Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@AdamantiumClaws Name the top 3 of your backlog! Just interested.

Store opening hype!

Working 9 hours today and then late/night shifts begin at 3pm sunday!

Cant believe I agreed to that but extra pay!

@Kidfried can I have more than 3, that's tough >.<

Had my first day at new job today. It was orientation so it was just a 4-hour class. I'm not too big on having to train at a different location before ours opens, but it is what it is. It's awkward, because we're just passing through so to speak. There's also a lot of things that are a little loosey goosey with us due to not having our store open yet. But, it's also nice because I'm not the FNG, there's like 20 of us that are new. And actually being the OG's of a store is cool. But man...we open a week before Black Friday....that's gonna be rough.

@AdamantiumClaws Oh boy that sounds familiar. Was it 4 hours of health and safety by chance? ;p

Store opened yesterday. Lots in during my shift and some products were out of stock by 4pm.

But tonight my shift is 3am to midnight so its all restocking for me...yay.

So I decided to stop in my local GameStop, not to buy just to look around as the person I was with was looking at a store next to it

Anyway first thing I noticed is where are the Games!!!??? I know GameStop's are small at least the ones in my area but I sware 80% of this store was shirts, beanies, Funko Pop figures, board games and even coffee mugs and other stuff. The Switch section was non existent the 3DS was a rack in the corner of the store even Target and Walmarts PS4 and Xbox One section is bigger and they aren't a gaming store like GameStop claims to be. If this this the case of how GameStop does business it's no wonder why alot of people are going digital if a video game store is carrying more stuff like apparel and knick knacks then actual games.

@Tasuki Really? I know they've increased the amount of physical merchandise they have, but I've always found the game selection, particularly the PS4 section, to be quite up to par and the same as it was before the other goodies moved in. I'll admit I a haven't payed attention the 3DS section in a long time though.

@Tasuki Margins on merch are way better than margins on video games. It's sad, but feels kind of irreversible with digital on the up. Video game stores will disappear anyway.

@Jaz007 Yeah most of the PS4 and Xbox section used composed of used games rather then new and even that was a small area. Walmart and Target has at least an aisle of PS4, Xbox One, Switch and 3DS each. I understand that yeah Walmart and Target are larger stores but if a store that has one department and even then one aisle dedicated to games has more games then you do and you are a store that deals only video games then it might be time to reevaluate yourself. It doesnt surprise me that they are in Financial trouble like they are.

@Tasuki Did it result in a lack of games you could find though? I mean, I can see how Wal-marts might look bigger, but combined with the used section, I've found Gamestop is more likely to have something than Wal-mart is. Also remember there's less space between the games and some of them are in there bookcase style. It's less room, but a wider selection still.

@Tasuki @Jaz007 I have noticed a gradual watering down of the actual games at GameStop with an increase in the random stuff like shirts and toys, but they still carry nearly all the games one could want. This versus Best Buy or Walmart which will typically carry just the AAA and popular games. Now the Vita game section at most GameStops is quickly shrinking and sometimes hardly even one small shelf that you have to hunt for. I was at one recently that had about 10 preowned Vita games and that was it. But if you want a physical copy of even lesser known PS4 titles like Shenmue or NieR Automata, then you can usually find it at GameStop. It’s more hit or miss at the large retail stores. But I think the larger electronic stores are better for finding hardware.

@Jaz007 Alot of them were used games and the same ones. Like I saw a huge amount of Battlefield 1 and Madden 18 stuff like that. The whole PS4 section is maybe 4ft wide by 6ft tall same with Xbox One. The Switch was maybe 2ft wide and as I said the 3DS was just a on a small rolling rack in the corner of the rear of the store. @Th3solution there wasn't even a section for Vita in the store. Even weirder all the games were in the back of the store where as all the toys and beanies and shirts were up front as soon as you walk in.

It might be my store I don't know but as I said for a store that claims to be a video game store I can see why people moving towards digital if a video game store don't carry mostly games.

@Jaz007 However for reason unrelated I refuse to shop at GameStop anyway so in the end it makes no difference how they have their store setup I just find it odd. Thats all.

