-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Would you work at Gamestop?
- Thread starter Benjamin_MFF
- Start date
IzukuMidoriya
Member
Do I look like a ResetEra user?
DonJorginho
Banned
Retail work sucks wherever, but to work in a store that is all about gaming and you can get discounts and access to copies of things before anyone else?
If you can handle cunty customers, go for it.
If you can handle cunty customers, go for it.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
It's retail. Try to get a mgmt job within the first 18 months. Quit if you can't get it and take your experience elsewhere.
(used to work GS over a decade ago)
(used to work GS over a decade ago)
BrettWeir
Member
Do some research in watching Camelot331's videos. Not a snowball's chance in hell, unless you like badgering every customer to trade in their phone.
www.youtube.com
CAMELOT331
I like telling embarrassing stories. I'm a masochist. So please tear me apart!
www.youtube.com
-Troid-
Banned
I applied there for a part time job (to supplement my other job) like 2 years ago. They asked me about my knowledge of gaming and said that I knew more than enough, but they didn't want me because I had no experience as a cashier. To which I said I could learn pretty easily, but for some reason they weren't convinced.
2 weeks later they had some new people there one of which was a guy who couldn't answer a question some customer had. The customer just asked which Resident Evil games had Co-op, so I answered him and the guy thanked me and said something about being lucky I was there. I just jokingly said "well I did apply here but they didn't want me for some reason haha."
I told the cashier I didn't mean anything by it though. Wasn't really bummed about not getting the job considering it would've paid like shit; I mostly applied just to see if it would be any interesting working at game store.
2 weeks later they had some new people there one of which was a guy who couldn't answer a question some customer had. The customer just asked which Resident Evil games had Co-op, so I answered him and the guy thanked me and said something about being lucky I was there. I just jokingly said "well I did apply here but they didn't want me for some reason haha."
I told the cashier I didn't mean anything by it though. Wasn't really bummed about not getting the job considering it would've paid like shit; I mostly applied just to see if it would be any interesting working at game store.
Bladed Thesis
Member
Having my store robbed and my assistant store manager pistol whipped because he told them to take what they want and leave. Getting a gun pulled on me because the man was trying to buy GTA 4 and didn't have a photo id. Guys bringing stacks of loose discs to trade in for cash. Kids with fake ids trying to buy Call of Duty. Call of Duty midnight launches where 40 year olds argue they had previously pre-ordered the expensive collectors edition. Karens arguing with you over the smallest things. Too many stories to name.
Bladed Thesis
Member
Just something on Camelot. The guy is actually not really a good source. The stories he tells about lying to customers and faking things and being "forced" to do so are pretty numerous. A lot of stories he tells, trying to paint himself in a good light, start on the foundation that he was committing reserve fraud, PUR subscription fraud and lying to customers to get sales. He says he was forced to do so but nobody is forced to fake a reserve or lie to a customer to get them a PUR subscription. My store was a DM office store, meaning my District Manager was in my location 3-4 days a week, and he was never around my sales counter enough to force me to commit any type of fraud. I'm sure some bad district managers tell their teams to commit fraud but you can also say no.Do some research in watching Camelot331's videos. Not a snowball's chance in hell, unless you like badgering every customer to trade in their phone.
CAMELOT331
I like telling embarrassing stories. I'm a masochist. So please tear me apart!
He's a bad apple who saw some bad stuff. That happens. But he was also a very poor manager committing numerous types of fraud.
Evil Calvin
Afraid of Boobs
I've watched all of his Gamestop videos. Sure he may have sucked as a manager but he paints a pretty believable and typical picture of upper management and how District Managers and Corporate Office operates. I've been a manager in retail and they can and will find any way to get rid of you if they want. But it seems that the Gamestop upper management just isn't good at doing it sneakily. Camelot has a lot of emails from managers at the stores and even corporate managers and they have corroborating stories as well. So, he may be a bit upset about being let go, but I would be too., especially since they were such snakes about it.
Last edited:
Bladed Thesis
Member
Oh, I have no doubt Gamestop has now and had then awful upper management with intentions that were sneaky and very underhanded. I'm not arguing that point. Every communication he gets from current managers and such is all true. I've got numerous friends still working for the company.
