Shh! GameStop has New Releases!
I know, I know, a blog post complaining about GameStop is like a drag queen doing Judy Garland. Seen one, seen 'em all. But this really stuck in my craw, and I wanted to share.
So I want Eternal Sonata, and knowing an actual videogame shop will only have enough for their pre-orders and no more, I head to Best Buy, figuring a megaconglomerate chain will have plenty. Turns out they have none. I couldn't even find it on their website. It's like they were so excited about Halo 3 coming that they forgot that there were any other games being released in the meantime. Undaunted, and desperate to sink my teeth into a traditional JRPG, I headed up the street to a nearby GameStop.
Expecting the worst, but inside hoping for the best, I ask the clerk if Eternal Sonata has been released. He says yes, adding (as expected), "Did you pre-order it?" I admit that I hadn't, but asked if there were any extra copies left. He acts all put-out and sighs that yes, in fact they do have a couple extras left, but in future, it would really be a good idea to pre-order and guarantee my copy. (Not gonna happen, but thanks for trying) When he finally finishes what he's doing (don't stop repackaging used games just to help a paying customer — I can wait) he turns around and opens the case, remarking that I'm lucky because they've got one extra copy left. As I wonder how two became one so quickly (without the Spice Girls involved) I see him move a copy of BioShock out of the way to reveal a stash of Eternal Sonatas right behind. Now, I bought one of them, and though I can't be sure the entire stack was them, there was one more copy at least sitting right behind it. And there were no papers rubber-banded to them, the way you can normally tell a game has been reserved. Then he hides the remaining games with the BioShock box again and rings me up.
I just don't understand why a store would make it appear that they don't have copies of a brand new game in order to try to push pre-orders. At least they weren't crazy enough to deny having it at all, but to act like it's such a big drama that they're going to let me have their (allegedly) very last copy? Thanks for your sacrifice. Still not going to pre-order, though.
Next time I'll just go to Circuit City. Sigh.
Wootini
Posted to Video Games on 19 September 2007
· Comments (17)
Other stuff like this: bioshock, eternal sonata, gamestop, pre-orders
The same thing happend to me at Best Buy and I was like "Am i crazy, i know it came out today?" I have no idea why Best Buy would not sell that game. I went to a GameStop and they had it. I am with you Wootini, pre ordering a game sucks, unless it comes with some cool swag.
It depends on who prepared the preorders, when I worked at EB I would simply tape the slip to the cover, which you wouldn't see along the sides of a stack... It could also be that he counted the games and preorders and simply hadn't managed to get around to putting the slips on them.
I think you're just a)bitter and b)paranoid.
GameStops shouldn't still be pushing pre-orders as much, or at least not to a militant degree anymore. I work at one, and there was a corporate email sent out a few weeks ago to inform all employees that that GameStop is shifting it's business structure. As a result, stores and employees are no longer evaluated based on how many pre-orders and Game Informer subscriptions they can sell, and are now graded on customer service and satisfaction. Store managers were supposed to inform their employees about this shift in policy, but unfortunately I have heard that some managers havn't done so. It's their loss, because when bad customer reviews come back it's the manager that will be fired, so I don't see why they would keep that information to themselves.
On a related note though, I never understood people who had such a strong aversion to pre-ordering games. I mean, if it's a game you're not sure about and you're waiting for reviews, or you want to wait for a cheaper used copy, then I completely understand. But if it's a game that you know you're going to get anyways, why not reserve a copy? I'm not saying this as a GameStop employee, but as a gamer. There is no risk in a pre-order, no money lost, and you know for sure you'll be able to get the game you're looking forward to right when it comes out. Now, there is also the business side, because the number of copies sent to each store is dependent on how many copies of that game are pre-ordered, that's how the company evaluates demand for a game in a particular area. But even before I worked at GameStop I never understood why people were so adamant about not pre-ordering games even if they knew that they were going to be buying it as soon as it came out.
I'm glad I reserved a copy. When I told the GameStop employees that I was supposed to get a bonus item for preordering, they didn't know what I was talking about. They looked around confused for a little while and finally found the faceplates. If only that Xbox 360 I ordered online would hurry up and get here. I can't wait to play.
Feckin' GameStop.
duckols, that e-mail you mentioned should be a news item in and of itself. Countless very, very good employees of that evil empire have been fired for not meeting their pre-set "numbers"... as a former SM for them, I can say that was the worst thing in the world to see an employee get tossed because they couldn't force a preorder on someone, but knowing that they were excellent in customer relationships...
Unfortunately though, this post just goes to show why that kind of shift needs to take place. Pre orders were not so much used to determine how many copies a given store recieved (that was more done by sales analysis), but more for bargaining chips when it comes to purchasing. If GS is able to come to the table and say "we can garauntee that 500,000 copies of your game will sell within 48 hours of release, and here's proof!" they get the upper hand in the purchasing battle. Only X amount of games are available at on launch day for any title, so the battle for retailers is to secure enough that they can sell AND enough to keep their competitors from selling nearly as many. It may well have been that Best Buy was left in the dark in the purchasing battle for Eternal Sonata, although I can't say for sure.
