Zero Originality - A GameStop Employee's take on things.

[Correction]

Yes yes it's a pale imitation of Zero Punctuation but it's probably likely to teach anyone who doesn't work at GameStop just exactly what is going on at GameStop and why you really shouldn't hassle the employees whenever you go there as much as you should simply stop shopping at GameStop.

Intro:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eJ1duN_NcE

First Episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_D45dRcehg

YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/WhistleBlowerZero

I have to say I found it very illuminating. And funny as hell.

[Elesirdur]

I saw the one that was posted over on Kotaku last night; thought it was pretty funny.

As a 5+ year vet of EB (pre-the GameStop merger mostly) I agree with a lot of his cynical comments, as well as his pleas to have customers treat the sales staff with the smallest modicum of respect. There were certainly many days when I was bogged down with 100+ trade-ins needing to be processed that I wished I could have told customers who were clearly not interested in buying to "cock off so I can work"; especially when head office has recently decided to cut our store's payroll budget because we perform so well with so few staff. Durr, durr GOOD IDEA! >_<

*ahem*

However, I do take objection to his constant ragging on the company's sales policies. In a free market economy, companies are allowed to run their businesses in any way they see fit so long as they follow basic laws on accounting, taxes, etc. To imply that corporations and businesses have some kind of ethical obligation to their customers to always treat them "properly" (as defined by the customers, of course) is a fallacy. Businesses should do that to retain a client base and encourage the success of their business, but it's not like there's a law saying they have to.

Under the Friedman school of business ethics, to which a vast majority of corporations adhere to today, businesses should only concern themselves with increasing their profits because the only persons they are responsible to are the shareholders. EB/GS has created a scheme of trade-ins and pricing that helps create a great deal of profit for a small output of capital. The margins (profit) on pre-owned merchandise are the kind that usually only jewelers and high-end fashion merchants can expect on items coming into the store regularly. It would be unethical of them (under Friedman ethics) to introduce measures that cut into that sweet profit and potentially put their business at risk.

I'm not arguing to say that what GS/EB's corporate masters is right, or it is what they should be doing to provide the best service for their customers, but it sure is working. I think these corporations are a good example of businesses that have grown too quickly and are becoming resistant to change because of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality of setting business policy. Not to mention that the Canadian arm of EB Int'l was just poorly administered and their executives seemed to have little to no experience or insight into the electronic entertainment industry.

[Tricen]

Dunno why you would try to imitate Yahtzee.. Could have at least tried to make it original :/? Your voice just does not work well/at all with that type of commentary.

[Correction]

blah blah ethics

Unless of course your customers tire of your complete disregard for ethics and put you out of business by simply not giving you any money. At which point becoming an ethical company that put its customers first makes more sense.

Which is all these videos are meant to encourage.

[Elcura]

Dunno why you would try to imitate Yahtzee.. Could have at least tried to make it original :/? Your voice just does not work well/at all with that type of commentary.

Why do you think it's called Zero Originality? Though I agree about his voice, hard to hear what he's saying.

[Deejay]

I used to work there too, and I agree with everything in the video.

Fuck shitty ass gamestop and fuck anyone who says otherwise.

[Beckwin]

Well, that was the nail in the coffin for me.

That and how the last time I went to the local Game Stop and asked where the ps3 greatest hits were, I was told "uh well we haven't got them yet" but to the clerk's credit he did say he had seen them at other places. Basically, carrying the new PS3 greatest hits would require large markdowns on used games they were still selling for over 30 bucks (which is most of the PS3 used library), so I figure they were holding out given that most consumers might not be aware of greatest hits being out already, etc.

oh and selling something used for 8.4% off the new price is retarded.

[Tricen]

Why do you think it's called Zero Originality? Though I agree about his voice, hard to hear what he's saying.

So saying it's going to be horrible makes it any better? I mean, it has potential, but not like this.

[Fahren]

omg it's like he was making this while watching me at work... I always tell my close friends to not shop there despite me working there...A new copy of Lost Odyssy is 40 bucks at target whilst at gamestop a used is 45 I believe...wtf@that?

[Hayden]

Well, that was the nail in the coffin for me.

That and how the last time I went to the local Game Stop and asked where the ps3 greatest hits were, I was told "uh well we haven't got them yet" but to the clerk's credit he did say he had seen them at other places. Basically, carrying the new PS3 greatest hits would require large markdowns on used games they were still selling for over 30 bucks (which is most of the PS3 used library), so I figure they were holding out given that most consumers might not be aware of greatest hits being out already, etc.

oh and selling something used for 8.4% off the new price is retarded.

