GameStop Selling Games Played By Employees As New

[lazyhoboguy]

http://kotaku.com/5205385/gamestop-sells-played-games-as-new-sources-say-practice-could-be-illegal

I would be really pissed if I bought a "new" game from them like this.

[scooterb23]

What's shocking about something everyone knew two years ago, that probably has been mentioned on these forums weekly for the past 2 years?

*broken record time*

If you don't like the way they do things...don't shop there

Well guys, here's your weekly "Gamestop sucks thread"

Have at it.

[lazyhoboguy]

Lol, well I posted this since they are actually getting investigated by a government agency for this. I heard people say this happened before, but now we have proof. O, and the "shocking..." part was supposed to be sarcasm. Doesn't work right on the internet sometimes haha.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

I don't understand why anyone would want to buy a new game there, but I figured everyone on here already knew this. Like Scooter said, this is old news and many people have bitched about this. I only go to Gamestop when I have a coupon for some sort of great deal on used games, other than that it's a pretty shitty place to shop.

Next Thread...

[darkslime]

old news is old

[Superman]

This is fairly common knowledge, but I wonder why it took so long to investigate?

[Cryomancer]

About time. If any other industry was doing this it would have been stopped long ago.

[Dangerboy]

Yay! It's about time this came into the media light. Once this is taken care of, we can get rid of people trying "new clothes" and "new cars" being test driven and then both being sold as new.

[sisko]

Actually, all the article states that a government agency may or may not be investigating the procedures that Gamestop may or may not be doing.

(Yes, I know for a fact that Gamestop does this)

[lazyhoboguy]

Actually, all the article states that a government agency may or may not be investigating the procedures that Gamestop may or may not be doing.

(Yes, I know for a fact that Gamestop does this)

O, yea you are right, they are not for sure being investigated yet. But Kotaku does say that the practice is their company policy and managers at gamestop say that it happens.

[DigitalSpace]

I guess it was a slow news day for Kotaku. Anyways, Scooter wins the thread.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Now this is of no surprise to many of us who have always suspected game stores practicing this. Apparently, it's been reported that selling new games as new after 'Lending' them to employees, could actually be illegal!

To be perfectly honest though, why has it taken until now to do something about it? We've been banging on about such things on forums ever since the internet existed, and even before. We've all known that GAME and GameStation allow this to happen, and willingly allow employees to borrow 'New' games at will, which are then resold to unsuspecting members of the general public with nothing more than a store security seal over them.


It won't be long before it's discovered that these stores are also guilty of something else we've all known about for a long time - The trading in and reselling of still new and immaculate games. - Ie, If you purchase a new game on release day, play it over the weekend and trade it back in on the Monday, then technically the game is still a 'New' release, although it's been played. If it's still unmarked and immaculate, most stores will simply stick it back out as brand new and slap one of their store security stickers over the flap. To me this is wrong, and needs to be stopped, and the very reason I buy only games which are still factory sealed in their cellophane, as they are without a doubt still new and haven't been tampered with. Yet these stores know they can get away with it because they have such a fast turnaround that they know they can pass off an immaculate copy to the next punter and no-one (Except the store employees) are any the wiser

How often have to gone into GAME or GameStation and asked for a brand new copy of a game which has just been released and been given an unsealed questionable looking copy, only to be fed some bullshit excuse about how they need to open all their copies to prevent theft? Well, to be honest I don't buy their excuses, and what they really mean to say is that it's a next to new copy which is in pristine condition which they've decided is of the same quality as a brand new copy, so they'll try and sell it as 'New' - So either they've previously been played by the employees, or they've been bought, returned, and put back out as 'New' simply because it's a recent title and in excellent condition


It's about time the courts cracked down on these sorts of practices, as these stores are duping customers into believing that they are recceiving a brand new untouched game when in actual fact they've been borrowed and played by the store employees and passed off as brand new still!I would like nothing more than to see an investigation into these practices, and strict guidelines laid down for the sale of games which stores claim to be 'New' - I'm sure it can't be too hard to simply put display cases on store shelves and keep sealed copies of new games behind the counter, which would remove all doubt whether or not a game is actually new or not

[DP ServBot]

Kotaku reports on a practice by GameStop which allows employees to "check out" new copies of video games, play them, then return them to be sold as new. Quoting: "When a shipment of video games initially arrives at a store, managers are told to 'gut' several copies of the game, removing the disc or cartridge from the packaging so it can be displayed on the shelf without concern of theft, according to our sources. The games are then placed in protective sleeves or cases under the counter. If a customer asks why the game is not sealed they are typically told the the game is a display copy. The game is still sold as new. When check-out games are returned, we were told, they are placed with the gutted display copies. If a customer asks about these, they are typically told they are display copies, not that they have been played before. Since the copies are often placed with display copies, even managers and employees typically don't know which of these games have been played and which haven't."http://games.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/04/10/0531204 (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/10/0531204&from=rss)
Read more of this story (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/10/0531204&from=rss) at Slashdot.
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[GrandAmChandler]

This is nothing new, it's a bad practice, but it has been going on at least since Babbages took over FuncoLand. Those "new" PS1 games? Yeah I took a different one home every night in college.

[Sabz5150]

Always ask for a sealed copy. If they tell you that's all they have, either don't purchase it or voice your concern.

[Oobgarm]

C'mon DP Servbot, you should check other forums before double-posting.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130204

;)

[Xian042]

Kotaku reports on a practice by GameStop which allows employees to "check out" new copies of video games, play them, then return them to be sold as new. Quoting: "When a shipment of video games initially arrives at a store, managers are told to 'gut' several copies of the game, removing the disc or cartridge from the packaging so it can be displayed on the shelf without concern of theft, according to our sources. The games are then placed in protective sleeves or cases under the counter. If a customer asks why the game is not sealed they are typically told the the game is a display copy. The game is still sold as new. When check-out games are returned, we were told, they are placed with the gutted display copies. If a customer asks about these, they are typically told they are display copies, not that they have been played before. Since the copies are often placed with display copies, even managers and employees typically don't know which of these games have been played and which haven't."http://games.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/04/10/0531204 (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/10/0531204&from=rss)
Read more of this story (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/10/0531204&from=rss) at Slashdot.
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yeah, old news, but come on now, does it really matter? Yeah they gut new copies, and yeah they let employees take the disk home to try the game. Now who's opinion on the game will you trust, the gamer that just played it at gamestop, or the old lady at Target?

Yes some of the opened new games are played, some of the new copies go into the demo units in the store so customers can play it, when that becomes the last copy, its sold as new.
Just remember that Gamestop has a pretty loose return policy. Since these games are already open, its not such a big deal for you to return it if you dont like it. Try doing that at Target.
Doesnt seem so bad now does it?

[megasdkirby]

C'mon DP Servbot, you should check other forums before double-posting.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130204

;)

Haha, I was going to do that! Maybe it will close it's topic since it's a double post. LOL

But I hate this practice too. Same as the "Oh the opened copy is still new" bullshit.

[FantasiaWHT]

EB Games was doing it when I worked there in 2000-2002, but wasn't allowing it anymore when I came back in 2004-2005. I assume when GS bought them the practice started up again.

If you raise a big enough stink about it at the store (in a polite, non-ranting way, I mean), you probably can get a shopworn discount. As far as the ethics of calling it "new", I'm going once again to compare it to a piece of clothing that might be taken home, tried on to see if it fits, and brought back to the store. That will be sold as new at full price, too.

Generally, I would trust the employees to take good care of the discs.

[bangtango]

When Amazon.com or Walmart starts selling used games as "new", then we'll be onto something.

But this is simply the sort of thing you'd expect from Gamestop.

[NayusDante]

Just remember that Gamestop has a pretty loose return policy. Since these games are already open, its not such a big deal for you to return it if you dont like it.

I was always told that the only real "return" policy was for used games, which is 7 days no questions. I've seen people try to return a game that they bought new, only to be offered trade-in credit. $4 is not a refund for a $30 game.

I simply don't buy new games from GameStop. On the rare occasion that I do, they give me that "display copy" BS and I just ask to inspect everything, then note the clerk's names if the CD key is missing or something.

[eugenek]

EB Games was doing it when I worked there in 2000-2002, but wasn't allowing it anymore when I came back in 2004-2005. I assume when GS bought them the practice started up again.

If you raise a big enough stink about it at the store (in a polite, non-ranting way, I mean), you probably can get a shopworn discount. As far as the ethics of calling it "new", I'm going once again to compare it to a piece of clothing that might be taken home, tried on to see if it fits, and brought back to the store. That will be sold as new at full price, too.

Generally, I would trust the employees to take good care of the discs.

I don't think that that analogy is the most appropriate one. A closer one is to a piece of clothing that has had the tags removed. After that, no matter how many or how few times it's worn and no matter how new it looks, you can't sell it as new. Similarly, once the seal has been broken on a game, it's not "new." Not to mention all the stickers that they defile the case with.

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

does this practice effect pre-ordered items too, or only off-the-shelf 'new' games?

wondering b/c i rarely buy new games (last one was rock band 2 ffs), and if i do it's something i'm going to preorder and pick up on launch day.

[megasdkirby]

I simply don't buy new games from GameStop. On the rare occasion that I do, they give me that "display copy" BS and I just ask to inspect everything, then note the clerk's names if the CD key is missing or something.

Funny thing is that in PR, DACO states that display copies MUST be cheaper than sealed copies, yet these bastards insist that it's "new". Idiots don't know that once it's opened, it's not new.

When I am extremely bored and willing to fight, I bring this up whenever I buy a game that is the Display Copy. I always win. :)

[badinsults]

Its like complaining that the "new" car with 200 km on it from previous test drivers is not new anymore.

I have bought display copies before, and as long as they are in mint condition (no scratches on the disc), why does it matter?

[Nesmaster]

I've been caught in this trap before:

"Hi, do you have any new copies of X?"

"Well, we have one new copy left" *Grabs disc in sleeve, proceeds to place in case*

"Uhh... that's not new, I don't want it"

I've asked for "Sealed" copies in stock ever since.

[eugenek]

Its like complaining that the "new" car with 200 km on it from previous test drivers is not new anymore.

I have bought display copies before, and as long as they are in mint condition (no scratches on the disc), why does it matter?

Test drives are an unavoidable aspect of the business but at least the car dealers recognize that and are happy to extend your warranty by the number of miles already on the car or even discount the price.

Nobody has ever offered to discount a display copy for me. Did you know that only 66% of men wash their hands after using the bathroom? If I'm going to put fecal bacteria in my PS3 you'd better damn well not charge me the same price as a sealed copy.

