Rumor: GameStop increasing pre-order to $10, changing image
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Aug 27th 2007 at 9:15AM }
Allegedly, If these things are true, we'll start seeing signs in the coming weeks leading into the holiday season. Despite GameStop having a record quarter, there's no denying it has an image problem. The question becomes if the changes will actually make a difference, or if it's just dressing up the same old nasty beast in new cloths. We still want to know how much of GameStop's fortunes have to do with being a glorified pawn shop and the interest they make from all that pre-order money just sitting in an account somewhere.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
AlanRickman @ Aug 27th 2007 9:22AM
One other thing Ive noticed to the detriment of Gamestop is the virtual revolving door of employment they have.
Hopefully some of the changes they implement will make it a better place to work, perhaps a place gamers might want to work, which would make things better for everyone. Nobody wants to spend their days being forced to hawk junk and add-ons.
Jerk Face @ Aug 27th 2007 9:49AM
To me it seems like everyone who works there is a dick head forum troll. And this is including the half dozen friends I have who have worked at Gamestop or EB at one time or another. Maybe it's their shitty jobs that make them that way, but it feels like they're talking down to you every time you step into the store.
"Hi, I'd like to pick up Mario Party 8."
"Pssh. Alright, man, if you say so. You know Bioshock came out this week."
"I know..."
"Pssh. Yeah, well, whatever. That's $53.29."
I don't need that shit.
samfish @ Aug 27th 2007 9:57AM
There are 4 Gamestop/EB Games within a 1 mile radius of me, so I just kinda go to the one that has the nicest employees (and best selection, frankly) who act the least like a fanboy or IRL troll.
Obie @ Aug 27th 2007 10:19AM
Agreed, I hate their pushy sales tactics and employees that pretend to be video game experts. That is why I always check Best Buy and Target first, at least they will sell me the game without hearing unwanted rants.
I mean they are like bad used cars salesmen.
Oobgarm @ Aug 27th 2007 10:21AM
GameStop is always a place gamers want to work at until they learn how little about games the job really is. Sure you are in the business of selling games, but you're not there because you enjoy games or anything like that. You're there to SELL. Preorders, warranties, used product, etc. If you're there because you like games and aren't a good salesperson, you'll be replaced with someone who is.
And that will never change.
Dave @ Aug 27th 2007 11:11AM
The reason Gamestop has a revolving door of employees is because they start their employees out at minimum wage. The company has record profits because employees are getting scraps!
Shagittarius @ Aug 27th 2007 11:32AM
I agree with you jerk face but I think if you were buying Mario Party 8 instead of Bioshock you DO deserve ridicule.
The problem I find is that they are usually Nintendo fanboys so its usually more like:
"Your picking up Bioshock? Have you finished both diamond and pearl already?"
Reguardless of their alligences yes they all seem like pushy pricks most of the time (There are exceptions of course).
My biggest problem with gamestop however is that it seems like the employees always just came out of the backroom after smoking out and can barely understand how to work the register.
Phranctoast @ Aug 27th 2007 9:24AM
I hate how gamestop only orders the amount of games based on preorders. Called them one day asking if they had a specific game. After getting there Im told, that it was available only if you preordered. i bet that must of been really tough for them to tell me over the phone and save me a trip. Ended up going across the street to BB.
Arno @ Aug 27th 2007 9:25AM
WHat they need to do is train their staff better or get better POS systems. I hate buying at GameStop simply because checking out always takes an eternity and there's either only one person on register while another is doing some random shit or there's more than one but everyone is incredibly slow ringing people up.
No kidding they have an image problem, I only shop there if I absolutely have to.
Stardust @ Aug 27th 2007 10:43AM
I've also noticed that their registers seem to take forever. And usually I'm just buying one thing, but it always seems to take longer than buying a cart full of groceries.
GRANTED @ Aug 27th 2007 9:30AM
dear gamestop
i will always hate you, no matter what your name is.
suck by balls,
granted
Crono @ Aug 27th 2007 5:19PM
You get voted up for that.
