Grade-grubbing GameStop manager gets suspended
by Kyle Orland 
{ Sep 17th 2007 at 12:45PM }
Usually, we're all for retail policies that encourage good grades. What overachieving student doesn't love bringing their report card in for free tokens at Chuck E Cheese's or a slice of Sbarro's pizza? Still, we have to think that Dallas-area GameStop manager Brandon Scott took the concept a little too far when he started refusing to sell games to students who didn't have good grades.Dallas/Fort Worth's WFAA reported last Thursday on Scott, who said he denied games to about two dozen children who didn't have a parent to vouch for their academic achievement. "He needs to be reading a book. He knows how to play Madden before he knows how to do his ABCs and 123s - that's backwards!" Scott told the reporter, adding that "I'm probably going to get in trouble for this."
Well, he was right on that last point, at least. By Friday, WFAA was reporting that Scott had been suspended by GameStop's corporate offices, though Scott said he wasn't sure if the punishment was for the policy or simply for talking about it to the media. GameStop, for its part, said in an e-mail to WFAA that they were "evaluating Mr. Scott's concept," and had a "corporate commitment to assisting parents and other consumers in making informed choices."
That's great, and we'd encourage GameStop to endorse Scott's policy of buying a game for anyone who brings in a report card with straight A's. But even stupid kids deserve entertainment, and keeping them from it isn't just a bad policy but bad business.
[Via Pre-order Pushers]
Read - Store only sells video games to kids with good grades
Read - GameStop manager suspended after 'games for grades' policy
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
T3H WICKERMAN @ Sep 17th 2007 12:50PM
let me be the first to say screw those idiots at gamestop.
McWeen @ Sep 17th 2007 12:51PM
As a kid I would hate that policy but I think as a whole it could be good for gamings image to parents. It could be good PR. Denying a game to a kid is a tad crazy but I bet it wouldn't hurt as a corporate policy to give a 1 time discount per report card for good grades.
AstroZombie @ Sep 17th 2007 1:03PM
Exactly. I think his heart's in the right place, but he was a little overzealous. A better strategy would be to offer discounts to kids with good grades. All he did was encourage parents to take their business elsewhere if their kids' grades weren't up to par.
Ska Oreo @ Sep 17th 2007 2:07PM
But even then, Gamestop wouldn't allow it. Gamestop doesn't give two shits about kids are their grades. It would be a cold day in hell when the big wigs(only thing I can come up with) actually allowed this guy to give kids discounts for good grades.
Hano @ Sep 22nd 2007 3:08AM
They are a game store, not parents. If parents don't mind that their kids are stupid and spoiled, then Gamestop should only be happy to get the stupid parents' money.
Fernando Rocker (NDF - Water Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 12:53PM
Oh shit... the Mr. Thompson symptom is propagating faster then I thought.
Fernando Rocker (NDF - Water Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 12:54PM
*than
riggs @ Sep 17th 2007 1:04PM
you would not get a game sir.
T3H WICKERMAN @ Sep 17th 2007 1:41PM
mondays are never Fernandos best days. :}
DarthDavid @ Sep 17th 2007 1:00PM
Maybe he should be more concerned with his grades....maybe he wouldn't ended up as a Gamestop/EB manager.
Ska Oreo @ Sep 17th 2007 2:06PM
hmm what's with all the hate? I actually kind of agree with what the guy is doing. It's just that it probably wasn't smart to do it at a gamestop.
The1 @ Sep 17th 2007 1:02PM
IMO, the man should not have been suspended. These kids today are dumb as heck and pnly think about games. Parents should commend him for this move.
hehehhehe @ Sep 17th 2007 1:03PM
Let the parents do the parenting. I would think that many parents already reward their kids who do well in school.
McWeen @ Sep 17th 2007 1:06PM
The problem is most parents don't do any parenting. Not game related but when I went and saw Halloween opening weekend there were 4 and 5 year olds there...you could hear them crying during the movie even.
Almack64 @ Sep 17th 2007 1:19PM
I second the fact that for some reason today mant parents suck at parenting, which is a huge problem in and of itself.
I agree that monitoring and filterng really SHOULD be done by the parents but what happens when the parents are not doing a good job at this.
tlarkin79 @ Sep 17th 2007 1:38PM
He is letting the parents do the parenting. He is making the parents get involved to confirm the students get good grades. No one is prevented from buying these games as long as they have their parents permission. The real problem here is there are too many immature stupid gamers out there.
Ska Oreo @ Sep 17th 2007 2:09PM
@tlarkin
Agreed. By forcing these kids to provide permission from a parent, they are getting the parents involve with not only what they buy, but also their kids school work.
