THE BORE

General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: MrAngryFace on March 14, 2008, 12:58:12 AM

Title: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: MrAngryFace on March 14, 2008, 12:58:12 AM
Hi Gamestop (Willco)

If youre going to open my new PC games for Loss Prevention, how bout you do the customers a favor and take the key code in the case out of the box too. This is often found in the instruction book, or on a sticker inside the case. Please and thankx lulz.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: The Fake Shemp on March 14, 2008, 01:02:52 AM
Dear Customer,

I do.

Sincerely,

Willco @ GameStop
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: MrAngryFace on March 14, 2008, 01:03:34 AM
dear willco,

that doesnt help me any
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: The Fake Shemp on March 14, 2008, 01:05:08 AM
Dear Customer,

Move to San Francisco.  I will make you cookies!

Sincerely,
Willco @ GameStop
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: MrAngryFace on March 14, 2008, 01:05:59 AM
Dear Willco,

I demand service etc etc
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: The Fake Shemp on March 14, 2008, 01:11:03 AM
Dear Customer,

I am only accountable for my store.  The farther away from its location, the less I can vouch for the competency of employees for said establishment.  There are warm cookies and good times here!

spoiler (click to show/hide)
The problem you just mentioned (it's probably defined on a corporate level as unnecessary hassle for minimal profit, but labelled by folks as yourself as incompetency) is one of the reasons many stores will no longer be carrying PC games...
[close]
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: demi on March 14, 2008, 01:13:04 AM
woo! bye bye pc gaming!
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Ichirou on March 14, 2008, 01:16:48 AM
I never buy anything that's been opened.  If they tell me "It's new, we just opened it to put the box out" then I will say "Thank you, but I don't want a greasy box with nasty stickers and a game that's probably already been played by Gamestop employees.  I don't buy used shit at new prices."
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: The Fake Shemp on March 14, 2008, 01:19:11 AM
New stores can actually set themselves up as a store that does not sell PC games nowadays.  The reasoning is that is a waste of resources to spend money to gut (remove the CD and instruction manual/key from box) and market something that the company makes very little profit on.  We sell one or two copies of the PC games we carry, the profit margin is low, there is no used market and its our biggest customer service complaint source (you cannot return PC games, regardless if the product is buggy or it does not run on your machine).  I move a ton of Blizzard products and have a healthy bearded customer base that pre-orders and picks up stuff like Dawn of War: Soulstorm on launch day, but that's it.  The rest of my inventory just sits there forever.  If it wasn't for the fact that I had such a healthy PC customer base that reserves and promptly picks up new releases, I'd probably ask to get rid of PC games at my store too.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Van Cruncheon on March 14, 2008, 01:20:16 AM
if a game store clerk tries to sell me a clearly opened pc game, i ask the clerk to pull down his jockeys, and then i slam the box shut on his little cock while i punch his fat shrieking face with my other hand. seriously, you gotta teach these obstreperous feggits how men fucking shop. if you want me to buy it opened or used, whack 50% off the price like every other store does with used/opened crap.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: The Fake Shemp on March 14, 2008, 01:26:09 AM
Guts are lame, but it's business.  I remember during my first interview telling my DM that gutted copies were my biggest issue with GameStop and he responded, "Yeah, it's lame, but the only folks that don't buy 'em are folks that moan on the Internet and account for a small part of our business."  He's right.  The hardcore demographic isn't what has made GameStop and EB Games (remember when they only relied on that demographic and were hurting so much they were selling other items in store - anime, toys, etc.?) a ton of money.  It's the people who buy Wii consoles and the guy that buys two games all year - Madden and [enter Halo/GTA/Gears/MGS here].  And those cats don't care about gutted games.  It won't be an issue until they do.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Van Cruncheon on March 14, 2008, 01:30:15 AM
gamestop: always open for business, just like our games!

:punch :punch :punch
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Joe Molotov on March 14, 2008, 01:30:23 AM
At my local store, I remember looking at all the gutted Steam games and thinking, "Wow, all I'd have to do pop these cases open and write down all the numbers real quick while the employees are jacking either off, and I could have free copies of Half-Life 2, Day of Defeat: Source, Counter-Strike: Source, etc." Probably not a good idea to leave CD-Keys in the box when all somebody needs to do is log that number into a computer, and BAM you own the game now.  :lol
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: MrAngryFace on March 14, 2008, 01:31:05 AM
The line 'its business' is whats bad for business. Im gonna just start amazoning everything!
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Ichirou on March 14, 2008, 01:35:23 AM
Quote from: Blanka Face on March 14, 2008, 01:31:05 AM
The line 'its business' is whats bad for business. Im gonna just start amazoning everything!

