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

[Andara Bledin]

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.

And just remember - the manufacturers are usually operating at a loss for each console sold, too. Except Nintendo. They seem to know how to build a machine that they can sell for more than it costs to make.

^-.-^

[Mike Taylor]

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.

That sounds about right. When I worked at FAO Schwarz, I got a glimpse at the wholesale price of the original Xbox. Our company was buying it at $299.01 when the system launched.

[angelicafire]

This isn't really a sucky story about customers but more about the Gamestop near my house.

I'll preface this by saying that my boyfriend and I consider ourselves, but by no means do we know everything. He plays FPS on Xbox360 and I play City of Heroes and casual games made for kids that don't require much skill. I play them a lot though, so I like to think of myself as a gamer chick

My brother had come to visit us last weekend because I just had surgery and was laying around. He brought Guitar Hero World Tour and the little guitars that came with it, and I had lots of fun! I'm a french horn player, so rhythm games are right up my alley!

We went to the GameStop to browse around for another Zoo game (I know it's dorky but it's so fun! Put the zebras in the lion pen and watch, woo!) There, on display like the Holy Grail were the guitar doodads for like $15 bucks. Sweet! I can buy the controller and my man can buy a game for like $25, we're in! So I ask the guy at the counter if all we need is THIS controller and the game, just to be sure, because I only got to play the thing for an hour and was kinda percoceted up when it got hooked together. He says sure, we're all set.

We get home and the controller doesn't work. The red button is orange, orange is red, and no other buttons work. Oh well, we can take it back. But look! An Xbox update! Yay!

Now nothing works. The Xbox says the controller is unrecognizable.

So we look up the serial number on the back of the guitar and it's a Rock Band guitar. Guitar Hero's website says that one won't work with this particular game, but others will. I didn't even know there were two different games out there that had their own sets of guitars. I mean, I see the commercials, but they all look the same to me! I really just figured that Guitar Hero was one player and Rock Band was multiplayer.

So thanks, GameStop. I know I should have done some research before doing this, but it was an impulse buy and I asked the dude if I was all set. This was never mentioned to me! Arggg!

Now I'll go back and buy a game that works. Yay more money.

[Geek King]

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).

Actually, you can get it and a bunch more classic Sega games on the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection Game without having to download it. Contains Streets of rage 1-3, all the Genesis Phantasy Star games, Golden Axe 1&2, most of the Sonic games, and a few others. Excellent value for a collections disk, and cheaper than buying them individually through XBox Live.

[Andara Bledin]

There, on display like the Holy Grail were the guitar doodads for like $15 bucks. Sweet! I can buy the controller and my man can buy a game for like $25, we're in! So I ask the guy at the counter if all we need is THIS controller and the game, just to be sure, because I only got to play the thing for an hour and was kinda percoceted up when it got hooked together. He says sure, we're all set.

The dude you talked to was sucky. Anyone that works around games should know that Rock Band and Guitar Hero are not compatible games. Any game store clerk worth minimum wage should know to confirm that you were buying for the correct game.

^-.-^

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Actually Activision sent a document to Gamestop stores on supposed compatibility between Rock Band and Guitar Hero stuff and according to them, RB2 and GH World Tour instruments are ALL interchangeable. That's probably what this guy was going off of.

[Jack T. Chance]

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.

Well, it was Babbage's that came up with the whole idea of letting you return a game for any reason, even if you just didn't like it! (To all you "GameStore" employees, that's why that policy exists... it's a holdover from the old days at Babbage's.) Heck, that's why I used to buy a lot of my games there, because I knew I wouldn't be stuck with the occasional lame game that didn't live up to my expectations!

But, that being said... returning games was a PRIVILEGE at Babbage's, a privilege that could be revoked if it was abused. And since the Store Managers were seeing a pattern that indicated abuse, that's what they were getting ready to do: revoke that privilege.

I don't know what "GameStore" is like these days in that regard, but back in the late '90s, they were just starting to realize how easy it was for customers to abuse the hell out of their return policies, so they were starting to try things like limiting the number of returns you could make because you "didn't like it" before they would revoke that privilege.

As for reporting the guy for fraud... they wouldn't have gone that far. They would just say "No more returns for you!" and that would be that.

[Andara Bledin]

As for reporting the guy for fraud... they wouldn't have gone that far. They would just say "No more returns for you!" and that would be that.

Actually, he'd likely have gone to jail, if they found copies of games at his place, which I suspect is extremely likely.

