Yes! That's even more Gamestops with even more employees that don't know CRAP about video games! YAY!

Beatboxtaun

@Lazlo:
People who are aware that "billion" can mean either 1,000,000,000 or 1,000,000,000,000 might appreciate the distinction.

jim_crawford

@dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased: FUCKING AMEN. People bitch and complain about GameStop left and right but don' think about it logically. If you don' like it, don't shop there. As a SGA, I can sometimes not like their policy, but sometimes, I'm going, "Dude, you really expect to get like $50 for 'Grand Theft Auto III when you bought it like 5 years ago'?" Shut the fuck up. Take an economy class and you'll understand how business works. Better to get something as supposed to nothing, especially when it's bullshit games.
@kamra: Yeah, that'll be a while, I can name like 20 people I KNOW who play videogames and DON'T have the net. Reign supreme, my ass.
@Jnkzm4: Very true. Most of my customers are clueless and have to ask me 100 questions about a game before buying it. There are pretty pics on the box and a small summary of the game on the back. Research first and then ask questions later.
@SLiFE: Complex? What GS did you shop at? Is asking you if you save some money or getting a game on hold COMPLEX? GTFO.
@Noc: Also, amen.

HeartlessOmega

@kamra: Yeah right, and when do you think it's gonna be fast and easy to download 10-50gb of stuff ? It's a long long way from happening. They have a few decades left before even thinking about digital distribution as a way to buy all videogames.

Trafalio

Just wait till digital downloads reign supreme--they're gonna be CLOSING Gamestops in record numbers.

kamra

I'm a seasonal employee at EBGameStop, and I like it well enough. Try not to complain so much about the trade-in issue. I'm not a fan of it either, but instead of complaining, I simply make sure to buy my games new.

You should probably do the same.

user_21938

As much as I'd like not to do business with Gamestop, many limited and/or collectors editions of games (like Metal Gear Solid 4) are only available through them. Fucking rock and a hard place.

Replica23

@listlesss:

As a current employee, I can't seem to figure out what you're even talking about.

@mva5580:

And you understand that alot of people employed are hired because they are fans? Would you hire a vegetarian to work at a butcher? Probably, but you understand the point.

@Jnkzm4:

its like that at any place, some people like their job and others don't. sad facts of life.

KentKarma

Hey ex-gamestop employees, lets rally up a class action lawsuit against gamestop for ruining video games for ourselves.

listlesss

@mva5580: @MuppetChrist:

LOL you two are funny. GameStop blows. End of conversation. There are Game Advisors at GS/EB doing things that are good for customers. While there are some that used to be gamers and dont give a damn anymore and just sit there just to get paid.

@MuppetChrist:
You seem like you work or used to work at a GameStop just from the fact that you used the term "Game Advisors". And I would think that only a GS/EB/Babbages employee would know that term.

Me personally as a Senior Game Advisor I try to help ppl out to the best of their ability. I ask them what games they like and bam I can normally come up with a decent game that is out that they would like or something that hasnt come out yet. So is our jobs@mva5580:

If your Gamestop associate isnt helping you to the best of your terms then i think you either need to stop expecting too much of them or do your own damn work and start looking at reviews and previews for games you want. Cuz i garuntee you that if you look at reviews and the previews for them you could walk into any gamestop and get the game you want and not have to worry about anything.

For your complaint I call out "User default" also known as the "I dont know what wrong with my wireless controller and I didnt read the instructions to figure out how to get it to work".

lol, like i stated earlier you guys are funny. but gdamn 1.8 billion. Where da hell da raises at Mr. Monopoly company? And didnt Richy Fontaine just recently become CEO? Like as of last month or so?

I apologize for the long rant on this page!

Jnkzm4

@mva5580:
I have no idea why the Game Advisors at your GS aren't falling over themselves to give you A++ customer service with your sterling attitude.

MuppetChrist

@zaxour: When gamestop has their 20%-30% trade-in bonus it's actually about the same as eBay, assuming you have an Edge card for the add'l 10%. I usually do a quick analysis and average the last five auction prices and caluclate the fees (eBay & paypal take about 11% of the profits) and compare it to what gamestop offers. It's usually only a couple bucks in favor of gamestop. You would definetly do better with craigslist but there's no protections for either the buyer or seller.

Starcraft2008

@Strange Bedfellows: I live 2 blocks away from the tourist district which meant 4-5 blocks away from the GameStop. Believe it or not, by living this close to the border, I'm in an incredibly quiet and incredibly safe neighborhood with very nice people and great places to hang out nearby. You'd be surprised the quality of life when you're not actually in a tourist area, but rather very, very close to one.

DaveKap

I fucking hate Gamestop and I fucking shop there. *bows*

vanderblade

@I_fit_in:Sorry.

