PSA: Avoid this GameCrazy training video
by Ross Miller 
{ Aug 7th 2006 at 5:55PM }
The video, intended to give GameCrazy employees the inside information on how to sell games, is a mock-up of an ESPN presentation. It opens with two announcers: Keith Croft and Bobby Payne, who call the shots and raise eyebrows to signify their seriousness. The video outlines the five "keys to the game":
- Hardware: Help gamers (and parents of gamers) pick the right console for them to "keep them coming back for more accessories and games." This section contains a mock-up dialogue between a GC employee and a mother looking to buy a console for her son. She wanted to buy just games, but then realized that her son doesn't own a console! Don't worry if you get lost for a moment, all action will stop and the announcers will cue you in on what's happening.
- Used Games: GC "employee" Gail convinces a saavy Madden fan to save $10 by buyin the used title. As the video says, used games are major money for GameCrazy and major value for the customers.
- MVP: Their special membership. A customer who admits to usually shopping at Best Buy figures he'll give GC a try. Keith wonders aloud if this guy is "a possible big box convert" and eventually he pays the $20 so he can sign up for Saturday's Soul Calibur tournament.
- Trades: I might have missed this while trying to find a screwdriver to insert into my frontal lobe. I think it was just mixed in with the rest.
- Pre-orders: Generic Girl #1 comes in looking to pre-order the latest Final Fantasy but doesn't want to pay money. Fortunately, she has virtual money by merits of past trade-ins on her MVP account. The guy pre-orders the game for her, gets her to buy Kingdom Hearts,
and totally gets her phone number, dude!
Who is Zelda Scott? The on-the-floor correspondent helping Croft and Payne talk to the GameCrazy employees presented. She must think she has some grasp on pop culture. Let's take a look at some of our favorite phrases:
- "They can't hate on our used games."
- "Bomb-diggity!"
- "Gail is getting extremely jiggy with it by going for the MVP."
- Give it up G-Unit, you showed some mad skills there."
- "Krunk!"
- "Tru dat, girl. [To Croft and Payne] Homeslices?"
- "Bling Bling!"
Don't forget to check out the very last scene after the credits roll, at around the 16:10 mark. Scott delivers a very painful rendition of "Rapper's Delight."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Geist @ Aug 7th 2006 6:01PM
Oh. My. God. No. Just...no. Good lord no.
Where's that bleach. I need to dip my brain in it.
Fenris @ Aug 7th 2006 6:06PM
This video may be complete crap, however Game Crazy has so far been the best in my area. They for the most part have had the best trade in values and decent people.
The down side of these training videos is that they usually create a higher pressure atmosphere, which when applied by inexperienced people can cause havoc with the consumer.
The overall down side to any sales job is that the chain store is subject to the local available work force, and that leads to a wide variation in the quality between stores.
Papa @ Aug 7th 2006 6:07PM
Another reason why I never shop there.
introvert @ Aug 7th 2006 6:09PM
I never really shopped there before, but this ensures I will never shop there in the future. Wow.
Baboon @ Aug 7th 2006 6:10PM
If only the actual GC employees were this crazy... it might be at least an entertaining place to shop. Instead of sucking what joy you might have experienced from the game you wish to buy dirrectly from your soul.
pandlcg @ Aug 7th 2006 6:13PM
My Eyes! The goggles do nothing!
Crazylink @ Aug 7th 2006 6:16PM
That was trully painful to watch. I want my 16 minutes back.
jabbertrack @ Aug 7th 2006 6:22PM
this is way too stupid to be a joke
retail workers are morons
cringer8 @ Aug 7th 2006 6:26PM
Okay, it was pretty obvious to me that the "Zelda" lady was *supposed* to sound like an idiot over-using all of that slang (hence the man's reaction when they cut back to him). The humor fell short, as it does in every training video (mostly due to horrible acting).
All-in-all, if I was told I had to watch a training video, that one wouldn't be nearly as hard to sit through as some I have been forced to watch in the past. Has anyone ever worked at a Kinko's? Arrrgg. Maybe now that FedEx owns them the employees get some higher quality videos (but probably not).
