GameStop stores are turning into retro gaming cafes.

LightsOut41 said:

There's no way they'll be able to monetize this idea to their advantage. They're done.

Click to expand...

With how poorly kept the two stores I used to frequent were the last time I visited them 4 years ago they could never get me back. They're run like pawn shops and it shows. My local mom & pop store has been doing this for years and it is much more warm and welcoming. So no thanks, Gamestop.

Archaea said:

Steam gives you two hours free of the full game experience. If not sarcastic post on your part then that draw is not enough to save them.

If they turn into a retro gaming place it’ll draw a crowd for a short spell. — but it’ll die.

These types of places never live. I’ve not seen one independent gaming cafe survive yet and I’ve seen multiple fail.

People don’t want to pay $5 an hour or whatever to play a game. They can do that at home for free — And the business will have trouble filling the available slots at the measouly intake of $5 an hour. And if it’s the social element - there are big LAN parties with hundreds of people in attendance every month in big cities — that cost far less to attend (if you break down the hourly charge) - have big prizes, complimentary food covered by the entry fee and are organized.

Click to expand...

I had a friend in he DFW area that started up his own gaming LAN center and other Gaming goods. The location was pretty good and really he did alright. But it didn't catch fire so to speak. He broke even on his investment into it but it wasn't growing just kind of sticking around.

He eventually closed up shop and sold the assets and IP he had developed to another group that relocated it.

But it was the best thing running for a while. I even helped him build out his systems.

Might be easier to do 100% console based.

Oh one thing he did during the summer and some weekends here and there would be to run an overnight lockin for like 40 bucks a kid. They order in pizza and drinks provide snacks and run tournaments and such overnight for all of the attendees. Parents and teens loved it. (teen guys)

Funniest thing about it was right down the strip center was a family run italian place that they had a deal with to deliver pizza. They would always send their teenaged daughter to deliver pizza and every single time the place would get silent and you could hear from the guys gaming "It's the hot girl" lol. Sigh... nerds... we are predictable.

Verge said:

I don't get the hate for used games. Sure most people are going digital, but I always buy physical copies, have em shipped to my house on launch day. Beat the game, then dump it on the used market for 55-60% of what I paid.

Pretty cheap way to play most new releases.

Click to expand...

I don't hate used games as much as I hate Gamestop's price for a used copy of a game often only being <10 dollars less than the price for it new. I recently got an Xbox One, and was looking to get some new games. I was able to find them used for 10 - 20 dollars less than Gamestop had the "pre-owned" tagged at. I was actually able to find a few games that i bought NEW for cheaper than Gamestop had the game "pre-owned". Also, with used you run the risk of not getting everything included with the "new" game, because the original owner likely redeemed any promo codes/etc.

Does this mean they will finally sell battletoads?

I think Gamestop should pivot their business model to tire and lube - start turning every game stop into a gaming/tire and lube shop.

pillagenburn said:

I think Gamestop should pivot their business model to tire and lube - start turning every game stop into a gaming/tire and lube shop.

Click to expand...

Would that mean they will use lube when they bend over a barrel when trying to sell them a game?

dany man said:

Would that mean they will use lube when they bend over a barrel when trying to sell them a game?

Click to expand...

I was talking about motor oil, but I guess they could branch off into the sex toy business too. Either way they're fucked in the next recession.

Their business model has sailed.

Everything will increasingly become streaming and download and game client related - so no used media market.

Retro Arcade cabinets are a flash in the pan - not a long term store front survivable business model for a few hundred brick and mortor stores.

They MAYBE could pivot to promote e-sport professional tournaments, with concessions, and tournaments. But trying to sell novelty junk, LAN party cafe services, used and retro arcade gear, used movies and discs or even computer hardware (thinnest of margins)... NONE of that will allow their individual brick and mortor stores to survive.

Times have changed beyond Gamestops ability to flex further.

The design is cool but not for a nation wide chain. I can see this tied into some coffee bar or bar bar like we have here in Denver but not large amount of stores.

The retro change will just prolong the inevitable enough to raise the stock prices a few bucks and allow the officers to punch out with some extra money.

Gamestop has destroyed their reputation by targeting customers and using extremely underhanded tactics.