[scooterb23]

I never hear anyone argue the points Dangerboy brought up. How can a car be sold new when 5-10 people have driven it a couple hundred miles? How can a pair of pants be sold as new once tried on? I can't argue how this is any different. I think they are truly valid points.

I know it still doesn't change the fact that it isn't a desirable practice, but when put into that perspective...it really isn't any different (in my point of view anyway).

[Xian042]

does this practice effect pre-ordered items too, or only off-the-shelf 'new' games?

wondering b/c i rarely buy new games (last one was rock band 2 ffs), and if i do it's something i'm going to preorder and pick up on launch day.

It only accounts for the 10 or so copies they gut to make a shelf display, a store will usually have plenty more sealed ones behind the counter. Once the sealed ones are gone, they start selling the displays. If you preorder something you will NOT get an opened copy.

I worked for EB and then Gamestop and we did this, but we never tried to lie about it or sweep it under the carpet. I always told the customor all we have is gutted display copies left, its still a NEW game, but it may have been played once or twice in the demo system or sampled by one of our employees. People NEVER had a problem with it unless it was for gift they were going to wrap. In that case I'd offer to shrink wrap it in the store and that would be fine also if it was for a little kid.

And no its not like taking home clothes, wearing them, then returning them to be sold as new because you arent SWEATING FROM YOUR CROTCH ONTO THE GAME!

When I was at EB I did have one guy call up and bitch me out because he got three opened games. #1, he sent his wife in because he was too lazy to come in himself. #2, the game was long out of print but we still had a couple gutted copies in the store.
He wouldnt have been able to find those games anywhere else. I explained the whole thing to him that we arent "hiding" anything. Thats the way the corporate bigwigs want to run it so thats how we have to run it. He responded with " I dont pay full price for this opened crap" I said "I would be more than happy to return the games for you and I know Target doesn't open their games so you can shop there." He said "THATS IT I'm coming down there!"

he never showed.

Look I'm not a huge Gamestop fan either but this really isnt a big deal as long as its explained to the customer, and 90% dont give a crap.

[eugenek]

I never hear anyone argue the points Dangerboy brought up. How can a car be sold new when 5-10 people have driven it a couple hundred miles? How can a pair of pants be sold as new once tried on? I can't argue how this is any different. I think they are truly valid points.

I know it still doesn't change the fact that it isn't a desirable practice, but when put into that perspective...it really isn't any different (in my point of view anyway).

Is there any way to merge the two threads on this topic?

You get a discount on the car. You get the warranty extended by the amount of mileage. The pants still have the tag on them, which at least tells you that nobody wore them to Taco Bell and then shit themselves in them.

But for games, the seal is the only thing that tells you that an employee didn't drop a deuce without washing his hands, whack off to a porno in his Playstation and then immediately pop in Street Fighter IV.

The whole argument structure is bogus anyway. It's not feasible to expect people to buy cars without testing them, or pants without fitting them. Necessary evils, if you will. But there is no compelling need to gut 12 copies of the same game and then let employees borrow them and then sell them as new.

[rpepper9]

Test drives are an unavoidable aspect of the business but at least the car dealers recognize that and are happy to extend your warranty by the number of miles already on the car or even discount the price.

Nobody has ever offered to discount a display copy for me. Did you know that only 66% of men wash their hands after using the bathroom? If I'm going to put fecal bacteria in my PS3 you'd better damn well not charge me the same price as a sealed copy.

Wow! Playing the "fecal bacteria" card!

How about that sealed game that comes from a packaging plant that is probably in some 3rd world country where there are cockroaches, rats and other parasites crawling around the shop?

This topic has become way over blown! If you don't like the opened game, go somewhere else and buy it. Target and Walls*Mart are rampant across the US (something similar in UK I am sure), go there and pick up the game. I am pretty sure that the price is the same for new games wherever you might get it.




P.S. I frequently SWEAT FROM MY CROTCH ONTO MY GAMES! (anyone wanna trade?)

[NayusDante]

Target and Walls*Mart are rampant across the US (something similar in UK I am sure), go there and pick up the game. I am pretty sure that the price is the same for new games wherever you might get it.

This might be good advice, if it weren't for the godawful selection that Target and Walmart have. Every time I check, they only have the REALLY BAD games (shovelware) and the really POPULAR games. Don't expect to see anything remotely alternative or rare. This leaves GameStop as the only place to find variety.

With great selection comes great responsibility.

[Oobgarm]

I never hear anyone argue the points Dangerboy brought up. How can a car be sold new when 5-10 people have driven it a couple hundred miles? How can a pair of pants be sold as new once tried on? I can't argue how this is any different. I think they are truly valid points.

The only way that those can be argued is that aren't really being 'used' to their maximum potential like a game is. Granted, there's only one way that a game can be used...and they're quite conductive to multiple uses without any noticeable flaws, but I still think it's different.

Cars are tested, and it's common practice for a dealer to make a car cheaper if it has a lot of test miles on it. This is an expensive item that is not manufactured "en masse" by a duplicating machine, so a test of it is almost mandatory to ensure everything is satisfactory. I've never heard of anyone complaining that car dealerships let people test drive cars and still sell them as new, with the exception of when the GameStop argument comes up. Let's say that someone did take a car home for a test drive, drove it for a few days, and then brought it back to the dealership. The dealership is likely going to lose some value on the car, especially to a discerning buyer.

Clothes...still a bit different. You don't have associates taking clothes home, wearing them, and bringing them back to the store to sell. Trying clothes on differs since, like cars, there can be variation in material and craftsmanship. Personally, I hate trying on clothes, but I can understand why some do.

Games, though, differ from this because someone is taking the title home, playing it as though they'd purchased it and getting full enjoyment of it, and then bringing it back to the store. And then, GameStop intends on getting full retail value for the title, even though it's left the confines of the store and has been played at someone's house. All copies of a title are the same, so there's no reason for an associate to take it home and "test it out" to make sure it works as intended...because it'll be swapped out if it's defective. The only reason to take it home is to play it and have fun with it, all without that pesky annoyance of "purchase".

[eugenek]

Wow! Playing the "fecal bacteria" card!

How about that sealed game that comes from a packaging plant that is probably in some 3rd world country where there are cockroaches, rats and other parasites crawling around the shop?

This topic has become way over blown! If you don't like the opened game, go somewhere else and buy it. Target and Walls*Mart are rampant across the US (something similar in UK I am sure), go there and pick up the game. I am pretty sure that the price is the same for new games wherever you might get it.


P.S. I frequently SWEAT FROM MY CROTCH ONTO MY GAMES! (anyone wanna trade?)

Huh, would you go on eBay and pay the same amount for an "opened by Gamestop but never played by anyone except possibly an employee," that you would for a "sealed" copy? Oh, no? Then don't sell it to me at those same prices at your store. And yes, I do go somewhere else to buy games. Furthermore, I EVEN WORKED AT EB. I didn't believe in the policy then and I don't believe in it now.

[kainemaxwell]

Nothing new. Had to do that my brief stint at Gamestop and often working at FYE also (no one complained about the last copy being the display copy, mostly was about inventory errors where we'd have x amount of copies physcially, but system read it as 0)

[Gemini-Phoenix]

You wouldn't really be too happy if you paid for a brand new car and took delivery of it only to find out that it had 2,000 miles on the clock becuase the dealership employees had previously been driving it to and from work for a couple of months... You expect it to have a few miles on there for testing, but not months worth of wear and tear. If you wanted a car which had been used to that extent, then you would've deliberately bought a used model which was a few months old for a lower price. Neither would you buy a brand new shirt only to discover that it had previously been sold, worn for one night out by some other guy, and returned the next day (Yes, this does happen!), although you do generally accept that it's been tried on in a fitting room prior to purchase

The same applies here. When you're paying for a brand new item, you at least expect it to be brand new and unsed (Out of principal). If you wanted a game which had been used, then you wouldn't have paid full price for it, and would've opted for a used but perfectly functional copy instead for a lower price

[megasdkirby]

I never hear anyone argue the points Dangerboy brought up. How can a car be sold new when 5-10 people have driven it a couple hundred miles? How can a pair of pants be sold as new once tried on? I can't argue how this is any different. I think they are truly valid points.

I know it still doesn't change the fact that it isn't a desirable practice, but when put into that perspective...it really isn't any different (in my point of view anyway).

I agree with Dangerboy. I see this happen EVERY day in Sears...people want to try a product before they buy. They say that it's their "right" to try and see if the product meets their expectations...and I agree, in a way. The store, or bussiness, should have at least one test model that should NOT be sold as "new" later on in order to "practice" on. The "practice" item should not be sold until the unit is not to be brought to the business or it's being liquidated. But to sell the used merchandise as new, like GameStop does...that boils my blood. Every store I know gives a discount on opened box or floor items, reducing it's price to reflect it's status. But no...GameStop has to lie to the customer and claim the games are new...WTF?

[mnbren05]

Had this happen to me once at a local Gamestop with an Xbox game. Bought what I thought was a "new copy of Destroy All Humans". Now I've seen the whole sleeve deal before did not bug me as I have never had a problem with this practice before. Opened up the game to look over the manual while waiting for my girlfriend. The game was in upside down (very unsusal) and it had 5-6 finger prints/small scratches on the disc. I walked back (maybe 50ft and less than 5 mins later) and asked for a new copy. Clerk became mad and made the assumption I was trying to scam her by damaging the disc to get my money back. She explained it was a new "demo" disc and their was nothing she could do since I had previously left the store. So after another 10 mins of pointless conversation with the woman, I dropped my last card and asked for coporate phone number, manager/district manager number.

At this point she began to get nervous and asked me if I would like to get in store credit. I told her no I wanted a refund or another non-damaged copy. Ended up calling and I knew the manager (grauated with my older brother) and he called the store and presto facto new game. Later learned that this woman had a problem of taking home games and often had them over her allowed time for her son to play (since she did not play games) who did not respect/care about the games.

I really do not like the fact that I am getting new games opened, but it is not usually that big of a deal. Pre order to avoid this seems to be the best way to navigate this situation. Either that or go to Wal-Mart/Target order online from GS/EB.

[bangtango]

I never hear anyone argue the points Dangerboy brought up. How can a car be sold new when 5-10 people have driven it a couple hundred miles? How can a pair of pants be sold as new once tried on? I can't argue how this is any different. I think they are truly valid points.

I know it still doesn't change the fact that it isn't a desirable practice, but when put into that perspective...it really isn't any different (in my point of view anyway).

Not going to get into the car thing but the clothes thing isn't as cut-and-dried as some people might think.

If it ever was determined that clothes (pants) which have been tried on can no longer be sold as new "legally", well you have a lot of issues to sort out.

