So much hate for GameStop - is it justified?

[mike_intellivision]

Let's see what people complain about

-- Won't take back new game that has been opened -- Hmmm. Name me one store that does. (EB Games once had a 10-day return policy for any reason on new and used. A lot of people would free-rent systems that way, Not a good policy).

-- Try to upsell you. Welcome to how retail operates. I have to fend off these things anytime I call for almost any service. (Like when they want to sell you credit card insurance).

-- Less than the smartest employees. Minimum wage jobs sometimes yield minimum wage people. I once got more help buying a VCR at a Wal-Mart than at a specialty electronics retailer. Guess which one went out of business.


I am pretty lucky that the I have known the managers at both of my local Gamestops for more than a decade. And the staffs know me well enough not to try to sell me stuff. But when I go other places, I just say no to those requests. It is EASY.

Gamestop is not perfect. But it does have its place. And if you are wondering about the used trade-in values -- it often can get stuck writing off a lot of big games that get traded in and never bought. That's part of the reason for the high margin -- not all the stock sells (or sometimes it sells for a loss).

Mike from Morgantown