Otsego_Undead @ Sep 17th 2007 3:25PM
@mcween
You're absolutely right. Its because of these parents that the government always wants to step in and do the parenting for them, thus screwing everyone else. I think rating system are a good thing for a quick reference, but the parents should be the ones taking an interest in what they're freakin kids are doing/watching/playing.. hell take an interest in their friggin life. If thats too much to ask, then keep your freakin pants on.
ill trooper @ Sep 17th 2007 1:06PM
That's a cool guy right there, unfortunately his policy should be taken up by parents, not him. And even then, kids find ways to buy shit anyway. Witness comic books, weed, and guns. Well, too bad there's no way to really enforce such a policy, but kids that would rather play Madden than educate themselves will only find themselves ass-out later in life.
Or maybe they can join that Video Game League... Oh wait - that went under last week.
Monster @ Sep 18th 2007 11:00AM
Or witness crack, Transformers and razor blades.
megaStryke @ Sep 17th 2007 1:07PM
Please... think of the retardos.
Ranko @ Sep 17th 2007 1:08PM
Unfortunately for him, good intentions and good business do not mix.
Edge @ Sep 17th 2007 1:14PM
Totally bad business.
But an incentive program for students who make good grades (as opposed to against bad grades) would make more sense. But I expect GameStop to do something entirely token and insincere.
"Get $1 extra back when you trade in 20 games at once, valued at $30 dollars each... and have straight A's."
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 1:16PM
haha, that actually sounds like something they might do
rainking187 @ Sep 17th 2007 2:30PM
Maybe that's why Gamestop is mad at this guy. If kids started passing math they'd realize how bad Gamestop was screwing them on trade in values.
riggs @ Sep 17th 2007 1:11PM
they should inforce this policy, seriously, im sick of idiotic children running around. before anyone starts to say it should be the parents job, well there are some parents whose choice of "parenting" is turning on the tv and placing their kids in front of it, while they go drink with their friends (ive seen it happen). like many people know younger and younger people are becoming parents, so the situation looks dire.
Bangbang... @ Sep 17th 2007 1:13PM
I dont like gamestop, but I think he has a valid point. Its a shame that parents would let their kids play video games while they fail in school. What message are you sending to your child when you reward for an unsatisfactory performance? I understand that you shouldnt push your children too hard, but he isnt demanding excellent grades, he only requires "good" grades( I assume "B"s or higher). Thats not a lot to ask.
Way to go gamestop Dude! Set an example for piss poor parents everywhere.
btw, I am aware that what he's doing is probably illegal, but its still a good idea.
WiNG @ Sep 17th 2007 1:16PM
As a former straight A student I endorse this policy as it would have made me a popular software pirate had it been in effect in my youth.
nihil matters @ Sep 17th 2007 1:19PM
Turning away customers is a bad business plan. I do like the suspended managers ideology though...
Why don't they just offer discounts on games for students that can provide proof of their good grades (better discounts/trade-in-value for better grades)? It rewards the students that strive for good grades and gives those students with lower grades something to aim towards.
HalcyonGT @ Sep 18th 2007 12:38AM
The guy has the right idea, and hopefully some version of his idea will appear not only in GameStop stores but all video game retailers.
He has a point; there is no reason why a child should be allowed any form of entertainment when they can't make the grade.
hellscaper @ Sep 17th 2007 1:22PM
Guy is a moron to begin with, you can't deny someone from buying a game. If he would've offered an in-store discount as an incentive to bring in a good report card, that would've been way better than outright refusing to sell a game to "kids". It'd be one thing if he was the owner of a private business, this is GameStop. As though they'd let profits dip because of some dumb shmuck manager who thought he'd make a point by doing this.
What a tard.
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 1:25PM
woah, easy with the hostility dude. did he refuse to sell you a game?
waves @ Sep 17th 2007 2:04PM
You don't know what you're talking about.
You absolutely can refuse to sell someone a game. Almost every business reserves the right to refuse service for any reason (except race, religion, gender). They rarely do, because it's not good business, but they definitely have the right.
Shmil @ Sep 17th 2007 1:20PM
WTF! i may be failing some clases but tat dont mean im dumb
i can do grammer good so i shuld be abel to by madden with my own money
riggs @ Sep 17th 2007 2:04PM
no game for you sir.
peterb123 @ Sep 18th 2007 12:49AM
This guy has got to be a crank... I think that his policy was good in that his heart was in the right place and he had the big brass ones to try and change the world albeit in a bit of a heavy-handed way - but someone has to do something.
Steve @ Sep 17th 2007 1:24PM
"But even stupid kids deserve entertainment"
We're talking about games costing $50-60 and consoles costing at least $250, often much more. Nobody "deserves" anything so expensive. Games can be very addicting, and someone does need to keep kids from spending all their time on them to the detriment of everything else.
Yes, of course parents should be doing that, but most parents are pretty lazy about that. If they're rich, they just get the kid a private tutor who does the kid's homework for him. If they're poor, they just ignore it and hope the kid at least stays out of trouble.
