RF Generation Message Board

Posted Mar 25th 2007 2:25PM by Alexander Sliwinski

Gamestop isn't new to weird shenanigans in their business tactics. In late January, James Munn, over at Aeropause, told the story of a Gamestop employee selling him a "new" game by opening a display box and putting the game disc into it. He was even asked if he wanted it shrink-wrapped, essentially discrediting any item in the store from being truly "new." Now we have a similar tale.

After hearing about the awesomeness of God of War II all week from colleagues, a lazy Sunday drive to go pick it up seemed in order. We even called ahead to make sure they had copies and were informed they did. Arriving at the Gamestop store, we went straight to the counter and asked for God of War II. The gentlemen proceeded to ask if there was a reservation, we said there wasn't, and he walked over to the display wall and grabbed the empty box for God of War II. He then walks back behind the counter and takes some discs and the manual from the security case, we immediately realized we were experiencing the Aeropause article.

"I'd like a new copy please."

The clerk looked up and said, "This is new. We just take the game out of the box." He then closed up the case and pointed to the front of the box where the sticker said "New: $49.99." He continued to tap the word "new" on the front of the box as if that somehow made this an unopened product. There was no mention of a 10 percent discount for selling an open package, nor was there warning that I'd receive an open package. Meanwhile, there were clearly unopened God of War II games in the security case.

It's moments like this where you think you're dealing with a Ferengi, or imagine channeling Sheneneh from the show Martin and saying something like, "Oh, no you di-in't."

After twenty seconds of truly stunned silence, we walked out of the store, drove to Best Buy and got a new copy of the game. Which wasn't just in its factory-sealed box, but in a second security case.

The problem isn't that the Gamestop tried to sell an opened item, it's that they'll charge full price for an open product. Yes, some retailers will re-stock open items, but most places won't take back opened games and they sure won't sell you an open game as "new." If we're purchasing a new title and paying full price, we want the item to be the same as when it arrived from the factory -- you know, "new." Gamestop continues to pile up the shady business practices.

Joystiq Article (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/25/gamestop-shenanigans-sell-open-games-as-new/)

I know not everyone agrees that this is a bad thing  ;) but new is new. It's not new if it's already been opened by someone else. Nor does it make as good a gift to someone else if the shrinkwrap is gone. Just my opinion, I've accepted "opened new" in the past but sometimes i just want a new game dammit!  :P

Who wants a display copy with those crappy stickers all over it, and to top it off if the game isn't mainstream they'll only have 1 or 2 copies of it anyway. Maybe it isn't their fault and maybe it is, either way there has to be a better way to do business than that.

They did that when I bought GUN on PS2.

My copy of Rayman and 1080 Avalanche came in that manner.

In the least they should stop opening 5-10 copies of a game just for a display wall and use a different method for advertising.

I once asked for a copy of Fire Emblem for GC, so he pulls the box off the shelf and takes the disc/manual out of a drawer.  I told him forget it.  Why would I pay full price for an opened game?

i agree that this is shady business practice. if i buy something as new i want it new. not opened by someone else and 'tucked away'. part of buying a new game is opening it and haveing that new game smell. ahhhh. i guess im weird like that. plus the satisfaction that it has touched no other hands. i hate rewraps. especially used game stores that try to rewrap games (older classics games) and sell them as new.
for instance this happened last month: i went to game swap at eastgate mall in cincinatti. and there they know what i normally collect and are always showing me stuff that has recently come in. well that day the big guy that works there comes over to me with a rewrapped 'tricky kick' for the tg-16. obviousely it was rewrapped because it was just the case and no box. what did he think i was? - stupid. i pointed this out and he says 'ha ha you knew. someone else will eventually buy it though.' now that too is bad business practice too.

I bought a couple of "new" games there, just because of what might have been a pricing error. Got Sonic Advance for $8 and Xevious NES Classic for $3. I'd have been mad if they just gave me the cartridge only, at least they give you everything as if it was new.

My GameCrazy had a few more-expensive "sealed" GBA games that I was about to jump on until I realized the price tags were under the shrinkwrap.

I have not have the Gamestop that I go to ever do that to me.  But  from everything I've heard the one I go to was a hell of a better than the other ones.  Though not so much since they restaffed. 

I've bought like four new console games my whole life. All have been in the original packaging, one exception was when I got the last copy of SW: Battlefront II from an EB, tried to make me pay full price for a box with ripped plastic coating thingy, I went to target and got one there instead.