George @ Aug 27th 2007 9:34AM
I worked there a few years back seasonally for 8 years. They changed their POS systems maybe once. As I was leaving my last season. Geez. The entire time that I worked there though, $10 was the STANDARD for pre-orders. Oh, and those manager meetings that they have in Vegas every year...we always get to look at the pictures of the craziness that ensues. Managers get all the fun :P
FlyLikeAMouse @ Aug 27th 2007 9:37AM
That's crazy, how can a company charge for a pre-order anyway? Isn't that illegal? I have about 15 games on pre-order with play.com here in the UK and it won't cost me a penny until each one ships. Is it only Game Stop that do this in the states, and if it is, why the hell does anyone use them?
NATO_Duke @ Aug 27th 2007 10:06AM
I can't see why a preorder would be illegal anywhere. It is a deposit you put on the product through your own choice. Why would that be illegal? They aren't forcing you to put money down - preorder with a deposit if ya want, don't if you don't want. You can also get your money back form them if you decide not to buy the game in the end. (Though they keep that sweet sweet interest!)
This week my GF and I went there and they charged a $25 preorder for Rock Band (the full package) and said pre-orders as a whole would likely be $10.00 soon too for normal games.
AdamW @ Aug 27th 2007 10:14AM
You're paying for them to hold a copy of the game at the front desk with your name on it. You can pay it in full so you just have to walk in, give them your receipt, and walk out with your game on release day. Or you can just put $5 or so on it and pay the rest when you come in.
The reason behind putting down a little cash is to keep people from saying "oh, hold one for me!" and then not showing up, thus keeping copies of the game out of the hands of the customers standing in the store with cash because some kid wanted the option of being able to grab it.
The problem with the system is that yes, it can be hard to find a copy of a game on release day if you're looking at GameStop/EB. But if you have a Best Buy or Circuit City close by, or even a Target, you can usually get a copy pretty easily, and for the same price (if not cheaper.)
Dapper Dan @ Aug 27th 2007 10:37AM
the money goes towards the price of the game. it is not a saparate charge.
Rob @ Aug 27th 2007 10:53AM
@AdamW:
Awww, how cute. Someone buys the company line. They're so cute when naive.
Please explain how my friend has gotten his preorder sold to someone without a preorder? Several times even? (latest, TTBOMK was Odin Sphere)
Dave Silva @ Aug 27th 2007 2:00PM
@ Rob:
Simple. Stupid employees who can't follow company policy.
jonny quest @ Aug 27th 2007 3:02PM
There is no reason to shell out cash for a pre-order unless you are getting an incentive in return.
If they don't offer you anything, f' em. Or better yet, just f' em period, they offer nothing that the big box stores or the internet resellers don't. No other place requires a deposit to pre-order a game. And seriously, this isn't rare gems/cars/real estate we're talking about, it's video games. WTF is a deposit even deemed necessary? Oh yeah, so that a corporation that specializes in video games can survive by NOT stocking games.
Biosock, I ordered on Amazon back in July and I received it on the Saturday before the official release.
Rob @ Aug 27th 2007 9:40AM
How is changing preorder to $10 going to help image? If anything, it will cement the "money grubbing" part of the image quite well.
Ryan Smith @ Aug 27th 2007 9:40AM
I wait now for an extra day or two so I don't have to buy my games at EB Games. I can't stand going into those stores. I just want to know if you have a game, I don't need to be harassed that I should have preordered.
severian00 @ Sep 4th 2007 5:06PM
The only reason I preorder new titles is because I don't want to pay cash for a lot of games. I build up credit over time from trading in stuff and if I want to use that credit at gamecrazy, the only way to do it is preorder. If I don't preorder it, they won't have any copies on day 1 to sell. Otherwise I just go to BB or CC or where ever and actually have to spend money
Jewzilla @ Aug 27th 2007 9:41AM
Not a rumor, I had to pay 10 bucks for my Metroid Prime 3 pre-order last week. The clerk and I had a sad little laugh about how much the customer gets screwed at his establishment.
andres @ Aug 27th 2007 9:43AM
guys the managers meeting in vegas has yet to happen. It will be next week.
So this story is false.
Dapper Dan @ Aug 27th 2007 10:38AM
this story is true except for the fact that we haven't gone to vegas yet.