My point is his attempts to claim the moral highground and present the current situation at Gamestop and their internal issues is a bit much when he himself was definitely deserving of being fired and committed numerous amounts of fraud, regardless of his district manager telling him to do it or not. He admits to committing fraud and being shady to customers (he says forced by official policy) and my point is its never official policy. It may be how that DM ran his district and even the RM could've known. That's no surprise. Upper management for the most part is/was AWFUL and full of people lacking business morals. But he went along with it and now puts out videos like "look how Gamestop takes advantage of their customers" while he not long ago did the same thing. He was committing fraud, he was reserve flipping, he was lying and hiding GPGs on customers' receipts, he was committed survey fraud. So I don't know how much victim outrage I can take from a guy who was no victim but a perpetrator of all the fraud he now decries and reacts to with outrage.
Also, I don't know who told him that fake character he does with the aloof voice, head tilts, eye raise and all of its awfulness was cool or funny or good but holy fuck is it bad and annoying.
Last edited:
S
SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
If you have to get a job yes.
Brian Fellows
Pete Carroll Owns Me
I worked there for 6 months back in 2000. I got through it without throwing my manager through a plate glass window. I call that a win.
EverydayBeast
ChatShitGPT Alpha 0.001
Why not get paid and wear the Gamestop uniform?
Fbh
Member
Never worked at gamestop but I did worked in one of biggest game store chains in my country (which was basically a gamestop copy) and honestly, these type of jobs aren't something to consider doing for long periods of time or as a "main job". For a part time job while you are studying it's fine and if you really need the money then it's better than nothing and at least you'll have some income as you look for something better. But other than that (or if you have other options) I'd stay away.
Working conditions in these places usually aren't great because you are extremely disposable, even more so than in most other retail jobs because there's generally an endless supply of young naive videogame fans dying to work in a place like this. Also, the number of weirdos that come to these places is higher than usual.
The one positive thing I can say about my time working there was that I did at least meet a bunch of cool people, some of which are still my friends to this day. It sure is fun to be able to come to work and be like "did you guys watch the Nintendo Direct yesterday?!?!?".
Working conditions in these places usually aren't great because you are extremely disposable, even more so than in most other retail jobs because there's generally an endless supply of young naive videogame fans dying to work in a place like this. Also, the number of weirdos that come to these places is higher than usual.
The one positive thing I can say about my time working there was that I did at least meet a bunch of cool people, some of which are still my friends to this day. It sure is fun to be able to come to work and be like "did you guys watch the Nintendo Direct yesterday?!?!?".
Last edited:
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Part time I would.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
If you need a job and that's the best option available to you, then of course. Do it to the best of your abilities, and get paid. Once you get settled, set your sights on your goals and work towards achieving them.
BrettWeir
Member
Agreed. I should have stated to watch his content in regards to what is happening with the differing phases and how GS places absurd expectations on tech trades, etc. on the employees are. Everything he has said before the fact, has come to fruition with GS. It's a sinking ship.
Last edited:
Fbh
Member
Yep.
To be fair, some of them are funny. Like we had this guy that would come every other week to show us his My Little Pony fan art (thankfully if was of the SFW ones.....because I'm pretty sure he also had of the other kind)
HaveButOneLife
Banned
If they don't fire me two weeks later, well actually no. Just no.
Heard too many bad things.
Heard too many bad things.
ScarletSpider
Banned
That is tough for me to answer.
I'll tell you this, I worked at GameStop in the early 2000s and I had a lot of fun at that job.
I also think games were a lot more fun back then, but I suppose that's for the other side
I'll tell you this, I worked at GameStop in the early 2000s and I had a lot of fun at that job.
I also think games were a lot more fun back then, but I suppose that's for the other side
Tesseract
Banned
i always liked my time in retail, there's no shame there
eb games at 17, electronics at walmart when i was 18 until the end of college
walmart was excellent because they knew i was game for anything, sometimes the store manager would pluck me outta electronics and put me in hunting, hardware, toys, gardening, wherever
eb games at 17, electronics at walmart when i was 18 until the end of college
walmart was excellent because they knew i was game for anything, sometimes the store manager would pluck me outta electronics and put me in hunting, hardware, toys, gardening, wherever
Ron Mexico
Member
Oh the memories. Was a manager at EB from 2000-2002.
All the bathroom storage pics? My old store had 2 bathrooms but converted one to purely storage. Only issue is they never completely sealed the plumbing pipe. So just before Xmas in the PS2 launch year, our store had a fire-- shrinkwrap machine sparked and lit up the slat wall in the back. Fire department came out, hosed it down....and it rained on Bath and Body Works downstairs.
Spent the rest of that holiday season trying to run the store out of a little kiosk while they reset our whole inventory.