I'm a GS manager, and what you say about the GHs ps3 games, or what you were told, is not true. As soon as the GHs titles were announced their new and used prices dropped to 29.99 and 24.99. We have since then started receiving the real red boxed GHs games from Sony. If your Gamestop told you that, then they just don't know shit, sux for you and that Gamestop.

(The following is not directed to you Beckwin)

Oh ya, and if someone wants to sell their games online, just fucking do it, and don't come into my store and freak out when I tell you that your only going to get $3 for your scratched-to-ass piece of shit copy of ATV Offroad Fury that we will NEVER sell; who the fuck wants to hear them rant about it? No one, and not me, so go kill yourself, thanks!

Even if you do sell them online, you make the auction, you have to wait for someone to bid, while trying not to get undercut by someone else, and then wait some more to get your money. Plus, if you don't like the values for your trade, go somewhere else that will give you more, but oh wait you can't go anywhere except PlayandTrade and Blockbuster, where its exactly the same value. Try BestBuy or Target.. oh wait never mind, you can't.

Another thing, Gamestop is a business. Like any other business that's not lying straight to your face, its all about profit, customer service is so that you come back. If a new game is sold for the new usual $59.99, the seller, not just Gamestop but any store, only makes about $6 for that game, pretty much nothing. The other $54 goes to development, publisher, and so on. Ever wonder why you walk to the back area of Bestbuy or Walmart to get to the game section?, so that on your way to the check-out, you see all the other shit the store is selling that makes more of a profit that you may end up buying along with your new game. So if Gamestop was to just give you back $50-60 trade in for your new game, whats the point and wheres the profit?

Once again, another thing that will probably get brought up is the fact that we try to get you to reserve games. And I think the true question is, if you know you are going to get the game asap when it releasing, why not just fucking reserve it and save yourself some time and trouble. Spore just came out on Sunday, and this is how things went down. It starts with some dumb fuck walking into the store...

Retard- "Hey man, when does Spore come out?
Me- "Spore comes out tomorrow, and we will have it as soon as we open, its going to be $49.99. Did you have it reserved?"
Retard- "No, I don't reserve games, I'll just come get one on Sunday its straight. How many extras will you have?"
Me- "Not sure, if people keep reserving it tonight we may not have any. If your going to come back up, I would just reserve it so you know we have one for you, just throw $5 down and then pay the rest tomorrow."
Retard- "No man, I don't want to reserve it." (sounded kinda perturbed)
Me- "Alright its fine, cya later"

Sunday comes, we open and sell about 30 reserves and the 20 extras that we had in about an hour.
Today after I opened, here comes dumb fuck again..

Retard- "Yo man, lemme get Spore."
Me- "Did you have it reserved?" (I knew he didn't but i had to rub it in just for fun.
Retard- "NO"
Me- "Sorry, we sold out of it yesterday. We don't have any extras."
Retard- "Well fuck, I thought you said you would have extras man?"
Me- "We did have extras but we sold out, I'm sorry."
Retard- "Well I'll go to Target then to get it, (Trying to make me mad, but I could give 2 shits; sometimes I think people think we get a commission on sales, we don't.) Thanks anyways later..."
Me- "Take it easy, have a good one."
Retard- "Oh ya, when does Warhammer come out?"
Me- "Its out on the 16th, if you want us to hold one for you so you don't have to do the runaround, we are doing reserves on it still."
Retard- "NO, its fine I'll just come get it."

Retard leaves.
End Scene

Sad enough the dumb fuck will probably come back and we will already be sold out of Warhammer. If I could, I would have him reserve a bullet and a gun so he can come back in and kill himself and rid the world of his stupidity, but he says that he doesn't do reserves. I guess he'll have to go to Target to get the gun... Oh well

[Hayden]

omg it's like he was making this while watching me at work... I always tell my close friends to not shop there despite me working there...A new copy of Lost Odyssy is 40 bucks at target whilst at gamestop a used is 45 I believe...wtf@that?

>>> http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/Prod...oduct_id=39277

[Elcura]

So saying it's going to be horrible makes it any better? I mean, it has potential, but not like this.

Err, that's not what I was getting at...

