gaming magazines. It went really well and I'm near positive they would've hired me if not for technicalities -- some unemployment program thing they were signed up for. I told them I'd quit my job (fast food at the time) in a second. They wanted to say yes but couldn't. Haha.

      Anyway, they're awesome. My friend wanted to buy a game for her cousin once but has no clue about games. She walked in there per my recommendation and told them this, they asked her some questions and picked out a great game for her. She was very pleased. This is how all game stores should be.

      The only reason GameStop/EB is popular despite being the opposite is the same reason IGN and GameSpot are popular while say, Neoseeker struggles to get the popularity it deserves (we're good but not that good): money. The system doesn't work if anybody can just throw money at an industry and be successful in it. Wish people would *bleep*ing wake up and stop buying at GameStop, and stop visiting IGN, GameSpot, etc. They'd be amazed at how much more satisfying their experiences are.
      • 1
        FinalFantasyFanaticc Jan 15, 10
        See over here in our main game stores GAME isn't too great from what experiences i've had. However in a Gamestation the staff are very polite and you can literally walk in there and be talking for up to an hour about your favorite games and what your looking forward to, without even buying a damn thing! I've always had good recommendations in there, hell i've even made sure the staff themselves buy some good games!
    • 1
      Dark Dom Jan 15, 10
      Haha I work at EBgames, good thing I'm pretty knowledgeable. Thing is, all jobs do suck, people people are retards. I mean, I hate being cynical, but humanity is *bleep*ed, and working in retail just proves it. I had some lady come in and keep trying to ask me what game it is where you collect stuff, and she got angry at me because I told her that in most games you collect items and she wouldn't let me help her find out which one it is. -_-
      • 0
        Dark Arcanine Jan 16, 10
        Come work at mine, Dom, please. Though I think it's a big difference between gamer consumers and then parents or grandparents coming in to buy for their child. My parents don't have a clue I know that much.
  • 3
    BANDITO ATTACK Jan 15, 10
    all jobs suck. no need to be a cynical asshole about it.
    • 1
      Dark Arcanine Jan 15, 10
      For those who don't have a high enough education to get a good job perhaps. For those who do, they can get a nice job that also pays well. These game stores employ the lowest of the lows, the same sort of filth you get at car dealer shops only they're even less intelligent and don't have that killer edge.
      • 1
        RabidChinaGirl Jan 15, 10
        I dunno, sales people can be just as content if not more so than, say, a college professor.

        If a waiter at a restaurant likes the income and environment, he or she could very well be happier there than an employee at your local bank.

        It's about perspective.
      • 4
        BANDITO ATTACK Jan 15, 10
        your attitude in referring to people with these jobs as "the lowest of the low" and "filth" really *bleep*ing sucks. you need to work on that shit.

        and almost nobody likes their job. i don't care what you're doing, when you have to do it every day you'll grow to hate it.
        • 1
          Dark Arcanine Jan 16, 10
          I'm actually quite enjoying the double degree I'm doing at University which is going to set me up, along with the work experience I'm doing, for several jobs I'd be more than happy to take up.

          My attitude doesn't suck, I think yours does saying "all jobs suck". Seriously, go whinge binge to some emo's on MySpace.The fact of the matter is, I've yet to meet a nice person who actually has a slight bit of knowledge about gaming, working in a games store.
  • 1
    RabidChinaGirl Jan 15, 10
    You know, I've noticed that the four GameStops within reasonable driving distance from me have gotten much nicer over the years. The one location that used to have the worst customer service switched managers and employees, and now most of the people who help me check out always remind me to do their online survey.

    My guess is that with publishers selling games directly and online retailers like Amazon and Newegg doing so well with lower prices, GameStop may have put the squeeze on their employees. Because really, what's the biggest appeal of shopping in person versus just going online, without the hassles of driving and lines? Better customer service, I'd say, especially if you have issues with a purchase. And customers are more likely to go somewhere if the workers (retailer, restaurant, whatever) are pleasant to deal with. That's just my theory as to why the GameStops around here don't employ asshats anymore -- bosses pulled their leashes.

    They still don't know shit about games though. I'd never ask for advice from those people.
  • 0
    Dio Jan 16, 10
    This is why I never buy my games from Gamestop. Instead, I purchase my games from a little gaming-specialty shop down the block which usually gets games like a week early, haha.
  • 0
    Euphoric Jan 16, 10
    All I got from that was that this guy went to work for a retail company without understanding what was required to work in the retail industry. This guy needs to grow up and face reality. Business is business. Doesn't matter if it's games, furniture or womens underwear, if you are selling a product (which is what every business is doing) the focal point of the business is always going to be sales and profit.

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