I recently made a post about my tragic past shopping experiences at GameStop. For those who are unaware, one could say I have been on the unfortunate end of the spectrum to say the least (combination of questionable customer service in conjunction with some bad luck).
Since growing out of out my adolescence, and taking several different part-time jobs during my time at university, I have developed a habit for buying a lot of video games. It has probably gotten to the point of hoarding I suppose. No longer do I have to depend on menial allowances from my parents or make wish lists for potential birthday and Christmas gifts. Well, I still have my own personal wishlist; it's exists merely as a tangible list of what I need to buy for myself (there are too many games I'd like to buy for myself and I may forget if I don't jot it down).
I strive to be a strong independent person who prides himself on being a smart and efficient consumer. I would like to always make smart decisions when buying anything: video games, food, video games, toiletries, etc. Prior to making any purchase, I try to do a little bit of comparison shopping/unit pricing to make sure I'm getting the best deal for my money. I tend to stray away and not buy from companies which I don't support (morally or practically). For example, corporate-penny-pinching-labor-exploiting Wal-Mart. There's simply no reason to buy from Wal-Mart unless it has become the complete last resort or in some American cities, the only resort when buying goods. I also don't support AT&T simply because I've had the worst customer service with them since their merger with Cingular.
More bars in more places? Sorry, these palm trees just won't do (metaphorically or physically). It may be only me but on occasion I will get zero bars/abrupt missed calls while standing still outside.
Call me a pretentious/elitist consumer, but it's fairly important to be conscious of where/who you're buying from and the potential repercussions of that purchase. It would be safe to assume that it is okay to not buy from places that have you given you trouble in the past. Taking into account the hundreds of millions of purchases over the internet today, a vital component in the form of seller ratings/customer reviews have been established to protect consumers from getting shafted. Ebay, Amazon, Buy.com, and other various websites feature these ratings to help us from buying from some scammer or some jackass who won't ship our item on time.
It's perfectly okay to buy from that no name seller in Hong Kong, but you better watch out! (DealExtreme has been okay for me...so far)
Seller ratings and customer reviews are utilized quite a lot now, but one should notice that it only applies to purchases made over the internet. This won't work if you're going to a retail store. Go to a Macy's, a Best Buy, a Barnes & Noble, a Whole Foods; you won't have that luxury to see whether this bunch of Dole bananas is better this bunch of Chiquita bananas.
(Finally getting to the point)
If you go to a GameStop, you're experience there will be heavily dependent on the respective employees working there. If you have read about my tragedies, one may say I have not been a smart consumer. As President Obama would say, Time for Change (yeah, it's not that great yet, sigh).
For those who are unfamiliar with GameStop's business practices, a simple google search for "criticism + gamestop" will often churn up some results. I learned about most of GameStop's ludicrous and sometimes shocking practices through WhistlerBlowerZero's Zero Originality series rant about GameStop and his time there as an employee. Although I do not have any first hand experience working at GameStop, there are some very valid points that he makes throughout the series. Below is the first video through blip.tv:
Side Note: Yes he is blatantly copying off of Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw's Zero Punctuation series, but in a later video he addresses it. It's definitely not an original medium to get his points across, but he calls his series Zero Originality after all. I can respect some of that humility.
If you're lazy and won't bother to watch the video, here's a short list of some of the points he makes from this first video:
F.Y.I: You can check the rest of the videos from him here.
- Buying used games from GameStop won't necessarily save you more money than buying from a reputable seller online (e.g. eBay, craigslist). BROWSE!
- Selling back your games by means of trade-ins will get you seriously ripped off since GameStop will buy it back for a significantly lower price than what you originally paid for it. Selling back systems is the same case.
- Flat pricing on SKUs (You'll pay/receive the same value for a used game regardless of whether it has the original game case and/or booklet)
- 'New' games are always gutted and most times will never be in sealed/mint condition unless asked for through a reserve
- The quality of used items can be atrocious at times, with people returning back with defective items numerous times only to get more defective items to sift through
As someone who is informed about GameStop's malicious business practices', and somewhat have experienced them first-hand; why do I keep going going there? In retrospect:
- I have encountered on several occasions very bad customer service. Why should I keep getting (metaphorically) raped by their employees?
- I personally don't like getting games used or 'new'. I need to take pride when I buy nicely shrink-wrapped games since I will inevitably be supporting the rightful companies/publishers.
- Considering people's gripes about GameStop including WhistlerBlowerZero, you cannot ignore their anger at the company. If GameStop was a morally sound company with sound business practices, no one would be complaining; there's a damned good reason why so many people are angry--it's warranted.
Taking into account the above reasons, I really lack will power so to speak. The prices are just pretty damn competitive if you compare them to Best Buy, Target, or some other retailer. It's probably the sole reason why most people will go to Wal-Mart. Overall, it's a pathetic excuse and I'm fairly aware of it. I just have to break the habit eventually; call it a rehab session...
I hope this has changed some people's views about GameStop and hope we can be a little bit more conscious about our shopping patterns. People tend to forget that the internet is an invaluable tool for consumers. Do some comparison shopping, look for deals through CheapAssGamer, look through local postings on craigslist, or perhaps do a mutual game trade between friends.
Before I get too liberal and become some angry activist, at least take away this:
Look at your options. There is absolutely no excuse to buy and sell games at GameStop.
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