Fucking Gamestop Selling Fucking Open Fucking Games

[Tyche]

I could care less if a gutted game works or not, if they hand me a gutted game over the counter, I'm handing it right back to them and asking for a different copy, if they refuse, then I'll leave. The employees should respect that choice and not give one ounce of grief to the consumer.

That is the point Tyche is that you can ask for a different copy and 99% of the employees will say fine, though you shouldn't ever be getting a gut when a sealed copy exists.

Seriously did those of you still bitching about it being new miss the car analogy, because it fits pretty damn well. At every store I have worked in/managed we would openly say 'This is the last copy it is the gut, it is still guaranteed'. Like Tekki said most people don't have a problem. I had more people thank me for having a copy of the box that they could see. When was the last time you went into walmart and checked out the cases to see about them? Granted hardcore gamers don't look at a case, they look online before hand, reviews, etc. However the casual gamer who doesn't obsess over release dates actually enjoys being able to see the box.

All that said I think it would go a long way towards making people happy if they offered something as simple as $5 off.

Or at least tell them "Hey, this is a gutted copy I'm putting in this bag", so that someone doesn't get home and open the bag to see an open case. That would piss me off to no end.

[Mugmug]

I haven't read this entire topic but Gamestop has done this to my friend and I before. My friend ended up getting Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSP, the guy said they had 1 copy left which happened to be the display version. My friend said w/e I'll take it, only to get no booklet and a beat up case. They charged him full price too. I have no idea why he did that, since I wasn't with him.

When I went to buy Devil May Cry 4, I asked the guy if they had any copies of Disgaea in for the PSP, and luckily they had 1 new and 1 used. I bought the new copy, only to get home and find out it was opened... No shrinkwrap, and with a broken in booklet too (noticeable bends)... The disc had no damage at all, so I said screw it and kept it. I had been looking for a copy since Jan and nobody has it available online
If it was any other game I would have taken it back no doubt, but Disgaea is such a great game I didn't mind as much given the rarity.

EDIT:

Took the time to read the thread, and agree with the people who think it's BS that GS sells a game as new when its "gutted". Some people are collectors who buy games that don't have many copies printed (think Working Design/Atlus games.. I know I'm buying two copies of Persona 3 FES) or just like the idea of knowing it's new.

What it breaks down to is: Would it be ok to sell a mint condition used copy as new? Some say yes, some say no... I personally think if it's not in the original factory "seal" then it's used and deserves some kind of discount.

GS could at least give 5% of or something but we all know that would never happen.

[Jotaru]

I always lol @ the guy with "GameStop" in his sig. It's not a terrible job, but it also isn't somewhere I'd exactly be proud to work if I was over 18.

May as well guess how old I am then, and relate that to the position I have, how much I get paid, and how damned easy my job is.

Yeah, I'm proud of the fact I get paid a decent amount of money to do what I like, work with people I like, and do what I want.

Damn, that sucks...

[Shade]

Or at least tell them "Hey, this is a gutted copy I'm putting in this bag", so that someone doesn't get home and open the bag to see an open case. That would piss me off to no end.

This is something we used to do at the old game store I worked at ("this is a wall copy, but look, no scratches, is that alright?" 99% of the time people would be fine with it), but when I was at EB, the DM made me stop. He said that it displays a lack of confidence in the product.


General reply that I was working on this morning, but had to go to school:

I used to work at a couple of different EBs, but I'm in Canada, so results may vary. We were never allowed to borrow games, and we pretty much only sold the gutted copies as a last resort (ie. last ones left). The thing about EB is that they are tiny fucking stores with a ton of merchandise crammed in, all of which has a very high turnover rate. Add in the constant stream of trades and a large volume of customers, and you have a lot of work for 2-3 people being paid min. wage. There's also a tiny margin of profit on new games, which is why they focus on trades and don't dedicate a lot of time to the new stuff.

This is why EB is never going to make a point of catering to the few people who dislike getting the occasional unsealed copy to actually use resources on another method (could print up demo boxes for everything, for example).

This is not me being defensive, there are a lot of EB policies that I disagree with (ie. "gameplay garauntees"), but there's a difference between company policies that are "stupid" as in bullshit, and policies that are stupid as in they're a dumb idea. A lot of the bullshit is very smart from a corporate perspective, because it gets them more money.

