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In the year 2022, GameStop still sells opened games as "new"

Rykan

Member
This drives me nuts. Why do they do it at all?
If you ordered it online, it might be a return. If this happens in a store, the games are kept behind the counter to prevent theft.

It's one of the primary reasons I went digital. It also prevents one of my other annoyances: opening a new game and find out that the disk slipped loose during shipping.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
This drives me nuts. Why do they do it at all?
When I worked at Electronics Boutique (EB Games) 20 years ago, the display case on the shelf was the "gutted" copy that was filed behind the counter. I'm not sure who or what started it, this was before the Gamestop merge as well. But, I'm surprised they STILL do it. So many people hated it then, so many people hate it now, and understandably so.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
To be fair, stores do this to just about everything.

The clothes you buy could be tried on or returns which the clerk puts on a new price tag. As long as the product is still in good shape to resell, most stuff is resold at regular price. Most stores dont sell used products. As long as a book is in resalable condition, even books are put back on the shelf while someone could had been reading it for free at the store for an hour or plowed through it on a weekend and returned it.

However, video games are one product that does have new and used versions. Go figure.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
It's the reason I still refuse to buy anything from GameStop - that and their used games often don't come with cases or inserts.
 

dcx4610

Member
Haven't shopped there in years at this point but I've told the cashier "It's not new if it's open" countless times. I've heard everything from "no one touched the disc" to "we're just doing you a favor by taking the wrapping off". I feel bad for people that work there but GameStop has been horrible for the gaming community and collectors. If they treated games and people that collected seriously, they could transition into a retro shop. You're talking about the same shop that literally throws away Nintendo DS, 3DS and PSP cases to save space though. Good riddance when they finally croak.
 

Lunarorbit

Member
I'm really surprised people are OK with this in this thread. These pricks have been doing it for ages and it is ridiculous they're still doing it. Capcom just said like 90% of there sales are digital and gamestop pulls shit like this and think they'll have any success?

Fucking game stop can't stop getting in their own way. Glad stock bros manipulated the shit out of it. It's all venture capitalist anyway
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Unreal that they still do this.

Back when Tatsunoko vs Capcom released I’d preordered it well in advance. The day the game released I had to work and wasn’t able to get to the store until late.

They hand me my copy and it was opened! Are you fucking kidding me?? I preordered my copy, which they didn’t have enough copies to meet customer demand - yet they STILL opened my copy! I was so pissed, I told the clerk I wanted a 10% discount since it was now opened. There was no reason whatsoever to open my copy.
They probably were playing it on a Wii demo station.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I quit buying from GameStop over this. The last time I went there to buy they pulled a game out of the sleeve and sealed it without the DLC codes it should have included. When I asked for them they said they lost them. When I asked for a discount they said they had to sell it as new and that they weren't required to include the codes. So I told them to keep it and bought from Target instead.

Later I found out that they let employees open new game discs and play them. The person who told me that said that sometimes employees would redeem included codes when they borrowed games. I don't know if that's true but it sounds believable to me.
 

unclbenn

Member
i remember going in to buy a copy of diablo 3 ultimate evil edition, the cashier said they only had one copy left and pulled out an unsealed copy. i asked him why the plastic wrap was removed and he told me they were using this for the display case but other than that the game was brand new. he rang it up for full price and i told him i'd be going to another store instead.
 
Better question is, why do people shop at GameStop for new, let alone used titles? I mean you have a shit ton of Facebook groups or even direct order from the publisher. GS is there to make profit, people that give away their used games for store credit tells me they aren't "tech savy" when they can't realize they will make more cash selling it on FB, Craigslist etc. Even eBay is redundant and you have to deal with paying a percentage of that sale as well as possible bad review and refunds.
 

reinking

Gold Member
I managed an EB Games store and eventually Game Stop after the buyout for over five years. During that time, not one single used game was sold as new. I do not know of it happening in any other store in my region. Yes, they gut the cases and yes, it sucks, but it has nothing to do with trying to pull one over on customers. It is simply a loss prevention measure.
 

