Gamestop Is Punishing Stores for Selling New Games

[Megalith]

While there are plenty of places to buy games nowadays, this story does reveal just how much it sucks working for Gamestop. I don’t think their focus on used game sales was ever a real secret, but now this habit is clearly documented through a program called “Circle of Life,” which will often result in an employee getting fired if s/he sells too many new games. I am not sure which is worse, being lied to that a new copy of a game isn’t available, or being sold a “new” game that has clearly been opened and then resealed (I’m not the only one this has happened to, right?). The only thing that Gamestop seems to do right these days is their store pickup feature, which is totally free—that reminds me, I never did pick up that Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide…

…GameStop is incentivizing employees to stop people from buying new games and hardware. GameStop staff say the company has threatened to fire people who don’t hit these quotas, which is leading to all sorts of scuzzy tactics. “We are telling people we don’t have new systems in stock so we won’t take a $300 or $400 dollar hit on our pre-owned numbers,” one GameStop employee told me in an e-mail, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to press. “This is company wide and in discussions with my peers it is a common practice. We also tell customers we don’t have copies of new games in stock when they are on sale—for example, Watch Dogs 2 is currently $29.99 new and $54.99 pre-owned. We just tell them we don’t have the new one in stock and shuffle them out the door.”

 

[raz-0]

Gamestop has always been a series of questionable business tactics. That's why they are still around. Their market segment is dead if you do it more honestly than they do. Hopefully they will hit the end of the line soon.

And no, you are not the only one who has gotten re-sealed new games. They allow employees to take them home and play them then put them back and sell them as new. At least they used to when I haad friends who worked managing gamestops.

 

[Comixbooks]

I know many of great men who were let go from that place for idiotic reasons.
I haven't been there since Bloodborne came out. Quota for selling used games =)

 

[Shintai]

People still buy physical games? And even if so, not from a webshop?

 

[Derangel]

That might explain why the Gamestop here closed. The employees, including the store manager, never pushed used copies. They'd direct people towards them if they were asking about games, but never in a pushy manner. If someone wanted to buy a new copy of a game they'd pull a sealed copy out of a drawer and give them that. They never heavily pushed used systems, just mentioning that there were used ones in stock for x price if the buyer wanted to go that route. Heck they didn't even hound people about pre-orders. If someone said no to pre-owned, pre-orders, membership stuff, that was the end of it no further badgering. It was actually a great store to go to with really good employees and a really down-to-Earth store manager.

 

[DocSavage]

People still buy physical games? And even if so, not from a webshop?

I'm assuming this is something console peasants do.

 

[Derangel]

People still buy physical games? And even if so, not from a webshop?

Sometimes. Really depends on the game, the price, etc. Buying online is no cheaper than buying in store for me. Gamestop, BestBuy, Amazon, etc all charge tax for online orders in Minnesota so unless the actual sale price is cheaper (like, say, using Prime to pre-order a game) there is no cost difference between buying online or in a store for me. So if, for whatever reason, I plan on buying a physical copy of some game I'll usually just grab it from Target, Walmart, or where ever when I'm there. The only place I could buy one cheaper would be Newegg, but the time their Eggsaver shipping takes to deliver anything isn't worth the couple dollars saved.

 

[Design1stcode2nd]

I'm assuming this is something console peasants do.

When physical versions are half the cost of digital? Yes. Although I buy them online.

 

[tetris42]

I can only hope they become the next Blockbuster.

 

[cvinh]

I remember the time I bought a "new" game from GS. They gave me a copy that was not sealed but had a sticker slapped on it that said new. I opened it up and it was obviously returned or used as a store demo. I asked for a full refund and they said opened games are nonreturnable. Manager told me the same thing. I then asked for their corporate number and his name and only then did they give me my money back. These guys are shady as fuck.

 

[ir0nw0lf]

I rank this up there with the tactics Staples ***allegedly*** uses when you buy a new desktop/laptop: trying to force you into $xxx worth of extras (or whatever Staples calls it).

 

[Domingo]

Oh retail. Nearly every store or business pulls shenanigans like this, Gamestop just happens to be a long-time (and extreme) offender. At least they are no longer tacking on strategy guides and Game Informer subscriptions "by accident."

 

[dgingeri]

Easy way to not get nailed by a dishonest reseller: don't buy from them. I never go to GameStop. I never buy from them. Therefore, I never have to worry about such things. I wonder every time I see reports like this why anyone even buys from them. In addition to these issues, they are quite overpriced.

And, no, not every store does this. Getting software from Amazon, Newegg, or even Target or Best Buy doesn't have these sorts of problems.

 

[FnordMan]

Yet another reason that reinforces my decision to never go to Gamestop again.

There's a local chain store (they've got like 4 or 5 stores total) I visit and if they don't have it, amazon.