1. It would require keeping track of every article of clothing in a store that someone has tried on. That would include shirts, pants and shoes. This would literally be a full time job, given all of people who shop at a department store and hit the dressing room or try on shoes in a day.

What does this mean?

Either the store would have to hire another employee just to keep up with this or put more job requirements on their existing staff. The latter may seem trivial but you might see how important it becomes when you are in a store looking for an associate to ring you up or provide a price check, only to find they are busy doing something else (keeping track of clothes that have been tried on).

2. What on earth do you do about pricing for these items that are now "used?" You can either add a second SKU for every type of shirt, pant and shoe sold in the store, to signify it is a "used" version. There is a headache. Otherwise you are stuck doing a "flat rate" discount, something along the lines of $2 off a pair of pants that has been tried on before.

3. So if a guy tries on pants and the same guy then immediately takes them to the counter, are they sold new or used?


I understand you aren't worked up into a lather about this and are simply raising a fair point for discussion. My reply is to (hopefully) help illustrate a few reasons why it hasn't been done.

As you know, you can also open a can of worms involving books or magazines that have been skimmed through at a grocery store or big box book store. A guy might have McDonalds, decide not to wash his hands then head over to Walmart to read through a hot rod magazine over the course of 20 minutes, without ever buying it. But that magazine is still going to be $5 to the guy who does eventually buy it.

[8-bitNesMan]

I always told the customor all we have is gutted display copies left, its still a NEW game, but it may have been played once or twice in the demo system or sampled by one of our employees.

FAIL! I know this is a longstanding argument that plenty here are probably sick of but that is not a new game. I had a GS clerk pull that maneuver on me recently so I asked to see the "new" disc. It had scratches on it. NOT NEW, no matter how they try to spin it. And I normally don't buy my new games at GS unless it's my only option, which leads to situations such as this.

[calthaer]

This is the exact reason that I no longer purchase any games from this store. I use Amazon almost exclusively for my game purchases these days, but also occasionally get something from Wal-Mart or (preferably) Target. And Best Buy - I do get more games there than from any other retail store.

With so many options out there - and usually within close geographical proximity - there's really no reason at all to put up with this nonsense from a retail store.

[Daria]

I've been caught in this trap before:

"Hi, do you have any new copies of X?"

"Well, we have one new copy left" *Grabs disc in sleeve, proceeds to place in case*

"Uhh... that's not new, I don't want it"

I've asked for "Sealed" copies in stock ever since.

Reminds me of a funny story. For my birthday/christmas my husband went to Gamestop with a list of games I wanted. He grabbed a stack of 10 new games and set them down on the counter announcing he'd buy whatever they still had sealed.

They sold him 2.

[TurboGenesis]

My feelings on some of the analogies that have been bring up…

•The test drive a car analogy
The cars which a dealership has for you to test drive are NOT sold as new. They are sold at a price that is significantly lower than the MSRP. They are sold as a "showroom model". The title will also reflect the miles on the car, which will exceed several hundres… When you are to shop for a new car and you do a test drive on a car, you are not buying the exact car you took on the test drive.

•The clothes analogy
So you go to the shopping mall and try on an outfit and don't like it. It goes back on the rack and the next fellow who likes it purchases it as new even though you wore it as well as some other persons. OK, well I should be able to try ANY video game at the games store with out issue. I should be able to give a nice 5 minute play to the latest and newest game to see if I like it. Gamestop denies customers the opportunity to give a test play to any brand new games release. They will offer you to purchase a used copy, if one is available, and return it in 7 days if not satisfied - no questions asked. Well the newest release will not be available used so that can't work.

Anyways, though they are trying to cut the practice, Gamestop has for me give me 10% off on gutted new game. The receipt will say that it is "shopworn/demo" I went to purchase a new game last fall, and I was not offered this discount and went to the other Gamestop across the road and they had a new sealed copy and I just got that.

[Rob2600]

There comes a point when common sense outweighs my dislike for GameStop:

If the borrowed disc is in 100% mint condition...no scratches or blemishes at all...then really, who cares?

[Rob2600]

When I go to Barnes & Noble, I see people sitting around reading all of the books and magazines, while eating scones and drinking lattes. When they're finished, they put the books and magazines back on the shelves and B&N sells them as new products. Why doesn't the government investigate this?

[TurboGenesis]

Will Gamestop let me, the customer, come on in and give a test play for about five minutes on ANY new game? I'd like to try it on for size before I can consideration a purchase.

Thats the difference with Gamestop and
Barns & Nobel
Automobile Dealerships
Macy's, Nordstroms, et cetera…

In clothing, automotive, and books, anyone can go to their business and try out the wares, and not purchase a single thing. And test drive cars ARE NOT sold as new at full price/MSRP - unless it is a difficult to find, high demand vehicle, and there have been involvements with folks attempting to stop that practice by dealerships…

[TurboGenesis]

Moderators need to merge topics!

(and delete this post when done)

[PapaStu]

**merged**

Continue on,

[RPG_Fanatic]

If I bought a new sealed game at Gamestop then walked out the door opened it right outside the store. Then I decided I didn't want the game walked back into the store and say I want to return it for the full price. They would say tough shit!! you opened it it's used now. So why should I buy an opened "display" copy when it's used.

[Rob2600]

why should I buy an opened "display" copy

People read the books at Barnes & Noble and then put them back on the shelves. Barnes & Noble continues to sell those "used" books as new. Why??

[Kyle15]

This practice is pure bullcrap. Here's a lovely conversation I had recently with a GS employee:

Me: Do you have Digital Devil Saga Deluxe?
GS Guy: Let me check......no, we don't. Sorry.
Me: Do you still carry new copies? Another GS employee told me.
GS Guy: Yes, we do! Let me check.....no, we don't have one, but a location in Florida does.
Me: Could you call them up and find out if they really have it? I'd like to know if they could transfer it too.
GS Guy: Sure, hang on. Hello, do you have Digital Devil Saga Deluxe? ...... Okay, thanks.
Me: So, they've got one?
GS Guy: They do, its $49.99. It is missing it's packaging though.
Me: Excuse me? Missing it's packaging? I thought it was new!
GS Guy: The packaging probably got stolen or they got rid of it to make room for more stuff. It is a new game though because it was never played in anybody's system.
Me: Thanks for calling, but I'm not interested. To me, "new" games are factory sealed or at least opened but never had the contents removed, touched, or checked.
GS Guy: Well, we're selling it new because it is. The game was never played, it is just missing its accessories.
Me: No thanks, I've got to leave. Bye, now!

This guy got really flustered when I told him new games are supposed to be factory sealed and such. If I thought quickly enough, I would have told him a little story, but probably would have gotten kicked out if I did.

"Let's say you want this really hot and awesome car. Its $50,000 and you have the cash to pay for it. Upon going to the only dealership that has one left, you meet the salesman.
He claims that the car is fresh off of the assembly line, and never even test driven! The key was never even inserted into the ignition! As such, it is 100% brand-new and will sell at full price. Since you really want the car, you get the cash ready. But, upon inspecting the car, you notice something odd: three of the seats are missing, the radio/CD player is gone, and the trunk hatch is mysteriously not there.
You question the salesman, and he replies: Oh, its just missing some "accessories". The car itself does not need that stuff to function, so they do not matter. What matters is that it has NEVER been driven before. To this, you don't really know what to say.
Would YOU buy this NEW car at FULL price?"

Sure, it is kind of an unlikely scenario, but it falls along the lines with what GS is doing.
Also, I excpected the game I was looking for to be opened as it is so old, but missing everything it comes with? It was a stinking DELUXE edition! How is it even deluxe anymore?
Considering it has never been sold, its probably because nobody even knew it was there due to the missing packaging, or no one has been stupid enough to pay $50 for a deluxe games that has been stripped of EVERYTHING that makes it deluxe. This did include the case and manual, by the way.

[Daria]

When I go to Barnes & Noble, I see people sitting around reading all of the books and magazines, while eating scones and drinking lattes. When they're finished, they put the books and magazines back on the shelves and B&N sells them as new products. Why doesn't the government investigate this?

You know Barnes and Nobles and Gamestop are the same company. :P

[eugenek]

People read the books at Barnes & Noble and then put them back on the shelves. Barnes & Noble continues to sell those "used" books as new. Why??

That's like saying we let people drink alcohol and they drive and kill others and do all sorts of stupid things, so who cares if people smoke crack? It's a red herring. It's a different situation. I don't think it's necessarily okay for B&N to do that, but then again, you have the option of sampling all the books before you buy, which is what you get in return for occasionally buying something someone may have opened and read. I would gladly buy demoed games at full price from Gamestop if they gave me the option to sample any game in their store and let me inspect the disc beforehand. At least I get something in return for accepting an unsealed game, which is not currently the case.

[jb143]

On the car analogy. I can understand test driving a car. But what (slightly)bugs me is the dealer logo they slap on the back on the car. If I buy a new car I don't want it to be advertising for Joe Shmo Ford. It's like they ruin a car with a sticker and sell it as new.

I don't know what this has to do with games though. I don't usually buy new games and I don't shop at Gamestop, so someone can make the analogy work if they like:p

[E Nice]

People read the books at Barnes & Noble and then put them back on the shelves. Barnes & Noble continues to sell those "used" books as new. Why??

Most books aren't usually sold sealed in a wrapper. Maybe if videogames were sold the same way as books the issue of a new copy wouldn't exist. But then again books are usually bulkier and less valuable than an equivalent number of videogames one could slip inside a coat pocket.

[Kitsune Sniper]

You know, I could've sworn that test drive cars are just that - test drive cars, and that when you buy a car, you ORDER it from the factory. I'd never heard of anyone buying a test drive car before -as a new one-.

That said, I too only buy brand new and sealed stuff from Gamecrap. And rarely at that. I hate gutted copies, I hate the fucking stickers on new items, and I hate paying for second hand games sold as new. They once had a "new" copy of Metal Slug Anthology so I went to pick it up and the clerk told me he'd taken it home to play. And he said it with a straight face.

I've never bought anything else at that store since then, at least not without coupons or coming ahead of them due to their stupidity (like the time I bought an Eyetoy with a game for five bucks... when they sell the game alone for three times that price.)

These days I only buy from GameTZ, Amazon, private sellers and DP. This shit is bad.

[Rob2600]

This shit is bad.

So you're perfectly fine with hundreds of people touching and squeezing the fruit you eat, but if one person touches your game disc, that's bad.


Look, I hate GameStop, but at the end of the day, it's not worth getting upset over a game disc. If it's in perfect condition, what difference does it make if it's sealed or not? Just play it and have fun.