So the best you can do is just take responsibility for yourself and look at the game before you buy it, and refuse to get it if you don't want an unsealed copy/it looks damaged (that's what I do).

[AzazaelFenrir]

Took the time to read the thread, and agree with the people who think it's BS that GS sells a game as new when its "gutted". Some people are collectors who buy games that don't have many copies printed (think Working Design/Atlus games.. I know I'm buying two copies of Persona 3 FES) or just like the idea of knowing it's new.

What it breaks down to is: Would it be ok to sell a mint condition used copy as new? Some say yes, some say no... I personally think if it's not in the original factory "seal" then it's used and deserves some kind of discount.

GS could at least give 5% of or something but we all know that would never happen.

The whole collector thing is crap and you all know it. YOU are opening the game just like they are. Once either person opens it you have the same end result. If you get an open new game from GS/EB take it back, they will give you a new copy.

[Mugmug]

It's not crap.

Say that to the people with sealed copies of Suikoden II, Chrono Trigger, The LE PSP bundle with Crisis Core, or any other popular out of print game that is in high demand. Those sell for a lot on ebay, and if they were opened/gutted they would drop in value by a good bit.

I do agree that most people will end up opening there copy anyways, but it's still tacky imo.

I mean my friend getting a "new" FFT PSP with no booklet and a beat up case is hardly fair.... but wait "If you don't like it don't buy it" yeah yeah. That's fine, but GS/EB employees should at least give people a heads up.... When I got Disgaea the guy put it in the bag and handed me my change.. I ended up finding out when I got home.... but I guess I should have checked to make sure it had the factory seal, my fault!

Also, I don't get why GS/EB couldn't just get display cases from the manufacturer when they order shipments of games. I mean, getting a few empty boxes for Halo 3, etc shouldn't cost much and it would prevent them from having to give customers an opened copy. It's just funny how GS is the only store in my area that sells opened games as new. Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and even the little mom and pop shops don't do this either. Maybe it's just the state I live in, but this is not a common practice.

[*Shinzon*]

It's not crap.

Say that to the people with sealed copies of Suikoden II, Chrono Trigger, The LE PSP bundle with Crisis Core, or any other popular out of print game that is in high demand. Those sell for a lot on ebay, and if they were opened/gutted they would drop in value by a good bit.

I do agree that most people will end up opening there copy anyways, but it's still tacky imo.

I mean my friend getting a "new" FFT PSP with no booklet and a beat up case is hardly fair.... but wait "If you don't like it don't buy it" yeah yeah. That's fine, but GS/EB employees should expect topics like this bitching about the way they do business. This should be expected.

Also, I don't get why GS/EB couldn't just get display cases from the manufacturer when they order shipments of games. I mean, getting a few empty boxes for Halo 3, etc shouldn't cost much and it would prevent them from having to give customers an opened copy. It's just funny how GS is the only store in my area that sells opened games as new. Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and even the little mom and pop shops don't do this either. Maybe it's just the state I live in, but this is not a common practice.

Gamestop is not a collectors store. Its a store that buys/sells/trades new and used games and consoles. Deal with it.

[Mugmug]

I have dealt with it by not shopping there anymore. I'm just stating my opinion.

[archibaldcrane]

This is something we used to do at the old game store I worked at ("this is a wall copy, but look, no scratches, is that alright?" 99% of the time people would be fine with it), but when I was at EB, the DM made me stop. He said that it displays a lack of confidence in the product.

I think that's fucked up. As long as there is disclosure then the customer can make an educated decision without much hassle, but without disclosure it's basically "pulling a fast one".

[aurik]

I like my local gamestop because of the employees, they are avid and knowledgeable and not too pressing about pre-orders. Only once did I get a gut copy, and they did demonstrate it was gutted and showed me the stuff before packing it up.

For me, Target, Walmart, the employees know nothing about the product they are selling and that makes for a less enjoyable shopping experience.

Conclusion: shop at stores which treat you the way you like to be treated. If your local game shop has shitty employees / policies, find somewhere else to shop.

[evilbau]

I like my local gamestop because of the employees, they are avid and knowledgeable and not too pressing about pre-orders. Only once did I get a gut copy, and they did demonstrate it was gutted and showed me the stuff before packing it up.