[Elesirdur]

Yeah, I never really got the objection towards pre-ordering games either. Despite our best efforts to tell people very bluntly "that the $5 deposit will go towards the purchase of your pre-ordered game, and can be refunded or transferred at any time you wish" they still think it's some non-refundable or transferable deposit. I think it's one of the better things that EB/GS does to help their customers get what they want, when they want it. It's too bad that there seems to be this stigma against pre-ordering products with a deposit that gets in the way of people using this service. Getting pre-orders was always a lot easier with trade-ins than just tacking five bucks on to someone's existing purchase.

For big releases it was always great to have lots of full-pay pre-orders to help speed up the line. Although I was always of two minds about a policy where fully paid pre-orders taking precedence over people who only had a partial amount down. That is the kind of system that requires some discretion, especially if there is only a limited number of copies.

Unless of course your customers tire of your complete disregard for ethics and put you out of business by simply not giving you any money. At which point becoming an ethical company that put its customers first makes more sense.

Which is all these videos are meant to encourage.

Frankly, I think a lot of service businesses could do better by putting their employees somewhere above the very bottom of their list of priorities. Of course that doesn't make a lot of business sense when, at least in my day, the average term of employment for a Sales Associate (rank-and-file sales staff designation) was about 3 to 4 months. If they really wanted to develop a better business, they could keep the policies essentially the same but put more effort into recruiting and retention.

One of the reasons my store performed so well was because there was always three to four dedicated staff members, both management and sales, who had been there for an extended period of time. Sure we were all gamers, but at work we were salesmen/women and customer service specialists first. I can't tell you how many applications I threw right into the trash while doing hiring and interviewing from gawky, uncharismatic dweebs. Some of our best sellers were people who only knew a bit about games, but had the knack for selling, could communicate well, and had a drive to succeed. Product knowledge can be learned, but that innate ability to talk and sell is much, much harder to teach. Sure, some uber-geek might stump them about some exceedingly obscure game, but if they were resourceful they could use the tools at their disposal to get the info they needed, and if that super-hardcore customer couldn't get the answer they wanted, it was likely they would be coming back anyway because they didn't want to shop at WalMart.

The other issue being that managers are given so little ability to run the local business, as well as are restricted from getting the information required to really make the place succeed. I've heard from my old manager that he can no longer access the real-time financial reports through his computer (of which I and the other manager/sr. associates had limited access to) but now has to wait almost a month to get them from his DM - if she decides to share them with him. And these are pretty essential stats to running a business; P&L reports, shrink, financial statements, overhead expenses, etc. The lack of access to information, as well as the inability to get a better understanding at the process and rationale behind corporate policy, really hurts the morale of managers who want to make the store perform better. The obvious option is a franchise position, but that has a whole set or risks that some are not willing or able to take, and good managers won't stay around working for a company where they have little to no freedom to manage as they see fit.

[Hayden]

Yeah, I never really got the objection towards pre-ordering games either. Despite our best efforts to tell people very bluntly "that the $5 deposit will go towards the purchase of your pre-ordered game, and can be refunded or transferred at any time you wish" they still think it's some non-refundable or transferable deposit. I think it's one of the better things that EB/GS does to help their customers get what they want, when they want it. It's too bad that there seems to be this stigma against pre-ordering products with a deposit that gets in the way of people using this service. Getting pre-orders was always a lot easier with trade-ins than just tacking five bucks on to someone's existing purchase.

For big releases it was always great to have lots of full-pay pre-orders to help speed up the line. Although I was always of two minds about a policy where fully paid pre-orders taking precedence over people who only had a partial amount down. That is the kind of system that requires some discretion, especially if there is only a limited number of copies.

Frankly, I think a lot of service businesses could do better by putting their employees somewhere above the very bottom of their list of priorities. Of course that doesn't make a lot of business sense when, at least in my day, the average term of employment for a Sales Associate (rank-and-file sales staff designation) was about 3 to 4 months. If they really wanted to develop a better business, they could keep the policies essentially the same but put more effort into recruiting and retention.

One of the reasons my store performed so well was because there was always three to four dedicated staff members, both management and sales, who had been there for an extended period of time. Sure we were all gamers, but at work we were salesmen/women and customer service specialists first. I can't tell you how many applications I threw right into the trash while doing hiring and interviewing from gawky, uncharismatic dweebs. Some of our best sellers were people who only knew a bit about games, but had the knack for selling, could communicate well, and had a drive to succeed. Product knowledge can be learned, but that innate ability to talk and sell is much, much harder to teach. Sure, some uber-geek might stump them about some exceedingly obscure game, but if they were resourceful they could use the tools at their disposal to get the info they needed, and if that super-hardcore customer couldn't get the answer they wanted, it was likely they would be coming back anyway because they didn't want to shop at WalMart.

