I’m Done With GameStop

I’ve been feeling this way for quite sometime.  An angry tweet here, a returned purchase there, no one could mistake me for a happy GameStop customer.  It’s not the constant up-sells or pressure to pre-order or any corporate nonsense.  For me, the cardinal sin that GameStop commits on a daily basis is not caring at all about games.

There has been the rare employee who actually cares about games and shares that love with customers, but whenever I’ve come across them—as frequently as I do unicorns—they are always looking for other employment, either having been pushed out by GameStop or tired of the insane management practices.

My Expectations

When walking into any video game store I have some expectations for the experience.  Right off the bat, I expect it to be run by and filled with Geeks, Nerds & Dorks.  The place should be overflowing with unrestrained passion and foaming at the mouth fervor.  There should be heated debates about the latest games, consoles or characters.  It should hum with the energy of video games, everyone is either playing or talking about games.  The staff should have an encyclopedic knowledge of electronic games stemming not from a handbook, but from a lifetime of enjoying them.  When you walk out of that place you should feel good.

Great comic book stores are exactly like that, jammed with passion and lightly salted with social ineptitude.  The employees may not be comfortable around chicks, but they’ll talk your ear off about graphic novels.  The people working these places drip the industry from their very pores.  It is their raison d’etre.

The Sad Reality

No one gives a shit about anything.  They could care less if you died right in front of them.  Even as they reach for the phone to dial 911 an exasperated sigh would escape their lips.  You can cut the ennui with a knife (which is impressive for 20-something year olds).

I wish I knew what was causing this oppressive atmosphere.  Having gone to GameStop’s in several states the experience has been the same.  Almost like it’s corporately mandated to provide the shittiest customer service possible.

The arrogance kills me too.  It’s the same kind you get when going to indie music stores when the person behind the counter judges you based on your musical tastes.  The difference is the music douches can back up their talk with an immense knowledge of music spawning from back in the day to incredibly obscure.  Most of the video game clerks give you that same attitude, but their knowledge barely scraps past the newest releases.

I know being a retail monkey isn’t the best work.  In my early years, I used to work at bookstores (both major chains) and there were good days and downright shitty days.  The one constant was my love of books.  Chatting with customers about authors and novels was always an incredible experience.

I can’t find any of that in a GameStop.  Blaring non-stop commercials shouting at me from mounted TV’s?  Plenty of that.  A love of games from a life long player? Maybe in the back underneath a pile of dusty Sega Genesis cartridges.

What I’m Going To Do

Vote with my wallet, as they say.  I refuse to buy anything from them anymore.  EBay, Craigslist, Amazon, ANYTHING other than GameStop will now be getting my video game dollars.  I may not be their prime demographic or a major purchaser of video games, but I am a disgruntled customer and in an economy where every penny is precious, I’ll make sure to spend the few I have somewhere else.  Honestly, with digital distribution methods getting more robust each day, I see them eventually going the way of Blockbusters, limping sadly into bankruptcy.

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