@Tasuki Yeah, I have a love-hate relationship with GameStop. I do shop there because, like I said, sometimes it’s the only place I can go to get a physical copy of some titles, especially Japanese ones. I occasionally order from Amazon or an online retailer, but I’m more of an impulse buyer and like to go and get what I want and walk out with it right away. But at the same time, I dislike GameStop’s large emphasis on preowned, as I know that’s where they make a larger profit margin and at the expense of the publishers. When they have sales on new copies, it is usually few and far between and you have to really keep your eyes open for them. Plus, like you said, now with fewer and fewer games on display and in stock, they are losing their identity as a game store with all the toys and clothes. But I do enjoy just going in to browse around and look, like you did. Just to get a feel for what gamers are buying. I like to just observe the customers and the workers and the way they talk about games, because sometimes it’s quite hilarious. Many GameStop employees barely know their products at all.

I have noticed that the PSN sale prices are usually pretty competitive with the preowned GameStop prices. Several times I have price matched and they are eerily similar.

@Th3solution Yeah their employees are clueless when it comes to games, but that's cause they emphasis sales over games. I can see where they are coming from but wouldn't you want your employees to know about the stuff they are selling?

True story. Just after High School my buddy was looking for a Summer job before he went to college so he figured GameStop would be perfect place for him, after all be was very knowledgeable when it came to games he completed most of the top games during that time Halo, Assassin's Creed he played games since the NES era (this was in the early 2000s) so yeah perfect. Well long story short he didn't have any retail or sales experience so was passed over by another guy who, didn't like video games preferred drawing and such (he was talking to him while they were in the waiting room waiting for their interviews) but had 5 years sales experience at Sears. So yeah that explains why their workers have no clue when it comes to games.

Another true story when I was there one time browsing a customer came in and asked the "employee" will new Disney Infinity figured work with his older copy of Disney Infinity. The employee said yeah it should I don't see why not. At that point I stepped in and told the customer no they won't he would have to buy the new version which was $60 at the time, I even showed him on my phone articles that said no. He then put back the figures and thanked me for letting him know and left without buying a thing. The "employee" was mad and told me next time keep my mouth shut which I replied well next time know your **** if you are going to work here and proceed to walk out. Lol

It's stuff like that that makes me not want to shop they they seem like that are more interested in making sales then anything else no matter what the consequences are.

@Tasuki Lol, classic stories there. I have had similar smaller scale experiences, but nothing that drastic. Every now and then I get a good employee who is excited about games, helpful, and has a good knowledge base. I can tell pretty quickly if they know their stuff. I’ll ask something like, “How do you think the new Assassin’s Creed is going to be?” And if you get a generic “It’s gonna be awesome. Want to pre-order today?” then I know they probably don’t even realize there are two selectable protagonists, new gameplay mechanics like player response choices, or heck.. even that it’s set in Ancient Greece.
Or I’ll ask, “When is From’s new game coming out?” If I get a blank stare while they try to even to process who From is, then I know I better take anything they say with a pinch of salt.
But like I say, they are not all bad. I have had some good talks with some of the employees where we share gaming impressions and talk on the same level and it can be rather enjoyable when they know their products and have a passion for gaming. Unfortunately those seem to be the minority though.

@Th3solution Yeah I will admit the manager at that Gamestop is really good. Her and I usually b.s. about Overwatch. Last time I saw her it was about Octopath Travel and how excited we both were for Marvel's Spider-Man. She definitely knows her games and is quite knowledgeable, the other employees not so much. Heck today I noticed that hand written signs on boxes of Battlefield V said that it comes out October 19th. That was changed like a month ago. Just amazes me.

@Knuckles-Fajita Pretty much, yeah. Quite boring. Nowhere near as bad as Home Depot though.

3am to midnight?? Isn't that illegal? Or did you mean 3pm to midnight?

@Tasuki @Th3solution I must just be generally lucky with my Gamestops, because most of the employees know their games. Heck, he got transferred, but there was even one that remembered me.

@Jaz007 Maybe yours is the exception.

I'm tired...