The complaints people have range from know-it-all employees, constantly being harassed about preorders and guides, low trade in values, gutted “New” games, and even the smell in the stores. I can’t do much about the smell, but I do have a few tips to make everything else better.
#1 – Get To Know The Employees
A common complaint about GS is that they always try to push strategy guides and Edge card subscriptions (which you should get, by the way) and preorders on customers. Well, they do this because their performance is ranked based on how many of these they sell. Their livelihood is at stake here, so you have to be understanding. Politely decline, and go about your business. Not the end of the world.
Of course, once you become a regular customer, they should get to know you better and know not to ask you about that stuff every visit. At the same time, you get to know them better (honestly, I consider the employees at my local GameStop to be pretty good friends at this point), and you might preorder more often because you know it helps them out.
Basically, when you start treating them like human beings instead of like lower life forms, your perspective changes. They’ll treat you much better. And you’ll have a much more enjoyable time shopping there.
#2 – Get An Edge Card
Seriously, one of the best things you can do when shopping at GS is to get an Edge card. It gives you 10% off used games, a 1-Year subscription to Game Informer, and if you trade in games the credit goes onto the card. No more annoying paper receipts. Also, you can use the credit as well as the 10% off (plus code CAG16 for another 16% off, thanks CheapAssGamer on GameStop.com now, which make shopping online better. Buying used games from GS.com is risky because you never know what you’ll end up with, but at least they’ll be cheap!
#3 – Sign Up For Their E-Mail Newsletter
You’ll get two newsletters a week. One on Mondays detailing the new releases for the week. And one on Fridays that details all of the deals and sales that will be available during the weekend. More importantly, the Friday newsletter comes with a printable coupon for things like 25% trade in bonus, buy one get one 50% off, buy one get one free, and even a 50% trade in bonus has been done a couple of times. Definitely worth taking a few seconds to sign up for the newsletter on the GS website.
#4 – Trade In Games Wisely
It is no secret that GS doesn’t offer a ton of trade in value. But when you apply one of the coupons from the newsletter or when GS has a bonus going on where you get $10 extra for every 2/3 games, it adds up pretty quickly. When you can get around the same trade in value as you’d get selling on eBay (only you don’t have to pay shipping or packaging or PayPal/eBay fees), trading in at GameStop is the smart way to go. You just have to be smart about what you trade and when you trade it. Also, please, please, please always have the case and manual when you trade games in. It makes it a heck of a lot better for the person that is potentially going to buy that game if it is complete.
#5 – Be Wary Of Gutted Games
GameStop stores generally “gut” a couple of copies of every release and put the empty boxes on the shelf. For most customers, this isn’t an issue because they will just give you a sealed copy of the game. When they don’t have any more sealed copies, however, they will sell you the gutted copy. It is priced as a “new” game, though, even though it clearly isn’t new. They will gladly sell it to you at this price, but if you ask them about it, most employees will only charge you the used price for it.
#6 – Always Inspect Used Games
I don’t know who throws away the case and instructions from their games, but knock it off! I also don’t know how games can get so scratched. If you are buying a used game at GameStop, always make sure you know exactly what you are buying. If it doesn’t have the case/manual, don’t buy it. And if it scratched to hell, don’t buy it. Usually the employees will pick through the used discs and try to give you the best one (particularly if you are a regular customer). But if something isn’t up to your standards, don’t buy it.
Bottom Line
I can’t do much for any other problems you might have with GameStop, but if you follow these tips your next trip to GS should be better. Above all else, I think #1 is probably the most important. If you treat the employees like friends, everything else will get much better for you on your next visit.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a GameStop employee. I am not a GameStop shareholder. I in no way benefit from GameStop making a few extra sales. I am merely a GS customer that has a great store in Ontario, Oregon and want everyone to have the same positive experience that I do.