I only know this because I knew a guy who was in the game trading circuit back when Parasite Eve was still only available in Japanese. (and damn is that game confusing when you don't understand the options!) And yeah, he ended up in jail for it.

^-.-^

[MercenaryMuffin]

Except Nintendo. They seem to know how to build a machine that they can sell for more than it costs to make
^-.-^

http://blogs.theage.com.au/screenpla...nt%20Money.gif

I mean, I see the commercials, but they all look the same to me! I really just figured that Guitar Hero was one player and Rock Band was multiplayer.

They're both multiplayer. However, they're developed by two different companies. Harmonix makes Rock Band, and Neversoft makes Guitar Hero. For legal reasons which I won't get into, Guitar Hero controllers will work for Rock Band, but not the other way around.
They may have fixed this with Rock Band 2, but I can't say for sure.

[Jack T. Chance]

Actually, he'd likely have gone to jail, if they found copies of games at his place, which I suspect is extremely likely.

I only know this because I knew a guy who was in the game trading circuit back when Parasite Eve was still only available in Japanese. (and damn is that game confusing when you don't understand the options!) And yeah, he ended up in jail for it.

^-.-^

Well, nothing was ever said to me as an employee about getting the police involved in his case. And keep in mind, our evidence was circumstantial, anyway. We had no PROOF he was copying the games. Yes, he DID buy CD-Rs from us at the same time he bought the games, but those CD-Rs could just as easily have been used for making mix CDs, backups of his computer data, or copies of his audio CDs for his own personal use (I often burn a CD-R copy of a CD that I own, and then just play the copy, so the original doesn't get damaged.) And yes, he DID return games saying he didn't like them, but did not return the matching strategy guides, and yes, that is VERY odd. But again, circumstantial evidence, only. He could easily say "oh, I gave/traded/sold the book to a friend who bought the game and liked it" and we would've had no way to prove whether or not he did as he said.

Bottom line, the Store Managers were going to take the main action available to them, which was to no longer allow him to return games. And that's the extent of the action they SHOULD have taken. Babbage's "GameStore" employees aren't Federal Agents. It's not THEIR job to go after someone suspected of pirating video games. Trust me, we had enough other shit to do without being expected to do that as well!

[AriRashkae]

Because it's warm and it's confined.

If you ever talk to an appliance or tv repairmen, they will tell you it's fairly common if the the house itself is infested. They touch the wrong component and zzzzzt, they ground and short out the appliance.

We got roaches when my husband brought home boxes from his GameStore for packing. Those boxes had come from the store next town over, which was in a "duplex" with a Subway. So now both GameStores (and our home) had to battle roaches (we won, eventually), and we never ever again considered stopping at that Subway.

[Andara Bledin]

We got roaches when my husband brought home boxes from his GameStore for packing. Those boxes had come from the store next town over, which was in a "duplex" with a Subway. So now both GameStores (and our home) had to battle roaches (we won, eventually), and we never ever again considered stopping at that Subway.

Sevin Dust. It's absolutely deadly to all insects. Of course, that includes the beneficial ones, too.

^-.-^

[AriRashkae]

Fortunately, we found them fast and nipped them in the bud. Haven't seen a trace since. :fingers crossed: Had to bomb for fleas every so often due to the sandy soil in the neighborhood, so that might have helped.

Yeah, never ate at that Subway, and I'm glad we never will.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

There are two current problems with the one time returns if you don't like the game

1) Not every employee is aware that's how it should be
2) Being denied at one store is rather useless when the SC could just do the return at another store. In all my time at game stores I've never seen a flag/warning/alert/etc pop up on the computer screen when someone was returning something.

[EricKei]

http://blogs.theage.com.au/screenpla...nt%20Money.gif

Pure, unadulterated AWESOME ^_^

They may have fixed this with Rock Band 2, but I can't say for sure.

Perhaps this will help -- it's a list of what "instrument" peripherals work with what games.

http://www.joystiq.com/Instrument-Compatibility-Matrix/

As of the most recent game updates -- at least, on the ps3 and 360 -- all guitars should work on RB1, RB2, and GHWT. The other games vary in compatibility, and the Wii ones are a mixed bag. Drums vary slightly, as well.

Geek King: It has the Master System Phantasy Star, as well. Still one of my favorite RPG's of all time. And it's haaaard. It doesn't baby you like most RPG's these days do.

If you like compilations, I would recommend the Namco set on 360 (and I think ps3), too. Galaga Legions and Pac-Man Championship edition are two of the standouts.