Yup.  If you're gonna gut a copy, you should at least have the decency to sell it as what it is - a used game.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: The Fake Shemp on March 14, 2008, 01:35:56 AM
Hey, I think it's lame - I'm just telling you the truth.  There aren't enough hardcore games to keep the company running and since they're not dependent on that demographic, it's not going to cater to them.  It's lame.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Van Cruncheon on March 14, 2008, 01:36:54 AM
actually, why take out the discs and NOT the key? the frickin' disc is meaningless if stolen -- it's the KEY that's the game! :lol
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: The Fake Shemp on March 14, 2008, 01:38:01 AM
Because you have nincompoops running your local store.  That's what you are supposed to do!
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Joe Molotov on March 14, 2008, 01:39:20 AM
Quote from: Professor Prole on March 14, 2008, 01:36:54 AM
actually, why take out the discs and NOT the key? the frickin' disc is meaningless if stolen -- it's the KEY that's the game! :lol

By gutting it, they're actually making it EASIER to steal the game. :lol
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Van Cruncheon on March 14, 2008, 01:39:47 AM
they ARE kinda nincompoopy, but they're our nincompoops
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Ichirou on March 14, 2008, 01:41:29 AM
And now that they swallowed Electronics Boutique, they have no reason to actually care about consumers any more.

Can't wait till downloads takes a chunk of their market away and they end up going into bankruptcy.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Van Cruncheon on March 14, 2008, 01:42:34 AM
wiitards will be brick-and-mortar for the next three years, so they have some time to shape up and realize which side their unleavened bread is matzoed on
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Smooth Groove on March 14, 2008, 02:01:02 AM
Fry's is my favorite store for PC games.  They seem to carry everything, including games from 10 yrs ago. 
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Himu on March 14, 2008, 02:27:16 AM
One time I bought a brand new game (contact)

well i put the game in, and guess what? there was already a save file saved on the cart.

guess it wasn't new after all!  :-\
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Himu on March 14, 2008, 02:27:51 AM
Quote from: Smooth Groove on March 14, 2008, 02:01:02 AM
Fry's is my favorite store for PC games.  They seem to carry everything, including games from 10 yrs ago. 

Really? I'll check em out because it took me ages to find osme of the pc games I've wanted
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: The Fake Shemp on March 14, 2008, 02:29:25 AM
Fry's rocks.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Ichirou on March 14, 2008, 02:55:12 AM
Quote from: Himuro on March 14, 2008, 02:27:16 AM
One time I bought a brand new game (contact)

well i put the game in, and guess what? there was already a save file saved on the cart.

guess it wasn't new after all!  :-\

Happened to a friend of mine a few years back with a GBA game.  The employee ridiculously insisted that it was a new game, so my friend just kept bugging them until the manager gave him a refund.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Bloodwake on March 14, 2008, 03:39:04 AM
Whoa, wait.

They are gutting PC games now?

What the fuck?
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: huckleberry on March 14, 2008, 09:12:59 AM
dammit. 

I was just at Gamestop yesterday and almost bought Unreal Tournament.  If I had brought that shit home and the key had been in use....



....on that note, maybe I will go to that Gamestop and steal all the cd keys I can. That is not how I usually roll but I am willing to adapt.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: MoxManiac on March 16, 2008, 05:53:15 PM
Best Buy and Target seem to still have good PC sections. Go there.

I can't find GalCiv II in any brick and mortar store though :(
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: TVC15 on March 16, 2008, 06:35:30 PM
Buy GalCiv 2 from Stardock. 
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: bork on March 16, 2008, 09:30:47 PM
Years ago, I went to a now-closed Gamestop (once managed by our own Raoule Duke!) to buy Dynasty Warriors 3.  I got a "new copy," and found what was essentially a used game, covered in scratches.  I didn't go back to that store as much after that happened. 
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Himu on March 16, 2008, 09:52:24 PM
Well at least you had your retribution. The store is now closed. :)
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: bork on March 16, 2008, 09:57:49 PM
Quote from: Himuro on March 16, 2008, 09:52:24 PM
Well at least you had your retribution. The store is now closed. :)