 

[Dan_D]

I rank this up there with the tactics Staples ***allegedly*** uses when you buy a new desktop/laptop: trying to force you into $xxx worth of extras (or whatever Staples calls it).

All the retailers who sell computers do this. There isn't enough margin in the sale of most computer hardware for the retailer to make any money. So they have to tack on high margin add on sales to turn a profit. Its easy to do. All it takes is a memory upgrade, an extended warranty or a printer sale to turn a profit.

 

[Dan_D]

Yet another reason that reinforces my decision to never go to Gamestop again.

There's a local chain store (they've got like 4 or 5 stores total) I visit and if they don't have it, amazon.

I don't like the opened and resealed "new" game bullshit. I hated that back in the day when I bought everything as a physical copy. With today's higher speed internet connections I just buy everything digitally. With a gigabit connection I could usually download and install a game faster than I could go out and buy a physical copy, then drive home with it. Installation and updates would take even longer. The last physical game I've ever purchased was Mass Effect 3 back in 2012. That was actually purchased online with Amazon using their "release day delivery" guarantee. That always worked well for me back in the days when I did purchase physical copies.

 

[matt167]

My local mall had a great used/ new game and hobby store which had remained open since the 1980's. Gamestop moved in a store front the mall built on the side of the mall.. Gamestop did not pick up steam until that company left the mall..

I sold them my Wii ( which I bought from the local company a few years earlier ). and all the games with it, and it came to like $15 for everything. I didn't want the thing anymore so I let them have it.. When I looked at the bill later, they gave me a penny for most of the games, and Wii sports they gave $1 for.

I've also heard of GS opening new games to sell them as used, when the price falls. If I go to a retail outlet to buy a game, I go to Walmart usually. They have their own " Rollbacks " and prices are usually the best among local retailers

 

[vegeta535]

I'm assuming this is something console peasants do.

Seriously gtfo with this console peasant talk. Some people prefer physical copies. People cry when they get any kind of restrictions but yet praise DD. Can you swap games with a friend with DD? Can you go over a friend's house and pop in a game and play with DD? Can you resell DD? No you cant.

 

[Susquehannock]

I can only hope they become the next Blockbuster.

They will. Online services are killing their business. Much like NetFlix did to BB.

 

[DocSavage]

I don't like the opened and resealed "new" game bullshit. I hated that back in the day when I bought everything as a physical copy. With today's higher speed internet connections I just buy everything digitally. With a gigabit connection I could usually download and install a game faster than I could go out and buy a physical copy, then drive home with it. Installation and updates would take even longer.

Truth. Actually with a gigabit connection, I can buy, download, and have a 6 GB game running within 2 minutes. It's ridiculous now days.

 

[DocSavage]

Seriously gtfo with this console peasant talk. Some people prefer physical copies. People cry when they get any kind of restrictions but yet praise DD. Can you swap games with a friend with DD? Can you go over a friend's house and pop in a game and play with DD? Can you resell DD? No you cant.

All your points are valid and I meant my comment to be more tongue-in-cheek. I will say it's been over 10 years since I've been inside a gamestop and I can't for the life of me remember what I bought.

 

[[21CW]killerofall]

The last game I bought from Gamestop was Battlefield 2142 for PC. If I wanted to buy a physical copy I would go to Bestbuy, Walmart or Target as they are closer than Gamestop. I don't play consols anymore so I would never buy a used game anyway.

 

[Armenius]

That might explain why the Gamestop here closed. The employees, including the store manager, never pushed used copies. They'd direct people towards them if they were asking about games, but never in a pushy manner. If someone wanted to buy a new copy of a game they'd pull a sealed copy out of a drawer and give them that. They never heavily pushed used systems, just mentioning that there were used ones in stock for x price if the buyer wanted to go that route. Heck they didn't even hound people about pre-orders. If someone said no to pre-owned, pre-orders, membership stuff, that was the end of it no further badgering. It was actually a great store to go to with really good employees and a really down-to-Earth store manager.

The Gamestop I go to is like this and is the only reason I keep going back. I heard about this "Circle of Life" bullshit from them last year and just started to experience the withholding of new copies personally. I just tell them I know what's going on and I'll preorder something I want if the employee is honest with me.

 

[Gigus Fire]

Why do people even still go to this store? It's a complete waste of time.

 

[Domingo]

I don't like the opened and resealed "new" game bullshit. I hated that back in the day when I bought everything as a physical copy.

Shrinkwrap machines were almighty in gaming retail.They've been pulling shenanigans with them for years. I had a friend that worked at EB and their staff used to take whatever they wanted home at will. They'd just bring the stuff back, shrink-wrap it, and sell it as new. In some instances they'd re-wrap used or returned games and return them to other stores (where the game was pricier) for store credit. As long as a game is sealed, places like Toys R Us would take 'em. A $5 copy of some random shovelware NES title suddenly becomes $60 in "Geoffrey Bucks."