When I first started as a p/t, there was an employee that would always take the larger trade-ins. Conveniently forget to scan a few, defect out those used copies, take new ones, return those and either take the cash or preorder a bunch of shit with an alias. Same one picked up quickly that magazines were never inventoried so if you bought a magazine and paid cash, he just pocketed it.
We all did bullshit to move Game Doctors. Buying and returning to other stores, etc etc.
...and it seemingly only got worse post-IPO and later the acquisition.
All the bathroom storage pics? My old store had 2 bathrooms but converted one to purely storage. Only issue is they never completely sealed the plumbing pipe. So just before Xmas in the PS2 launch year, our store had a fire-- shrinkwrap machine sparked and lit up the slat wall in the back. Fire department came out, hosed it down....and it rained on Bath and Body Works downstairs.
Spent the rest of that holiday season trying to run the store out of a little kiosk while they reset our whole inventory.
When I first started as a p/t, there was an employee that would always take the larger trade-ins. Conveniently forget to scan a few, defect out those used copies, take new ones, return those and either take the cash or preorder a bunch of shit with an alias. Same one picked up quickly that magazines were never inventoried so if you bought a magazine and paid cash, he just pocketed it.
We all did bullshit to move Game Doctors. Buying and returning to other stores, etc etc.
...and it seemingly only got worse post-IPO and later the acquisition.
The Scrivener
Member
Yes. You could work undercover for GAF, feeding us the latest insider gossip. Get the real talk on release dates, and who's dating who in the industry. Maybe chuck a few stolen keys our way too.
lil puff
Member
It must be god awful having to work there and being forced to harass the customer.
I like to buy shit and leave, no words need to be said.
But they always try to engage even after I say "no thanks, I just want to buy this."
Then I get annoyed and then the cycle starts.
I started going to a mom and pop shop. No wonder GS are going down, guess it's counter-intuitive to strongarm all your customers.
GNC does this shit too and I stopped going there.
I like to buy shit and leave, no words need to be said.
But they always try to engage even after I say "no thanks, I just want to buy this."
Then I get annoyed and then the cycle starts.
I started going to a mom and pop shop. No wonder GS are going down, guess it's counter-intuitive to strongarm all your customers.
GNC does this shit too and I stopped going there.
cr0w
Old Member
I worked at both EB and Gamestop in the early aughts, and I can't really speak for the state of things now but back then it was really all about the people you worked with. If your manager and co-workers were cool, it was chill as fuck regardless of how customers acted for the most part. There were still numbers to hit but we had each others' backs so if one person was lacking on subs or whatever, we would give them the sale and try to keep everyone above water in that regard.
Now, I really don't know. Seems like corporate wants employees to hound customers for every spare piece of technology they may have laying around and it's causing some conflicts, but my interactions/experiences in the stores haven't changed at all. I go in, see if they have what I want, if they do I buy it, if they don't I leave. No pitches or bullshit.
Now, I really don't know. Seems like corporate wants employees to hound customers for every spare piece of technology they may have laying around and it's causing some conflicts, but my interactions/experiences in the stores haven't changed at all. I go in, see if they have what I want, if they do I buy it, if they don't I leave. No pitches or bullshit.
nush
Gold Member
Times were hard, wages were low and no chance of promotion becuse the manager and assistant manager had no ambition and just camped out in those roles. Wait for someone to pay cash for a game, "forget" to give them the receipt. Then when you went to the bank to cash the previous days takings steal that game on the receipt and put it in the bag with the cash becuse you never got searched by company policy when you were banking the cash so as not to draw attention to the fact that you were carrying $1000's in a carrier bag.
Then when you finished banking before returning to store pop in the post office buy a padded envelope and mail the game to yourself. No risk of getting caught during the end of day bag search or if loss prevention did a big sting getting your car searched.
Take game and receipt to the store in one of the next towns over where they would not recognise you as staff for that sweet cash refund.
I'd forgotten all about this perfect crime.
Ron Mexico
Member
The return policy back then was also incredibly lenient which gave way to all kinds of other shenanigans as well.
I will say the one thing old school EB did right though was prior to their IPO, their only mandate was to beat last year in sales. We naturally sold more when there wasn't the pressure to meet specific quotas or any of that nonsense. Then along came the IPO, the little Napoleon fuck from Macy's or wherever he was, the Game Doctor, then the monetization of store space that turned into specific vendor/publisher quotas via "Vendor of the month".
nush
Gold Member
It was free game rentals for ten days, enough time to finish most games at the time. With the store's so saturated you could spread the returns about so you would not be remembered. It was the customers that always brought and returned at the same store that would be restricted from returns.