Let's say you want this really hot and awesome car. Its $50,000 and you have the cash to pay for it. ... Would YOU buy this NEW car at FULL price?

Comparing a $50,000 purchase to a $20-$60 purchase is just as ridiculous as GameStop trying to sell a game as new without the packaging.

[Vlcice]

People read the books at Barnes & Noble and then put them back on the shelves. Barnes & Noble continues to sell those "used" books as new. Why??

Because Barnes & Noble sell books at one price point. They only sell new books. It's understood as part of that that people might browse and read books off the shelf.

GameStop sells games at two price points - new and used. It's understood that the difference between new and used games is that new games have never been used, while used games have previously been played and may not be in 100% pristine condition. The lower price point of used games reflects that. I don't think it's at all surprising or unreasonable that people are unhappy about buying games which otherwise meet the criteria of used games (complete with scratches!), but which are being sold at the higher new game price.

[Sniderman]

On the car analogy. I can understand test driving a car. But what (slightly)bugs me is the dealer logo they slap on the back on the car. If I buy a new car I don't want it to be advertising for Joe Shmo Ford. It's like they ruin a car with a sticker and sell it as new.

Yup, this drives my father nuts too. He pays for his cars in full up front with the following speech:

"Hello! I want <points> that car right there and am willing to pay for it right now. However, I HATE having an advertisement on the back of any car I own. It's like having a billboard back there. So here's the offer: Either bring me a new car - same make and model - color doens't matter - from around back that you haven't yet sullied with that logo from this place, or knock $2,000 off the sticker price as I feel I should charge you for the advertising on MY new car. Which will it be?"

He's gotten the $2,000 "advertising on my car" discount each time.

[Kitsune Sniper]

So you're perfectly fine with hundreds of people touching and squeezing the fruit you eat, but if one person touches your game disc, that's bad.

Look, I hate GameStop, but at the end of the day, it's not worth getting upset over a game disc. If it's in perfect condition, what difference does it make if it's sealed or not? Just play it and have fun.

If you're stupid enough to eat some fruit you bought from the store without washing it then you're going to get sick. :P Any produce you buy at a store will have some sort of wear and tear, either it got it during shipping, when it was placed on the uh... shelf thingy, or when it was handled by prospective buyers.

I wouldn't mind gutted games if they guaranteed that the disc and contents would be 100% mint. However, them taking the games home and playing them? That shit isn't new. And I won't pay full price for a used game.

Why is it so difficult for them to gut ONE COPY ONLY for testing and display purposes, and keep the rest sealed? (Note that some GS stores gut all their copies, and some gut only a few - so not all stores are bad in that regard.) And if they have to sell the display copy, why not do it at a discount, since it's not new anymore? Why don't they do that?

[MachineGex]

Why is it so difficult for them to gut ONE COPY ONLY for testing and display purposes, and keep the rest sealed? And if they have to sell the display copy, why not do it at a discount, since it's not new anymore? Why don't they do that?


I always wondered that same thing. The only answer is: They just dont give a shit.

[NayusDante]

Will Gamestop let me, the customer, come on in and give a test play for about five minutes on ANY new game? I'd like to try it on for size before I can consideration a purchase.

NEW games, due to their SUPPOSEDLY shrinkwrapped nature, really shouldn't be tested by customers.

If it's used, it's usually not a problem. I did this ALL THE TIME back in the GBA days. As long as the employees aren't morons, and you stand next to the counter and pull your handheld out of your pocket, it shouldn't be a problem. They always said something sensible like "sure, just for a minute or so," or "sure, just no more than two games or so."

Cars, clothes, and fruit are just that. They're cars, clothes, and fruit. Nobody calls foul when an orange looks "used." When clothes get dirty on the racks or get returned, they usually can't resell them and have various policies for such things. Cars move, and the odometer does as well. Your "new" car hasn't been OWNED before, or had passengers spilling drinks and making a general mess of it.


After thinking about it a bit, I remembered a very important fact about GameStop:

GameStop gets promotional case-inserts for most games. The store gets X number of DVD cases to put the inserts in, which are then used as placeholders for upcoming releases and such. There is NOTHING preventing them from using these as display models. Heck, it would prevent people from stealing manuals and posters from the cases. If they're only putting an empty shell on the floor and keeping the real sealed merchandise in the back, then there is NO EXCUSE for opening anything. I have a complete set of these inserts from December 08, since a local GameStop got a double shipment and was going to throw them out. If they so desired, they could just use thincases and save shelf space.

Let me say it again... THERE IS NO EXCUSE

On a lighter note, there's nothing stopping the employees from making their own cases. Nothing cheers up my day like GameStop employee art. Some notable works include a Star Wars game (Darth Vader's head with a word balloon: "Noooooooooooooo"), and Dino Crisis (crudely drawn dinosaurs and stick people).

[Kyle15]

Comparing a $50,000 purchase to a $20-$60 purchase is just as ridiculous as GameStop trying to sell a game as new without the packaging.

I was being realistic. Also, shouldn't the purchase technically not be worth that much anymore? The car in question IS missing the trunk hatch, CD player, and three seats.
This is the same as a NEW deluxe game that is missing every bit of what makes it new and deluxe.

You know, I actually VALUE my money.
$50,000 could be as big as a $50-$60 to me if that's how I felt or all I could afford.
I would really like my teenage budget to go far, and that includes buying a REAL new game when I want to. If I wanted to use my money on a used game that looked just as good or better, I would.

This also brings another story to mind.
A couple of years back I went to buy a copy of Killer 7 for the GameCube. The only way to get it was opened, but it only cost $10 which is definately not MSRP.
I went ahead and bought one due to this. Shockingly, both game discs in the package were covered in adhesive that wouldn't come off! Now, I could have made sure there wasn't anything on the discs, but the clerk assured me they were fine because they were "new" and wouldn't let me look until after I bought.
After discovering this, I went back to the store and got a refund. They did not have anymore "new" ones, but they did have a used one. The discs were PERFECT.

This is another reason I stay away. If they don't have any sealed, I go to another location. If that fails, I go to Best Buy. ;)

[TurboGenesis]

NEW games, due to their SUPPOSEDLY shrinkwrapped nature, really shouldn't be tested by customers.


No doubt.
I thinking that the some of the fellowship are upset because these unwrapped games are being sold as new as if they were wrapped.

At the dealership, regarding new cars, employees cannot take them home or test drive anything on the lot. Used cars are different. If a Ford dealer buys back a Cobra, the employees can have a chance to drive it. But the Shelby GT500 is not able to be touched by anyone but a select few for the sake of moving it.

I have a friend whom worked for Gamestop, and he had asked if there were any of the latest games he could bring by on our gaming night… I also know people whom worked at the Ford dealership and I still have not driven a Shelby GT500… but yes, I have driven an 03 Cobra… about 3 years ago when he had it for the weekend.

All in all, I think the issue is that these merchandise are being sold as new, even though they had been used, even if only once. Like a fellow poster said, If you buy a sealed game and tear off the shrink wrap right at the counter, then decide to return it and get a refund, the Gamestop employees will basically tell you to get F'ed.

[The 1 2 P]

Old news but it's nice an investigation is forthcoming. This is why I personally don't buy new games from Gamestop. I realize some people could care less rather their new games are factory sealed or used four times by employees and then shrink wrapped. But I like my new games to actually be, whats the word......new.

As for the investigation, I'm really wondering what the FTC would mandate here. Of course employees wouldn't be able to borrow games(and sell them as new) anymore but I wonder if theres a chance they could stop Gamestop from gutting more than one copy of a game that they would be selling new(making them gut one instead of all 20 copies of the lastest new release). I doubt they would go this far but it would be nice because that factory seal is still the only guarantee that the game hasn't been used or demoed before. In the meantime, I'll just continue to shop somewhere else for new games.

[NayusDante]

Of course employees wouldn't be able to borrow games(and sell them as new) anymore but I wonder if theres a chance they could stop Gamestop from gutting more than one copy of a game that they would be selling new(making them gut one instead of all 20 copies of the lastest new release).

Well, like I said, they shouldn't even be gutting ONE copy.

If they do indeed receive orders from the FTC to revise their business practices, I can see them implementing something similar to Wal-Mart and Target. New games would be in a case, unopened. Alternatively, individual locking cases a la Best Buy may be a good solution. I think that my suggestion for the DVD case-inserts would be the easiest thing to implement.

Seriously, look how many of these things they print! They're not crappy either, these are just like the real case inserts!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3430757438_a0537be4ff.jpg


And they're just as informative as the real thing. There is NO REASON to gut retail copies when they have these!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/3429947125_ac3edac499_b.jpg

Like I said before, these were just from the December 2008 promotional materials shipment, and they got a double order and had to throw everything away. I'm not going to sit and count them, but there have to be hundreds in this pile alone. There's like 20 Left 4 Dead, 10 Gears of War 2, 5 Mario Galaxy, etc. They all have the "PROMOTIONAL DISPLAY ONLY - MAY NOT REPRESENT AVAILABLE STOCK" disclaimer on both sides, and the price is printed ON THE PAPER. This could also solve our other problem-from-Hell, the stickers on the paper. Just replace the price with a barcode and put the current price on the plastic.

Seriously, if they have this kind of printing capability, they need to quit gutting cases.

[Diatribal Deity]

Just a few points from someone who has been out of the loop for a little while now...so these may or may not be valid anymore...

(1) When EB began using their JIT (just in time) inventory system it was quite common to have one copy of a game in stock, it would be gutted, and then would sell, that one copy would get replenished a few days later, repeat cycle. If it was in the case without representation on the shelf it would never have sold. Thus next point...

(2) It was not common or even possible to have display inserts for "every" title. This may or may not be a reality now.

(3) DM's and regional management were notorious for coming in and checking to see if all titles were properly displayed/gutted. Doing this effectively required alot of work especially at a busy location. Thus the next point...

(4) If you have ever seen budgeting of payrolls you would laugh...we used to joke that the various kiosks in the mall were better staffed than the stores. Obviously traffic in various locations vary but my location went from 900k/yr to 2.5m/yr while I was there.

(5) From my personal experience I had more heated arguments with people about why there was a display only copy of something still out if we no longer had it in stock, than why I was giving them a "new" gutted copy. Come to think of it very few people complained about getting the display copy so long as they got the game. And to assume that people actually read the cover stating it may not represent actual stock would be asking alot.

(6) And finally, the sophistication of members of this board do not align with that of normal Gamestop clientele. Take it from someone who worked in the biz for years. Consider that a compliment by the way.

[kupomogli]

Gamestop has been doing this for a long time. I once worked at Gamestop because I thought it'd be cool working at a video game store. A period of six months, but I actually only worked there for 3 days.