I know this is a long, drawn-out look at corporate economics, but that's basically why pre orders were so important for the small box stores previously. Now that they have sales data to show that they control an obsurd amount of the market, they don't have to rely on the pre-order regime as much any longer.
Interesting tale...
I experienced a similar experience at Gamestop recently with Overlord. It was actually quite annoying because I prefer NOT to talk with people (just my nature), so I kept checking the store (multiple locations) following launch and couldn't see it on the shelf or in the case. I finally broke down and asked, and the same thing happened--they had copies, but they were hidden by other games in the case. Very odd. I decided just to not get the game from them in the end.
As for the whole concept of Pre-Orders, I wholeheartedly disagree that you don't have anything to lose. First off, you just don't know what sales will happen during launch week. It's not uncommon for Target or Fry's to have a sale/giftcard on new releases. By pre-ordering and locking in with Gamestop, I lose out on the option of going to a place with the sale. Second, there are situations where a game looks great and you know you want it....but then reviews damn it due to bugs. This is exactly what happened to me with Star Wars Lego II for the DS. This was a game I KNEW I wanted and I actually pre-ordered it....and then I got stuck with this awfully buggy game. There are few games that sell out so quick that it's an issue...I'd much rather err on having the flexibility to buy anywhere.
Just my thoughts.
Hey i'm a first time responder but I read your site all the time and since you were talking about eternal sonata and gamestop, thought i'd step up and agree with the trouble you had to go through. I try to stay away from gamestop because everytime I buy a game from them I feel dirty, and not in the good way lol. Infact when I have to unfortunetly buy a game from them because it's not sold anywhere else (like eternal sonata), I feel that my money is only being put to good use because it's a game I REALLY like. The times that I do get a game from them they give the same speel about "oh yea it's the last one we have", yet there's others stashed away where they have the "last" copy, and I hate when they take out the case for the game, pull out a cd from some cd wallet thing, and place it in the case like it's never been touched by human hands. I always feel like they jipped me for whatever goodies might have been inside the case or if they scratched the cd or messed up the booklet they wouldn't claim responsibilty seeing as it's "Policy" to do that for security reasons. Geez but anyways I totally understand how you feel and you have my support ^_^
Actually, GameStop lets you cancel pre-orders and put the money on something else. I pre-ordered XIII back in the day because I thought it looked cool. Unfortunately, pre-ordering got you a free demo disc of the game, and after playing that, I went back and opted to use that $5 on something else!
Um...many copies of Eternal Sonata were displayed at my local Wal-Mart. No lines, no waiting, no fuss.
I think it's just fashionable to hate Gamestop.
I'm going to have to agree with the folks defending GameStop on this one. I mean, yeah it's annoying that they push reserves and subs so hard, but that's not really the fault of the employee and more the fault of the company... and it's not really that big of a deal, anyway. People already gave pretty good reasons for why the company pushes reserves.
And honestly, why not reserve a game? You know you're picking it up, and if you change your mind you can get a refund, so there's really no reason not to. And with Eternal Sonata you could have gotten a free face plate with the reserve.
Richard - I know what you mean. One of my favorite managers got moved to another busier store in preparation to make him a district manager, and then a few weeks later he's fired because his employees were carrying over their reserves instead of actually buying the games.
BrerDan - honestly, I never even thought of the scenario you described about flexability to buy a game elsewhere if there are sales because you can always cancel and get your money back on a pre-order. And if you buy the game elsewhere, and forget about the pre-order, the money just stays in the computer system under your name. When Bioshock came out, I saw that one person still had $5 put toward a reservation of Oblivion, so he got $5 off Bioshock.
It pains me when I hear these horror stories about people going into GameStops. I know I can't speak for every store, but the one I work at we really try to do right by the customer. GameStop pays us crap, and we don't make commission, so it's pretty safe to say that company loyalty isn't the thing getting us to work every day. We love the games, love talking about games to other gamers, and love talking to people new to gaming about how to best get started. Plus, it's also an easy job I can keep doing while at school. I can't imagine shopping or working at a GameStop with rude employees, and I'm sorry on account of anyone that has had that experience. The people really do make the difference, and from my experience all of the people I've met through GameStop have been awsome.
Gamestop is a business. It makes money and has a strategy, yes. While I don't agree with some of the policies, it does not attempt to be an evil empire on purpose.