 

[goodrob]

The only time I buy something from gamestop is when it is a new release and it has an exclusive that I want, then it usually is a midnight release so hopefully little chance at a open and resealed game. Most of my purchases these days are digital and hate to say it but i dont really buy that many games any more overall. I might be getting old or something

 

[whateverer]

Sometimes. Really depends on the game, the price, etc. Buying online is no cheaper than buying in store for me. Gamestop, BestBuy, Amazon, etc all charge tax for online orders in Minnesota so unless the actual sale price is cheaper (like, say, using Prime to pre-order a game) there is no cost difference between buying online or in a store for me..

You know Amazon Prime discount isn't just for pre-orders, right? You can buy the game for that price for two weeks after release. Give you plenty of time to wait for reviews and forum feedback before taking the plunge.

If you buy at-least 6 AAA games a year, you've mostly paid for your Prime membership. And there's already tons of other reasons to have Prime anyway

They also continue to have aggressive sales on popular games after that two-week window, in order to compete with Steam. I recall getting Doom a month after release for $36 via Prime, after they released the demo.

IF YOU BUY 6+ GAMES A YEAR THERE IS NO REASON TO BUY NEW GAMES SOON AFTER RELEASE IN-STORE.

 

[Master_shake_]

I'm assuming this is something console peasants do.

don't MS and Sony have online game stores?

 

[tetris42]

Seriously gtfo with this console peasant talk. Some people prefer physical copies. People cry when they get any kind of restrictions but yet praise DD. Can you swap games with a friend with DD? Can you go over a friend's house and pop in a game and play with DD? Can you resell DD? No you cant.

I always thought the "console peasant" phrase was stupid myself, but some things to point out:

Like PC games? Congratulations, you often don't get physical copies anymore, whether you want them or not.

Also, I get so sick of the digital v. physical debate, it's stupid. It's all about the DRM. If I buy a physical game that has an online authentication for my account, then I can't loan it and the disc isn't worth more than the plastic. Meanwhile, if I buy a digital copy of a game from GOG, I can do whatever I want. Loan it to a friend? Sure. Bring it with me on a USB stick to play at a friend's house? Sure. Physical v. digital is MEANINGLESS now. It's whether it has online DRM or not is the only thing that matters.

 

[Dan_D]

Why do people even still go to this store? It's a complete waste of time.

The funny thing is, they even push their own download service. I can't remember what it's called but now some PC titles have to be pulled from their bloated ad-infested application before you can register them with Steam.

 

[Dan_D]

don't MS and Sony have online game stores?

Yes they do.

 

[Darunion]

the gamestop I used to live near sold 'new' games but were all opened cases, didnt even reseal them. They said for "security" reasons. I went off because there is no difference between that and a used game.

 

[Master_shake_]

Yes they do.

then gamestop exists because?

they give you shit for used games.

better off selling online.

 

[Lith1um]

Looks like fucking people is extremely profitable.

Revenue US$ 9.0 billion (2014)
Operating income US$ 598.9 million (2014)
Net income US$ 354.2 million (2014)
Total assets US$ 4.1 billion (2014)
Total equity US$ 2.3 billion (2014)

 

[DeathFromBelow]

This behavior is why I stopped shopping at Gamestop. I actually had a cashier get pissed off at me when I came up to the counter to buy a handful of PC games. Told him he could keep them and walked out. Come to think of it, I don't think I've bought a game in a physical store ever since.

 

[Prod1702]

I just pre ordered some things for the Nintendo switch there since they were the only ones that give the most for some things I traded in. The ppl were really nice and didn't try and sell me anything. They did give me some false info but I just nodded my head and move on. I do mainly buy online but wanted to be able to get it day one for sure.

 

[vegeta535]

I actually never had a issue at any of the local GameStops around Baltimore. Sure they asked if there is anything I would like to preorder. I say no and that's the end of it. Never got anything pushed on me. Sure they still do have shitty policies. Only place I can get a game at midnight if I actually wanted too. It all comes down to the manager and employees. I abused the shit out of their return policy back when I was a kid. I would buy a game and return it after I beat it.

 

[rgMekanic]

Don't try to sell used games for $57.99 right next to the new games that still have all the bonus codes (if there are any) in tact.

 

[vegeta535]

Don't try to sell used games for $57.99 right next to the new games that still have all the bonus codes (if there are any) in tact.

I remember them selling all the EA sports games that had a code to play online. They sold used ones for $55 and more then likely the code was no good. You end up paying $10 to EA to get a new code.

 

[Xrave]

The last time I bought a physical game was the new Doom when it was on sale on Amazon. However the disc was only the installer and you still had to download the game.

In general only Steam purchases (or free Origins giveaways) for me!