Making their stores retro won't stop their decline or bring in the large amount of customers they need to turn a profit. You think 12 guys playing D&D or some retro games will spend a ton of cash to fix the sinking ship? No they won't. Volume is what Gamestop needs to save itself and unfortunately that volume is in digital.

Selling shirts, toys, and snacks also has proven not to help. Moving ThinkGeek into Gamestop has not helped at all.

Gamestop is having a typical brick and mortar hemorrhage due to the changing marketplace (going digital) and the high cost of keeping physical stores running.

Egghead Software (nostalgia anyone) dealt with the same issues Gamestop is having and Egghead didn't have a shit reputation for abusing their clientele. Changing up the stores style did little to nothing to help Egghead and turned sale's staff into babysitters. Eventually Egghead went online before being bought out. That is Gamestops only chance. Cut a majority of stores and go digital.

Frankly the writing is on the wall. Gamestop is worth about $500M now and loses $400-500M a year. Nothing can really be done besides a massive restructure. Retro gaming stores isn't it.

I love that its 2019 and people still are mad about GameStop.

• Why are you selling your games to GameStop? If you are complaining about it, you are obviously cognitive to what they are going to offer. Put your games on craigslist or facebook.
• So you bought a brand new game. It looks like its one of the ones they pulled from an envelope and put it in an already opened case. Why wouldn't you just say "hey man, can I get an unopened copy"? I mean that would mean you have to talk and MAYBE make eye contact, you can do it! I know you can.
• Don't like that they sell toys, tee shirts, candy, and other things that aren't games? Who cares?.. continue to not buy them.
• Don't like the condition of their "refurbished" stuff? Well.. dont buy it then. They have the one of the best return policies on their refurbished stuff that I've ever seen. I'll ALWAYS buy a refub console from them than ebay since at least you have some kind of warranty with it. Their retro game prices are actually very good too.

I don't think this will save their business, but it would interest me enough to get me to walk into a Gamestop to check it out.

That have nothing for the PC. It's a toy store mostly.

Cr4ckm0nk3y said:

The design is cool but not for a nation wide chain. I can see this tied into some coffee bar or bar bar like we have here in Denver but not large amount of stores.

The retro change will just prolong the inevitable enough to raise the stock prices a few bucks and allow the officers to punch out with some extra money.

Gamestop has destroyed their reputation by targeting customers and using extremely underhanded tactics.

Making their stores retro won't stop their decline or bring in the large amount of customers they need to turn a profit. You think 12 guys playing D&D or some retro games will spend a ton of cash to fix the sinking ship? No they won't. Volume is what Gamestop needs to save itself and unfortunately that volume is in digital.

Selling shirts, toys, and snacks also has proven not to help. Moving ThinkGeek into Gamestop has not helped at all.

Gamestop is having a typical brick and mortar hemorrhage due to the changing marketplace (going digital) and the high cost of keeping physical stores running.

Egghead Software (nostalgia anyone) dealt with the same issues Gamestop is having and Egghead didn't have a shit reputation for abusing their clientele. Changing up the stores style did little to nothing to help Egghead and turned sale's staff into babysitters. Eventually Egghead went online before being bought out. That is Gamestops only chance. Cut a majority of stores and go digital.

Frankly the writing is on the wall. Gamestop is worth about $500M now and loses $400-500M a year. Nothing can really be done besides a massive restructure. Retro gaming stores isn't it.

Click to expand...

I really believe Gamestop already miss the digital only boat, they bought Stardock Impulse but never do anything with it. Unless Gamestop is able to offer something different in the digital field, I do see them gaining any traction given how competitive the field has become.

I think they have a good idea, but their brand may work against them.

There are two things that drive me nuts about GameStop.

1) Buying a new game, and them giving me the "last one" that is opened and looks used (for the full price, naturally).

2) The cheap paper price stickers they use that are impossible to get off without making the case look ghetto.

Most likely they will end up as another Blockbuster, but at least they taking a risk and trying something.

cybereality said:

I think they have a good idea, but their brand may work against them.

There are two things that drive me nuts about GameStop.

1) Buying a new game, and them giving me the "last one" that is opened and looks used (for the full price, naturally).

2) The cheap paper price stickers they use that are impossible to get off without making the case look ghetto.