How is this news? Every shop (Apart from PCWorld) that I can think of has been doing this for over ten years. It's to stop people shoplifting. It's not something I like, but when their used games are the same price as new online I don't bother with high street stores anyway.

There were a couple of occaisions when I bought new games in Gamestation because they were the Deal of the Week. They had stocked up for the special offer, so had a stack of sealed ones behind the counter.

I totally agree.  Once that case is open it is not new.  Why do they have the security thingies up at the entrance of the store if they are opening the display cases for security purposes.  There are other ways of security measures without opening the containers.  I know for a fact that Gamestop staff takes games home to play.  Who says that they aren't playing these "new" games at home or in the store.  If you go to Target or Shopko or  any other store a display item is reduced cost because that is what it is, a display item.  Man, I hate Gamestop.

Yeah. It all depends on the store management. I personally never buy a "new" copy of a game this way.

I don't know if this is true of all gamestop/EB, but the ones near me allow you to try it for 7 days and if you don't like it bring it back for an exchange (not $ back).

I agree with you on this.  New means unopened you open it and it's used.  Regardless what as a store you have done with it.  They tried to pull this same crap with Monster House for the GC with me.  How do I know that they didn't refinish the disc and tried to pawn it off as new. 

If this was a conversation about music CD's, DVD's, or season sets those who don't agree this is wrong would be singng a different tune.

Also those stores seem to be able to showcase even more products in their cases and yet don't seem to have the same problem with shoplifting or store stock, perhaps EB/GS could learn a thing or two from them.  ;)

IT IS NEW!!!!!!!! I hate this f'ing argument. Don't like it please go somewhere else and stop bitching. If you buy a new car it has miles on it already!!!!!! OMG IT IS NOT NEW AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


99.9% of people that buy games are going to rip it open and play it anyways so GameStop saves you a step. I really don't see why this is an issue. :grrr:

I think it's an issue because of the double standard, Tyn. If you were to buy a fully new game, open the shrink wrap, and break the seal, you'd only be able to trade it in at "used" game values. Whereas, the store can do the same thing, but charge new prices.

The standard set for the customer is higher than that of the organization.

While I agree with your logic, imo the argument still has merit. Not that it's going to change anything, though. Because like previously mentioned, it's been going on for many years, at just about everyplace that sells software.

Tan and I talked about this for some time this morning. i will never agree that it is a "used" game.

It's definately not a used game, but it's not a brand new one either, falling somewhere in the middle doesn't warrant paying full price as if it was sealed new though IMO.

Go away :)

Why does it not warrant paying full price?  Because Best Buy does open item prices?  It's not like some kid took it home and played with it for a week...

I see nothing wrong at all with this.  If you don't like it, go to a major retailer and purchase your game.  Otherwise, quit your bitchin.

Ken

Don't get me wrong, I've bought plenty of "opened new" games before, when you've only got 1 game chain within a 500 mile radius you don't have much choice. Like 8 EB games within a hour or two's drive but no competition at all.

Sounds like Best Buy must be a good place to buy games. Major retailers have very limited variety and online shopping for Canadians is usually a bust. Display copies loaded with stickers front and back for the same price as a factory sealed copy just doesn't gel well with me i guess. I'm surprised with so many collectors here that having to clean sticker residue and unsealed boxes/cases is so easily accepted.

If you don;t want them open, goto bestbuy or a wal-mart type store.. I usally buy games used though.

I said the same thing LOL

I agree that opened games are not "new", but I've always felt like it's ridiculous nit-picking to complain about it. The store isn't hiding anything from you. You can see the quality of the disc. You can see that the package is no longer shrink-wrapped. If you still buy it, that's your decision.

I've personally gone both ways on this one before. If the disc is still pristine, I'll buy it. Shrink wrap is a pain in the ass to peel off anyway.

If we really want to make everyone happy, we should start arming the Gamestop managers. Then they can leave everything in the package and shoot the bastards who try to steal.

As an employee of gamestop and an avid collector i must respond. I see both sides to this arguement and am willing to defend either one for differents reasons.

As an employee i see this as a good anti theft issue. considering the amount of traffic gamestops have at times with 2-4 employees staffed at a given time (depending on the location), i see security devices to be even more of a hassle. Having one open copy of a new game "the gutted game" helps us keep track our last copies of a game. when a customer buys the gut copy we don't have to pull a box off the floor later on to make sure our stock is represented correctly. I most cases guts are handled with the utmost care going from the box, to a protective sleeve and then filed away until its purchase.

