Any former "GameStore" employees here? Share your SC stories!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

One of the the things I tend to enjoy are when customers mispronounce game titles in amusing ways, some I've heard:

"Bell-durs Gate"

"Wii get Fit"

"Just cuz" (Just cause)

"Met-rod" (Metroid)

"In-Fay-mous" (Infamous)

- numerous manglings of Pokemon game titles

- "Older Scrolls: Oblivion"

And I curse nintendo for naming their game: Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Why? Because nobody can freaking remember it! I've had so many people come in wanting that game but don't have a clue what it's called. Usually I get "do you have that game from the tv ad with the two girls?".

Then I get one other type of wonderful customer.

The kind who is looking for a game I nor any of my coworkers have ever heard of (that does not show up in our database either), but is certain the game does exist and they are not getting the title wrong, then have the nerve to get pissed at US because we can't magically product the mysterious game they seek.

[EricKei]

Ahh yes, the "Name That Game" game...

- Pokey Mans

- the Nintendo 360

- the XBOX 2

- Katam...Kama...Camshaft dancing...THAT DAMN GAME WITH THE GREEN DUDE AND THE BALL

===================================

Hrm...horror stories, horror stories...OK. I 'll spot you a minor one. New Release time: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

- Mother comes in with her 5 & 8 year old sons, obviously buying the game for them. At our shop, we were always proactive about this sort of thing/M-Rated (18 Cert) games...We told her, in no uncertain terms, that this game was inappropriate for her little kiddles. I will never forgot her response 'til my dying day:

"Oh, that's OK, I just turn the volume off."

In other words, she only cared about the nasty language. Nothing else.

===================================

And...counterstory just to lighten the mood. New Release Time: Fight Club (the game).

Dude who is a major customer with us, we knew him by name and vice versa, humongous fan of FC. Preordered the game and everything. Came there for 11am on release day to pick it up. He was back by 3 PM with the opened game:

FC dude: "I'm trading this in".
me: "Ack, you know we can't give you back full price cuz you opened it. Sorry, man"
FC dude: "That's alright, I'll take what I can get. I want this ...this...thing out of my house".

Apparently, it was really just that bad of a game.

[derangedperson]

Pokey Mans

Let me show you them.

[dmcglu82]

I thought I would post back about a store here in town called Game Xchange, I took in 5 360 games 5 original xbox games and 2 psp games got 70 bucks credit.
Also can a GS employee who posts on here tell me if the rumor is true that GS's employees are taking the new games home playing them and then bringing them back and selling them as new still?

[EricKei]

Also can a GS employee who posts on here tell me if the rumor is true that GS's employees are taking the new games home playing them and then bringing them back and selling them as new still?

Former one here -- As long as a store wasn't doing badly in areas like Loss Prevention, reserves, and sub, then yes, this was not only allowed, but encouraged by Corporate. I believe it still is. If you get a "new" game box that never has had a price tag on it -- AND they did NOT simply take a disc from the shelf and slip it in there -- this is most likely what happened. If there is a price tag/residue on it, or else they filled the box you pulled from the shelf, then it is most likely just a "gutted" copy, not likely to have been played.

Either way, Ask the MOD for the "10% open box" discount, at least that way you'll be paying the used price for it.

[Mike Taylor]

What kills me is that Mr. Douchenozzle in the original post bought a PSP for a six year-old! At that age, a $250 toy better be BIG and DURABLE, like a Power Wheels car. The PSP's target gender and age demographic has, until recently, been teen and young adult males. The fact that this toadstool didn't do his research and get a DS (or better yet a Game Boy Advance) is astounding.

[EricKei]

The fact that this toadstool didn't do his research and get a DS (or better yet a Game Boy Advance) is astounding.

Agreed, 100%. The sad thing is, all said toadstool would have had to to to glean this important tidbit of critical information would have been to ask the dude behind the counter for a handheld system recommendation for the kid. Any 'Stopper who recommended anything not from Nintendo does not deserve that job (even one as crappy as that one). They need to move over and make room for someone who understands their product better.