Oh yeah, I pretty much quit going there entirely after the last of the people I liked there left.  The store went downhill real fast and was gone...I think an EBGames that opened down the road killed them.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Himu on March 16, 2008, 10:02:14 PM
Quote from: lyte edge on March 16, 2008, 09:57:49 PM
Quote from: Himuro on March 16, 2008, 09:52:24 PM
Well at least you had your retribution. The store is now closed. :)

Oh yeah, I pretty much quit going there entirely after the last of the people I liked there left.  The store went downhill real fast and was gone...I think an EBGames that opened down the road killed them.

The same thing happened to me. People I like leaving that is. Once they left I had no reason to go to the store and went elsewhere.

Those guys at my old gamestop were cool dudes. The week MGS3S came out, I was on a trip. I asked the manager to hold my pre ordered MGS3S: LE for me. I didn't get home until Friday, and it was sitting there waiting for me. It was the only copy and the guy could have fucking sold it, but he didn't. This is the reason I don't buy things online. I like developing a relationship, if you will, with the people I buy stuff from. Because once you buy tons and tons of games they start to recognize you, your tastes, and will have your back in case something like what happened to me comes by.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: pilonv1 on March 17, 2008, 12:03:19 AM
One EB store near me has been gutting PC games for years, usually down to AUS$30. There was one store that ended up gutting ALL PC product (even $10 budget games) :lol
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: bork on March 17, 2008, 01:05:12 AM
Quote from: Himuro on March 16, 2008, 10:02:14 PM
Quote from: lyte edge on March 16, 2008, 09:57:49 PM
Quote from: Himuro on March 16, 2008, 09:52:24 PM
Well at least you had your retribution. The store is now closed. :)

Oh yeah, I pretty much quit going there entirely after the last of the people I liked there left.  The store went downhill real fast and was gone...I think an EBGames that opened down the road killed them.

The same thing happened to me. People I like leaving that is. Once they left I had no reason to go to the store and went elsewhere.

Those guys at my old gamestop were cool dudes. The week MGS3S came out, I was on a trip. I asked the manager to hold my pre ordered MGS3S: LE for me. I didn't get home until Friday, and it was sitting there waiting for me. It was the only copy and the guy could have fucking sold it, but he didn't. This is the reason I don't buy things online. I like developing a relationship, if you will, with the people I buy stuff from. Because once you buy tons and tons of games they start to recognize you, your tastes, and will have your back in case something like what happened to me comes by.

Right.  I don't get why people bitch and moan...if the store you go to sucks, STOP FUCKING GOING THERE.  Speak with your wallet.  If you feel strongly enough about bad service, complain to the manager or contact someone at corporate and tell them you are no longer going to said location because of the shitty service.  Anytime one of the 2-3 stores near me got shitty, I quit going there for a few months, waited for the crap clerks to leave or get fired, and resumed business there again.  If I move back to the States later, I'm probably just going to order shit online and never bother with the brick and mortar stores again unless I have crap I want to trade in.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: Fragamemnon on March 18, 2008, 12:54:48 PM
I have bought exactly four games from Gamestop in the last four or so years:

- two copies of WoW for my wife and I on the day it came out
- used copies of Crackdown and Kameo because they were cheap.

I used to pretty much buy all my stuff from EBGames/Gamestop up until like 2002-2003 or so. They always got the games in fast when other stores took forever to get them in and there was no real digital distribution. Things are different now, Gamestop is generally unreliable for carrying new PC titles on release date and generally you can find them on sale a week or two afterwards at one of the big box electronic stores for a good 25-30% discount.

That they gut their PC games and expose the CD key is even more troublesome, since I don't really trust their employees not to jot it down, stuff it in their pocket, and make the purchase worthless because of it.

Mox: Do keep trying to find a physical copy of Galciv2 Gold if possible. The manual for the game is very helpful if you are a new player.
Title: Re: Open Letter to Gamestop
Post by: y2kev on March 18, 2008, 01:37:34 PM
My gamestop is great. I traded in some stuff I was never going to touch again (wii games  :-X) and the guy was nice to me and helped me take advantage of the deals or something. I traded in 4 or 5 games and reserved in full NG2 and GTA4 and got their edge card thing AND still made 5 bucks.

Gamestop :bow