They hire a bunch of people for the holiday season, and since I already had a full time job working 40 hours a week, I told them I could only work three specific days. I never had a set schedule and only once did they actually call me to come in. That's was six months at getting 20% off games there.

The thing about new games being previously played. I ended up getting four copies atleast that weren't new but sold to me as new. It's kindof clear they're not new when they're "gutted" or "resealed" and they have a couple light scratches(Fight Night Round 2 for Gamecube, Brave Story for PSP, Stranglehold for PS3, and most recently Valkyria Chronicles.) It pisses me off when I get home, see a supposedly new copy have scratches on them, then have to drive all the way back to the store, wasting both my time and my gas money because unlike what Gamestop "states" that they do with making the employee pay for the game if there are scratches, they don't. When I worked there I didn't borrow games because I felt it was bad practice, but the hell if I didn't utilize that 20% off to its full advantage.

If I had to work there for the 6.15 I was making their more than 3 days, that 20% wouldn't have been worth it. The pay is ridiculous for the amount of work you'll be doing during the holiday season. If you're seasonal you'll work much harder because they'll only call you in on the extremely busy days.

[IceDrake]

I bought a display copy of Chrono Trigger. I wouldn't have minded it but they put the price sticker on the paper instert as opposed to the wax paper outside. I tried to peel it off but it just tore.

To me, new means sealed. When I pay full price, I want something that has not been opened. Especially when I'm paying $60-$50 for a game.

[DigitalSpace]

I bought a display copy of Chrono Trigger. I wouldn't have minded it but they put the price sticker on the paper instert

That's lame. I'm glad to say that none of my local GameStops do that.

[VG_Maniac]

I've ran into this problem with Game Crazy a few times...I'll want to buy a brand new game, than they will say "this is all we have left", and proceed to pull the game out of a sleeve and put it in a case that is covered with Game Crazy stickers (at this point I will tell them to "forget it"). The first time they tried to pull that crap on me, I told them they have no right to charge me the same price for an opened game as a sealed game. They just continued to argue with me that the game is really new and denied that it had ever been played...although I knew there was no way that was true.

[Press_Start]

I bought a display copy of Chrono Trigger. I wouldn't have minded it but they put the price sticker on the paper instert as opposed to the wax paper outside. I tried to peel it off but it just tore.

That reminds me. During the Games Days sale, I brought an assortment of their "new", gutted games up to the counter for purchase. I asked for sealed copies but they didn't have any (big surprise! :roll:). As the clerk was getting the disc, I see her place large clear stickers on the opening ends and politely asked not to do that. But her manager said it was part of their policy. WTF?! It's bad enough you gut them like fish and drop a load of stickers on them. Now you want to add MORE stickers. Who are they trying to fool? That they were "sealed" all along and it was all in our imagination? Glad I was able to get them off before they settled in.

[IceDrake]

That reminds me. During the Games Days sale, I brought an assortment of their "new", gutted games up to the counter for purchase. I asked for sealed copies but they didn't have any (big surprise! :roll:). As the clerk was getting the disc, I see her place large clear stickers on the opening ends and politely asked not to do that. But her manager said it was part of their policy. WTF?! It's bad enough you gut them like fish and drop a load of stickers on them. Now you want to add MORE stickers. Who are they trying to fool? That they were "sealed" all along and it was all in our imagination? Glad I was able to get them off before they settled in.

I talked to a guy on another message board about what went down with me. He worked at GameStop and ever got why they did that. He would put the spine stickers on the plastic cover and his manager gave him crap about it even though it was less time consuming.

I returned my copy a few days later. The guy was suspicious since it was opened, I just told him it was a display copy and he was just like "whatever." He didn't noticed I tried to peel the spine sticker off. Not like he couldn't have just put a new one on anyway.

[Flashback2012]

Oh where to start...

Reading some of the replies so far, I get the strong indication that none of you have ever worked at a car dealership or in new car sales. I could be wrong, but the vibe and responses I'm reading are NOT indicative to the reality I experienced in my time as a new car salesman.

The job of the car salesman is to sell what's ON THE LOT. Special orders from the plant or dealer trades used to drive my sales manager batsh*t crazy. I'd be a rich man if I had a nickel for every time I or another salesperson caught the ire of the sales manager for not pushing a unit on the lot and the customer wanting something we didn't have in stock and had to special order. It's important to note that every car on our lot had some miles on them, whether it was a small amount like 2-5mi or a few hundred (these were almost always dealer trade units that were driven in).

I've sold quite a few cars that were test driven more than once. They were sold as new, with the pricing information coming directly off the Monroney sticker and treated as if it were a brand spanking new car right off the assembly line. I never once had an issue with a customer having a problem with there being mileage on the vehicle nor had I heard of any instances as such. If the car was a dealer trade, it was understood that the car was either driven back to our dealership and the warranty adjusted for those miles or the buyer paid to have it shipped to the dealership on a flatbed (at an obnoxious charge to the buyer).

If a vehicle was discounted for whatever reason it was because the sales manager was trying to shave a bit off to guarantee the sale or the customer was somehow a friend of a friend of a friend of the owner and got special pricing. Again, I never had to discount a vehicle based on what the mileage read on the odometer. When that customer came in to pick up their new vehicle, it had the new car smell, it was clean and shiny, no scratches on the body, full tank of gas, and NO ONE said jack sh*t about the mileage as they drove it off the lot. That's funny in a way since once the customer agreed to buy, it was driven around the lot to be cleaned and prepped, then off the lot for the tank to be filled and back to the lot and staged for when the customer came to pick up.

That was quite a bit of rambling and I haven't even gotten to the Gamestop part of it yet. ;)

The gutting of new cases to use as display has never sat well with me in the many years I've been there but that's how it's always been and will continue to be until further notice. I take no pride in gutting but it's part of my job duties. I've long preferred they'd adopt a different method to display new titles but this is by far the cheapest and most effective way for them apparently. :monkey:

Putting in large glass cases to store games in doesn't allow for 100% of the titles to be displayed as there is only so much room in the cases for facing titles. The cases would also inhibit their ability to rearrange the store so stuff isn't always in the same place all year, every year (and they just LOVE to rearrange the layouts of the stores every quarter....grumble...). I've seen some locations that sport the sensors by the doors and use the little magnetic strips but the stores with these setups are rare.

Using "cover-art" instead of gutted new cases would probably...no...it would DEFINITELY be the biggest nightmare EVER. I utterly loathe when customers bring those cases to the counter. Disclaimer in the corner be damned, nothing drives a customer into an irate fury faster than us NOT having a copy on hand when we had the cover-art box on display for them to bring to me. I've NO idea why that is but damn if it's not THE most annoying thing in the world to get an earful from a now peeved customer asking why the f*ck we display goods we don't actually have to sell. Cards on the table, I wish they'd do away with the concept of cover-art altogether but the company now sells advertising space on our sales floor to the likes of EA, Activision, Ubisoft, and others so cover-art is here to stay. :shameful:

I've no idea how other locations are run but from day 1 back in 1999, the edict came down that we were NOT to check out new games, only used. I've always preferred it to be that way as a collector and coming from a competitor (at the time) in Funcoland where NO check outs of any kind were allowed, used only was perfectly fine with me. Again, I have NO idea how it works at other locations but our District Manager in '99 was pretty clear on the matter and I've followed those instructions ever since. The funny thing is even with the ability to check out items available to me, I almost never use it. If I want to play something bad enough, I'll just buy it outright.

[Flashback2012]

That's lame. I'm glad to say that none of my local GameStops do that.

Thankfully my store does not engage in the practice of applying spine stickers directly to the insert under the plastic. For every game that gets traded in, 4 stickers will print out for it from the label machine, 2 with the price and new/used designation and 2 that just have the name and barcode (ID labels as we call them).

There is a perforation between each sticker on the roll and the stickers are on wax paper. When I process a trade-in, I separate the stickers by game, then rip one of the price label stickers from the rest but leave it on the wax paper. I'll then open the case and slip the sticker w/paper under the plastic at the base of the spine. The end result is very clean looking and it's MUCH easier to change prices this way than when the stickers are affixed directly to the insert. This way there are only two stickers applied to the plastic on the case, the price on the front right hand corner and and ID one on the back to cover up the manufacturer's UPC barcode. The fourth sticker (the 2nd ID one) is applied to the sleeve. ;)

When Gamestop and EB first merged, it was stated that they were phasing out covering cases with stickers and that there would only be the price on the front and ID on the back. In the time since, they've sometimes "forgotten" their edict and we've had to put non-price/ID stickers on cases (such as when we run the Game Days sale) but by and large it's still just the two with the one on the spine. I only wish more stores would do it the way my store does and less like we more commonly hear about. *_*

[rainking187]

It only accounts for the 10 or so copies they gut to make a shelf display, a store will usually have plenty more sealed ones behind the counter. Once the sealed ones are gone, they start selling the displays. If you preorder something you will NOT get an opened copy.

Not true, I stopped preordering games in the store because they kept gutting my preorders. Why they need to open and display a copy of a game that's already sold I'll never understand.

[gepeto]

Well I bought a 360 re5 bundle from best buy. it was sealed. The packin game was sealed and had the coa sticker on it. I open it up and the manual looked used and had a big crease on it. I was surpprised by that one.

Gamestops charging full price when parts are missing gets me to. Hear is what I don't understand. They say some games are opened for display but why at times when I buy certian games all of them are gutted. I noticed this with fatal frame 3. 6 new unwrapped games.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

[url]http://kotaku.com/5206952/law-of-the-game-gamestop-practice-appears-deceptive[/url

I singled out a specific relevant paragragh:


"From a legal standpoint, ignoring any pragmatic analysis, it certainly seems that way from the letter of the law. Certainly, it's something the FTC could investigate, but more practically, it may be a matter for state deceptive trade practices law. In Texas, for example, it is a deceptive trade practice if you are "representing that goods are original or new if they are deteriorated, reconditioned, reclaimed, used, or secondhand."

The last part in particular pretty much sums it up, and GameStop - As well as various other stores like GAME and GameStation - Are more than guilty of "representing that goods are original or new if they are deteriorated, reconditioned, reclaimed, used, or secondhand", which in most cases they are more than two of the above

[FantasiaWHT]

It's funny that the guy with fecal matter all over his video games doesn't also get fecal matter all over the pair of clothes he tries on.

Here's a thought that's likely far from related, but it just struck me as interesting. Somebody mentioned "If I bought a game on ebay listed as 'opened and played by a GS employee', I wouldn't have to pay full price for it." That's probably very true, but maybe this is the karma balance for the god-awful anti-competitive practice of the console manufacturers forcing GS (and every other retail establishment) to sell their systems at the exact same price, even if the systems are going for FIVE TIMES AS MUCH on ebay.