The sales techniques sound VERY similar to what I encounter at EB Games.
SilverDogg @ Aug 7th 2006 6:31PM
im glad i dont live in the same country as gamecrazy!
Optimus @ Aug 7th 2006 6:42PM
ROTFLMAO... seriously. Anyone who falls for this s*it like the douchebags in the video need to be dragged out on to the street and shot.
sogmasta @ Aug 7th 2006 6:44PM
tsk. I wouldn't use this video to scrap the doo-doo biscuits outta my anus.
friggin-horrible.
zenny @ Aug 7th 2006 6:46PM
haha i was cracking up when zelda scott came on, how do you do that while keeping a straight face?
t-diddy @ Aug 7th 2006 6:54PM
c'mon people, training videos like this have been around forever. When I worked for TCBY, Freddie Krugger was in it representing a "bad" customer. Corporations just feel that they need to have these in order to get through to their teen employees. Unfortunately, they are offensive to most intelligent people who work at these establishments, but probably work for those few who you just hate to have help you.
NuffSaid @ Aug 7th 2006 7:03PM
In response to jabbertrack's comment that all retail workers are morons I would have to say the he got it backwards. Having worked in retail sales for several years (I'm out now) I would have to say that 95% of customers are the morons or just plain rude (such as jabbertrack). For those who haven't worked in retail just see the movies Clerks, Clerks 2, Waiting, etc. I've had to sit through my share of crappy training videos and I should get a reward just for surviving that!
Squid @ Aug 7th 2006 7:11PM
OMG I WANT MY 16 MINUTES BACK.
That was so painful to watch :(. Who in gods name thought that this was funny?
Wedge @ Aug 7th 2006 7:12PM
Zelda Scott is my hero.
SuicideNinja @ Aug 7th 2006 7:18PM
That was pretty bad. Employees must not get paid much there.
kevinski @ Aug 7th 2006 7:26PM
You know, I was really expecting that first guy to recommend the Xbox, despite the customer not being interested in online play. Why? Because the woman stated that her son would likely have 2-3 friends over. He stated that the PlayStation 2 would allow for up to 4 players, but didn't mention a multitap during the accessories spiel. What in God's name? Seriously, just sell her an Xbox.
Babylonian @ Aug 7th 2006 7:28PM
Holy shit, hahahahahaha.
Her son likes dragon games.
Curagea @ Aug 7th 2006 7:37PM
You know when you call tech support, there's always a lady voice saying "thank you for calling, please hold" or similar? Who knew she could be so GANGSTA, YO!
Not even a minute in and I knew this was going to be bad. Two minutes in, I wished I knew how to stop myself from watching any more.
Infil @ Aug 7th 2006 7:37PM
Ow, ow, ow, ow.
Ow.
They probably didn't want this leaked. But I can't imagine the person who works there still wanting to work there after watching this. I'd be out the door in 5 seconds, keeping whatever brain cells remained.
kevinski @ Aug 7th 2006 7:42PM
One more thing: Check the Madden 2004 sales pitch. The woman behind the counter points the customer to the PlayStation 2 version when indicating both the new and used copies, but they're playing the PSone version at the demo kiosk. Hahahaha...
clo1_2000 @ Aug 7th 2006 7:51PM
W...T...F?!?!?!
I am embarassed as an American.
Kris @ Aug 7th 2006 7:59PM
And people wonder why I don't work for the company anymore... We did have an awesome guitar hero tourny though! Remember that joystiq?
Snurp @ Aug 7th 2006 8:05PM
IT BURNS!
Nathan M @ Aug 7th 2006 8:06PM
Oh God, I sobbed for that entire 16 minutes.
Binford04 @ Aug 7th 2006 8:10PM
Knowing that EB Games/GameStop/Game Crazy take bigger losses on brand new items sold, this video just made me plan on buying Dead Rising at EB tomorrow instead at Best Buy.
Suckers.
Chris @ Aug 7th 2006 8:14PM
You can sell used games to make a bigger profit for the game store and fuck the developers outta there income. God knows there only the people who make this game, why do they deserve the money, right?
thomas_h @ Aug 7th 2006 8:14PM
the most embarrasing was that woman trying to talk "hip" or whatever. "im here to get the 411 on the something at somewhere, tru dat yo, ..."
