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Top 7 Things GameStop Can Do To Stop Sucking

October 30, 2007 in Top List comments 15

Gaming Target has the top 7 ways that game retail chain GameStop can stop alienating hardcore gamers, the most important one being: Stop hiring idiots.

See all 7 at the source.

While GameStop's financial future is in good order, losing the hardcore crowd will eventually start to affect their bottom line and we as gamers deserve a place to buy our games that respects who we are and what we've done for them. If bratty teen girls can have Abercrombie and Fitch, then we as gamers should have a better place to buy games. So here are seven suggestions to the GameStop brass on how to fix the problems with their store. Maybe they'll ignore them, but look at what has happened to the big players in your own industry after Nintendo ignored gamers in 1996 and how Sony is doing the same today.

1. Stop asking us to pre-order. And while you're at it, make your retail drones stop telling us that if we don't pre-order a certain hot game we might not be able to buy it on its release date. Within five miles of where I currently sit there are three GameStops, two local shops, two Blockbusters, a KB Toys, a K-Mart, a Wal-Mart and a Target. All of these stores sell copious amounts of games and I can't imagine any game that could be sold out everywhere. If Halo 3 can't do it, nothing can.
SwiderMan via gamingtarget.com »
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  • 1
    Joseph Leito Oct 31, 07
    I have to agree whole-heartedly. I went in to buy Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest once, and they didn't have it, as expected. OK, no biggie. I then proceeded to ask where I could get it. Walk into Best Buy or CD Tradepost and ask, and they'll point you to a completely different company down the street, even though they don't get a sale. The gamestop guy pointed me to another Gamestop a hundred fifty miles away. I walked to the local CD Tradepost (Basically across the street) and sure enough, there was a copy. Needless to say, I don't shop at Gamestop anymore. Usually the guys don't know the difference between an RTS and an FPS...
  • 0
    huntyr Oct 31, 07
    you don't shop at gamestop because they didn't know a competitor had the game? When a store doesn't have something, I kinda expect they will point me to another of their stores.
  • 0
    Capn Droid Oct 31, 07
    Nevertheless, "drive 150 miles and you might get it," or "you're screwed, wait till we restock." The last one would be more appropriate if they didn't know whether their opponent had any in stock.
  • 0
    dmf_dynasty Oct 31, 07
    Some of the employees do suck. When I went to get my PS3, he talked to me for at least 10 minutes as to why the 360 is better and I'm stupid for buying a PS3. Finally I just blatantly told him to shut the hell up and give me my damn system. I can understand helping me make an educated choice, but I had done my research and he was just being a fanboy.
  • 1
    DemskeetSkeet Oct 31, 07
    I went to my gamestop 2-3 weeks before halo 3 came out to reserve castlevania dracula x chronicles for the psp.

    He asked me if I reserved halo 3 and I said no, I will buy it release date at best buy for the reward zone program. He started laughing and said I wouldn't be able to find it.

    My best buy still had halo 2 copies from launch over a year after it was out.

    I started laughing and said their will be legendary editions still on shelves 6 months after halo 3 is out. guess what? they still are!

    gamestop is garbage.
  • 1
    Subzer0 Oct 31, 07
    I have to agree with this article. Especially about the used games price reduction. I mean a 5 dollar difference is nothing! I'd rather buy the new. Used should be at least 20 bucks lower than the new imo.
  • 0
    random_gamer Oct 31, 07
    The funny part about reading this is I just put in an application to work at my local Gamestop. Maybe the one in my town is just weird, but I've always found the staff to be very knowledgeable. And they have a lot of new PC games. They just recently took out the used DVD racks and put PC games in their place.
    • 0
      Seproth Oct 31, 07
      My local gamestop is pretty good too. They aren't experts by any means but when I went in for Gears of War they were out of collectors editions. So I asked if I could find any somewhere else and they sent me to best buy. Which did in fact have some left in stock.
  • 0
    tallteen86 Oct 31, 07
    Yeah, I wasn't happy about GameStop acquiring EB games. I've only noticed small changes since that happened, so I still hold out hope that it won't crash and burn on me, years from now...