[infinitemonkies]

Several years ago I worked at a Blockbuster Video.

I had one customer going on and on about how cool the new "meteoriod" game looked, and how they couldn't wait for us to get it.

I honestly thought for a moment they meant there was going to be a new version of asteroids until I realized they were talking about the latest (at the time)Metroid, which had come out months earlier and we had about 6 copies in stock.

Also, space invaders for the PS1 kicked ass

[Dreamstalker]

As far as the edge card, I think it's worth it if you aren't the type to get every new game as it comes out. I just got a PSP and I am content to buy the cheap games at $14 a pop. Then when I tire of them, sell them back for an average $6 gain.

Yeah, I rarely get games the day they come out (the notable exception is Ghostbusters which I and probably every other fan has been waiting on for years).

I usually wait on reviews until I pick something up and then try to find it used.

[Alpha Strike]

I wish I still had my Megadrive, Genesis to you Americans. It lasted for ages, but finally died around 2004. *sigh* My favourite game was Streets of Rage; I seriously pwned at that game. I used to deliberately try to get the bad ending. XD

Good stuff! This is one of the many games that have been brought back and made available for purchase by folks who own Xbox 360s (and use the online service).

This is one of the few that actually stands up to the test of time (Golden Axe is another I can think of) - a lot of old games that I have fond memories of just don't do it for me anymore when compared to current titles.

[Andara Bledin]

Ah, yes...GameStore. A cesspool of SC's if there ever was one. I've had the unfortunate experience of working for two different video game stores: GameCrazy (whom I mention by name because I actually enjoyed it there, and the business itself was far superior to GS), and, erm, "GameStore".

Just a heads up, but in a recent game store related thread, I was mentioning how much more awesome my local GameCrazy is than the local GameStop. I just want to let you know that you have my sincerest sympathies.

On a quick side note, it pissed me off greatly that I couldn't say "Merry Christmas", or I would be fired. I mean...seriously? Who's going to be offended by "Merry Christmas"? I have yet to meet someone who I said merry christmas to, only to have them turn around and go "FUCK YOU!", and I doubt I ever will.

I suspect you won't get it while at a game store, but just wait till you work somewhere else; it will happen.

Just remember; as with the stupid warnings on everyday items, lame store policies come from somebody having been either dumb as a bag of rocks, or having a pole up their ass and taking it out to corporate.

That all started one day when I overheard one of the managers tell a customer that they couldn't find X game, right off the bat, I butt in "Oh, Manager there's one there" and point to it

A friend of mine from another forum had a GameStop clerk tell him that they didn't have a game in stock, when there was one on the shelf behind the clerk, that the friend was staring at the whole time. He decided that maybe GameStop wasn't his preferred choice for game purchases after that.

So, while Mr. Slick Rick was doing this, thinking he was getting over like Rover, all the while, the Store Mgrs were just compiling a nice paper trail to show what he'd been up to, as evidence to ban him from doing any more returns!

Wait, all they wanted was enough evidence to ban him? I'd report him for fraud, myself. I'm all for fair use, but this guy was way over the line into unfair use.

I've worked through all three major console launches (360, Wii and PS3) and there were product shortages in each instant (I think this is done on purpose to build media hype).

Don't believe it. Sure, the press can be good, but it's never going to be worth as much as the actual money a sold console (and related games, controllers, attachments, etc) would be.

What the heck are roaches doing inside a video game console anyway?

This is actually really, really common with electronics. Seems that they can get in through the vents easily enough and it's nice and warm in there. Talk to any electronics repair shop and they will have at least one "roach infestation" story.

Yes, he was a freakin' furry. *shudder*

Needless to say, that was a little awkward for the rest of the night, as he kept wanting to show me pictures of him dressed up like a dog...

First, you need to get your fandom information from somewhere other than mass media. Us furries are no freakier than any other fan geek, including gamer geeks. (for fun, check out all of the gamer pervs trying to insist that Midna isn't "furry" so they won't have that stigma when they download their Midna porn; and no, I'm not joking, and they'd not looking at human-form Midna - bigots are so tiring)

As for the rest of it, that guy needs a little more socialization. Most of the fursuiters I know are decent enough to not get on people's nerves with their hobby.