Huzzah!! @ Aug 7th 2006 8:32PM
"I'm Zelda Scott. I'm down here in the hizzouse, you know, the HEEZEE."
At that point, I stopped the video. That is the same point I would have quit my job at GC. (Not that I'd ever apply...)
AAAHHH THAT WAS JUST SO BAD!!! I'd rather watch that first episode of the gameinformer show from 1991 for 24 hours straight than watch ANY MORE of this!
bill pullman @ Aug 7th 2006 8:35PM
i didn't think it was so bad. the heavy-handed urban slang seemed like it was put in as a joke (ie: i don't think anyone was supposed to take it seriously), and other than that, the sales tactics are nothing we're not all used to. a little cheesy, but that's to be expected when you're putting together an instructional video that needs to touch on several specific topics. what made it so cringe-worthy?
Mitchell @ Aug 7th 2006 8:36PM
I hate Gamecrazy... i asked a employer "do you have--" He cut me off and said "NO..." then walked away. What an @ssholes.
Tetra @ Aug 7th 2006 9:05PM
That video was GREAT! Some of you guys really need to work on recognizing INTENTIONAL CHEESINESS. The "urban slang" was put in there thickly on purpose to be cheezy and retarded.
The "That was crunk" comment was gold as was the "Ryan was slingin' dat blingbling to get dat paper" comment.
You go Zelda! YOU GO GIRL.
bill pullman @ Aug 7th 2006 9:11PM
woah. Tetra.... someone else that actually understood the humor of the video. the "gangsta"-talk was clearly intended as a parody -- NOT a way to buddy up to prospective employees.
Grant @ Aug 7th 2006 9:20PM
It was supposed to be funny, yes, but it was still meant as a way to buddy up to employees. And it still wasn't funny. Everyone and their mother has been doing fake street slang for the last 5 years, and it wasn't funny then either.
Coco @ Aug 7th 2006 9:49PM
LMAO LOL I CANT Believe it this is filmed at the gamecrazy by my house those loser, its one in Chicago on the Nortwest side 2930 N Central Ave Chicago IL to be exact LOL I Found This Funnier Knopwing Every part of this place even the back and erverything
ddaydj @ Aug 7th 2006 10:00PM
With the exception of the girl that has way to much street talk, this was no different that all the other sales training videos I've seen.
shoop @ Aug 7th 2006 10:01PM
Wow, I had forgotten all about that video until now.
We were forced to watch that during a mandatory store meeting. It played in the background as we played slayer on Halo.
Things like that video make me glad I no longer work for the company. As a whole they are not a bad company just some things like that become more annoying than useful.
The ZeroCorpse @ Aug 7th 2006 10:19PM
You should see the junk they make people watch at Best Buy. I'm remembering sock puppets and bad impersonations of famous people... Among worse things.
And we had to watch all this at 7:00 AM on a Sunday. That just made me hate it even more.
Koji98 @ Aug 7th 2006 10:40PM
There is no Game Crazy where I live from what I have seen. (Arlington Texas)The area is mostly Gamestop oriented.
JJ @ Aug 7th 2006 11:40PM
I take offense to that Jabbertrack i used to work for Gamecrazy, EB and Gamestop, sure i was in highschool but sometimes you need money ya know?
But yeah these training videos are bad across the board. But hey who takes these things seriously anyway? when i worked at any of the mentioned stores and had to watch a video i just watched, shrugged and continued on in my day.