For me, Target, Walmart, the employees know nothing about the product they are selling and that makes for a less enjoyable shopping experience.

Conclusion: shop at stores which treat you the way you like to be treated. If your local game shop has shitty employees / policies, find somewhere else to shop.

thats funny because I don't like to shop at gamestop because of the employees. They always give their unsolicited opinions when usually I just want to buy a game. They act like game critics when I honestly couldn't care less what they think. Chatting up every customer while holding up the line then they act like its not their fault. That shit doesn't fly in any other retail store. Plus I find they have the worst prices. I try to avoid them as much as possible.

Edit: This gutting stuff to me is just another reason to not bother with them.

[Beckwin]

I like gamestop for a big variety of really cheap used games. I don't buy much in the way of new games because 50 bucks for generally a single playthrough of <action/adventure> games just isn't worth it. I also kinda packrat games; don't like reselling my stuff. So I'll wait a few months most of the time and get used for half off, or just rummage through the $15 and under games when I want something to play.

[izembo]

I like my local gamestop because of the employees, they are avid and knowledgeable and not too pressing about pre-orders. Only once did I get a gut copy, and they did demonstrate it was gutted and showed me the stuff before packing it up.

For me, Target, Walmart, the employees know nothing about the product they are selling and that makes for a less enjoyable shopping experience.

Conclusion: shop at stores which treat you the way you like to be treated. If your local game shop has shitty employees / policies, find somewhere else to shop.

that's really precisely it. we have a great customer base at my store cause we treat the customers great. if you are getting shit go elsewhere, and if you really want, i can get you the complaint # if they treat you like crap, although they won't listen if it's just a policy disagreement you have.

we gut the books with our games at my store, i know that most don't, but i agree that they should be in mint condition along with the game. i can give you everything that goes with the game in mint condition, the only thing that will be missing on a gut is the wrapper, and you only get a gut if its the last copy remaining in the store.

[Norelco]

Dunno why, but my local Super Walmart does a fantastic job on order enough games for release day. Never had a problem getting a game on arrival day, and they don't treat you condescendingly because they pretty much know they have no leg to stand on since they work at...Walmart.

[Beckwin]

Is this really gonna turn into bashing gamestop vs. praising walmart when it comes to ethical business practices?

[Sho]

Honestly tho-- I work at my local Target and I can tell you my coworkers that rotate electronics with me haven't a damn clue about the games they sell. It's really un-enjoyable when I see a coworker selling a customer a game, and when they ask questions about the game in question, they reply with "I don't know." Usually have to intervene and run some game talk by them for encouragement. Every game retailer has it's own problems tho, lol.

[Dmitry]

Everyone who's bitching about being ripped off, stop being a fucking moron. If you got the gut, it was probably one of the last copies in the store, that being the one in the game section, and 2-4 in the new release area. Also the 20+ guts thing is bullshit, Gamestop get marketing kits with extra game covers that get put in regular DVD cases to go on display on the marketing stands. And if you're not getting good service, don't act like it's the company's fault that the manager hired some dumbass to do one of the easiest minimum wage jobs out there.

And seriously, if there's something wrong with the game, is it that hard to ask for a different copy? I don't know where you're getting the games from that they don't tell you it's the last copy. It's understandable that someone would be pissed about getting an opened one by surprise though.

[aurik]

Dunno why, but my local Super Walmart does a fantastic job on order enough games for release day. Never had a problem getting a game on arrival day, and they don't treat you condescendingly because they pretty much know they have no leg to stand on since they work at...Walmart.

Never had a problem getting games on release day, but then again I don't find it a problem to declare ahead of time what games I want them to reserve for me. Come release day I have a copy with my name on it without any problem. Heck, on the GH3 release my initial guitar accessory was faulty, and they were able to swap it for functioning hardware on release day.

I really don't understand all the fuss about pre-ordering. Put it on your credit card a week before release; chances are the billing date won't even come up before the game is in your hands. I normally get them to charge the full amount because I always do it during a billing cycle that comes due after the game is released. I'm sure my local gamestop employees love me for that.