The other issue being that managers are given so little ability to run the local business, as well as are restricted from getting the information required to really make the place succeed. I've heard from my old manager that he can no longer access the real-time financial reports through his computer (of which I and the other manager/sr. associates had limited access to) but now has to wait almost a month to get them from his DM - if she decides to share them with him. And these are pretty essential stats to running a business; P&L reports, shrink, financial statements, overhead expenses, etc. The lack of access to information, as well as the inability to get a better understanding at the process and rationale behind corporate policy, really hurts the morale of managers who want to make the store perform better. The obvious option is a franchise position, but that has a whole set or risks that some are not willing or able to take, and good managers won't stay around working for a company where they have little to no freedom to manage as they see fit.

QFT Brother! I stand with you.

[Correction]

I can't remember the last time a game I wanted was sold out. I think it might have been a Tony Hawk game.

For my PS1.

Preorders for just the game are a sucker's bargain. Big releases will always be available. Always. I can still find 'collector's edition' copies of GTA IV at deep discounts.

Meanwhile I hungrily await my preordered bobblehead/lunchbox/artbook + copy of Fallout 3

[xerodok]

Most of the stuff this guy says is true about GameStop, things might be tedious at times, but it's a job.

I'm not really sure what made these kids rage about the company so much, but I've worked there for two and a half years now and it's not as bad as they are saying it is. Unless you're a retard that is.

[eunhye]

This is why the illegal aliens are taking the kids' jobs. Wonderful! You don't want to work because it makes you tired! Poor baby!

Fuck man. Today I will be working from 9am to 11pm. What do I do? I manage a liquor store lifting boxes, talking to customers, putting stuff on the shelves, etc. Every frigging Monday. 13 hours every Monday for the past 2 years. I blame your god damn parents.

[Hayden]

Working at GameStop isn't hard/bad at all, its just like any other job, good and bad. I just don't see why people hate the company so much. Even before I worked at one I still always shopped there. All the stores in my district are great, having not worked in another district, maybe all others just suck.

[Deejay]

Another thing, Gamestop is a business. Like any other business that's not lying straight to your face, its all about profit, customer service is so that you come back. If a new game is sold for the new usual $59.99, the seller, not just Gamestop but any store, only makes about $6 for that game, pretty much nothing. The other $54 goes to development, publisher, and so on. Ever wonder why you walk to the back area of Bestbuy or Walmart to get to the game section?, so that on your way to the check-out, you see all the other shit the store is selling that makes more of a profit that you may end up buying along with your new game. So if Gamestop was to just give you back $50-60 trade in for your new game, whats the point and wheres the profit?

You think you're not lying to someones face everytime you sell them an edge card? The average person rarely spends $200+ a year on used games. And even if they spend $200 on used games, you're still charging them $15 to save $5.

We all know they're a business, but I've been fucked out of an extra 10% this or 10% that so many times that I could write a novel about it. Theres
'GET AN EXTRA 10% FOR THIS' signs everywhere but they neglect to tell you NONE of the deals stack. And that's besides that fact that they're making 100%+ profit every time they take in a trade. You seriously think that's not unreasonable?

Once again, another thing that will probably get brought up is the fact that we try to get you to reserve games. And I think the true question is, if you know you are going to get the game asap when it releasing, why not just fucking reserve it and save yourself some time and trouble. Spore just came out on Sunday, and this is how things went down. It starts with some dumb fuck walking into the store...

Reserving games is and has always been a cheap way to get people to buy games in advance for absolutely no reason. You and I both know that games rarely sell out in every store in a district. 'Threatening' customers that you'll be sold out is a fucking faggoty ass scare tactic to get them to cough up their money months in advance for a game that will be stockpiled by the bus load at Wal-Mart.

Edit:

Paying for a reserve at gamestop is like sending an extra $5 to your movie theatre months in advance to ensure that you have a seat when you get there. Only if you get there late you'll still have to sit in the front row. (or if you forget they keep your $5 and won't ever tell you)

[Ishido]

I don't get why people are demonizing Gamestop for their buying and reselling of used games. If you don't like it, don't use the service. As the (poorly voiced) youtube video said, there are plenty of other ways to buy or sell used games.

As for reservations, why not? Sure you can go to Best Buy, Target, Wall-mart and probably pick up the same game for the same price. You can also reserve it, not worry about stock, for a moderate fee.

Making money off of people being lazy or uninformed is nothing new.