While pre-orders and subscription sales by employees are encouraged, it helps to know the mechanics of the corporate giant. As stated in one of the other comments, GS does limit the number of copies that each store receives. Due to some complex and mysterious system (or random die roll), any particular store may receive one to XX number of copies above their pre-order counts. Does this hinder sales? Not really. The store will be assured the pre-order sales, but anything above may or may not sit on the store shelves. Each store, then, is monitored for their pickup and sales. Any further shipment to that store will be dependent on these sales.
Yes, there are times when it can be hard to find a "new release" game. Holding of reserves is dependent on the manager and the reservist. If a manager feels like the reserve will take longer (usu. 48hrs) and expects another shipment within the week, then an unpaid-in-full pre-order may be sold. Sometimes, those extra copies are the reserve items of the employees themselves. So, those extra copies, may not be so "extra" after all.
The whole hiding aspect is simply a matter of perception. Current display specs call for covering the shelves behind the counter. I'm sure you can figure out the obvious "mass wallpaper/publicity" effect for yourself. simple marketing.
Duckols: sorry about your friend getting fired. GS has always been strict about fraud. It comes in any job, if you're managing employees, you are responsible for their actions. It's the nature of the beast that employees will sometimes feel that they are owed something or that they won't get caught doing bad things. Sometimes, it's a matter of poor training and weren't shown how to look for inconsistencies.
GS doesn't pay well. It's not meant to encourage long-term loyalty. It does however appeal to the gamer crowd. Who else but someone who loves games, will be able to sell games? I do agree that there are some good people that work there and are stuck in an awkward balance between the thing they love and the giant that pays their bills.
sorry for the rambling.
Hah, it gets even worse. I have gone into a GameStop and asked for a new game on the _day of release_ and been told they didn't have any copies. When I pointed to a pile of the game, the clerk says "Oh you want a NEW copy." Well yes. I didn't even ask you for a used copy.
They make so much money off the used games as compared to the new games that they get really disgustingly fraudulent about it, including selling used games as new.
I'm not trying to pile on gamestop, and on the whole I don't mind being asked nicely once or twice to preorder something (It does go to far when they start getting a bullying tone with me, which I think they think they'll get away with because I'm female.).
But I'd love to know where you people seem to think you get a *refund* for cancelling your preorder if you change your mind.
Where I come from, a refund means I get back what I paid in the form I paid it. If I hand over $5, I get $5 cash back. If I put $5 on my credit card, it goes back on my credit card.
I've cancelled plenty of preorders and have been told my only option is a $5 gift card or put it towards another game. This was no big deal if I already had a laundry list of games I wanted and could afford and planned on buying in the first three days of release, but when you're broke and have a very small list of things you're willing to pay full price for, that $5 becomes a pretty big decider on where I'm going to spend my money.
If I decide to take my business to target, I shouldn't be forced to keep my $5 on some other preorder for umpteen months because I don't intend on buying any more games in the next few months. I should be able to walk out the door with my $5 and put it towards the purchase at target. I learned this the hard way when I put down $45 towards a $50 game thinking I was doing the smart thing, then found a better deal. I was stuck with $45 of gamestop credit for 7 months, when I eventually caved and bought a game I really didn't want, because I was starting to forget about the credit and my edge card which it was attached to was due to expire, meaning I'd be shopping even less there at that point.
Thanks to that and a few other problems, I no longer preorder in store. Online if there's special bonuses, perhaps (even if I end up getting the least desired ES faceplate of the bunch, darn it), because then I can cancel my order and get my money back, otherwise, I'll take the chance on finding a good deal and having the money in my pocket in case I decide at the last minute I need that $5 for lunch instead.
So yeah. It's not a refund. It's 'you're buying store credit the second you put anything down'. I shouldn't have to pay the other $55 to turn around and return it 10 minutes later to get my cash back.
If you preorder a game at Toys R Us, and change your mind you can get your money back.
The only down side is that they no longer pre order "M" rated games, and they are in the glass cases behind the registers, with signs posted, "Looking for a "M" rated games, please ask an associate". The new CEO's don't think that putting them on the floor is "Mom Friendly".
The good side is when Halo 3 comes out, ALL thier copies will be up for grabs. Oh and Wii's are coming either this Sunday or Next.
The same thing happened to me with Dewy's Adventure this week. The only reason I was in Gamestop was because Target and Best Buy near me are apparently not carrying it in-store.
While in there, I got treated to the clerk's buddies asking "wtf is that?" and "hmm, my mom would like that game!" as they and the clerk laughed at the game and, presumably, me. Gamestop is, and always has been, the place of last resort. I put it up there with comic book and RPG stores on the "douchebag employees and regular customers" scale.
Which brings me to why I don't preorder games unless I think they'll be genuinely scarce: I want to be able to go to whichever store is most convenient and least unpleasant for me on the day of release, because I never know what my life is going to be like at the time. In this case I was squeezing in a few hours of respite after sitting next to someone's hospital bed holding his hand all day, and just wanted something joyful and pretty to occupy my brain for a little while.