[Denchi]

I used to work at Gamestop (see: 5 years ago) and the thing I hated most was how we, as employees, got judged based on how many pre-orders we got and how many Game Informer subscriptions we sold. I thought I was a great employee, people liked me and often came up to just me to get game advice or to talk about stuff. But I was a "bad employee" because I wasn't a total assfuck to customers to sell pre-orders and shitty magazines. Companies like that can expect to get bottom-of-the-barrel employees.

on-topic: gutting games in general isn't that bad. It's the way the Gamestop displays its games, and if it's the last copy then that's what you get. But the problem is that they never carry more than like 2 or 3 extra copies of a game unless you pre-order it (which, in general, is a pain in the ass). That, and also the fact that it's not policy for them to tell you it's a gutted game. They say "here it is, brand new." And it's NOT FUCKING BRAND NEW. I don't really care how you define brand new, there are plenty of used games that Gamestop sells that could be considered brand new. Brand new means un-opened, and it should be policy to advertise gutted games as "used" or "gutted" and sell them for less. When you buy a new game, you do pay for the original shrink-wrap, and that's what people expect when they buy a new game. Maybe I should get my mint condition games all rounded up and try to go sell them as new to Gamestop. I could even find a shrink-wrap machine!! Do you think they'd give me full price? Nope.

[Elesirdur]

Stop to think about it for a second from the retailer's perspective.

Would you put full copies of games (ie, with the disk inside that makes up 99% of the cost and profit derived from the package) on the shelf where people can pick them up and potentially steal them? If you wouldn't because of theft/shrinkage issues, then would you keep everything behind lock and key? If that's the case, then how are people going to browse in your store? Would you expect your customers to adopt a 19th Century general store attitude where you just go up to the counter clerk with a list of what you want while they got it for you? Retail has evolved away from that kind of a system and now gives customers more freedom than ever to browse at their leisure.

The policy of gutting display boxes is the most practical solution which uses the fewest amount of resources. I think it's a bit ridiculous to expect a video game retailer, large or small, to have special display boxes for every new game product in their store. Moreover, game publishers are not set up to accomodate that kind of retailer request, and if they did, would charge extra for the display materials (as they would not likely be considered marketing materials) which cuts into the often razor-thin margin the company and retailer makes on each product sold.

The alternative is the bulky plastic security cases used by big-box retailers like FutureShop, BestBuy, Wal-Mart which does protect the product, but doesn't really let the customer make a good connection with the product. The customer is always just a little bit removed, both psychologically and tangibly, from the product when it's encased in plastic. Lastly, those plastic security cases only work in stores that have alarmed security bars at the entrance/exit; a security policy that not all companies want to employ. Those alarmed security bars create a rather negative feeling when entering and exiting a store - they are very noticeable signs that the owner doesn't trust their customers, and doesn't exactly set the kindest or most welcoming mood for shoppers.

Given that EB/GS is a pretty large corporation, perhaps it is time for them to rethink their product security policies. When I first started working at EB in 2001, we never gutted PC games. But once publishers started putting PC games in the DVD sized boxes (not the DVD cases themselves as they did in EU countries), policy came down that we had to gut our PC stuff too as a security measure; the small boxes were just too easy to steal. However, it's a pretty common story that smallish companies that make it big get into the 'fat cat' syndrome where the financial success clouds their judgement of the need to evolve policies now that you command a larger and more diverse market.

Lastly, I still stand by my raving comments of yesterday because customers who can't deal with a gutted copy are unable to do so for purely irrational and selfish reasons. I agree that when you pay for a new game you should get a new game, and if you want a factory-sealed copy then just ask for one. If one is not available, ask the staff to call another local store to run a quick SKU check and see if they have any factory-sealed copies there. I did that so frequently in my 5 years there, and had no qualms about it as long as the customers were kind and civil about the request. But once they launched into an argument about how an opened box somehow invalidated the "newness" of an optical disk, I got offended. Want to know why? Because making that claim implicitly implies that the staff are negligent in their duties or are maliciously damaging product to screw customers over. The staff don't deserve that kind of treatment, and as a customer you have no right to levy that upon them. If you want a factory-sealed copy because you like fresh packaging then that's fine, explain it that way. The staff might think you're a little strange, but they can understand people who like to collect games and their packaging. Just make a kind request for the right reason.