Most likely they will end up as another Blockbuster, but at least they taking a risk and trying something.

Click to expand...

My biggest gripe, trying to upsell everything to you when you really just want to buy a game and get out.

Yeah, like when they try to sell you insurance on a used game.

Meaning they might be selling you a bunk item, and then charging extra for the luxury of getting a working product. Grimy AF.

I was kinda hoping they were bought out by Funko Pop. And, instead of trading games in for other games...they immediately just crush and melt them down into a Pop figure.

cybereality said:

Yeah, like when they try to sell you insurance on a used game.

Meaning they might be selling you a bunk item, and then charging extra for the luxury of getting a working product. Grimy AF.

Click to expand...

Yup, most of the time, I just end up buying a new game since the price difference between used and new isn't huge for me, their used price never really made any sense to me.

Just admit defeat and die already, Gamestop. Maybe after they are dead and gone some indie retro stores can try to make a go at it, you know... honestly.

If a place I actually shopped at like Radio Shack can't make it due to corporate fuckery, then to hell with Gamestop.

Chimpee said:

Yup, most of the time, I just end up buying a new game since the price difference between used and new isn't huge for me, their used price never really made any sense to me.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't really like the model of knowing the couple bucks I saved were essentially the dollars that would have gone to the people who actually made the game.

Archaea said:

Steam gives you two hours free of the full game experience. If not sarcastic post on your part then that draw is not enough to save them.

Click to expand...

Their refund policy is meant for incompatible hardware issues or the like, not to trial games. You will be banned if you do it too much.

sunruh said:

we have a place here in Austin called Pinballz
its where a kmart used to be. and now they have added more space to have indoor gokarts as well
its all pinball and arcade games (also food) but its got more cars in the parking lot at it than fry's does!

Click to expand...

Have you been in the Fry's lately? They're dead, they have basically zero stock in the store. I went there probably a month ago and it was surreal, 60%+ of the shelves were barren. The electronics section had basically nothing but cables or shit nobody wanted. No drives, motherboards, cases, RAM or anything else. Other parts of the store were the same, no stock on popular items and just crap nobody wanted.

I looked at the recent reviews on Google and apparently its been an ongoing thing for months. After a bit of digging, someone else got an employee to admit that management was trying to close the store so they didn't order any stock for anything. That's pretty weird because normally if you're going out of business, you announce it to the public, not tiptoe around the issue, unless something more is going on.

Cr4ckm0nk3y said:

The design is cool but not for a nation wide chain. I can see this tied into some coffee bar or bar bar like we have here in Denver but not large amount of stores.

The retro change will just prolong the inevitable enough to raise the stock prices a few bucks and allow the officers to punch out with some extra money.

Gamestop has destroyed their reputation by targeting customers and using extremely underhanded tactics.

Making their stores retro won't stop their decline or bring in the large amount of customers they need to turn a profit. You think 12 guys playing D&D or some retro games will spend a ton of cash to fix the sinking ship? No they won't. Volume is what Gamestop needs to save itself and unfortunately that volume is in digital.

Selling shirts, toys, and snacks also has proven not to help. Moving ThinkGeek into Gamestop has not helped at all.

Gamestop is having a typical brick and mortar hemorrhage due to the changing marketplace (going digital) and the high cost of keeping physical stores running.

Egghead Software (nostalgia anyone) dealt with the same issues Gamestop is having and Egghead didn't have a shit reputation for abusing their clientele. Changing up the stores style did little to nothing to help Egghead and turned sale's staff into babysitters. Eventually Egghead went online before being bought out. That is Gamestops only chance. Cut a majority of stores and go digital.

Frankly the writing is on the wall. Gamestop is worth about $500M now and loses $400-500M a year. Nothing can really be done besides a massive restructure. Retro gaming stores isn't it.

Click to expand...

This. A glorified internet cafe is what they are trying to accomplish. In some areas it certainly can work, but it will still be a niche thing and likely heavily dependent on location. Outside of some Asian countries this market has collapsed as well. It will be helpful because console gamers are increasingly buying digital, which is killing their sales.

A) This is doomed to fail. Consoles are cheap. People have them at home already. Arcades and iNet cafes existed to serve a market that no longer exists.