The only way DLC will ever replace retail is when high speed internet ends up in 70% of homes..a laughable idea as there are countless people who still don't have the net.

Foxstar Sixtail

@Foxstar Sixtail:

You are crushing my dreams!

I_fit_in

www.goozex.com

This place will fix all your needs when it comes to buying and selling used games. You can get some great deals, and guess what! A game you trade for 1000 points is worth...1000pts, and you get it all.

You can trade a brand new game and when it becomes available have a new game all for the 2 dollars it costs to ship it.

Awesome stuff

Xer0Ph0kus

where i live their are 3 gamestops with a mile of each other well 2 in the mall and one on the outside opposite of mall in nassau county, long island... i mean one of them must be not that profitable...

ChoZ3nWon

@xtraman:

Actually, if there is a bad year of sales they have their cash cow to fall back on in the form of used games. That is where Gamestop makes the thousands of millions. Each new game gets Gamestop maybe five bucks profit. Think about it.

Lazlo

@I_fit_in:You and so many other people can only wish but by the time it happens, you'll be in the old folks home.

Foxstar Sixtail

@user_21938:

Meh, not really bitter, I simply find it funny that they would put out a press release that is supposed to showcase how much they made and put the number in a form that would make it appear to be less (everyone instantly knows BILLION is a lot and you hear MILLIONS all the time). That's all.

If I wanted to be bitter, though, it would be about the fact that I worked there for over a year and a half and never made more than $5.15, back when that was the minimum wage. All that means is that they would pay me less, except it's against the law. They valued my services that much. Oh well, it worked for a while. :)

Lazlo

The idiotic people working behind the counter bother me more than the policies/practices of the company.

If they are going to market themselves as the leaders in video game sales/information, they need to improve their hiring practices so there are people working there who actually know how to communicate with people in rational conversation rather than fanboy-speak.

mva5580

If only they didn't peddle used games, this would be a positive sign for the industry.

DLC is only going to grow... Soon you'll be dead, Gamestop.

I_fit_in

@xtraman:
"what is goin to happen if its a very slow year in new game sales??"

Not much I'd guess, since they would make it up in used game sales. And couldn't you apply that logic to any store that sells one kind of product? What's going to happen to starbucks when there is a slow year in coffee?

"all i really know is that i will see gamestop go down.."

Do you take all commerce this seriously? Or did gamestop kill your partner when he was only 2 days away from retirement?

baxterpunch

i really can't wait til games are all downloadable, so this crap chain can be shut down..
they are only setting themselves up for disaster.
what is goin to happen if its a very slow year in new game sales??
i don't know if it's the next gen consoles or the following gen, for the games to downloadable only.
all i really know is that i will see gamestop go down..

xtraman

@DaveKap: Why do you live in the heart of tourist district? I tend to find those kinds of locations incondusive to a normal lifestyle. But who am I to judge.

Strange Bedfellows

@Noc:

Actually it is as simple as taking your game, but they don't pop it in a new case . They just put a different sticker on it. Most GameStops and EBs won't take damaged discs unless they're paying a buck or less for them.

I don't understand why people have a problem with the program, though. Sure, they could drop their prices, but what's the point? When you trade in your game, you have the option to back out if you don't like the value you're getting for it. You have to also remember that it's better to get something for your game than nothing, especially when you end up buying a ton of suckage.

If you've ever walked into a Gamestop or EB, you can see that the amount of utter crap they have on the shelves that are previously used outnumbers the quality titles that are up there. They've paid for each and every one of them, but they haven't paid too much, which allows them to continue paying out to get the good stuff in. When the consumer is faced with paying full price and saving a margin of money on a used copy, again, it's entirely their decision to buy it. Like I said, most of the games aren't refurbs or buffs - they're just the same as the new one with a different sticker on it and perhaps a few fingerprints.

As a collector, I tend to hang onto every game I've had, but for the few that I never want lining my collection, like Army of Two, I'd rather get a decent sum from it by trading it in early than just have it sitting on my shelf consuming my hatred.

As a policy, the stores take everything that comes in (except perhaps damaged product), which is a benefit to those who trade in their games - no hassle, no haggling. Doesn't even matter if you're trying to fence your Barbie Horse Adventures or some turd of a DreamCatcher game. They'll take it off your hands.

You may not like the idea of the $20 profit that they make off your one disc, but it's such a smart business model. Would you rather have the cart/disc sitting on your shelf? If so... why are you complaining? Don't trade it in.

dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased

The only reason I tolerate Gamestop is the fact that they happen to be the only gaming store around nowadays. With the exception of buying your games at Wal-Mart or target, there is no where else to do it but online. I absolutely hate the fact that trade-in values for anything is almost nothing and they turn around and sell it like its fucking gold. Yeah, they make their money..with almost no competition, the only way the wouldn't is if retarded monkeys worked there... oh, wait..