Antwix

Member
For the thousandth time. Opened doesn’t mean it’s not new. Fucking relax. Your precious disc is fine.
Some people, including myself, care due to them putting their adhesive stickers directly on the cases. Opened does not equal new.
 

nush

Member
I managed an EB Games store and eventually Game Stop after the buyout for over five years. During that time, not one single used game was sold as new. I do not know of it happening in any other store in my region. Yes, they gut the cases and yes, it sucks, but it has nothing to do with trying to pull one over on customers. It is simply a loss prevention measure.

Yes you are right, they are going to put a used game through their system as new FOR LESS FUCKING MARGIN than selling it as used. As you've also worked games retail before did you also get dumbfucks that asked you for a recomendation of a game to buy and then get paranoid that you were actually reccomending them a game because it was bad and you were just trying to clear out the stock?
 

kapshin

Member
1. It's GameStop you get thousands of copies per game, ask the distributor for ONE empty case per store.
2. If you bought a new shrink wrapped game from them, open it and try to return it... good luck... BUT IT'S NEW WHEN WE DO IT.
 

levyjl1988

Banned
This is an example of sealed and new.
j6wtYBg.jpg


This is not new. GameStop is fucked with their definition of new.
Cruxcaw.jpg
 

12Goblins

Lil’ Gobbie
I mean, its probably the way only they can prevent theft and stay open, so if you like shopping at GameStop you really shouldn't be complaining....
 

Dr. Suchong

Gold Member
When I worked at Gamestation, around 10 boxes of a new PlayStation title were put out on display, the discs and manuals put in a plastic sleeve and stored.
It was necessary to do this then to obviously have the title on display.
Lots of other Video-game shops adopted the same practice.
I remember my dismay of buying a "New" disc based game from a major retailer, upon seeing the staff member rummage in a drawer, fish out a badly bagged disc and manual, and then roughly shove it onto the spindle in the case.
It was almost always dusty and marked.
This to me does not mean "New" once a neanderthal has manhandled your disc.
 

Dr. Suchong

Gold Member
Why the fuck would anyone be buying from GameStop in 2022?

Unless you're also trying to buy a new pop figure for your virgin wall of shame while picking up the new GoW.

Otherwise just use Amazon, or best buy, or walmart, target... literally anywhere else.
"Virgin wall of shame" 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for making my morning 👍
 

reinking

Gold Member
Yes you are right, they are going to put a used game through their system as new FOR LESS FUCKING MARGIN than selling it as used. As you've also worked games retail before did you also get dumbfucks that asked you for a recomendation of a game to buy and then get paranoid that you were actually reccomending them a game because it was bad and you were just trying to clear out the stock?
Gamers can be a bit paranoid. In my stores we were careful to never tell someone what to buy but we would give features to help them decide. We would still get someone every now and then that thought we got something out of what we were selling.

It was still a fun job... ..at least during the EB Games days. GameStop wasn't as great and part of why I left.
 

ManaByte

Gold Member
With places like Amazon online theres no need to shop at GameStop anymore. I get most of my Switch games at Walmart in-store because for a while they were selling the first party stuff for $10 off
 

Dr. Wilkinson

Gold Member
They did it to me with Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. For as long as I live I will never forget it.

Like, at least acknowledge it during the sale process, don’t just hope the customer doesn’t say anything.
 
Anybody who's gone digital would be a fool not to sign up for the Pro membership at Gamestop. For either $15 or $20 per year depending if you want a digital or print magazine you get a Game Informer magazine and a $5 gift card each month which you can use online towards digital currency (eshop , xbox , psn , and Steam) .

They sell them as low as $10 increments too (except Steam which is $20 minimum). So every month I just load another $20 Steam credit and it only costs $15. Super easy.

I generally don't shop much at Gamestop and understand the hate they get , but this is a legit deal they offer. Anybody who buys digital would be unwise to pass. Plus you get a videogame magazine subscription and other discounts. I am prettymuch physical only but for my Steamdeck it's been nice.
 

FeldMonster

Member
They still exist?

I always refused to buy games from them for this reason. That and they were almost always more expensive than any random electronics store.
That, plus you get $0.99 for a game that they will sell back to someone for $55.

Gamestop is the worst. I miss Funco-land.

And the pro-physical gamers wonder so many of us prefer digital.
 
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