[bangtango]

This sort of reminds me of music stores that have opened copies of 15-20 different cd's spread around the store at listening stations for customers to sample before buying. They take brand new copies of popular releases, crack them open and leave them for sampling.

Sometimes they would be listened to by a bunch of people and other times only one or two people might try them out, depending on how much interest there is in that particular band or album.

Occasionally those cd's would have the booklets written on in sharpie or the booklet might be missing.

However, music stores always had the common sense to sell these albums at a cost more indicative of a used cd.

[incubus421]

I'd like to point out that it is easy as hell to get a sealed copy of a game from GameStop. JUST ASK. And if that particular store doesn't have a copy ask to see if another store does, employees have no problem doing that. The drive is usually not too bad if you have to go to another store to get one. I have 3 GS's within 4-5 miles of where I live, and the city I live is not large by anyones standards. Before I worked at GS this is all I had to do to get my hands on a sealed copy.

That, or you could simply put down $5 on a game you know you're going to buy as reserve copies are always seperated from the rest and put aside. Not to mention you almost always get some kind of pre-order bonus item for reserving, which most of the time is worth the $4-5 you save buying new from amazon, etc. Honestly, most pre-order items go for $10-15 and I've seen some items for upwards of $40-50 (search Valkyria Chronicles art book) online.

People are so hypocritical, I read through a lot of the comments on Kotaku and honestly found posts that went something like this: "Yea I used to work at GameStop and used the checkout program but I always hated it, [insert flame]". I also hear about so many people that take this approach:
"They open new games...I hate them."
" I can go there and ask for pennied guides...I love them."
"They put stickers on my games...I hate them."
"I can go there and ask for free swag they have left over...I love them."

In short, everyone is happy as long as they're reaping the benfits.

I'd also like to touch base on this here:

That reminds me. During the Games Days sale, I brought an assortment of their "new", gutted games up to the counter for purchase. I asked for sealed copies but they didn't have any (big surprise! :roll:). As the clerk was getting the disc, I see her place large clear stickers on the opening ends and politely asked not to do that. But her manager said it was part of their policy. WTF?! It's bad enough you gut them like fish and drop a load of stickers on them. Now you want to add MORE stickers. Who are they trying to fool? That they were "sealed" all along and it was all in our imagination? Glad I was able to get them off before they settled in.

Gamestop does this so people don't abuse the return poloicy. Since GameStop does gut new copies of games this is the their way to show that a game was bought "new"....and when a customer brings a newly opened game item to ANY RETAIL STORE they get rejected (unless it's defective in which case you get the same item). So this is really to prevent the jackasses from returning games that they're most likely trying to return for the simple fact they didn't like it.

No I don't agree with everything GameStop does but I can atleast understand why things are this way. I didn't touch on the checkout policy here as I agree with most of you and don't use the checkout policy where I work. I believe if they want to have a checkout program it needs to be on used games only.

[Diosoth]

I'd like to point out that it is easy as hell to get a sealed copy of a game from GameStop. JUST ASK. And if that particular store doesn't have a copy ask to see if another store does, employees have no problem doing that. The drive is usually not too bad if you have to go to another store to get one. I have 3 GS's within 4-5 miles of where I live, and the city I live is not large buy anyones standards. Before I worked at GS this is all I had to do to get my hands on a sealed copy.

That, or you could simply put down $5 on a game you know you're going to buy as reserve copies are always seperated from the rest and put aside. Not to mention you almost always get some kind of pre-order bonus item for reserving, which most of the time is worth the $4-5 you save buying new from amazon, etc. Honestly, most pre-order items go for $10-15 and I've seen some items for upwards of $40-50 (search Valkyria Chronicles art book) online.

This.

If they try to give you the opened copy as new, refuse it and demand a sealed copy. SEALED should have the security stickers intact along the sides as well. Gamestops have shrink wrap machines in the back now.

If they can't give you a factory sealed copy, refuse it. You are under NO obligation to hand them any money unless they provide what you want.

[incubus421]

I'd also like to say not all GameStop stores have shrink wrap machines....mine does not.

[Diosoth]

I'd also like to say not all GameStop stores have shrink wrap machines....mine does not.

They probably cost too much for corporate to provide them to every store. Just a select number of them get it depending on budget.

I liked EB Games when they were still separate. They'd put a seal sticker on every used game when you bought it, so that you could return it as "sealed" within 7 days. Gamestop tried to one-up them with the "bring it back anyway" policy, but it's not one that sits with me. I don't like the idea of someone being able to return anything just because they didn't like it. Turns the store into a library and gives more opportunity for the discs to pass hands and get more scratches.

I've seen the condition of DVDs and CDs from my local library, too... a fre borrow gives no obligation for someone to take care of something.

[eugenek]

I'd like to point out that it is easy as hell to get a sealed copy of a game from GameStop. JUST ASK. And if that particular store doesn't have a copy ask to see if another store does, employees have no problem doing that.

I can't speak for all GS employees, but in my experience it has not been "easy as hell." Many times I have asked, especially when I could see sealed copies in the display behind the counter, and the associate has argued with me about how the gutted game really is "new." We pretty much rehash this whole thread, verbally. One of them even tried to sell me A GAME WITH NO CASE as "new," saying that most people don't even care about the case, and that "some people even ask for the game without the case." (?)

I'm sure that's not the case at all Gamestops, but the ones near me are pretty miserable.

[incubus421]

For a GameStop employee to give you the gutted copy as opposed to the sealed one behind the counter is just plain ridiculous. It makes more work for that employee...since they're selling you the actual displayed, gutted copy. They have to gut another one to takes it place on the floor. Unless the sealed ones are reserve copies that havent been put away yet this makes absolutely no sense.
The new games with missing/stolen cases being sold is new is wrong and I agree with you. We usually atleast do a shopworn 10% discount but it's still not right.

[Flashback2012]

This.

If they try to give you the opened copy as new, refuse it and demand a sealed copy. SEALED should have the security stickers intact along the sides as well. Gamestops have shrink wrap machines in the back now.

If they can't give you a factory sealed copy, refuse it. You are under NO obligation to hand them any money unless they provide what you want.

The second sentence of your post is partially untrue. Only XB360 games have a security sticker on the side of the case. Some companies, like EA, will put additional stickers on the cases at the factory saying "Security Device Enclosed". PS2 and PS3 games aside from EA releases have no security stickers that I've seen and the same holds true for Wii, DS, and PSP.

As for the actual plastic shrink wrap itself....A lot of companies use the standard cellophane wrap thats all crinkly and has the nice folds on top and bottom. A fair number of PS2/PSP/DS/Wii titles though use generic shrink wrap that looks like Saran wrap similar to the stuff that's on my shrink wrap machine in my back room.

We prefer to have as many shrink wrapped copies of games at my store as possible. Each section has a "New Release" area and at most we gut 2 copies of a game so it can be displayed there unless a DM edict says to gut more. It's rare to have a customer raise a fuss over the clear seal stickers we use on gutted copies. Most of the time the games are gifts and when offered to have the game re-shrink wrapped, most customers are delighted. If a customer is insistent on a sealed copy, no problem. I've got 2 stores less than a mile away from me and several more within 5 miles of me. Unless it's a really rare or obscure title, the chances are I'll find a store with a shrink wrapped copy available.

As for the return policy, it's been my experience quite often that explaining the policy to customers and even showing them on the receipt what our policies are doesn't mean jack sh*t. I had a LCD 'neck kid come into my store 2 days ago. He wanted a XB360 vision cam. I pointed out the camera by itself was $40 but he could get a camera with the game "You're in the Movies" for half that price. I painstakingly went over the return policy with the kid before he bought it. I told him quite clearly...you open this and it's yours. If you don't like it, the only thing we can do is trade in credit. If it's defective, we can exchange for the same thing (I had 2 on hand). The kid's mom was at the counter and was within earshot of my entire explanation. Kid nods and buys the item, takes his receipt and purchase and leaves.

Yesterday he calls up and I answer. He says he bought the game and tells me he didn't like it. I mention to him that I explained to him the day prior what we could do. He says OK and hangs up. About 30 minutes later I get another call, this time for the kids 'neck father. The dad is belligerent with me even though I'm talking back in a calm tone (I "love" when customers feel empowered like this :moon:). I try to explain to the father that I told his boy exactly what our return policy was BEFORE he bought the damn thing as well as telling the father the return policy is CLEARLY stated on receipt (which he denied). I also told the father the son called earlier saying he didn't like the game and now the father was calling in saying it was defective (:bullshit:). I said I'd be MORE than happy to exchange for the same item as per our policy but no matter what I said the 'neck dad became increasingly more belligerent. He continues to cuss at me, saying what we're doing is illegal, that the kid was a minor and we shouldn't be doing that (ummm wtf....what does the kid's age have to do with ANYTHING?).

After about 10 minutes of going around in circles with this loser I finally said F it and told him to bring the game up and I'll refund it. I'd already wasted too much time on the phone with this inbred and my store was already stupidly busy to boot. The F'ed up thing was I knew if the 'neck escalated the issue to my boss' boss, the DM would tow the line of the customer even though he CLEARLY was violating policy all over the place. Customer experience my ass. :frustrated: Kid came up later in the evening and one of my part-timers did the refund for him. I checked the items, everything was still in perfect shape. It irritated me that I had to do the return as defective when I knew damn well there was NOTHING wrong with either the software or the camera.

Instances such as that are why I wish Gamestop would implement a restocking fee practice. Bought a new game and didn't like it...bring it back but understand there's a 25% restocking fee. If the customer agrees then it can be returned and will still be considered new, but 10% off will be given to the next buyer as it's an opened/returned item. I'd hazard to bet that a great many people would accept this kind of return policy.

[IceDrake]

That, or you could simply put down $5 on a game you know you're going to buy as reserve copies are always seperated from the rest and put aside. Not to mention you almost always get some kind of pre-order bonus item for reserving, which most of the time is worth the $4-5 you save buying new from amazon, etc.

That is not true. Especially now with a lot of Collector/Special editions of games.

And even if they do have some giveaway, you're not guaranteed one.

In August last year, I reserved it to get a code for download the original on XBLA. When the release date comes, I couldn't pick it up because I was at school. My mom went the next day and got no code for the original. I called when I got home that Friday. The employee was very rude to me and said "We have no more. Bye." I found out the store only got 10 which is absolutely ridiculous; especially since I was probably the first person to reserve it there.