Adam @ Aug 8th 2006 1:51AM
Frankly this was one of the better training videos that I had seen around. Not the best by far but one of the better ones for sure. Bacause even though it is a game store it is still a retailer and it is still out to squeeze every penny from your pocket. One of the things I noticed from watching the video (Yes, I watched it) was that they didn't sell the first woman the right product. While the ps2 does have gt3, her son is a multiplayer fan and would have benefited from an xbox. Not only would it have been better, but they also could have gotten some extra cash from the mother by selling her the memory card for the xbox and a dvd remote. Extra bling bling yo diggity.
gcemp @ Aug 8th 2006 1:57AM
Wow, this is a weird coincidence that I randomly showed this video to some friends while at work t'day, and now it's posted on Joystiq. It's true though that this is pretty much how most retail training videos are like. Unfortunately most if not all major game stores push their employees into using these sales tactics. From my experience Game Crazy is probably the least worst of them all (not just saying this because i'm an employee). The company actually encourages people to hang out and play games in the store. Fenris is right that all retail store experiences vary depending on the employees of that particular store. To be honest I would rather have a video like this than a boring training vid, at least we could make fun of this video.
Rare Hare @ Aug 8th 2006 2:33AM
Wow. Those of you who are insulting retail workers or claiming that you'd walk out because of the video have obviously never had a real job. Yes, people that work at stores are actually trained. They don't just throw you out there and let you randomly roam the store and push buttons on the register.
Also, those of you who didn't watch the entire thing should not even be posting about it. I'm looking at you Hizzah!! (#31). The Zelda Scott bit was obviously intentionally ludicrous for comedic purposes (it makes hte video much less dry and difficult to watch), and had you watched further into the video (particularly after the credits), there's no way you couldn't have known that.
This video actually wasn't that bad. I found it pretty entertaining, and not just because of the comedy (Zelda Scott) offered throughout the video. It was really interesting to actually see some of the training that's behind the people at gamestores, etc. It's kind of cool to see what's trained behavior and what's just the employee being naturally helpful and nice.
Those of you who seem to have such a harsh opinion of those of us who happen to work minimum wage jobs at stores need to wake up and realize that we actually work our asses off with little to show for it at the end of the week. I, for one, work in a fast food restaurant. These are the kind of jobs that tend to just let you get by and bring home enough to pay the bills and fill your car up. And purchase the occasional game, of course. The thing about it is, most of us aren't good at what we do because we're being paid to do it. We're good at what we do because we enjoy being in a position where we are able to help you, the customer. You'd probably be amazed at how many of us work during our breaks and stay for hours that we weren't even scheduled because the store needs help, and we care enough to provide it.
Maybe someday you people will realize these things and stop treating these kinds of workers like they're second class citizens, just because they happen work in environments in which they create services for you. Wake up and quit being assholes.
flamer's grill @ Aug 8th 2006 2:35AM
I didn't mind the format, and I thought Zelda Scott was facetious and funny. The shit I HATE is the assumptive closes that these corporate nitwits put in these training videos.
"So we're gonna set you up with some accessories, a dvd remote, wireless controllers, some games and a bunch of memory cards that you'll need today."
DUrrr, great!@!!! Take all my moneyt!@!!@
Um, no. You can get deep into people's pockets by highlighting why accessories enhance a product. This sales guy just throws out a garble of gibberish and the bitch says okay. Lazy lazy lazy lazy lazy. The sad thing is, the corporate nitwits who wrote the script for this video believe that sort of shit actually works.
Donutta @ Aug 8th 2006 2:40AM
God, I feel like I'm the one getting sleazed onto just watching this video. Didn't they say it wasn't about sleazy marketing tactics? Guess that explains the VS screen; I always know I feel like I'm engaged in mortal combat when I'm talking to game store staff. :(
JJ @ Aug 8th 2006 3:12AM
It does make one wonder how many jobs some of these guys have had doesn't it rare hare?
I mean you have to start and get experience in the workforce somewhere... you dont just start as a top level exec or in a 50k+ job. A lot of people start out as teens in retail or fast food because those are the easiest places to get a job.
Unless somehow someones gone all through life without a real job because they're parents paid their way through everything and those are the ones that dont know the value of actually...working.
skyman8081 @ Aug 8th 2006 3:18AM
Wow... That wasn't nearly as bad as the training video's I had to watch when I started at Fry's, those were awful.
But yeah, this is pretty typical of a retail training video. Most stores push the high margin items, which are most oftem accessories.
g-diddy @ Aug 8th 2006 3:33AM
Man, I want to see the outtake video to this shit. I bet that would be even funnier.