RPGJunky

Just wait for the idiot that pirates games to come out of the woodwork 'because I don't want to give the evil Gamestop my money'
SHOP SOMEWHERE ELSE!
I salute you Mr.McClain

excel_excel

Does anyone remember last year, when some GS manager wrote a set of guidelines for shopping at the chain?
I hadn't set foot in an EB/GS in months, but that little article really sealed the deal.

Buying games shouldn't be more complex than
1: choose game
2: exchange payment

SLiFE

Holy Crap.

KM91

What is this GameStop, and what do they sell?

ncsbert

@Tonx: Which part of their business model is different from FS or BB? Asides from the used game?

Noc

@NX01: I would agree, but I've come to hate their business model enough to go to Future Shop or Best Buy instead. Which is sad, because Gamestop/EBGames hire the most enthusiastic and gamer-knowledgable people.

Tonx

Seriously, are there that many people out there buying Army of Two? I'm shocked.

Strangelove

They provide a service - if you don't want to use it, then don't. If you figure you can get more money buying and selling off craiglist (which you can), then go for it, but for others it's less of a hassle to just go to the store and look around.

Considering the dominant position they are in in North America, I'm rather happy that they choose not to flex their muscle and screw with new game prices. Used game market is up to them though. It's not as simple as taking your game and popping it in a new case, as they run refurbishment centres where they actually clean up the disc/system before re-selling it.

If they were evil empire-ish they *would* just toss the games/systems back in a case and re-sell it.

Hell their executives were pushing/hoping for Sony to drop PS3 prices (albeit so that they could sell more), so like or hate their used game system, Gamestop lobbying companies to drop prices is good for us gamers period...

Noc

A lot of people hate Gamestop but I think they're alright. I don't know what's cooler, the fact that GTA IV tops the list in 5 days or that Rainbow 6 and Army of Two are actually selling that well.

Sure, AoT may have not been the best game but atleast it tried something different by completely focusing on cooperative play. Hopefully there will be more.

As for the sell/buy used rape: yeah, it's awful, but it only affects you if you participate.

karasu is my homeboy

What are there more of? Gamestops or Starbucks?

Eltigro

@Lazlo: Why so bitter?

user_21938

@baxterpunch: I wanna go to that store. . .:)

AndrewG009

I hope they open some in Canada, sure they own EB games up here, but i heard Gamestop is much better.

NX01

they are gonna open a buttload of stores in Norway :D
hopefully i get to work in one ^^

Firvulag

I never knew Gamestop's CEO had a last name of Fontaine. This changes things.

Struct09

I'm not a huge fan of gamestop, but they give gamers a service who are too lazy to sell their old games either on craigslist or ebay. If they trade it in at gamestop, it's their own damn fault for getting "ripped off." I stopped trading my games in long ago.

zaxour

Army Of Two,R6V2?Bit surprising to see those two in the top 5....though I honestly cant think of any other big name/well advertised games that came out in Q1 that could have filled those spots...

Tom Clancy's Samuraidino

It's not consumer rape if they consent.

McClain

@EDread83: Gamestop isn't a charity, they're kinda in this business to make money. When you find the mythical non-profit game store, please let us all know about it.

baxterpunch

::vomits::

Sundermania

@EDread83: If it's not broken, why would they fix it?

I'm not a Gamestop shopper.

Humdinger24

@kingmanic: @Mooglecharm: well i guess i am the only one with a problem with it. You guys go ahead and keep feeding the machine. I will take my dollars elsewhere though.

EDread83

@EDread83: those customers have every right not to sell their game at gamestop. How are they being screwed. it's not trade in rape or anything.

Ryanraven

@EDread83: that doesn't sound like a problem with the system, sounds like a problem with the customers.

If it's working for them and bringing them lots of money, sounds like a great system for them. Why would they want to cut back?

Mooglecharm

@kingmanic: well yeah thats a no brainer, but when the majority of your profit comes from screwing your customers there is something wrong with the system. They could cut back on that slightly.

EDread83

@EDread83: Well thats sure a sounder business plan then buying them for $15 and selling them for $5.

kingmanic

Wow Army of two in the top 5? This is pretty surprising to me considering how much garbage the game is, yet I guess good advertising will sell anything.

lifeinthefridge

Wow 1,813.6 MILLION huh? That's cool. Most people refer to that figure as a billion +, but whatever. I always go around saying there are six thousand five hundred million people on the planet too.

Lazlo

wow great numbers. i guess its easy to make that much cash when you buy used games for 5 bucks then sell them for 15.

EDread83

And yet they were still dumb enough to shut down their most popular San Francisco store in the heart of the tourist district, leaving me forced to either cab it to mid-city for must-have-on-day-1 titles or rely on online distribution alone.

Thanks GameStop, thanks a bunch.

DaveKap