B) F them. Their corporate and consumer policies are horrendous. Opened "new" games. The constant upsell for their stupid member card and pre-order pressure tactics. Even when physical copies was the way to go I avoided them like the plague. Apparently I give you $60 and you just give me a game just wasn't good enough for them.

I haven't gone into a GameStop in years but I'm willing to put my hate for their way of doing business aside to give them another chance.

In order for this to work they need to provide an experience that can't be had at home by most people. This will fail and I bet the investors are already planning on shorting the whole endeavor.

Totally agree with criticisms... but...

If they served good margaritas / cold beer / nachos, had great retro games on tap, I'd be there! It seems like it could be a nerd "Hey Norm!" place, if done right. A place where those of us who like that stuff could be among friends without judgement from The Unenlightened.

And now that I said "done right" in a thread regarding GameStop, I'll say - "ahh. nevermind."

We are dealing with a wounded beast. It will try anything to stay alive. Can't fault them for trying it, but I really do not see this taking off outside of a very few places in the US. Who knows? GS may surprise us for something other than finding new interesting ways to lower the bar on customer satisfaction.

ThatITGuy said:

I don't hate used games as much as I hate Gamestop's price for a used copy of a game often only being <10 dollars less than the price for it new. I recently got an Xbox One, and was looking to get some new games. I was able to find them used for 10 - 20 dollars less than Gamestop had the "pre-owned" tagged at. I was actually able to find a few games that i bought NEW for cheaper than Gamestop had the game "pre-owned". Also, with used you run the risk of not getting everything included with the "new" game, because the original owner likely redeemed any promo codes/etc.

Click to expand...

The only good deals they have are the 4x$4.99 for $10, the 4x$9.99 for $20 and the 3x$14.99 for $25. Those are usually great.

Build up points on those and then take $5 or $10 off a game that is only a few $ off new and then it starts to get decent. I've also done a few of the 4x$9.99 for $20 and then sold back some of the games a month or two later for $7ea when there was a trade-in bonus. Just have to know how to work the system.

Also: I finally got their "Pro" card for $15/yr and I've already saved about $60 on it in 2 months, not just due to the 10% discount but from the b2g1 free as well. It's also earned me extra points on the above mentioned (1/2 price) promos and I've pulled another $5 off & about to snag a $10 off any used item discount. I can't really complain....although if I only went in occasionally and saw $2 off a new game = pre-owned price, I'd probably not be too happy.

Not sure when the last time you guys have been into a gamestop, but customer service has been great.

* I've bought (while out, about 20 min away form my house) 2 games that ended up with disc errors & the local GS next to my house rreplaced them (7 day warranty, return for any reason!)
* I've had one promo where it was advertised on the shelf and I didn't realize it was expired & they honored it anyhow and then took down the sign.
* I've bouht 2-3 games from my local GS that only had the white box, and after asking, they found a collectors edition or day 1 edition box and gave it to me when I was buying the game.
* Best Buy will price match their new stuff which I've done once or twice (MH World for $40 at BB, $20 at Gamestop)
They do ask about Game Protection Plan, and you just say "no thanks" and that is the end of it. I haven't been pressured to buy or it received a sales pitch on those.

Came home today with 7 XB1 games & 2 3DS games & my total OTD was just over $40

Darth Ender said:

yea, i thought most gamestops were turning into thinkgeek portals.

Gamestop has been and was until the end, a ripoff venue that was caught more than once, opening brand new products and stealing content from inside and then re-sealing it to sell as new to customers. Not as a one off bad employee thing, but as a corporate instructed behavior.

They should rightly burn into the forgotten memory of failed businesses like they deserve.

I'd rather have seen Microcenter buy out some of the gamestops and fill it with their diy-hobby electronics section and re-create a sort of radio shack the way radio shack was originally meant to be. Since so few places have access to the awesomeness that is microcenter.

This idea of game cafe's and such is stupid and destined to fail. In the US, we have our own homes where we have our own computers and decent internet. There's literally no reason to try and lug your stuff to a cafe where you actually have to put on clothes to play games ....nor is there a real demographic of laptop users who want to do the same.

Click to expand...

I don't know about you, but young people like to meet new people each instead of staying in their mancave.