GameStop's practice of gutting new games and placing empty cases on the shelf has two side effects beyond prevention of theft: first, that a lot of customers are outraged when they receive an open box, and second, it allows employees to try out games without having to open a new copy expressly for that purpose, a practice that the company has allowed since before the store was called GameStop. We can personally attest to the policy being in place at Software Etc. stores in late 1998.

Kotaku contacted the Federal Trade Commission to determine if the policy of selling things as new that, in the strictest sense, were used, was unlawfully deceptive marketing. The FTC declined to comment about the practice or even if it is conducting an investigation.

(Joystiq)

it did always make me mad that they did that.... When i buy a new game i want to be the one to unwrap it >:(

Awesome! I hope that they nail 'em for that.

this is one of the many reasons i don't buy new games from gamespot.

Yeah especially if it is a present for someone.

Games sold as new should be new, not used. Makes sense to me.

Who wouldnt want to open/take their fresh new game out of the wrapper from a trip to gamestop, not the employees.

Agreed. Aren't most Gamestop games still in the packaging? The ones I buy are.

When I purchased Tales of Vesperia from Gamestop last month it was unwrapped. I figured it was because it was the last one they had. Next time I went in I realized they still had 3-4 more copies in there, some wrapped and some unwrapped.

Odds are I bought one that was played by an employee since the box itself wasn't the one from the shelf.

Edit - Not to mention the douche bags also put the "New" stickers with the price tag on the game case so I end up with residue. They also put some circular clear sticker on the edge where you open it when you purchase it. Mine actually had 2 residue stains when I peeled the sticker off, clearly showing it was sealed with that type of sticker more than once.

What I want to know is what magical place would only have girls in the game store.