Michael K. @ Aug 27th 2007 9:44AM
i went to preorder metroid prime 3 a couple of weeks ago and they wanted $10 down. i used to work there so i know why they're doing it, all preorders get deposited so they earn interest in the bank, thats why they have their employees beg their customers to do it, now they want to up it to $10 so they can try to make more on the interest
WiNG @ Aug 27th 2007 9:45AM
I don't work at Gamestop or anything, but let me say this:
Everytime a post about GS comes up, everyone drops everything to diss Gamestop. Is gamestop annoying? Yes. But good luck buying anything used at Best Buy or Target. Good luck with decent game demos or full games set up to try. Good luck getting lists of release dates.
Gamestop has a lot of advantages. Nobody forces you to shop there. I got Metroid Prime for $6 in perfect condition there. They have the Starcraft battle chest for 9.99. I pretty much only buy games used from Craigslist, eBay, and GS. I am not swayed by their pre order promos. The staff there knows the company is evil so they will level with you if you tell them you dont want any BS.
copa @ Aug 27th 2007 9:57AM
"But good luck buying anything used at Best Buy or Target."
Fair enough. You can get used titles for much better prices elsewhere, but it is hard to top Gamestop for convenience.
"Good luck with decent game demos or full games set up to try."
My Best Buy has much more elaborate demo stations than my Gamestop does. Plus, the demo stations at Best Buy are usually turned on and operational.
"Good luck getting lists of release dates."
I get release dates on the Internet. Plus, they are more accurate.
rallion @ Aug 27th 2007 11:22AM
You can get used games at a lot of rental places, for much better prices than GameStop. I got Kingdom Hearts 2 at Hollywood Video for $10 when GameStop was charging $30.
andres @ Aug 27th 2007 9:46AM
and how are you getting screwed by paying 10 bucks for a preorder. Your going to have to pay full price when the game comes out.
Even if you change your mind you can get the money back.
And to flylikeamouse. The reason why they are charging for preorder is because its in store. Not online. In store you have to pay a bit or all of it up front before the game comes out. Same with Best Buy and Toys R Us
Exo @ Aug 27th 2007 9:46AM
theres already halo 3 comercials for gamestop that run with the new slogan, they have been on for awhile
rDr4g0n @ Aug 27th 2007 9:47AM
easy fix: stop giving me $3 for games and selling them for $29.99.
tamanchama @ Aug 27th 2007 11:50AM
No
rDr4g0n @ Aug 27th 2007 12:03PM
With such articulate spokespersons as tamanchama, no wonder Gamestop has such a sterling reputation amoung gamers.
copa @ Aug 27th 2007 9:49AM
Yeah, I really don't understand the motivation for preordering from GameStop at this point.
If an item is not in high demand, then there's no point in paying them ahead of time.
If an item is in high demand or limited supply (e.g. Rock Band peripherals), then you really shouldn't preorder. Gamestop takes more preorders than other retail outlets, and receives smaller allotments. Gamestop is happy to take 80 preorders when their allotment is 40, so you are likely to not receive the item, AND they still have your deposit.
And if an item is not streetdated, then my Best Buy usually has it 12-24 hours ahead of Gamestop because of better distribution channels.
I suppose that if you can't track your release dates, then maybe a $10 deposit for their automated telephone alarm clock service might be acceptable, but I certainly don't need that.
RWB @ Sep 15th 2007 10:30AM
Just a heads up being that GameStop is the largest provider in the world for video games they get more product than any other company. And the reason for reserves is to know how many to order from the vendor. It also gives the vendor the information they need to be able to forcast the sales for their product. GameStop also usually has exclusive content that no other retailer has.
FJ 2036 @ Aug 27th 2007 10:10AM
ITS TRUE, I had to pay 10$ to pre order halo 3 and Metroid Prime 3.....they said it was Bungie and Nintendo's doing, not theres....liars.
mathematician @ Aug 27th 2007 2:32PM
Um, keeping 10 dollars in a bank for a month will net them about 3 cents in interest. Paying an employee to cajole you into pre-ordering for 5 minutes costs them something like 50 cents (I don't know the hourly wage or overheads).