[Diosoth]

It's rare anymore that a game will be SO limited upon release as to even justify a pre-order. Maybe some of the PS2 Atlus stuff now but otherwise, most games are common and you don't need to pre-order them to get one.

As for new... if it's still in the condition it was when it left the factory. Opened by the store, played by an employee, whatever, then I don't consider it to be new anymore. No one should. You wouldn't call an action figure "new" if Walmart let one of their employees open it.

Though Walmart will often take opened return items, tape them up and slap them back on the shelf at full price, so I guess THEY would...

On the other hand I only return something to a store if it absolutely doesn't work, and even then if the cost is above a certain amount. No point spending $10 on gasoline to return a $5 item. These days, I ask to inspect any disc before I buy it. Too many scratches and I refuse it.

But store return policies are meaningless. The manager overrides them half the time. Credit card companies offer "complete satisfaction" clauses... I buy anything and am not happy, and the store won't refund it, I can just call my credit card company and they'll reverse the charge. I suspect this is one reason managers are so lax... easier to just toss policy out and refund than it would be to face a chargeback and the fes to go with it.

I bought a 5-disc CD stereo system at Best Buy as "new", only to get it home and it's a boxed up floor display model that's been abused and broken. Selling that as "new" was dishonest at minimum. Damn right I got my money back on that.

[Kyle15]

I've had problems with only one pre-order bonus before: the Crisis Core UMD case.
The manager of the store LOVES Final Fantasy 7. So much so, NOTHING is better according to him.
Well, on release day, he wouldn't let me have one. When I asked why, he got all angry with me and said I didn't reserve in time. So, because I didn't "reserve in time" 3 months earlier, I couldn't get the UMD case?
I know very well what was going on: he was hoarding them for himself and his friends that worked at the shop. How do I know this? I asked him for one a week later and he finally broke down and let me have one. VERY angrily, I might add.
Every other game I bought from there has been hassle free when it comes to bonuses. He was practically HANDING them out. This even went for limited bonuses like the Persona 4 artbook. This particular location only got around 8.

I can't wait until another FF7 spin-off comes out. Those pre-order bonuses will certainly be limited at this location. ;)

Now, I know it can go this way at any retail establishment, but it has only happened to me at GameStop.

[NayusDante]

When the release date comes, I couldn't pick it up because I was at school.

I've brought up this problem when placing preorders before. Judging by the response I get, the GameStop employees around here come from Bizarro-World, where nobody has school or work, and can teleport to GameStop at any time.

If I KNOW that I'm not going to be out of town or something on a release day, and I WANT the game on Day One, I'll put in a preorder. However, my last experience doing that revealed the utter incompetence at my local GameStop. I called several times after they opened, but no answer. I stopped by after my morning classes, and find out that their computers just went "down" and they can't do any sales. When I ask if the game is in, the guy walks back inside and asks someone. When he comes back, he responds with "I don't know." When I asked if he might be able to GO CHECK, he gives me crap about not being able to sell anything anyway. Still without an answer to my question, I ask when I should come back. He gave me something like "uh, an hour?" and walked back inside. I waited until the evening shift, called, and came by to pick it up. They JUST THEN opened the shipment, and sliced the spine of the cases while doing it. I also had to specifically ask for the bonus CD.

Also, PS2 games have seals across the top, with the SLUS numbers, etc, so Xbox 360 isn't alone.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Also, PS2 games have seals across the top, with the SLUS numbers, etc, so Xbox 360 isn't alone.

No they don't. Not anymore. They stopped doing this years ago.

[incubus421]

That is not true. Especially now with a lot of Collector/Special editions of games.

And even if they do have some giveaway, you're not guaranteed one.

In August last year, I reserved it to get a code for download the original on XBLA. When the release date comes, I couldn't pick it up because I was at school. My mom went the next day and got no code for the original. I called when I got home that Friday. The employee was very rude to me and said "We have no more. Bye." I found out the store only got 10 which is absolutely ridiculous; especially since I was probably the first person to reserve it there.

It is true that reserve bonuses come with most games, even games like Robotacolypse, Moon, and Muchroom Men had reserve bonuses. You're correct in saying that they're not gauranteed though. But you'll still get a sealed copy which was the main point to begin with.
Special edition versions of a game have nothing to do with added pre-order bonuses. RE5 had a CE and had all sorts of reserve incentives. Fallout 3, SF4, GoW2, Fable 2, Halo Wars, etc. all had CE and reserve bonuses.
Yes pre-order bonuses get handed out on a first come first serve basis once the game is released (most of the time) which everyone should know ahead of time. If you realize something is in limited supply don't dily daly. I realize you're situation was a bit different but it's something GameStop has no control over.
I'd also like to point out that with some reserve bonuses GameStop stops gauranteeing them after a certain date. This happened recently with GH Metallica the extra drum pedal was not gauranteed after a certain date and only the people who reserved before this date got one.

[IceDrake]

Yes pre-order bonuses get handed out on a first come first serve basis once the game is released (most of the time) which everyone should know ahead of time. If you realize something is in limited supply don't dily daly. I realize you're situation was a bit different but it's something GameStop has no control over.

I was more ticked off that they received only 10. If I knew their supplies were going to be that limited, I would have ordered from Toys R Us or Amazon.

[Press_Start]

Gamestop does this so people don't abuse the return poloicy. Since GameStop does gut new copies of games this is the their way to show that a game was bought "new"....and when a customer brings a newly opened game item to ANY RETAIL STORE they get rejected (unless it's defective in which case you get the same item). So this is really to prevent the jackasses from returning games that they're most likely trying to return for the simple fact they didn't like it.


Here's the (assumed) step-by-step procedure when selling gutted games:

-UNWRAP
-GUT
-STORE
-STICKER
~~~PURCHASE
-FIND GAME
-TAKE OUT
-STICKER


Step-by-step for taking an empty case with a display (suggest by many of here):


-TAKE EMPTY CASE
-PUT DISPLAY SLIP IN
-STICKER
~~~PURCHASE
-FIND SEALED COPY
-TAKE OUT
-RETURN TO DISPLAY


The empty case route may take 1 step less than the gutted method but the steps before the purchase is done once per title. As the other method, you have to repeat the entire process everytime. It's time-consuming, unnecessary work for a service in providing "new" games that really don't look new. It not only boggles the mind from a gamer's standpoint but from a logical one as well.

I understand what you're saying incubus but I don't buy it. Why not just have a policy where the returned opened games are treated as a trade-in and pay for its respective price? Or any number of better ideas where everybody can come out of this as a winner?

[TurboGenesis]

Oh where to start...

Reading some of the replies so far, I get the strong indication that none of you have ever worked at a car dealership or in new car sales. I could be wrong, but the vibe and responses I'm reading are NOT indicative to the reality I experienced in my time as a new car salesman.

The job of the car salesman is to sell what's ON THE LOT. Special orders from the plant or dealer trades used to drive my sales manager batsh*t crazy. I'd be a rich man if I had a nickel for every time I or another salesperson caught the ire of the sales manager for not pushing a unit on the lot and the customer wanting something we didn't have in stock and had to special order. It's important to note that every car on our lot had some miles on them, whether it was a small amount like 2-5mi or a few hundred (these were almost always dealer trade units that were driven in).

I've sold quite a few cars that were test driven more than once. They were sold as new, with the pricing information coming directly off the Monroney sticker and treated as if it were a brand spanking new car right off the assembly line. I never once had an issue with a customer having a problem with there being mileage on the vehicle nor had I heard of any instances as such. If the car was a dealer trade, it was understood that the car was either driven back to our dealership and the warranty adjusted for those miles or the buyer paid to have it shipped to the dealership on a flatbed (at an obnoxious charge to the buyer).

If a vehicle was discounted for whatever reason it was because the sales manager was trying to shave a bit off to guarantee the sale or the customer was somehow a friend of a friend of a friend of the owner and got special pricing. Again, I never had to discount a vehicle based on what the mileage read on the odometer. When that customer came in to pick up their new vehicle, it had the new car smell, it was clean and shiny, no scratches on the body, full tank of gas, and NO ONE said jack sh*t about the mileage as they drove it off the lot. That's funny in a way since once the customer agreed to buy, it was driven around the lot to be cleaned and prepped, then off the lot for the tank to be filled and back to the lot and staged for when the customer came to pick up.


I have been involved in the automotive dealership business as well as some friends… Here are the practices. I have had affiliations with Jack Demmer Ford (in Wayne)and Bruce Campbell Dodge (in Redford/Detroit)

Almost all cars are seldom sold at the price on the window. There are many people who have question miles when they exceeded 100+ which has been the case when a customer would want a specific color or option in a vehicle which is not on the lot and the car is transported from a dealer from afar… as far as Milwaukee at one time… and in regard for test models, Demmer has specific cars allocated for test drive. Sometimes different than what a customer wants to buy. Should you want a Mustang GT, the demo model on hand for test drive is a base model. Want to test drive a manual transmission? Sorry, only the automatic is on hand for test drive. The used lot is different. The car you inquire about is the one you test drive. At Bruce Campbell, the Viper was not available to anyone to test drive… I only rode in one when there was one brought in for service… still never have a chance to drive though.

There are people who questioned their new car when there were even 40 miles on the odometer. It has to be explained that the car is handled many times before the dealership take delivery. At the plant, vehicles are driven off the line and into the yard, then driven into the railcar and then they will be driven off the rail car onto the convoy. Sometimes at the plant, a vehicle may be moved several times and even to an overflow lot which can be on the west side of Detroit…

But at the two dealerships I have been involved with, cars that were test driven were NOT sold as new… usually floor models had discount up to $5000 depending on the model.

[incubus421]

I worked at a dealership as a salesman for awhile myself in up state NY...any new car whether it had 10 miles or 500 miles it was sold as the new price listed on the report inside the window. Never heard of discounts on new cars with a bit of mileage on them.
The only new cars that actually got discounted were the ones that were DEMO cars that employees were loaned and allowed to drive as if it were their own.

[rainking187]

I'd like to point out that it is easy as hell to get a sealed copy of a game from GameStop. JUST ASK. And if that particular store doesn't have a copy ask to see if another store does, employees have no problem doing that. The drive is usually not too bad if you have to go to another store to get one. I have 3 GS's within 4-5 miles of where I live, and the city I live is not large by anyones standards. Before I worked at GS this is all I had to do to get my hands on a sealed copy.

That, or you could simply put down $5 on a game you know you're going to buy as reserve copies are always seperated from the rest and put aside. Not to mention you almost always get some kind of pre-order bonus item for reserving, which most of the time is worth the $4-5 you save buying new from amazon, etc. Honestly, most pre-order items go for $10-15 and I've seen some items for upwards of $40-50 (search Valkyria Chronicles art book) online.