If a game is opened, it can only be traded for another copy of the same game. It can not be refunded.

Fun fact: There is no such thing as an "unopened" game at my local GameStop (and their affiliates). They open every game they get, shrink the contents of the case and put it in a folder, then put the empty case up on the shelf.

That's what makes the loser thief in one of the above posts so funny.

That's also why I will never buy a new game from GameStop. Or from any other place that unseals their games prior to sale. The GameStop won't give an "open box" discount, either. We've tried.

^-.-^

[Alpha Strike]

...
Don't believe it. Sure, the press can be good, but it's never going to be worth as much as the actual money a sold console (and related games, controllers, attachments, etc) would be.

I do believe it, actually. I worked at an Electronics Boutique for more years then I care to remember and that time included console releases so I have a wealth of personal experience to draw upon.

The reasoning you mention here is exactly why I DO believe that there are product shortages. While it's hard to buy the sort of all-encompassing publicity that a console release can bring (especially when it's a "must-have" system") you're ultimately right: the company would rather have the money in their collective pockets instead of unsatisfied customers.

In fact, when product shortages drag on for a long time - like they have with the Wii - it generates a lot of negative publicity. With that publicity comes pissed off customers who don't have the patience to wait and end up picking up a different item or who buy less of the extras (controllers, games, etc) from which the real money is made. Finally, with no product on the shelf, you lose the impulse buyers and the last-minute shoppers.

In short, unless you have a boiled cabbage running your company, there is no reason to fake a product shortage.

That doesn't mean that console shortages aren't sometimes exaggerated or that better planning wouldn't alleviate some of the issues involved. I just simply don't give much credit to the belief that companies are manufacturing shortages simply to ramp up interest and demand.

[EricKei]

GameStore does indeed have cabbage for leadership, tho I suspect that the console shortages are much more the manufacturer's fault (intention is questionable) than GS's. One neat tidbit I gleaned over the years -- Game stores *generally* sell systems at cost (which is why they push the extras), and, with a few notable exceptions such as the Wii, the manufacturers often LOSE money on the consoles themselves. Ninty supposedly made a few bucks off of each Wii, but PS3 production costs -- especially for the initial release -- were allegedly upwards of 900 smackers apiece.

I suspect, however, that even the big N wasn't quite prepared for the overwhelming demand for The Little Box That Could.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

GameStore does indeed have cabbage for leadership, tho I suspect that the console shortages are much more the manufacturer's fault (intention is questionable) than GS's. One neat tidbit I gleaned over the years -- Game stores *generally* sell systems at cost (which is why they push the extras), and, with a few notable exceptions such as the Wii, the manufacturers often LOSE money on the consoles themselves. Ninty supposedly made a few bucks off of each Wii, but PS3 production costs -- especially for the initial release -- were allegedly upwards of 900 smackers apiece.

I suspect, however, that even the big N wasn't quite prepared for the overwhelming demand for The Little Box That Could.

I remember a Regional manager telling me back at the time of the launches in 2006 that we made around 9 dollars on each Wii sold and for each PS3 we sold we got...

....17 CENTS.

Yes that's not a typo or a misprint, SEVENTEEN cents profit on the PS3. The margins on game hardware are very slim that's why even Wal-mart will sell the Wii at $249.86. There just isn't much room to cut the price down.

Oh and another one about mangled names.

I had a man come in a few days ago looking for a "DS3"

This was interesting one as he could have meant:

- A PS3

- A PSP

- A DSi (the third version of the DS)

Eventually, after I showed him examples of the various consoles, I determined it was a DSi he was wanting.

And just for the heck of it I will again voice my hatred of people who confuse "System" with "Game"

SC: Do you have any Wii games in stock?
Me: Yes we have many, is there a certain one your looking for?
SC: The wii game, the one that comes with the sports pack.
Me: You mean the Wii SYSTEM? (emphasis added)
SC: Yeah do you have any?