It's always difficult to legislate morality, and the guy has to do what his corporate bosses tell him. But if he had his own shop, I think it would be a great idea. (Though since you're losing money two ways, first by not selling games to some people and second by giving some games away, I'm not sure how you stay in business.)
upz @ Sep 17th 2007 1:58PM
"Addictive." The adjective is "addictive."
No games for you.
Steve @ Sep 17th 2007 2:03PM
"Addictive" is an adjective.
"Addicting" is a gerund.
"You" are a moron.
Phinehas @ Sep 17th 2007 1:27PM
Though I think his heart is in the right place, it is unfortunate that this GameStop employee seems to have bought into the notion that games do not have any educational value, as revealed by his comment, "He needs to be reading a book."
I think that reading books is a noble goal for any child, but in my humble opinion, the interactive nature of games can lend them the ability to teach some concepts even more effectively than a book can. Games can reward the curiosity to see how things work and can inspire confidence in one's ability to learn new concepts. These are lessons that will serve gamers well throughout their life, alongside things like learning their ABCs and 123s.
As the article suggests, perhaps a much more effective way to encourage learning would be to offer discounts to those who have done well in school, while not penalizing those who are struggling by removing yet another means for learning.
WiNG @ Sep 17th 2007 1:35PM
Hey I know this is Joystiq but let me just say:
Playing games is not a replacement for reading. You are not going to become an academic literati playing games. Games are an excellent supplement to a formal education when it comes to vocabulary and other sectors, but sorry 80% of this nation's kids don't read enough/at all.
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 1:37PM
you think kids will learn more from bioshock than their school books?
hvnlysoldr @ Sep 17th 2007 1:38PM
I find most uses of humble opinion to be anything but.
Tacoman @ Sep 17th 2007 1:31PM
That's pretty awesome. I'd probably be a doctor now if they'd had something like that around 15 years ago.
Zsavior @ Sep 17th 2007 1:38PM
When I first read this story I was angry, but I calmed down and I have a simple solution. He thinks he is helping society but really he is sugar coating a bigger problem and that is what offends me about him. He should get to keep his job under conditions.
I believe those children who were denied games their parents should file a law suit, he denied people service for his own discriminatory reasons, I will leave it at that. In the suit the money should be obscene in the amount they go after him for, in return he can escape all damages if he is willing to take a series of college level exams in which he must pass each test with straight A's the same quota he was holding for the children.
If he passes he incurs no fines and doesn't have to pay damages, if he fails, he isn't allowed any extra curricular activity, beyond studying, home, and work for the next two years. If he refuses he pays the obscene amount of money, which will be taken out of his pay check. If he is going to be elitist against children he can hold that standard for himself as an adult.
I am fed up with loud mouths attacking children for societies problems it is time to make an example of somebody. He knows nothing of their home or school life, yet has the nerve to say he is doing this for their good to show he "cares" yeah I bet. He should put his money where his mouth is, he doesn't care about losing a job because he feels like a hero. Let him now earn the publicity, and good P.R. he got for his little sanctimonious show.
riggs @ Sep 17th 2007 1:54PM
you probably think time outs work on kids as well huh?
tlarkin79 @ Sep 17th 2007 1:56PM
People who promote or file frivolous lawsuits should be denied more than just video games.
There is no right to be able to purchase video games, and stores are more than capable of coming up with their own policy on selling games to minors. It's not against the law to sell M rated games to minors, but many states are trying to make it that way. Same here, it's not against the law to ask for your parents permission, in the form of verification of good grades, before selling a child any video game.
People need to grow up and realize that just because they want something doesn't mean they have earned it or deserve it.
83696c90 @ Sep 17th 2007 2:51PM
Most businesses reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason, as long as it's not an illegal reason (gender, race, religion). So refusing to sell games to kids with bad grades is perfectly legal, and any lawsuit brought against him would fail.
Sir Zoltar @ Sep 17th 2007 2:26PM
Someone with an even cursory knowledge of the law would know that people do not have an absolute statutory right to walk into a store and buy a videogame.
Now, I ask you, can you point to anywhere where such a right is codified? You mentioned that he denied a service on discriminatory grounds, but as of today, 2007, the Supreme Court has not labeled "gamer" a suspect class which would entitle a "gamer" a degree of protection that you seem to champion.
In other words, do you have any idea what you are talking about?
peterb123 @ Sep 18th 2007 1:06AM
I think the best sanctimonous show is the greed of the "wronged" "damaged" parties in this particular case.
How can there be justification for the employ of attorneys in a case such as this which clearly does nothing more than fatten trial attorneys and does not fix the underlying problem of undereducated children and improper parenting.
Sanctimonious are the words I saw printed that would justify tearing down an insurance or company or game reseller for the pure and simple greed of those attorneys that take on these causes under the guise of vindicating the needs of children.