It takes seconds to get to the original source, where the clear implication is that Nintendo gave them out as a reward for Gamestop being the top Switch retailer.  

That's pretty awesome. They didn't have to but they did. I respect that.

But it also takes seconds to realize that the original source bears the exact same info and never says that it's Nintendo who gave the consoles out for free. An implication is no proof. It's Gamestop who wanted to reward it's employees, not Nintendo who wanted to reward Gamestop.

Look, I'm not necessarily doubting that these things happen all the time but your source does not prove anything in regards to Nintendo.

Did you just post a gif of a My Little Pony OC with boob physics ... ?

Furry/Brony confirmed? 

I got no issues they all do it anyway.

I still would rather my job as it would pay more then that one even with the few freebies thrown in here and there.

Maybe it's changing this gen but my personal experience was always xbox got priority. Don't go gamestop now since I'm all digital so I've probably missed the culture change. 

Sony should be their best friend though. Because Microsoft tried to kill off used game sales at retail. Sony saved gamestops bacon. Without used game sales and with the rise of digital they would be fucked. 

Back in the day , when I managed Best Buy stores, Sony gave out a PS2 to every person who attended a big Best Buy corporate event. There were 500-600 people at that event. There were a number of other events that Sony gave out PS3s too. At the time at Best Buy, the General practice was to SWIS. Sell What’s In Stock. So, it didn’t really matter which system was the most popular, it mattered what was in stock. So, most parents/guardians that came in to buy a gaming system didn’t really care themselves, so they would get whatever you recommended.

I am sure that that is still the case. So, if all systems are in stock at the store, the preference of the sales person will take over. Because more of the sales people in video game areas of stores are either hard core gamers or at least more educated about the differences in the systems, that has helped Sony dramatically this generation. The launch PS4 had all the hype from the people who care(actual gamers), so it always and continues to be the top seller. It’s not because moms and dads care or know the difference that often. Even though, most moms and dads now a days were or are gamers themselves, they go with the flow too.

Is not as much of a changing culture, but more of a lack of leadership at the store level. Like I said in a previous post, alot of Gamestops are managed by gamers and are hiring gamers that fit their own preferences and it’s showing and can affect your perception as a customer. Your case is a great example of that.

On how Sony helped Gamestop, maybe you should take a step back to look at this with a different perspective. Sony isn’t different than Microsoft or Nintendo, they even had the online fee for used games, just like EA, before the XB One fisaco. I don’t have any insight wether or not they had plan for used games back then, but they acted smart by waiting for Microsoft to made the move first and capitalizing on that. 

Even without Sony, consumer’s reaction would have make them backed up on this. You should see the amount of dollars spent on new release because of trade values. 

It’s false to think Sony’s saved Gamestop’s butt, it may seems like this but don’t forget that they push digital sales alot, getting ride of the moddle man in the process which is retail chain in this case. I remember before the PSP Go launched, ou CEO was praising our relationship with Sony and Microsoft at the managers conference, but in their specific conference of the event, they talked about how they intend to focus in a digital distribution and depend less on brick and mortar stores.

Two things that held Gamestop out of the water, instore digital distribution and market share on software and hardware. If you offer means to buy online without your credit card, it slowed the negative transition for them. Then they focused on controling the inventory on the physical market by upping their share on new release, which is why I don’t always trust shipped figures.

Anyway, I’m starting to derail, I should start a thread on the myths of Gamestop! 😂

Yeah I don't have any solid proof or sources outside of checking with 3 other Gamestop managers that I know that are part of the FGC with me and they all told me they got one as well. But from reading through the thread I saw that quite a few people have claimed this to be normal practice.