Gamestop: Why/How do they do this?

The Game Room
21

(former gamestop manager)

There are usually multiple opened ‘new’ games for the different sections. The seals are added so people can’t use the excuse ‘it was opened when I bought it’. Since inventory comes every day, usually the back counter is in a state of disarray as you are opening up cases to prep them for display, which is probably what happened in your case.

Once (sometimes 2 or 3 times) a week the manager before the store opens has to scan every disc in a section to make sure it is properly represented (if the title is in inventory and there is no disc one will be created, and removed if it was sold.) When someone misplaces the container and can’t find it they’ll sell it without finding the one on the floor, which is how that happens.

Employees are able to check out new games, but the rules behind it are so ridiculous that most of the time they don’t bother. Plus since most of the employees are ridiculous gamers they end up just buying all the stuff and trading it in.

As for the rejections of accepting trade-ins, that’s just not true. The employee might be lazy or misinformed, I used to pull those tricks when I was indifferent to the job. Gamestop bought a game for 2 dollars, sold it for 10, you trade it back for 2, and they sell it for 10 again. They make ALL their profits on the used games (which is why employees always try to push used games over new --it benefits both). The only time they’ll be rejected is if they are in shoddy condition.

The system overall works well. It’s a pain for the customer and employees to have all the discs behind the counter (and a LOT more work) but it keeps inventory shrinkage down to less than 1%, which helps keep the prices and deals lower. I forget the exact numbers but if it’s over like 2 or 3% they’ll toss everyone in the store. Unlike music stores where shrinkage is like 10%.

22

True, but I turned in stuff so as to take advanatge of every promotion I could, and it was stuff I didn’t buy from them in the first place. So, I was net taking money out of their system. It wasn’t the ideal method of bringing them down, but it does reduce their profit margin. Then I basically rented games for free on that money, before cashing in for a new game I won’t be reselling to them.

Nothing, per se. Their stores just tend to be messy, are stocked seemingly at random, and they only carry the newest games. That annoys me, because it means I more or less have to go to Gamestop to get some of the items I want. Gamestop, meanwhile, basically drove out or bought up all the alternatives.

23

Whatever their excuse are, the fact that I can’t walk out of Gamestop without my merchandise looking like I bought it at a garage sale means I won’t shop there. Especially since most of my game purchases are for gifts (Christmas, birthdays, etc) and I’d like for them to look, you know… new.

24

That’s how it is at all the GameStops around here. They gut one copy (or a few copies if it’s a big seller they want more than one case sitting out for) and the rest are kept in the big glass case behind the register. I’ve never been sold an opened game unless I was buying a used game. If they tried, I’d be all “fo’get you, Imma go to Best Buy instead, sucka.”