I'm not a huge fan of Gamestop as a company, but I pre-ordered DQXIS there because the workers are fairly nice. I want my pre-order.
I'm not a huge fan of Gamestop as a company, but I pre-ordered DQXIS there because the workers are fairly nice. I want my pre-order.
I'm not sad. Gamestop is regressive. Good riddance.
They should try and switch they business model. Going after the videogame market when it moves more and more to digital just won't and can't work.
Instead, they should focus on all the stuff you can't get digitally: promotion material, feelies, merch, and so on. Additionally, I would suggest them turning their shops more into retrogaming stores where you can get old consoles and videogames. And no, I don't mean something like an used PS4 (though one could still take those, especially for later on), more like an used SNES or Dreamcast and games from those consoles.
That doesn't mean that they shouldn't sell modern consoles anymore - just stop focusing on the modern and go for the retro.
The Nintendo eShop rating Thread: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=237454 List as Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aW2hXQT1TheElVS7z-F3pP-7nbqdrDqWNTxl6JoJWBY/edit?usp=sharing
The Steam/GOG key gifting thread: https://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread/242024/the-steamgog-key-gifting-thread/1/
Free Pc Games thread: https://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread/248138/free-pc-games/1/
The_Liquid_Laser said: I don't think physical media is going away, but Gamestop may be another matter. I don't think they are managed well. Whenever I go into a Gamestop nowadays I see this tiny little section for Switch games with huge sections for PS4 and XB1 games. The Switch basically has the same shelf space that the Wii U did. Is it any wonder why Amazon always over represents Switch sales? Tons of Switch customers go to Amazon, because Gamestop is just not going to be their store. They can get the Switch games they want at Amazon, but not at Gamestop. Surely Gamestop knows that the Switch is selling a lot better than the Wii U, but they haven't changed their behavior accordingly. |
I had a similar experience on the ps3 360 era. Went to Gamestop there was basically 1 shelf with ps3 games while the rest of the store was green with xbox 360 games and posters. They didnt have the PS3 game I wanted so I basically wasted time going there. Customer service was always shit and they were always trying to shove some crap down my throat. Not to mention the games they sold were not sealed, meaning who knows if the game was actually new or not. Tons of shady little shit like that to try and f*ck the customers for a profit.
Not a loss for me personally, I shopped there maybe a dozen times, probably less..
This was coming for a long time remember at the end of 2018 we were hearing how they made massive losses, here in the UK retailers have basically been killed off it's pretty much online now days.
A quick Google search will give you all the evidence you need to know that this is false.
Never heard of DM having an office they can lock themselves in. That they have their own desk in the backstore of their home store is one thing, but this was purely invented for dramatic reasons.
CaptainExplosion said:
Well then shouldn't they change their business model to focus more on gaming merch? |
This is what they been doing gradually, but their stores and their fixtures are not adapted for this kind of products because of their range of types and sizes.
They have to invest massively in renovating their stores for that, this will definitely be costly.
Shadow1980 said:
If GameStop ever went out of business I would most likely go to Best Buy for new titles since they do have them, but for older games I haven't gotten around to I'd buy them off of Amazon. Older games usually go for really good prices on there. I think Target also keeps their games under lock and key, but I'm not sure. I rarely go in there. Best Buy opts to put their games into these anti-theft cases that have to be removed at the register. |
I am appreciating this Walmart/Gamestop discussion the two of you are having, and I just want to inject one more idea. The biggest reason that Walmart sells so many video games is because there is a Walmart in almost every little town in the USA. There are plenty of small towns that don't have population enough for many stores, but it is very common to have a Walmart still.
That means in many small towns people only have one retail option to buying video games: Walmart. Since they have a small town monopoly, they end up selling a ton of video games nation wide. On the other hand if a town has a Gamestop, then it immediately becomes a better option over Walmart. The second hand market immediately makes the effective price of games lower, which means people will end up playing more games, and that means the hardware is also more valuable. Basically Gamestop makes video games in general a lot more consumer friendly than Walmart alone does. (And of course a Gamestop store is much more welcoming to gamers than a Walmart is, which was already mentioned.)
Of course there is always Amazon as a competitor to Walmart, even in small town USA. The fact that Walmart still sells so many games is an indicator that there are still a lot of people who want to stick with the brick-and-mortar retail model. In fact, people in rural areas have the most incentive to shop online, because they have the fewest retail options. And I know Amazon is eating into Walmart's market share, and yet Walmart is still in no danger of going bankrupt any time soon.
Basically, what I'm saying is that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with Gamestop's retail model. On the gaming side it is far superior to Walmart, and yet Walmart is still doing fine. If Gamestop has any significant problems it would be because of poor management, and not with a flawed or outdated business model.
Last edited by The_Liquid_Laser - on 08 September 2019curl-6 bet me that PS5 + X|S sales would reach 56m before year end 2023 and he was right.
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