    BTW: Googling "GameStop Smart" brings up a bit less than 500K hits, and it seems a bunch of them have to do with a guy who has the last name "Smart" >_>

    Course, you rarely find more positive results, than critiques...
  • 0
    chaos Oct 31, 07
    I agree with all of these. There are two GameStops I goto - our local one, and one at the mall... rarely the one at the mall, though. At the mall, they always bug me to reserve a game. I always tell them no, but it doesn't seem to matter to them. That's where I reserved a copy of Pokémon Diamond; when I went to get it, the guy bugged me to reserve Battle Rev. for the Wii. I told him no. He asked again, I told him no. Then, he finally said he'd put his own $5 down on the game for me, and yes, this was the manager of the store. Or assisstant manager, not sure. Of course, I said yes... $5 off a brand new game is good. However, I never went to go pick up the game... something came up, and I couldn't take an hour ride to the mall to get it. >.<

    At our local GameStop, though, they never ask me to reserve anything. There's this one guy there that's good at what he does there. The rest, meh... there's this one chick there that knows absolutely nothing about games, but she's hot, so it kind of balances out.
  • 0
    Xenctuary Oct 31, 07
    I didn't realise there was so much dislike toward GameStop in America. Interesting read.
  • 1
    BANDITO ATTACK Oct 31, 07
    I like gamestop. the employees are usually rather entertaining and knowledgeable about the games. save for the few complete idiots they hire, which happen to be really attractive females. this girl seriously didn't know how to get the DS cartridge in the case. it literally took her like 2 minutes before i had to say "turn it sideways.."

    and they don't always take the new games out of the case. usually they have a few display cases, and keep the new, sealed games behind the counter.

    "A used game is just that, used, and with the fragility of disc-based media it's idiotic to expect a used game to be considered almost equal in price to a new game."
    and its still the same game that a team of designers and developers slaved over for months/years on end to finish. i highly disagree with that, and i buy used games all the time. it's just a way to save 5$, quit bitching. bigger retailers wont even give you the option to get a discount on a game just because someone else owned it.
  • -3
    Final Blade Oct 31, 07
    I must disagree with this article i mean first off the open box thing the game disc itself is new not the box i don't get the problem and the pre-ordering should always be the case if you want something make sure you paid money for it first. Just cause things happen in the past doesn't mean it will follow year end. As for the cheaper used games, sorry you don't get that luxury there not 2 year old used games. They are 2 months used games that should be $5 dollars off. I also buy used games and you can't accept the fact its going to be that price don't get used games. Quite honestly the gamestop i been to(in the mall near me) has been absolutely great non of those problems even exists, so to me this is all a rant. Im sorry if some of you had problems but not everyplace does this. So i can't say i agree with any of these top 7. I love gamestop i think they are the best game store ever. that i have been to anyway.
  • 0
    streetcarp81 Oct 31, 07
    i only have one problem with gamestop, i live in the city and down my street is my local gamestop, i love it because its close and i only walk for 2mins and i am there. almost everyone in the store is cool and that is why i still go there instead of another. but this one employee is really pissing me off. If u call the store he answers and will not tell u anything on the phone, if u go in the store with used games in hand that they are still taking he will lie and say they are not, and he wears a suit to work everyday and tells u he is the manager when he is just a reg employee. It seems that every gamestop or ebgames i go to has one asshole that has to bust balls. I had to say my piece, and to the person that said they were applying to GS, DONT, its degrading. its ok to be a patron of the store, but never work there, you will carry that stigma the rest of your life.
  • 0
    ConkerASkyJockey Nov 1, 07
    I need to say a few things about this article.

    Point #1) I agree and disagree on this point. Sure, they are annoying when they tell you to reserve games but they offer you games you might never experience before.

    Point #2) I agree on this point. People can still loan games from a old console if they want too. They can't decide what games you want to loan or which console your getting your rented game for and yes. Each type of player should enjoy there own game genres.

    Point #3): I agree, Game Informer is a really good game magazine. I would trust them with all my will.

    Point #4):I agree with all my fist. Used games should be lower, since they are used by someone else and who knows the damage the disc might have.

    Point #5): I agree. They explained it well. I have nothing to say.

    Point #6): I agree. There are many Portable computers gamers out there. There deserve the same credit as video game system gamers.

    Point #7): I agree and disagree on this point. The reason I agree is that yes, they should stop hiring idiots. They need to give them a video game IQ test to see if they know about gaming, not hire random people. The reason I disagree, since many people who are idiots attract costumers (such as hot babes etc.). So its actually good for there sales.

    Good find on this article. It proved many gamers the truth about GameSpot.

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