As a collector i dont enjoy tearing off the shrinkwrap and popping a game right into my system to enjoy it for the first time. That fresh virginal aura is a beautiful thing when it comes to any collectible. Certain games that are bound to be rarities, like MGS3:subsistence LE are a must have to get sealed.

Really if YOU have an issue with it, tell Gamestop/EB about it. As biggest retail chain for videogames I am sure making this a growing complaint across a defined % of the customer base would help them try to rectify this problem instead of falling just on deaf ears.

This has always been one of those little things that bug me, but not enough for me to do something about it.  I've had stores try to sell me the display copy as new before, but usually I can just ask for a sealed copy and they give it to me.  Yeah, they usually say that it has never been played, but usually they don't say much back when I tell them I'm a collector.  Apparently those are magic words because it usually ends at that.

Once I wanted to buy a new game and they didn't have anymore sealed copies, so I just took the display copy.  It didn't ruffle my feathers too much, but it still just doesn't feel right. 

However, one thing that pissed me off to no end happened to me through my girlfriend.  Let me explain.

For my birthday a year or two ago, my girlfriend bought me Donkey Konga 2 from a Game Crazy by our house.  She asked for a new copy because it was a birthday present and they got the display copy.  She asked for a new-new copy and they said that no one had played that copy which she accepted because she knows I'm not a shrinkwrap nazi.  When she gave it to me she told me why it wasn't sealed and I was fine with it until I went to play it.

The disc had figerprints all over it and a few very light scratches, and you could tell the bongos had been used.  They flat out lied to my girlfriend and sold her a used game for the new price.  If you want to sell me the display copy for as a new game, I don't mind, but if you try to sell me the demo copy, I better get the used price.

Did you go beat them?

I was going to, but they were really strong...

Slit their throats with your EDGE/Gamestop card.  :ninja:

I agree, ninja tactics work well when out manned or when they are bigger and stronger.

I don't believe you, I've never met an athletic gaming store employee.

No they don't, read Lone Wolf and Cub, he just pwns everyone, Ninja, Samurai, EVERYONE falls to the Dotanuki of Ogami Itto.

Forgive me if any of this has been covered but i am on 56k and not waiting for 3 pages of text to load :-P

Gamestop has been doing it for quite some time.

It is rediculous that the open brand new games and put all the empty boxes all over the floor.
It is a space saver/tehft reduction kinda thing but at the same time it is unfair to the customer to say the least.

That being said more than one time i had customers get pissed off at me when i had to sell them a opened but still new game at Game Crazy.

In our case it was a copy of the game that generally had been opened either to display the game or by the manager because he decided he wanted to play the game.(Plus he was rarely if ever the one selling the game he decided to open...)

I always apologized to people when we had to sell them an open copy especially since our return policy for new games was 7 days unopened.(vioded by our manager right from the start) More often that not if we had no sealed versions i told people i would show them the disc told them it had been only used in our system for display and tell them the other game stores in the area they could try to get a sealed copy at.

If you buy a new car and you find cigeret butts in the ashtrey, coke stains all over the seat, and car owner manual isnt there would you consider it "new"?  If you bought a game, it didnt include the manual, or it had sharpie on the case or the disc would you consider it "new"?

Sometimes it's obvious it was used being listed as new, sometimes it isnt.  If you want a game that's new order online from company store if the game maker has one.  Even buying so called factory sealed games can bite you in the ass.

But that isn't what's happening with GameStop.

Actually it is. Stickers, Markers, Scuffed cases you name it. New in the sense that no one has actually bought it but that's as far as it goes. Not always the case but still happens way more than it should.

I HATE THOSE YELLOW PAPER STICKERS.  They are a real pain in the @$$ to get off.

Other than that I don't have a real big problem with Gamestop/ EB Games. Of course I don't really buy new games either.

I usually only buy the cheap games that they have. or shop there when they have some sort of special.

I only buy new games from Wal-Mart or similar Retailer.

It annoys me when they pull this shit and the game box has stickers on it. That's when you get really pissed.

we should kill all who puts stickers on game boxes, who's with me?

me

Only if they are the real hard to peel off variety. However, the gamestop I normally go to recently switched over to different stickers that are way easier to take off the case.