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Groan. I hate Gamestop.

Perhaps I have been spoiled by Japan where everyone takes extremely good care of their stuff and even the slightest scratch will send a game to the bargain bin.

During a recent visit to the US, I stopped by Gamestop to buy some US games that were never released in Japan (Saboteur, Ridge Racer Unbounded, etc.). I had completely forgotten how crappy these stores are. No cover art, missing manuals, scratched discs, stickers everywhere on the case, and so on.

The guy then tried to get me to buy a $17.99 used copy instead of the $19.99 new copy I brought up to the counter. Then he tried to sell me on the membership, preorders, and some sort of trade in bonus program. The robotic spiel delivered without conviction or enthusiasm was never ending.

Unless I really had to go into one of these stores for a specific used game, I would NEVER shop in these stores.

This industry will be much better off once these stores are buried and gone in 5-10 years.