I've never once gotten a sealed copy of a game I didn't preorder that was more than a week old from a GameStop. Either they really gut every copy within a matter of days, or they just don't want to take the time to look for one for me. Either way there isn't anything I can do but refuse to buy the gutted one. Again, I personally have had my preorder copies gutted a few times (including a special edition). And the odds of actually getting a preorder bonus from a b&m GameStop are practically nil in my experience. The employees look at you like they've never heard the words "preorder" and "bonus" strung together like that before. I once asked for a preorder bonus that I could see on the back counter while I was preordering the game and was told I couldn't have it because it was the last one and it was for display. Apparently showing people what they couldn't get if they preordered. The last bonus I got was the Kratos Little Big Planet code and they didn't really want to hand that one over either. Another big factor contributing to my switch to only preordering games with bonuses from GameStop.com. (Although I've been screwed over by the website a few times as well.)

[Rob2600]

I personally have had my preorder copies gutted a few times (including a special edition). And the odds of actually getting a preorder bonus from a b&m GameStop are practically nil in my experience.

I once asked for a preorder bonus that I could see on the back counter while I was preordering the game and was told I couldn't have it because it was the last one and it was for display.

I've been screwed over by the website a few times as well.

And yet, you continue to give GameStop your money.

How many times do you need to be screwed over before you buy your games somewhere else? 10 times? 20 times? Or will you continue to support the very behavior you're complaining about?


In psychology, you're what's referred to as an enabler. GameStop has no reason to change it practices as long as you keep spending your money there.

[rainking187]

And yet, you continue to give GameStop your money.

How many times do you need to be screwed over before you buy your games somewhere else? 10 times? 20 times? Or will you continue to support the very behavior you're complaining about?


In psychology, you're what's referred to as an enabler. GameStop has no reason to change it practices as long as you keep spending your money there.


I don't shop at GameStop b&ms anymore. And I only order games from the website when they have either GameStop exclusive limited editions or exclusive preorder bonuses. I don't like their practices, but I'd rather get it from GameStop.com then paying more for it on eBay a few months later.

[Rob2600]

I don't shop at GameStop b&ms anymore.

Good!


I don't like their practices, but I'd rather get it from GameStop.com then paying more for it on eBay a few months later.

Why not order/pre-order from Amazon instead?

[norkusa]

Why not order/pre-order from Amazon instead?

No kidding. No sales tax + free shipping are two good reasons to preorder at Amazon instead of Gamestop. And unlike Gamestop, you don't have to worry about not receiving your preorder schwag.

I started buying all my games from Amazon 4 years ago after receiving 3 "display copies" in a row from Gamestop. Haven't shopped there since.

[rainking187]

Good!



Why not order/pre-order from Amazon instead?


You seem to be glossing over the "GameStop exclusive" part of my post. If I can get the same thing from Amazon I will, but if GameStop is giving away an artbook and Amazon isn't giving away anything I have to go with GameStop.

[Rob2600]

You seem to be glossing over the "GameStop exclusive" part of my post. If I can get the same thing from Amazon I will, but if GameStop is giving away an artbook and Amazon isn't giving away anything I have to go with GameStop.

Well, my point is: is an artbook worth supporting a company that continually screws you over?

[rainking187]

Well, my point is: is an artbook worth supporting a company that continually screws you over?



Yes. My indignation does not extend to paying eBay prices for this stuff just to avoid GameStop. Especially stuff like the Valkyria Chronicles artbook or Mirrors Edge bag which sell for quite a bit on eBay, but which I got for free.

[Rob2600]

is an artbook worth supporting a company that continually screws you over?


Yes.

Then I guess we have different priorities and/or principles.

[incubus421]

That, or you could simply put down $5 on a game you know you're going to buy as reserve copies are always seperated from the rest and put aside. Not to mention you almost always get some kind of pre-order bonus item for reserving, which most of the time is worth the $4-5 you save buying new from amazon, etc. Honestly, most pre-order items go for $10-15 and I've seen some items for upwards of $40-50 (search Valkyria Chronicles art book) online.

People are so hypocritical, I read through a lot of the comments on Kotaku and honestly found posts that went something like this: "Yea I used to work at GameStop and used the checkout program but I always hated it, [insert flame]". I also hear about so many people that take this approach:
"They open new games...I hate them."
" I can go there and ask for pennied guides...I love them."
"They put stickers on my games...I hate them."
"I can go there and ask for free swag they have left over...I love them."

In short, everyone is happy as long as they're reaping the benfits.

and...


Yes. My indignation does not extend to paying eBay prices for this stuff just to avoid GameStop. Especially stuff like the Valkyria Chronicles artbook or Mirrors Edge bag which sell for quite a bit on eBay, but which I got for free.

...point proven. And I don't blame you one bit.

[scooterb23]

That sounds suspiciously like "Yeah, he beats the shit out of me...but I still love him"

[kupomogli]

I hate Gamestop because they killed my mother and father. True story.

[josekortez]

I haven't done a pre-order since the Persona 4 incident where I believe one of the Gamestop employees took my pre-order bonus art book home. I came in the day after I got an automated call from Gamestop. First, they tried to convince me I had come in three days too late and then one of the employees went into the back room for ten minutes, pretended to look for the art book and then came out and copped an attitude when I asked for my refund on the pre-order.

I go through Amazon now if I want to get a pre-order bonus. On Amazon, there are no employees asking me repeatedly if I need help when I'm just browsing. No employees trying to make small talk and exhibiting their ignorance about general gaming topics. No employees trying to convince me to pre-order games that will be abundant for months to come once they are released.

I love Amazon.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Too bad Amazon charges for several items that should be preorder bonuses.

$80 for a fucking glove? :P

[NayusDante]

Ugh, I just had to deal with this...

I finally remembered to pick up Retro Game Challenge, and found a new copy at one of the two GameStops in my local mall. They had a gutted copy upstairs, and the cover insert had a big fold in it. Downstairs, they're apparently stupid, because they said "oh, it's $10 used, it's under R," after seeing "Retro Atari Collection" in the inventory. Back upstairs, I ask if they can give a shelf wear discount, and she starts blabbing about how her supervisor/district manager would throw a fit. I bought it anyway, knowing that any other copies I find will likely be gutted. I will, however, FINALLY bother to do the online survey.

Yes, I could have ordered it online. Yes, I could have driven somewhere else. Yes, I even brought up the rumored legislation. In a nutshell, she defended the game as "NEVER PLAYED!!1111" and gave me no sympathy when I explained that as a collector, the packaging matters. In the end, I paid for a "new" opened game because I just wanted to play it before it goes out of print and gets hard to find.

Now I have to figure out this damn survey. WHY is there a SEPARATE SURVEY for those with negative feedback and/or no wish to do the survey?

[eugenek]

I have now changed my stance on this issue and prefer gutted games. I saw this eBay listing and the scales fell from my eyes:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Valkyria-Chronicles-Gamestop-NEW-SEALED-RARE-PS3_W0QQitemZ260397123500QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_ Games_Games?hash=item260397123500&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:1|39:1|240:1

[lazyhoboguy]

I have now changed my stance on this issue and prefer gutted games. I saw this eBay listing and the scales fell from my eyes:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Valkyria-Chronicles-Gamestop-NEW-SEALED-RARE-PS3_W0QQitemZ260397123500QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_ Games_Games?hash=item260397123500&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:1|39:1|240:1

LMAO thats pretty good

[kupomogli]

I had to go to a different Gamestop to get a non gutted Valkyria Chronicles. The gutted copy had a scratch on it.

[NayusDante]

Wow, got a call from the GameStop district manager. For my troubles, I get a $10 gift card, just have to pick it up at the same store I was at last night.

The guy was really nice and professional about the whole thing, as courteous as you could expect when strict corporate policy is involved. He said that their reason for gutting games is "shrink," in order to keep the store small and prevent theft. When I mentioned the promotional inserts that they get, he said that GameStop doesn't pay for those, but rather, the game publishers, GameStop just pays to get their branding printed on them.

It all makes sense from a business perspective, I just wish that they could give in a little and change their policies for the better. If you guys that buy gutted games still have receipts, it might be worthwhile to express your concern on their online feedback site as I did.

[NayusDante]

...and I finally went in to pick up my gift card.

Of course, they were skeptical when I asked about it. Then the one guy caught on and asked if I meant the survey on the receipts. His response made me smile, "whoa, so there's actually something to be had from that?"

Long story short, I didn't get a GameStop gift card for $10, like the district manager said. Instead, I got this:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2322/3544689956_69661271a8.jpg

Up to $10 in "E-Movie Cash," whatever that is. I didn't argue with the guy behind the counter, in fact, we both kinda laughed about it. He said that was what his manager said to do, after she called the district manager. Then we talked about what good movies are out.

The promotion isn't even well planned, from the looks (http://games.ign.com/articles/981/981714p1.html) of it. One of the qualifying games comes out the day the promotion ends.

However, I'm 99% sure that the manager he called was the girl that ran the checkout that night. Might explain something. Then again, it's the upstairs GameStop in that mall. The cool people always worked at the downstairs one, or quit to work at Play N Trade.

Guess I'm seeing Star Trek again.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I have now changed my stance on this issue and prefer gutted games. I saw this eBay listing and the scales fell from my eyes:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Valkyria-Chronicles-Gamestop-NEW-SEALED-RARE-PS3_W0QQitemZ260397123500QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_ Games_Games?hash=item260397123500&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:1|39:1|240:1

That is both funny but also sadly, entirely the truth, and GameStop deserve to be ridiculed in this manner for this unholy desecration of what should otherwise be a virginal product...

I particularly like this sentence:

"I was going to include a "Gamestop NEW" Chrono Trigger DS game but thought better as that probably entertained an employee when they were in the loo"

Which I think is perhaps a lot closer to the truth than we all could ever imagine...

[Sonicwolf]

I hate Gamestop because they killed my mother and father. True story.

What? Did the lame stickers they put on everything that leave mountainous residue all over the packaging fly off the games and get stuck in their throats? LOL

[garagesaleking!!]

i just discovered this thread, i bought rockband 2 almost a year ago now at gamestop and it was not sealed when i bought it but they said it was new. They just had the sticker holding the case shut. I thought it was weird but said nothing.

[acem77]

Its like complaining that the "new" car with 200 km on it from previous test drivers is not new anymore.

I have bought display copies before, and as long as they are in mint condition (no scratches on the disc), why does it matter?

Because the jerks wont pay me back the new price for a mint return.

If its opened its used it plain and simple.