In less than 30 years, the American entertainment software company known as GameStop has grown from a small store in Texas, to a multinational corporation with over 6,500 retail outlets in over 18 countries worldwide. The company owns EB Games, Babbage’s, Micromania, MovieStop, Planet X, FuncoLand, Kongregate.com, Jolt Online Gaming, and Game Informer Magazine. Odds are, if you are a gamer you have purchased something from GameStop. Last week I snagged the following interview with the manager of a nearby GameStop retail outlet. In order to protect the innocent (and for legal purposes) the identity of the employee will remain anonymous. However, for the purposes of the interview, he requested that I refer to him as “Jose”. Here is my candid interview with Jose, the anonymous GameStop manager.
Jose, how old are you?
35.
How long have you been working here at GameStop?
5 years.
So what made you want to work here?
I had to pay my bills.
No other reason?
It’s fun, but the main motivation of course is to pay your bills. You get to deal with different people and stuff like that.
Do you consider yourself a gamer?
Casual.
How long have you been playing video games?
Oh, pshhhh. Definitely over 20 years.
(It was at this moment we paused the interview so Jose could deal with a customer. The customer was a mother with two pre-teen boys. She carried in an Xbox and informed Jose that the lights had “gone red”. Jose then informed her that Xbox consoles often have this problem. Although Jose continued to tell her that this problem would persist unless she had it repaired or purchased a new console, she insisted that it was because of a bad power cord that needed to be replaced. After debating with Jose for approximately 20 minutes, she left with her children, telling Jose that she would “need to think about it”.)
So what would you say is your favorite part about the job?
We get to go to game conferences every year. Plus, truthfully, as corny as it sounds, I like dealing with the customers. You build a lot of relationships with people because you get to talk to them one on one. You get a lot of regular customers.
What would you say is the worst part of your job?
To be completely honest with you, there’s not really anything I can pinpoint that I would say is the worst part about the job. There’s something different all the time.
So there is NOTHING at all you dread dealing with at work?
No. Really, honestly, no.
That’s great to find when working in retail.
It is good in retail. There’s nothing I can say bad at all. I’ve worked a lot of places and this is pretty good. I’ll give them that.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve had to deal with while working at GameStop?
At the Grand Theft Auto IV midnight release a customer was threatening everybody else, saying he was going to shoot them with M16s because he wanted to be first in line. He said he served in the military so he thought it was his right to get Grand Theft Auto IV first.
He thought he was a Liberty City gangster?
(Laughs) Yeah, but then a kid in line told him to get out of here. It was kind of funny.
Were police called to deal with it?
No, the customers dealt with it.
Did he get a copy of GTA IV?
No, we told him to go to Best Buy. He didn’t have a pre-order and he basically just pulled up in his car and there were like 300 people in line and he wanted to jump in the front. Everybody flipped out on him and he said he was going to shoot everyone with M16s. Then they (the crowd of people in line) said unless you have the M16 with you, get to the back of the line.
What do you think about GameStop’s trade-in and used game program?
I think it makes 100% sense. You have games that you don’t use, that you can basically recycle, whatever the price. Personally, I trade all my games in. Whenever my kid wants something, we get rid of something else. We have a lot of good promotions too so you’re always getting something, but sometimes you’re getting even more. I like it.
What would you say is the most “traded-in” game?
Brink! That game stunk! There were a lot of Brinks returned. But on a regular basis it’s typically controllers.
Some people criticize used game sales, claiming it’s damaging to the industry because developers and publishers don’t receive money from used games. Gamestop’s focus on used games sales in their advertising campaigns, as well as the fact that many of their used games are only a few dollars less than new copies, has made Gamestop a target in this debate. What is your opinion on this subject?
People are going to target you when you’re the best. Everybody wants a piece of it. They’re even selling video games over in Shaw’s (a local grocery store) now. They sell them at 7-Eleven! Gamestop, if you look at the numbers, is the number one video game retailer. We may hurt publisher’s sales, but we help their sales more than any other company.
(Although it is true that GameStop does claim to be the world’s largest video game retailer, even after conducting extensive internet searches I was unable to confirm or disprove this statement. However, it was learned that in the fiscal year ending May 2010, 48.1% of all GameStop’s profits came from the sale of used video game products. None of these profits were passed on to the publishers or developers.)
Do you buy used games?
Yeah, because you can return them! You can’t go to Best Buy or Wal-mart, buy a game, keep it for seven days, and return it if you don’t like it.
I think Wal-Mart is starting to sell used games now?
No they’re not. If you spend $60 on a new game and don’t like it, you can’t return it! For instance, I bought Brink and hated it. If I had waited and bought a used copy I could have got all of my money back when I returned it. It’s a win/win situation.
(It was later confirmed that the local Wal-Mart did not buy or sell used games. However, as of December 2010, over 500 Wal-Marts nationwide are selling used video games. Used games are also available for purchase on WalMart.com. It was also confirmed that the local Best Buy currently does not participate in used game sales, but not for lack of trying. Until the town grants a pawnbroker’s license to the store, they would not be able to sell used games. However, Best Buy outlets in nearby towns were already selling used games and used games are available on BestBuy.com)
So if I buy a used game and return it within 7 days I can receive a full refund?
Yep. No questions asked. The only thing we will ask you is why you are returning it and that’s our policy, as long as you have the receipt. There is no other store that will do that. In this economy, $5 is $5. You’re paying $5 less for the same thing. We’re not buying used underwear; you know what I’m saying? It’s a video game. If you can save $5 and still get the same thing out of the game, why not? I fully agree with it and I believe that’s why other companies will attack us. They want a piece of it. That’s why other companies like Best Buy and Toys R Us are starting to do it. It’s not because we’re doing something wrong. It’s because we’re doing something right.
(It was later confirmed that Toys R Us will not provide a complete cash refund on any video game sale if the game has been opened. But, if the customer has a receipt, they may return their game for store credit equal to the value of the game for up to 45 days after purchase. This policy includes both new and used games. GameStop will not provide any sort of refund for opened new games, regardless of the length of time gone by since the purchase, nor if the customer still has their receipt. They will however allow for the replacement of a game if it is defective. Best Buy’s return policy matches that of GameStop and does not allow refunds for any opened game.)
What would you say is your favorite game of all time?
At first I would say Missile Command for Atari, but I think I have to go with Uncharted 2. I think Uncharted 3 is going to be better. The beta was incredible.
Well thank you for your time, Jose. Have a good day.
Thanks, bro.
*Find this original feature and others like it at RobotGeek.co.uk*
No comments:
Post a Comment