They don't do it to get the interest. It seems more likely that they do it to ensure you come back to the store again, or possibly because a significant percentage of people abandon or forget pre-orders.
Kurzon @ Aug 27th 2007 11:12AM
@mathematician: The workers are being paid for the time anyway, so it doesn't cost them any more to have them ask. Even if only half a million people pre-order, at you figure of 3 cents per month, that amounts to 15 thousand dollars per month and that's not a bad figure, especially since it is pure profit.
fun_with_numbers @ Sep 1st 2007 11:37AM
@Kurzon
You don't really appreciate the scale of their business. They made $21 million profit on $1.3 billion in sales last quarter. Which, incidentally, also means they aren't ripping you off if their net profit is only 1.5% (unless mis-management is pissing the money away).
A company which makes $7 million a month doesn't have to pester its customers in the hope of making a few tens of thousands a month in interest! This meme is ridiculous and needs to die.
source:
http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=17233
Exo @ Aug 27th 2007 9:57AM
I only preorder if I actually get something extra.
Games that you are eager to get usually never sell out, the only oens that do are the underhyped ones that get a huge cult following after release, as those usually don't ship as many units. Pheonix wright used ot be impossible to get
Joel Rose @ Aug 27th 2007 9:58AM
I don't think upping the preorder to $10 is going to change their image in any positive way. It's already known that they make a fair amount off of the $5 preorders for games that people (for whatever reason) never come in to get or get a refund on. They're now, in theory, doubling that profit off of a product that a customer doesn't even get.
fffunfarm06---xbl @ Aug 27th 2007 9:58AM
yeah i was just gonna say that.
last night i saw a halo 2 commercial saying goodbye to lock out and ascension and all those maps. it was funny.
i thought it was a genuine halo 3 commercial, and then i saw preorder now at gamestop.
i mean i think its cool. ur paying the same price in the end, ur getting garenteed to get the game on launch, and ur keeping a company that will sell you a decent game for 5-10 bucks alive.
and i preordered halo looooonnng ago.
rallion @ Aug 27th 2007 11:25AM
Two problems with your post.
1) A preorder at GameStop does NOT guarantee you a copy.
2) GameStop is not a decent company.
If you don't know these things, you're not paying attention.
WiNG @ Aug 27th 2007 10:04AM
The REASON they charge for preorders is twofold:
1. Unlike an online retailer, GS will get screwed if 10,000 people preorder then nobody shows up to buy the game. The deposit increases the odds people will actually BUY the game when it comes in their delivery
2. Money. As everyone knows they have some nice interest-yielding accounts where they stash all that cash and make millions a year in interest on pre orders. Plus if you never show up, it helps recoup their "losses".
Hell it's so profitable I'm surprised more stores aren't incorporating this kind of thing.
joevill @ Aug 27th 2007 10:04AM
None of the Game Stops in my area even knows how to greet their customers when they come into the store. They look at you as if your invading their territory. That's when I take my business elsewhere.
john @ Aug 27th 2007 11:00AM
Same here Joevill. They look at me like I am some kind of alien invading their store. I'll be looking for a game of some kind and it isn't on their shelf and my wife will be like "want me to go ask them" because she doesn't know how evil they are. I try to talk her out of it but she does it anyways and then they try to talk her into buying some piece of shit. I'm like come on baby or I'll get so pissed off I'll walk right out of their store. Like one time I went in to buy a PSP charger because a cat tore up mine and they tried selling me some 3rd party brand saying I wouldn't be able to buy the official one but guess what i went to BB and there it was.
Brent @ Aug 27th 2007 10:10AM
Why isn't there a decent game trading website (a videogame version of lala.com)? Something that would hook up all of us gamers and charge maybe $1-5 per trade. I had this idea a while ago, but I don't really have the time/money to make it. Oh well, I'll never sell a game to GS...and I'd much rather buy at Best Buy (or on Amazon). No, I would NOT like to f*ckin' preorder Halo 3.
NATO_Duke @ Aug 27th 2007 10:51AM
There is - http://www.goozex.com/trading/asp/homepage.asp
You can swap games with people there.