Grrrrr. Gets me every time.
Me:

[MercenaryMuffin]

GameStop seems to be frequented by two particular types of people who I almost never encountered at GameCrazy (now GameTag):

1) The credit card scammers.
2) The stoners.

I know I put stoners at #2, but I'm going to bitch about them first because I fucking hate stoners.
So, at least once a day, you'd get some doped-up dopes walking into the store, the smell of weed and wasted lives wafting off them. They always had trade-ins, and they always wanted cash for them. No exceptions.
These games were usually multiple copies of the same thing, which I'm sure were totally NOT stolen. They'd usually make idle chit-chat with us ("so, uhhhh...how about that new zeldaman game..." ), and most of them didn't even have IDs, so they couldn't trade in any games for cash. This led to much bitching on their part.

Any time you had to deal with one of these winners, it took forever, because their thought process had slowed to roughly the speed of a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.

Us: "Okay, we need your ID"
Them: "...uhhh....what?"
Us: "Your ID."
Them: "Oh...hey, uh, I don't, like, have it on me, so..."
Us: "So you can't get cash for these."
Them: "Oh come on, maaaaan, just give me the cash, dude..."
Us: "Sorry, DUDE, but no ID, no cash."

For some reason, stoners always tried to bribe us with cash that they didn't have. "I'll give you, like, ten bucks, bro."
Funny, you traded in 9 old-ass games and you're getting like four bucks for them, I highly doubt you have that ten dollars on you anyway.
Then you inevitably spent the next two minutes staring into their blood-shot, empty eyes as they tried to come up with reasons why you should break company policy and give them the cash.

God. I hate stoners.

Okay, on to the scammers! There's one guy in particular who I will never forget.
Black guy, kinda tall, red and white jacket with a matching baseball cap (the ones with those stupid-ass straight bills with the sticker still on it...seriously, it looks retarded, stop it), and acting pretty damn shifty. He'd spent the last ten minutes walking around the store, glancing at the desk, and talking to himself. So right off the bat, my manager says "This guy is either gonna try and steal something, or give us a bad card. Just watch."

Said guy walks up to the desk.
Scamming Customer: "Yo, man, let me get, uh, five of dem PSPs"
Awesome Manager: "Sorry, but we can only sell two at a time"
*Note: At the time, this was true, PSPs were brand new and cost $250 each*
SC: "Yuh, yuh, whatever. Lemme get dem five, then."
AM: "I'll have to do it over 3 transactions."
SC: "Yuh."

So AM starts scanning them through, and the SC states he also wants 9 games and 12 UMD movies (you can see where this is going).

AM: "Alright, that'll be...*total, which was something like a thousand dollars*
SC: *hands over card, which is obviously fake*

AM scans the card, and SURPRISE!, it's invalid.

AM: "Sir, your card isn't going through. Do you have another?"
SC: "Oh...yeah, [n-word], fo' sho'."
AM: "Don't call me that."
SC: "What? You ain't prouda yo' black heritage?"
AM: "Don't call me that again or I'm gonna ask you to leave."
SC: "Pfft, whatever, man."

So he hands over another card, this one doesn't even have his name on it.

AM: "...I thought your name was Derek."
SC: "Yeah?"
AM: "This card says Michael."
SC: "Uhh...yeah, so, Michael's mah boy, 'naa mean?"
AM: "Well Michael isn't here, now is he?"
SC: "Yo man, you gonna give me dis shit or not, son?"
AM: "No. No I'm not. Would you like the cops called on you?"
SC: "Oh, well, uh, dat's cool, 'naaa mean?"
AM: "Uh huh. Please leave, and don't come back here."
SC: "Nah, man, nah. Forget it..."
And he walks out. LEAVING BOTH CARDS. idiot.

AM immediately gets on the phone and calls up the other stores in the area to let 'em know this guy is trying to use fake AND stolen credit cards. Apparently he went to an EB just a few miles away, and they called the cops on him.


Maybe there is justice in the world...